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Police don't often discuss the tools they use on the street to catch the bad guys and this one is no different. But critics say this tactic threatens to trap innocent people as well.
WHAT ONCE COULD ONLY BE SEEN IN JAMES BOND MOVIES IS NOW A REAL LIFE CRIME-FIGHTING TOOL FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT -- GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEMS, GPS. MIKE BROOKS IS A FORMER DC POLICE DETECTIVE.
It's a good use of resources, it doesn't put any officers in danger which is a good thing.
IT'S A HIGH-TECH VERSION OF 'TRAILING' A SUSPECT. BUT BECAUSE INVESTIGATORS OFTEN TRACK WITHOUT A WARRANT, CRITICS LABEL IT A BIG BROTHER TACTIC.
Law enforcement has a legitimate right to try to solve crimes and track suspects, provided that there are protections so that the innocent are not improperly snooped-upon. So how does it work? It's pretty simple and made to be so.
This is one of the devices law enforcement use. You put in the batteries, attach it to the car and off they go. Police easily along fro the ride, tracking a suspect, in real time, from their computer.
COURT DOCUMENTS SHOW *THAT* IS WHAT FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA POLICE DID TO FOLLOW DAVID LEE FOLTZ JUNIOR IN FEBRUARY, WITHOUT A WARRANT. FOLTZ, WHO SERVED TIME IN PRISON FOR RAPE, IS NOW FACING TRIAL FOR ABDUCTION AND SEXUAL BATTERY. HIS ATTORNEY WON'T DISCUSS THE CASE, BUT TRIED TO GET THE GPS EVIDENCE THROWN OUT OF COURT. HE SAYS IT CONSTITUTES ILLEGAL SEARCH AND SEIZURE, A VIOLATION OF HIS CLIENT'S FOURTH AMENDMENT RIGHT.
Before an intrusion of this magnitude, this tracking, that judicial officers should make the final decision on who can be tracked and for how long.
THE POLICE INVOLVED WOULD ONLY SAY THERE IS AN INTERNAL REVIEW BEFORE GPS TRACKING CAN BE USED. PRIVACY ADVOCATES SAY THAT'S NOT ENOUGH AS POLICE DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY BEGIN UTILIZING THIS VIRTUALLY UNDETECTABLE DEVICE.
The Supreme Court has yet to address warrant-less GPS tracking, so the legal standards vary from state to state. Most allow it or haven't ruled on it. But Washington and Oregon, for example, have ruled police need a warrant before using G-P-S.
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