Business professor weighs in on Oakland County surveillance device in Oakland Press article

The following is excerpted from the April 13, 2014 Oakland Press article by John Turk

Sheriff’s Office: Hailstorm is legal, lawful and doesn’t take cell phone data from those not fugitives

Local law enforcement officials have had a secretive, high-tech surveillance device that can pull in targeted cell phone data for at least a year, but not many knew it existed within Oakland County’s borders.

In fact, not many knew the so-called Hailstorm technology existed at all.

The American Civil Liberties Union and local leaders and residents have begun asking questions about the privacy issues tied to this military-grade equipment purchased by the county.

But Oakland County Undersheriff Michael McCabe said Hailstorm is a legal law enforcement tool, just as infrared on the Sheriff’s helicopter, radar or laser on patrol cars to catch speeders or cameras installed in patrol cars.

Full story here

The following is an excerpt from sidebar:

Oakland University professors weigh in

Thomas Lauer, Management Information Systems Professor: “They say they aren’t authorized to spy on anyone, but we have to take them at their word because there’s no way to keep track of what they’re doing.

What’s happening here is that there’s an immense amount of power, and every time there are new devices like this, police increase their power with the dollars of the citizenry.”