David Lombardo is reporting for the Times Union a small group of state lawmakers are supporting a pilot program that would allow law enforcement to scan smartphones for activity. The technology to be used is capable of detecting whether a device was in use at the time of an automobile accident. The legislation is limited to a trial run in Westchester County, at present. Previous attempts to implement the same technology was halted due to concerns about privacy and whether it worked as described. Proponents of the test say that distracted driving due to smartphones has reached epidemic levels and is the cause of an increase in traffic fatalities. A roundtable discussion of the issue in Albany on April 29, revealed that a pilot program for law enforcement could be available in six months from the digital intelligence company Cellebrite. However, before the technology can be used in the field, the company will need to update its prototype to differentiate between smartphone activity done via voice command and by hand. The bill is expected to be approved by the Senate Transportation Committee, but it will likely encounter significant resistance in the Assembly. Read the full story in the Times Union.