After facing tough questions not just from civil liberties advocates and criminal defense attorneys, but also from members of congress and the national press, the Department of Justice has today issued a policy requiring, absent special circumstances, federal law enforcement officials to obtain probable cause backed warrants before deploying controversial cell phone surveillance devices commonly called “stingrays.” The new policy also requires DOJ entities like the FBI, US Marshals, and Drug Enforcement Administration to keep records of each time they use a cell-site simulator, including when the technology is deployed in the service of a state or local police operation, and in emergencies when warrants aren’t required.