I know there are at least a couple of people looking at working for them and maybe flying for them too. I am sure that you will still "be an agent first", but look at the second to last paragraph.
"Feds Fight Terror War From Above
Spotter Planes Showing Up Over More US Cities
They fly mostly at night, equipped with night surveillance and eavesdropping
equipment, tracking and collect intelligence on suspected terrorists.
The FBI won't say exactly how many planes and helicopters are involved in
this post-9/11 surveillance mission, but more than 80 are known to be in the
skies. There are several aircraft, known as "Nightstalkers," equipped with
infrared devices that allow agents to track people and vehicles in the dark.
Other aircraft are outfitted with electronic surveillance equipment so
agents can track listening devices planted in cars, buildings and even along
streets. They also listen in on cell phone calls. Still others fly photo
missions, although officials would not describe precise capabilities or
reasons for those flights.
Civil Rights Grumblings
The FBI, which has made counterterror its top priority since Sept. 11, 2001,
has sharply increased its use of aircraft.
Some critics say the surveillance technology further blurs the boundaries on
domestic spying. They point to a 2001 case in which the Supreme Court found
police had engaged in an unreasonable search by using thermal imaging
equipment to detect heat lamps used to grow marijuana plants indoors.
"The cop on the beat now has Superman's X-ray eyes," said Barry Steinhardt,
director of the technology and liberty program at the American Civil
Liberties Union. "We need to fundamentally rethink what is a reasonable
expectation of privacy."
All 56 FBI field offices have access to aircraft, piloted by FBI agents who
have other investigative duties as well. Most aircraft are propeller-driven
civilian models, favored for their relatively slow speed and unobtrusive
appearance.
Can They Do That?
Legally, no warrants are necessary for the FBI to track cars or people from
the air. Law enforcement officials need warrants to search homes or to plant
listening devices or monitor cell phone calls - and that includes when the
listener is flying in an airplane.
A senior FBI official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the FBI does
not do flyovers to listen to telephone calls and gather electronic data from
random citizens in hopes the data will provide leads. Rather, the planes are
used to follow specific individuals, some of whom may already have been
bugged or for whom the FBI has a warrant to listen to cell phone calls.
Still, the idea of an FBI air force gives at least some people pause.
The FBI will not disclose where the planes are being used. As ANN reported
earlier this month, however (ANN 3/03/03: "Look, Up In The Sky! It's
G-Man!"), in the college town of Bloomington (IN), residents spotted a
Cessna 182 flying overhead at roughly the same times every day for more than
a week. After first issuing denials, local FBI agents admitted it was their
plane, involved in a terrorism investigation.
FBI officials also were quick to say it was not doing electronic
eavesdropping.
"There should be no concern that the aircraft is doing anything other than
assisting with physical surveillance," said FBI agent James Davis.
The FBI has been using airplanes since 1938, when an agent in a Stinson
monoplane helped stop an extortion attempt that involved a payoff package
thrown from a moving passenger train. The first major deployment happened in
1975 during the investigation of the killings of two FBI agents at the
sprawling Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
The program has been especially useful in investigating organized crime and
drug trafficking. Mobsters who think their homes and telephones are bugged
frequently held meetings in moving cars, not realizing that bugs also were
placed there and were being monitored from the air.
Aircraft are now seen as ideal in the FBI's domestic war on terror. FBI
Director Robert Mueller said last year there was a 60 percent increase in
field office requests for airplanes in the year after the Sept. 11 attacks,
with almost 90 percent of air missions now dedicated to surveillance.
"You don't have a criminal case. You don't necessarily have a terrorism
case. You want to know what they are doing, who their associates are, who
they are meeting with," retired agent Kennedy said. "Surveillance is going
to have a pretty big role in that."
Congress approved this year a $20 million increase in the FBI's aviation
budget but denied a request for two new Black Hawk helicopters. It also
ordered the bureau to develop a master plan for its aviation program.
