Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : FBI Eavesdroppers Seek New Devices

Cellular telephones and other new technology are challenging the FBI’s ability to listen to the telephone conversations of criminal suspects, law enforcement officials say. The FBI is seeking $26.6 million next year to update its eavesdropping techniques. The new technologies include an increase in over-the-phone transmission of computer data, which can be encrypted through readily available software programs. Electronic surveillance, which includes telephone wiretaps and microphones hidden in places frequented by criminal suspects, is a key tool for investigating drug traffickers as well as white-collar and organized crime.