Law Enforcement Technology

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is pushing to make it easier for the government to tap into internet and e-mail communications.

LOS ANGELES - A device designed to control unruly inmates by blasting them with a beam of intense energy that causes a burning sensation is drawing heat from civil rights groups who fear it could cause serious injury and is "tantamount to torture." The mechanism, known as an "Assault Intervention Device," is a stripped-down version of a military gadget that sends highly focused beams of energy at people and makes them feel as though they are burning.

LOS ANGELES - A device designed to control unruly inmates by blasting them with a beam of intense energy that causes a burning sensation is drawing heat from civil rights groups who fear it could cause serious injury and was "tantamount to torture." The mechanism, known as an "Assault Intervention Device," is a modified version of a military gadget that sends highly focused beams of energy at people and makes them feel as though they are burning.

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. - On New York's Long Island, it's used to prevent drownings.

WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court on Friday reversed a man's drug conspiracy conviction because authorities failed to get a warrant before using a global positioning system device that tracked his movements for a month.