Ford marketing head honcho Jim Farley made waves at CES this week by telling show attendees, "We know everyone who breaks the law, we know when you're doing it," according to a report by Business Insider. Farley continued by saying, "We have GPS in your car, so we know what you're doing. By the way, we don't supply that data to anyone."
Police agencies are always looking for ways to limit or prevent high-speed pursuits, but that usually involves disabling the offending vehicle with spike strips or some other device. A company called StarChase has been working on a GPS-based system that eliminates the need for a chase and doesn't put officers in harm's way.
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a pervious Supreme Court ruling stating federal authorities must seek out a warrant before equipping suspects' vehicles with GPS monitoring devices.
As cars get more fuel efficient, they become a less profitable source of tax dollars. So what's a city to do? Raising gas taxes is certain political death. For San Francisco Bay officials, creativity is the key.
Law enforcement agencies are now required to obtain a warrant before attaching a GPS device to a vehicle. The Detroit News reports the Supreme Court unanimously ruled today that the Justice Department was wrong when it argued that its agents didn't need permission to track private citizens without their knowledge.
UPDATE: The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Monday that a warrant must be obtained by law enforcement in order to track a suspect via GPS device. GPS tracking was found to constitute a "search or seizure within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment," therefore violating a suspect's rights when carried out without a proper search warrant.
The Supreme Court is set to rule on whether or not law enforcement officers need a warrant in order to track a suspect's vehicle with a GPS device. The case centers around Antoine Jones, whose vehicle was bugged for a month without his consent or a go-ahead from the justice department. The police have argued that such tracking shouldn't require a warrant because the location of Jones' vehicle
So, now that we know it is legal for the FBI to place GPS trackers on cars without a warrant, the next logical question is, how often does it happen? We can't say for sure, but the recent experience of 20-year-old U.S. student Yasir Afifi leads us to believe it's taking place more often that we'd like to think.
Mopar, the motor parts division of Chrysler, has enjoyed a nice long run providing parts and accessories for the entire Pentastar family. Whether you own a muscle car or Jeff Glucker
