Cell Phones and Law Enforcement

[Imaginos666]

As I've mentioned before, I've worked in newspapers in the Southeast for more than 10 years. I've covered a lot of different crime beats in those years (many of them small-town law enforcement.) These are departments who will never have the resources to process their own crime scene evidence, no matter how trivial. If they need a fingerprint analysis they have to ship it off to the state and wait up to six months to get it back.

I mention this because these guys told me years ago that you should ditch your cell phone immediately when they are looking for you. They might no be able to process crime scene evidence, but they can track your cell phone from space in less than an hour.

Just thought I'd pass that along.

[Steven Grant]

Just thought I'd pass that along.

That's why I only use burners.

Which various law enforcement lobbies have periodically tried to get banned, with no success so far.

- Grant

[dancj]

That's why I only use burners.

Which various law enforcement lobbies have periodically tried to get banned, with no success so far.

- Grant
Burners ?

[Steven Grant]

Burners. Cell phones you buy cheap at stores like Walmart and replenish with minutes as you go. Like Tracfone, which I'd endorse to anyone. They're called burners because you can buy one with a certain number of minutes pre-installed, use up the minutes, and throw them away, then buy another one. If you like. That way you can always have a phone number but it's an untraceable number, and you needn't have a credit card, fixed address, service plan or anything else that would identify you or be used to track you.

The last time I upgraded phones - I switch to new models every few years, and they'll carry unused minutes over so you don't lose anything by it - the phone cost me $15 with unlimited double minutes for the life of the phone. So if you don't use a cell to call someone or twitter or check your stock quotes every five minutes, it stays pretty cheap.

- Grant

[dancj]

Ah. That concept doesn't exist (as far as I know) in England. We can get cheap - even sometimes free - phones on pay as you go, but I don't think you can ever get one anonymously.

[Steven Grant]

Ah. That concept doesn't exist (as far as I know) in England. We can get cheap - even sometimes free - phones on pay as you go, but I don't think you can ever get one anonymously.

They're not anonymous, exactly, but I don't think there's any necessity to give them correct information when activating the phone. (It can quickly be done online with Tracfone.) They don't ask for a credit card or any personally identifying information, and don't send any business mail to the address you give them since they don't bill. I'm also not sure they have tracker chips in them, unlike contract cell phones now.

- Grant

[dancj]

Ah - It might be possible here then. I know PAYG phones come with cards that you can use to top them up in shops these days (though I just do it over the phone with my credit card) so I guess you probably could have a phone anonymously

[Steven Grant]

Ah - It might be possible here then. I know PAYG phones come with cards that you can use to top them up in shops these days (though I just do it over the phone with my credit card) so I guess you probably could have a phone anonymously

Use a credit card to buy time or cards, it's traceable. Use cash, it isn't. (I'm not paranoid enough to worry about it, I just know how it's done.)

- Grant

[chbryan]

I learned about "burners" from watching The Wire. God, what a great show.

I proudly own a Tracfone -- since I only have it in my glove compartment for emergencies. I remember giving my name when I bought it, but I don't think the store actually asked for any ID. I've sometimes used a credit card, sometimes used cash to renew it.

[Inkthinker]

I've also got a Trac. If you've got the double-minutes set up on it, it can be really affordable for a low-use phone... I think I drop about $20-30 every two months on a new card, and that's it.

Of course, it's a dumb phone, it does nothing but make and recieve calls (doesn't even take pictures, though the newer models will), but it's perfect for what I need. It's useful in emergencies and when you're out in the field and you need to communicate. I've got an iTouch if I want the internet and music.

[Steven Grant]

I learned about "burners" from watching The Wire. God, what a great show.

I proudly own a Tracfone -- since I only have it in my glove compartment for emergencies. I remember giving my name when I bought it, but I don't think the store actually asked for any ID. I've sometimes used a credit card, sometimes used cash to renew it.

No, stores don't ask for IDs when you buy a Tracfone, as long as you're not buying, say, 100 at a time. Last time I upgraded my phone, ~ last Christmas, it was $12 for what passed as a basic model at the time, but came with double minutes for the life of the phone. It's great. But I don't text, take photos, or make long calls with it, it's basically just so if I need to talk to someone, or call AAA for road service or whatever, I can. Great at conventions too. Anyone who wants to use a cell phone as an appendage in constant use if probably better off with a regular plan with some other carrier, if anyone can be said to be better off with such a thing.

- Grant

[Steven Grant]

Of course, it's a dumb phone, it does nothing but make and recieve calls (doesn't even take pictures, though the newer models will), but it's perfect for what I need. It's useful in emergencies and when you're out in the field and you need to communicate. I've got an iTouch if I want the internet and music.

Yeah, you can buy a model with a camera for around $25 these days. I've got a SanDisk SansaClip for music, and I don't find the Internet so fascinating that I have to constantly look at it in miniature while I'm on the go. Generally the Web can wait until I get to my desktop or netbook...

- Grant