Cops are basically saying that they can do illegal things, and then actively conceal them during the discovery process so that defendants cannot challenge the illegal conduct in court. This kind of thing isn't going to stop. Everyone should assume that any unencrypted cell phone calls and texts can and will be examined by law enforcement. Act accordingly.

That said, defense attorneys really need to be on the lookout for cases like this, where only vague references to confidential sources of information are disclosed. If they know the tell-tale signs, they can ask the judge to issue orders during discovery that will put the prosecutor in the position of either being held in contempt of court or disclosing to the defense the specific illegal tactics the police used.