Homeland Security to Sniff Safe Deposit Boxes

[sun]

Rumor mill

Someone my wife knows recently received a letter from a local bank that stated in effect:

We want our safe deposit box customers to know in advance that due to new regulations, Homeland Security will be able to come into our bank with dogs to sniff the safe deposit boxes for large amounts of cash and firearms. We want to warn our customers in advance that they should remove any large amounts of cash and firearms from their safe deposit box to prevent it from being confiscated.

It appears that Homeland Security is looking for terrorists. Supposedly some of the terrorist groups routinely hand deliver cash in order to finance their operations.
If any of this is true, then all of the innocent citizens will now need to worry about having their property [temporarily?] confiscated, and/or dealing with any government red tape that would result.
Has anyone else heard about this?

 

[IndyDave1776]

I haven't heard mention of it, but it seems a plausible extension of the activities in which these people already engage, given that this can be done to your automobile and your person when off your own property. Given that possession of one's own money in form of greenback dollars has become a de facto crime punishable by confiscation, I would conclude that if they haven't already thought of this (i.e., the information is false) they will soon enough, and it may come with the same type of gag order that bars anyone presented with a writ of assistance for your personal information from telling you that you are being investigated.

 

[jedi]

y r u surprised by this? the feds did something similar back in the days of FDR when they confiscated all the private gold in bank boxes.

 

[sun]

More info. - This isn't limited to only cash & firearms

My wife sent me links about this that I didn't even know about.
She doesn't know when the letter was sent by the bank, but the person only recently mentioned it.
So she looked it up on the internet and found the info. below which I'm posting.
This goes back to the Patriot Act and she says that one person had their safety deposit drilled open and was charged $ for it even though there wasn't anything bad in the box, just normal stuff like coins or such. (See #2 below)
Further info. can be Googled.
Sorry about any previous misinformation.

1. No Link, just copied & pasted from the internet

According to about a zillion sources across the Web today, The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a written notice to banks across America that “under the Patriot Act” the DHS has the absolute right to seize any and all customer bank accounts and to make “periodic and unannounced” visits to any bank to open and inspect the contents of “selected safe deposit boxes.” Further, the DHS “shall, at the discretion of the agent supervising the search, remove, photograph or seize as evidence” any of the following items “bar gold, gold coins, firearms of any kind unless manufactured prior to 1878, documents such as passports or foreign bank account records, pornography or any material that, in the opinion of the agent, shall be deemed of to be of a contraband nature.” Further, in analysis of the 2003 Domestic Security Enhancement Act, there doesn’t appear to be a need for an “in-house memo” or “written notices to banks” to enact search and seizure of safety deposit box assets – or any other assets, for that matter: SECTION 312 gives immunity to law enforcement engaging in spying operation against the American people and places restrictions on court injunctions against Federal violations of civil rights. SECTION 103 allows the Federal government to use wartime martial law powers domestically and internationally without Congress declaring that a state of war exists. SECTION 106 states that government agents must be given immunity for carrying out searches with no prior court approval. This section throws out the entire Fourth Amendment against unreasonable searches and seizures. SECTION 122 restates the original Patriot Act assertation that the government has the power of “surveillance without a court order.” SECTION 123 restates that the government no longer needs warrants and investigations can be “giant drag-net style sweeps.” The safest thing for your precious assets? Think about a private safety deposit firm rather than a bank, and make certain your assets are insured.

2. Link to the Clark Howard Drilling Sheet which indicates the date that the box was drilled was 6/5/13.

http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/img/photos/2013/09/25/fe/23/COTC-clark-howard-drilling-sheet.jpg


3. Link to an article with links to more articles at the end of it:

America the Battlefield: Confirmed ? DHS to Banks: Seizures of Private US Bank Accounts and Safe Deposit Boxes Forthcoming

Confirmed — DHS to Banks: Seizures of Private US Bank Accounts and Safe Deposit Boxes Forthcoming

​

THE U.S DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HAS TOLD BANKS—IN WRITING—IT MAY INSPECT PRIVATE BANK ACCOUNTS AND SAFE DEPOSIT BOXES WITHOUT WARRANT AND SEIZE ANY GOLD, SILVER, GUNS, DOCUMENTS OR ANYTHING OF VALUE.

NOTE: I personally confirmed this on April 3, 2013 with my cousin, who works in the financial sector in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and with a friend, who has two family members that are bank managers in Florida. — Tim Pope

 

[atvdave]

Try going through an airport in Columbia, South America, or closer to home... going on a cruise. The dogs sniff all the luggage before it's loaded on a ship, or airplane. In Columbia they stroll up & down the aisles as you are waiting for your next flight. I had a dog set right next to me one time and I thought I was toast. (even though I didn't have, or had anything on me). It turned out the officer was just setting down to take a rest.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Try going through an airport in Columbia, South America, or closer to home... going on a cruise. The dogs sniff all the luggage before it's loaded on a ship, or airplane. In Columbia they stroll up & down the aisles as you are waiting for your next flight. I had a dog set right next to me one time and I thought I was toast. (even though I didn't have, or had anything on me). It turned out the officer was just setting down to take a rest.

