January 21, 2011 Today's Stories -- GOP-Inspired Budget Cuts Could Reduce FBI By 4,000 Agents -- 125 Arrested In Biggest FBI Organized Crime Bust -- How Much Weaker Is Today's Organized Crime? -- NYPD Analyzes Hard-To-Predict "Active Shooter Attacks" -- Assange Case Issue: Do Rape Victims Deserve Anonymity? -- WA Rules On When Medical Pot Can Be Used Called Political -- Chicago Police Work To Spread Intel Reports Quicker -- Critic: Reducing Parole Discretion Boosts Prosecutors' Power -- Gun-Rights Bills Advance After Arizona Shootings -- Tom Roy Named Corrections Director In Minnesota -- KS County Gets Plan On Keeping Mentally Ill Out Of Jail -- Ohio Police Classify Phallic Snow Sculpture As Disorderly Conduct You may go to TheCrimeReport.org to search all archived CJN stories. Please e-mail Ted Gest at CJJ with concerns about the editorial content of our news items, to suggest news stories, or with general comments. |
GOP-Inspired Budget Cuts Could Reduce FBI By 4,000 Agents ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Congressional conservatives have demanded far more dramatic reductions in government spending than House GOP leaders have proposed, reports the Washington Post. Members of the conservative Republican Study Committee said the GOP must keep its campaign pledge to slice at least $100 billion from non-defense programs, an effort that would require lawmakers to reduce funding for most federal agencies by a third over the next seven months. This could bring deep cuts in criminal-justice staffing and programs. According to Democratic estimates, cuts applied across the board would require the Justice Department to fire 4,000 FBI agents and 1,500 agents at the Drug Enforcement Administration. The federal prison system would have to fire 5,700 correctional officers. There was no immediate estimate on how cuts would affect federal aid for state and local anticrime programs, but the current budgeted figure is $519 million. The Obama administration's budget proposal for the fiscal year starting in October is expected in mid-February. |
125 Arrested In Biggest FBI Organized Crime Bust ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Criminal accusations spanning several states and several decades, encompassing figures from seven mob families, led to the arrest of nearly 125 people on federal charges yesterday, reports the New York Times. The charges included murders, including a double homicide over a spilled drink in a bar. There were also run-of-the-mill activities associated with organized crime: racketeering, extortion, loan-sharking, money laundering, gambling, and the like. The charges were 16 indictments handed up in federal courts in four jurisdictions. Federal officials called it the "largest mob roundup in F.B.I. history." For Attorney General Eric Holder, it was an opportunity to preside over the kind of law enforcement operation that was once the core mission of the Justice Department, but that has been largely overshadowed by terrorism issues. Questions were raised by the diffuse nature of the indictments, which involved myriad unrelated criminal activity. The sweep began before dawn, with 800 federal agents and state and local investigators fanning out across the region. |
How Much Weaker Is Today's Organized Crime? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The new charges against organized crime figures raises the question of how much weaker the mob is than it used to be. The Wall Street Journal notes that when three leaders of New York's five reputed Mafia families were convicted in 1986, then-FBI director William Webster said that, "Traditional organized crime is never going to be the same again." What was known as the Commission case was the catalyst for the fragmentation of La Cosa Nostra. Yesterday, Attorney General Eric Holder said that, "Members of La Cosa Nostra are among the most dangerous criminals in our country." The Journal says that in recent years, the mob has been viewed mostly as television entertainment. Mark Feldman, a former federal prosecutor, said the mob has been "severely battered by the cases brought against it over the last two decades, but they're not dead. There's still wherewithal for them to regenerate and there is still a culture and still people who are attracted to the easy money." The FBI shifted resources to terrorism and white-collar crime cases after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, said Bruce Mouw, a former FBI agent handling organized crime cases. "If the mob knew how few agents are assigned they would be heartened," said Mouw. "If the FBI continues to shift resources away, these guys will regroup and rearm." |
