Gov. Terry McAuliffe

Gov. Terry McAuliffe

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A civil liberties group is blasting Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe for trying to amend legislation aimed at protecting personal privacy. The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia sent McAuliffe a letter Monday accusing him of trying to gut bills that would restrict the use of drones by police and limit data collection by automatic license plate readers. The General Assembly passed several measures earlier this year with support from lawmakers across the political spectrum that was aimed at reining in the power of police to carry out surveillance on citizens. The ACLU said McAuliffe’s proposed amendments to some of those bills would are the equivalent of vetoes. Lawmakers are due back in Richmond on April 15 to consider the governor’s vetoes and amendments.