Wireless: Cracking down on crime in a cellular era
This sets a rather disturbing precedent...
Chris Oakes writes in The International Herald Tribune:
When soccer fans rioted in Rotterdam last April - this time targeting the police, not just rival fans - they might have expected a fierce chase. There was no way to foresee, however, the unique wireless wrinkle used in the pursuit by prosecutors determined to round up as many of the offenders as possible.
After the initial phase of the investigation left many of more than 200 suspects on the loose, the Dutch authorities turned to a kind of cellular door-to-door search - mass text messaging in search of criminal information.
The cellular-era tactic has appeared in a growing number of cities since early last year, as the police seek to turn cellphones into direct lines to potential witnesses.
"We were really determined to arrest everybody involved," said Jeichien Degraaff, spokeswoman for the Rotterdam public prosecutor's office.
posted by Fergie @ 10/30/2005 06:53:00 AM
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