Local Police Want Right to Jam Wireless Signals

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Local Police Want Right to Jam Wireless Signals

 

Spencer S. HsuWashington PostFebruary 1, 2009

As President Obama¢s motorcade rolled down Pennsylvania Avenue on Inauguration Day, federal authorities deployed a closely held law enforcement tool: equipment that can jam cellphones and other wireless devices to foil remote-controlled bombs, sources said.

 

A d v e r t i s e m e n t

It is an increasingly common technology, with federal agencies expanding its use as state and local agencies are pushing for permission to do the same. Police and others say it could stop terrorists from coordinating during an attack, prevent suspects from erasing evidence on wireless devices, simplify arrests and keep inmates from using contraband phones.

But jamming remains strictly illegal for state and local agencies. Federal officials barely acknowledge that they use it inside the United States, and the few federal agencies that can jam signals usually must seek a legal waiver first.

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"You are a member of government. And one of that majority which has doomed my country to destruction. You've begun to burn our towns and murder our people. Look upon you hands. They are stained with the blood of your relations. You and I were long friends.You are now my enemy and I am yours."..........................Benjamin Franklin 7-5-1775