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Justices will review police use of cellphone tower data

Posted at 10:17 AM, Jun 05, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-05 10:17:32-04

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will consider whether police need warrants to review cellphone towers records that help them track the location of criminal suspects.

The justices on Monday agreed to take up a new case about digital age technology and privacy rights. They will hear an appeal from Timothy Carpenter, who was sentenced to 116 years in prison after being convicted of armed robberies in Michigan and Ohio.

Police obtained records from cellular service providers that placed Carpenter’s cellphone in the vicinity of the robberies.

The question is whether police should have to demonstrate to a judge that they have good reason, or probable cause, to believe Carpenter was involved in the crime. Police obtained the records by meeting a lower standard of proof.