Cell-Site Simulators (Stingrays)

Rulings about devices, often called Stingrays, that imitate cell towers so police can locate or track a phone. Summaries from Criminal Defense Resources™ are general education for pro per/pro se defendants and families, not legal advice.

2 rulings, newest first.

• United States v. Lambis

  S.D.N.Y. (federal trial court) · July 12, 2016 · 197 F. Supp. 3d 606 (S.D.N.Y. 2016)

  A federal trial court in New York held that agents' use of a cell-site simulator, without a warrant, to find a phone inside a specific apartment was an unconstitutional search, and it suppressed the evidence found as a result.

  StingraysSearch & seizure

• State v. Andrews

  Maryland Court of Special Appeals · March 30, 2016 · 227 Md. App. 350 (2016)

  The Maryland Court of Special Appeals held that people have a reasonable expectation that their cell phones will not be used as real-time tracking devices by police, and that using a cell-site simulator to locate a phone requires a warrant based on probable cause. An order under the pen register statute was not enough, and the evidence was suppressed.

  StingraysSearch & seizure