Charlotte prosecutors say police didn't violate state laws with surveillance technology that allows authorities to scan an area for a cell phone used by a target suspect. North Carolina laws are meant to protect a criminal defendant's right to a fair trial.
The Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office determined local police properly turned over evidence to defense attorneys in nearly 150 cases in which officers used a tracking device called a StingRay. The controversial device mimics a cellphone tower and gathers information from phones.
The Charlotte Observer reports that Charlotte police and local agencies across the country have been using the technology since at least 2006 to collect serial numbers, locations and other information about nearby phones, laptop computers and tablets connected to cellular networks.
North Carolina law allows sentences to be overturned if convicts can prove police and prosecutors didn't properly disclose evidence used to build a case against them. This law is at odds with an FBI mandate, which orders cities not to disclose information about surveillance equipment in an effort to hide police tactics from criminals.
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