Listen. If they want to subpoena Tesla or the owner for the footage the way they would a store or other business, fine. But towing a car just to retrieve evidence without the knowledge and agreement of the owner is just theft and they should be sued.
No you don’t understand, this is the police, so they can do what they want and we can’t complain or we will be arrested or killed.
According to the article, they're
obtaining warrants to tow the cars to ensure they don’t lose the video
Therriault said he and other officers now frequently seek video from bystander Teslas, and usually get the owners’ consent to download it without having to serve a warrant. Still, he said, tows are sometimes necessary, if police can’t locate a Tesla owner and need the video “to pursue all leads.”
It looks like the seizure and the search have to be warranted separately:
“Based on this information,” Godchaux wrote, “I respectfully request that a warrant is authorized to seize this vehicle from the La Quinta Inn parking lot so this vehicle’s surveillance footage may be searched via an additional search warrant at a secure location.”
I read the article. Still theft with extra steps if the owner doesn't know. I also really don't understand why they can't subpoena Tesla directly and leave a person's property alone.
Tesla has better lawyers.
It looks like the recordings are stored locally, so Tesla wouldn't be able to provide them anyway.
Wait so Teslas just record their surroundings while they're parked? Also can you even imagine you go back to your car and its been towed because your car witnessed a crime while you were at 7-11?
I believe, they've got sensors detecting whether a person is nearby and then they turn on the cameras.
But yeah, definitely sounds like a feature that would be wildly illegal in my country.
Another reaon added to the long list of reasons to not buy a tesla
They could technically do the same with any car that has cameras. It's not a Tesla specific issue.
Are there any other cars that use their built-in cameras as a recording security/dashcam though? Mostly I’ve seen footage from aftermarket cameras
BMW, Mercedes Benz and BYD, according to this article.
https://poe.com/p/Which-other-cars-besides-Tesla-have-similar-sentry-mode-features
I personally don't know but i wouldn't be suprised
Oh yeah, I always forget Tesla's are palantíri for Musk. Don't forget to point and laugh when you see a Tesla, just in case Elon is watching.
Rules:
Act like a nice human being.