FBI behind mysterious fleet of spy planes flying over American cities
The FBI is operating a small air force with scores of lowflying planes across the U. S. carrying video and, at times, cellphone surveillance technology — all hidden behind fictitious companies that are fronts for the government, The Associated Press has learned.
The planes’ surveillance equipment is generally used without a judge’s approval, though the FBI said the flights are used for specific, ongoing investigations. The FBI said it uses front companies to protect the safety of the pilots and aircraft. It also shields the identity of the aircraft so suspects don’t know they’re being watched by the FBI.
In a recent 30- day period, the agency flew above more than 30 cities in 11 states.
Aerial surveillance represents a changing frontier for law enforcement, providing what the government maintains is an important tool in criminal, terrorism or intelligence probes. But the program raises questions about whether there should be updated policies protecting civil liberties as new technologies pose intrusive opportunities for government spying.
U. S. law enforcement officials confirmed for the first time the wide- scale use of the aircraft, which The Associated Press traced to at least 13 fake companies, such as FVX Research, KQM Aviation, NBR Aviation and PXW Services.
Even basic aspects of the program are withheld from the public.
“The FBI’s aviation program is not secret,” spokesman Christopher Allen said. “Specific aircraft and their capabilities are protected for operational security purposes.”
Allen added that the FBI’s planes “are not equipped, designed or used for ... mass surveillance.”
But the planes can capture video of unrelated criminal activity on the ground that could be handed over for prosecutions.
Some of the aircraft can also be equipped with technology that can identify thousands of people below through the cellphones they carry, even if they’re not making a call or in public. Officials said that practice is rare.
Details confirmed by the FBI track closely with published reports since at least 2003 that a government surveillance program might be behind suspicious- looking planes slowly circling neighbourhoods. The Associated Press traced at least 50 aircraft back to the FBI, and identified more than 100 flights since late April orbiting both major cities and rural areas.
A federal budget document from 2010 mentioned at least 115 planes, including 90 Cessna aircraft, in the FBI’s surveillance fleet.
The FBI also occasionally helps local police with aerial support, such as during the recent disturbance in Baltimore that followed the death of 25- year- old Freddie Gray, who sustained grievous injuries while in police custody.
Details about the flights come as the U. S. Justice Department seeks to navigate privacy concerns arising from aerial surveillance by unmanned aircraft, or drones. U. S. President Barack Obama has said he welcomes a debate on government surveillance, and has called for more transparency about spying in the wake of disclosures about classified programs.