January 28, 2011 Today's Stories -- Obama: Focus On Demand For Drugs, Not Arrests, Incarceration -- Do Fewer Arrests Always Mean Lower Justice-System Costs? -- Holder Talks To Federal Violence Against Women Advisory Panel -- Moore Choice As San Jose Chief Called "Victory For Common Sense" -- L.A. Calls Officer's Report Of School Shooting A Hoax -- Newark Jail Expansion Could Be Model For Immigrant Detention -- PA Auditor Urges Adoption Of Plan To Cut Prison Population -- Providence Official Says Police Chief Esserman's Salary, Benefits Are Too High -- How Minneapolis Cuts Crime With "Predictive Policing" -- Should St. Pete Cops Have Pursued Fugitive In Attic? -- Renew U.S. Limits On High-Capacity Ammo Magazines: Washington Post -- A New Website For The Crime Report 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. |
Obama: Focus On Demand For Drugs, Not Arrests, Incarceration ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In his second sit-down with YouTube, President Obama again learned that the most popular questions as voted on by users of the online video hub were about the legalization of marijuana, says the Los Angeles Times. "This is an entirely legitimate topic for debate," Obama said after chuckling about the subject matter coming up again. "I am not in favor of legalization," said Obama, who believes Americans should look at drugs more as a public health problem than a legal issue. "When you think about other damaging activities in our society -- smoking, drunk driving, making sure you're wearing seat belts -- you know, typically we've made huge strides over the last 20, 30 years by changing people's attitudes. On drugs, I think that a lot of times we have been so focused on arrests, incarceration, interdiction that we don't spend as much time thinking about how do we shrink demand." |
Do Fewer Arrests Always Mean Lower Justice-System Costs? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A commissioner's suggestion that cash-strapped Hamilton County, In., should save money by arresting fewer people is raising concerns from area law enforcement officials and citizens, reports the Indianapolis Star. Commissioner Steve Dillinger said that the county sheriff and other local police agencies will be encouraged to issue summonses whenever possible to cut down on the cost of incarcerating suspects. People accused of violent crimes or suspected of driving while drunk would still be arrested and taken to jail, he said. "We want officers to use discretion," he said. "If they're not a risk to society or a flight risk, give them a summons. Once you take them to jail, all of these different cost mechanisms kick in, and it gets a lot more expensive." Some area law enforcement officials worry that such a policy could hurt efforts to keep the peace. Newly elected Sheriff Mark Bowen worries that Dillinger's desire to jail fewer people would hamper deputies' ability to do their jobs. Bowen disputed Dillinger's assertion that keeping arrests low would save money, saying most suspects are able to bond out of jail in a short amount of time. Hamilton County spends about $32 million a year in criminal-justice costs, including about $146,000 in inmate health care, Dillinger said. |
Holder Talks To Federal Violence Against Women Advisory Panel ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The U.S. Justice Department has "re-chartered" its National Advisory Committee on Violence Against Women. Today, Attorney General Eric Holder and Susan Carbon, director of the department's Office on Violence Against Women, spoke to the 15-member group. "We are committed to engaging a broad spectrum of community partners to help stem teen dating violence and safeguard our children," Holder said. Committee members are Prof. Jeffrey Edelson of the University of Minnesota School of Social Work, Maria Jose Fletcher of the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center, Neil Irvin of Men Can Stop Rape, Amber Johnson, a youth advocate from Providence, R.I., Monika Johnson Hostler of the North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Debbie Lee of the Family Violence Prevention Fund, Police Chief Susan Manheimer of San Mateo, Ca., Betsy McAlister Groves of the Child Witness to Violence Project at Boston Medical Center, Carol Post of the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Francine Sherman of Boston College Law School, Judge Melvin Stoof of Pascua Yaqui Tribal Court, Tucson, Joe Torre of the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation, Jerry Tello of Sacred Circles National Latino Fatherhood and Family Institute, Gabrielle Union of Beverly Hills, Ca., and Sujata Warrier of the New York City Program of the New York Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence. |
Moore Choice As San Jose Chief Called "Victory For Common Sense" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The selection of Chris Moore as San Jose's new police chief represented a victory for common sense, says San Jose Mercury News columnist Scott Herhold. City Manager Debra Figone put enormous effort into a process that produced two finalists: the 49-year-old Moore, who has been acting chief since Rob Davis left in October; and Anthony Batts, the 50-year-old police chief of Oakland. Moore was the safer choice, the known quantity, a man who enjoys a reputation for intelligence and the respect of the rank and file. In coming from behind to win the appointment, he's shown political savvy and a sensitivity to ethnic groups that distrust cops, says Herhold. Maybe most importantly, Moore will stay at least four years, bound to be a crucial time for a department that will most likely have to endure painful downsizing. In Moore, the city has a new chief with a law degree, a background in technology and -- perhaps most crucial for a department facing public skepticism -- a willingness to change after listening to a reasoned critique. |
L.A. Calls Officer's Report Of School Shooting A Hoax ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Los Angeles school police officer who said he was shot by an attacker last week, prompting a manhunt that shut down a large area,, has been arrested on suspicion of concocting the story, the Los Angeles Times reports. The startling revelation came at a hastily called news conference by Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck, who said detectives became suspicious about the officer's story as they investigated the case Beck declined to elaborate on the arrest of officer Jeff Stenroos. The head of the Los Angeles Police Protective League called an "embarrassment to law enforcement." Police had said Stenroos was shot in the chest Jan. 19 after he confronted a man who was attempting to break into vehicles near the eastern boundary of a high school campus. The incident sparked a massive police response that inconvenienced thousands of people as officers blocked roads, locked down schools, and refused to let people in or out of a 7-square-mile area. |
