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Radio News: New York bill would let police search phones at traffic accidents

Apr 12, 2016 11:30 pm
Sam Thielman in The Guardian reports that New York State Senator Terrence Murphy and Assemblyperson Felix Ortiz want police to be allowed to search any phone or portable device at the scene of a traffic accident. They got the idea as an Israeli company called Cellebrite is marketing a device called a “textalyzer” that analyzes a driver’s phone for police. “Any person who operates a motor vehicle in this state shall be deemed to have given consent to field testing of his or her mobile telephone and/or portable electronic device for the purpose of determining the use thereof while operating a motor vehicle provided that such testing is conducted by or at the direction of a police officer, after such person has operated a motor vehicle involved in an accident or collision involving damage to real or personal property, personal injury or death,” their proposed legislation says. Like someone refusing a breathalyzer, refusing to turn over a phone would cost one their license. The bill is also backed by activist group Distracted Operators Risk Casualties, founded by parents of children involved in crashes caused by drivers distracted by their devices. Read the full story in The Guardian.
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