The usage of stingrays by United States law enforcement is an investigative technique utilized by each federal and local legislation enforcement in the United States to acquire information from cell telephones by mimicking a cellular phone tower. The gadgets which accomplish this are generically often known as IMSI-catchers, however are generally referred to as stingrays, iTagPro device a brand offered by the Harris Corporation. Initially, using stingray phone trackers was a secret, attributable to a lot of non-disclosure agreements between particular person police departments and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the FBI entered into agreements with at least 48 police departments in the United States. In these agreements, the FBI allowed police departments to use the stingrays, while requiring police departments present no information to either the public or the courts regarding the devices' operation or existence. In December 2012, the Electronic Privacy Information Center released paperwork which show the United States Department of Justice discussing using mobile phone tracking equipment, together with addressing unlawful interference considerations.

More data on stingrays was obtained in March 2013, iTagPro device when the American Civil Liberties Union released documents it obtained via a Freedom of information Act request. Stingray units have been utilized in a variety of criminal investigations, from homicide and kidnapping to misdemeanor theft. The best way regulation enforcement use stingrays has been criticized by quite a lot of civil liberties groups, who've filed lawsuits against current practices. Baltimore, Maryland has a much increased use of stingrays compared to different giant cities, like Boston, New York City and San Diego. The official position of the US Federal government is that using stingrays does not require a probable trigger warrant, as a result of they declare stingrays are a type of pen register faucet, which does not require a warrant, as decided in Smith v. Maryland. The federal government notes that they don't intercept the actual dialog, only tracking identity of the telephone and its location. The units do have the technical capability to document the content material of calls, so the government requires these content material-intercepting capabilities to be disabled in normal use.

In September 2015, the US Justice Department issued new guidelines requiring federal agents to obtain warrants before using stingray units, except in exigent circumstances. Washington state handed a similar legislation. In addition, California, Minnesota and itagpro device Utah have additionally passed laws requiring warrants for stingray use. In 2011, within the case of Daniel David Rigmaiden within the U.S. District Court of Arizona, ItagPro the chief of the FBI Tracking Technology Unit wrote an affidavit defending the use of an unspecified pen register system. Information in regards to the mannequin or operate was purposefully withheld, citing FBI coverage; the letter assured the court docket that the iTagPro device was legally compliant. Wall Street Journal described the gadget as a "stingray", along with primary information about how it labored. Much of the info on stingray units was offered by Rigmaiden himself, who seemed for ItagPro how authorities had found he was committing tax fraud. In January 2016, within the case of United States v. Patrick, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, upheld the warrantless use of a stingray to locate the suspect.

On March 30, 2016, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals dominated in Maryland v. Andrews that a warrant is required for utilizing a stingray. This led to the suppression of proof for alleged tried murder by Andrews. On April 25, 2016, the Baltimore City Circuit Court suppressed evidence collected using a stingray within the trial of alleged murder suspect Robert Copes. The police had obtained authorization to make use of a pen register, but the court docket ruled that it was inadequate they usually needed a probable cause warrant. On July 12, 2016, the U.S. District Court of Southern New York ruled in United States v. Lambis that utilizing a stingray constitutes a search that requires a warrant and suppressed the evidence gathered from its use. On August 16, 2016, a complaint was filed to the Federal Communications Commission by the middle for Media Justice, Color of Change, and Open Technology Institute concerning the usage of stingrays by the Baltimore Police Department.