June 30, 2014 By Wallin & Klarich

800px-GoogleStreetViewCar_Subaru_Impreza_at_Google_Campus.JPG

An elaborate hoax in Scotland involving Google Street View has highlighted the use of third-party satellite images in criminal cases.

Google’s Street View is a popular feature of the Google Maps online application. While searching for directions via Google Maps, Street View gives people the option to see turn-by-turn directions with real images showing actual streets instead of illustrated maps. Google obtains these images by strapping a 360-degree camera to a car that drives around streets while the camera continuously takes pictures. You may have seen one in your neighborhood or while driving around.

In Edinburgh, Scotland in 2012, two mechanics, Dan Thompson and Gary Kerr, saw one of Google’s cars driving around the streets where Thompson’s garage was located. Thompson and Kerr decided to play a prank when the car drove past their street. As the car drove past Thompson’s shop, the camera snapped pictures of Thompson’s “lifeless” body on the ground with Kerr hovering over Thompson holding a hammer. Though Thompson and Kerr’s faces are blurred in the images, they can both be seen with smiles on their faces upon closer examiniation.

Google didn’t upload the images until months later and it took over a year for the images to be reported to the police, who then started an investigation. Thompson stated the police took the matter very seriously at first, but eventually had a laugh upon discovering the hoax and didn’t continue with the investigation upon learning the full story from Thompson and Kerr. Google declined to comment on the matter.1

Google Street View Images As Evidence

Though Thompson and Kerr’s prank did not result in any serious criminal charges, Google Street View images have already been used as evidence in criminal cases in the United States for several years. In a case from New York in 2010, the NYPD used Street View images of drug sales in front of a Brooklyn bodega as evidence to arrest and indict seven people accused of being in a heroin-selling ring.2

Most of Google’s Street View images are about one to three years old, although Google tries to update the images regularly. Some images have raised privacy concerns, though Google says its technology automatically blurs people’s faces and license plates. It also allows users to request that certain images be removed or report any offensive imagery. Therefore, if a Google Maps Street View Car were to capture a crime occurring and you found the images of the crime and reported the images to the police, the police would have to investigate.3

Call Wallin & Klarich Today

If you or a loved one has been charged with a crime, it is critical that you speak to an experienced criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. At Wallin & Klarich, our attorneys have over 30 years of experience in defending persons charged with crimes in California. Our attorneys will fight to get you the best possible outcome in your case.

With offices in Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks, Torrance, Tustin, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, West Covina and Victorville, there is an experienced Wallin & Klarich criminal defense attorney near you no matter where you work or live.

Call us today at (888) 280-6839 for a free phone consultation. We will be there when you call.


Information retrieved from:

1. Murder on Google Street View?, June 3, 2014, http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/03/world/europe/uk-scotland-google-view/?sr=fb060414googlestreetview1030avodtoplink]
2. NYPD uses Google Street View images as evidence in heroin-dealing case, November 11, 2010, http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/11/google-street-view-nypd-drug.html
3. Google To Remove Killed California Teen From Google Maps, November 18, 2013, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/18/richard-barrea_n_4298317.html

Image retrieved from
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GoogleStreetViewCar_Subaru_Impreza_at_Google_Campus.JPG

Contact Us
  •   17592 Irvine Blvd,
      Tustin, CA 92780
  •   (714) 730-5300
  •   (888) 280-6839
SCHEDULE YOUR free consultation

If you or a loved one have been accused of a crime, this is the time to contact us.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright © 2024 Wallin & Klarich - All rights reserved

California Criminal Defense Lawyer Disclaimer: The legal information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice, nor should it be considered the formation of a lawyer or attorney-client relationship. Any case results presented on the site are based upon the facts of a particular case and do not represent a promise or guarantee. The contents of this website may contain legal advertising. If you would like to find out more information about your particular legal matter, contact our office for a free telephonic consultation. This web site is not intended to solicit clients for matters outside of the state of California.