Private Property

Americans expect their private property to be off limits to wandering feet and prying eyes—especially when those feet and eyes belong to government officers. Indeed, the Constitution’s protection from unwanted intrusions dates to the Founding, and it’s just as crucial in the era of modern surveillance technology. But in the Volunteer State, officers from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) are turning that principle on its head: They trespass on private land without a warrant, snoop around, record video footage, and even install cameras in people’s trees to watch them 24/7.