US Supreme Court: Cops can’t search your cell phone without a warrant
By Jacob Siegal From BGR
The Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that police will now be required to obtain a search warrant before they can access the cell phone of an individual they arrest, barring extreme circumstances such as child abduction or a bomb threat. MSNBC reports that the decision was unanimous.
“Modern cell phones are not just another technological convenience,” wrote Chief Justice John Roberts. “With all they contain and all they may reveal, they hold for many Americans the privacies of life.”
In order to reach this decision, the justices looked at two cases involving cell phone searches. In one case, the San Diego Police were able to connect one man to a gang based on pictures stored on his cell phone. In the other, a picture on one man’s flip phone helped link him to a stash of crack cocaine. In future cases, the officers will need a warrant to conduct searches like these, regardless of whether or not the cell phone is likely to contain evidence tying the suspect to the crime.
“A cell phone search would typically expose to the government far more than the most exhaustive search of a house,” Roberts continued. “A phone not only contains in digital form many sensitive records previously found in the home; it also contains a broad array of private information never found in a home in any form—unless the phone is.”
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Related story:
Police, prosecutors make changes to comply with Supreme Court’s ruling on cellphone searches
By Mark Sherman, The Associated Press and Tami Abdollah, The Associated Press From 680News
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Officers are being briefed during roll calls, new procedures are in place, and prosecutors are considering the effect on potentially thousands of pending court cases after the Supreme Court’s ruling that restricts police searches of cellphones.
From Los Angeles to New York, and in San Diego, Chicago and Houston, officials met to discuss Wednesday’s unanimous ruling that could make it harder for officers to quickly find incriminating evidence. The ruling prohibits law enforcement from searching an arrestee’s cellphone without a warrant unless a person’s safety or life may be in danger.
Because cellphone technology has so rapidly advanced over the last decade, more information than ever before — including personal documents, photos and emails — is now stored on these devices. For investigators, they can be a treasure trove of suspects’ pictures with fellow gang members, not to mention text messages and call records that help police find accomplices or victims.
Few, if any, in law enforcement circles were surprised by the high court’s ruling, and they said many cautious investigators were already getting warrants to ensure evidence doesn’t get tossed out of trials. But they also universally acknowledged that it would make their jobs more difficult, especially for the rank-and-file patrol officer.
