Yahoo Finance Police Are Towing Teslas Away to Collect On-Board Video Footage
Tesla’s cars and SUVs are outfitted with an extensive array of exterior and interior cameras, which the cars use for features ranging from driving aids to security monitoring. It's the latter feature that has caught the attention of law enforcement officers in Oakland, California, who have begun getting warrants for the footage captured by the vehicles — even leading some owners' Teslas to be towed amid the department’s efforts to secure high-quality video evidence.
According to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle, Oakland-area police officers have been leaning on Tesla vehicles as a source of potential evidence, thanks in part to the car’s Sentry Mode function. This feature, which the automaker hopes will serve as an anti-theft technology, activates a Tesla's exterior cameras when movement is detected. And while the system isn’t guaranteed to be active on every Tesla model at any given time, the cops aren’t shy about asking for potential footage.
Sergeant Ben Therriault, president of the Richmond Police Officers Association, told the Chronicle that these activities aren’t uncommon among police today. He said offers often seek out video from Tesla vehicles for potential evidence, and while he says they often make direct contact with owners and get the evidence voluntarily, a warrant — and a tow — sometimes prove necessary, should contact not be established in a timely manner. (Therriault acknowledged to the Chronicle that a tow is "the most drastic thing you could do.”)
“When you have these cars on the roads that are constantly capturing information, even when they’re parked, the police can look to them as a resource,” Electronic Frontier Foundation staff attorney Saira Hussain told the Chronicle. “That obviously puts third parties — people who are not involved at all — in the crosshairs of investigations.”
According to the report, the Oakland Police Department has sought to secure a Tesla vehicle into evidence to obtain its stored video footage at least three times since July. All three incidents involved a second court order, in which the officers made reference to the vehicle’s Sentry Mode capabilities.
The footage secured from Tesla vehicles has reportedly helped the department in a number of recent investigations. That said, the use of this footage raises further questions about the growing presence of surveillance. Oakland police officials did not respond to the Chronicle’s request for comment on the spike in Tesla-related warrants.
Bottom line: if your Tesla disappears from your parking spot, it might just be worthwhile to check in with the local P.D. They might just have something to talk to you about.
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