The map below tracks what we know, based on press reports and publicly available documents, about the use of stingray tracking devices by state and local police departments. Following the map is a list of the federal law enforcement agencies known to use the technology throughout the United States. The ACLU has identified 66 agencies in 24 states and the District of Columbia that own stingrays, but because many agencies continue to shroud their purchase and use of stingrays in secrecy, this map dramatically underrepresents the actual use of stingrays by law enforcement agencies nationwide.

Stingrays, also known as "cell site simulators" or "IMSI catchers," are invasive cell phone surveillance devices that mimic cell phone towers and send out signals to trick cell phones in the area into transmitting their locations and identifying information. When used to track a suspect's cell phone, they also gather information about the phones of countless bystanders who happen to be nearby. Click here for the latest ACLU news and analysis on stingrays.

Click any highlighted state to learn more
Full screen
Fullscreen
Zoom out
Zoom in
Zoom
Display a table of the map data.

Federal Agencies Known to Use Cell Site Simulators:

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Bureau of Investigation

 Drug Enforcement Administration

Drug Enforcement Administration

 U.S. Secret Service

U.S. Secret Service

 Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Marshals Service

U.S. Marshals Service

 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives

 IRS

Internal Revenue Service

 

 U.S. Army

U.S. Army
U.S. Navy

U.S. Navy

 U.S. Marine Corps

U.S. Marine Corps

 U.S. National Guard

U.S. National Guard

 U.S. Special Operations Command

U.S. Special Operations Command
National Security Agency

National Security Agency