State Republican legislative leaders say if the governor’s proposal to add electronic devices to the state’s wiretapping laws passes both chambers, it won’t be used much in the future.
They say at this time the current statute is sparsely used.
House Majority Leader Lee Qualm says he asked several South Dakota judges about the proposed wiretapping statute.
He says in thirty years the wiretapping law has never been employed.
“I’m very confident that it’s not going to be abused. If it hasn’t been abused in 30 years, it’s not going to be used a whole lot," Qualm says. "They want to have the ability to because, obviously, everybody uses cell phones now, but it’s not something they use virtually ever. So, I’m very confident it’s not going to be abused.”
During his annual State of the State address, Governor Dennis Daugaard proposed adding electronic devices to wiretapping laws to help fight drug trafficking in the state.