OPINION: Why PI’s can legally stalk you in Utah

Apr 1, 2019, 6:38 PM | Updated: Aug 3, 2022, 2:45 pm

Jay Mcfarland

Do you ever hear a story and you think, “I never knew that was a thing!” Then your second thought is, “Oh my gosh! That’s a thing?” That was my experience today after I discovered that there are very few regulations about who can use a GPS tracker. A private investigator can get place a GPS-tracking device onto your car without having any reason to do so other than that someone hired them to do so.

Governor Gary Herbert signed into H.B 223, sponsored by Rep. Marie Poulson. It makes it illegal for anyone to put a GPS tracker on someone’s car with the exception of police with a warrant and private investigators.

As a former private investigator, I’m not shocked at all. Yes. You read that right. I was a private investigator in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a mustache, a Mustang, nor did I run around in shorty shorts like Mangun PI. Now the entire state of Utah is breathing a collective sigh of relief.

Is being a Private Investigator a blatant violation of privacy? Do things change when you’re putting a GPS tracker on your car? Does this violate our Fourth Amendment rights? Tune into the podcast to find out more.

Jay Mcfarland hosts KSL News Radio’s JayMac News Show. He also hosts a fictional podcast called Hosts of Eden. KSL News Radio is part of Bonneville Media and based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Don’t forget to review and subscribe to the JayMac Mac News Show podcast on Apple Podcasts.Or follow Jay on Twitter and Instagram @JayMacNewsShow or on Facebook.

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