CA Cancels New $356 Million Death Row Despite "Dismal" Conditions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ California Gov. Jerry Brown has canceled construction of a $356-million death row at San Quentin prison, saying it would be "unconscionable" to spend so much on condemned inmates as the state is slashing budgets for education and other social services, reports the Los Angeles Times. Previous administrations spent about $20 million on planning and design for a two-building complex. The project was approved in 2003, before the global financial crisis opened a gaping hole in the state budget. California Gov. Jerry Brown has canceled construction of a $356-million death row at San Quentin prison, saying it would be "unconscionable" to spend so much on condemned inmates as the state is slashing budgets for education and other social services, reports the Los Angeles Times. Previous administrations spent about $20 million on planning and design for a two-building complex. The project was approved in 2003, before the global financial crisis opened a gaping hole in the state budget. The new facility would have had room for 1,152 condemned inmates and housed visitor, medical, and mental health facilities to cut down on the cumbersome and costly need to escort death row prisoners around the wider institution. California now has 713 condemned inmates, 18 of whom are women housed at separate prisons. Conditions on the existing death row are "just dismal," said Donald Specter of the Prison Law Office, which advocates for inmates' rights. The cells are cramped, old and dilapidated, he said, and don't offer prisoners enough room to exercise |
10 Years After 9/11, FBI Reforms Far From Complete: Time ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a profile of FBI director Robert Mueller, facing a mandatory 10-year retirement, Time magazine asks if the FBI is up to the task 10 years after the 9/11 attacks. Time calls Mueller himself "careful to dodge the spotlight, so rigorously bland when caught onstage, that he could drink unrecognized at any bar in America." 9/11 was the worst hour in the FBI's 93-year history. Field offices in Phoenix and Minneapolis had important clues long before the attacks. Neither knew what the other knew, and no one put the pieces together. Critics called the FBI was irreparably broken, ill equipped to collect intelligence and disinclined to share it anyway. Mueller doubled the agent force on national security and tripling the number of analysts. Time concludes, however, that "even a decade's reform has not changed J. Edgar Hoover's gangbusters into a 21st century counterterrorist force." Mueller says it is good for the FBI to lend a hand to local police, but carjacking "is not one of the top priorities." Mueller says he is still "trying to drive out [ ] the usual metric of arrests, indictments and convictions by numbers." Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey is called Mueller's "preferred successor." |
NJ Legislators Ending Prison Releases Six Months Ahead of Schedule ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New Jersey legislators are moving toward eliminating the state's controversial early-release program, which allows some inmates out of prison six months ahead of schedule, reports the Newark Star-Ledger. Gov. Chris Christie and some lawmakers blamed the program for two homicides allegedly committed by inmates released early. Since the program began Jan. 3, 363 inmates have been released early, said the state parole board. Twenty-two been arrested for new crimes. That includes Antoine Trent, 25, and Tyree Brown, 24, who were accused of attacking a police officer in Union Township last week. |
More Police Watching Congress Members' Events as Threats Rise ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Since the Tucson shootings that seriously injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), U.S. Capitol Police have urged members of Congress to be more vigilant. Lawmakers' aides now coordinate public activities in home districts with local law enforcement authorities. There are new protocols for reporting death threats, strange phone calls, and suspicious Facebook postings, says the Washington Post. The Secret Service is planning seminars for lawmakers and their staffs on how to assess the security of venues to minimize risk at gatherings. There is cause for the concern. Between October and March, 53 serious threats against members of Congress were reported, a 13 percent increase from the same six-month period a year earlier. At the same time, the number of non-criminal cases (such as alarming but not specifically threatening e-mails or phone calls) jumped by 18 percent, to 1,211. "Unlike a year ago when it was all health care, these threats run the social-economic gamut: health, pay benefits, veterans issues, Medicare," said Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer. Gainer said federal and local prosecutors have filed more charges this year against suspected perpetrators than in previous years. "I'm not trying to paint the picture that the sky is falling," Gainer said. "But we're in some unique times, and there's still some unstable folks out there." In some places, securing a congressional event has required every police officer on duty. |
Finger-Pointing, Lobbying Continues As Meth Clean Up Funds Dry Up ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The loss of federal dollars for meth lab clean-ups has law-enforcement agencies nervous as they scramble to make up for the shortfall while the numbers of small-time meth labs are increasing across the nation, McClatchy Newspapers report. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration notified counties and states Feb. 22 that it could no longer pick up the tab to clean up the dangerous chemicals found in methamphetamine labs. Since federal funding evaporated, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations has spent $140,000 to clean up 50 labs. Now that money is gone too - potentially leaving local police and sheriffs to pay the bills. "We're in a situation that we need Congress to step up to the plate and provide this funding," said bureau director Greg McLeod. "They're passing the buck down to us." When Congress returns next week, the National Sheriffs Association will resume lobbying for funds. Recent congressional appropriations have run about $10 million a year, but the sheriffs think at least twice as much as needed. U.S. Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC), blamed Republican budget cutters, saying they "had no real idea what they were doing, they just cut at random." |
Some Employers Misuse Criminal Histories In Rejecting Applicants ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Internet and the proliferation of screening companies that perform background checks can cause problems for the 65 million Americans who have an arrest or conviction on their record, says the New York Times. The pool of job seekers includes more people with criminal histories than ever before, a legacy of stiffer sentencing and increased enforcement for crimes like drug offenses. "We're spending a tremendous amount of money incarcerating people and then creating a system where it's almost impossible for them to find gainful employment," said Adam Klein, an employment lawyer. Many companies screen out anyone who has a hint of criminal activity in his or her background, in violation of government guidelines that demand that employers take into account the severity of an offense, the length of time that has passed, and its relevance to the job in question. Studies on repeat criminality indicate that "it is no longer accurate to say that individuals with criminal records are always a higher risk than individuals without a criminal record," said criminologist Shawn Bushway of the University at Albany. |
