Ruling on GPS tracking shouldn't have big local impact

A new Supreme Court ruling requiring law enforcement investigators to obtain a search warrant before using global positioning systems to track suspects doesn't appear to have much local effect.

While GPS tracking is rare locally, it has been used effectively in a few high-profile cases in recent years.

Colusa County sheriff's deputies used GPS devices in late 2008 to track the movements of a suspected armed robber from College City who was eventually convicted, in part, on the GPS evidence linking him to a string of gas station robberies in Colusa and Yolo counties.

"We can still follow a person without a warrant if we have investigators physically watching somebody, but now we need a warrant to let a GPS device do the same thing," sheriff's Lt. Shane Maxey said.

Yuba City Assistant Police Chief Jeff Webster said such electronic tracking has only been used to track "more heinous crimes" and agreed the new requirements only add minor layers of paperwork.

"As police, we write search warrants all the time," Webster said. "I don't see it being a huge issue for us."

Many agencies, such as the Marysville Police Department. have been ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court for several years already, Sgt. Chris Sachs said.

"We have usually gotten a search warrant beforehand, in most cases where (GPS) has been used," Sachs said Monday.

The ruling adds another layer of bureaucracy for detectives to keep tabs on suspected criminals, but is not expected to have any significant impacts on investigations.