2022 Wyoming Statutes
Title 7 - Criminal Procedure
Chapter 3 - Fugitives and Prevention of Crime
Article 7 - Communication Interception
Section 7-3-707 - Procedure for Interception of Wire, Oral or Electronic Communications.

7-3-707. Procedure for interception of wire, oral or electronic communications.

(a) Each application for an order authorizing the interception of wire, oral or electronic communications shall be made in writing upon oath or affirmation to a judge of competent jurisdiction and shall state the applicant's authority under W.S. 7-3-705(a) to make the application. Each application shall include the following information:

(i) The identity of the peace officer making the application and of the officer authorizing the application;

(ii) A full and complete statement of the facts and circumstances relied upon by the applicant to justify his belief that an order should be issued, including:

(A) Specific facts concerning the particular offense that is being investigated;

(B) Except as provided in subsection (t) of this section, a particular description of the nature and location of the facilities from which, or the place where, the communication is to be intercepted;

(C) A particular description of the type of communication sought to be intercepted;

(D) The identity of the person or persons, if known, who are suspected of committing the offense and whose communications are to be intercepted.

(iii) A full and complete statement as to whether or not other investigative procedures have been tried and have failed, or why they reasonably appear to be unlikely to succeed or would be too dangerous;

(iv) A statement of the required duration of the interception. If the nature of the investigation will require that the interception not automatically terminate when the described type of communication has been first obtained, the application shall state a particular description of facts sufficient to establish probable cause to believe that additional communications of the same type will occur after the initial interception;

(v) A full and complete statement by the applicant concerning all previous applications known to the individual authorizing and making the application to have been made to any judge:

(A) For permission to intercept wire, oral or electronic communications involving any of the same persons, facilities or places specified in the application; and

(B) Action taken by the judge on each previous application.

(vi) If the application is for extension of an order, a complete statement shall be made setting forth the results thus far obtained from the interception or a reasonable explanation of the failure to obtain any results.

(b) The judge may require the applicant to furnish additional testimony or documentary evidence in support of the application.

(c) Upon an application, the judge may issue an ex parte order, as requested or modified, authorizing interception of wire, oral or electronic communications within the territorial jurisdiction of the court in which the judge is sitting, and outside that jurisdiction but within the state of Wyoming in the case of a mobile interception device authorized by a district court within such district, if the judge determines on the basis of the facts submitted by the applicant that:

(i) There is probable cause for belief that the named person is committing or has committed any of the offenses enumerated in W.S. 7-3-705;

(ii) There is probable cause for belief that particular communications concerning those offenses will be intercepted;

(iii) Normal investigative procedures have been tried and have failed, or reasonably appear to be unlikely to succeed or would be too dangerous;

(iv) Except as provided in subsection (u) of this section, there is probable cause for belief that the facilities from which, or the place where, the wire, oral or electronic communications are to be intercepted is or is about to be used in connection with any of the offenses enumerated in W.S. 7-3-705 or is leased to, listed in the name of or used by the person suspected in the commission of any enumerated offense.

(d) Each order authorizing interception of wire, oral or electronic communications shall specify:

(i) The identity of the person or persons, if known, whose communications are to be intercepted;

(ii) The nature and location of the communications facilities as to which, or place where the authority to intercept is granted;

(iii) A particular description of the type of communication sought to be intercepted and a statement of the particular offense or offenses to which it relates;

(iv) The period of time during which an interception is authorized including a statement as to whether or not the interception shall automatically terminate when the described communication is first obtained;

(v) The identity of the agency authorized to intercept the communications and of the person authorizing the application.

(e) No order entered under this section may authorize the interception of any wire, oral or electronic communication for any period longer than is necessary to achieve the objective of the authorization, or in any event no longer than thirty (30) days unless extended under subsection (f) of this section. The thirty (30) day period provided by this subsection begins on the earlier of the day on which the peace officer first begins to conduct an interception under the order or ten (10) days after the order is entered.

(f) Extensions of an order may be granted upon an application for extension made in accordance with subsection (a) of this section and upon the findings required by subsection (c) of this section. The period of the extension shall be no longer than the authorizing judge deems necessary to achieve the purposes for which it was granted and in any event no longer than thirty (30) days.

(g) Every order and extension thereof shall contain a provision that the authorization to intercept shall be executed as soon as practicable, and that the execution of the permission shall be conducted in such a way as to minimize the interception of communications not otherwise subject to interception under this act. Every order or extension thereof shall also provide that the interception terminate upon attainment of the objective, or in any event in thirty (30) days.

(h) Whenever an order authorizing interception is entered pursuant to this act, the order may require reports to be made to the judge issuing the order, stating the progress which has been made toward achievement of the authorized objective and the need for continued interception. The reports shall be made at intervals as the judge may require.

