The US Supreme Court ruled Monday something law enforcement agencies in our area do may be unconstitutional.
Tracking your location using GPS devices and you wouldn't even know about it.
News 7 has been trying so to see how often it happens in our hometowns.
Inside every cell phone made today is a GPS device used for navigation, weather conditions and finding you in case of an emergency.
But law enforcement can also find out where you are if you're a suspect in a crime-- without telling you.
Under the Patriot Act, a magistrate judge just has to sign off on the search.
In a December blanket survey of sheriffs and police departments in Southwest Virginia, NEWS7 asked to see the cell phone tracking logs.
We heard back from 22 agencies.
Some said it didn't do them because rural agencies don't have as many cell phone towers to track from-- locations wouldn't be exact.
Some said they couldn't be released because of ongoing criminal investigations.
Other said the logs don't exist, but didn't deny the practice was used.
Only one gave us specific cases.
Pulaski County Sheriff Jim Davis gave two instances in 2011 where multiple suspects for murder and bank robbery were tracked using cell phones.
One thing to note, this Supreme Court decision refers to GPS tracking devices that are physically put on suspect's cars.
But, in the justice's written opinions, five specifically noted the same rules may soon apply to smartphone technology.
