Cell phone tracking aids law enforcement

The Journal News reports on how authorities have used cell phone technology that gives off signals, either thru GPS or ground towers, to capture suspects and put defendants at a crime scene — even if there are no witnesses.

One of the more notable cases came this summer when British authorities captured a London bombings suspect in Italy by tracking his phone.

But some criminals already have caught on.

"In organized crime, the perpetrators are aware of the vulnerability of such phones so will often use the phone only once," Robert McCrie, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. said. "But even using them once can sometimes be enough to identify the voice, time and location of the call and result in arrest. They just use the phone once and discard it. They believe that by getting new phones and new numbers, it will be hard for authorities to know who they are. It's a sophisticated way of trying to avoid detection."

"The technology is definitely there to help us solve many cases," said Detective Kevin Owens of the Kent Police Department.

But there are concerns that law-enforcement officials could violate privacy laws by monitoring people through their cell-phone activity.

"The concern is always that this technology could be abused," said Linda Berns, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union's Lower Hudson Valley Chapter."

emily | 3:25 PM | SMS used by the Police |
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