(j) The contents of any wire, oral or electronic communication intercepted shall, if possible, be recorded on tape, electronic, wire, computer storage media or other comparable device. The recording shall be performed to protect it from editing or other alterations. Immediately upon expiration of the period of the order, or extension thereof, the recording shall be submitted to the judge issuing the order and shall be sealed under his directions. Custody of the recordings shall be wherever the judge orders. A recording shall not be destroyed except upon an order of the judge, and in any event shall be kept for ten (10) years. Duplicate recordings may be made for use or disclosure pursuant to the provisions of this section. The presence of the seal provided for by this subsection, or a satisfactory explanation for its absence, is a prerequisite for the use or disclosure of the contents of any wire or oral communication or evidence derived therefrom.

(k) Applications made and orders granted under this act shall be sealed by the judge. Custody of the sealed applications and orders shall be maintained at the direction of the judge. The applications and orders shall be disclosed only upon a showing of good cause before a judge and shall not be destroyed except upon order of the judge to whom the application was presented, and in any event shall be kept for ten (10) years. Any information obtained pursuant to a court order permitting interception of wire, oral or electronic communications shall not be used, published or divulged except in accordance with the provisions of this act. Any violations of the provisions of this subsection or subsection (j) of this section may be punished as contempt of the issuing or denying judge.

(m) Within a reasonable time, but not later than ninety (90) days after the denial of an application or the termination of the period of an order authorizing interception or extension thereof, the judge shall cause to be served upon each person named in the order or application and any other person the judge determines as in the interest of justice, notice of the following:

(i) That an order or application has been entered under this section;

(ii) The date of the entry and the period of permitted interception or the denial of the application; and

(iii) Whether wire, oral or electronic communications were or were not intercepted.

(n) The judge, upon the filing of a motion, may, in his discretion, make available to the person or his counsel for inspection any portion of the intercepted communications, applications and orders as the judge determines to be in the interest of justice. On an ex parte showing of good cause to a judge of competent jurisdiction, the service of the matter required by subsection (m) of this section may be postponed.

(o) The contents of any wire, oral or electronic communication intercepted pursuant to this section or evidence derived from that communication shall not be received in evidence or otherwise disclosed in any trial, hearing or other proceeding unless the party offering the evidence, not less than twenty (20) days before the trial, hearing or proceeding, gives notice to the court or hearing officer and all other parties. The court may then order disclosure of the court order and accompanying application. If the order of interception and accompanying application has previously been disclosed, the offering party may furnish all other parties with the order of interception and accompanying application without further order of the court or hearing officer upon proper notice. This twenty (20) day period may be waived by the court or hearing officer if it finds that it was not possible to furnish the party with the information twenty (20) days before the trial, hearing or proceeding and that no party will be prejudiced by the delay in receiving the information.

(p) The contents of any intercepted wire, oral or electronic communication or evidence derived therefrom shall not be admitted as evidence in any trial, hearing or other proceeding in this state unless the interception was performed in accordance with this act.

(q) No otherwise privileged wire, oral or electronic communication intercepted in accordance with or in violation of this act shall lose its privileged character, unless the communications are in furtherance of a criminal act in violation of the laws of the United States or this state.

(r) When a peace officer, while engaged in intercepting wire, oral or electronic communications relating to an offense specified in the order permitting interception, intercepts wire, oral or electronic communications relating to an offense other than those specified in the order, the contents thereof, and evidence derived therefrom, may be disclosed or used only if the offense constitutes a felony under the laws of the United States or this state. If the communication concerns an enumerated offense listed in W.S. 7-3-705, the agency executing the order of interception shall apply to the issuing court for an expansion of the order of interception pursuant to paragraph (a)(ii) of this section. The application shall be made as soon as practicable.

(s) In the event an intercepted communication is in a code or a foreign language, and an expert in that code or foreign language is not reasonably available during the interception period, any minimization required under this section shall be accomplished as soon as practicable after the interception.

(t) The requirements of subparagraph (a)(ii)(B) and paragraph (c)(iv) of this section relating to the specification of the facilities from which, or the place where, the communication is to be intercepted do not apply if:

(i) In the case of an application with respect to the interception of an oral communication:

(A) The application contains a full and complete statement as to why such specification is not practical and identifies the person committing the offense and whose communications are to be intercepted; and

(B) The judge finds that such specification is not practical.

(ii) In the case of an application with respect to a wire or electronic communication:

(A) The application identifies the person believed to be committing the offense and whose communications are to be intercepted and the applicant makes a showing that there is probable cause to believe that the person's actions could have the effect of thwarting interception from a specified facility;

(B) The judge finds that such showing has been adequately made; and

(C) The order authorizing the interception is limited to interception only for such time as it is reasonable to presume that the person identified in the application is or was reasonably proximate to the instrument through which such communication will be or was transmitted.

(u) An interception of a communication under an order with respect to which the requirements of subparagraph (a)(ii)(B) and paragraph (c)(iv) of this section do not apply by reason of paragraph (t)(i) of this section shall not begin until the place where the communication is to be intercepted is ascertained by the person implementing the interception order. A provider of wire or electronic communications service that has received an order as provided for in paragraph (t)(ii) of this section may move the court to modify or quash the order on the ground that its assistance with respect to the interception cannot be performed in a timely or reasonable fashion. The court, upon notice to the prosecuting authority, shall decide such a motion expeditiously.