From: [C reuters] at [clari.net] (Reuters)
Newsgroups: clari.usa.top,clari.usa.politics,clari.usa
Subject: Wiretapping Rises Sharply Under Clinton
Organization: Copyright 1996 by Reuters
Date: Sun, 7 Jul 1996 11:40:09 PDT
Expires: Sun, 14 Jul 1996 11:40:09 PDT
                                         
         WASHINGTON (Reuter) - The Clinton administration has sharply  
increased use of federal telephone wiretaps and other electronic 
surveillance in the United States since taking office, the 
Washington Post reported Sunday. 
         The expansion had been driven in large part by stepped-up  
use of electronic eavesdropping against narcotics traffickers, 
the newspaper said. 
         Civil rights and privacy advocates were upset with the trend  
but are unable to do much about it in the face of bipartisan 
support in Congress for more extensive use of wiretaps and room 
bugs, according to the report. 
         Frederick Ness, who runs the Justice Department office that  
approves applications for court-ordered wiretaps, told the 
Post: ``We are up 30 to 40 percent this year.'' 
         In 1992, the last year of the Bush administration, there  
were 340 federal court orders permitting electronic surveillance 
in criminal cases, the newspaper said. Quoting unidentified 
officials, the report said that number had risen to 672 last 
year and almost certainly would exceed 700 in 1996. 
         The figures did not include ``national security'' wiretap  
orders, obtained under intelligence legislation, which also had 
been rising dramatically, the Post said. 
         Preparing for expected continued growth in surveillance of  
domestic criminals, the Justice Department was buying additional 
 high-tech equipment, developing new eavesdropping techniques 
and adding support personnel, the report said.