New Mo. law backs cellphone tracking for police
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Posted: 07/06/2012
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By: Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri law enforcement agencies could track people's cellphone signals during emergencies more easily under a measure signed by Gov. Jay Nixon.
The legislation enacted Friday requires phone companies to cooperate with police by tracking cellphone signals of 911 callers, or by pinging a phone's location when there is danger of death or serious physical injury.
The law was prompted by the 2007 killing of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith, who was abducted from a shopping center parking lot in Overland Park, Kan. Her body was found four days later in a wooded area in Missouri.
Sponsoring House member Jeanie Lauer, a Republican from Blue Springs, has said Smith might have been found faster if authorities had been better able to track her cellphone signals.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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