My specific objection is that being in possession of large sums of cash is absolutely, completely lawful, and should not ever be considered probable cause, or even a significant factor in establishing probable cause. To attribute criminality to the simple possession of large sums of cash is as reasonable as attributing criminality to driving down the street at night. At best, it may constitute evidence of trafficking in drugs IF DRUGS ARE DISCOVERED. But carrying cash should not even qualify as reasonable suspicion that justifies a non-custodial detention under Terry v. Ohio that might result in a further search for drugs. Using a lawful activity as justification for criminal investigation is "bootstrapping", and it's illegal or ought to be, notwithstanding that drug dealers often carry large amounts of cash.

2.) You act as if cops want to treat good, hard working people badly. I think you'd be surprised to find out that most "cops" want our communities to be safe. ... Every vocation has it's bad apples."

This is true, and unfortunately, it's the "bad apples" that ruin it for good cops. Every constraint on police powers that has been handed down has been the result of widespread abusive conduct by police officers, from Miranda on down. It's important that citizens hold their police to the very highest standards and not brook even the smallest excursion from the strict letter of the laws that guide police conduct. I do not mean to suggest that all, or even most cops are abusive, but it seems that those in the drug enforcement trade are more abusive than most.

The fundamental rules of evidence and probable cause must always be adhered to, and police must always remember that the person they are speaking to is innocent until proven guilty, and that their civil rights are more important than catching any one bad guy. This concept seems to be lost on some police officers, who advocate the "do whatever it takes to get the bad guy off the streets" school of police work, which too often results in tragedy for innocent civilians. Dozens of times a year police SWAT teams execute pointless "high risk" warrants with "dynamic entries" on the wrong house, and end up killing the innocent occupants who attempt to defend themselves from what they perceive as a violent home invasion by armed thugs.

There is no excuse whatsoever for a SWAT team to ever make such a mistake, because no amount of drugs seized, no number of bad guys apprehended can begin to justify a single loss of innocent human life caused by a careless mistake.

The danger that those who utilize the privacy techniques here face is that police officers tend to view attempts to preserve privacy as attempts to hide misconduct. They are unused to people who have done nothing wrong but wish to conceal who they are or what they are about for abstract reasons of personal privacy, so they tend to overreact when they discover something "hinky" about you that makes them suspicious that you're "hiding something." Of course you ARE hiding something, and the police have absolutely no right to inquire into what that is or why you choose to conceal it, absent some evidence of criminality, but that will not stop a suspicious cop from detaining you until you've satisfied him that you're innocent of wrongdoing, which turns the entire Fifth Amendment on its head.

And once you are questioned by the police in such a situation, even if you prove your legitimacy and innocence, your "alias" identity (and everything else about you, including your description, address, auto and everything else) WILL be entered into the FBI's National Crime Information Center and your local state crime computer systems as a "person of interest", and you've just lost all the anonymity you worked so hard to create. Worse than that, any time some cop stops you, your NCIC record will pop up and will give the cop a reason to scrutinize you all the more closely. Once you've piqued the interest of the police by acting "suspiciously," which in police parlance means being anything other than completely open and obedient, that information gets stored away to be used against you in the future. These days it would not surprise me in the least if those records were forwarded to Homeland Security, which is your worst nightmare as far as privacy is concerned. Get them interested in you, and your private life is over. You might even end up on a "no fly" list.

So, it behooves people to understand the risks they face if they choose to join the "cash economy," which is something the government, and particularly the IRS, hate. They can't track cash, and would love to make it illegal to use cash, just so they can track all your spending and income easily by computer. To be really invisible, you have to find ways not to even appear as if you're trying to hide something.

So, be informed, and have a tactical plan worked out in the event you're stopped while carrying cash. Have your patter worked out and practiced so it sounds sincere. Be exceedingly polite and cooperative, and NEVER LIE to the police, which in most places is a crime in and of itself. If you really feel uncomfortable giving them information, then invoke your Fifth Amendment rights and ask to speak to an attorney before answering. This will raise their hackles, but doing so cannot legally contribute to probable cause. Keep your hands in clear view, don't put them in your pockets, and don't fidgit or glance nervously about, as if you're about to flee. And remain calm at all costs, no matter how provocative the officer may get, even if he handcuffs and arrests you, but at the same time ALWAYS, and WITHOUT EXCEPTION, refuse to give a consent to search ANYTHING belonging to you. It profits you nothing to do so, and not doing so preserves your right of appeal for an unlawful search and seizure.

