IS THE FBI USING SURVEILLANCE PLANES TO STALK, HARASS & TORTURE TARGETED INDIVIDUALS?
Fortress America
June 12, 2015
"FBI Admits It uses Fake Companies to Fly Surveillance Over U.S. Cities"
An Associated Press investigation has forced the FBI to admit that it uses at least 13 dummy corporations with planes to fly low-and-slow aerial spy missions over U.S. cities.
The agency's domestic flying operations have garnered headlines before, as when it's planes were caught over Baltimore during the recent unrest, or when FBI aircraft tried (and reportedly failed) to assist in catching Faisal Shahzad, the wannabe Times Square bomber.
But the Associated Press story suggests the federales are more brazen and less accountable, than you could even imagine.
"The planes' surveillance equipment is generally used without a judge's approval, and the FBI said the flights are used for specific, ongoing investigations.
The FBI said it uses front companies to protect the safety of the pilots and aircraft.
It also shields the identity of the aircraft so that suspects on the ground don't know they're being watched by the FBI.
In a recent 30-day period, the agency flew above more than 30 cities in 11 states, an AP review found.
Details confirmed by the FBI track closely with published reports since at least 2003 that a government surveillance program might be behind suspicious-looking planes slowly circling neighborhoods."
How is it done?
With a fleet of Cessnas and a simple flight procedure:
"The AP traced at least 50 aircraft back to the FBI, and identified more than 100 flights since last April orbiting both major cities and rural areas.
One of the planes, photographed in flight by the AP in northern Virginia, bristled with unusual antennas under it's fuselage and a camera on it's left side.
A federal budget document from 2010 mentioned at least 115 planes, including 90 Cessna aircraft, in the FBI's surveillance fleet.
Most flight patterns occurred in counter-clockwise orbits up to several miles wide and roughly one mile above the ground at slow speeds.
A 2003 newsletter from the company FLIR Systems Inc..which makes camera technology such as seen on the planes, described flying slowly in left-handed patterns."
Most of the aircraft registrations, the AP said, are signed by a Robert Lindley, who "is listed as chief executive and has at least three distinct signatures among the companies."
Those would be the "13 front companies that AP identified being actively used by the FBI and are registered to post office boxes in Bristow, Virginia," right by a municipal airport.
The most hideously shameless part of the FBI's subterfuge, however, may have come when it begged the AP to protect it's dummy corporations.
"The FBI asked the AP not to disclose the names of the fake companies it uncovered, saying that would saddle taxpayers with the expense of creating new cover companies to shield the government's involvement, and could endanger the planes and the integrity of the surveillance missions."
The AP laughed that one off and has posted documents on-line where you can read the names of all the FBI fake companies, including NG Research, the one that did the Baltimore surveillance last month.
http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2090186-fbi-surveillance-plane-documents.html
See photo, more links:
http://fortressamerica.gawker.com/fbi-admits-it-uses-fake-companies-to-fly-surveillance-o-1708456986
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Sunday, June 7, 2015
What An NYPD Spy Copter Reveals About The FBI Spy Planes
Wired Magazine
June 5, 2015
It should have surprised no one that the FBI has a secret fleet of spy planes it uses domestically to watch us, as the Associated Press reported this week.
WIRED published a story about surveillance aircraft spotted flying in unusual patterns in California and Virginia back in 2006.
And the Wall Street Journal reported last year that the U.S. Marshall's Service has surveillance planes that use so-called "dirtboxes" to track mobile phone users on the ground.
But long before this, the New York Police Department had a high-tech helicopter that it obtained in 2003 through a government grant and exposed publicly to the media that year when it gave journalists a tour of the $10 million dollar toy.
WIRED began investigating the chopper in 2008, and uncovered, but hasn't published until now, information about the precise surveillance components installed on it and the methods the NYPD used to conceal it's ownership and operation.
Like the FBI, the NYPD used a shell company to register the aircraft.
