Since we often name legislation after people who inspired them (Amy's Law, Amber Alert, etc.) shouldn't this one be dubbed the "Nasal Law"?

The Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting that the Ohio Senate unanimously approve a bill on Tuesday making it illegal for police to assign a real person's identity to an undercover informant or others in investigations without that person's permission.

As amended, House Bill 48 would require investigators to get written or verbal consent before using someone's personal identification, such as a driver's license, in an investigation.

From the story:

The amendment stemmed from a case in which state liquor control agents gave a college student the driver's license and Social Security number of another woman so she could pose as a stripper for a sting.

Investigators and Miami County Prosecutor Gary Nasal in 2003 targeted the Total Xposure strip bar near Troy in western Ohio.

Nasal said the ploy was legal because a change in Ohio's law the previous year. The law allows police to use a person's identity within the context of an investigation, he said.

The tactics were justified because authorities managed to close the club, Nasal said.

The language the Senate added was in response to the case, Sen. Jim Jordan, an Urbana Republican, said.

The Ohio Highway Patrol is investigating the use of Dawson's identification, which included her Social Security number.

The anti-identity theft bill has already been approved by the House, but House members must now consider the changes made in the Senate. It is expected that the House will concur, and send the "Nasal Law" to Governor Taft.

Related Stories:
Probe of private ID stolen by police begins

Gary Nasal's 8 mo. "investigation" yields no indictment of Sheriff O'Leary

The Cleveland Plain Dealer this week told the tragic story this week of a woman murdered in the presence of several unarmed witnesses.

From the story:

Nicole English can't escape the memory of the woman's violent end.

It makes no difference that she didn't know the victim, Kimberly Benson, or her husband, James Benson, a former Maple Heights councilman and mayoral contender charged Monday with aggravated murder.

The memory haunts English, 23, of Shaker Heights, nonetheless because she saw it happening and couldn't help.

In an interview with The Plain Dealer, English said she was driving between a chain-link fence and a vacant lot on South Miles Road near Lee Road in Cleveland about 2 p.m. Saturday when she saw a gold 2000 Dodge Intrepid.

A woman kicked open the Intrepid's driver-side door, flailed her arms and screamed for help.

English stopped her car beside the Intrepid and saw the 44-year-old wearing dressy boots, jeans and a white shirt. Her makeup was done, "like she was going someplace special," but her face was panic-stricken.

A man, whose face English couldn't see, was restraining her as she struggled to escape.

"She was begging, begging, begging, kicking and screaming," English said.

English said she couldn't help at the time because it was just her and her sister in the car with English's two young daughters.

English saw some men up the street. She drove to them and asked them to help. Then she heard the gunshot.

She said she saw a man jump from the passenger seat of the car and run away.

The story goes on to recount English’s return to the automobile, and the death of the woman in the car amidst a crowd of witnesses.

It is impossible to know how this story might have been changed if one of the witnesses had been armed. And under current Ohio law, third-party intervention in a conflict of this nature has its own risks. But it is clear that being able to do nothing in this situation was the worst option of all.

Again, from the story:

No matter what English tries to concentrate on, she said, the memory of Benson's death keeps creeping into her thoughts - her soft skin, her perfume, her cries for help.

"I didn't know her," English said, "but I can't stop thinking about her."

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The Mount Vernon News is reporting that, on Monday, April 21, over 60 people from Butler and Harrison townships came together to discuss ways to combat crime. According to the story, the purpose was to have everyone gather together to get to know each other and share information regarding keeping their families safe:

Many questions were asked regarding Ohio’s Concealed Carry Law and the right that everyone has to protect their life or the life of someone else. Ways to deter crime and keep one’s home and property safe were also discussed.

Sheriff David Barber believes in the neighborhood watch philosophy of the community being the eyes and ears of law enforcement. The importance of these groups is that information is given to law enforcement and to the people living in the neighborhood. It is stressed that neighborhood watch is not a vigilante group and if anything suspicious is occurring to immediately contact the sheriff’s office. “We do not want citizens putting themselves in harm’s way. It is our law enforcement job to check out any suspicious activity or to intervene in a potentially dangerous situation,” said Barber.