Court Says Police Can Secretly Install GPS Devices

The highest court in Massachusetts has ruled that police can install GPS tracking devices in a suspect’s car, as long as they have a warrant.

The Supreme Judicial Court ruled Thursday that secretly installing the devices for investigative purposes does not violate a ban on unreasonable search and seizure.

In its 4-3 ruling, the court said the devices can only be installed for 15 days. The state must first prove to a magistrate that GPS monitoring of the car will produce evidence that a particular crime has been committed or is about to be committed.

The court upheld the cocaine trafficking conviction of a Cape Cod man who was tracked by state police after they installed a GPS device in his minivan.