Much is known about how the federal government leverages location data by serving warrants to major tech companies like Google or Facebook to investigate crime in America. However, much less is known about how location data influences state and local law enforcement investi- gations. It turns out that's because many local police agencies inten- tionally avoid mentioning the under-the-radar tech they use — sometimes without warrants — to monitor private citizens.
As one Maryland-based sergeant wrote in a department email, touting the benefit of "no court paperwork" before purchasing the software, "The success lies in the secrecy."
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