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The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department (SCSD) announced a new cell-site-simulator policy earlier this week, saying that it would seek "judicial authorization" when deploying the devices, which are also known as stingrays. In a press release, the largest law enforcement agency in California's state capital region touted that it was the "first law enforcement agency in the country" to release such a policy.
The new policy comes just days after the SCSD admitted for the first time in a court filing that it had used its stingray without any judicial authorization. The SCSD also published and distributed its non-disclosure agreement with the FBI.
The SCSD did not respond to Ars' request for comment, nor did it when Ars wrote about the agency's secrecy in June 2015, when we reported the agency had used the device over 500 times previously.
In a videotaped press conference, Sheriff Scott Jones said, "I am extremely confident that we balance the rights and privacy interests of citizens with our need to protect citizens, find bad guys and potential missing or kidnapped persons."
Despite the SCSD claim, its new policy comes nearly two weeks after the Department of Justice (DOJ) imposed a warrant requirement for stingray use by its agencies, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), among others. To be clear, the DOJ requirement has no bearing on policies of other federal, state, or local law enforcement agencies.
The new policy comes just days after the SCSD admitted for the first time in a court filing that it had used its stingray without any judicial authorization. The SCSD also published and distributed its non-disclosure agreement with the FBI.
The SCSD did not respond to Ars' request for comment, nor did it when Ars wrote about the agency's secrecy in June 2015, when we reported the agency had used the device over 500 times previously.
In a videotaped press conference, Sheriff Scott Jones said, "I am extremely confident that we balance the rights and privacy interests of citizens with our need to protect citizens, find bad guys and potential missing or kidnapped persons."
Despite the SCSD claim, its new policy comes nearly two weeks after the Department of Justice (DOJ) imposed a warrant requirement for stingray use by its agencies, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), among others. To be clear, the DOJ requirement has no bearing on policies of other federal, state, or local law enforcement agencies.
Makes a LOT more sense that way...
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