Articles for 4 March 2011

20 Years After Rodney King Beating Tape, Police Are Watched In a YouTube World ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was 20 years ago this week the nine minutes of grainy video footage Los Angeles police beating Rodney King helped to spur dramatic reforms in a department that many felt operated with impunity, says the Los Angeles Times. The video played a central role in the criminal trial of four officers, whose not-guilty verdicts in 1992 triggered days of rioting in Los Angeles in which more than 50 people died. Today, things are far different and the tape that so tainted the LAPD has a clear legacy in how officers think about their jobs. Police work in a YouTube world in which cellphones double as cameras, news helicopters transmit close-up footage of unfolding police pursuits, and surveillance cameras capture arrests or shootings. Police officials are increasingly recording their officers. Compared to the cops who beat King, officers these days hit the streets with a new reality ingrained in their minds: Someone is always watching. "Early on in their training, I always tell them, 'I don't care if you're in a bathroom taking care of your personal business [ ] Whatever you do, assume it will be caught on video,' " said Sgt. Heather Fungaroli, who supervises recruits at the LAPD's academy. "We tell them if they're doing the right thing then they have no reason to worry." The ubiquitous use of cameras by the public has helped serve as a deterrent to police abuse, said Geoff Alpert, a leading expert on police misconduct Los Angeles Times

Police, Prosecutors Often Go To Social Media First Seeking Clues ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As Twitter, Facebook, and other forms of public electronic communication embed themselves in people's lives, the postings, rants, and messages that appear online are often the first place police and prosecutors go to sift through after crimes, says the New York Times. This week investigators went online to make sense of a stabbing in an New York apartment. A few clicks away, some of the clues were there for the world to see. Online postings can help prosecutors establish a level of intent, or even premeditation, in sometimes crucial components of crimes. In Arizona, Jared Loughner posted a message on his MySpace profile saying, "Goodbye friends," hours before the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a note that prosecutors may use as evidence of premeditation. "Especially in gang cases, a criminal defendant will say, 'How do you know that's me?' and prosecutors will say, 'Here's a photo of you throwing gang signs, and here's a photo of you with known gang members, and here's a photo of you holding up the very type of weapon you claim never to have seen before,' " said John Browning, a Dallas lawyer who wrote a book on social media and the law New York Times

The High Cost Of Medical Care for California 3-Strikes Inmates ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "He doesn't know who he is, or where he is," Dr. Joseph Bick told Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Morain about an inmate at California's Vacaville state prison. The inmate, now 85, arrived at the facility in 1996, sentenced to 25 years to life in prison under this state's "three-strikes" law. He is a sex offender with 25 criminal cases against him. Fourteen years later, taxpayers spend an average of $114,000 annually to imprison maybe two dozen medically and mentally debilitated people behind bars. The state spends another $50 million a year for two dozen other inmates whose illnesses cannot be treated in state prison hospitals. As much as that is, it's a small fraction of the $2 billion the state spends each year on inmate health care. Those costs will rise as inmates age. Age they will, so long as the three-strikes law remains as it is. More than 40,000 of this state's 160,000 inmates are doing time under the three-strikes law, approved by voters in 1994 and championed by politicians, Brown among them.. The law has heavyweight supporters, including Brown's benefactor, the California Corrrectional Peace Officers Association, and proxy groups it funds that represent victims Sacramento Bee

Dallas May Require Bulletproof Vests; U.S. Backs Mandatory Use ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The federal government is pushing law enforcement agencies to require uniformed police wear bulletproof vests after a sharp increase in the number of officers killed in the line of duty last year, says the Dallas Morning News. Fifty-nine of the 160 officers who died in the line of duty last year were shot. That was a 20 percent increase from the previous year. While many officers working the streets already wear the vests, Dallas is considering making it mandatory. "By and large, our officers understand the importance of these vests because they have families and they know these things save lives," said Dallas Deputy Chief Randy Blankenbaker. "That vest gives them the best opportunity to go home to their families every night. Most officers do not have to be told to wear their vest." The Justice Department will not continue giving law enforcement agencies funds for body armor - which amounted to about $100,000 annually in Dallas - unless they enact a mandatory-wear policy. An FBI study found that an officer who was not wearing a vest was 14 times more likely to be injured in the line of duty. The International Association of Chiefs of Police says about 60 percent of U.S. police agencies have mandatory-wear policies for body armor. Since their creation 40 years ago, the vests have been credited with saving more than 3,000 law enforcement lives Dallas Morning News

