Tesla's 'Security Protocols' Stopped DHS Agents From Installing a Tracking Device
404 Media · rss · 2026-10-13
Court records reviewed by 404 Media and Court Watch show an HSI special agent filed a 60+ page application on Halloween 2025 to place a tracker on the white Tesla of Sam Stair, a Milwaukee landlord suspected of running a drug trafficking operation; a judge approved it the same day. The warrant was never executed, however: the agent wrote that it was 'not executed due to security protocols active on Tesla.'
The documents don't specify which protocol, but Sentry Mode is the likely culprit — the car's eight external cameras detect anyone approaching, flash lights, sound an alarm, start recording, and ping the owner's phone app, making covert tracker installation nearly impossible.
The setback didn't derail the investigation: a task force arrested Stair and 17 others in May. He pleaded not guilty and is out on bond awaiting trial.
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