Bill outlines rules for law enforcers when tracking cellphones

Audio By Carbonatix

State lawmakers are weighing Arizona’s first-ever rules on when police can use technology to track your cell phone.

Mia Garcia, spokeswoman for the Attorney General’s Office, said the legislation her agency crafted will make it clear in statute that state and local police are required to get a search warrant before they use devices like a “StingRay,” which can hone in on individual cell phones. And she said the “modernization” of existing laws is good for Arizonans.

“The proposed legislation would put Arizona at the forefront of protecting individual privacy while simultaneously helping police keep our community safe,” Garcia said.

The ACLU knows something about all that technology.

It fought a multi-year lawsuit with the city of Tucson to try to uncover not only how the device works but its capability to track not just the targeted suspect but anyone else who is nearby.

That legal battle ended with the Arizona Court of Appeals concluding that Tucson and other cities with the cell-tracking technology need not tell the public how it works. The judges concluded such information could help criminals evade the law.

Read more at AZ Capitol Times

Corrie O'Connor