Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Supreme Court Will Consider Police Searches of Hotel Registries
This article discusses the Supreme Court's decision to decide whether or not police could inspect hotel and motel guest registries without search warrants. The motel owners were not against that the registries would become available but that they would be available at all times even without permission from a judge. This article's main issue is that of privacy and security. Should the Supreme Court have the right to rule this way or to what extent?
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There are a lot of laws out there that give law enforcement way to much power over the people. This however i don't think is one of them. The reason they put this law into place is really for one certain reason and that is the skecty motels not the nice hotels that normal people would stay in while they visit. These motels are full of crime and with this law it will allow law enforcement to get these dangerous people of the streets.
ReplyDeleteI agree with James; privacy is a matter that ought to be taken seriously, but I feel comfortable with this "intrusion" by the police. The registry of a motel could be important when it comes to hunting down a criminal.
ReplyDeleteI can understand people being wary of this measure, as privacy has been a controversial topic, and the police are not exactly the most popular right now, after the events of Ferguson. However, this type of search can be instrumental in solving a crime. Since it's with motels, not to much personal information can be gleaned from these regestries, other than a person's name and time that they were there, which can be used as proof in a court
ReplyDeleteI think the law is understandable because no a lot of private information can be taken from a hotel registry. The police should still need a warrant to go search hotel rooms, but to know where a person is without a warrant is not unconstitutional. They can better monitor a dangerous person with this information.
ReplyDeleteI too agree with James. As much as I like my privacy, I want to feel safe and know if anyone at these hotels do have dangerous weapons on them. I do agree with Rachel that the police should still need warrants if they want to search hotel rooms. I understand why some people would be upset but at the end of the day, the police are trying to keep people safe.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I don't really know what a motel would have against producing a registry for the police. It could seem like an invasion of privacy for the other guests staying there, but the police wouldn't use anything except for what they would need to solve a crime. If I were staying at a motel and the police had to see that I was there to catch someone dangerous, I would be fine with it, as I think most people would.
ReplyDeleteI am going to have to side with the motel owners. It really is not that hard for the police to obtain a search warrant. The owners are right when they say that they are running a business and you cannot just access their information without a search warrant. The owners aren't saying they are against cooperating with the police, they just want to keep their rights protected.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dan. The idea that the information that you gave to a hotel when you registered as a business transaction for a place to stay is now available to the eyes of police officers is unsettling. This is in violating of the 4th amendment and moreover is over a trivial matter of obtaining a search warrant. If police officers have enough reasonable doubt obtaining a search warrant would not be that hard to do.
ReplyDeleteI personally wouldn't care that my registration was accessible to the police, partially because I don't stay in hotels often and when I do, I'm not trying to hide anything. This type of legislation is to put a stop to illegal drug activity and prostitution. Which brings up a whole other conversation about the legality of those two issues, but I think that's what it's aimed at.
ReplyDeleteI think that Americans should be willing to sacrifice some degree of privacy in order to ensure national and local security. The only reason that motel guests would care if the police knew where they were staying is if they were up to "no good." This would make hotel guest feel safer and it would also decrease the amount of drug trafficking and prostitution that takes place in hotels.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely understand why the government is pushing for the ability to search motel registries. When the safety of innocent people is compromised, actions must be taken to increase security. I feel as though motel owners are just trying to protect the clients questionable actions when they stay at these places.
ReplyDeleteMotel owners should not have their privacy invaded in this instance. If law enforcement officials are so concerned about illegal behavior being conducted in these "shady" motels, they should have no problem obtaining a warrant to investigate the matter. While the motel owners' position may seem trivial, stripping rights from business owners and other private individuals sets a dangerous precedent for future 4th Amendment violations.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that many shady motels exist (think the Raven Motel in Media) and I am sure having registries open to police may be convenient. I believe, however, that there should be a strict set of guidelines in place when accessing registries without a warrant. For instance, police could only ask if a specific guest is checked in, rather than have the entire list at their disposal.
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