I think I understand where you are going with this, but I would have to say that being marginally less bad than a banana republic is a pretty feeble standard to which we should hold our supposedly free republic.

 

[Manatee]

Which President originally signed the Patriot Act?

 

[atvdave]

Bush

 

[IndyDave1776]

Which President originally signed the Patriot Act?

Nice attempt at derailing the discussion. There is no question that 1., Bush signed the original Patriot Act, and 2., that Bush was a sorry excuse for a president. The point now at issue is that without Obama's signature, the Patriot Act would have been consigned to the ash heap of history where it properly belongs and that Obama is now responsible for the malfeasance being done under the auspices of his administration. Sorry, but 'blame Bush' doesn't get it. The Kenyan needs to put on his big girl panties and take responsibility for what he and his appointees are doing today.

 

[Manatee]

Ahhhh. Bush. Thanks. I don't need further explanation. A right wing president supported by the right wingers on this site restricted my freedom.

Thank you.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Ahhhh. Bush. Thanks. I don't need further explanation. A right wing president supported by the right wingers on this site restricted my freedom.

Thank you.

If you consider Bush right-wing then you must not get out this side of the DNC very often.

 

[hooky]

Are these dogs trained to alert at the detection of Hoppes or Rem Oil?

Honestly, what terrorist is going to keep his cash and guns in a safe deposit box in the bank? Has this been a known SOP for them?

 

[mrjarrell]

This one gets a pants on fire rating. Not true. They could get at the contents of a specific box, but they'd need a warrant.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-m...nd-security-can-seize-safe-deposit-boxes-wit/

 

[IndyDave1776]

This one gets a pants on fire rating. Not true. They could get at the contents of a specific box, but they'd need a warrant.

PolitiFact | Chain email says Homeland Security can seize safe deposit boxes without notice

Is it a fair assumption that they could simply use a Patriot Act writ of assistance for any box they wanted to check?

 

[mrjarrell]

Is it a fair assumption that they could simply use a Patriot Act writ of assistance for any box they wanted to check?

Doubtful. They'd still need to get a warrant or risk losing the contents they chose to illegally seize as evidence. While fed cops can get away with many things this one just doesn't even ring true.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Doubtful. They'd still need to get a warrant or risk losing the contents they chose to illegally seize as evidence. While fed cops can get away with many things this one just doesn't even ring true.

That also raises the question of whether they would have any intent to use such contents as evidence. They may well simply wish to confiscate, or not take a thing and simply spy.

 

[mrjarrell]

That also raises the question of whether they would have any intent to use such contents as evidence. They may well simply wish to confiscate, or not take a thing and simply spy.

Still got to have that pesky warrant and the drilling has to be witnessed by two officers of the bank. That won't go down too well in the inevitable civil suit and the news media would be all over it. As eggregious as many actions of the .gov are, this one just doesn't wash. Many more important things to watch out for.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Still got to have that pesky warrant and the drilling has to be witnessed by two officers of the bank. That won't go down too well in the inevitable civil suit and the news media would be all over it. As eggregious as many actions of the .gov are, this one just doesn't wash. Many more important things to watch out for.

We are still left with the fact that it has been done before and that I have a hard time believing that drilling would actually be necessary. I can't imagine a bank not providing themselves a 'solution' other than the physical destruction of the box, whether they admit it or not.

 

[sun]

Classified Opinions Are Not Available to the Public

This short article is about 2 U.S. Senators who want to know more info. about how Homeland Security interpretes the Patriot Act and what they think they can get away with. Evidently there are some legitimate questions about what the Patriot Act authorizes under various agency interpretations of it that most of Congress may not even know about.

Senators terrified with abuse of Patriot Act?s secret laws ? RT USA

Senators terrified with abuse of Patriot Act’s secret laws

....Wydell and Udall are specifically calling on Holder to provide information about how the government has interpreted Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which grants government officials with certain clearance to obtain “tangible things” deemed “relevant” to issues of terrorism. While that much is clear, write the senators, how the government goes about abiding by it “has been the subject of secret legal interpretations,” which they add “are contained in classified opinions” that are not made available to much of Congress, let alone members of the general public.

“We believe most Americans would be stunned to learn the details of how these secret court opinions have interpreted Section 215,” add the senators. “As we see it, there is now a significant gap between what most Americans think the law allows and what the government secretly claims the law allows. This is a problem, because it is impossible to have an informed public debate about what the law should say when they public doesn’t know what its government thinks the law says.”....

Senators terrified with abuse of Patriot Act?s secret laws ? RT USA

 

[Kirk Freeman]

1. Where does this nonsense come from?

2. Why is that that utter nonsense can seem believable? Says a lot about the state of affairs in our country today.