The Attorney General has asked me to respond to your letter of December 1, 1983, regarding wiretapping. Our records for Title III wiretaps commence with January 1969; thus, we have no figures for 1968. The following items represent statistics for the period of January 1969 to September 1983 that are responsive to your individual requests: (1) Total number of wiretap applications approved - 2,710 It should be noted that frequently more than one offense is cited in a wiretap application. For reporting purposes we maintain statistics only on the lead or main offense in each request. The list in item (2)(c) above reflects that practice. If you should require further assistance, please contact me. Sincerely, Stephen S. Trott By: James Knapp Deputy Assistant Attorney General Criminal Division |