Emergency Services Interruption Tactic (ESIT)

Overview

Government agencies, including the CIA, employ a multifaceted approach known as the Emergency Services Interruption Tactic (ESIT) to manage emergency communications during sensitive operations. This involves intercepting and redirecting calls to emergency numbers like 911, ensuring operational secrecy and control over local emergency responses.

Components

1. Covert Cell on Wheels (CoW)

   • Description: A mobile cellular base station disguised within a standard vehicle, such as a Ford Explorer, equipped to covertly intercept and redirect mobile phone calls.
   • Function:
     • Forces mobile phones in the targeted area to connect, redirecting emergency calls to CIA operatives posing as 911 dispatchers.
     • Prevents legitimate emergency responses to disrupt organized resistance during covert operations.
     • Blocks access to other numbers and the internet to maintain control.
   • Demonstrated Use: Yes
     • Note: Covert CoWs are strategically deployed near targets before operations commence.
   • Recommended Detection Protocol:
     • Law enforcement should monitor for unexplained fluctuations in local cellular network coverage, especially in areas known for sensitive operations.
     • Make a test call from a mobile phone to 911. Verify speaking with an employee at a local PSAP and request a "radio check" from dispatch.
     • Using a department-issued phone is not recommended, as perpetrators may allow known law enforcement agency (LEA) phones to route normally to avoid detection. Mobile phones without service will work. We recommend using random phones and different phone for each call.

2. Memorandum for Local Dispatch Procedures Diversion

   • Description: Directs Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) to reroute emergency calls from targeted areas to law enforcement agencies issuing the memorandum.
   • Function:
     • Ensures emergency calls are handled by the issuing agency, delaying or redirecting genuine emergency responses.
   • Demonstrated Use: Yes
     • Notes: Historical instances and whistleblowers confirm redirection of emergency services during operations.
   • Recommended Detection Protocol:
     • Law enforcement should establish protocols to verify the legitimacy and origin of memoranda directing emergency call diversions, especially in conjunction with unusual public safety incidents.
     • Ask the PSAP's administrator or dispatcher if any memorandums are in effect that cause diversions from the PSAP's established call handling or dispatching protocols and procedures.

3. Selective Router Tampering

   • Description: Modification of routing settings to selectively reroute both mobile and landline calls away from legitimate emergency services.
   • Function:
     • Directs calls to controlled points where operatives manage communications, preventing genuine emergency responses.
   • Demonstrated Use: Yes
     • Notes: Technical analyses and insider reports document routing modifications used to isolate targeted areas.
   • Recommended Detection Protocol:
     • Law enforcement should conduct regular audits of routing configurations and monitor for unauthorized changes, particularly in areas coinciding with sensitive operations.
     • Use the detection protocols for the Cell on Wheels.

Execution

• Timing: CoWs activate before operatives arrive, intercepting mobile communications as operations begin. Memoranda and routing modifications take effect upon operation commencement and cease upon notification from coordinating agencies.
• Operational Area: CoWs cover a minimum 0.5-mile radius, ensuring interception of all mobile signals, while routing adjustments affect entire targeted areas.
• Coordination: Memoranda ensure PSAPs direct calls to the issuing agency, which coordinates responses with local authorities.

Impact

• Manipulation: Manipulates emergency responses, thwarting local intervention during covert operations.
• Secrecy: Ensures operational secrecy by controlling emergency communication channels.
• Prevention of Organized Resistance: Prevents victims from realizing their calls aren't reaching real emergency services, hindering organized defense efforts.
• Operative Safety: Shields operatives from immediate threats posed by potential victims.

Outcome

These tactics enable federal agencies to execute covert operations without local emergency service interference, maintaining surprise and operational success. By disrupting external intervention and victim organization, these methods secure operatives and mission objectives.