The idea of HTBI is NOT to draw attention to yourself by committing criminal acts like wiretapping using such bogus software. This kind of product is akin to buying reverse phone number records or ping records from some internet provider whose primary goal is to either steal your money or catch you doing something criminal. It works about as well as a cheap, late night infomercial product.

I suggest you take the cues you're getting from the messages being posted here and those that have in the past (just search "wiretapping" and you'll see a number) and quit while you're ahead. Otherwise, we may be posting the story of a woman in CA who violated the law by trying to use illegal wiretapping tools and now is facing FEDERAL prison time.

And remember, things done in the dark are nearly always revealed in the light so whatever you're trying to find out, just be patient and quiet about what you already know. The individual whose phone you're trying to tap is probably not terribly bright so you will find out without doing anything illegal and you'll be able to stay out of prison in the process...unless of course your respond to the new knowledge in a way that puts you behind bars.

The smartest thing you can do in whatever situation you're in is calm down, slow your roll and THINK before you act and do something you'll spend plenty of time in federal custody wishing you'd rethought.

1.) A large amount of cash IS a very good indication of drug activity. Reasonable suspicion or probable cause does not mean a person is "100% certain." It is VERY rare I find more than a thousand dollars cash during a search. When large amounts of cash are discovered...it just indicates I need to ask more questions. If a person is polite and articulate...any suspicion can be put to rest. Respect still goes a long way in all social contacts.

2.) You act as if cops want to treat good, hard working people badly. I think you'd be surprised to find out that most "cops" want our communities to be safe. Many people on this board are extremely wise...but most people are sheep. Cops just want to keep bad people who often do very bad things away from our sheep. Every vocation has it's bad apples.

To the people that read this board...don't let yourself become a sheep. I believe that keeping your life private is paramount to happiness and security.

For others who are interested in this option, if you click on the link below, you can choose among three male voices and one other female voice.

Finally, as to the idea of disabling voicemail, I did some research on that and I'd have to call the carrier. That's not something I want to do because it may make them suspicious and I don't need that.

Thanks for all of the help and suggestions but this is the right one for me.

Submitted Link #1: http://www.nationalphonegreeting.com/xoops/modules...

As to the idea of having a friend record the message, that can get complicated if they start asking questions or blab to someone that I had them do that. I believe the less people know about my privacy techniques, the better. If they don't know, they don't have to lie if asked or won't blab. So, other than some expensive or complicated voice changing software, this is the best solution I can think of at the time.

In the case (and I'll try to get the cite) a man was stopped by police "heading towards" the Mexican border in either Texas or Arizona. The agents searched the car and found more than $80,000 in cash concealed in a door panel. They seized the cash, claiming it was "drug money" because it was hidden in the car, and crossing the border with that much cash hidden without declaring it is illegal.

The court rejected this argument, saying that in the first place, the driver had not attempted to cross the border, but was merely heading in the general direction of the border, and that it is reasonable for an average person carrying large amounts of cash to conceal it. The Justices said that it would be silly for law enforcement to expect large amounts of cash to be left sitting in plain view on the seat.

But, you can still expect to be carefully scrutinized and investigated if you carry large amounts of cash around without being able to prove a "need" to do so. It's not strictly legal for them to harass you, but they will do it anyway, just because they can.

Most cops think that large amounts of cash are indications of drug activity, and they'll treat you that way. Besides, they have an economic incentive to find an excuse to seize your cash: if they are successful, they likely get to keep it and buy new police toys with it.

In Boulder, CO a few years ago, two 8 year old boys walking through a field in the county found a gym bag stuffed with more than 85,000 in cash that had been laying there for at least a year. Their parents dutifully made a police report to the sheriff, thinking that it was the right thing to do, and that they had an obligation under the law to do so. The Sheriff took the money and held it while searching for the owner. After more than six months, no owner was found, and the money could not be traced to any crime, but the Sheriff refused to return it to the kids, saying that they were still trying to link it to a drug transaction. They were trying to do this so that THEY could keep the money under the asset forfeiture laws, and use it to buy new toys. The issue blew up in the local papers, and people began excoriating the Sheriff for being so greedy. Eventually he capitulated and returned the money to the kids, more than a year later, and it went into their college funds. The interesting upshot was that county authorities discovered that the law which used to require people to report found property to the county court clerk so it could be published in the paper in search of the rightful owner, and if none was found after 90 days, the property had to be given to the finder (finder's keepers!), had been repealed by the state legislature some years earlier, and that there was no ordinance requiring someone who found property to either report it or turn it in in the first place. Of course, the Commissioners quickly passed a new law to rectify that oversight, and the law now turns custody of found property over to the public trustee for auction if the true owner cannot be found.