HOLY COW - aka, See? This is why statism is so bad.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/04/michigan-police-search-cell-phones-during-traffic-stops/

It begs the question... How much tyrannical over-stepping will Americans accept before they change things within or without the "system".

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: It begs the question... How much tyrannical over-stepping will Americans accept before they change things within or without the "system".

A LOT.

ok... why would they be doing this in the first place? When do they start stopping people walking down the street and asking to scan their phones.

I may have nothing to hide.. but I would demand to have a search warrent issued first.

mad_machine wrote: I may have nothing to hide.. but I would demand to have a search warrent issued first.

Shut up and get on the train. Free tattoos for participation.

Wow. That is some seriously berkeleyed up E36 M3...

Annnnd they can scan my phone all they want. They just won't be scanning MY phone. Or- oops, stomp smash smash smash. I'd waste 200$ on a new phone to prove a point.

Wow.

Nothing I wnated to see in Michigan anyway.

I'm going to start carrying a 2nd junk phone.

People are like sheep. They don't think they can do anything about so they just accept it. (and few complain on forums like these)

Ten bucks says the iPhone hackers can come up with an App that will destroys that thing when connected. "Gee officer, I don't know what's wrong with your expensive little toy. A virus of some sort perhaps."

pinchvalve wrote: Ten bucks says the iPhone hackers can come up with an App that will destroys that thing when connected. "Gee officer, I don't know what's wrong with your expensive little toy. A virus of some sort perhaps."

But seriously WTF.

Why is anyone surprised by this? The TSA already takes naked photos of our children and gropes our privates. The American people's acceptance of these outrageous invasions proves that we are dead as a people.

I see how something like this can be useful for law enforcement but I can't imagine it could be justified for a traffic stop. I would think a search warrant would be required.

They can search your trunk if they have a reasonable suspicion of drugs etc. I am not sure what reasonable suspicion would allow them to look at all your phone call, contacts and pictures.

I am sure they could intimidate someone into doing it voluntarily(!) But I can also see a HUGE lawsuit in their future.

Anyone wanna bet Michigan isn't the only place this is being used?

Someone told me of some kind of stunt like this in NJ about a year or so ago . Wonder if they have the same gadget?

fast_eddie_72 wrote: Anyone wanna bet Michigan isn't the only place this is being used?

I looked at the article and this thing is nothing new. There have been similar devices around for quite a while. Most large cities and all state law enforcement have them. They are used pretty frequently to perform searches of cell phones but I have never heard of them being used outside of the crime lab. The main reason is the cost of this device and the need for a warrant to search the cell phone. In Texas an officer could search the phone incident to the arrest of the owner. But I can tell you right now that I don't know of any police supervisor or commander that would ever trust one of these things to a patrol officer out in the field much less pay for a patrol officer to take the classes on how to use it.

So.....don't give them your phone? looks like they have to plug the device in to be able to scan it. Its not like they are scanning your data while they sit next to you in traffic. Or are they?

I think the article has a bit of an OMG PANIC overtone to it.

If they ask to scan your phone and you hand it over i guess thats your problem.

In reply to Ojala:

The new part (which is pretty vague in this article and other I glanced at after a google, so maybe much ado about nothing) is that it sounds like they may be doing exactly what you suggest they wouldn't: Using these in the field on traffic stops.

Of course, you don't need a warrant to ask to search the cell phone, right? It's a situation that sounds wretched to me; getting pulled over and having an officer ask that. I know the right answer is "I'm sorry, officer, but while I have nothing to hide, I feel that is inappropriate and I know that I'm not obliged to permit it." But one's day is likely to become much less pleasant at the point of such an utterance...

You know this is the crap that is making me very upset about the direction of this country. I love my country I just hate what the people in charge are doing to it. In my younger years I honestly cared little for politics and despised discussing it with a passion. Now as I am older and see the increasingly tyrannical methods used to oppress peoples freedoms it makes me more upset every day and actually makes me want to become involved in politics purely for the fact of TRYING to help my fellow citizen regain some of their freedoms that previous generations had to fight for us to get in the first place.

At our current rate if something is not done soon to start correcting the direction we are heading it will take an all out revolution to restore freedoms. Look at other countries around the world and how we now have "rebels" fighting their governments for the freedoms that we have been giving up.

Funny enough for one of my classes this term I have to read 1984...

As others said I would crush my Droid simple as that. Though I generally do carry two phones and the second is an extremely basic "freeby" phone that rarely even gets used.

The word is "No, I do not consent to any searches.". Followed closely by "Am I free to go now?". You can't really stop them physically, but you now have a case if they go ahead without probable cause.

Until people start exercising their rights, they will keep getting trampled upon.

jeffmx5 wrote: The word is "No, I do not consent to any searches.". Followed closely by "Am I free to go now?".

"That's fine sir. Can you produce documents that prove you're in this country legally?"

I'm ready here in my little Michigan town with my 'collection,' ready for some backup.

nobody said the phone had to have a battery. Provided you do not have an iPhone.. you can drop the battery out of it and hand over a dead phone. With my GalaxyS.. it is a 10 second manuever

fast_eddie_72 wrote:

jeffmx5 wrote: The word is "No, I do not consent to any searches.". Followed closely by "Am I free to go now?".

"That's fine sir. Can you produce documents that prove you're in this country legally?"

"You have already seen my driver's license." "Am I free to go now?"

Georgia HB 87:

(b) Except as provided in subsection (f) of this Code section, during any investigation of a criminal suspect by a peace officer, when such officer has probable cause to believe that a suspect has committed a criminal violation, the officer shall be authorized to seek to verify such suspect's immigration status when the suspect is unable to provide one of the following: (1) A secure and verifiable document as defined in Code Section 50-36-2; (2) A valid Georgia driver's license; (3) A valid Georgia identification card issued by the Department of Driver Services; (4) If the entity requires proof of legal presence in the United States before issuance, any valid driver's license from a state or district of the United States or any valid identification document issued by the United States federal government;