This Is the NYPD's Secret Spy Cab
In Enemies Within, the new book from Pulitzer Prize-winning Associated Press reporters Matt Apuzzo and Adam Goldman on the NYPD's indiscriminate and probably illegal spying program, reference is briefly made to a "real yellow cab, complete with an authentic taxi medallion registered under a fake name" used by the department's intelligence division to conduct surveillance operations. This is that cab.
The photo, which doesn't appear in the book, was provided to Gawker by Goldman and Apuzzo, who will be here next week to chat about Enemies Within. According to Apuzzo, the cab—medallion number 6Y11—is outfitted with state-of-the-art surveillance gear, and is routinely parked outside of New York mosques in an effort to keep tabs on New York's Muslims—all of whom, in the NYPD's estimation, are potential threats to the public order.
The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment. If you hail this cab, don't tip.