Day 11: Kilpatrick's charity paid $1,400 for anti-bugging equipment, witness says

DETROIT (WXYZ) - The Kilpatrick Civic Fund—a charity founded to help educate voters and improve the lives of city residents—spent $1,400 in anti-bugging equipment.

That was the testimony of Brian Lang, the owner of Spy Ops in Lathrup Village, today in federal court. Lang said in 2007, he was approached by one of Kwame Kilpatrick’s body guards. He said, according to Lang, that he was in the market for anti-bugging equipment to help train other officers in the Mayor’s executive protection unit.

And there was one more thing, too: he needed to sweep the mayor’s office for bugs, Lang testified.

Lang wouldn’t talk to us on camera, but we spoke to Spy Ops employee Matt Lullove about the equipment sold to Kilpatrick’s bodyguard.  He bought a lot.

“What does this do,” asked 7 Action News Investigator Ross Jones.

“This’ll find short range transmitting pieces, audio or video,” Lullove said.

The officer bought some sophisticated equipment.  One device hunts down nearby hidden cameras.  If it finds any, it can pick up the image that’s being recorded.

“Do you find that this is something charities purchase often,” Jones asked.

“No,” Lullove said smiling, “not really.”

The Civic Fund bought almost $1,400 worth. Under cross examination by Kilpatrick lawyer Jim Thomas, Lang said he didn’t know if the bodyguard  ever followed through and swept the mayor’s office for listening devices.  He only remembers that he said he would. 

Thomas sat down before giving an explanation for how anti-bugging equipment would meet the non-profit’s ambitious mission.