NYC Police Accused of Violating Rights in Pot Arrests ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Police arrest 140 people every day in New York City for possessing small amounts of marijuana, says WNYC Radio in a two-part series. It's by far the most common misdemeanor charge in the city, and thousands of arrests take place when police stop-and-frisk young men in the poorest neighborhoods. While police say these stop-and-frisks are a way to find guns, what they find more often is a bag of marijuana. Some officers may be violating constitutional rights in pot arrests. Current and former cops, defense lawyers and more than a dozen men arrested for the lowest-level marijuana possession say illegal searches take place during stop-and-frisks--street encounters carried out overwhelmingly on blacks and Latinos. Antonio Rivera, 25, said he is stopped by police up to five times a month. In January, he said he was stopped and frisked, then arrested for marijuana possession. Critics say his case is an example of how officers may be conducting illegal searches when making marijuana arrests. Rivera said his marijuana was in his pants and police pulled it out of his clothes after searching him without his consent. Robin Steinberg of Bronx Defenders handles thousands of marijuana arrests a year. She said, in most of these cases, police either ordered the person to empty pockets or searched pockets themselves - that's how the drugs get into "public view," she said. "So the police officer in fact is creating a type of criminality." |
Steroid Use Believed Common Among Cops Who Want to Bulk Up ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One day after three Philadelphia police officers were arrested in an alleged steroids ring, area police leaders agreed that steroid use has become an unshakable, illegal vice among some badge-wearers who believe bulking up will give them a physical and psychological edge in crime-fighting, reports the Philadelphia Daily News. "It's something that you have to be aware of, especially if you have a younger department, because a lot of the officers want to enhance their physique, which they think will enhance their ability to do the job," said Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood. The three cops collared this week for allegedly selling and distributing steroids didn't admit using the muscle-boosters when they appeared in federal court. If appearance is any indication, they're their own best customers: Detective Keith Gidelson, 34, and Officer Joseph McIntyre, 36, strode into court with bulging biceps bursting from their T-shirts, while Officer George Sambuca, 25, opted for a long-sleeve T-shirt that hugged his stocky frame and flaunted his bulky biceps. Most departments don't routinely test for steroids when they screen new recruits for drugs or randomly drug-test officers. |
Newark's McCarthy Still a Chicago Finalist, Not Kerlikowske ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Chicago Police Board has chosen three finalists for the top cop job for Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel -- two from inside the department as well as police chief Garry McCarthy of Newark, reports the Chiago Tribune. Not on the list was White House drug czar and former Seattle police chief Gil Kerkilowske, who had interviewed for the job. The Chicago Police Board has chosen three finalists for the top cop job for Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel -- two from inside the department as well as police chief Garry McCarthy of Newark, reports the Chiago Tribune. Not on the list was White House drug czar and former Seattle police chief Gil Kerkilowske, who had interviewed for the job. The two finalists from within Chicago police ranks are Chief of Patrol Eugene Williams and Debra Kirby, deputy superintendent for the Bureau of Professional Standards. The three finalists have been interviewed by the board as well as by Emanuel, who has been conducting his own search. |
Santorum, Gingrich, Toomey to Address NRA Convention ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Presidential aspirant and former U.S. senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) is scheduled to address about 70,000 National Rifle Association members at the group's annual meeting in Pittsburgh today, says the Associated Press. The meeting began yesterday. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and freshman U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, another Pennsylvania Republican, are also scheduled to speak as part of Friday's Celebration of American Values Leadership Forum. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will be the convention's keynote speaker on Saturday night. The public portion of the convention runs through Sunday; the NRA's board of directors will meet through Tuesday. |
Federal Inmate Seeks to Ease Solitary Confinement After 28 Years ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thomas Silverstein remains in solitary confinement in the Supermax federal prison in Colorado nearly 28 years after he was placed there after killing a prison guard, says the Denver Post. In a lawsuit, Silverstein, 59, asked a judge to lessen his isolation, citing a spotless conduct record for more than two decades. The lawsuit chronicles his repeated but futile attempts to learn what, if anything, he could do to persuade prison officials to let him out of solitary so he could interact with other inmates and win back privileges, such as a prison job. Federal prosecutors argue that Silverstein's confinement, the longest of any federal prisoner, has been appropriate considering the danger he poses to prison officials, fellow inmates, and the public. They say Silverstein is a high-ranking member of the violent prison gang Aryan Brotherhood who has caused a prison riot, has committed other assaults on guards and continues to "call shots" for the gang - a claim Silverstein and his attorneys deny |
18-Year Dugard Kidnapping Case Nears End as Garridos Plead Guilty ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jaycee Lee Dugard expressed relief that Phillip and Nancy Garrido pleaded guilty to kidnapping and assaulting her, reports the Sacramento Bee. Nancy Garrido's attorney, Stephen Tapson, quoted his client as saying, "I don't want Jaycee and the kids to go through an actual trial." Dugard, now 30, is living with the two girls she bore to Phillip Garrido. The Garridos confessed to abducting Dugard in 1991 when she was 11 and holding her captive for 18 years. Under a plea agreement, Phillip Garrido, 60, will spend the rest of his life in prison, officially a 431-year term. Nancy Garrido, 55, would be eligible for parole only after serving about 31 years. The formal sentencing is June 2. |
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Friday, April 29, 2011
29 April 2011
28 April 2011
