February 27, 2012 Today's Stories |
| CT Minorities More Likely to Get Traffic-Offense Tickets ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Black and Hispanic drivers stopped by police in Connecticut are significantly more likely to leave with a ticket or a court date than are white motorists pulled over for the same offense, a first-ever analysis by the Hartford Courant shows. From running stop signs to busted taillights, a check of 100,000 traffic stops by dozens of local departments in 2011 found widespread disparity in how minorities are treated. Blacks and Hispanics fared especially poorly on equipment violations. Among 4,000 stops related to license plates, 13 percent of whites left with a citation, compared with 27 percent of blacks and 36 percent of Hispanics. For more than 2,600 stops involving improper taillights, blacks were twice as likely and Hispanics nearly four times as likely to be ticketed, compared to whites. Across the U.S., studies have sought to determine whether police are more likely to target blacks and Hispanics when deciding which vehicles to pull over. But the Courant's analysis focused on disparities in the treatment of motorists after they are stopped. "Well, I wish I could say I'm surprised, but I'm not," said state Rep. Kelvin Roldan, who said he has been the victim of racial profiling many times in 23 years in Connecticut. "These are real violations of people's civil rights." |
| Post Clarifies Murder Story; Lanier Calls It "Misleading, Inflammatory" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Washington Post published an editor's note backing away from a suggestion last week that the Washington, D.C., police department under Chief Cathy Lanier, in reporting its annual homicide-closure rate, "may have manipulated data to foster a positive impression." The Post said a police department decision to include in a current year's closure count cases closed from previous years "casts the department in a more favorable light but does not mean that the underlying data are distorted." The original article was linked in a summary in Crime & Justice News. The newspaper gave the chief a column to respond to the article. In the column, at http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/theres-no-trick-to-dcs-homicide-closure-rate/2012/02/24/gIQAgtFYYR_story.html , Lanier said that "to support its slanted claims," the Post had "used misleading and inflammatory quotes and ill-informed sources." She said the piece "left out information supplied by my department that would have invalidated the assertions contained in the story." |
| Oregon Trial Shows High Profits, Internet Role in Prostitution ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In eye-opening testimony presented in a trial of a Portland man accused of forcing a 17-year-old girl into prostitution, reports The Oregonian, one stunning economic fact emerged: the 21-year-old defendant was making more money than anyone else in the courtroom: as much as $2,000 to $3,000 in a single day. The girl he prostituted said Gus Wayne Rouse Jr. was sending her out on 10 tricks a day, forcing her to turn over everything she made. Once, when she tried to hide some of the money in the bathroom vent of a motel room, he choked her and warned her if she did it again, she'd get worse. The week-long trial exposed a rarely told story of an underage prostitute, the johns who flocked to her, and the pimp who ruled so absolutely. It shined a light on the seedy underbelly of the Internet, where call girls in every corner of the state are pictured scantily clad or nude, blatantly offering sex acts for money. The trial featured a string of adults who exploited the 17-year-old, or turned a blind eye to what was really going on -- from the taxi driver who made $40 driving her to johns' homes, to the motel owners who didn't ask questions, to the emergency-room doctor who lived in a swank condo and became her No. 1 client. |
| Obama Budget Cuts, Latin American Stances Called Drug Legalization Boost ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For the first time since the U.S. launched its "war on drugs" four decades ago, there are signs that the forces supporting legalization or de-criminalization of illegal drugs are gaining momentum across the hemisphere, says Miami Herald columnist Andres Oppenheimer. The debate will take years to produce concrete results. New factors include a reduction of U.S. anti-narcotic aid to Latin America proposed by the Obama Administration in its 2013 budget, which is beginning to pose an increasingly serious challenge to the traditional interdiction-based U.S. anti-drug strategies. For the first time, Latin American presidents currently in office are openly calling for government-to-government talks to discuss legalization or decriminalization of illicit drugs. The Obama budget would cut narcotics control and law enforcement funds to Mexico would be cut by nearly $50 million, or 20 percent from last year's levels, while anti-drug funds to Colombia would drop by 11 percent, and to Guatemala by 60 percent. |
| Dementia Grows As Problem Among Aging Prisoners ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Convicted killers at the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo help care for prisoners with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia, assisting ailing inmates with the most intimate tasks, such as showering, shaving, applying deodorant, even changing adult diapers, says the New York Times. Dementia in prison is a fast-growing phenomenon that many prisons are unprepared to handle. Long sentences have created large numbers of aging prisoners. About 10 percent of the 1.6 million U.S. inmates are serving life terms. More older people go to prison: in 2010, 9,560 people 55 and older, more than twice as many as in 1995; inmates 55 and older almost quadrupled, to nearly 125,000, says Human Rights Watch. Experts say prisoners appear more prone to dementia on average because they may have more risk factors: limited education, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, depression, substance abuse, head injuries from violence. Many states call over-50 inmates elderly, saying they age up to 15 years faster. |
| New Colorado Effort Prepares Long-Term Inmates for Release ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Colorado has begun a program that prepares long-term, once-violent inmates for their release, reports Miller-McCune magazine. It is designed for inmates 45 and older who have been imprisoned for at least 15 years, including offenders with parole-eligible life sentences (excluding sex offenders and arsonists). It provides a transitional reintegration for selected prisoners who have behaved well, acknowledged their crimes, and shown remorse. Modeled after a successful Canadian program created for lifers, the Long-Term Offender Program pairs inmates with mentors - former convicts who know firsthand what it's like to walk out of prison after decades inside. The Colorado prison system is at 116 percent capacity with 14,835 inmates - roughly 2,000 more than it was designed for."I don't really know of any other place in the country that is focusing on lifers and long-term incarcerated offenders," says David Altschuler of Johns Hopkins University, who has studied alternative sentencing and reentry programs for nearly 25 years, and who helped design the Long-Term Offender Program curriculum. |
