20 Sept 2011

Public Surveillance Cameras Can Help Cut Crime: Report ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A study of public surveillance cameras found that the technology's effectiveness as a crime deterrent depends almost entirely on how a police department incorporates the surveillance footage into their daily operations, says The Crime Report. When fully incorporated into community policing, authors of the Urban Institute study found, the technology can save a city as much as $4.30 for every dollar spent on it. The study, the first comprehensive U.S. examination of how public surveillance cameras are used in law enforcement, focused on Chicago, Baltimore, and Washington D.C. While Chicago and Baltimore saw crime reductions in areas with cameras, cameras in D.C. had "no impact," said the Urban Institute's Nancy La Vigne. Tthe study said the number of reported violent crimes and assaults in D.C. fell in areas with cameras, but they also fell in areas without cameras. Chicago, on the other hand, saw a 12 percent drop in the crime rate in areas with cameras, even after controlling for other factors, and in Baltimore's Tri-District, cameras were credited with a 35 percent reduction in crime. The Crime Report

Sequential Lineups Can Reduce Mistaken Identifications: Study ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A new report from the American Judicature Society indicates that changes to police lineup procedures can make eyewitness identification more accurate. The report examines the results of implementing "sequential" line-ups (where an eyewitness is presented with photographs of possible subjects one by one, instead of all together), instead of "simultaneous" line-ups in police departments in North Carolina, Arizona, California, and Texas. The change did not significantly affect whether an eyewitness identified a suspect, but it did lower the rate of identification of "filler" subjects by six percent. American Judicature Society

Why Did Violence Reports Fall Last Year? Criminologists "Stumped" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The FBI compilation showing that violent crime reports were down significantly last year as the housing market remains stagnant and unemployment remains persistently high puzzles the experts. "It will be years before we get the answer, if we do, to what's going on right now," William Pridemore of Indiana University tells the Christian Science Monitor. "Criminologists have been pretty stumped." Better technology has made law enforcement more adept at strategic policing, says criminologist James Alan Fox of Northeastern University. Another reason is the aging baby boom population over 50, which represents a group that has "the lowest involvement in crime," he says. There were exceptions to the trend. Violent crime reports in New York City rose 5 percent in 2010. Pridemore suggests that the economy is much more likely to have an effect on crimes connected to family stress inside the home, such as suicide and partner and child abuse. A new study in Pediatrics magazine links child abuse, mostly of infants, to the recession. Abuse of children under age 5 increased 65 percent during the recession. Christian Science Monitor

Would 24-Year Insider-Trading Term Be Too Long For Hedge Fund Chief? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Federal prosecutors want to send convicted hedge fund chief Raj Rajaratnam to prison for as long as 24 years, which would be the longest insider trading sentence in history, says the New York Times. What a judge decides next week is being seen in legal circles as a litmus test of whether the crime of insider trading justifies such a long prison term.m "Given the magnitude of the crimes, it's hard to feel any pity for him," said Harlan Protass, a defense lawyer who teaches at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. "Still, there is a real question whether such a lengthy sentence is warranted for an insider trading offender." Sentences for white-collar criminals used to be relatively lenient. This began to change in the late 1980s. The insider trading scandals and savings and loan crisis of that era resulted in increased sentences for corporate defendants. In 1987, the U.S. Sentencing Commission issued guidelines that linked prison terms to the amount of loss in fraud cases. "Since the inception of the sentencing guidelines, we have seen a consistent and dramatic upward ratchet," said James Felman, a lawyer in Tampa and co-chairman of the American Bar Association's sentencing committee. Today, prison terms measured in decades are common for white-collar criminals. New York Times

50-, 35-Year Terms Handed Out in Major Miami Medicare Fraud ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Miami federal judge has issued another lengthy sentence in the nation's biggest mental-health fraud case, sending a therapist to prison for 35 years, reports the Miami Herald. The sentencing of Marianella Valera, 40, came a few days after the same judge sent her 49-year-old boyfriend, Lawrence Duran, to prison for 50 years. The pair ran Miami-based American Therapeutic Corp, which prosecutors say defrauded the taxpayer-funded Medicare program of more than $200 million. In both cases, U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King gave out the longest prison sentences ever for a Medicare-fraud offender. Previously, the longest sentence was a 30-year term imposed in 2008 on a Miami physician convicted in an HIV-therapy scam. Duran and Valera pleaded guilty to a variety of conspiracy, fraud and money-laundering charges after they failed to reach plea deals with the Justice Department. The couple's company, with clinics stretching from Miami to Fort Lauderdale to Orlando, collected $87 million in Medicare payments after submitting $205 million in false claims. The couple paid kickbacks to recruiters to supply patients suffering from dementia, Alzheimer's, and addictions Miami Herald

FOP Says Philly Police Working Conditions "Beyond Deplorable" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contending that conditions in Philadelphia police facilities are "beyond deplorable," the Fraternal Order of Police has filed a grievance against the city to force maintenance upgrades, reports Philly.com. "We filed individual grievances, but now we're going to attack the whole infrastructure of the Police Department," said FOP President John McNesby. "We literally had to send our personal exterminator to [officers'] homes because they brought fleas home." Cells in one district station have been closed since July because of a bedbug infestation. That station and those in other districts often flood and leak when it rains, he added, and some are riddled with asbestos, lack sufficient plumbing, and have heating and cooling systems that don't work. Mark McDonald, Mayor Michael Nutter's spokesman, said the administration was aware of the state of police facilities and has earmarked nearly $11 million in the city's five-year plan for improvements and repairs. McNesby said that the problems harm officers' morale. Philly.com

