NEW: RI ACLU Questions “Superficial” Motel 6 Guest List Change
Friday, May 01, 2015
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Rhode Island is questioning recent changes in Motel 6’s policy of handing over its guest list to Warwick police.
On April 15, the ACLU had criticized an agreement that was reached between Warwick police and the Motel 6 on Jefferson Boulevard in Warwick to share the motel’s list of guests, and to do so without notifying those patrons. The ACLU had called the agreement an invasion of guests’ privacy that sets a troubling precedent.
Now, Rhode Island ACLU Executive Director Steve Brown is asking for clarification about new changes to the policy.
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“Although we are pleased to learn that Motel 6 will no longer routinely send its daily guest list to the Warwick Police Department, it remains unclear exactly how significant a change this actually is," said Brown in a statement. "According to comments from local law enforcement officials, it appears that the motel will instead simply permit Warwick police officers to view the guest list at the motel instead of sending it over to the police department. If so, this superficial change in policy only perpetuates the serious intrusion of privacy that Motel 6 guests are being subjected to. It certainly does not comport with comments attributed to Motel 6 corporate officials that they would no longer provide guest information to the police. The invasion of guests’ privacy is the same regardless of whether Motel 6 sends a list directly to the police or allows officers to examine it at the motel. And while police officials have suggested that criminal checks will be conducted only based on ‘reasonable suspicion,’ police officials will still be engaged in fishing expeditions if they are being provided access to the entire guest list whenever they choose.
“Both Motel 6 and the police department should formally clarify their statements and policies on this matter," continued Brown. "Specifically, we believe the motel should be providing access to the guest list, and the police should be seeking it, only under very limited circumstances, either pursuant to a warrant or when needed to address specific criminal activity taking place at the establishment. For now, though, it still appears that Motel 6 views each person who walks through their doors not as guests, but as participants in a line-up. The public deserves more clarity as to whether the so-called change in policy is merely just motel window dressing.”
Related Slideshow: Police Militarization - Department by Department Breakdown
Below are those fifteen local police departments that have obtained military supplies, listed from least to most items acquired. The list does not include acquisition records for certain tactical weapons and supplies for which the Pentagon has refused to release department-specific data. (In those instances only county-level data has been released. That data is not included below.) Records are for recent acquisitions going back to 2009 and were obtained from the Defense Logistics Agency.
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