Cell Tower News: Climber spots missing kids; feds need warrant for fake cell towers

by Jarad Matula September 11, 2015

written by Jarad Matula September 11, 2015

Tower climber spots missing kids

Not only are tower climbers connecting the world with their efforts, they are now helping find missing children. Last week in Hamilton County, Tenn., Corey Fitzpatrick was installing equipment on a tower atop Mowbray Mountain when he spotted two children who had been missing for more than 12 hours. The climber had been alerted of the missing children situation by local authorities on his way to the worksite that morning, but never expected he would actually play a vital role in their location. Despite his efforts, he remains incredibly humble about the whole ordeal.

“That was one of the guys up there, he’s the one who found them down there, I just called the police,” Fitzpatrick said.

A major victory in the fight against stingrays

Stingrays, also referred to as “fake cell towers” and cell tower simulators, have been the issue of recent scrutiny in the Justice Department. The department issued a new policy for the devices, requiring authorities to get a warrant before using one. There are some exceptions, but here’s some official verbiage from the policy:

The use of cell-site simulators is permitted only as authorized by law and policy. While the department has, in the past, appropriately obtained authorization to use a cell-site simulator by seeking an order pursuant to the Pen Register Statute, as a matter of policy, law enforcement agencies must now obtain a search warrant supported by probable cause and issued pursuant to Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure (or the applicable state equivalent), except as provided below.

It’s a great day for civil liberties, and the American Civil Liberties Union had this to say about the win:

“After decades of secrecy in which the government hid this surveillance technology from courts, defense lawyers and the American public, we are happy to see that the Justice Department is now willing to openly discuss its policies,” said ACLU staff attorney Nathan Freed Wessler.

The life of a tower climber

This week’s episode of Cell Tower News, hosted by Joey Jackson, features multiple interviews with tower industry veterans discussing how they got into the industry, what the life is like and a few amusing stories from their years as a climber.