Newark Jail Expansion Could Be Model For Immigrant Detention ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It promises to be a potential moneymaker in struggling Newark: a proposed upgrading and extension of the Essex County, N.J., jail so it would hold hundreds more immigrants than it does now, the New York Times reports. For the Obama administration, the plan offers the possibility of being one of the first publicly visible results of its strategy to overhaul the way the government detains immigrants accused of violating the law. Federal officials say the proposal, which they have tentatively approved, would provide a less penal setting for detainees, with improved medical care, amenities, and federal oversight - the template for a new kind of detention center they intend to create around the U.S. by renovating existing centers, building new ones, and closing others. As the government has locked up a growing number of immigrants, it has patched together a loose network of county jails and private detention centers, some of which have come under fire for abuse, substandard living conditions, and detainee deaths. Federal officials have signaled their intent to expand or build centers in or near Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, and San Francisco. |
PA Auditor Urges Adoption Of Plan To Cut Prison Population ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With Pennsylvania's prison costs continuing to rise, state Auditor General Jack Wagner urged the legislature to approve a Republican senator's bill that would make it easier to send non-violent offenders to alternative-sentencing programs, reports the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Wagner issued a report on the 500 percent growth in Pennsylvania's prison population from 8,243 in 1980 to 51,487 in 2010. In 2009, Pennsylvania had the highest number of new inmates -- 2,122 -- of any state. The cost per inmate nearly tripled from $11,477 in 1980 to $32,059 in 2009, Wagner said. The overall cost to taxpayers increased during the past 10 years from $1.17 billion to $1.6 billion, a 37 percent increase. As the state faces a $4 billion to $5 billion budget deficit, it's imperative that lawmakers consider reductions in Department of Corrections spending, which historically has been sacrosanct, Wagner said. The proposed Criminal Justice Reform Act allows the state to more quickly move non-violent offenders with short sentences to community corrections centers such as halfway houses. More non-violent offenders would be eligible for the centers and the state's boot camp |
Providence Official Says Police Chief Esserman's Salary, Benefits Are Too High ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The chairman of the Providence, R.I., City Council Finance Committee, John Igliozzi, wants to cut Police Chief Dean Esserman's salary and benefits, reports the Providence Journal. Igliozzi says Esserman should not be paid more than his new boss, Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare. A $150,000 salary is proposed for Pare; Esserman is paid $168,000. The chief took over a department that was marred with scandal. Esserman has been praised for cleaning up the department, and major crime has decreased steadily. |
How Minneapolis Cuts Crime With "Predictive Policing" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In its own version of "predictive policing," Minneapolis police believe that everyone, even criminals, are creatures of habit, says the Minneapolis Star Tribune. With enough information about past crimes, it's possible to forecast their future target. "We usually look at the last week and say, 'This is what happened in the last week,'" said Police Chief Tim Dolan. "Well we've added to that, saying, 'This is what we think's going to happen next week.'" Dolan says analying crime statistics to discern trends already has paid off in two areas that led the city last year in reducing overall crime rates. The strategy looks slightly different everywhere it's used, but predictive policing relies mainly on a police department's ability to accumulate deep databases of crime information that detail time, location, methods, and numerous other bits of revealing data. Crunched by a computer analyst, the numbers reveal patterns. |
Should St. Pete Cops Have Pursued Fugitive In Attic? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A fugitive with a violent history is holed up in an attic with a gun. What's the next step for law enforcement, asks the St. Petersburg Times. Monday in St. Petersburg, the decision was made to go after the guy. In what police Chief Chuck Harmon called an ambush, two police officers were killed and a deputy U.S. marshal wounded. As the community grieves, many are asking difficult and sensitive questions about the tragedy - questions echoed by veteran police officers and tactical experts: Why didn't officers call in the SWAT team and a negotiator and wait? The decision to go into the attic was a brave one, but was it the best one? "I would have backed out, sealed it up, nobody in, nobody out, and notified the SWAT team," said Jon Shane, a former supervisor on the Newark, N.J., police SWAT team. St. Petersburg police spokesman Bill Proffitt dismissed outside criticism. "I think it's very misleading for so-called experts to render an opinion without specific knowledge of the facts in this situation," he said. |
Renew U.S. Limits On High-Capacity Ammo Magazines: Washington Post ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The federal ban on assault weapons that expired in 2004 appears to have worked to limit the proliferation of high-capacity magazines, the Washington Post says in an editorial, noting that the use of such magazines in crimes rose dramatically after the ban was "irresponsibly" allowed to lapse. Jared Loughner is alleged to have used such a magazine to fire some 31 rounds in a matter of seconds in Tucson, killing 6 and wounding 13 others. The Post reported that in Virginia, 15,000 guns equipped with magazines with 11 bullets or more - the federal definition of high-capacity - have been seized by police since 1993; some 2,000 of these weapons were equipped with clips that held 30 or more bullets. The number of high-capacity magazines confiscated by Virginia law enforcement officers dropped after the ban's enactment - an indication that fewer of these weapons were in circulation. Congress should not wait for another Tucson-like tragedy to resurrect this common-sense law, the Post says. |
A New Website For The Crime Report ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two years after The Crime Report was launched, we have redesigned the website. You can see it starting today at http://thecrimereport.org It includes the same basic features, including a searchable archive of more than 20,000 crime and justice news digests dating from 2003, as well as Inside Criminal Justice stories and blogs. Please take a look at the site and feel free to make any suggestions. To remind all readers, Crime and Justice News is posted on this site before it is sent out by e-mail, and we update the site daily with other features, such as "New and Notable" reports and studies. We hope that you visit the site often and find it informative.. |
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