A utility company in Maine has a proposal for helping law enforcement root out illegal cannabis growing operations.
Running illegal cannabis grows in residential homes often causes huge power consumption spikes that stand out amid normal energy use.
Versant Power said it has received several subpoena requests from law enforcement for homes using much more electricity than normal.
Now the company is suggesting it would be easier to just alert law enforcement when it sees these spikes.
“Versant has a very high success rate in being able to identify these locations, but we have no ability to communicate with law enforcement proactively,” said Versant General Counsel Arrian Myrick-Stockdell.
But opponents say the proposal would violate privacy laws by providing access to customer data with no probable cause or warrant.
