A year ago, Homeland Security gave security clearances to nine New York City fire chiefs and began sharing intelligence with them. Even before that, fire department personnel were being taught "to identify material or behavior that may indicate terrorist activities" and were also "told to be alert for a person who is hostile, uncooperative or expressing hate or discontent with the United States."
Keith Olbermann raised the alarm about the program on his show Wednesday, noting that "if the information-sharing program works in New York, the department says it will extend it to other major metropolitan areas, unless we stop them." He then asked Mike German, a former FBI agent who is now with the ACLU, "This program seems to be turning [firefighters], essentially, into legally protected domestic spies, does it not?"
I suspect an increase in calls to anonymous "tip lines" (AKA make-your-own-probable-cause lines) warning of possible fire hazards in buildings heretofore difficult to obtain warrants to enter...
Don't worry folks, nothing to see here, move along.
1 comment:
I manage the facilities for a company that owns pretty much 2 city industrial blocks of Dallas. If the Fire Marshal or even a fire crew show up for an inspection, we have to give them full access to our entire facility. Not a single door is left unopened.
If they showed up at my house, I'll tell them to pack sand.
One of these days remind me to tell you about how we got to know our local fire department on a first name basis. A bit of a funny story now.
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