CRIMINALS TURNING HIGH TECH, POLICE SAY

Technology can be a double-edge sword in law enforcement.

Tools police use to catch criminals may be helping lawbreakers stay a step
ahead, as cell phones, walkie-talkies, police scanners and other devices
have become part of a growing team effort in arrest prevention.

"It's a common practice," said Jason Dalton, a drug unit commander with the
Rock Hill Police Department. "You're going to have surveillance, and you're
going to have countersurveillance."

Many times, Dalton said, the countersurveillance involves children and
teenagers with two-way radios acting as lookouts for drug deals or other
criminal acts.

"Dealers use them in a low-level position to be spread out through the
block," Dalton said. "When they see us, it gives them enough time to flush
their drugs or hide them, or just flee the area. ... It doesn't take them
long to know our vehicles."

Residents who live in areas of Rock Hill where crime has been on the rise
see the activity as a stumbling block to safer neighborhoods.

"It diminishes the prospect of cleaning the crime up when this is another
gimmick that they use to help continue their efforts to do illegal things,"
said a Marion Street resident.

The man, who did not want his name used for fear of retaliation, said he's
seen 12- or 13-year-old children riding bicycles through neighborhoods
surrounding Saluda Street listening to police chatter on walkie-talkies. He
also said he's noticed an increase in cars equipped with citizens band
radios. The techniques amount to "counter spying," he said.

"The biggest fear is it's another opportunity for the criminal to be one
leg up on the law-enforcement agencies," the man said. "Using children to
do it, you're seeding your own criminal element."

Patrol Capt. Mark Bollinger acknowledges the practice, but also said it's a
hard thing to stop.

"There's no doubt that it's happening," he said. "We just haven't caught
anybody at it."

The more sophisticated the criminal, the more daunting the task for law
enforcement, said Rock Hill Police Chief Dave Fortson.

"What that means for us is we have to plan a lot better in terms of the
operations we conduct," Fortson said. "It's more challenging for cops on
the beat to deal with these kinds of folks who use these tactics."

Rock Hill police use secure radio channels on calls for things such as
burglaries or drug deals, which makes eavesdropping almost impossible.

Still, lobbying state legislators to regulate scanner use may be necessary,
Fortson said.

"It's a critical public-safety issue, and we need to address it," he said.

Though South Carolina has no laws to regulate the use of police scanners,
other states take a more restrictive ap-proach.

California, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Vermont,
Virginia and the District of Columbia have laws barring the use of scanners
in committing a crime, according to the National Conference of State
Legislatures.

In New York, possession of a scanner is illegal without a permit. South
Dakota allows the use of scanners in business establishments only with
written permission from the police. Florida, Indiana, Ken-tucky and
Michigan also have some level of scanner restrictions.

If legislation were enacted here, it likely would be a small victory,
Fortson said. Crimi-nals adjust to new circumstances, and police must work
harder to stay ahead of them.

"It's a never-ending shell game," Fortson said. "We win some, we lose some."