§ 818-81. Legislative intent.

This Legislature hereby finds and determines that global positioning systems ("GPS") are commonly used for mapping, directional and tracking purposes all over the world. This Legislature also finds that while GPS devices have many legitimate and useful purposes, some people use these devices to improperly invade the privacy rights of others, or worse, utilize them in furtherance of criminal activity. This Legislature further determines that the courts have found that persons operating a motor vehicle have a legitimate right to privacy and, therefore, law enforcement agencies must obtain a warrant before placing a GPS device on a motor vehicle. This Legislature further finds that other states have enacted legislation that restricts the use of GPS devices for tracking purposes and the State of New York recently enacted a law making it a misdemeanor to use a GPS device to stalk a person. This Legislature also finds that it is appropriate to enact local legislation to restrict the use of GPS devices in order to protect the privacy rights and safety of Suffolk County residents. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to prohibit any person or entity from placing a GPS tracking device on a motor vehicle without the knowledge and consent of the motor vehicle's owner.