The State - News from April 2, 1985

Proposed legislation to allow wire-tapping by law enforcement organizations in California “has an excellent chance of passing,” state Atty. Gen. John Van de Kamp told the California Sheriffs Assn. meeting in Monterey. Van de Kamp said he is optimistic about the prospects for the bill, which is being carried by Sen. Robert Presley (D-Riverside), because “it includes some very carefully drawn safeguards and guidelines,” would “fill an important gap in California law” and be a particularly effective weapon against organized crime. Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Ira Reiner voiced support for the bill last week, telling a legislative committee that the use of wiretaps should be confined to major cases involving “murder, extortion, kidnaping and large-scale criminal enterprises.”