NYPD Analyzes Hard-To-Predict "Active Shooter Attacks" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Tucson shooting in which six people were killed and 14 others injured is what law enforcement officers call an "active shooter attack," says the Wall Street Journal. The New York Police Department issued a report to security officials with its analysis of 202 such incidents in the U.S., dating back to 1966. Historically 98 percent of the active shooting incidents were carried out by a single attacker. That "makes these attacks more difficult to detect before they occur," said Jessica Tisch of the New York police counter-terrorism unit. Tisch said 29 percent of the shootings occurred in schools, 23 percent in malls or other commercial settings, 13 percent in office buildings, 13 percent in factories or warehouses, and 22 percent in other places. The median number of deaths in these incidents was two. Some 46 percent of the attacks were ended by use of force, either by law enforcement or bystanders. In 40 percent of the cases the attacker committed suicide. Capt. Michael Riggio recommended that corporate business security officials prepare drills on active shooting attacks and create a "safe room" stocked with medical supplies. Riggio says that during an active shooting attack employees should never approach the arriving police officers; when evacuating, they should never hold anything in their hands. "Hands empty, hands open and hands up," Riggio said. |
Assange Case Issue: Do Rape Victims Deserve Anonymity? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rape victims' right to anonymity has been in the issue in the case of Wikileaks' Julian Assange, with two leading exponents of women's rights taking different sides. Wendy Murphy, a former sex crimes prosecutor, writes for Women's eNews that both arguments miss the main point: protecting a rape victim's constitutional right to privacy. Naomi Wolf and Katha Pollitt published opposing pieces on whether the women described as Julian Assange's alleged sexual assault victims should be identified in the press against their will. Pollitt argues against disclosure. She emphasizes that it will deter reporting and cause needless harm to people who have suffered enough. Wolf says all victims should be named because anonymity is a "relic" from a time when women suffered shame for being raped because it undermined her "value" to be known as the damaged "property" of her husband or father. Forced disclosure of victims' identities in rape cases, Wolf says, will promote women's equality by putting that idea to bed. Murphy argues that Wolf is wrong and Pollitt takes the wrong path to get there: Not naming U.S. victims has little to do with stigma, and everything to do with the Constitution. |
WA Rules On When Medical Pot Can Be Used Called Political ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Elliott Cain wanted to know why it is legal to use medical marijuana to treat anxiety in California, but not in Washington state, where patients with other conditions such as cancer and HIV have had legal access to pot for more than a decade, says the Seattle Times. A Washington state panel that evaluates requests to add medical conditions to the list of those that can be treated with marijuana said there is no rigorous scientific evidence that marijuana is effective in treating anxiety. The answer also has as much to do with politics as science. Despite more than a decade of experience with marijuana as medicine, Washington's relationship with cannabis and the community seeking to expand its use remains a troubled one. For years, patients have complained that ambiguities in the state's 1998 medical- marijuana law have made obtaining and possessing cannabis difficult, even scary. The state Medical Quality Assurance Commission has added only four medical conditions since 1999. The board's decisions are as political as they are scientific, a symptom of the lack of clinical studies involving pot. Even some of the people who serve on the medical-marijuana panel are exasperated with the process. "It should be done in a different manner," said Dr. Catherine Hunter, a gynecologist who served on two panels that evaluated two medical-marijuana petitions despite what she said was her lack of expertise. "Medical decisions shouldn't be made in a political arena." |
Chicago Police Work To Spread Intel Reports Quicker ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was a bit like a scene from "Minority Report," the 2002 Tom Cruise movie that featured genetically altered humans with special powers to predict crime, says the Chicago Sun-Times. In October, the Chicago Police Department's new crime-forecasting unit was analyzing 911 calls for service and produced an intelligence report predicting a shooting would happen soon on a particular block on the South Side. Three minutes later, it did. Police Superintendent Jody Weis wondered if the department could produce intelligence reports even quicker. Next time, officers might have an hour's notice before a shooting instead of just a few minutes. Weis is consolidating the department's intelligence-gathering units under his direct command to improve the flow of information. The so-called 24-hour "fusion center," which opened in 2007, also will move under the superintendent's office. The fusion center is one of dozens that opened across the country in response to a 911 report that called for better sharing of federal, state and local intelligence on terrorism. Brett Goldstein, director of predictive analytics, said the change will allow his office to send out intelligence reports more quickly. "We're running against a clock," he said. |
Critic: Reducing Parole Discretion Boosts Prosecutors' Power ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Reducing parole board discretion on prisoner releases gives more power to prosecutors, who may be no better at making such decisions and may be corrupt, argues lawyer Wendy Kaminer on TheAtlantic.com. Kaminer commented on the Massachusetts police officer killing that led to the resignation of most of that state's parole commissioners. Kaminer says Gov. Deval Patrick's shake-up of the agency, which was met with the surprised approval of his conservative critics and the dismay of liberal criminal justice advocates, seemed inevitable. TheAtlantic.com |
