Question

news debate: phone patrol - should the police be allowed to dig through peoples cell phones? police officers in california have a new way to fight crime. if they arrest someone who is carrying a cell phone, officers can dig through the phones content, including text messages, voice mails, e-mails, calendars, and photos. in a 5 - 2 ruling, the california supreme court stated in december 2011 that police officers are allowed to open and examine what they find on an arrested person, without a warrant. a warrant is permission from a judge based on reasonable suspicion. san diego resident jim tharayil added that he thinks the policy could be abused. he told san diego 6 news that he can imagine police officers using something else to pull you over and then using this to look through your cell phone. protection over privacy the police need help keeping the streets safe, say supporters of cell phone searches. officers in shafter, calif., note that the policy has already been helpful. we were able to establish who the arrested people were in contact with. it helped us to find who may also be involved in that crime, detective chris grider told bakersfields 23abc. some people also believe that the policy will deter people from committing crimes. the police now have better means to find out if youre guilty, california resident chris eddy told san diego 6 news. furthermore, supporters of the ruling say it does not violate the fourth amendment. if youve already been arrested with reasonable evidence, they say, then it is fair for the police to search through anything on you. abuse of power stop snooping through smartphones, argue opponents of the new ruling. people could have... pictures in there, like of their girlfriends, that they dont want somebody else to see, and it would be an invasion of privacy not only for them but the other person also, california resident valinten perez told 23abc. justice kathryn m. werdegar, one of the judges who opposed the decision, says that police officers should have to obtain a warrant. it is unfair of police officers to rummage at leisure through the wealth of personal and business information that can be carried on a mobile phone... merely because the device was taken from an arrestees person, she says. 1. which statement best describes how opponents feel about the cell phone patrol policy? opponents feel that the policy will prove helpful to law enforcement opponents feel the policy is too restrictive in nature. opponents feel the policy could be easily abused by law enforcement. opponents feel the policy could lead to more arrests

Explanation:

The text in the "Abuse of Power" section shows opponents' concerns. Valinten Perez mentions invasion of privacy, and Justice Kathryn M. Werdegar opposes the policy without a warrant, indicating potential for abuse. The other options (helpful to law enforcement, too restrictive, leading to more arrests) are not supported by the opponents' statements in the text.

Answer:

Opponents feel the policy could be easily abused by law enforcement.