Minneapolis Claims Success Dealing With Lower-Level Chronic Offenders ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Minneapolis' Downtown 100 program, which targets 50 people at a time selected for their history as chronic offenders, is close to winding up its first year and is claiming success, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Crime committed by the first 50 offenders dropped in the 120-block downtown core by 74 percent between 2009 and 2010. Various organizations and agencies work with cops, prosecutors, probation officers, and others to define a path to a better, more crime-free future for the chronic offenders. The idea originated with Lois Conroy, who works the downtown precinct as a community prosecutor for the city. After seven years on the job, she realized, "We cannot arrest our way out of this problem. We cannot prosecute our way out of this problem." She began advocating a different approach. Even before funding was lined up, a team began working with community representatives to monitor the behavior of chronic offenders and envision a better outcome for each. Prosecutors entered courtrooms armed with recommendations reached through consensus by those who discuss cases at a weekly meeting. They decide what services might be offered to reduce an offender's chances of appearing in court again. Another key part of the program is having probation officers track frequent offenders, something unusual for lower-level offenses. Minneapolis Star Tribune

Will Calderon-Obama Meeting Lead To Armed U.S. Agents In Mexico? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mexican President Felipe Calderon meets with President Obama today amid growing pressure to allow U.S. agents to carry guns in his country - a long-standing taboo in Mexico, despite a raging drug war, says the Dallas Morning News. "We have to protect our people," says Attorney General Eric Holder. "What tragically happened two weeks ago [ ] may require a different policy." The Feb. 15 slaying of unarmed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jaime Zapata - with a weapon traced to a Dallas-area gun store - inflamed grievances and fears on both sides. The violence in Mexico has left leaders in both nations frustrated. Mexicans are dismayed at the ongoing appetite of U.S. drug users, the ease with which cartels can obtain powerful weapons and smuggle them south, and delays in aid promised to help in the fight. Said Roberta Jacobson, the State Department's No. 2 official for Latin America: "You cannot have 15,000 people killed in one year from drug violence and not call that a tough year." Border security, the drug war, immigration, trade policy, and other issues will be on the agenda with Obama. The summit was planned long before the attack on Zapata and a colleague, who was wounded Dallas Morning News

Getting More Ex-Inmates Into Work Force Called Key To Cutting NJ Recidivism ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New Jersey's prison system is a revolving door for criminals that drains the state budget by jailing the same people over and over again, says a review for Gov. Chris Christie reported by the Newark Star-Ledger. A draft copy of the report says the state's patchwork system is in dire need of reform to reduce the number of ex-offenders returning to prison. It says the best way to do that is to connect former inmates with jobs so they don't return to crime. The report's conclusions are the result of a broad, months-long review involving several state departments and the Manhattan Institute, a conservative New York City-based think tank with a progressive reputation on prison issues. "Exorbitant criminal justice spending persists, incarceration lingers at a high rate, and the same individuals cycle between the criminal justice system and New Jersey communities," the report says. Almost 60 percent of New Jersey's former inmates are arrested again within three years of their release. To prevent new crimes, the report says ex-offenders need to be closely supervised and pushed back into the workforce. It points to the success of a similar Newark program, also created with help from the Manhattan Institute, and says employment is an essential part of rehabilitation Newark Star-Ledger

2,100 Police Agencies Use Volunteers; Some Actions Raise Liability Issues ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hamstrung by shrinking budgets, police department say volunteers are indispensable in dealing with low-level offenses and allow sworn officers to focus on more pressing crimes and more violent criminals, says the New York Times. Volunteers sometimes collect evidence, interview witnesses, search for missing persons, and look into long-dormant cases. "We had the option to either stop handling those calls or do it in a different manner," said Fresno, Ca., police chief Jerry Dyer, whose department has lost more than 300 employees in recent years. "I've always operated under the premise of no risk, no success. And in this instance, I felt we really didn't have very much to lose." In the Phoenix suburb of Mesa, 10 volunteers have been trained to process crime scenes, dust for fingerprints, and even swab for DNA. In Pasadena, Ca., a team of retirees is combating identity theft. There are volunteer programs at some 2,100 departments nationwide, says the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The use of volunteers in investigations raises legal and liability questions, said Robert Weisberg of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center. New York Times

