In certain contexts, law enforcement may need to search for or retrieve classified information from residences or computers. Given the sensitive nature of the material, and the fact that your every day cop doesn’t generally get a clearance, how do agencies choose who looks for the material after getting a warrant? Do they send special cops with high levels of clearance? Do they give certain cops clearances for a raid? I have a particular recent scenario in mind, but I imagine the answer applies more generally.
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Only Special agents with top level clearance can handle and access classified information . Their rank is determined before the raid
All(might be most but as far as I know all. There might be some random offshoot agency like the EPA or something.) special agents have at least top secret clearance.
Actually legitimately classified information is only dispersed on a need to know basis and kept to a minimum. NDA’s are signed and it is made clear that it is classified.
It is literally “need to know” information.
Given the nature of *“certain contexts”* it is entirely possible to have an entire search team composed of actual special agents opposed to any support staff or other local agencies, and have them know what they are looking for, or at least enough of an idea to flag it and have someone who really knows what they’re looking for check it out.
Warrants by their nature need to be specific, if it can be articulated why something was seized (an example would be a warrant for a child predator may include search and seizure electronic devices they have access too. If agents take their camera, it can be articulated why they took it, even if once it’s forensically searched nothing is found on it.) then it generally can be seized and sorted out later.
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