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In Baltimore and Elsewhere, Police Use Stingrays For Petty Crimes
USA Today reports on the widespread use of stingray technology by police to track down even petty criminals and witnesses, as well as their equally widespread reluctance to disclose that use. The article focuses mostly on the city of Baltimore; by cross-checking court records against a surveillance log from the city’s Advanced Technical Team, the USA Today reporters were able to determine at least several hundred cases in which phony ("simulated") cell phone towers were used to snoop traffic. In court, though, and even in the information that the police department provides to the city's prosecutors, the use of these devices is rarely disclosed, thanks to a non-disclosure agreement with the FBI and probably a general reluctance to make public how much the department is using them, especially without bothering to obtain search warrants. From the article:
In at least one case, police and prosecutors appear to have gone further to hide the use of a stingray. After Kerron Andrews was charged with attempted murder last year, Baltimore's State's Attorney's Office said it had no information about whether a phone tracker had been used in the case, according to court filings. In May, prosecutors reversed course and said the police had used one to locate him. "It seems clear that misrepresentations and omissions pertaining to the government's use of stingrays are intentional," Andrews' attorney, Assistant Public Defender Deborah Levi, charged in a court filing.
Judge Kendra Ausby ruled last week that the police should not have used a stingray to track Andrews without a search warrant, and she said prosecutors could not use any of the evidence found at the time of his arrest.
Judge Kendra Ausby ruled last week that the police should not have used a stingray to track Andrews without a search warrant, and she said prosecutors could not use any of the evidence found at the time of his arrest.
Yet another 100% Democrat controlled hellhole setting new lows in abuse of power. Quick! Someone go interview the token Republican on the city council and get a damning quote so we have someone to blame.
Never mind..... there isn't one.
Maw! Fire up the karma burner!
In the end it all falls back to the fact that crimes shouldn't be committed. If catching someone for a petty crime it may mean that the person is possible to change away from the path of crime - or it means that you actually get a bigger fish on the hook than you expected.
As long as the authorities comes clean with how they obtained the evidence I think it's up to the court to decide if prosecution shall proceed or not, not that the evidence shall be dismissed.
If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
Wrong, but I don't expect an AC to actually post something worthwhile anyway. I absolutely want the police to employ whatever technology they have to in order to catch and prosecute the people WHO VIOLATE MY RIGHTS. I don't advocate them violating anyone else's rights to do it, but using a stingray isn't a violation of anyone's rights, so good for them.
Stupid sexy Flanders.