The FBI also can request aviation help from the Defense Department. That can
involve a great deal of bureaucracy and care, however, to ensure the
military does not violate laws preventing them from doing law enforcement
work within the United States. "
"Feds Fight Terror War From Above
Spotter Planes Showing Up Over More US Cities
They fly mostly at night, equipped with night surveillance and eavesdropping
equipment, tracking and collect intelligence on suspected terrorists.
The FBI won't say exactly how many planes and helicopters are involved in
this post-9/11 surveillance mission, but more than 80 are known to be in the
skies. There are several aircraft, known as "Nightstalkers," equipped with
infrared devices that allow agents to track people and vehicles in the dark.
Other aircraft are outfitted with electronic surveillance equipment so
agents can track listening devices planted in cars, buildings and even along
streets. They also listen in on cell phone calls. Still others fly photo
missions, although officials would not describe precise capabilities or
reasons for those flights.
Civil Rights Grumblings
The FBI, which has made counterterror its top priority since Sept. 11, 2001,
has sharply increased its use of aircraft.
Some critics say the surveillance technology further blurs the boundaries on
domestic spying. They point to a 2001 case in which the Supreme Court found
police had engaged in an unreasonable search by using thermal imaging
equipment to detect heat lamps used to grow marijuana plants indoors.
"The cop on the beat now has Superman's X-ray eyes," said Barry Steinhardt,
director of the technology and liberty program at the American Civil
Liberties Union. "We need to fundamentally rethink what is a reasonable
expectation of privacy."
All 56 FBI field offices have access to aircraft, piloted by FBI agents who
have other investigative duties as well. Most aircraft are propeller-driven
civilian models, favored for their relatively slow speed and unobtrusive
appearance.
Can They Do That?
Legally, no warrants are necessary for the FBI to track cars or people from
the air. Law enforcement officials need warrants to search homes or to plant
listening devices or monitor cell phone calls - and that includes when the
listener is flying in an airplane.
A senior FBI official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the FBI does
not do flyovers to listen to telephone calls and gather electronic data from
random citizens in hopes the data will provide leads. Rather, the planes are
used to follow specific individuals, some of whom may already have been
bugged or for whom the FBI has a warrant to listen to cell phone calls.
Still, the idea of an FBI air force gives at least some people pause.
The FBI will not disclose where the planes are being used. As ANN reported
earlier this month, however (ANN 3/03/03: "Look, Up In The Sky! It's
G-Man!"), in the college town of Bloomington (IN), residents spotted a
Cessna 182 flying overhead at roughly the same times every day for more than
a week. After first issuing denials, local FBI agents admitted it was their
plane, involved in a terrorism investigation.
FBI officials also were quick to say it was not doing electronic
eavesdropping.
"There should be no concern that the aircraft is doing anything other than
assisting with physical surveillance," said FBI agent James Davis.
The FBI has been using airplanes since 1938, when an agent in a Stinson
monoplane helped stop an extortion attempt that involved a payoff package
thrown from a moving passenger train. The first major deployment happened in
1975 during the investigation of the killings of two FBI agents at the
sprawling Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
The program has been especially useful in investigating organized crime and
drug trafficking. Mobsters who think their homes and telephones are bugged
frequently held meetings in moving cars, not realizing that bugs also were
placed there and were being monitored from the air.
Aircraft are now seen as ideal in the FBI's domestic war on terror. FBI
Director Robert Mueller said last year there was a 60 percent increase in
field office requests for airplanes in the year after the Sept. 11 attacks,
with almost 90 percent of air missions now dedicated to surveillance.
"You don't have a criminal case. You don't necessarily have a terrorism
case. You want to know what they are doing, who their associates are, who
they are meeting with," retired agent Kennedy said. "Surveillance is going
to have a pretty big role in that."
Congress approved this year a $20 million increase in the FBI's aviation
budget but denied a request for two new Black Hawk helicopters. It also
ordered the bureau to develop a master plan for its aviation program.
The FBI also can request aviation help from the Defense Department. That can
involve a great deal of bureaucracy and care, however, to ensure the
military does not violate laws preventing them from doing law enforcement
work within the United States. "
