Catherine Crump : U.S. police getting surveillance equipment and anti-terror weapons . Crump : Government amasses data by location tracking , especially of cars . The government is also collecting information on the people who are in contact with suspects or witnesses. It 's as if a cop with perfect memory was following you wherever you go . The crackdown on protesters after the police shot and killed Michael Brown in Ferguson , Missouri , highlighted that more and more , police departments possess sophisticated weapons and equipment originally designed for the battlefield . She says the public should know about monitoring and it should be justified .
Catherine Crump : U.S. police getting surveillance equipment and anti-terror weapons . Crump : Government amasses data by location tracking , especially of cars . The government is also collecting information on the people who are in contact with suspects or witnesses. It 's as if a cop with perfect memory was following you wherever you go . She says the public should know about monitoring and it should be justified .