172536_CPCA_2020_Spring Magazine - Final | Page 55

While Uber is committed to engaging, partnering, and responding to law enforcement, we also take our customers’ privacy seriously and understand that law enforcement wants to ensure that the data they obtain is done so in accordance with all applicable laws, thus ensuring the data Uber provides can be utilized in trial proceedings with its acquisition never being called into question. For more information about Uber’s Privacy Policy, please visit privacy.uber.com/ policy. The Law Enforcement Response Team manages legal process and emergency requests utilizing our online portal for law enforcement use only which can be found at lert.uber.com. The Response Team will validate law enforcement credentials based on the information provided by the officer or agent submitting a request. The portal contains Uber’s legal guidelines for data requests and frequently asked questions. The response team has been a crucial partner in assisting law enforcement in the U.S. and around the world with providing information during critical incidents such as the Easter terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka and the Route 91 shooting in Las Vegas. Recently, Uber Law Enforcement Operations added a much-needed feature to the portal in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The portal is now equipped to receive and respond to requests for information from public health departments conducting contact tracing investigations. The portal includes resources and instructions on the process for public health departments to submit their requests through the portal. The response team has been responding to public health requests for several months now, even before the initial spread of COVID-19. At Uber, we appreciate the work that law enforcement and other public safety officials engage in every day. It is a priority for Uber to build a strong relationship with law enforcement. We want to be part of the safety solution and strive to be the rideshare company that law enforcement prefers to work with and utilize as users. Thank you for your service and sacrifice, and stay safe! Billy Kewell is Uber’s liaison for the U.S. West Coast. Prior to Uber, Billy was with the U.S. Secret Service for 9 years in the Chicago Field Office and spent two years on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force working on counterterrorism, national security-related issues. He has a B.A. in Politics from the University of Dallas, a J.D. from Ave Maria School of Law, and is a licensed attorney in the State of Illinois. Contact: [email protected] SPRING 2020 | CALIFORNIA POLICE CHIEF 55