New York City police are negotiating a three-year contract with Israeli surveillance technology company Cognyte for a mobile cell-site simulator capable of identifying nearby phones, prompting questions from civil liberties advocates about data collection and oversight.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The New York Police Department is pursuing a $750,500 contract with Israeli surveillance technology company Cognyte to acquire a portable cellphone tracking system that can be mounted on vehicles, carried in backpacks or potentially deployed using drones, expanding the department’s ability to locate mobile devices during investigations.
The proposed three-year agreement covers FalcoNet hardware and software, training, warranty protection and technical support for the NYPD’s Technical Assistance Response Unit, according to an Oct. 24 report by the New York Daily News.
The system functions as a cell-site simulator, technology commonly known as a Stingray, which imitates a cellular communications tower to induce nearby phones to connect and disclose identifying information. Investigators can use that information to locate devices associated with criminal suspects, but the technology may also collect identifiers from phones belonging to people who are not under investigation.
The NYPD’s proposal has drawn criticism from the New York Civil Liberties Union, which questioned the surveillance capabilities of FalcoNet and the extent of public oversight.
Daniel Schwarz, a technology and privacy strategist with the NYCLU, warned that the system includes “undisclosed AI capabilities that analyze people’s behaviors,” raising concerns about what information could be collected and how it might be processed.
Unlike older stationary equipment, FalcoNet’s portable design would allow investigators to conduct surveillance while traveling through neighborhoods or operating in locations where traditional equipment would be difficult to deploy.
According to the reporting, the system could be installed in police vehicles, attached to drones or transported in backpacks.
The NYPD already uses cell-site simulators, but the proposed equipment would provide additional mobility and operational flexibility.
An NYPD spokesperson defended the procurement process, saying the department “explored different cell-site simulators and determined that this device best met the needs of the NYPD.”
The proposed agreement was first disclosed in a Dec. 8, 2025, notice published in The City Record, New York City’s official publication for government procurement announcements.
That notice stated that the NYPD intended to enter sole-source negotiations with Cognyte for FalcoNet equipment and related services.
The department justified bypassing a conventional competitive bidding process by stating that it believed the required products and support services were available exclusively through Cognyte.
“The NYPD believes that all products and support services are exclusively provided by Cognyte,” the procurement notice stated.
The notice nevertheless invited other vendors capable of providing comparable products and support tailored to the department’s needs to submit expressions of interest.
A subsequent public comment notice published Oct. 7 identified Cognyte Technology Inc., based in Bohemia, New York, as the proposed contractor.
The document established a maximum contract value of $750,500 and specified that the agreement would run for three years beginning with a formal notice to proceed.
The public comment period closed at 2 p.m. on Oct. 15.
City Hall has not confirmed that the agreement has received final approval.
“We are reviewing the proposed contract,” a City Hall spokesperson said.
The proposed purchase has also attracted opposition from the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, a New York-based privacy advocacy organization.
In an Oct. 26 statement, the organization condemned the plan, arguing that mobile cellphone tracking equipment could expose information about people who have no connection to criminal investigations.
The group also raised concerns about Cognyte’s history of supplying surveillance technology to governments accused by human rights organizations of monitoring political opponents and dissidents.
Those allegations concern the company’s broader business relationships and do not independently establish that the NYPD intends to use FalcoNet for unlawful surveillance.
Cell-site simulators have long been controversial because their operation can involve obtaining information from devices other than the specific phone investigators are attempting to locate.
As a simulator moves through an area, nearby compatible phones may attempt to communicate with it, potentially exposing device identifiers and other signaling information.
The precise capabilities of FalcoNet, including the extent of its artificial intelligence functions, have not been fully disclosed in the city’s procurement documents.
That lack of detail has complicated efforts by privacy advocates to evaluate how the equipment would operate and whether its data-handling practices would comply with existing safeguards.
The NYPD’s February 2026 cell-site simulator impact and use policy establishes restrictions on the department’s use of the technology.
Under that policy, investigators generally must obtain a judicial search warrant supported by probable cause before deploying a cell-site simulator.
Limited exceptions apply in emergencies involving imminent threats of serious injury or death. In qualifying emergency circumstances, investigators must document the justification and obtain a warrant within 48 hours.
The policy also permits use of the equipment to help locate missing or suicidal individuals without requiring a warrant.
Only authorized members of the Technical Assistance Response Unit may operate the department’s cell-site simulators.
The NYPD’s published policy states that its existing devices and associated software do not retain or record information received during operation.
However, the available procurement notices do not establish whether FalcoNet’s data-processing functions will be subject to identical technical safeguards or what independent verification, if any, will accompany its deployment.
Those questions are particularly significant because the proposed system may incorporate automated analysis in addition to conventional cellphone identification capabilities.
Privacy advocates have argued that greater disclosure is needed before the department expands its surveillance equipment, including explanations of what information can be collected, how it will be analyzed and what safeguards will prevent improper monitoring.
Police officials maintain that cell-site simulators are legitimate investigative tools used to locate suspects, assist in emergency responses and find missing people.
The dispute reflects a broader debate over the use of increasingly sophisticated surveillance technology in law enforcement, particularly when equipment can collect information involving individuals who are not investigative targets.
For now, the FalcoNet acquisition remains a proposed contract rather than a confirmed completed purchase. The city has disclosed its anticipated cost, contractor and intended recipient, but the procurement notices provide limited technical information about the system’s artificial intelligence capabilities.
Whether the agreement receives final approval, and what additional disclosures accompany its implementation, will determine the next stage of the NYPD’s proposed expansion of mobile cellphone surveillance.
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