But the NYPD also requested special "undercover" registration handling from the FAA to thwart tracking by aviation enthusiasts who might spot it in the air and attempt to investigate the registration number associated with it.
The NYPD also asked the FAA to notify it's aviation unit if anyone contacted the agency inquiring about the aircraft.
Last month, the use of secret law enforcement aircraft began getting attention after plane spotters around the country began reporting suspicious aircraft registered to shell companies that were flying unusual routes over numerous cities.
The Associated Press caught on to the stories and this week published it's own piece identifying some 50 surveillance craft that were registered to more than a dozen shell companies.and were being used by FBI field offices around the country.
The response to that story has been mixed.
Some readers were shocked by the secret flights and Big Brother surveillance; others scoffed at the alarm the AP appeared to be inciting, arguing that spy planes are just another surveillance tool law enforcement uses to monitor suspects in areas, or for lengths of time, they couldn't otherwise monitor through conventional means by foot or car.
For example, authorities used a special surveillance helicopter with thermal imaging equipment in 2013 to spot the Boston Marathon bomber as he lay hidden beneath a tarp covering a stored boat.
But regardless of the utility of high-tech surveillance aircraft, their use raises serious questions about how many agencies are operating them in the U.S. and how exactly they're being used and to what end.
The AP story didn't provide much detail about the technology aboard the FBI planes, other than to note that some carry imaging systems that can capture "video from long distances, even at night," while others have stingrays or dirtboxes on board to capture cellphone signals.
But detailed information about what the NYPD has on board it's spy copter is available and can serve to further enlighten.
The New York Police Department is the nation's largest local law enforcement agency, and it generally leads the way in acquisition of modern equipment.
Where it goes, the rest of the country tends to follow.
So an examination of it's aerial surveillance capabilities can be instructive for understanding what other law enforcement agencies around the country may be using.
The NYPD's surveillance activities can also be instructive for another reason.
The department has repeatedly been criticized for it's over-zealous spy programs --including at least one documented case involving it's spy copter.
So concerns about abuse of such aircraft is not unfounded.
The public first learned about the NYPD's Bell 412EP surveillance helicopter in 2003 when a regional New York newspaper published a small story unveiling the recently purchased $9.8 million "jewel."
The specially modified chopper, which the department kept parked at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, was unmarked -- meaning it carried no insignia identifying it as law enforcement aircraft.
Acquired through a Justice department grant, it was customized with a photo-and-video-surveillance system capable of capturing clear images of license plates -- or the faces of individuals -- from 1,000 feet away.
It could even, the story noted, "pick up the catcher's signals at Yankee Stadium."
It was described as the "most advanced in use by any police force" at the time, and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly noted that it would be used to fight conventional crime, conduct search-and-rescue missions and "play a key role in anti-terrorism efforts."
The NYPD referred to the helicopter only as "23" -- a reference to the number of police officers killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks -- and initially the aircraft had no registration number printed on it's tail or side.'
In later investigating the aircraft, WIRED learned that in 2003 the NYPD asked the FAA to change the original registration number from N2411X to a special one containing the "23" reference -- N23FH (believed to be a reference to "23 fallen Heroes").
NYPD Deputy Inspector Joseph Gallucci also wrote the FAA at the time asking that the registration be handled in an "undercover" manner, and that "any inquiries to the registration number be flagged" and referred to Robert Kikel in the NYPD's Aviation Unit.
WIRED obtained documents for the aircraft only after learning the original registration number and filing a FOIA request to the FAA.
Five years after that 2003 story was published, the public learned more about the technology installed on the helicopter from an Associated Press article published in 2008.
That piece described three flat-screen monitors onboard that were displaying Statue of Liberty sightseers from a mile and a half away.
It also described the high-powered camera, mounted in a turret below the chopper's nose, that had infrared night-vision capabilities and satellite navigation to zoom in on any address typed into it's computer.
