Electronic Evidence Flashcards
A defendant placed a cell phone on an outer windowsill and told detectives he did not want anymore. Can this phone be considered abandoned therefore immediately searched.
Yes
Can police immediately search a lost or misplaced cell phone?
Yes, to the extent necessary to determine its owner
Is sending a text to a suspect Phone considered a manipulating it or a search
No
Officers may answer and offenders phone during a _______ or _______ investigation to avoid losing evidence
Drug distribution or sexual enticement
If officers answer the suspects phone to avoid losing evidence and the caller implicates the defendant, what should the officers do?
Record their statements in the police report
Absent exigent circumstances Police may seize a phone only if they have ______ that it contains evidence
Probable cause
How many warrants are needed to seize and search a cell phone?
1
Do cell phone warrant affidavits need a date range for relevant events
Yes they must
__________describes the manner in which technicians limit their inspection to potentially relevant information on phone
Minimization protocol
What type of evidence may be examined beyond seven days?
Electronic evidence, including cell phones
The forensic experts have a _______ period of time beyond seven days to complete their examination of the cell phone
Reasonable
Under article 12, there must be __________ that a defendant can access the device in order to obtain a court order directing him to decrypt computer files. Enter his passcode or apply his finger to a scanner.
Proof beyond a reasonable doubt
If a suspects attorney has their phone, can Police get a subpoena to search the lawyer‘s office?
No, they need to get a warrant to search
What should we do before getting a warrant to search a lawyers office for suspect cell phone?
Consult with prosecutor
The Attorney General, a district attorney or one of their assistants may obtain records from my telephone or computer service company based on:
Reasonable suspicion
If an administrative subpoena for a phone or computer records is filed, the company must deliver the records within ___ days
14
The records obtained by administrative subpoena include (3)
Subscriber name, and address and log of calls
What phone or computer records cannot be accessed based on an administrative subpoena
Content based information,
For example, emails, texts, websites accessed
Program used by Police to directly connect to another users, computer to search and download files
The Roundup Ares program
Is there a bright line rule regarding accessing defendants post on social media?
No
What factors are relevant in evaluating whether police surveillance of social media was a search requiring probable cause and a warrant (2)
1.A users effort to maintain privacy
2. Any attempt by police at deception (creating account posing as a friend or relative vs. making a fake account that suspect accepts friend request from)
Can Police selection of social media targets be motivated by bias?
No
Does a defendant possession of a firearm in a Snapchat video support a search warrant
Yes
Is evidence that a defendants name appears as the author of a post or that post came from defendants account, sufficient proof that the defendant was the author?
No, you need additional “confirming circumstances”
Do recurrent spelling errors typical of a persons texts serve as further confirmation that they wrote the text messages/post
Yes
While police do not need a warrant to view evidence already observed by a private party, they do need a warrant to ______ their search of the device
Expand
When is a search warrant required to review body cam video?
If reviewing it for an unrelated investigation
Does the wiretap statute prohibit police use of body cameras to record a victim statement?
No
Can witnesses and police testify to observations made while viewing a video if the video is later accidentally erased or was not recorded
Yes
Non-targeted surveillance includes:
Cameras that view or record activity in public and private spaces constantly. They are installed by private or public property owners.
Whether police need a warrant for targeted video surveillance depends on (5)
- Duration
- Continuous or intermittent
- Whether it can be monitored live
- If it can gather information in quantities, that would be difficult for a human to do
- Level of visual detail captured
Does 13 days for pole cameras require a search warrant?
Yes
Officers must request a facial recognition search in _____
Writing
Officers need a court order supported by the ________ that a facial recognition search is relevant
Reasonable suspicion
When DONT state police need a court order or written request to search facial recognition
Performing investigatory functions related to the issuance of ID by the RMV
If the written request to the agency performing facial recognition search presents reasonable suspicion of an emergency, officers do not need a court order to (2):
- Identify a dead person
- Prevent a substantial risk of harm to any individual or group.
Is a facial recognition match a positive identification?
No
Can facial recognition matches, be standalone evidence of someone’s connection to a crime
No
Law-enforcement agencies must document each facial recognition search and provide information _____ to the ___________
Quarterly to the executive office of public safety and security (EOPSS)
When law-enforcement agencies record and submit documentation of each facial recognition search, is this information a public record?
No
Is limited use of automated license plate readers a search requiring a warrant
No
Who operates automated license plate readers on the Bourne and Sagamore bridges leading to Cape Cod?
State police
What information does the ALPRs (automated license plate readers) collect?
-Photograph every vehicle plate that crosses the bridge in either direction
-Records the date, time and direction of travel
How long are the automated license plate readers records preserved for?
1 year
If investigators add registration numbers to a hot list on the ALPR system, when will they be notified if that plate crosses the bridge
Live notification
What states that facial recognition match is not a positive identification
State police fraud investigation unit memorandum “applications for facial recognition search court order”
Did the SJC require a warrant for a limited search of Charlie card data
No
The Charlie card is capable of recording ___ months of information
14 months- if history for all 14 months was requested, that would be a search requiring a warrant
What is the recommendation in the future to obtain transit records and videos?
Investigator should obtain a warrant from a judge, unless they have documented exigent circumstances
To acquire historical cell site location information (CSLI) officers must:
Obtain a search warrant
While most people understand that their cell phone provider records the numbers they dial, they usually are not aware that their ______ is also recorded
Location
Can Police request cell site location information from a company instead of getting a search warrant?
No
Are phone companies allowed to voluntarily provide police with cell site location information
Yes but the police may not request it without a warrant
The scope of the cell site location information requested depends on
The crime being investigated
The scope of cell site location information requested should typically be for no more than
2 weeks
What is required to use a cell phone tracker?
Warrant
A StingRay cell site simulator is an example of a:
Cell phone tracker that obtains persons location
A StingRay cell site simulator is an example of a:
Cell phone tracker that obtains persons location
Police can ping a cell phone without a warrant when
There’s an emergency
You can ping a cell phone without a warrant for emergency aid. This rule covers people who are:
At risk for serious injury or death
If police obtain phone records based on exigent circumstances, and the ping leads to an arrest or the seizure of evidence, what should Police do?
Still obtain a warrant to take formal custody of records related to the ping
CSLI stands for:
Cell site location information
CSLI is admissible as a ________ with expert testimony
Business record
If using a cell phone app (ex find my iPhone) to locate a stolen phone, do you need a search warrant or expert testimony?
No. An officer can explain how the app works in court