(Reuters) - Baltimore police used secret cell phone surveillance technology more than 4,000 times in recent years under directions from the FBI not to tell courts about its use, an officer testified on Wednesday according to media reports. Baltimore police detective Emmanuel Cabreja testified that the FBI told prosecutors to drop cases involving the "stingray" technology if they were pressed too hard about the device, the Baltimore Sun reported. Cabreja also said the police department was instructed to contact the FBI if judges or lawmakers began to ask questions, according to the Sun. He said the department had used the latest version of the stingray -- dubbed Hailstorm -- about 4,300 times since 2007, the newspaper reported. The FBI and Baltimore Police Department were not immediately available for comment.

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