SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union and Utah state officials say a judge’s recommendation to allow the Drug Enforcement Administration to do warrantless searches of a prescription drug database violates people’s privacy rights.
The ACLU said in a news release Monday that safeguards are needed for a database that includes records of prescriptions things like anti-anxiety drugs as well as prescription painkillers.
The organization filed its objection Friday. U.S. Magistrate Judge Dustin Pead said earlier this month the DEA should have access to a database already in government hands.
U.S. District Judge David Nuffer will decide whether to accept the recommendation.
Utah is among the minority of states that require police get a warrant before a search. The DEA sued last year, saying access is an important tool in the early stages of their investigations.