FBI to Boost 'Black Bag' Search Ops

[sabra]

Source: ABC News Blotter

As part of its growing intelligence operations within the United States, the FBI has increased its surreptitious entry and search missions since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, according to an unclassified bureau document.

"The refocusing of FBI operational priorities and the new emphasis placed on intelligence-based activities. . . has resulted in a dramatic increase" in the demand for so-called 'black bag" jobs, in which teams of highly-trained specialists covertly enter a home or office, search its contents and leave without indicating they had been there, states the budget document. It does not detail how many of the secret searches it carries out, and the FBI did not respond to comment.

The bureau is asking Congress for an additional $5 million to pay for the operations, and over a dozen new specialized personnel.

In 1995, most of the FBI's secret search operations were related to criminal investigations, according to the document. Last year, close to 90 percent of such operations are for national security matters, it asserts.

"It's obviously troubling that people's homes are being searched and they may never learn of it – if they're never charged with a crime," said Lisa Graves of the Center for National Security Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank which studies intelligence policy and constitutional issues. Graves told the Blotter on ABCNews.com she does not believe the searches receive sufficient judicial oversight.

Read more: http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/06/as_part_of_its_.html

[acmavm]

1. This just puzzles me all to hell. We have a right to feel secure in

our persons (no body searches without probable cause) and in our personal property (none of this shit). There is no way that they are only searching the homes of bad guys. It's just like they FBI had to admit that it overstepped itself and conducted illegal wiretaps.

None of the entities that make up our Federal Government are to be trusted anymore. They are all corrupt and anti-Constitutional therefore anti-America.

Shit, the old USSR had nothing on us. We could have taught them a trick or ten.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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[NoodleyAppendage]

3. Is it wrong to feel no sympathy if any of these "black baggers" gets killed during the break-in?

I know plenty of people down South (and probably everywhere) who would have little problem blowing away someone found to be breaking into his/her house. Aside from the civil liberties issue, isn't the FBI putting these "black bag" agents in danger of death pulling these gestapo-like tactics? Would a home owner/citizen be criminally liable if he/she killed one of these "black baggers" thinking that he/she was a burgler (though I fail to see the distinction)?

J

[Barrett808]

4. To my knowledge, no federal agent has ever been prosecuted...

...for civil rights crimes. A few have been forced into early retirement when their criminal harassment / surveillance operations have been exposed, but that's about it.

Conversely, if you were to shoot a Fed while he's committing a B&E felony, I suspect you would be in a world of hurt.

[daleo]

5. This would be a good way to plant evidence against political enemies

Just something to keep in mind.