On May 12, 2009, the Court of Appeals issued People v. Weaver, 2009 NY Slip Op 03762. This article provides a brief summary of the opinion and goes on to discuss some of the concerns it raises with respect to its effects on law enforcement. On Christmas Eve 2005, Scott Weaver, John Chiera and Amber…
Category: Surveillance
Free Speech vs. Surveillance in the Digital Age
Tools of mass communication that were once the province of governments and corporations now fit in your pocket. Cell phones can capture video and send it wirelessly to the Internet. People can send eyewitness accounts, photos and videos, with a few keystrokes, to thousands or even millions via social networking sites. As these technologies have…
Atlanta cop sentenced for warrantless break-in
Former Atlanta Police sergeant Wilbert Stallings was sentenced last week to prison for conspiring to violate civil rights by breaking into a private residence to search for drugs without a warrant. The incident occurred in October 2005, but was not uncovered until one of Stallings’ subordinates was involved in another incident and began cooperating with…
Harkat raid illegal, court says
The Federal Court of Canada has ruled the search of a suspected terrorist’s home violated his constitutional rights and ordered the Canada Border Services Agency to return everything it seized. In a 24-page decision released Tuesday, Justice Simon Noel says the May 12 raid violated the Charter rights of Mohamed Harkat. He also ordered the…