UPDATED THURSDAY MAY 19, 2016 5:00 P.M.
Since the success of this piece, the Rochester, NY Police Department has gone into full damage control spin mode, now that Rochester taxpayers know their police force has spying devices such as the StingRay Kingfish which can pick up their cellphone data, including listening to their conversations.
"We don't collect or store any data," Rochester,
NY Police Chief Michael Ciminelli said Thursday.
Sure Chief.
Chief Ciminelli admitted that the Rochester, NY Police Department has a confidentiality agreement (pact) with the FBI, which requires Rochester Police to restrict how much information they can release about the StingRay.
No shit Chief.
Really?
Rochester, NY Police Chief Michael Ciminelli admits his department has a confidentiality pact with the FBI when it comes to the StingRay.
READ MY ORIGINAL PIECE BELOW
According to a report by the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), since 2011, the Rochester, NY Police Department spent $200,000 to purchase a StingRay KingFish cell phone tracking device, as well as purchasing and maintaining other spying equipment.
The StingRay line of listening equipment are designed to fool your cell phone into thinking it's a cell phone tower.
Therefore, your cell phone signal goes straight to the StingRay device.
Where cops on the other end will listen to your conversation.
It's basically another example of Big Brother being all up in your shit.
Monitoring your conversations.
The StingRay KingFish device is manufactured by Harris Corporation, in Rochester, NY.
StingRay KingFish
For those of you who follow this blog, Harris Corp. may sound familiar.
Harris Corporation is one of the nation's biggest tactical and surveillance communications company.
In 2014, Harris Corporation was named one of the top five U.S. Federal contractors by Defense News.
The following year, in 2015, Wired Magazine ranked Harris Corporation (tied with the U.S. Marshals Service) as the number two threat to our privacy and communication.
I've written about Harris several times, and I've also posted several videos of Harris Corporation vehicles roaming Rochester, NY streets, conducting surveillance and testing their spying equipment.
The videos can be seen on my YouTube channel DavyVTV, but I've posted a link below to one of my videos which shows a Harris Corporation van below.
I've also posted two more links to videos at the bottom of this article.
HARRIS CORPORATION VAN
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/DIoqcTJTgxc
According to the report, Rochester, NY Police used the StingRay listening equipment a total of 13 times between January of 2011, and May of 2015.
However, Rochester Police obtained a state court warrant for only six of those times.
Which means that at least 7 times, Rochester Police spied on citizens without a warrant.
I say at least 7 times, because knowing the RPD's long history of lies and corruption, it's pretty safe to assume that the numbers are much higher.
"The question is why do we need this technology for low-level law enforcement?", said KaeLyn Rich, NYCLU Rochester region director.
Rich noted that the StingRay devices don't just gather cellphone data from targeted phones.
They collect data in an entire area.
That means that anytime a law enforcement agency uses StingRay devices, in an area near you, your personal data and conversations are being swept up, listened to and collected.
Creepy huh?
Well, there you have it Rochester, NY.
Your tax dollars at work.
$200k to listen to your conversations.
ROCHESTER, NY POLICE TO ADD EVEN MORE SURVEILLANCE!
(CLICK LINK BELOW)
KaeLyn Rich, Director Genesee Valley Chapter NYCLU
HARRIS CORPORATION, ROCHESTER, NY
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/sXqb4Y7tKDk
HARRIS CORPORATION SURVEILLANCE VEHICLE, ROCHESTER, NY
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/A0gB_7wZI6E
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