After TX Cop Killed, Chief Sends Two Officers on Domestic Violence Calls ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An investigation into the fatal shooting of a rookie Arlington, Tx., police officer has led to the firing of a dispatcher, the resignation of a 911 call taker, and a temporary change in how police officers will respond to domestic assault calls, reports the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram. While authorities say the errors made by the dispatcher and call taker did not contribute to officer Jillian Michelle Smith's death -- reporting that "there was nothing officers or dispatchers could have done to change the tragic outcome of this incident" -- they say communication failures and policy violations at the 911 Dispatch Center jeopardized other officers' lives. The 24-year-old officer was shot in the head on Dec. 28 by Barnes Samuel Nettles, a registered sex offender with a long criminal history, who also killed his ex-girlfriend Kimberly Deshay Carter before turning a gun on himself. Carter's 11-year-old daughter, who was at the apartment, escaped unharmed. Fire Chief Don Crowson found serious missteps that meant that police checking on Smith's welfare were not warned that she had been shot and that the gunman could still be at the apartment. Police Chief Theron Bowman said that for the time being, at least two police officers will respond to all domestic assault calls, even ones where the assailant has reportedly left the scene. Previously the policy was to dispatch one officer to low-priority calls, but Bowman said the department would review its policies and procedures to "see what lessons there are to be learned." |
2,515 Human Trafficking Probes Reported In 2 1/2 Years ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Most suspected incidents of human trafficking investigated between January 2008 and June 2010 involved allegations of adult prostitution (48 percent) or the prostitution or sexual exploitation of a child (40 percent), the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics reported today. More than 90 percent of the victims were female and most of the confirmed suspects were male. The study involved 2,515 incidents of suspected human trafficking investigated by federally funded task forces, led primarily by local law enforcement agencies. Although most incidents involved allegations of sex trafficking, 350 involved allegations of labor trafficking in unregulated industries such as drug sales, forced begging, or roadside sales or more commercial businesses such as hair salons, hotels, and bars. |
With Gasoline Prices Rising, Thefts Are Increasing, Too ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As the price of regular gasoline averages $3.88 a gallon, up $1.02 from last year and likely to climb higher, people increasingly are pumping gas and driving off without paying, stealing from other motorists, and ripping off large quantities from municipalities and businesses, reports USA Today. Gasoline thefts cost convenience store operators, which sell 80 percent of the fuel in the U.S., more than $90 million in 2009. "No question that's up," says National Association of Convenience Stores spokesman Jeff Lenard. "Any business that still allows you to pump gas first and then pay can be taken advantage of." Pump-first, pay-later gas outlets are mainly in the Midwest and West, where some chains, such as Maverik, are seeing increases in gas "drive-offs." The firm's Nancy Couch says drive-offs total about 1 percent of sales and typically increase as gas prices rise. In Moorhead, Mn., Police Chief David Ebinger is stepping up patrols to combat rising thefts at Stop-N-Go outlets. In Conover, N.C., 280 gallons of fuel were stolen from eight trucks at Penske truck rental |
First U.S. Grants to Get Men Involved in Preventing Intimate Violence ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The U.S. Justice Department's Office on Violence Against Women is awarding $6.9 million to 23 projects in the Engaging Men in Preventing Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence and Stalking grant program. It is the first time in the agency's history that a grant program directly encourages men to be part of such prevention efforts. The funding recipients include non-profit non-governmental victim services agencies; non-profit community based agencies; state domestic violence or sexual assault coalitions; an institution of higher education; a unit of local government; a tribal coalition; and a tribal non-profit victim services agency. The agency said it has an "ongoing commitment to support gender and culturally specific education on healthy relationships and strengthen existing community outreach efforts to men and boys." |
Houston Spends $27 Million Per Year On Mental Care in Jail ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In Houston's Harris County Jail, where a quarter of the 10,000 inmates receive constitutionally required mental health services for their diagnosable psychiatric conditions, Sheriff Adrian Garcia expects the numbers to grow, says the Houston Chronicle. "The cuts that we're hearing about are incredible," he said. "It's almost as if these people were invisible, as if there were no awareness of the problem within communities across the state of Texas, and particularly in Harris County." The jail already has more than 1,000 inmates housed in jails outside the county because of space problems. An influx of the mentally ill would exacerbate the problem. The jail has a special unit with 108 beds for the severely mentally ill. Nurses and doctors are on duty 24 hours a day. Taking care of the mentally ill behind bars instead of in the community, Garcia said, costs Harris County taxpayers about $27 million a year. In Bexar County, where Sheriff Amadeo Ortiz runs one of the most successful jail diversion programs in the nation, some 4,000 people with mental illnesses ended up in treatment last year instead of behind bars. Those diversions are credited with saving the county more than $15 million in 2009-10. San Antonio is the only police department in the country where the police chief has mandated an intensive 40-hour crisis-intervention training program for all officers. Despite those efforts, "our jail is still packed with inappropriate people," said Leon Evans of the county's Center for Mental Health Services. |
L.A. Eliminates Big Backlog Of Untested Rape Kits ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After 2 1/2 years chipping away at a backlog of DNA evidence that had been collected in thousands of rape cases and then was ignored, Los Angeles officials announced that all of the potentially crucial material had been analyzed, says the Los Angeles Times. In late 2008, then-police chief William Bratton acknowledged that more than 6,000 pieces of DNA evidence had sat untouched in LAPD storage freezers - some for longer than a decade - as the department's badly understaffed lab fell far behind on the workload. Police officials cobbled together several million dollars in federal grants, public funds. and private donations to cover the costs of outsourcing the testing to private labs. The mayor and police officials also pressed the City Council for permission to set aside funds to add more analysts to the LAPD's lab despite a citywide hiring freeze. Current Chief Charlie Beck he did not know how many new identifications and arrests have been made because of the backlog testing, but put the total in the "dozens." |
