12 Sep 2011

Has All The Homeland Security Spending Made Us Safer? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The U.S. Homeland Security Department, established in 2002, absorbed 22 federal agencies, with the idea of unifying homeland security efforts. NPR asks whether it has made us safer. Former congressman Lee Hamilton, co-chair of the federal 9/11 commission, says, "It is not seamless yet by any means. It is not easy to get all these people working together." DHS has funneled $35 billion to local communities. That money has gone for the useful, such as new radios and computers to allow first responders from different communities to better communicate. Do communities need an armored vehicle with a machine gun turret and chemical gas injector costing $300,000 in the name of homeland security? Prof. John Mueller of Ohio State University believes homeland security spending has far surpassed the actual risk of a terrorist attack. He says the U.S. should use a more risk-based approach in deciding how to spend money. NPR

U.S. Homeland Security Spending in Decade: $360 Billion ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Osama bin Laden bragged that he would bankrupt the United States. Newsweek totals homeland security expenditures in the past decade at $360 billion. During that period, law-enforcement and intelligence agencies have foiled dozens of attacks. The magazine estimates various other expenses related to homeland security. It's into the trillions of dollars if war spending is included. Newsweek

Florida Enforcing Law Barring Local Gun-Control Measures ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Signs saying "No Guns Allowed" are being stripped from many Florida government buildings, libraries, and airports, reports the New York Times. Local ordinances that bar people from shooting weapons in their yards, firing up into the air, or taking guns into parks are coming off the books. Since 1987, local governments in Florida have been banned from creating and enforcing their own gun ordinances. Few cities and counties paid attention, though, believing that places like Miami might need to be more restrictive than others. This year the legislature passed a new law that imposes fines on counties and municipalities that do not do away with and stop enforcing their own firearms and ammunition ordinances by Oct. 1. Mayors and council and commission members will risk a $5,000 fine and removal from office if they "knowingly and willfully violate" the law. Towns that enforce their ordinances risk a $100,000 fine. State lawmakers who supported the bill, which was backed by the National Rifle Association, said local governments were overreacting, particularly since the original law that pre-empted local gun ordinances was passed in 1987. "The notion that a city ordinance stops violence is patently absurd," said State Representative Matt Gaetz, who sponsored the bill. "People lawfully carrying weapons with permits are rarely part of the problem." The law seeks to protect licensed gun owners who travel from county to county and may not be familiar with the patchwork of rules that dictate where they can carry and shoot a gun. New York Times

Supreme Court GPS Case Reviews Rulings That Cite Orwell ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In rulings on the use of satellites and cellphones to track criminal suspects, judges have been citing George Orwell' "1984" to sound an alarm, says the New York Times. They say the Fourth Amendment's promise of protection from government invasion of privacy is in danger of being replaced by the futuristic surveillance state Orwell described. In November, the Supreme Court will take up the question of whether police need a warrant to attach a GPS device to a suspect's car and track its movements for weeks at a time? The main Supreme Court precedent, a case called U.S. v. Knotts, is almost 30 years old. It allowed the use of a much more primitive technology, a beeper that sent a signal that grew stronger as the police drew closer and helped them follow a car over a single 100-mile trip from Minnesota to Wisconsin. The Supreme Court said no warrant was required but warned that "twenty-four hour surveillance of any citizen of the country" using "dragnet-type law enforcement practices" may violate the Fourth Amendment. New York Times

Seattle Green River Killer Sheriff Spokesman Stepping Down ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sgt. John Urquhart, who is quitting after 11 years as spokesman for Seattle's King County Sheriff's Office, is a self-described news junkie who sees the media as an integral part of a democratic society, says the Seattle Times. He says the news media "are the watchdog on government and we put bad guys in jail. We need both in this country." Urquhart handled media relations during the infamous Green River killer serial case. Urquhart, 63, is so trusted by his colleagues that he's allowed to attend briefings at murder scenes and send out news releases without getting them approved first. "I want 100 percent of the information so I can give [the media] an accurate 10 percent. I want to give you enough information to tell the public what happened without compromising our investigation," he says. "No matter how much I believe in the public's right to know, the investigation has to come first." Seattle Times

How Fusion Centers Work to Prevent Terrorist Attacks ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Austin Regional Intelligence Center is one of more than 70 "fusion centers" that have sprung up across the U.S., says the Austin American-Statesman. Initially funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, it operates by sharing information about organized crime, serial criminals, and terrorism among 40 law enforcement agencies in three Texas counties. It also shares information at the state and federal level. The center "actually is a direct result, in some respects, of recognizing the deficiencies in law enforcement after 9/11," said David Carter, an assistant chief with the Austin Police Department. Carter said the center helps prevent terrorism because it utilizes police reports and information from across the region. For example, if someone bought a large quantity of chemicals in one city, and guns in another, and that information was tipped off to police, the center can begin building information on the suspects - putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Retired Adm. Bobby Inman, former director of the National Security Agency and deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, believes that better sharing of intelligence could have stopped the 9/11 attacks before they happened. "It was an intelligence failure," said Inman, who teaches at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. "The fundamental flaw was a failure to share information." While the stated goal of fusion centers is to prevent terrorism and fight organized crime by sharing information, they have come under fire in some cases with people being targeted - or perceiving themselves as being targeted - because of their political activities.

