The Patriot Act - Essay Example

The Patriot Act Introduction The Patriot act refers to a United s law that came into being following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. On 26 October 2001, President George W. Bush signed the act into law. The main goals and objectives of the act include broadening the powers of law enforcement agencies and strengthening the domestic security. The act mainly aims at stopping terrorist attacks that may happen in the United States. On 26 May 2011, President Barrack Obama renewed the act by giving it a four year extension.

This will see the application of the act until June 1, 2015 (Solove 155). Provisions of the Patriot Act Title I of the Patriot Act has to do with the protection of civil liberties. It gives powers to the Secret Service to create a crime task force that operates all over the nation. The Patriot Act gives authority to the president to seize the property of a foreigner believed to have assisted in a war against the US. Title II of the act allows the interruption of communications, which may be related to activities of terrorists (Solove 156).

Under the act, federal authorities can share information on terrorist activities with other law-enforcement agencies. The Patriot Act also authorizes roving surveillance; this entails a court order that allows officers to use all possible means to intercept a suspect’s communication. In addition, Title II of the act permits the delay of notifications on search warrants. As such, the house of a suspect can be searched in their absence, and the suspect will be notified of the search after it is carried out (Solove 156).

Pros of the Patriot Act To some extent, the implementation of the patriot act can be regarded as successful; this owes to the pros of the act since its enactment. The act can be regarded as successful in a number of ways. The first benefit of the act is that it has allowed agencies of law enforcement to use surveillance against persons suspected to be terrorists. The act has allowed agencies to conduct investigations without any interference; this has minimized the bureaucracy (Solove 157). The act has also increased the penalties for persons involved in terrorism; this has helped in reducing the likelihood for terrorist activities.

The act also gives powers to law enforcement agencies to acquire a search warrant anytime they need it; this has intensified the war against terrorism. Cons of the Patriot Act Despite the benefits of the Patriot act, the provisions of the act have some issues, which scholars have pointed out as problematic. First, critics have argued that the act does not target terrorism. This is because the provisions of the act are not limited to investigations related to terrorism. Secondly, the act violates constitutional protections; the act interferes with privacy by tracking people wherever they are.

Thirdly, the act has led to increased secrecy within the government. This permits the abuse of powers granted to authorities (Solove 157). The Patriot act also leads to harassment, discrimination and racial profiling. For example, law abiding Arabs may be viewed as terrorists. Finally, the information collected regarding terrorism could be used for other purposes, which may be political and non-terror. The information may be used to embarrass rivals or for blackmailing purposes. The cons of the patriot act can be regarded as assets since they can be used to make improvements in the act (Solove 158).

Conclusion In conclusion, the Patriot act came into being following the September 11 terrorist attacks. The act strives to fight terrorism within the United States. The act gives ultimate powers to law enforcement agencies and reduces bureaucracy within the agencies. However, the act has been criticized for its interference with privacy and violation of constitutional rights. The shortcomings of the act can be used as the basis for improving it. Works Cited Solove, Daniel. Nothing to Hide: The False Tradeoff between Privacy and Security.

London: Yale University Press, 2011. Print.