The system could beam live footage to police command centers below or to wireless devices in the hands of police commanders in the field.
The helicopter had been used, the story noted, to track fleeing suspects and to patrol the skies during a visit by Pope Benedict XVI to New York.
A privacy advocate interviewed for the story raised concerns about how the helicopter might be abused, but John Diazo, crew chief for the aircraft, replied: "Obviously, we're not looking into apartments....We don't invade the privacy of individuals..We only want to observe anything that's going on in public."
Read more:
http://www.wired.com/2015/06/fbi-not-alone-in-operating-secret-spycraft/
Alternate link:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016124063
June 5, 2015
It should have surprised no one that the FBI has a secret fleet of spy planes it uses domestically to watch us, as the Associated Press reported this week.
WIRED published a story about surveillance aircraft spotted flying in unusual patterns in California and Virginia back in 2006.
And the Wall Street Journal reported last year that the U.S. Marshall's Service has surveillance planes that use so-called "dirtboxes" to track mobile phone users on the ground.
But long before this, the New York Police Department had a high-tech helicopter that it obtained in 2003 through a government grant and exposed publicly to the media that year when it gave journalists a tour of the $10 million dollar toy.
WIRED began investigating the chopper in 2008, and uncovered, but hasn't published until now, information about the precise surveillance components installed on it and the methods the NYPD used to conceal it's ownership and operation.
Like the FBI, the NYPD used a shell company to register the aircraft.
But the NYPD also requested special "undercover" registration handling from the FAA to thwart tracking by aviation enthusiasts who might spot it in the air and attempt to investigate the registration number associated with it.
The NYPD also asked the FAA to notify it's aviation unit if anyone contacted the agency inquiring about the aircraft.
Last month, the use of secret law enforcement aircraft began getting attention after plane spotters around the country began reporting suspicious aircraft registered to shell companies that were flying unusual routes over numerous cities.
The Associated Press caught on to the stories and this week published it's own piece identifying some 50 surveillance craft that were registered to more than a dozen shell companies.and were being used by FBI field offices around the country.
The response to that story has been mixed.
Some readers were shocked by the secret flights and Big Brother surveillance; others scoffed at the alarm the AP appeared to be inciting, arguing that spy planes are just another surveillance tool law enforcement uses to monitor suspects in areas, or for lengths of time, they couldn't otherwise monitor through conventional means by foot or car.
For example, authorities used a special surveillance helicopter with thermal imaging equipment in 2013 to spot the Boston Marathon bomber as he lay hidden beneath a tarp covering a stored boat.
But regardless of the utility of high-tech surveillance aircraft, their use raises serious questions about how many agencies are operating them in the U.S. and how exactly they're being used and to what end.
The AP story didn't provide much detail about the technology aboard the FBI planes, other than to note that some carry imaging systems that can capture "video from long distances, even at night," while others have stingrays or dirtboxes on board to capture cellphone signals.
But detailed information about what the NYPD has on board it's spy copter is available and can serve to further enlighten.
The New York Police Department is the nation's largest local law enforcement agency, and it generally leads the way in acquisition of modern equipment.
Where it goes, the rest of the country tends to follow.
So an examination of it's aerial surveillance capabilities can be instructive for understanding what other law enforcement agencies around the country may be using.
The NYPD's surveillance activities can also be instructive for another reason.
The department has repeatedly been criticized for it's over-zealous spy programs --including at least one documented case involving it's spy copter.
So concerns about abuse of such aircraft is not unfounded.
The public first learned about the NYPD's Bell 412EP surveillance helicopter in 2003 when a regional New York newspaper published a small story unveiling the recently purchased $9.8 million "jewel."
The specially modified chopper, which the department kept parked at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, was unmarked -- meaning it carried no insignia identifying it as law enforcement aircraft.
Acquired through a Justice department grant, it was customized with a photo-and-video-surveillance system capable of capturing clear images of license plates -- or the faces of individuals -- from 1,000 feet away.
