Supreme Justice Court OK's Secret Use Of GPS Devices

Supreme Justice Court OK's Secret Use Of GPS Devices

www.boston.com

For the first time, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled yesterday that the state constitution allows police to break into a suspect’s car to secretly install tracking devices using a global positioning system, provided that authorities have a warrant before they do so....

The SJC said the devices can be installed for up to 15 days before police must show why the devices need to remain in place. Generally, search warrants expire after seven days.

(visit the link for the full news article)

This is pretty scary stuff, that you could be monitered for at least 15 days without even knowing it, if you are a suspected of criminal activity.

I suppose you could say that if you are not doing anything wrong, why worry?

But the implications of this power being in the wrong hands, corrupt judges and officers are the rare exception, but as society falls prey to more and more greed, this will be abused.

Scary stuff!

www.boston.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

So this is legalized spying? I get so mad at the supreme court when they make decisions like this. I am starting to get the impression that they are an illegitimate institution only given the legitimacy because they're there. They have lately only been making decisions that give the law-enforcement agencies more power and limiting the rights of the individuals.

I am on the fence with this one. How would this be different than:

1. Court ordered wiretaps?
2. Court ordered FBI surveillance (i.e. van parked outside John Gotti's house)

Court approved surveillance/spying has been going on for a long time. Are you opposed to all forms of surveillance, both past and present? Or just this form?

What kind of court is this? Something is wrong here



Mod Note: One Line and Short Posts – Please Review This Link.

[edit on 21-9-2009 by DontTreadOnMe]

I would love to see them break into my bicycle and secrete a GPS tracking device on that!

I got it in fact just for the Powers that Be!

It requires no gas (ouch) it needs no insurance (ouch, ouch) ir requires no license or registration (stop you are killing us) it can not be charged a carbon emissions tax (you are really starting to get on our nerves here) and it's very hard to follow without being spotted (you, you dirty rat) and it can't be bugged or gps tagged (we hate you) and if I ever need to bug out I don't need roads or gas to get the flock out of here (you, you, you)


There, there powers that be it will be alright, I know a nice retirement home for you guys

Duplicate post, of course the Powers that Be still have my computer montiored

[edit on 21/9/09 by ProtoplasmicTraveler]

Originally posted by Frankidealist35
So this is legalized spying? I get so mad at the supreme court when they make decisions like this. I am starting to get the impression that they are an illegitimate institution only given the legitimacy because they're there. They have lately only been making decisions that give the law-enforcement agencies more power and limiting the rights of the individuals.

The supreme court completely lost all credibility when they started ruling in favor of the completely unconstitutional laws that are part-n-parcel of the drug war. It's really time to dissolve fedgov.

Originally posted by burntheships

...

But the implications of this power being in the wrong hands, corrupt judges and officers are the rare exception, but as society falls prey to more and more greed, this will be abused.

Scary stuff!

Rare?

Okaloosa County Sheriff arrested:

www.wjhg.com...

(ex) Escambia County Sheriff charged with illegal hunting in Wisconsin

www.inweekly.net...

And from back in '98:

LAPD & D.A. CAUGHT USING ILLEGAL WIRETAPS

By Charles L. Lindner
Past President of LA Criminal Bar Assn

The wiretap discovery came in the 1996 Lauro Gaxiola coc aine possession case. Defense lawyers appearing before Superior Court Judge Gregory Alarcon had spent a year trying to obtain their clients' statements. By law, the prosecution is required to turn over such statements to the defense. The lawyers were stunned to learn that the charges were derived from secret wiretaps. Furthermore, the Los Angeles Police Department and the district attorney's narcotics unit had conspired to carry out hundreds of such wiretaps since 1985, all without informing either defense attorneys or trial judges hearing the cases.

The seminal ruling in wiretap law came in 1967, in Katz vs. United States, when the U.S. Supreme Court held that, contrary to the spirit of the 4th Amendment, modern technology afforded the government significant opportunities for invading personal privacy without intruding into physical space. The court rejected the idea that only searches and seizures of tangible property were protected by the amendment and expanded the amendment's protections to invasions of personal privacy even when no physical trespass occurred. Since Katz, the police can only monitor a conversation pursuant to a warrant signed by a judge and based on a showing of "probable cause." (The police are so ardent about catching law-breakers, they imagine that it is okay for them to violate the law when they feel like it. WFI Editor)



LAPD officers have avoided revealing the existence of their electronic intercepts using a police procedure known as "the handoff technique." It works like this: Narcotics officers on "Team A" set up a wiretap to gather information on a suspect. Without identifying the source of their information, the officers turn over the wiretap's "intelligence product" to detectives from "Team B," also members of LAPD's narcotics unit. Using the intelligence product, "Team B" officers set about trying to gather facts independently that would provide "probable cause" for a second judge to sign a search warrant targeting another suspect, without the cops disclosing the existence of the first wiretap to the jurist.
a wiretap to gather information on a suspect. Without identifying the source of their information, the officers turn over the wiretap's "intelligence product" to detectives from "Team B," also members of LAPD's narcotics unit. Using the intelligence product, "Team B" officers set about trying to gather facts independently that would provide "probable cause" for a second judge to sign a search warrant targeting another suspect, without the cops disclosing the existence of the first wiretap to the jurist.

Rather old link, may be dead:

www.latimes.com.../3544b/aaaa004Kx44b35f&N
S-doc-offset=0&NS-adv-search=0&


Miscellaneous Wiretap Reading material regarding seals and derivative evidence:

pd.co.la.ca.us...






[edit on 21-9-2009 by RoofMonkey]

Originally posted by burntheships



But the implications of this power being in the wrong hands, corrupt judges and officers are the rare exception, but as society falls prey to more and more greed, this will be abused.

In my county, they are BOTH corrupt. One judge may even be going to prison for a while. A sheriff in a near by county resigned or faced prison. The only difference between them and the crooks is which side of the bars they are standing. A cop told me that it was nearly impossible to find an honest cop in our county.

Awesome.

Does anyone know anything about the manufacturer of these devices?
What frequency is the data link operating on? (Not the GPS > The data link frequencies).
Does anyone have the communication protocols?

Posted earlier
www.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by SpookHunter

GPS trackers are very available
www.google.com...:en-USfficial&client=firefox-a

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by SpookHunter

 

GPS trackers are very available
www.google.com...:en-US

fficial&client=firefox-a

I'll try to be polite: did I ask about availablity? Or, did I ask about manufacturer/datalink frequencies/communication protocols of the particular brand being used by the authorities?

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by SpookHunter

 

GPS trackers are very available
www.google.com...:en-US

fficial&client=firefox-a

And they are a great source of infomaiton. I have a few of them...
And I love them...

Originally posted by RoofMonkey

Originally posted by burntheships

...

But the implications of this power being in the wrong hands, corrupt judges and officers are the rare exception, but as society falls prey to more and more greed, this will be abused.

Scary stuff!

Rare?

Ok, let me claify....I meant less and less rare, corrupt being more and more common.

Good informaition posted there, thanks!

reply to post by SpookHunter


They are developing technology that will nearly eliminate the advantages of the old ones and interference...

www.reghardware.co.uk...

I just got my hands on the specs. It's laughable, and has no security.

It's going to be fun detecting all these vehicles as I drive down the highway downloading the locations of where these people have been.

I think the "bug detection" business is going to be VERY profitable in the future.

I love wireless! It's so much fun.

Sadly if you are a taxpayer, you are footing the bill.

Stop paying taxes!