A national award winning solution that provides judicial review from anywhere, on any device. With a cloud based system, it saves law enforcement valuable time in their pursuit of suspects by decreasing warrant processing times from hours to minutes. It also protects constitutional rights by ensuring proper procedures are followed and a judge is present for all warrant issuances. It enables officers to respond as quickly as possible to probable cause and reduce the likelihood of a suspect being tipped off and fleeing.
With an eWarrant, an officer can complete a warrant request through their squad car’s computer and submit it to a central repository, allowing a judge to review the ewarrant from anywhere, eliminating the need for officers to travel to the courthouse to meet with a judge. The judge can respond directly through the ewarrant and even initiate a secure video conference with an officer to communicate if necessary. Officers can then receive automatic updates throughout the warrant process, allowing them to track progress and ensure they are notified when their ewarrant is ready for signature.
The bill would amend Public Act 189 of 1966, which deals with search warrants, to allow district court magistrates to issue a written warrant by any electronic or electromagnetic means just as judges can at present (in addition to in person). It also clarifies that e-mail transmissions of a warrant would qualify as such an electronic or electromagnetic transmission.
The ACLU’s Speech, Privacy & Technology Project has worked for years on a range of legal arguments to support robust rules for obtaining and executing warrants in the digital age. These arguments draw on our extensive experience filing amicus briefs in state and federal courts around the country. electronic warrants