Report: Hoboken Police Department Doesn't Use Cell Phone Tracking

The Hoboken Police Department is one of ten police agencies in the country that has indicated to the American Civil Liberties Union that it does not track cell phones in investigations. 

According to a recent report by the ACLU, most agencies around the country have used cell phone tracking at least once. 

"Even those that have not tracked cell phones in the course of a criminal investigation have tracked cell phones in emergencies," according to the report, "for example to locate a missing person."

The Hoboken Police Department responded to the ACLU's questionnaire, by stating it does not use any cell phone tracking. In order to track a cell phone, one police source said, the cell phone carrier has to cooperate in the investigation. 

While the report states that the department currently doesn't use cell phone tracking, the measure has been used in the past, one police source said. 

The report also states that while it's not often clear in their privacy policies, cell phone companies keep the location data of their users for a long time. 

According to a recent New York Times article, cell phone tracking has become a common surveillance for many departments across the country, but is not under much court supervision. 

Other departments in the state that reported to the ACLU that they do not use cell phone tracking are West New York, Bloomfield, Irvington and Perth Amboy.