They could be watching you! Secret radar device unconstitutionally allows law enforcement to covertly 'see' through walls

A secret radar device, able to detect if anyone is inside a building, is now being used by at least 50 U.S. law enforcement agencies. According to USA Today, using this kind of technology is "a practice raising new concerns about the extent of government surveillance."

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The FBI and the United States Marshals Service, among others, started using the radar systems more than two years ago, without releasing its existence or usage to the courts or the general public.

"The idea that the government can send signals through the wall of your house to figure out what's inside is problematic," said Christopher Soghoian, the American Civil Liberties Union's principal technologist, to USA Today. "Technologies that allow the police to look inside of a home are among the intrusive tools that police have."

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Using radio waves, the stealthy device detects the slightest of movements, including human breathing, from up to 50-feet away. It notifies its operator of whether someone is inside the house, where they are and if they are moving.

According to federal officials, the device and it's provided information is "critical for keeping officers safe if they need to storm buildings or rescue hostages."

The radar's, called Range-R, appearance resembles a stud-finder. It does not show a picture of what's happening inside the house; it displays whether movement was detected and how far away it is. L-3 Communications, the Range-R's maker, has distributed around 200 devices to 50 different law enforcement agencies at about $6,000 each.

"The problem isn't that the police have this. The issue isn't the technology; the issue is always about how you use it and what the safeguards are," said Hanni Fakhoury, a lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, to USA Today.

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Although the Range-R just made its public appearance in December 2014, it has been circulating around with the Marshals Service since 2012, according to federal contract records. This forms the question; how could judges be "surprised by technology that has been in agents' hands for at least two years." Especially when being able to see inside a person's home without a search warrant goes against Constitutional rights.

A former supervisor of the Marshals Service's domestic investigations arm, William Sorukas, defends the Range-R's discretion, use and secrecy. "If you disclose a technology or a method or a source, you're telling the bad guys along with everyone else."

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