It could even, the story noted, "pick up the catcher's signals at Yankee Stadium."
It was described as the "most advanced in use by any police force" at the time, and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly noted that it would be used to fight conventional crime, conduct search-and-rescue missions and "play a key role in anti-terrorism efforts."
The NYPD referred to the helicopter only as "23" -- a reference to the number of police officers killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks -- and initially the aircraft had no registration number printed on it's tail or side.'
In later investigating the aircraft, WIRED learned that in 2003 the NYPD asked the FAA to change the original registration number from N2411X to a special one containing the "23" reference -- N23FH (believed to be a reference to "23 fallen Heroes").
NYPD Deputy Inspector Joseph Gallucci also wrote the FAA at the time asking that the registration be handled in an "undercover" manner, and that "any inquiries to the registration number be flagged" and referred to Robert Kikel in the NYPD's Aviation Unit.
WIRED obtained documents for the aircraft only after learning the original registration number and filing a FOIA request to the FAA.
Five years after that 2003 story was published, the public learned more about the technology installed on the helicopter from an Associated Press article published in 2008.
That piece described three flat-screen monitors onboard that were displaying Statue of Liberty sightseers from a mile and a half away.
It also described the high-powered camera, mounted in a turret below the chopper's nose, that had infrared night-vision capabilities and satellite navigation to zoom in on any address typed into it's computer.
The system could beam live footage to police command centers below or to wireless devices in the hands of police commanders in the field.
The helicopter had been used, the story noted, to track fleeing suspects and to patrol the skies during a visit by Pope Benedict XVI to New York.
A privacy advocate interviewed for the story raised concerns about how the helicopter might be abused, but John Diazo, crew chief for the aircraft, replied: "Obviously, we're not looking into apartments....We don't invade the privacy of individuals..We only want to observe anything that's going on in public."
Read more:
http://www.wired.com/2015/06/fbi-not-alone-in-operating-secret-spycraft/
Alternate link:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016124063
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
FBI Behind Mysterious Surveillance Aircraft Over US Cities
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP)
June 2, 2015
Scores of low-flying planes circling American cities are part of a civilian air force operated by the FBI and obscured behind fictitious companies, the Associated Press has learned.
The AP traced at least 50 aircraft back to the FBI and identified more than 100 flights in 11 states over a 30-day period since late April, circling both major cities and rural areas.
At least 150 planes, including 90 Cessna aircraft, were mentioned in a federal budget document from 2009.
For decades, the planes have provided support to FBI surveillance operations on the ground.
But now the aircraft are equipped with high-tech cameras, and in rare circumstances, technology capable of tracking thousands of cellphones, raising questions about how these surveillance flights affect American privacy.
"It's important that federal law enforcement personnel have the tools they need to find and catch criminals," said Sen. Charles Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"But whenever an operation may also monitor the activities of Americans who are not the intended target, we must make darn sure that safeguards are in place to protect the civil liberties of innocent Americans."
The FBI says the planes are not equipped or used for bulk collection activities or mass surveillance.
The surveillance equipment is used for ongoing investigations, the FBI says, generally without a judge's approval.
The FBI confirmed for the first time the wide-scale use of the aircraft, which the AP traced to at least 13 fake companies, such as FVX Research, KQM Aviation, NBR Aviation, and PXW Services.
"The FBI's aviation program is not secret," spokesman Christopher Allen said in a statement.
"Specific aircraft and their capabilities are protected for operational security purposes."
The front companies are used to protect the safety of the pilots, the agency said.
That setup also shields the identity of the aircraft so that suspects on the ground don't know they're being followed.
The FBI is not the only law enforcement agency to take such measures.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has it's own planes, also registered to fake companies, according to a 2011 Justice Department Inspector General Report.
At the time, the DEA had 92 aircraft in it's fleet.
