Cantwell Measure to Investigate Link Between ID Theft and Meth Approved by Senate Committee

Cantwell Measure to Investigate Link Between ID Theft and Meth Approved by Senate Committee

Local Law Enforcement Officials Alarmed by Trend: One Crime Funds the Other

The Senate Commerce committee has approved U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell's (D-WA) proposal calling for a comprehensive, national investigation of the link between identity theft and methamphetamine crimes. The provision was included in a larger bill to fight identity theft.

"I've heard time and time again from local law enforcement officials that meth addicts engage in widespread identity theft." said Cantwell, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which approved her measure. "These crimefighters need more federal resources to help them combat this compound crime. By investigating the link between ID theft and meth, we can develop a comprehensive solution that attacks the crimes at their roots, and breaks the cycle."

During a meeting on Thursday, the Commerce Committee approved the Identity Theft Protection Act (S. 1408), which included language incorporating Cantwell's proposal. The bill addresses the recent data breaches of sensitive personal information and the current lack of tools for consumers to protect themselves from identity theft.

In March, Cantwell learned first-hand from law enforcement officials in Spokane , Vancouver , and Seattle about the combined dangers of meth crime and identity theft. Cantwell introduced the Methamphetamine and Identity Theft Study Act of 2005 (S. 844).

No national data currently exists to document the emerging meth/ID theft connection, and there is no comprehensive strategy to deal with these dual crimes. Cantwell's provision directs the Department of Justice to conduct a national investigation of the issue, including a statistical analysis of the correlation between meth and identity theft crimes.

Cantwell believes a national investigation of the connection between ID theft and meth would serve a number of important purposes, including:

· Focus attention on these related federal crimes, helping build the case for more resources to fight them; and

· Help move the burden for assessing trends in federal crimes off local law enforcement - particularly since meth and ID theft crimes are often perpetrated across state lines and prey on federal services and programs such as the U.S. mail and Social Security identification.

According to the Spokane County Sheriff, 100 percent of the area's 2004 identity theft crimes had ties to meth. Pierce County officials report that between 80 to 90 percent of the county's identity theft defendants either have a pending or prior meth charge.

Cantwell has been a leader in the Senate to both protect consumers from identity theft and combat methamphetamine abuse. In March, a Cantwell-cosponsored amendment added to the Senate's Fiscal Year 2006 Budget Resolution restored $160 million in federal funds to help local law enforcement clean up meth labs. The budget amendment is consistent with legislation Cantwell introduced in February, the "Arrest Methamphetamine Act of 2005," which would authorize $800 million in federal funds over 5 years to combat the meth problem.

Also in March, Cantwell added a provision to bankruptcy reform legislation that will prevent identity thieves from trolling court filings for personal information such as Social Security numbers. In December 2003, President Bush signed into law Cantwell's legislation to speed up law enforcement investigations of ID theft, as part of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. By giving victims and those they "deputize" in law enforcement easier access to important records, the law - which just took effect last June - also enhances the ability of authorities to solve cases of identity theft across state lines.

In 2004, Washington state ranked eighth in the nation for identity theft crimes - up from tenth the year before. The number of victims in Washington state climbed about 20 percent in just one year. Meanwhile, meth accounted for almost half of all the drug seizures in Washington state.

http://cantwell.senate.gov/news/releases/2005_07_29_meth-id_theft_committee.html