(fwd) EPIC: 1993 US Electronic Surveillance Stats

[paul@hawksbill.sprintmrn.com (Paul Ferguson)]

From: Dave Banisar <Banisar@epic.org>
Newsgroups: alt.privacy,alt.privacy.clipper,talk.politics.crypto
Subject: EPIC: 1993 US Electronic Surveillance Stats
Date: 25 May 1994 11:12:20 GMT
Organization: Electronic Privacy Information Center
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From the EPIC Alert 1.01


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 [1] Federal Electronic Surveillance Increased in 1993
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Fueled by an increased use of electronic surveillance by federal
officials in drug cases, the number of wiretaps and microphones
installed by federal, state and local law enforcement officials
increased by six percent in 1993 over the previous year. There were
also substantial increases in the total number of days in operation,
extensions granted and in the cost of each order. However, the
efficiency of wiretaps continues to decline as the percentage of
relevant communications intercepted has dipped below 20 percent for
federal investigations
 
Federal and state courts approved a total of 979 requests, the
highest number since electronic surveillance was legalized in 1968.
Federal orders increased by 33 percent from 1992, while state
investigations decreased by nine percent. No surveillance requests
were rejected or amended. In 25 years, only 27 requests have ever been
rejected, two most recently in 1988.
 
 
Narcotics Main Offense Cited
 
The vast majority of cases investigated involved narcotics.
Seventy-four percent of the federal investigations and 69 percent of
all investigations were for narcotics related offenses. These figures
continue long-standing trends. Use of electronic surveillance in
narcotics cases has increased 240 percent since 1980 and over 500
percent since the legalization of electronic surveillance in 1968. Use
of the technique in investigations of other offenses has decreased or
remained at similar levels.
 
 
Federal Use Increases
 
Federal investigations accounted for nearly half of all requests for
electronic surveillance in 1993. Federal judges approved 450 requests,
a 30 percent increase in requests over 1992. The 450 requests approved
by federal judges represent a 30 percent increase over the previous
year. Federal use of electronic surveillance has increased nearly 450%
since 1980. Fifty-one federal judicial districts utilized electronic
surveillance in 1993. The Southern District of New York, which
includes New York City, and the Eastern District of Michigan, which
includes Detroit were the areas with the highest number of orders.
 
State Use of Electronic Surveillance Declines
 
State use of electronic surveillance declined by nine percent from
1992. State use was at its peak in 1973, when 734 orders were
approved. Since the mid-1970s, the average number of state orders has
fluctuated between 450 and 550 per year.
 
In 1993, only 23 states used electronic surveillance. New York had
the highest number of orders - 204. New York, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania accounted for 73 percent of the state surveillance
orders.
 
Efficiency Declines
 
As the use of electronic surveillance has increased, its efficiency
as a law enforcement tool has substantially declined. The majority of
conversations overhead are determined by prosecutors to be irrelevant
to any investigation. In 1993, prosecutors determined that only 20
percent of all conversations were relevant. For federal
investigations, only 17 percent were relevant. These percentages have
decreased significantly since the 1970s when prosecutors reported
that, on average, over half of all conversations were relevant to an
investigation.
 
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