Rep. David Smith is a freshman Republican from McAlester whose police-state bill puts soviet block nations to shame. HB3359 would allow any cop to demand the papers of any citizen, any time they get curious (or vengeful). It even allow a cop to lock up any law-abiding citizen without any charges.
This would put Oklahoma under a perpetual curfew state, but only for those the police selectively decide to go after. The new law would shield cops from any civil lawsuits arising from a person being fired from jobs or failing academic requirements because of a cop's suspicions that they are 'up to no good'. This bill would not require a police report of any crime. Just the suspicion that unless detained, a crime might have occured. This is the year when we're finding out the real character of the nearly 50 new legislators in the House of Representatives. Some are a grave concern. This bill clearly places Rep. David Smith on the growing list of predatory operatives seeking to rob good people of their privacy, liberty, and constitutional right of peaceful assembly. The bill rests in Rep. Chris Cannady's Judiciary Committee. Cannady has been a practicing defense attorney and understands individual rights to remain silent and the constitutional requirement to due process. Oklahoma has not seen such an Orwellian bill like this since Senator Barrington's 'Hoodie Bill' of 2015. That bill was mocked on national TV by Bill O'Reilly and many other national commentators. |
The cops will clearly harm communities by disrupting employment, family cohesion, and health needs by this kind of legislation. We completely expect Rep. Smith to tell the people of Oklahoma just who is requesting this bill, or if he just came up with it all by himself?
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https://www.soonerpolitics.org/uploads/1/6/2/2/16224166/hb3359_int.pdf