NJ High Court Says Police Must Retain Investigative Notes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The New Jersey Supreme Court has barred law enforcement officers from destroying notes they take while interviewing witnesses, victims, and suspects, saying defense attorneys should be allowed to view them so they can challenge official police reports, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. The decision, by a divided court, addresses the decades-old struggle of defense attorneys looking for possible errors, omissions, or inconsistencies that could help their clients. When asked for their notes, officers often say it's their department's policy to destroy them once the official report is written. The ruling is the latest of a number of decisions critical of cops' note-taking procedures. For the first time, the court imposed sanctions and includes notes about officers' observations at a crime scene as part of the list of documents that can't be destroyed. "We need not take much time to state, once more, that law enforcement officers may not destroy contemporaneous notes of interviews and observations at the scene of a crime after producing their final reports," temporary justice Edwin Stern wrote for the majority. "Logically, because an officer's notes may be of aid to the defense, the time has come to join other states that require the imposition of 'an appropriate sanction' whenever an officer's written notes are not preserved." Said Jon Shane of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, "What you're talking about is accountability. That's what the Supreme Court is imposing on policing. It's saying you can't have policing in a half-hearted manner. It has to be in a systematic manner." |
Charges in Phoebe Prince Bullying Death Case Being Reduced ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a case that made international headlines, five of the six defendants charged in connection with the bullying last year of a teenage Massachusetts girl who later committed suicide have agreed to admit to a misdemeanor, and in exchange prosecutors will drop more serious charges against them, the Boston Globe reports. The teen accused of bullying 15-year-old Phoebe Prince will be allowed to admit to the lesser crime of harassment. Prosecutors say three teens were angry with Prince because of her relationship with a teen boy, and said they relentlessly taunted her in person and on Facebook. Northeastern University criminologist James Alan Fox said, "The district attorney wanted to make a strong statement and draw a line in the said, which she did. But for so long, we ignored and tolerated bullying. And to say at this point, 'OK, we're going to throw the book at you' is the wrong approach. This is the better outcome." |
In Wave of Portland Shootings, Gang Worker Urges Adult Action ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fed up by recent shootings in Portland, gang outreach worker John Canda put out this call for action on his Facebook page, The Oregonian reports: "I need 100 strong men who are not afraid to stand with me in the streets of Portland to speak with youth who are robbing, stealing, selling drugs and gang banging who are shooting up our neighborhoods and killing each other. This needs to end now!" Last night, he urged the 33 who attended his first meeting to help him walk the city streets at night and on weekends to talk to teenagers so they don't resolve their disputes with guns. Canda's efforts come amid a wave of shootings, and three teenagers killed since March 19. Gang violence response team officers have been called to crime scenes 27 times this year, compared to 20 by the end of April 2010. Last year, the team had 93 call outs for gang-related violence, up from 68 in 2009. Canda has been doing gang outreach for more than two decades. He said he is motivated by the desire to keep his family and community safe. Building relationships with the teenagers, he acknowledged, won't happen overnight but needs to be a sustained effort. The simple presence of adults in the city's hot spots could help deter the violence, he argued. "We have to be in the places they are," Canda said. "You're not going to be able to round up a group of kids and, take them up to the precinct and say, 'OK, tell us whatever you know.' " |
Utah Failed to Supervise Parolee Committing $27 Million Fraud: Suit ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A group of investors is suing Utah, alleging the state failed to supervise a convicted felon on parole who defrauded them out of $27 million, reports the Salt Lake Tribune. Richard Ames Higgins, 63, formed Madison Real Estate Group in 2005 after serving a prison sentence for fraud. Despite multiple convictions, the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole failed to enforce conditions of his parole, which included having his employment approved by a parole officer and a prohibition on handling other people's money, charges the lawsuit. "We hear repeatedly from Utah officials decrying Utah's reputation as the nation's 'fraud capital,' " says the lawsuit by attorney Marcus Mumford. "This action seeks to hold the state responsible for its own acts and omissions in allowing one of the more notorious and recent Utah frauds." Mumford said the state was negligent in not supervising Higgins and also didn't respond to a letter demanding compensation, thereby waiving any immunity protections from lawsuits. The people who filed suit told the state in 2008 that Higgins may have violated his parole, and it was revoked. He was released again in March 2010. |
Montana Maintains Maximum Life Penalty For Distributing Pot ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Get caught passing marijuana to a friend in Montana and you could end up facing life in prison, in theory, at least. In reality, says The Missoulian, "Nobody is ever going to ask for life in prison, ever," said Deputy Missoula County Attorney Andrew Paul, who prosecutes drug cases. Brant Light, who heads the Montana Department of Justice's Prosecution Services Bureau, said that while the while the state laws "do not differentiate between substances or amounts, the reality is judges by and large are not sentencing young, first-time offenders to prison for selling small amounts of marijuana. For first-time offenders, probation is typical, says the Public Defender's Office. The fact that the penalty remains on the books rattles marijuana proponents. Montana's law is among the toughest in the nation, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. In Oregon, California, and Ohio, for instance, "gifts" of small amounts of pot are violations or misdemeanors. And many states take the amount involved into consideration when it comes to the sale and distribution of marijuana. Alabama has a potential life sentence for marijuana offenses, but only for selling to minors, or trafficking more than 1,000 pounds. Montana's U.S. attorney, Michael Cotter, says he would prosecute businesses unlawfully marketing marijuana. |
