Last night once again I heard those sounds that I know to be my ex tapping my phone line, or rather, the cops tapping the line for her. Of course, as the psychopathic cop said in Training Day, it’s not what you know, it’s what you can prove that counts.
Here’s how it goes. You go to non-NYPD law enforcement, say the DA’s office. You say, ‘I think my phone is being tapped — there are unusual sounds and the suspect shows up where I am by surprising coincidence.’ They say, ‘OK, have that verified by the phone company.’ ‘But they work hand in hand with the local police.’ ‘How do you know the police are involved? Is she living with a police officer? In any case, only the phone company has the capabilities, we don’t.’
For decades, the NYPD has been unconstitutionally allowed to illegally bug suspects, they just can’t use the information in court. But they can gather it as they wish. This really means they can tap anyone they want. The phone company and their technicians know this full well, essentially becoming their accomplices.
So you call Bell Atlantic/Verizon, ‘Please check my line for taps.’ ‘OK, will do.’ Then the day before the appointment there’s a message on your answering machine saying ‘Hello, this is the telco, with a reminder that you have an appointment tomorrow to check your phone line for taps.’ Shortly, an hour or so later, the line is as clean as a whistle. There isn’t a whisper of additional noise. And, of course, nothing is found. It might as well be a code to tell cops to temporarily clean up their act. No phone company will ever find a police phone tap.
I once was talking to a technician at a spy shop looking for something that would detect police taps. He had nothing. He also said, he couldn’t foresee an officer risking his career in such a manner. I said, if he can’t be caught then what’s the risk, and why would he ever stop? And to myself I said, particularly a what-me-worry, can’t-possibly-lose psychopathic police officer ever stop. This case may be the Guinness world record for longest period of phone tapping — over a decade, under two.
For a time, five – eight years, it seemed to be twenty-four/seven, as though someone was living my life with me. Also a girlfriend of the time even said, ‘I don’t want to sound crazy, but I think my phone may be tapped.’ Then it fell to a few days a week, or once a week, or just a couple times a month. When I started this series of posts in June the problem disappeared, after being a steady once a week. In the last couple weeks it seems to be back.
On the other question, ‘How do you know police are involved.’ So I hire the services of an database private eye. There is no obvious link. Unfortunately the results are left on my answering machine, against my request. (If you don’t give contact info to private eyes they get nervous about your motives. So I gave them contact info, but requested that they not use it. Oh well. Private detectives are also annoying in another way: a psychopathic detective will NEVER find any information on a psychopath — which is amazing.)
In NYC, there is no designed mechanism to complain about the local police. Any complaints will be forwarded to the local precinct. Early in the process, I filed a complaint in another precinct concerning 20-30 calls a day to my answering machine. I was told that the complaint couldn’t get a file number until it was forwarded to the home precinct, which it was, the report then disappeared as did the calls.
Moreover the DA’s office has a conflict of interest. Police cooperation is necessary for their cases. It is against their interest to act on an anonymous citizen’s complaint.
New York City needs an independent prosecutor for police misconduct or an independent investigatory body with subpoena powers and the power to appoint temporary prosecutors.
The Path Whisperer 