MONTGOMERY — A bill to continue the state wiretapping program first enacted in 2022 has been introduced in the Alabama House. The legislation (HB137) enables the Agent Billy Clardy III Act to continue indefinitely.
Huntsville Police Officer Billy Fred Clardy, III, a 14-year veteran of the department, was shot and killed in the line of duty in 2019.
The act allows officers to get permission on the state level rather than the federal government to use wire taping technology in drug trafficking investigations. Currently, the entire act is set to repeal on Feb. 1, 2026.
Bill sponsor State Rep. Rex Reynolds said the law has been an effective tool for law enforcement agencies.
“Granting law enforcement access to electronic wiretapping is a highly effective way to investigate and dismantle drug trafficking operations in Alabama,” said Reynolds (R-Huntsville), a former Huntsville police chief. “It’s crucial that we provide our law enforcement agencies with every tool possible to fight the influx of narcotics into our state.”
Before the act, state and local law enforcement agents could only gain wiretapping capabilities through federal approval.
Under the Clardy Act, local agents coordinate with the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the attorney general’s office prior to bringing a wiretap affidavit to the local judge of jurisdiction.
The bill to continue the law is in the House Judiciary committee.