FBI Lacking In Expertise To Investigate Cyber Attacks on U.S. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Many FBI agents assigned to an elite cyber investigative unit lack the skills needed to investigate cases of cyberespionage and other computerized attacks on the U.S. says a Justice Department inspector general's report quoted by the Christian Science Monitor. The U.S. is under increasing cyberattack, with 5,499 known intrusions into U.S. government computer systems in 2008 alone, a 40 percent jump from 2007. More than a third of agents in various FBI field offices told the inspector general "that they lacked the networking and counterintelligence expertise to investigate national security [computer] intrusion cases." "There are about 1,000 security people in the U.S. who have the specialized security skills to operate at world-class levels in cyberspace - we need 10,000 to 30,000," Jim Gosler, founding director of the CIA's Clandestine Information Technology Office, told the private Center for Strategic and International Studies. |
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Articles for 27 April 2011
St. Paul Takes New Approach To New Gang Members: Invite Them In ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ St. Paul police gang investigators had been tracking violence involving a group called the 18th Street gang for more than a year when new information deepened their resolve: 11 girls were to be "jumped in" to the gang April 18. They executed 17 search warrants on homes of people associated with the gang, but police decided to take a different approach from arresting them all, Paul Iovino, who heads the gang unit, tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Instead, police invited the teens and young adults, along with their families, to an informational meeting at the Neighborhood House, a West Side social services agency. "The message was, 'Parents, your kids are involved in gang activity, and it's not acceptable and won't be condoned in the city of St. Paul,' " Iovino said. Various community organizations were on hand to talk about resources for getting the young people out of gang life, he said. As for the girls who were supposed to be initiated into the gang, Iovino said, "To the best of our knowledge, we think we did thwart it. |
Michigan Reports Heroin Use Surge; A Quick, Easy High ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Michigan is reporting a surge in heroin use, says the Detroit News. The number of people seeking treatment in state-sponsored programs has nearly doubled since 2003. The number of uninsured people treated for heroin at Genesee County Community Mental Health ages 18-29 increased sixfold to 28 percent since 2003. The state-funded agency for substance abuse services refers uninsured, underinsured and Medicaid recipients to facilities and programs for treatment. "It's a pretty huge increase," said Kristie Schmiege, director of substance abuse services for the agency. It may come down to economics: It's a quick, easy high at $10-$20 a hit. A boy, 19, died from a heroin overdose recently; a boy, 22, died after taking Opana, a drug similar to morphine. The 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health said that 180,000 people used heroin for the first time in the previous year - "significantly more" than the average annual number reported from 2002-08. The spike is due partly to higher opiate production in places like Afghanistan and Mexico, Schmiege said. "It's very available." |
Did P. Diddy, New York Rangers Also Get Cheap Police Escorts? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After Charlie Sheen's 80-mph Washington, D.C., police escort downtown from Dulles Airport, New York City officials are investigating reports that P. Diddy left a Manhattan concert Friday surrounded by New York police cars with flashing lights. Last weekend, the Washington, D.C., escorted the New York Rangers to and from the playoff game at the Verizon Center, reports the Washington Post. The three incidents run counter to official policies that reserve motorcades for security purposes. D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said police escorts are only for the president, vice-president or others who require "extra-ordinary protective measures." New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg told the New York Post: "The bottom line is the police department should treat everybody exactly the same. If you don't get a police escort, P. Diddy shouldn't." Turns out police escorts come cheap: Sheen's promoter paid $445.68 for his escort, and the hockey team ponied up $840. |
Greg Suhr Appointed San Francisco Police Chief ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ San Francisco Police Capt. Greg Suhr, a 30-year police veteran whose roller-coaster career has included command of two of the city's toughest station houses and an indictment for allegedly conspiring to obstruct justice, is Mayor Ed Lee pick to be police chief, says the San Francisco Chronicle. Suhr, 52, replaces Jeff Godown, who has been acting chief since early January when George Gascon moved over to become district attorney in the final hours of former Mayor Gavin Newsom's administration. Suhr's most recent command was in the high-crime Bayview district, where homicides have dropped nearly 50 percent since he took over as station-house commander in October 2009. "I feel very good about this. It's the best choice. We definitely have a leader," said Lee, who repeatedly interviewed each of the three finalists sent to him by the Police Commission before making the call over the weekend. The other finalists were Cmdr. Daniel Mahoney, who had no experience running station houses, and an outsider whose name has not been revealed. |
Cincinnati Whittles Police Chief Candidates to 10 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A list of 45 candidates who applied to be Cincinnati's top cop has been winnowed to 10 - four internal candidates and six external - including one who retired from his rank as chief just weeks ago, amid scrutiny over how he handled the death of a police recruit during a training exercise, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Bruce Marquis retired as chief in Norfolk, Va., on April 1 after police recruit John Kohn died during a training exercise. Marquis' acting replacement alleged Marquis lied about how the department handled the case. Other finalists include Reading, Pa., chief William Heim, Brian Jordan, a retired police captain from Washington, D.C., John King, who resigned as Gaithersburg, Md., police chief, Louis Vega, a former assistant chief in Miami, and James Craig, police chief of Portland, Me. The remaining four candidates are internal, including Lt. Col James Whalen, son of the former Police Chief Lawrence Whalen. |
Reported Florida Crime At Lowest Level In 40 Years ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Reported crime in Orange County, Fl., tumbled by double digits last year, the largest decrease in Central Florida, says the Orlando Sentinel. "We have accomplished this by focusing our efforts on community policing initiatives that reduce the prevalence of street drugs by arresting repeat offenders and by taking over 1,000 firearms off the streets," said Sheriff Jerry Demings. Statewide, overall crime decreased by 6.6 percent, reaching a 40-year low and prompting Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey to declare public safety a "Florida priority." University of Central Florida sociology department chair Jay Corzine is not surprised by the local decrease. He said husband-and-wife pair Jerry Demings and Orlando Police Chief Val Demings have been "proactive" leaders of the two largest law-enforcement agencies in Orange County. "They work to take illegal guns and drugs off the street," Corzine said. Crime has steadily decreased since it peaked in 1988, when Florida was in the midst of a crack-cocaine epidemic and violence soared. |
