They Don’t Like It When It’s Them
Jan 26, 2015 Commentary
The police have no problem putting GPS trackers on cars without a warrant. They have no problem targeting people who have a concealed carry permit when they drive through an anti gun state. They have no issue using special devices to look through walls without a warrant (and mislead in their reports) and they have no problem driving around with license plate readers to see if you are a wanted person. They have no issue infiltrating group meetings to see what people are doing and hear what they are saying.
They always defend their actions as a matter of public safety. The logical among us would say that if this is the case then get a warrant when one is required because if it is so important the judge will agree with you.
While the police might not bat an eye at tracking you they are none too happy when they are the ones whose whereabouts are known.
There is a phone app that allows people to report, and others to read, where police officers are located.
According to a report at Yahoo, Sheriffs are campaigning to have Google turn the feature off. The police are worried that the app showing their locations make them targets for those who might want to do them harm.
There is no reported incident of that happening but officers say it is only a matter of time.
So what we have here is some officers (and how many is not disclosed in the story) upset that people are tracking them.
The thing is, they are public figures and as far as I know there is no law saying the public can’t disclose where they are. There is certainly no need for a citizen to get a warrant to track police officers.
But there is a certain document called the Constitution that protects the citizens from the actions police officers engage in each and every day.
This is not to say that some of the work they do is not important but if it is then they need to obtain warrants when those are required.
I have no sympathy for a group of people who have no issue illegally monitoring people and then whine when they are being legally tracked.
Suck it up guys. Now you know how it feels.
Then again, they might just be unhappy they are losing revenue because people know where they are and can avoid them or slow down, as the case may be.
Cave canem!
Never surrender, never submit.
Tags: constitution, google, police, revenue, tracking app