Agreement reached on cell phone tracking bill
A joint House/Senate conference committee has reached agreement on restrictions on law enforcement’s ability to track cell phones.
Sen. Branden Petersen, R-Andover, says the bill would require police and prosecutors to get approval from a judge before they can start tracking an individual’s cell phone. He said that’s a big change since current law does not require police to any approval to track someone's cell phone.
“What this bill would say is that law enforcement needs to come before a judge and establish probable cause before it uses the technique of surveillance," Petersen said.
Petersen also said the bill also requires that an individual be notified of monitoring after an investigation ends.
The House and Senate both have to vote on the conference committee reports. If they both approve the measure it will then go to Governor Dayton.
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