Philly Homicides Up 40%; Mayor Needs Funds For 120 More Police ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So far this year 56 people have been slain in Philadelphia, a 40 percent increase over the first two months of 2010, reports th Philadelphia Daily News. The year's homicide tally is the highest by this point of the year since 2007, when Mayor Michael Nutter campaigned on a promise to halve the murder rate within five to seven years. The homicide total had been progressively declining year after year until a string of violent weekends this year resulted in multiple shooting deaths. Police, academics and city officials caution that it's too early to draw any conclusions about the year's murder rate. Jerry Ratcliffe, a Temple University professor of criminal justice, said, "It's too early in the year to be talking about any type of conclusions." Mayoral press secretary Mark McDonald said yesterday that safety is Nutter's top priority. McDonald pointed to the bigger picture: homicides fell 22 percent between 2007 and 2010 and violent crime is down 13 percent since the mayor took office. The economy's impact on the city finances resulted in two canceled Police Academy classes and monthly reductions in the police force. Nutter is asking the City Council for money to pay for 120 officers to deal with the attrition that has plagued the police department. Philadelphia Daily News

Memphis' Godwin Taking #2 Tennesee Safety-Homeland Security Post ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Departing Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin will become second in command for the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, says the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Godwin, 59, leaves Memphis April 15, and will assume the position as deputy commissioner under Commissioner Bill Gibbons, former Shelby County district attorney, on April 18. Godwin, 59, will be paid $110,000 and will move to Nashville. He will run the day-to-day operations of the department's three divisions -- the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Homeland Security and the Driver's License division. He said his Blue CRUSH initiative, credited for a 15 percent drop in serious crime in Memphis over the past four years, received a lot of its useful input from the department's street officers. "I'm excited about what we two as a team can accomplish," said Gibbons, whose prosecutors worked closely with the Blue CRUSH campaign by declaring dozens of drug houses public nuisances and shutting them down.

Fear of Obama Continues to Boost Concealed-Carry Gun Permits in Ohio ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ohio has granted a record number of permits to carry concealed weapons since Barack Obama became president, says state Attorney General Mike DeWine. "There's the perception out there that gun control might be inevitable under the Obama administration," Jeff Garvas, president of Ohioans for Concealed Carry, told the Columbus Dispatch. "So when there's a potential to lose your right to own a gun or it might be harder to get a permit, that might drive more people to go out and get them." Ohio's gun permits continue to increase based on a "fear campaign" related to Obama's record, said Toby Hoover of the Toledo-based Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence. The 47,337 concealed-carry permits issued in Ohio last year were the second most since the state began issuing licenses in 2004, when 45,497 were handed out. An Ohio-record 56,691 new licenses were issued in 2009, when Obama took office. Obama, as the leader of the Democratic Party, which is traditionally linked to gun-control supporters, has yet to attempt to limit gun ownership while president. He said during his presidential campaign that he "respects the constitutional rights of Americans to bear arms," but pro-gun lobbyists fear that his past foreshadows gun limits his administration will pursue. Columbus Dispatch

Proposed CT Gun Offender Registry Wouldn't Be Publicly Available ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Connecticut's proposed gun-offender registry would be accessible only to law enforcement, unlike public sex-offender registries, says USA Today. State Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney. Looney says his proposal was driven by the fact that gun-related deaths nearly doubled in New Haven, Connecticut's second-largest city, from 12 in 2009 to 22 in 2010. Rep. Rosa Rebimbas says the concept is good, but the new registry would be redundant to existing databases that track criminals. Looney counters that many offenders coming out of prison are not subject to oversight or review and are not easily traceable. He says the registry would target those who are near the end of their sentences and those who have had their sentences suspended. Gun-offender registries exist in four cities and one county: New York, Washington, Baltimore, Utica, N.Y., and Suffolk County, N.Y., says to Arkadi Gerney, special adviser to the New York City mayor. Registered gun offenders in New York City are required to give their home addresses and workplaces to authorities, and they receive home visits from the police, Gerney says. James Bruno, a National Rifle Association instructor, is skeptical the registry would work, but he doesn't oppose the bill, "as long as it doesn't affect law-abiding citizens who have the right to carry and bear arms." USA Today