Skip to content

They could be watching you! Secret radar device unconstitutionally allows law enforcement to covertly 'see' through walls

Free World Class Education
FREE Catholic Classes
U.S. Marshals Service uses Range-R's radio waves to detect movement inside a house.

A secret radar device, able to detect if anyone is inside a building, is now being used by at least 50 U.S. law enforcement agencies. According to USA Today, using this kind of technology is "a practice raising new concerns about the extent of government surveillance."

Highlights

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The FBI and the United States Marshals Service, among others, started using the radar systems more than two years ago, without releasing its existence or usage to the courts or the general public.

"The idea that the government can send signals through the wall of your house to figure out what's inside is problematic," said Christopher Soghoian, the American Civil Liberties Union's principal technologist, to USA Today. "Technologies that allow the police to look inside of a home are among the intrusive tools that police have."

Help spread God's word: Send bibles!

Using radio waves, the stealthy device detects the slightest of movements, including human breathing, from up to 50-feet away. It notifies its operator of whether someone is inside the house, where they are and if they are moving.

According to federal officials, the device and it's provided information is "critical for keeping officers safe if they need to storm buildings or rescue hostages."

The radar's, called Range-R, appearance resembles a stud-finder. It does not show a picture of what's happening inside the house; it displays whether movement was detected and how far away it is. L-3 Communications, the Range-R's maker, has distributed around 200 devices to 50 different law enforcement agencies at about $6,000 each.

"The problem isn't that the police have this. The issue isn't the technology; the issue is always about how you use it and what the safeguards are," said Hanni Fakhoury, a lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, to USA Today.

Your health is important. Are you taking care of it?

Although the Range-R just made its public appearance in December 2014, it has been circulating around with the Marshals Service since 2012, according to federal contract records. This forms the question; how could judges be "surprised by technology that has been in agents' hands for at least two years." Especially when being able to see inside a person's home without a search warrant goes against Constitutional rights.

A former supervisor of the Marshals Service's domestic investigations arm, William Sorukas, defends the Range-R's discretion, use and secrecy. "If you disclose a technology or a method or a source, you're telling the bad guys along with everyone else."

---


'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'


Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online

Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.

Prayer of the Day logo
Saint of the Day logo
Deacon Keith Fournier Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you. Help Now >

Catholic Online Logo

Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.

Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.