Homicides, Nonfatal Shootings Rise in Detroit During 1st Quarter ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The number of homicides and nonfatal shootings in Detroit were up during the first quarter of this year compared with the same period in 2010, while several other crimes saw declines, reports the Detroit Free Press. Police Chief Ralph Godbee Jr. said he wants to be open about the city's crime statistics. An event yesterday was the first in a series of quarterly reports he plans to give to the community. "We have to get well beyond egos and how things look," Godbee said. Lt. Dwayne Blackmon, who heads the police homicide unit, said there had been 67 homicides during the first quarter, up from 60 last year. The department reported 91 homicides through April 17. Two dozen of those killings happened in just over two weeks this month. Through April 17, there were 306 fewer reported robberies, 874 fewer burglaries, 1,147 fewer assaults and 32 fewer rapes than in the same period last year. Godbee said that, as the department's manpower shrinks, calls will have to be prioritized. |
Inmates Still Use Typewriters, but Federal Prisons Introduce Email ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Debunking a report that the world's last typewriter factory is closing, The Daily Feed newsletter says the Moonachie, N.J.-based Swintec produces typewriters in China, Japan, and Indonesia, and one of its best markets is U.S. prisons. "We have contracts with correctional facilities in 43 states to supply clear typewriters for inmates so they can't hide contraband inside them," says the firm's general manager, Ed Michael. "We even make clear cassette ribbons for them." Swintec makes slightly different typewriters for different facilities, depending on an institution's specific regulations. New York State permits inmates 7K of memory, Washington State allows 64K, and Michigan lets prisoners have 128K machines. For the most restrictive institutions, Swintec manufactures typewriters with no memory. Even in prisons, typewriters may lose the battle to email. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons has started an inmate computer system called TRULINCS. It lets inmates send and receive email (up to 13,000 characters) at dedicated kiosks without allowing them access to the Internet. It is expected to be fully up and running in all BOP facilities by June. On the state level, Washington -- one of Swintec's customers -- is also experimenting with email, which prisons director Dan Pacholke asserts "reduces smuggling threats and costs less to process and read than paper mail." |
Ex-Dallas Chief, Running for Mayor, Won't Take on Burglar Alarm Issue ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dallas mayoral candidate and former police chief David Kunkle opposes required police response to business burglar alarms, but won't take the issue on as a politician, fearing a tough-on-crime backlash, says Scott Henson in his Grits for Breakfast blog. While Kunkle was chief, he cited the 97 percent false burglary alarm rate and said that false alarm dispatches are the single greatest waste of U.S. law enforcement resources. Henson says "this is an instance where tuff-on-crime politics interferes with good public policy and common sense. The small minority being subsidized by police responses to alarms are extremely vocal and well-organized by alarm companies." As chief, Kunkle said that the 86 percent of Dallas citizens and businesses without burglar alarms were subsidizing alarm responses for the 14 per cent who have them. |
Resentencing Hearing Ordered for PA Death Row Inmate Abu-Jamal ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams will appeal a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals yesterday awarding convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal a new sentencing, says the Philadelphia Daily News. Abu-Jamal, 57, was convicted in 1982 of killing police officer Daniel Faulkner and was sentenced to death. The appeals court says there should be a new sentencing hearing because death-penalty jury instructions were misleading. Judith Ritter, a Widener University law professor who represents Abu-Jamal, said the state had "long ago abandoned the confusing and misleading instructions and verdict slip" that were relied on at Abu-Jamal's trial in order to "prevent unfair and unjust death sentences." Williams said that the jury instructions were "fair and appropriate" when Abu-Jamal was sentenced and that he has "to apply the laws that were in place" in 1982. Yesterday's ruling was the latest in a 29-year legal drama that is likely to continue for years. Abu-Jamal has become a cause célèbre among foes of capital punishment |
Las Vegas Leads Urban Counties In Death Penalty Cases Per Capita ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Las Vegas's Clark County has more pending death penalty cases per capita than any other urban county in the U.S., according to Paola Armeni of Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice. Using her numbers, which District Attorney David Roger is not disputing, Clark County has 80 defendants facing pending trials in which prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, writes Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Jane Ann Morrison. Maricopa County, Az., is No. 1 with about 130 pending death penalty cases, but that county has twice the population of Clark County. Armeni believes that District Attorney Roger seeks the death penalty often as a negotiating tool. Public Defender Phil Kohn attributes the high number to Roger's refusal to negotiate with defense attorneys for life without parole in exchange for dropping the death penalty. Roger countered it's because the crimes warrant the death penalty under Nevada law, which spells out the aggravating circumstances where death is appropriate. What isn't disputed? Death penalty cases are more expensive because there are different standards when a life is at risk. The defendant gets two attorneys, and more research and investigation is required |
University Moves Russian Lit Class to VA Juvenile Prison ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Of all the names that have echoed off the walls of Virginia's Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center over the decades, Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky are among the least likely, says the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Beaumont, since 1918 the home for some of the state's most dangerous youths, this year hosted a University of Virginia Russian literature class attended by 14 U.Va. students and 21 high- and medium-security offenders. The classic 19th-century stories served as vehicles for conversation about contemporary issues for two groups of students who at first glance appear to be peers in age only, said instructor Andrew Kaufman. "Even though the common ground here is the discussion about literature, what makes the conversation so interesting is that they're really conversations about life," he said. "I think they're discovering that great literature can be, and is, relevant, personally, to an unusually wide range of people." Every week, Kaufman and his students - most of them women - passed through chain-link gates and reinforced, electrically operated security doors to get to the classroom. The university funded the course, called Books Behind Bars: Life, Literature and Community Leadership. Bayly Buck, a senior from Chevy Chase, Md., said students were extremely curious about Beaumont. "These men genuinely wanted to take part in these discussions and they wanted to learn from us and I think they wanted us to learn from them," Buck said. |
