N.J. ‘Roving Wiretaps’ Are Constitutional

‘Roving wiretap’ warrants that allow police to continue listening in when a target ditches his original mobile phone and picks up a new one are constitutional, so long as cops alert the judge within 48 hours that they are using the original warrant to tap a new phone, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled March 9 (State v. Feliciano, 2016 BL 70904, N.J., A-24, 3/9/16).

The ruling allows police to keep better track of criminals who use multiple “burner phones” to avoid detection and is consistent with the approach followed in the Second, Fifth, Seventh ...