Gun-Rights Bills Advance After Arizona Shootings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After the shooting of U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others in Tucson, the proximity between elected officials and armed citizens is drawing fresh attention and, in some cases, worry. Security personnel have stepped up their presence in some state capitols as new legislative sessions begin, and the typical raft of proposed pro- and anti-gun legislation has taken on a new urgency as a result of the events in Arizona., says Stateline.org. Overwhelming victories by Republicans in November's state elections have increased the chances of pro-gun bills passing, and many lawmakers believe the right legislative response to fatal shootings like the one in Tucson is to expand, not limit, gun rights. Ensuring broader access to guns for law-abiding citizens, they argue, can help residents defend themselves if an attack or other emergency occurs. In one of its first moves, the GOP majority that took control of the New Hampshire House of Representatives this month voted to allow concealed guns and other weapons in the statehouse and surrounding legislative buildings. Republicans also reversed a 40-year-old chamber policy that banned concealed guns on the House floor itself. |
Tom Roy Named Corrections Director In Minnesota ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton named Tom Roy, director of Arrowhead Regional Corrections, which serves five northern counties, to lead the state corrections department, reports the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Roy has spent more than three decades in that field. Roy, who replaces Joan Fabian, will lead an agency that oversees thousands of inmates at 10 adult and juvenile corrections facilities statewide. A native of northern Minnesota, Roy graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1974, then started work in probation and parole. In 1994, he was promoted to chief probation officer for the five Arrowhead counties and, in 2002, took over as executive director for Arrowhead Regional Corrections. He also is chair of the Minnesota Interstate Compact Advisory Council, which oversees the movement of convicted offenders to and from Minnesota. |
KS County Gets Plan On Keeping Mentally Ill Out Of Jail ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A new Johnson County, Ks., study recommends far more resources and broad coordination of the justice and health systems to help keep the mentally ill out of jail, says the Kansas City Star. The report, released after 19 months of research, addresses a problem common to communities nationwide. It found that 17 percent of those booked into the Johnson County jail were mentally ill, roughly the national average. The county's initiative has been designated a national demonstration project by the U.S. Department of Justice. It was carried out by groups that included county law enforcement, corrections, the district attorney, and mental health experts. The report makes more than three dozen recommendations and has already resulted in federal grants to fund some initiatives. "We found there is no single solution," said Karen Wulfkuhle of United Community Services of Johnson County, the group that provided a grant to start the study. Each arrest or contact creates an intercept point that can get help to the mentally ill, the report says. Recommendations include mental health training for police, parole officers, and dispatchers; more sentencing alternatives and court diversion, more treatment, including a therapeutic community at the jail to deal specifically with those dealing with mental illness and substance abuse, and greater efforts to involve family. David Wiebe, director of Johnson County Mental Health, said that treating the mentally ill is better and cheaper than jailing them, but Kansas and other states are cutting funding for mental health. The state cut $1.7 million from his budget in the last two years, he, and a new proposed budget would cut it $1.5 million more. |
Ohio Police Classify Phallic Snow Sculpture As Disorderly Conduct ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A phallic snow display in Ohio was short-lived after police told a 16-year-old boy to remove a seven-foot-high snow sculpture emulating male genitalia from his front yard, reports the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram. Police classified the offense as "disorderly conduct." Roman King said he got "car honks with people giving us the thumbs up," from drivers while it was standing. Elyria Police Chief Duane Whitely said it was the first time he had ever heard of a complaint concerning such a sculpture, and after some research, said it would likely fall under disorderly conduct. "It's obviously an offensive structure," Whitely said. He said it was unlikely to fall under public indecency laws because "public indecency has to do a lot with the human body." No charges or citations were issued, and the frozen phallus fell after being chopped down with a snow shovel. |
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