I have some family who are dispatchers (not in the US), and they have the ability to immediately get location data directly from providers if they think somebody is in imminent danger. They can’t do it to track a suspect (not without a warrant), but they would regularly do it for suspected suicides, or when a caller communicated they were in danger but failed to give their location for what ever reason.

I wouldn’t be surprised if many jurisdictions around the world had similar systems.

I don't know the processes in US, but in Europe I saw this in action first hand done in minutes, so I don't know.

edit: Over a stolen phone, no less, not even a person being in danger.

Police need a warrant to demand that data. Nothing stops the provider from handing it over willingly.

> Police need a warrant

if the information they gather is to be admissible in court as evidence against a person. Police do not need a warrant to save the life of a person.

But they said themselves that they pinged his phone.