Criminals using FRS

[1 Adam 12]

Has anyone experienced or read about an increase in bad guys using FRS to communicate while out on robberies etc. We have had the street level sales guys doing it for years... and popped a bunch when using Nextels ... the famous qoute was " nobody can listen to us" but in last three weeks, 2 groups of robbery suspects, and the last group heisted a jewelry store , next to a business that was under surveillance.... oops The State of Florida actually has a law on the books making use of communications devices a felony in the 3rd degree. I actually managed to get about 30 seconds of their transmissions onto tape before they got nailed so it will be turned over to the locals for use. Just wanted to get a feel of whats happening around the Country....

[Cat_Herder]

1 Adam 12,

Has anyone experience or read about an increase in bad guys using FRS to communicate while out on robberies etc.

Yes, they were somewhat active in the Metro DC area, and in South Philly too...in fact they were interfering with our legit operation kinda bad, we moved to another setup...
It was kinda humorous when we would say "Got another for a roll over" "Affirmative" then the chatter from the baddies would get REAL quiet, then, "Who are you dudes and where are you at?"(I cleaned it up a little...heh..)We ignored them until we heard the sound of 9mm's and a fewer heavier calibre rounds going off...
Cat

[Cowthief]

Hello.

Right after WWII, a bunch of kids were busted with surplus radios doing a heist.
The kids had perfected the skills of theft while the war was going on, as everything was on ration, and almost everyone was at war.
In the 70s, we saw CB radio surge right after the 55 MPH law, and again, use of radio for less than honorable deeds.
The pager, or beeper, as it is called, became very popular with almost everyone, including the thugs. this worked well with the large number of pay telephones everywhere, untill the payphones stopped taking incoming calls, but.
The next level was the hand held cellular telephone, very popular with the underground, and due to the fact that the cellular industry made it easy for Mr dealer of death to get one, so the hackers published all the cell phone clone info, and congress passed the ECPA.
Now, cheap, easy to get FRS, GMRS, and MURS radios are all the rage for the streets, and finding them is easy, ARDF and near-field radios work well for this task.
In Houston, TX, it is policy not to say how we found out, radios are never used as evidence, as it is very easy to have it brought to federal court, and this can easily cost a million dollars in local budget funds, one case can cost us the budget for this, it has happened twice.

Thank You.

[kb8zqz]

Has anyone experienced or read about an increase in bad guys using FRS to communicate while out on robberies etc. We have had the street level sales guys doing it for years... and popped a bunch when using Nextels ... the famous qoute was " nobody can listen to us" but in last three weeks, 2 groups of robbery suspects, and the last group heisted a jewelry store , next to a business that was under surveillance.... oops The State of Florida actually has a law on the books making use of communications devices a felony in the 3rd degree. I actually managed to get about 30 seconds of their transmissions onto tape before they got nailed so it will be turned over to the locals for use. Just wanted to get a feel of whats happening around the Country....

This is kinda peanuts stuff, but one of the DNR guys told me one time he hears a fair amount of poaching activity on FRS. The ranger trucks are equipped to monitor. I doubt they use it for evidence much. He was kinda amused by the idea of hearing "quick, hide that deer" as he got close to a group of hunters.

[USPSS]

Interesting but a DEA Task Force just busted a group with millions in Cocaine with XTS3000 DES-OFP radios. That is what they used for communications and they did not have labels in them.
I just heard there is going to be a high level investigation as to where they came from.

[1 Adam 12]

XTS...hmm yeah I can't wait to see the outcome on that one. For years we ran into smugglers using high end commercial gear, military gear , inversion stuff etc... but the over the shelf availability makes this stuff easy to use.. The State wants to use it as a supplemental charge in developing a case we will see how it goes, its just the increase in such a short time of these things showing up in cases .. it may be a fluke...but thanks for the input from everyone

[dfc2]

we had somethig similar in our small Central Ohio comminuty. our Lowes was taken off at o' Dark Thirty....end up in a track meet along the river, catch all the bad guys ( and one Girl...) and then spend a few hours searching the field they were hideing in...came across 3 FRS radios...Hum...3 badguys....Um.....bad persons???? oh no officer...it's not ours..... a few years before we had a crew taking off Lowes all across the state, they we tio have gotten ahold of a bunch of business band radios...not sure the freq's....but from the headlines, it was working for them....

[OX]

Wouldn't using two way radios to aid in committing a crime be a violation of FCC rules? Couldn't that mean that the criminals, when caught, could be brought up on Federal charges in addition to their crime?

[spectragod]

Bubbasnest....... only if they are using some form of encryption.


SG

[RADIOMAN2002]

XTS-3000's very interesting. Back in the early 80's there were standing offers of $10,000.00 for any body who could deliver secure(DVP) MX's,by the Florida drug smugglers. So I guess nothing has changed, maybe just the prices. BTW all of the N.Y.S D.E P. officers cars have all the itinerent frequencies loaded in to their X9000 or Spectra's, for the same reason listed above. Poachers apparently love to use cheap radios like, Job Coms and the like. I guess they will soon be monitoring all the new MURS channels. I ahve seen a number of busts on TV with radios sometimes next to all the guns and money. FRS are just a little cheaper than a good Motorola radio. Also I believe using radios in connection with a crime is a felony, by both FCC rule and N.Y.S. law.

[dfc2]

radio or not, anything used to further or facilatate a crime, is a criminal tool, and as such is a felony in most sates. I'd be surpised if anyone used anything but that. the standards of proof are far lower for criminal tools, than proving an fcc reg that the average person would not understand. and we all know how much time they get anyway....WE don't feel like doing a lot of leg work to have the pros dismiss things they either don't understand, or think is not a big deal, and the time they spend in jail always seems to be based on the main charge, not the stuff we stack on.

DFC2

[wa2zdy]

Bubbasnest....... only if they are using some form of encryption.


SG

Incorrect. Use of a radio during the commission of a crime is prohibited by all sorts parts of CFR Title 47. In the case of FRS, it's right there in 95.193(c): You must not use an FRS unit in connection with any activity which is against any federal, state or local law.