Federal court rules cops can warrantlessly track suspects via cellphone

August 18, 2012 by legitgov

Federal court rules cops can warrantlessly track suspects via cellphone --Geo-data received based on 'reasonable grounds' phone was connected to a crime 14 Aug 2012 In a 2-1 ruling, the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has ruled that law enforcement has the right to obtain location data from a cellphone in order to track a suspect without a warrant. The case involves a man named Melvin Skinner, a newly convicted drug trafficker, who was part of a cross-country, large-scale drug operation organized by another man, James Michael West. His attorneys argued that the government's use of his GPS location information from his phone, which led to his arrest, constituted a warrantless search in violation of the Fourth Amendment.