Texas Police Spent $4.5M on Four Chevy Tahoes
Texas State Police spent $4.5 million on four Chevy Tahoes equipped with advanced Israeli surveillance technology known as FalcoNet. The system is capable of intercepting mobile phone data, raising significant privacy concerns regarding the lack of transparency in the procurement process.
Why it matters
The deployment of sophisticated surveillance tools by local law enforcement without public oversight raises critical questions about civil liberties and government spending.
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Ominous Israeli surveillance tech is now being deployed on American roads. FalcoNet , brought to you by a company called Cognyte (Israel’s Palantir rival), secretly tracks people by intercepting the connection between your phone and the nearest cell tower. The idea is that you can strap this bad boy to a helicopter, backpack, or Chevy Tahoe and gobble up everybody’s data as you cruise around. It’s already in use in Florida. This year, Texas State Police bought a little fleet of FalcoNet-equipped SUVs for just under $4.5 million. I found the purchase receipt and FalcoNet user guide to learn a little more about it.
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