Did NYC Cops Invade Armed Robber’s Right of Privacy?

Techie police officer’s quick thinking leads to arrest

A 24 year-old lady was sitting by the front door of a department store in Midtown when a man with a gun ran in, flashed his six-shooter at the startled lady, and snatched her IPhone-4.

The IPhone bandit bolted from the store, and vanished into the chill of  the NYC night. A short time later, Police Officer Robert Garland responded to the scene and interviewed the lady.  Officer Garland promised he would recover this brand new, very expensive, IPhone…Right, and I have a bridge to sell you.

To catch a thief

Officer Garland learned from our victim that her IPhone had a free app called “Find my IPhone.” So..according to ABC News:

Police Officer Robert Garland, obtained the victim’s iTunes account and used the iCloud feature on his iPhone to track the victim’s iPhone. Investigators were able to track the suspect to the area around 8th Avenue and West 49 Street.

The suspect had placed the phone in his boot.

The victim’s phone began to beep as the suspect walked by police, who then arrested the suspect.

No weapon was recovered.

George Bradshaw, 40, of Brooklyn was charged.

Let’s go to the video tape

Commentary

The issue of balancing society’s reasonable expectation of privacy against law enforcement’s right to use warrant-less, unlimited, GPS tracking is a front-of-the-mind issue for jurists and legal scholars. How about the IPhone bandit’s expectation of privacy? In my opinion this gun-totting desperado will have different privacy issues to worry about in the not to distant future.

Bravo, Officer Garland. I love the  victim’s comment:

…I guess my thief was an idiot.”

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