- Oakland Police request footage from Teslas parked near crime scenes to aid investigations.
- Video recorded automatically by the EV’s cameras can provide crucial evidence to solve cases.
- If Tesla owners can’t be found, police tow the EVs with a warrant to get footage.
Modern cars are full of sensors and cameras, primarily used to support their sophisticated ADAS systems. However, as proven by numerous cases, this footage can also help solve crimes. The Oakland Police Department has reportedly towed numerous Tesla vehicles that happened to be parked near crime scenes, to look for evidence in their Sentry Mode footage.
While the EVs – and their owners – are usually unrelated to the incidents, video footage from the scene can be quite important for the case. The police usually asks for the owner’s permission to access their Tesla’s Sentry Mode backup USB drive which is located in the glove box, and download the desired content. However, if the owners can’t be located, officers obtain search warrants and tow the EVs into evidence.
More: Tesla Working To Stop Sentry Mode Depleting EVs’ Batteries
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Oakland police sought to tow at least three Teslas in July and August, showing that this is now part of their established tactics.
A recent example took place at a hotel parking lot near the Oakland airport on July 1. A man was found in an RV with stab and gunshot wounds that eventually led to his death at a nearby hospital. As part of the homicide case, the police located a Tesla which was parked opposite the RV. The owner of the Tesla was a Canadian tourist, who reportedly arrived at the scene during the towing process. The man permitted officers to download the footage without taking away the car, sparing him a visit to the police station.
Another example is a homicide that took place on July 13, outside a beauty supply shop in Oakland. During an argument between several people, five individuals shot at each other, killing a 27-year-old woman. The police obtained a search warrant to tow three vehicles – including a Tesla Model X – and gathered CCTV footage from a nearby market. The evidence led to two arrests for murder and other felonies – although it’s not clear if any of it came from the Tesla.
A third Tesla was even more deeply involved in an incident on August 12. A man was found on the back seat of his girlfriend’s Tesla, with a gunshot wound to the head, ending up in critical condition in the hospital. The police towed the vehicle for evidence, although no arrests have been made.
Tesla describes the Sentry Mode as “a feature that allows you to monitor activities around your vehicle when it’s parked and locked”. The recording is automatically initiated when “suspicious motion is detected”, and “depending on the severity of the threat”. This means that aggressive movement and/or loud noises (such as gunshots or screams) during a crime would activate the Sentry Mode of nearby Teslas.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the police also sourced footage from autonomous cars that operated in certain areas, taking permission from tech companies like Waymo. However, in the case of Tesla, the video recorded by each vehicle is courtesy of its respective owner rather than the automaker.
