The Story County Sheriff’s Office’s recent acquisition of a thermal imager, a heat-sensing device with night-vision capabilities, has created some controversy among privacy rights supporters.

The device will be used by investigative and patrol personnel, said Capt. Gary Foster of the Story County Sheriff’s Office, and will be used “in any application that may warrant it.”

The thermal imager has its advantages. According to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office, it will be used to find lost persons, apprehend criminals and assist with hazardous material spills.

The thermal imager can also be used for other purposes, however – among them, investigating homes which are suspected to have marijuana operations inside.

Without so much as a search warrant, police officers can use the thermal imager to detect amounts of heat coming from the home and use the readings as probable cause to obtain a warrant.

We agree with the Iowa Civil Liberties Union’s argument that this use of the thermal imager is a direct violation of our Fourth Amendment privacy rights. With only a suspicion of a growing operation, the police can invade our privacy.

Technology is advancing quickly, yet laws protecting our privacy remain the same. Should devices which can monitor our every movement for the police arise, would we allow them solely because the technology was available? We would hope not, and the reasoning is the same with the thermal imager.

Devices such as the thermal imager can be beneficial, but its usage must be monitored so that our basic rights shall not be infringed.

editorialboard: Michelle Kann, Tim Paluch, Jocelyn Marcus, Zach Calef, Ruth Hitchcock, Cavan Reagan