NYPD wants tech to knockout wireless communications

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http://www.foxnews.com/politic...vent-terrorist-attack/

The New York Police Department is looking for ways to disrupt cell phone calls and other forms of electronic communication among terrorists in the event of another terror attack in New York, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly says.

The need to disrupt communications is one of several conclusions that the NYPD has drawn from studying the November attack in Mumbai, India, a three-day rampage by machine gun and grenade-wielding Islamic militants in which at least 165 people were killed and 304 were wounded.

Kelly is scheduled to discuss this and other "lessons learned" in testimony Thursday before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. A draft copy of his statement was shared with FOX News in advance of his appearance.

Kelly stressed the need for law enforcement to be able to disrupt cell phone calls and other communications during an attack, pointing to threats posed by the media when they disclose law enforcement tactics during live coverage that can get passed back to the attackers.

Kelly says that in the Mumbai attack, the terrorists' handlers used cell phones and other portable communications devices to order the killing of hostages and to adjust other tactics while the attacks were underway.

It's not clear from his testimony whether the NYPD has the means to disrupt electronic communications for a small group of terrorists without shutting down cell phone service to a large part of Manhattan.

The NYPD has also been at odds with the Justice Department over its attempt to get the federal government to loosen up a law governing electronic surveillance. Under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, warrants must be obtained to begin electronic monitoring of terror suspects, and the requests go through a multi-layered vetting process by the FBI and the Justice Department. Kelly is asking for these agencies to expedite NYPD's requests to be able to combat fast-moving terror situations.
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Lol. I hope they aren't talking about mass communication blocking, but due to them talking about a terrorist attack, I am inclined to think so (as they might not know the scope of where they all are). How does that even make any sense? There terrorists are attacking! Quick cut of all communication, except police!
"Hello, 911? I just saw a terrorist at... <gets jammed>"
"911, help! All hell is breaking loose, people are looting at...<jammed>"

IMO One of the worst ideas they could of come up with. Can't wait to see the mass crowding for the land line phones. (Which will probably end up as targets as people abandoning their own land lines.) This will likely change nothing for the terrorists, just for everyone else. If the police get some kind of work around for this, you can bet any ill-intentioned 'terrorist' will as well. Did they not think any of this out? I am sure there are more problems with this, but those are the main things that come to mind.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Would these jammers be good at disrupting signals for bombs to detonate (ie cell phone / radio triggered remote bombs) or would the jammers risk detonating the bomb by attempting to jam it? If it is the former, then I could see how a bomb squad would love to have one of these to take out a city block's wireless communications while a "suspicious package" is searched.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
Would these jammers be good at disrupting signals for bombs to detonate (ie cell phone / radio triggered remote bombs) or would the jammers risk detonating the bomb by attempting to jam it? If it is the former, then I could see how a bomb squad would love to have one of these to take out a city block's wireless communications while a "suspicious package" is searched.

According to an episode of Burn Notice bomb squads already do in fact have a device to block signals for this very reason. At least the one in Miami does.

 

[amdhunter]

lol. I bet the jamming is to prevent people sending in videos of the NYPD shooting people in the back.

This has nothing to do with terrorism, it's about making sure when a cop messes up, it doesn't get a chance to get to the press. If you think anything else, you are a moran.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: Gonad the Barbarian

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
Would these jammers be good at disrupting signals for bombs to detonate (ie cell phone / radio triggered remote bombs) or would the jammers risk detonating the bomb by attempting to jam it? If it is the former, then I could see how a bomb squad would love to have one of these to take out a city block's wireless communications while a "suspicious package" is searched.

According to an episode of Burn Notice bomb squads already do in fact have a device to block signals for this very reason. At least the one in Miami does.

Gee, how hard would it be for a determined bomber to realize this & arm a bomb by calling it on the cell phone (the moment he was out of harm's way), and trigger it by hanging up.

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: amdhunter
lol. I bet the jamming is to prevent people sending in videos of the NYPD shooting people in the back.

This has nothing to do with terrorism, it's about making sure when a cop messes up, it doesn't get a chance to get to the press. If you think anything else, you are a moran.

morans are the types that think videos on electronic devices need to be broadcast in order to be recorded

 

[spidey07]

That's actually a really good idea. First thing to stop the enemy is to knock out their communication.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: Gonad the Barbarian

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
Would these jammers be good at disrupting signals for bombs to detonate (ie cell phone / radio triggered remote bombs) or would the jammers risk detonating the bomb by attempting to jam it? If it is the former, then I could see how a bomb squad would love to have one of these to take out a city block's wireless communications while a "suspicious package" is searched.

According to an episode of Burn Notice bomb squads already do in fact have a device to block signals for this very reason. At least the one in Miami does.

Gee, how hard would it be for a determined bomber to realize this & arm a bomb by calling it on the cell phone (the moment he was out of harm's way), and trigger it by hanging up.

If enough time has elapsed for the bomb squad to arrive with the jammer, the area would likely already be cleared of people by the time they switch it on (assuming intent was to kill people and not just property damage).

 

[palehorse]

Given the proper set of circumstances, knocking out wireless comms is a perfectly reasonable tactic... and an old one, at that.

 

[0marTheZealot]

By the time you need to knockout communications, it's already too late.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: amdhunter
lol. I bet the jamming is to prevent people sending in videos of the NYPD shooting people in the back.

This has nothing to do with terrorism, it's about making sure when a cop messes up, it doesn't get a chance to get to the press. If you think anything else, you are a moran.

You are one sick puppy!!

 

[manowar821]

Wow, that's pretty ridiculous.

 

[AlienCraft]

This is a perfect example of Hegel's Dialectic in action.

 

[smack Down]

Originally posted by: palehorse
Given the proper set of circumstances, knocking out wireless comms is a perfectly reasonable tactic... and an old one, at that.

Sure it is a good tactic if you have intelligence of what kind of wireless communication the enemy is using. Just picking a random frequency to jam is pointless.

 

[AndrewR]

Originally posted by: smack Down

Originally posted by: palehorse
Given the proper set of circumstances, knocking out wireless comms is a perfectly reasonable tactic... and an old one, at that.

Sure it is a good tactic if you have intelligence of what kind of wireless communication the enemy is using. Just picking a random frequency to jam is pointless.

I think the frequencies of cell phones (and all handheld communications devices) are pretty much public domain since the FCC regulates them. Noise jamming isn't terribly difficult.