I obtained this from the Intercept NW website on 24 March 2000 - www.wolfe.net/~daydream/html/new.html

Feds: Man Eavesdropped on Police / Agents say he posted cops' info on Web site - By Hugo Kugiya. STAFF WRITER

The U.S. Secret Service and Nassau County police arrested an unemployed electronics enthusiast from Kings Park after he intentionally intercepted communication sent and received by the mobile data terminals installed in police cruisers, federal agents said.

Keith Knipschild, a former NYNEX employee, was arrested Wednesday in his home at 29 Amapola Lane for intercepting information and posting some of it on his Web site, http://www.knip.com, agents said.

Police use mobile data terminals to check for outstanding warrants, review driving records and to send emergency information they might not want to broadcast across police scanners, such as details of an ongoing surveillance or a planned search.

An affidavit from a federal agent found that Knipschild's Web site had 93 pages of police transmissions from March 12, which included criminal histories and warrants, motor-vehicle checks, medical information about victims, and witness statements.

Nassau police confirmed the information was transmitted by police on that day. Investigators say a confidential source led them to Knipschild, who could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Federal investigators said three satellite dishes, ranging in size from 18 inches to 12 feet in diameter, as well as a 40-foot radio tower were discovered on Knipschild's property. Calls to federal authorities seeking comment were not returned yesterday. Details about the disposition of the case were not available.

Federal documents indicate Knipschild's Web site includes information of interest to electronic enthusiasts, with links to Web sites about scanners, satellites and dishes, and amateur radio.

Federal investigators said Knipschild used an illegal electronic device to intercept police communications. In a related case, the Secret Service have arrested a San Diego couple, Bill and Cindy Cheek, on a New York warrant charging they sold such illegal devices on the Internet to intercept police communications. The Secret Service said one of its undercover agents purchased a device from the Cheeks, who shipped it to New York. Details were not readily available yesterday.

Mobile data terminals send and receive information by radio frequencies, which are encoded into a digital or binary format, one that is not available to the public. Furthermore, these terminals are password-protected.

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Extensive Info on the Bill Cheek case - from posts to newsgroups - April 2000

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