Other laws already answer your questions. Just because SOME local, state and federal law enforcement officials are too lazy, stupid and/or egotistical to comply with proper legal procedures and/or applicable laws, does not mean we should continue to allow them or control-freak politicians to rape our Constitution by such legislation as the "Patriot Act".
what laws? why is the single wiretap provision part of the patriot act then, if its already on the books someplace else? do you realize we live in a country where someone can walk into a Best Buy and walk out with an activated cell phone, anonymously paid for with cash, 2 minutes later? how are court issued wiretap regulations supposed to keep up with surveillance given those kinds of realities?
No, actually, it was the Patriot Act that finally allowed LE agencies to file for a warrant to wiretap a *person* instead of a particular phone number. Seems sensible. In the age of disposable pre-paid cell phones, it would be impossible otherwise.
Is this one of the things you think is a problem? Why?