Layer 8

Previous Article Next Article

Wiretap requests from federal and state authorities fell 14% in 2011

Wiretap drop primarily from a drop in applications for intercepts in narcotics offenses US Court office says

By Layer 8 on Fri, 06/29/12 - 4:41pm.

Federal and state court orders approving the interception of wire, oral or electronic communications dropped 14% in 2011, compared to the number reported in 2010.

MORE: Do you know your cyberthreats?

According to a report issued by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts a total of 2,732 wiretap applications were authorized in 2011 by federal and state courts, with 792 applications by federal authorities and 1,940 applications by 25 states that provide reports. The reduction in wiretaps resulted primarily from a drop in applications for intercepts in narcotics offenses, the report noted.

Some other interesting facts from the report which covers intercepts done between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2011:

The number of applications reported as approved by federal judges fell 34% in 2011
The number of applications reported as approved by state judges fell 2%, as compared to 2010.
Wiretap applications in California, New York, and New Jersey accounted for 62% of all applications approved by state judges.
Portable device, a category that includes cellular telephones and digital pagers, was the most frequently noted monitored location in wiretap applications.
In 2011, 98%, or 2,674, of all authorized wiretaps were designated as portable devices.
The most common surveillance method was wire surveillance that used a telephone - land line, cellular, cordless or mobile. Telephone wiretaps accounted for 96% (2,092 cases) of the intercepts installed in 2011, the majority of which involved cellular telephones.
Eighty-five percent of all applications for intercepts (2,334 wiretaps) in 2011 cited illegal drugs as the most serious offense under investigation. As of December 31, 2011, a total of 3,547 persons had been arrested and 465 persons convicted as a result of all interceptions reported as terminated. Federal wiretaps were responsible for 28% of the arrests and 10% of the convictions arising from wiretaps for this period.

Follow Michael Cooney on Twitter: nwwlayer8 and on Facebook

Layer 8 Extra

Check out these other hot stories:

US Navy's high-resolution radar can see individual raindrops in a storm

US retires famous Red Storm supercomputer

If you like art from Chagall, Matisse, Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec, your US Marshals have a deal for you

FBI busts 24 in massive international online financial crime takedown

President Obama: Romney would be "outsourcer in chief"

NASA finds major ice source in Moon crater

US wants inventive ways to get research out of university labs and into the real world

NASA and FAA team to streamline, regulate commercial space access

Rare operating Apple 1 rakes in $374,500 at Sotheby's auction