GPS Tracking

The ACLU’s Findings on Police Use of Cellphone Tracking

Recent advancements in cellular phone technology has granted us the ability to share exactly where we are, what we’re doing and who we’re with at all times. We check in at our favorite eating establishments, post geotagged photos on Facebook and Instagram, and tweet important, and not so important events to our hoards of loyal followers.

In many ways, sharing has become the norm, but do we really want the cops tracking our cellphone without our knowledge? If I were to guess, the large majority of us would say, “No.”

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Justices Approve Routine Strip Searches for Minor Offenses

Earlier today in a 5-4 decision, the ideologically divided Supreme Court Justices ruled against a New Jersey man who underwent two strip searches in two county jails following his arrest on a warrant for an unpaid fine, which he actually paid. This decision, supported by the conservative majority, resolved a conflict among lower courts on how to balance security and privacy with public security trumping individual privacy in this case.

Prior to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, lower courts generally prohibited routine strip searches for minor offenses. In recent years, however, courts have allowed jailers more discretion to maintain security, and now this decision by the Supreme Court Justices ratified those decisions.

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Where Americans Lost their Phones the Most

According to an industry report, Americans along lost roughly $30 billion worth of mobile phones in 2011. Statistics showed that Philadelphia topped the charts, where more cellphones were lost than any other city in the U.S. The mobile security firm, Lookout Labs, who published the report, based its findings on data from 15 million users who downloaded its Android app that locates lost devices by utilizing the GPS tracking feature found on most smartphones.

The top five cities in the U.S. for phone loss in 2011 were Philadelphia, Seattle, Oakland, Long Beach and Newwark. The report also found that San Franciscans and New Yorkers lose their phones three times more often than Chicagoans. Another interesting statistic showed that four out of the ten cities with the highest rates of lost and stolen phones – Cleveland, Detroit, Oakland and Newark – were also among the ten cities with the highest crime rates.

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Ladies and Gentlemen The President of the United States

President Barack Obama’s words and actions are sure to garner even more attention and scrutiny than usual, especially with the Presidential elections right around the corner. Throughout his administration, the 44th President of the United States has received a tremendous amount of criticism from foreign and military policy to healthcare and the economy, as would any person who assumes the position of chief executive.

The weight of responsibilities that a President is called to bear  are enormous, and the expectations placed upon the individual who has been called to lead our nation are indeed great. Not only does everyone have an opinion on the President’s performance, it’s virtually impossible to please everyone. It’s a position that requires an incredible amount of temperance, wisdom, intelligence and care.

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South Dakota Supreme Court Aligns with U.S. Supreme Court’s Ruling

The South Dakota Supreme Court made a ruling on Thursday, which mandates court-issued warrants before law enforcement officials use GPS tracking devices to monitor suspects over an extended period of time.

As a result of the unanimous ruling by the SD Supreme Court, the drug convictions of Elmer Wayne Zahn Jr., 53, were overturned. Police seized marijuana and other evidence from a storage locker, which was discovered by tracking Zahn’s car. However, they had not obtained a warrant for the GPS tracking device before attaching it to his car.

Therefore, the Justices determined that the evidence cannot be used against him because use of the device without  a court-issued warrant violated Zahn’s Fourth Amendment rights, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.

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Smartphones have become a Vital Part of Everyday Life

In many ways, smartphones have significantly enhanced the way we live, work and interact with others. Many of us use our iPhones or Android powered devices to browse the web, check our emails, listen to music, send text messages, play visually stunning video games, read their favorite books, watch  movies, and even navigate from place to place.

Some people would even go so far as to say that they would not be able to function on a day-to-day basis without their smartphones. Their entire lives are literally on their phones – name, address, personal email, bank accounts, photos, passwords, etc. It would be catastrophic if, for some reason, they were to either lose or have their smartphones stolen from them. And in the case that something of this magnitude were to occur, they would want to have their phones returned, but what are the chances of that happening today?

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‘Steven Seagal: Lawman Under Siege’

Looks like action movie star Steven Seagal isn’t quite ready to throw in the towel on his old crime fighting ways. A Phoenix chicken farmer claims that Seagal, a deputized officer, along with roughly 40 law enforcement officials from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office invaded his private property in order to arrest him on camera for alleged cockfighting. The raid on Jesus Sanchez Llovera’s property was being filmed as an episode of the reality TV show, “Steven Seagal: Lawman.”

However, it also looks like the producers forgot to get all their facts straight before blasting their way through the innocent man’s gated driveway. The Phoenix Police Department had already come to his home on February 4, 2011, five weeks prior to the MCSO’s invasion, in order to investigate allegations that he was running a cockfighting operation. The police, however, “did not find any evidence of criminal wrongdoing,” and Llovera was “cleared of any and all alleged wrongdoing.”

The Phoenix police also took pictures of the roosters and hens on Llovera’s property, and the photographs showed that the chickens were all healthy. There was no evidence of chicken fighting on his property.

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Peyton Maning the Icon

News on Peyton Manning’s departure from the Indianapolis Colts has flooded the sports world. The 14-year veteran of the NFL has spent his entire career with the Colts, where he has clearly cemented himself as one of the all-time greatest quarterbacks in history.

So far, Manning has garnered 4 league MVP awards, with 11 4,000-yard passing seasons (including a record six straight), and is the Indianapolis Colts’ all-time leader in passing yards (54,828) and touchdown passes (399). In 2009, he was named the best player in the NFL, and Fox Sports along with Sports Illustrated named him the NFL player of the decade of the 2000′s.

Manning is most recognized for his pre-snap routine, where he would call a flurry of audibles at the line of scrimmage in order to confuse the defense. Some consider him the most intelligent quarterback in the NFL, and many football analysts consider him a once in a lifetime type of quarterback.

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How the Court’s Ruling has Affected the FBI’s Investigations

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court heard a controversial case involving a Washington, D.C. nightclub owner, who was monitored for a span of 28 consecutive days by law enforcement officials with an unwarranted GPS tracking device for dealing cocaine. The evidence obtained from the GPS tracker was used to convict Antoine Jones of drug trafficking, and he received a sentence of life in prison.

Jones’ conviction, however, was overturned in a D.C. circuit appeals court after it determined that the prolonged, unwarranted use of the GPS tracker on Jones’ personal vehicle violated his Fourth Amendment rights, which protects individuals against unreasonable searches and seizures.

The case made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where all 9 Justices unanimously agreed that attaching a GPS tracking device, constituted a search even though the vehicle is being tracked on public roads. Privacy advocates praised the ruling as a victory for individual rights.

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About Breaking Bad

Set and produced in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Breaking Bad is the story of Walter White (played by actor, Bryan Cranston), a struggling high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with advanced lung cancer at the beginning of the series. As a result, he decides to pursue the illegal narcotics business, producing and selling methamphetamine with a former student, Jesse Pinkman (played by actor, Aaron Paul), with the aim of securing his family’s financial future before he dies.

Breaking Bad has received widespread critical acclaim and has even been praised by some critics as the greatest drama of all time.

David Segal of The New York Times praised the show as “satisfying and complex: a revolutionary take on the serial drama.” Newsweek called the program “TV’s finest hour.” Richard Woodward of The Huffington Post referred to the series as “ultra-dark and gripping.” James Poniewozik of Time named Breaking Bad the top show on his “Top 10 TV Series of 2010″ list. And Linda Stasi of the New York Post stated “the acting is as good as you’ll see on TV.”

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