Federal lawmakers from Kansas and Missouri renewed a campaign Friday for passage of legislation requiring U.S. wireless telephone companies nationwide to disclose cell phone locations to law enforcement officers engaged in life-or-death investigations of missing persons.
In wake of Johnson County teenager Kelsey Smith’s kidnapping and murder nearly 11 years ago, officials in Kansas, Missouri and 21 other states implemented laws mandating mobile communications businesses assist agencies in emergencies by sharing information about movement of a person’s cell phone. The idea is to triangulate the “ping” of phones to towers to speed law enforcement responses.
“Expediting the process of locating a cell phone could have helped save Kelsey’s life, and I hope we can pass this bill to save the lives of other innocent children who are abducted in the future,” said U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, a Kansas Republican and co-sponsor of the measure.
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