I just caught this on the local news tonite, and thought you all would want to know about it... The District 4 Court Of Appeals ruled today that police can attatch GPS to any vehicle in the state of Wisconsin. Read about it: http://www.chicagotribune.com/... There was a similar ruling in a 7th Circuit U.S Court Of Appeals case in
2007.
In both cases, judges found that 'Officers do not need to get warrants beforehand because GPS tracking does not involve a search or a seizure'. As long as they tag your car while it is in a public place, there is no invasion.
From the court(Judge Paul Lundsten), today:
We discern no privacy interest protected by the Fourth Amendment that is invaded when police attach a device to the outside of a vehicle, as long as the information obtained is the same as could be gained by the use of other techniques that do not require a warrant," he wrote.
GPS is currently in use in the sate of Wisconsin,
A state law already requires the Department of Corrections to track the state's most dangerous sex offenders using GPS. The author of that law, Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, said the decision shows "GPS tracking is an effective means of protecting public safety."
The court also encouraged lawmakers to carefully review relevant laws, and stated that the court was "more than a little troubled" by its own ruling.
A somewhat slippery slope we're on here, people. Sorry to be so brief, but it's late.
UPDATE: ben masel has posted several pertinent comments, and a link to the ruling. Thanks, ben!