NCJ Number
144367
Date Published
1992
Length
200 pages
Annotation
Federal and State judges are required to file a written report with the Administrative Office (AO) of the U.S. Courts on each application for an order authorizing the interception of a wire, oral, or electronic communication, and this report tabulates the number of applications for intercepts which were granted and the number of authorizations where intercept devices were installed during 1991.
Abstract
The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 requires the AO to report to Congress on the number of Federal and State applications for intercept authorization orders. The law requires that specific information be provided to the AO, such as the offense under investigation, the intercept location, and surveillance costs, as well as information on the number of arrests, trials, convictions directly resulting from surveillance. The total number of authorized intercepts decreased by 2 percent from 872 in 1990 to 856 in 1991. The number of applications for intercept orders by Federal authorities rose 10 percent from 1990 to 1991, primarily due to increases in orders involving racketeering, gambling, and drug investigations. In contrast, the number of applications by State prosecuting officials dropped 9 percent. In 1991, the average length of an original intercept authorization was 28 days; 601 extensions were requested and authorized, and the average extension length was 46 days. The single-family dwelling was the location type most frequently reported in intercept applications. In 1991, 327 intercept devices (38 percent) were authorized for single-family dwellings; 112 (13 percent) were authorized in apartments, and 144 (17 percent) were authorized in business establishments such as restaurants and hotels. Prosecutor reports included information on the average number of intercepts per day, number of persons intercepted, total number of communications intercepted, and number of incriminating intercepts. The use of telephone wiretaps was the most common surveillance method. The average cost of installing an intercept device and monitoring communications was $45,033. As of December 31, 1991, 2,364 persons had been arrested as a result of electronic surveillance activity; of these, 605 were convicted. Extensive report tables list all intercepts reported by judges and prosecuting officials for 1991.