RTThe federal government has been approving a high number of operations in which agents pose as activists and business people, a new report says. It has led to absurd situations, with undercover agents from different departments investigating each other.
At least 40 government agencies use undercover operatives in the US, with agents pretending to be business people, protesters, doctors, accountants, and welfare recipients, among other things, in order to monitor illegal activity. The information was printed in The New York Times, which cited records and interviews.
In certain cases it is not just one undercover agent investigating a situation, but a whole team of officers. In one example, undercover officers mixed with protesting students in front of the Supreme Court to identify any suspicious activity in the crowd, according to officials close to the case.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) uses dozens of such agents, who pretend to be accountants, tax preparers, or even drug dealers to investigate fraud, according to court documents.
The Agriculture Department has more than 100 undercover agents who pose as food stamp recipients, researching any illegal activity, officials revealed.
This trend has been raising red flags from those concerned about the abuses of civil liberties.
“Done right, undercover work can be a very effective law enforcement method, but it carries serious risks and should only be undertaken with proper training, supervision and oversight,” former FBI undercover agent Michael German told the Times.
“Ultimately it is government deceitfulness and participation in criminal activity, which is only justifiable when it is used to resolve the most serious crimes.”
Some of the recent undercover operations have been justified through domestic terrorism fears. However, others targeting low-level crime – such as identity theft – have shown a general crackdown on domestic crime.
The extent of those secret operations within the departments can be so high that it leads to severe overlap, such as one undercover agent investigating an alleged criminal, who also turns out to be a fed on duty, law enforcement officials said.
“There are all sorts of stories about undercover operations gone bad,” Jeff Silk, a longtime undercover agent and supervisor at the Drug Enforcement Administration, said in an interview. “People are always tripping and falling over each other’s cases.”
Silk added that in some instances, agents even draw weapons on each other before realizing they are on the same side.
One such example involved DEA agents trying to infiltrate the same drug ring in Atlanta as the FBI and NYPD officers, who were working on the same case undercover.
Records revealed that agents can even use minors to spot illegal alcohol and cigarette sales, or pose as teenagers in online forums to attract illegal activity. Medicare investigators can go undercover as patients to gather information against healthcare providers.
Documents revealed that undercover work has been reported in organizations such as NASA, the Small Business Administration, and the Smithsonian.
The costs of the undercover activities remain elusive, since the operations are often not revealed to the public.
One intelligence official at the Department of Homeland Security, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the outlet that the agency spends about $100 million annually on undercover operations. Meanwhile, agencies such as the FBI could be spending up to hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
I also read this elsewhere this morning, in a totally different article, and it’s a bit strange that a story like this, which looks like the result of someone’s research, would be reported in two different articles on the same day.
I’m going to guess that it’s a lie, and the motive for the lie is to silence dissent by convincing people that “the spies are everywhere”, so you better keep your mouth shut.
Below I’ve pasted three paragraphs from this article that try to convey that same message. It’s an act of desperation, and it shows they they’re losing control. They’re trying whatever they can to prevent people from knowing, and spreading the truth. DON’T FALL FOR IT.
“The extent of those secret operations within the departments can be so high that it leads to severe overlap, such as one undercover agent investigating an alleged criminal, who also turns out to be a fed on duty, law enforcement officials said.”
“Silk added that in some instances, agents even draw weapons on each other before realizing they are on the same side.”
“One such example involved DEA agents trying to infiltrate the same drug ring in Atlanta as the FBI and NYPD officers, who were working on the same case undercover.”
See what I mean? Do you see the author’s motive for writing this? Rater than just soaking up the “facts”, try to consider why it was written, by judging the effect it will have on people.
Thanks Jolly. You are wise. All ‘law enforcement’ groups today, seem to operate like a malevolent band of keystone cops. By design, compartmentalization keeps everybody in an ignorant box of their own. Even if there are some who desire to do the right thing, such a cluster f–k is a house divided, and thus will not stand. Hollywood has been conditioning the public for decades through TV and Movies. Even as far back as the 50’s with Hopalong Cassidy who wore a white hat, fought against the bad guys who were people like a bad sheriff on ‘the take’ for some rich guy or some politician. This plot has been repeated ad nauseam in countless Movies and TV series. One such one is the made for TV series ‘Alias’ (5 seasons long) where all main characters are liars, deceivers, assassins, working for ‘agencies’ like the FBI, NSA. etc. As I watched this and considered what was going on, one thing was evident. These people for the most part, follow the orders they are given with few exceptions.
It’s called entrapment. Period…
They egg you on so they can take you down…..
They ARE the bad guys, trying to drag you in….
They are immune, you are not.
Doesn’t matter how innocent you are,
if they can convince you….you’re done.
And they’re tripping over themselves doing it.
It’s a game to them. And they get paid for it.
Would probably be less crime if they were gardners
instead of undercover trouble makers.
I bet there are more innocent people in jail, than “bad guys”.
“I bet there are more innocent people in jail, than “bad guys”.
That is in all likelihood absolutely true.