At my school, there was this guy in my general circle. Played in a punk band, different one than mine, hanging out at the same parties, didn’t talk much, but easy to get along with. Also, looked like a punk and partied like a punk. Really good with his instrument, also did jazz on a high level.
Many years later, someone sent me a link from a left leaning forum: He was caught as a deep undercover cop. Apparently went to the police academy (~ 3 years in Germany) and got planted shortly after. He “lived” 100 km from his home with roommates who politically active, again in a punk band, participating in apparently as many political groups as he could schedule. Almost all of them were entirely legal, such as advocating for better welfare laws. He sat there, listened, didn’t talk much. No contact to actual terrorist cells or anything like that. Minor vandalism and unregistered protests perhaps.
They only caught him after a few years when someone from our home town recognised him at a punk concert and called him by his real name in front of other people. He just walked away, and his fake personality disappeared immediately. From what I can find, doing low-profile police work ever since.
It’s a bit concerning that they spy on entirely legal groups as well as groups who commit minor offences with such enormous resources. Must have cost like 100k per year; with deep analysis of his reports probably more. Just to get a list of people to “take care of” when we go full Trump here?
Anyway, my point: Surprising that the undercover cop in the picture makes so many mistakes. He was apparently spotless.
I read Undercover recently and it shows just how far they’ll go to infiltrate those groups they deem a threat. Not the right wing groups who suggest that murdering MPs might be a good idea, obviously; just those marginally to the left of Goebbels.
This is less concerning to me. I HOPE that there are these same undercover people watching the local gun-nut groups, and GravySeals chapters. They don’t have much real threat, but it’s a breeding ground for extremism.
This is the US. There are very little training requirements. The specific requirements are usually state based. Arkansas and Indiana have basically no training required. The average officer trains for 21 weeks.
Get into some of the smaller cities and they’ll throw any rookie into plain clothes and call them undercover with very little undercover training.
This guy is likely more of an agitator than an investigator. He’s equipped to be an enforcer, not to investigate.
Haha I am sleepy so I can’t look up the source right now: but American Intelligence has stated in the past they don’t like to infiltrate tight leftist groups because leftists usually will ask the Plant many questions. The Plant often has to read a lot to prepare so that they pass the sniff test. They’ve stated that they prefer to infiltrate any other groups (especially conservative groups) because they don’t have to read so much.
That’s an incredibly interesting story. Thanks for sharing.
At my school, there was this guy in my general circle. Played in a punk band, different one than mine, hanging out at the same parties, didn’t talk much, but easy to get along with. Also, looked like a punk and partied like a punk. Really good with his instrument, also did jazz on a high level.
Many years later, someone sent me a link from a left leaning forum: He was caught as a deep undercover cop. Apparently went to the police academy (~ 3 years in Germany) and got planted shortly after. He “lived” 100 km from his home with roommates who politically active, again in a punk band, participating in apparently as many political groups as he could schedule. Almost all of them were entirely legal, such as advocating for better welfare laws. He sat there, listened, didn’t talk much. No contact to actual terrorist cells or anything like that. Minor vandalism and unregistered protests perhaps.
They only caught him after a few years when someone from our home town recognised him at a punk concert and called him by his real name in front of other people. He just walked away, and his fake personality disappeared immediately. From what I can find, doing low-profile police work ever since.
It’s a bit concerning that they spy on entirely legal groups as well as groups who commit minor offences with such enormous resources. Must have cost like 100k per year; with deep analysis of his reports probably more. Just to get a list of people to “take care of” when we go full Trump here?
Anyway, my point: Surprising that the undercover cop in the picture makes so many mistakes. He was apparently spotless.
There’s big difference between undercover stings and a cop trying to blend into a public mass. The goals are entirely different.
I read Undercover recently and it shows just how far they’ll go to infiltrate those groups they deem a threat. Not the right wing groups who suggest that murdering MPs might be a good idea, obviously; just those marginally to the left of Goebbels.
https://www.faber.co.uk/product/9781783350346-undercover/
This is less concerning to me. I HOPE that there are these same undercover people watching the local gun-nut groups, and GravySeals chapters. They don’t have much real threat, but it’s a breeding ground for extremism.
Oh they’re there, but they aren’t undercover
Well yeah, it’s white sheets not covers that they hide under.
Technically they’re all undercover at those gatherings.
This is the US. There are very little training requirements. The specific requirements are usually state based. Arkansas and Indiana have basically no training required. The average officer trains for 21 weeks.
Get into some of the smaller cities and they’ll throw any rookie into plain clothes and call them undercover with very little undercover training.
This guy is likely more of an agitator than an investigator. He’s equipped to be an enforcer, not to investigate.
Haha I am sleepy so I can’t look up the source right now: but American Intelligence has stated in the past they don’t like to infiltrate tight leftist groups because leftists usually will ask the Plant many questions. The Plant often has to read a lot to prepare so that they pass the sniff test. They’ve stated that they prefer to infiltrate any other groups (especially conservative groups) because they don’t have to read so much.
That’s an incredibly interesting story. Thanks for sharing.
Germany. That’s the difference.
Punks got lucky. In Russia it would have ended differently.