And since 2007, the U.S. Marshall's Service has operated an aerial surveillance program with it's own fleet equipped with technology that can capture data from thousands of cellphones, the Wall Street Journal reported last year.
In the FBI's case, one of it's fake companies shares a post office box with the Justice Department, creating a link between the companies and the FBI through publicly available Federal Aviation Administration records.
Basic aspects of the FBI's program are withheld from the public in censored versions of official reports from the Justice Department's Inspector General, and the FBI also has been careful not to reveal it's surveillance flights in court documents.
The agency will not say how many planes are currently in it's fleet.
The planes are equipped with technology that can capture video of unrelated criminal activity on the ground that could be handed over to prosecutions.
One of the planes, photographed in flight last week by the AP in northern Virginia, bristled with unusual antennas under it's fuselage and a camera on it's left side.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/fbi-mysterious-surveillance-aircraft-us-cities-31461098
Read more on this topic:
FBI CONFIRMS WIDE-SCALE USE OF SURVEILLANCE FLIGHTS OVER US CITIES
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/02/fbi-surveillance-flights-_n_7490396.html
June 2, 2015
Scores of low-flying planes circling American cities are part of a civilian air force operated by the FBI and obscured behind fictitious companies, the Associated Press has learned.
The AP traced at least 50 aircraft back to the FBI and identified more than 100 flights in 11 states over a 30-day period since late April, circling both major cities and rural areas.
At least 150 planes, including 90 Cessna aircraft, were mentioned in a federal budget document from 2009.
For decades, the planes have provided support to FBI surveillance operations on the ground.
But now the aircraft are equipped with high-tech cameras, and in rare circumstances, technology capable of tracking thousands of cellphones, raising questions about how these surveillance flights affect American privacy.
"It's important that federal law enforcement personnel have the tools they need to find and catch criminals," said Sen. Charles Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"But whenever an operation may also monitor the activities of Americans who are not the intended target, we must make darn sure that safeguards are in place to protect the civil liberties of innocent Americans."
The FBI says the planes are not equipped or used for bulk collection activities or mass surveillance.
The surveillance equipment is used for ongoing investigations, the FBI says, generally without a judge's approval.
The FBI confirmed for the first time the wide-scale use of the aircraft, which the AP traced to at least 13 fake companies, such as FVX Research, KQM Aviation, NBR Aviation, and PXW Services.
"The FBI's aviation program is not secret," spokesman Christopher Allen said in a statement.
"Specific aircraft and their capabilities are protected for operational security purposes."
The front companies are used to protect the safety of the pilots, the agency said.
That setup also shields the identity of the aircraft so that suspects on the ground don't know they're being followed.
The FBI is not the only law enforcement agency to take such measures.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has it's own planes, also registered to fake companies, according to a 2011 Justice Department Inspector General Report.
At the time, the DEA had 92 aircraft in it's fleet.
And since 2007, the U.S. Marshall's Service has operated an aerial surveillance program with it's own fleet equipped with technology that can capture data from thousands of cellphones, the Wall Street Journal reported last year.
In the FBI's case, one of it's fake companies shares a post office box with the Justice Department, creating a link between the companies and the FBI through publicly available Federal Aviation Administration records.
Basic aspects of the FBI's program are withheld from the public in censored versions of official reports from the Justice Department's Inspector General, and the FBI also has been careful not to reveal it's surveillance flights in court documents.
The agency will not say how many planes are currently in it's fleet.
The planes are equipped with technology that can capture video of unrelated criminal activity on the ground that could be handed over to prosecutions.
One of the planes, photographed in flight last week by the AP in northern Virginia, bristled with unusual antennas under it's fuselage and a camera on it's left side.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/fbi-mysterious-surveillance-aircraft-us-cities-31461098
Read more on this topic:
FBI CONFIRMS WIDE-SCALE USE OF SURVEILLANCE FLIGHTS OVER US CITIES
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/02/fbi-surveillance-flights-_n_7490396.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)