Axon Selling When And Where You Fly A Drone To Police

Two sensors, installed at SeaTac airport and Seahawks Stadium are monitoring almost every single drone flight in the Puget Sound region. The GPS position of each drone home point, the make and model of the drone and each unique drone serial number are all being captured, cataloged and sold to

ATF MOU Outlines Seattle Metro Intelligence Center

The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is operating a regional intelligence center at the ATF's Seattle SoDo office. According to a Memorandum Of Understanding obtained by HardPressed, the regional Crime Gun Intelligence Center "provides a proactive, intelligence-based identification of violent criminal offenders in

Washington State Patrol Assisting DHS After Seattle Anti-ICE Protest

In June of 2025, hundreds of protesters marched from Capitol Hill to the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building in downtown Seattle to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement. HardPressed previously reported that the Seattle Police Department ordered use of force against "Antifa" during the protest. The Guardian has

Microsoft Pitched Anti-Sex-Trafficking Tech To U.S. Attorneys

In January 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in Seattle received an overture from Microsoft. "Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me about human trafficking prevention yesterday," Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) Assistant General Counsel Matt Lundy wrote to Assistant U.

Archives: Israeli Intelligence Told U.S. That Hezbollah Co-Directed 9/11

Paper files held by the Washington State Archives reference an Israeli intelligence report reviewed by the U.S. government following the 9/11 attacks 25 years ago. The records have never been published before and were digitized by HardPressed. An October 8, 2001, Washington State National Guard intelligence report states

Seattle IT Department Blocks Pathway To Obtain ICE Records

Seattle's Information Technology Department (ITD) is making it more difficult for the public and journalists to track federal law enforcement coordination with the Seattle Police Department (SPD). Earlier this year, HardPressed reported that SPD assisted ICE as they worked to deport a college student. That followed reporting showing

Seattle FBI Agent Arrested For DUI

One of Seattle's most iconic pubs, home to one of the best fish 'n chips in Washington state, is apparently a favorite final port of call for FBI holiday parties. After drinking one single Rainier tallboy at the Pacific Inn, according to her own account, Chelsea Buford

"A Number Of Problems": Prosecutors Decline FBI Spokane Human Trafficking Investigation

In May of last year, Spokane County Prosecutors declined to file charges in a human trafficking case investigated by the FBI and the Airway Heights Police Department in Eastern Washington. In their decline memorandum, prosecutors wrote that the investigation included "a number of problems." Even if the acts

"Kwezrjxzht lrrpfvdfg" Has Access To Seattle Shield Network With ICE

In May, Prism published an investigation into the Seattle Shield program operated by the Seattle Police Department. That report relied on a Seattle Shield roster from 2020. Amazon, Facebook, ICE have access to Seattle police intelligence-sharing networkSeattle Shield requests suspicious activity reports from companies, which are then circulated with

City of Seattle To Pay $35,000 To Settle Police Records Lawsuit

The city of Seattle and I have agreed to settle a lawsuit I filed in May that alleged violations of the Washington State Public Records Act (PRA). As part of a settlement agreement inked on July 21, the city will pay $35,000, inclusive of penalties and legal fees. I

FBI Seattle Sound Regional Violent Crime Task Force MOU Details Mission

Task force fatigue? HardPressed has uncovered yet another Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Seattle Division task force that provides local police with federal powers to execute a federal mission. The stated mission of the Sound Regional Violent Crime Task Force (SRVCTF) "is to identify and target for prosecution individuals

"He Manages My Money Now."

Dan Friedman and I take a look at Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's personal wealth manager for Mother Jones: He’s Hegseth’s wealth manager. He also pushes “pro Israel policies” like war with Iran.How the man working to make the defense secretary rich helped lay the

Special Deputation File Outlines Limits Of FBI Task Force Officers

Any local police department can serve as a clearinghouse for federal informants. Once onboard, informants can make a career helping to advance the head-scratching mission of "national security." Federal task forces, such as the Safe Streets Task Force, Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the Child Exploitation Human

Archives: Document Shows CIA Officers Work Inside FBI Seattle Field Office

A 2007 Washington State Patrol presentation obtained by HardPressed states that "Central Intelligence Agency Reports Officers" are "located in the same building, in the same office," as the Federal Bureau of Investigation in downtown Seattle. The document was obtained directly from the public collections of the

FBI Says Anarchists A Threat After DHS Killed Two Americans

After federal agents killed two Americans in Minneapolis earlier this year, the FBI Counterterrorism division released a report warning law enforcement about the possibility of anarchist violence in the city. That FBI report says that painting graffiti or "making claims" about the government could be indications of extremism

FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force Tracked Longshore Union Protest Activity In 2020

Newly uncovered records obtained by HardPressed show that the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Joint Terrorism Task Force in Seattle monitored the protest activities of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union in 2020. Port of Seattle Police Department (POSPD) Joint Terrorism Task Force officer Josh Landers wrote that he

Cops Distribute Class War Intelligence Report

In my latest, with Noah Hurowitz and The Intercept, we dive into an "Executive Threat Watch" bulletin produced by New Jersey's fusion center. Read our full report here: Cops Warn CEO Bodyguards That Luigi Mangione Fever Could Spark Class WarA police intel document warned corporate bodyguards

"Arrest The Mayor": FBI Agent Wrote In 2020

On June 17, 2020, the Fulton County District Attorney announced murder charges against Atlanta Police officer Garrett Rolfe in an incident that ignited national attention. Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed outside of a Wendy's fast food restaurant. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said publicly that it was

ICE & DEA Seattle MOUs Outline "Controlled Delivery" Deconfliction

Today, the Associated Press (AP) published an investigation revealing that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) "permitted hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to be distributed in New Mexico as part of an effort to build bigger federal prosecutions." “We poisoned our community to make cases,” DEA

Document Outlines How FBI Agents Are Investigated For Crimes Or Misconduct

Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) hold immense power to infiltrate society, surveil, deceive, coerce members of the public, and empower violent criminals through informant agreements. But what happens if an agent is accused of a crime or violating FBI policy while on the job? HardPressed has obtained

Epstein Files Reveal Existence Of FBI Seattle Child Trafficking Investigation

Federal lawmakers who forced the release of thousands of internal Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) documents through the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA) have laid a trail of breadcrumbs stretching across the entire country. One document released through the EFTA reveals the existence of an FBI child trafficking case run

Seattle PD Captain: Drone Program "Depends On Elections..."

According to new records obtained by HardPressed, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) was aiming to "get the green light" from former mayor Bruce Harrell's office for a drone surveillance program at the end of his term in 2025. "We have contracted with Skydio to do

FBI Seattle Child Exploitation Task Force MOUs Details Mission and Investigation Types

HardPressed has obtained two memorandums of understanding (MOU) signed between the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Seattle Division and two other police departments in Washington State. The MOUs outline the operation of the Seattle Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force (CEHTTF) and the South Sound Child Exploitation Task

Cashing Kash Money: FBI Pays Seattle PD $333,395 For Task Force Overtime

Since January 2024, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has paid the Seattle Police Department (SPD) $333,395 to assist in FBI task force operations.  The money is paid out to SPD as a reimbursement for SPD officers who are detailed to the Safe Streets Task Force (SSTF), Joint Terrorism

Two Washington State Residents Kidnapped At Sea By Israeli Military

Andrew Bly and Alex Schaeffer, two residents of Washington State, were kidnapped in the Mediterranean Sea by the Israeli military on May 19. They were both sailing to Gaza to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people. They follow Washington State resident Jas Ikeda, who was kidnapped by