- Rwanda immigrant faces post-genocide fraud charges in U.S. February 22, 2012
- "Studying while Muslim": Profiling February 22, 2012
- Victim captures own shooting on iPhone February 22, 2012
- 5 dead in suspected murder-suicide at Georgia spa February 22, 2012
- Huguely jury set to start deliberations February 22, 2012
Archive for October, 2009
Massachusetts Court Rules Police Must Have Warrant for GPS Devices
Do the police need a warrant to track you with a global positioning system (GPS) device? It seems like an obvious question, still, last September the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled on just such a case in Commonwealth v. Connolly.
The case revolved around Everett H. Connolly, a suspected drug dealer, who was being investigated by the police. As part of the investigation, officers affixed a GPS device to Connolly’s vehicle. The information they were able to gather from the device eventually led to Connolly’s arrest and conviction on drug charges.
Connolly argued that the police had not had a valid warrant at the time of the arrest and had violated his Fourth Amendment rights, which protect him from illegal search and seizure. After hearing arguments from both sides, the Massachusetts Supreme Court clarified the rights of police officers and reached a verdict many have cheered as a win for individual rights.
Read full the article: Massachusetts Court Rules Police Must Have Warrant for GPS Devices