California police tows Teslas to download Sentry Mode crime recordings

Tesla's Sentry Mode that keeps a watchful eye over what is happening in the car's immediate vicinity can be both a blessing and a curse, it seems.

Tesla uses the car's multiple cameras as "an intelligent vehicle security system that alerts you when it detects possible threats nearby," as many unsuccessful theft attempts can attest.

The Oakland police department, however, has already towed several Tesla cars to use their Sentry Mode as a crime scene witness. The car keeps the recordings on a USB drive in the glove box compartment, which sometimes contains footage that is of interest to investigators based on the car's position.

Granted, there are popular solutions like the Vantrue N4 camera kit that can add surveillance to any vehicle. California's police departments, however, are increasingly singling out any Tesla cars close to a crime scene, as they know there that their built-in Sentry Mode may have been on to record it.

In a new twist, the police now not only obtain a warrant to seize a Tesla car to a secure location when it can't locate the owner, but the officers then get a court order to download the footage.

In one such case, officer Godchaux wrote an affidavit detailing why they need to tow a Tesla that may have recorded a murder that their team was investigating:

I know that Tesla vehicles contain external surveillance cameras in order to protect their drivers from theft and/or liability in accidents. Based on this information, I respectfully request that a warrant is authorized to seize this vehicle from the La Quinta Inn parking lot, so this vehicle’s surveillance footage may be searched via an additional search warrant at a secure location.

The owner of the Tesla in question came back just in time to witness the police preparing to tow their vehicle, and provided the footage voluntarily to get it released.