Reduce Juvenile Incarceration for Non-Violent Crimes, NY Times Says ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The number of juvenile offenders held under lock and key dropped by about 25 percent during the last decade, and by more than half in Vermont, Connecticut, New Mexico, and Louisiana, says the New York Times. While many states have refashioned their policies, some continue to lock up teenagers despite declining violent crime rates. The Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice says that only 1 in 20 arrests of young people are for serious, violent crimes like murder, rape or aggravated assault. About 80 percent of those taken in state custody are locked up for drug offenses, misdemeanors, or property crimes. These teenagers would be more cheaply and effectively managed through programs that supervise and monitor them in the neighborhoods where they live, the Times editorializes. Several states, including North Carolina, Ohio, and Oregon, have moved away from youth incarceration, reserving it for truly dangerous offenders. An Ohio program, "Reclaim Ohio," shifted responsibility for juvenile incarceration to counties, and encouraged local governments to treat low-risk young offenders close to home. This kind of approach has reduced costs and lowered incarceration rates for teenagers without jeopardizing public safety, says the Times. New York Times

GA Denies Clemency for Convicted Police Killer Davis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a case that has got international attention, Georgia's Board of Pardons and Paroles today denied clemency for Troy Anthony Davis after hearing pleas for mercy from Davis' family and calls for his execution by surviving relatives of a murdered Savannah police officer, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Davis, 42, is scheduled to be executed at 7 p.m. tomorrow. "I am utterly shocked and disappointed at the failure of our justice system at all levels to correct a miscarriage of justice," said Davis attorney Brian Kammer. Davis' lawyers said they believed they'd made their case that there is too much doubt in the case. Members of murdered officer Mark MacPhail's family expressed confidence the board would deny clemency. "He's guilty," MacPhail's widow, Joan MacPhail-Harris, said. "We need to go ahead and execute him." Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Bank-Card "Skimming" On the Rise In Seattle; $1 Million Cases ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The crime of bank-card "skimming" is on the rise in the Seattle region, reports the Seattle Times. In the past week alone, six people have been arrested for skimming nearly $1 million in bank and consumer losses, said U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan. The crime involves placement of tiny electronic "skimming" devices on ATMs to steal credit- or debit-card information from customers. Such devices - some the size of a postage stamp and capable of holding information from thousands of cards - usually are coupled with hidden "pinhole" cameras focused on ATM keypads to record personal-identification numbers (PINs). The thieves synchronize the data from the skimmer with the video to match PINs to the bank-card data. They then forge new cards and use the PINs to access and drain customers' accounts. Yesterday, authorities showed a "treasure trove" of devices seized by agents in recent searches, including tiny card readers secreted in realistic ATM faceplates molded from ceramic and plastic. More insidious are actual card slots, purchased from teller-machine manufacturers, outfitted by the thieves with card readers that can be downloaded through a USB port. Durkan said it's estimated that skimming is a $1 billion-a-year crime. Seattle Times

Restorative Justice Becomes Prominent in San Francisco DA Campaign ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Restorative justice, which brings together offenders, victims, and community members to discuss the impact of a crime and help repair the damage through accountability and rehabilitation rather than punishment, is getting prominence in the San Francisco district attorney's race, the New York Times reports. David Onek, a lawyer, a former police commissioner, and founder of the Berkeley Center for Criminal Justice, has led the charge, making incarceration alternatives and restorative justice the centerpiece of his campaign. "Do you know what happens when you're locked up?" he said. "You sleep all day and watch daytime TV. You're watching Jerry Springer, and someone feeds you three hot meals a day. Admitting what you did, confronting your actions, hearing from a victim about the impact that things have had on them, that's tough." George Gascón, the former police chief who was appointed district attorney in January when his predecessor, Kamala Harris, became state attorney general, has embraced the cause as well. That has raised some eyebrows, as Gascón, the presumptive favorite in the race, is considered to be well to the right on San Francisco's left-leaning political spectrum. A third candidate, Sharmin Bock, a 22-year Alameda County prosecutor, is also promoting the concept. New York Times

Ex-MA Probation Commissioner Indicted on Corruption Charges ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ex-Massachusetts Probation Commissioner John O'Brien's corruption indictment was the result of his refusal to testify against elected politicians, his attorney, Paul Flavin, tells the Boston Herald. O'Brien and anther former official were indicted yesterday on charges they conspired on a "quid pro quo" scheme six years ago to land O'Brien's wife, Laurie, a Lottery job in exchange for his throwing a fund-raiser for the state treasurer. After more than 30 years with the Probation Department - 12 as commissioner - O'Brien retired Dec. 31 and collects a monthly $4,738 pension check. He has received close to $43,000 so far. Boston Herald

PA Loopholes Make State a Haven for Homeless Sex Offenders ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pennsylvania prosecutors want to fix loopholes in state law that make it impossible for prosecutors to go after sex offenders who were convicted out of state, move into the state, and don't register, reports the Harrisburg Patriot-News. Another loophole allows homeless Megan's Law offenders not to report their whereabouts. The loopholes make Pennsylvania a haven for Megan's Law offenders who fall into those categories because they can't be charged if they are noncompliant. The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association estimates that more than 100 cases have been dropped or not pursued because of those loopholes. "Just about every case we have, it seems that suddenly the person is homeless," said Chief Deputy District Attorney Sean McCormack. "We have that defense in a number of cases. A lot of people move around a lot and now claim that they don't have a permanent address." If Pennsylvania doesn't comply with the federal Adam Walsh Act, it could lose federal anticrime aid. Harrisburg Patriot-News