© Twindesign/123RF
WRAL reporter Tyler Dukes found four investigations in 2017 where police issued these uniquely extensive warrants: two murder cases, one sexual battery case, and an arson case that destroyed two apartment complexes and displaced 41 people. Police routinely request information from technology companies-Google says it shares data with law enforcement about 81% of the time-but these specific cases are remarkable: Instead of finding a suspect, and then searching that person's data, police are searching enormous amounts of data to pinpoint a potential suspect.
© Tyler Dukes/WRALPolice issued a warrant for devices surrounding a potential homicide.
The warrants follow the same template: Police requested location data from all phones that were in the surrounding area of a crime scene, generally within an hour window of when the crime was committed. In the homicide and sexual assault warrant, police drew a box surrounding the scene of the crime, then requested the data for everyone within it. In the second homicide case, it was a circle.
© Tyler Dukes/WRALWarrant for data in an arson case in Raleigh, NC.
© Tyler Dukes/WRALPolice highlighted a geographic area, requesting data for all devices within.
Google declined to say whether it released data in any of the Raleigh cases, but representatives from the ACLU and EFF reviewed the warrants, questioning Raleigh PD's justification for the alarmingly broad search. For example, the arson and sexual battery cases don't mention whether the attacker even had a cell phone. The warrants say police are also interested in locating potential witnesses, but does that necessitate this level of search?
Investigations are still ongoing for all four cases. So far, only one has resulted in a suspect being arrested.
Remember Boston "Bombing' (BS!) ? How the police essentially and illegally enacted martial law without declaring it and busted down EVERYONE's doors in a given area? This is an electronic version of that.
And God help the poor Grandmas who, at about those times, bought a Pressure Cooker online, by talking to their friendly "google' machine sitting on the countertop, recording all one says or does.
Some other perfect examples of why such is insane:
- What was the first law enforcement action taken once the illegal Patriosh*t Act was illegally approved? The cops jumped into some civil matter about whether some barbies were counterfeit or not... something like that.
Similarly, if you buy sudafed, you've got to give up your D.L., lest you make it into crystal meth.
Do you have any old red sudafed pills lying around? Any bleach? Ammonia? Baking soda? Salt?
HELL, YOU ARE GUILTY OF POSSESSION OF PRECURSOR INGREDIENTS!!!
One of the first people arrested after this stupdi driver license requirement happened like this - somewhere in the NE USA.
Everyone got sick. Some kids wanted 'Nyquil P.M.*' others wanted sudafed, etc. So she shopped around, gave the various families what they wanted.
That night, the local gestapo... sensing ... danger?? hell no! look at them cowering outside of the (alleged) florida shooting! No, sensing...'Hey, maybe we can steal the ol' biddie's house!!! Let's ROLL!
SWAT TEAM AT 5A.M. etc.
These are all too common results of the 'law enforcement' we have today..
R.C.
*SOOOO stupid. No junkie worth his (methamphetamine) salt(s), would ever try to extricate pseudoephedrine once it's mixed into a liquid like that, it would be infinitely more expensive etc. etc. And yet the amounts she bought in such liquids she had to sign for as if it was pure (oh so deadly) sudafed.
RC.