Professor Joh Comments for The Guardian on Police Use of Wireless Emergency Alert System

Professor Elizabeth Joh commented for The Guardian on the Wireless Emergency Alert system (WEA) message sent to New Yorkers' mobile devices calling for help in the manhunt for suspected terrorist Ahmad Khan Rahami on September 19.  According to the article, it was the first time the WEA system, more typically used to send notices regarding extreme weather or "Amber alerts," has been used in a police manhunt.

Joh said that law enforcement's use of such alerts is cause for concern.  The alert "enlists the entire population in the area at once to help the police. Seems somewhat different than hearing on the radio or watching on TV, don't you think?" said Joh.

Professor Joh's scholarship focuses on criminal procedure and policing, with a special emphasis on DNA evidence, undercover policing, and new surveillance technologies.