(Host) A Vermont judge was asked Monday to release documents showing how criminal investigators might have attempted to track the whereabouts of Vermonters via their cell phones.
Attorney General Bill Sorrell turned down a request from the American Civil Liberties Union to release any documents, saying they’re exempt from the Public Records Act.
Allen Gilbert is the executive director of ACLU-Vermont, which filed the suit against the Attorney General’s office.
(Gilbert) "Our ultimate goal here is to have determined what standard is necessary for police to meet in order to get access to what we think is personal information."
(Host) Gilbert says the digital coding used to send a cell phone signal should be considered private information.
(Gilbert) "Those bits of data are essentially telling where you are anytime you have your cell phone on, and absent a suspicion that you’ve committed a crime, or are about to commit a crime, the state law enforcement should not have access to that data."
(Host) Washington Superior Court Judge Geoffrey Crawford is expected to make a decision on the case in the coming weeks.