In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that police officers must get a search warrant before using a GPS device to track criminal suspects. Analysts believe that the ruling may be the first of many similar outcomes as technology continues to play an increasing part in criminal investigations in Missouri and throughout the country.

The lawsuit was filed by a Washington, D.C. nightclub owner who was arrested for drug crimes after he was linked to a house that was used to stash money and drugs. He was connected to the house after being tracked by police investigators for four weeks using a GPS device that they had installed on his vehicle. The man was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

He appealed the conviction, and it eventually made its way up to the Supreme Court. In a verdict that surprised many, the court found that the police's action in tracking the suspect via GPS had violated his constitutional protection against unreasonable search and seizure. The justices unanimously agreed that police must first get the approval of a judge before installing GPS technology on suspects' vehicles.

It is unclear how much this ruling will affect the day-to-day operations of police investigations. It is rare that a judge denies a police officer's request for a warrant.

However, the high court justices indicated that they will be closely watching the growing use of similar technology in criminal cases. Hopefully, they continue to make rulings similar to this one, and protect the constitutional rights of people who remain innocent until proven guilty.

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Warrant needed for GPS tracking, high court says," Jan. 23, 2012