Articles 26 April 2011
Holder Urges States To Review Laws Imposing Curbs On Ex-Prisoners ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Attorney General Eric Holder is urging states to eliminate legal burdens on ex-convicts that do not imperil public safety. In a letter last week to all state governors and attorneys general, he said some restrictions such as the prohibition on gun possession, "serve meaningful public safety goals." Others, such as the "denial of employment and housing opportunities, do not, and research reveals that gainful employment and stable housing are key factors that enable people with criminal convictions to avoid future arrests and incarceration," he wrote. Holder pledged that the Obama administration would "conduct a similar review of federal collateral consequences" of criminal convictions. He said that the Justice Department's National Institute of Justice funded a study by the American Bar Association that has found 38,000 statutes that impose consequences on people convicted of crimes, an average of about 700 per state or territory. The study can be found at http://isrweb.isr.temple.edu/projects/accproject |
Holder Sets Priorities: Terrorism, Violent Crime, Financial Fraud ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Attorney General Eric Holder, a longtime target of congressional Republicans, one of whom recently called for his resignation, made it clear yeterday that he is not going anywhere, reports the Washington Post. In a speech at Justice Department headquarters, he defended his two-year tenure and sketched out his priorities going forward, vowing to fight terrorism, violent crime, and financial fraud. "Without question, the results that we've achieved have been historic," Holder told more than 150 employees. "But I am not yet satisfied.'' Gone was the grim attorney general who abruptly ended a news conference this month after losing his battle to try the accused Sept. 11, 2001, conspirators in federal court. He took on critics who have questioned his efforts to revamp the department's civil rights division, which internal watchdogs say had been politicized in the George W. Bush administration. |
Houston Hot Spot Policing Tamped Down Property Crime, Not Violence ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Houston frequently has used "hot spot" policing, sending extra officers to an area where crime is increasing. The Houston Chronicle says a study commissioned by the Houston Police Department found that dispatching members of its 70-officer Crime Reduction Unit to neighborhoods didn't always have the results they were looking for. In four different deployments, teams did not reduce violent crime but did tamp down property crime, said the Police Research Center at Sam Houston State University. "There was no statistical evidence to show that the CRU presence had a significant impact on violent crime," said the 2009 study. One police official said the study may be used as justification to eliminate or downsize the unit as Police Chief Charles McClelland searches for ways to meet a $39 million budget reduction target for fiscal 2012. Former Chief Harold Hurtt established the unit in 2007 with 60 officers, and they have been deployed "hot spots" in the city with the highest crime rates. The unit's orders are to take gang members, drug traffickers, and illegal guns off the streets. |
Ousted Phoenix Chief: "Don't Inject Politics Into the Police Department" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Former Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris, who was forced out as Public Safety Manager, blames politics. He tells the Arizona Republic that most police chiefs "leave because of politics. Rarely do you see a major-city chief terminated because of incompetence or a criminal act or something. It's almost always that the political atmosphere changed and the new power structure wants their own person, and they try to force you out. I think that's what happened to me. There were new faces in the City Council, a new city manager and constant pressure from the union." Harris said the became involved in a dispute with the police union, "wanted us to become very involved in [immigration enforcement], and I didn't." Harris' advice to Phoenix leaders: "Don't inject politics into the police department and the position of police chief. If you let politics in and let the council influence who the police chief will be, then the chief is beholden to politicians. You want the police department outside politics." |
Newark's McCarthy Has Edge If Emanuel Picks Outsider in Chicago ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The competition to become Chicago's next police superintendent has come down to a three-man race between a veteran Chicago cop and a pair of outsiders, with a final decision possible this week, reports the Chicago-Sun Times. The top three are: Newark Police Chief Garry McCarthy; White House drug czar R. Gil Kerlikowske and Chicago's deputy chief-of-detectives Al Wysinger. Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel was asked Monday whether an outsider can improve the morale problems that dogged career FBI agent Jody Weis. "My No. 1 goal [ ] is what do we have to do to reduce violent crime in the city," he said. If Emanuel chooses to go with an outsider, McCarthy appears to have the edge. That's because of his background as a street cop and the role he once played as the driving force behind the CompStat program credited with dramatically reducing New York City's homicide rate. Kerlikowske is a former Seattle police chief. His current job as drug czar would likely make him more of a federal bureaucrat in the eyes of rank-and-file Chicago Police officers. That could be a liability after Weis. A hitch for McCarthy could be a 2005 disorderly conduct conviction stemming from his attempt to get his daughter out of a parking ticket. |
Newark Homicide Total Jumps After Major Police Layoffs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Three fatal shootings in the last two days pushed Newark's homicide total to 29 this year, a 71 percent jump in killings compared with the same period in 2010, as violent crime surges following police layoffs, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. Several of the most recent slayings claimed the lives of innocent bystanders, including a 49-year-old man who was shot several times outside of a chicken restaurant late on Easter Sunday. Newark has suffered steady increases in violent crime and property crime since the city laid off 167 police officers in November. Police union leaders, who have frequently criticized the administration of Mayor Cory Booker since the layoffs, were quick to blame the crime spike on a lack of manpower. "I think it just comes down to the people on the street. The bad guys know we're not out there, and it has an effect on how they operate," said James Stewart Jr., vice president of Newark's Fraternal Order of Police. "That's why the shootings have increased dramatically, that's why the homicides are up." |