Connecticut State Police Union Sues to Block Trooper Layoff ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Does Connecticut need 1,248 state troopers, or is that number an unenforceable, feel-good requirement passed by lawmakers following a high-profile 1998 murder? That debate may get settled because of Gov. Dannel Malloy's decision to lay off rookie state police officers, reports the Connecticut Post. On Thursday, a judge is scheduled to hear arguments in a Connecticut State Police Union lawsuit over the 56 job cuts. At the heart of the case is the union's insistence that the administration is bound by a 1998 law to maintain a minimum of 1,248 sworn officers. There are now 1,064 troopers. Since it passed the measure, the state legislature has sent mixed signals about its intent in adopting the minimum staffing level. According to court documents submitted last week by the state police union, the law was passed after troopers responding to a 911 call arrived too late to prevent the Jan. 3, 1998, murder of Heather Messenger. The state, the union maintains, had 960 sworn troopers at the time and a staffing study determined 1,300 were needed. Connecticut Post

Indianapolis Studies Change to Police Chase Policy After Deaths ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bonnie Wittman has been waiting 28 years for Indianapolis police to change their chase policy. In 1983, says the Indianapolis Star, her husband, Fred, was killed by a suspected drunken driver being pursued by police. Wittman was encouraged when she heard -- after two teens died last month while fleeing police in a stolen vehicle -- that the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is considering a policy to reduce pursuits. "It just seems like there is a certain mentality with police that because they can chase someone, they will chase someone," said Wittman, 57. "That's not much of a rationale." That mind-set might not be easy to change. Many police officers are expected to oppose a change. "We don't want to just change something because we are reacting to a recent event," Public Safety Director Frank Straub said. The Police Executive Research Forum presented options for a stricter policy in June. Complicating the timetable is the mayoral election in November. Democratic challenger Melina Kennedy has said she would get rid of Straub if she is elected. Indianapolis Star

AZ Domestic Violence Victims Get Protection Orders from Hospital ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A unique Maricopa County program is providing an easier and safer way for victims of domestic violence to get restraining orders without walking into a courtroom, says the Arizona Republic. Since the county started a videoconferencing program last January, at least 60 domestic-violence victims have obtained orders of protection against their abusers from their hospital rooms. Typically at the end of their stay, victims hospitalized have the opportunity to request an order of protection by video. Only three people are involved in the process. The victim is in the hospital room with a domestic-violence advocate who has been taking care of the victim throughout his or her stay. The third person is Justice of the Peace Rachel Carrillo, who sits by herself in a courtroom. The process is designed to create a safe, private space so that victims feel comfortable enough to open up about their situations. They do not have to face their abusers in a courtroom setting. The videoconferencing program has been lauded nationally as an innovative county program. It was the brainchild of Carrillo and Dena Salter, family-violence program coordinator at Maricopa Medical Center, who is one of the hospital's four advocates for domestic-violence victims. "The victim has even more power and control over the situation than handing it over to somebody else," Salter said of the program. Arizona Republic

FL Prosecutors Say Teens Commit Repeat Crimes, Get Probation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A new type of career criminal is emerging - neighborhood teens. They're breaking into cars, burglarizing homes and robbing people on the street, reports the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Police and prosecutors say they are seeing hard-core youth committing burglaries and robberies over and over again and that they are largely helpless to stop what's happening. Some have been arrested dozens of times in the span of their short life, often while they are on probation or awaiting trial for earlier charges. In Fort Lauderdale, a police analysis shows that a small group of teens - just 50 youths; some as young as 13 - were charged with almost 700 crimes last year. They accounted for more than half of all the juvenile arrests in the city. Police brass believe the youths are partly to blame for a recent increase in property crime. "We aren't talking about kids arrested for the first time and whether they can be rehabilitated," Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Frank Adderley said. "These are prolific offenders, and there is no incentive for them to stop. They have no fear and know the justice system is a revolving door." Prosecutors say teens who commit property crime usually are sentenced to probation. At most, they are sent to a residential treatment facility for about six months. Juveniles also cannot be held for more than 21 days while awaiting trial regardless of the charges or their history. South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Miami Chief Exposito's Fate May Be Decided Monday ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A hearing last Friday to decide the fate of Miami Police Chief Miguel Exposito turned into theater of the absurd, reports the Miami Herald. The city manager bumbled his way through the first few hours, and cops, lawyers, and commissioners got into screaming matches over legal technicalities. After 17 hours of bluster, and at times blistering cross examination, commissioners didn't finish what they had set out to do: Determine whether Exposito should be fired for disobeying orders from City Manager Johnny Martinez. That - in all likelihood - will be decided some Monday when commissioners gather once again, this time to hear summations from the attorneys and vote to decide whether or not the chief should stay Miami Herald

FBI Virtually Eliminates Backlog of DNA Samples ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An internal Justice Department review said the FBI has "effectively eliminated" its backlog of DNA samples collected from federal arrestees, convicted offenders, and non-U.S. citizens detained in the country, reports Legal Times. The FBI reviews DNA samples to aid law enforcement investigators working on unsolved cases. Last December, the FBI reported a backlog of 312,000 samples that had not been processed. Justice's Inspector General's office said that by this May, the backlog had fallen to about 14,000 samples. The FBI has the ability to analyze 60,000 samples a month. The report said the FBI reduced the number of untested samples through a strategy that included additional hiring and a reconfiguring of laboratory space for more efficient processing. U.S. Justice Department/Legal Times