Police in Oakland, California have reportedly towed at least three Teslas in July and August for evidence in cases after being unable to contact their owners for access.
The vehicles have been towed as evidence due to the car model’s ‘Sentry Mode’ which records everything around the car when it is parked – when these cars happen to be parked near crime scenes, they may pick up footage of the incident, the San Francisco Chronicle has reported.
Owners of the cars are typically unlinked to the crime and police usually ask drivers for access to the Sentry Mode backup USB device, located inside the glove box, from which they can download the contents and any potential footage.
However, when the owners haven’t been traceable, police have allegedly towed cars in order to not lose the evidence.
“When you have these cars on the roads that are constantly capturing information, even when they’re parked, the police can look to them as a resource,” Saira Hussain, Staff Attorney at Electronic Frontier Foundation, told the San Francisco Chronicle.
“That obviously puts third parties — people who are not involved at all — in the crosshairs of investigations.”
The Chronicle reported that in July, a Canadian tourist returned to his Tesla at a hotel in Oakland to find it in the process of being towed.
Police had allegedly began towing it for evidence after it a man had been discovered in a nearby RV with stab and gunshot wounds.
An affidavit obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle showed that an officer had requested a warrant to “seize this vehicle” from the hotel parking lot “so this vehicle’s surveillance footage may be searched via an additional search warrant at a secure location.”
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However, the man was able to allow officers to access to the Sentry Mode device there and then, preventing his car from being towed to the police station.
‘Sentry Mode’ is activated by motion and noise; once activated, car cameras turn on and record what is happening around the vehicle.
Police cannot obtain footage from Tesla, but rather must ask the owner’s permission for access to the drive or obtain a warrant to retrieve it.