OH Man Who Served 30 Years Wrongfully Gets $2.59 Million ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A record $2.59 million settlement has been awarded in Ohio to Ray Towler for serving nearly 30 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit, reports the Columbus Dispatch. Towler will report for work this morning in a corporate Cleveland mailroom, where he plans to remain through this summer even after his money arrives in about a week. Towler, 53, who works for Medical Mutual of Ohio, says, "I don't want this money to change who I am or what I become. I was lucky to find a job when I got out, and I'm not going to just run out on them." A state board approved the settlement yesterday, nearly one year after Towler was released from prison. Only a handful of the 268 men who have been exonerated nationally by DNA testing have served more time than Towler. Towler was the third man to be proved innocent in connection with a Columbus Dispatch investigation, "Test of Convictions." Towler was serving 12 years to life for rape, felonious assault and kidnapping for a 1981 abduction. The victims, a 12-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy, said a man lured them into the woods. DNA testing proved that semen found in the girl's underwear was not Towler's |
Neighbors Would Like Gov. Cuomo to Shut Down Sing Sing Prison ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Some economically ailing communities in upstate New York are preparing for bad news that Gov. Andrew Cuomo plans to close their local state prison to save money. The New York Times says that in Ossining, a Hudson River village 45 minutes from midtown Manhattan, residents are pleading with Cuomo to close their Sing Sing prison. Local officials argue that Sing Sing now an awkward fit for its locale. What was a blue-collar village suitable for the rough-and-tumble of prisoners and guards now is an upscale suburb fit for backyard cocktail parties. Several local and state lawmakers wrote to Cuomo this month asking to close "the big House," as Sing Sing has been called, and move its 1,725 inmates to a new or refurbished prison upstate where communities would welcome the jobs. The want Sing Sing's 60-acre riverside property to be turned into condos and shops that will generate taxes for local government and raise property values. It may not happen, because Cuomo wants to eliminate minimum- and medium-security facilities where there are more empty beds and not maximum-security prisons like Sing Sing. |
Household Gun Ownership Drops To 32.3% ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Household gun ownership in the U.S. has dropped to its lowest level since it peaked in 1977, says the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group the Violence Policy Center. Analyzing new data from the General Social Survey of the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, the Violence Policy Center said household gun ownership peaked in 1977, when more than half (54 percent) of American households reported having any guns. By 2010, that number had dropped more than 20 percentage points to 32.3 percent of American households reporting having any guns, the lowest level ever recorded by the survey. Personal gun ownership peaked in 1985, when 30.7 percent of Americans reported owning a gun. By 2010, this number had dropped nearly 10 percentage points to 20.8 percent. |
Camden Chief Thomson Getting PERF Innovative Policing Award ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Camden, N.J,. Police Chief Scott Thomson's uses of technology and increased street patrols in one of the nation's most dangerous cities will be recognized Friday with the Gary Hayes Award for innovative policing from the Police Executive Research Forum, says the Philadelphia Inquirer. "No community has had to face what he's had to face," said PERF director Chuck Wexler. "He's had to change the way he polices." Facing a $26.5 million budget deficit, Camden laid off 163 police officers in January. With almost half of his force gone in a single day, Thomson reduced administrative functions and put virtually every officer on the street. On April 1, the city was able to bring back 55 staff members through a federal grant and a $2.5 million payment from the South Jersey Port Corp. Violent crime in the nine-square-mile city has trended downward, despite an increase in gun violence. That momentum began in the fall and continued this year, even after the layoffs. Experts say that it takes a year or two to identify trends, but that small snapshots are noteworthy. The spike in shootings is a reason for concern. Eye in the Sky surveillance cameras will soon total 81 in the city. "Technology is not a luxury in Camden," Wexler said, "it's a necessity." |
Nashville Program Called Model For Getting Women Out of Prostitution ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nashville is trying to break the cycle of prostitutiton, NPR reports in a three-part series. More than 1,100 people were arrested in the city last year for prostitution and solicitation. Some of t hem go to a program called Magdalene that was founded in 1997 by Becca Stevens, an Episcopal priest who grew up in Nashville and who had been abused as a child. Magdalene is a two-year private residential rehab center for women with criminal histories of prostitution and drug addiction. Magdalene has graduated more than 150 women and has raised $12 million in private funds. It offers an intensified program of housing, counseling and training, based on a 12-step model. Women stay free for the two years they're there. It is becoming a national model for others trying to help women trapped by prostitution. Therapy occurs in Magdalene's six group homes, where the women live unsupervised. The women also make bath and body oils and candles at a workshop called Thistle Farms - products that Stevens says promote healing. Magdalene also helps run "john schools," aimed at educating male clients who are arrested for hiring prostitutes about various aspects of prostitution. Only first-time offenders may enroll |
Center for Court Innovation Launches New Website ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Center for Court Innovation, a public-private partnership in New York City that tests "problem-solving" court reforms, has launched a new website, http://courtinnovation.org. One highlight of the new site is a series of podcasts by criminal justice leaders such as Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker, and David Kennedy of John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Downloadable at the site is "Daring to Fail," a collection of interviews with leaders in a variety of fields - prosecution, policing, community corrections, indigent defense, and others - about leadership, management, and innovation. The volume is part of a study of criminal justice reform by the court center and the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance. The book's co-author, Aubrey Fox, has opened up an office for the center in London to provide technical assistance for British projects that resemble experiments sponsored by the center in the U.S. |
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