| Youth Arrested in High School Shooting Near Cleveland; 4 Hurt ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Four students were injured in a shooting this morning at Chardon High School, east of Cleveland, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. The Geauga County Sheriff's Office and the FBI said a suspect has been arrested. The youth who was arrested had fled the high school building, but was caught on a street. A local official said three boys and a girl were injured. Sources said three of the students were flown to a trauma center. The school was immediately put on lockdown, and parents were told to pick up their children. Several students came out of the school in tears. Others came out in gym shorts, an indication of how suddenly the school day changed and the urgency with which the students were removed from the building. |
| Security High In Memphis Trial Involving Mexican Death Squad ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A portrait of Memphis' secret seedy side is taking shape in a federal trial of two alleged hit men from the city's most notorious drug organization, says the Memphis Commercial Appeal. It includes killers callously hunting down their targets. a Mexico death squad armed with assault rifles and silencers, and a 6-year-old boy caught up in a shootout over a multi-million-dollar drug heist. The most anticipated witness, organization leader Craig Petties, is yet to testify. Petties, who preached loyalty at all costs and ordered deaths of those who betrayed him, has become what he hated -- a government snitch. Monday starts the third week in the trial of two cousins accused of being hit men for Petties. Security is high, with officials shielding jurors' identities and manning extra checkpoints. Armed U.S. Marshals escort jurors from a secret location to and from court. More than 30 Petties associates have pleaded guilty to charges ranging from cocaine trafficking and racketeering to murder. |
| Leader of Infamous Texas Prison Escape Set for Execution ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the months leading up to his 2000 escape from a Texas prison, George Rivas had made up his mind that he would gain his freedom or die trying. Now, the mastermind of one of the most daring prison escapes in Texas history is a few days from execution. The leader of the Texas Seven escapees said he is at comfort with the finality that will come Wednesday. "It's bittersweet," Rivas, 41, told the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram. "Bitter because I hurt for my family, for them. Sweet because it's almost over." Rivas organized the Dec. 13, 2000, escape of the seven inmates, including a rapist, murderers, and robbers, who fascinated and terrified the state and nation as they eluded authorities. On Christmas Eve, the convicts, dressed as security guards, robbed a sporting goods store when Irving, Tx., police officer Aubrey Hawkins confronted them. Rivas has said he shot Hawkins repeatedly, including three times while Hawkins, 29, had his hands up. He died a few hours later. The murder spurred a nationwide manhunt for Rivas and his fellow escapees. Rivas says he feels guilt for his actions and deserves to die for his crime. |
| Young Lawyers Work as Unpaid Federal Prosecutors In K.C. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Why would Ryan Hershberger, 29, work as federal prosecutor in Kansas City for no pay? "It's an abysmal economy," Hershberger, who attended law school at the University of Kansas, tells the Kansas City Star. With unemployment among lawyers about 5 percent in Missouri, and underemployment among young lawyers at 30 percent, U.S. Attorney Beth Phillips saw an opportunity to offer experience and training to recent graduates while maintaining her office's hiring freeze. "It's turned out to be a positive experience," Phillips said. "We've gotten excellent work, and they're getting excellent experience and training." When she advertised three uncompensated positions in 2010, more than 30 lawyers applied. "We knew the economy was difficult and there was a pool of attorneys who were having trouble finding work," she said. "But we weren't going to hire someone just because they were available." The lawyers get the same supervision and training as any new hire. Sara Holzschuh, 26, a University of Missouri graduate, is carrying full criminal caseloads just like any other assistant U.S. attorney. "I'm in the courtroom every day," Holzschuh said. "I've been able to hone my skills and feel like a real lawyer." |
| NY Jailer Honored After Beating Inmate, Quits, Is Sued ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A defenseless inmate was beaten by the Tioga County, N.Y., Jail's top administrator, David Monell, after being pepper-sprayed and handcuffed to a wooden bench by other officers. A district attorney decided not to prosecute after Monell resigned, reports the Binghamton (NY) Press and Sun-Bulletin, although the beating was captured on videotape. The very next day, Monell was honored by the New York State Senate as the "2010 Correction Officer of the Year." The legislators had no idea what had happened only hours before. "Oftentimes, they figure the problem is solved by the staff person no longer working there," said University of Texas professor Michele Deitch, an expert on oversight of jails and prisons. "But unfortunately, that sends a really bad message to other staff: that this won't be taken seriously if you're caught." While county authorities never brought the incident to public attention, taxpayers are in line to pay the price of the beating: A settlement for an undisclosed sum is pending in a federal lawsuit against the county, the Sheriff's Office, and Monell. |
| Documents Go Inside The Mind of First Modern U.S. Mass Killer ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After methodically shooting and killing 13 people in E. Camden, N.J., in 1949, Howard Unruh expected to die in the electric chair or spend his life in prison, says the Philadelphia Inquirer. What he did not want was to spend his days in an asylum. "To be declared insane and remain in this building the rest of my life - well, I would rather have the chair," he told a psychiatrist after the massacre, says a report never before public. He did die a patient at Trenton State Hospital, where he spent 60 years never tried. Documents released by the Camden County Prosecutor at the Inquirer's request help to fill in the portrait of the man considered the first modern-day U.S. mass killer. Psychiatric and investigative reports, including his own long-sealed confession, tell details of his mental landscape before and after the slaughter. On Sept. 6, 1949, Unruh, 28, a jobless World War II combat veteran, left home in a brown suit and bow tie, armed with a 9mm German Luger and a grudge. In 20 minutes, in what was dubbed the "walk of death," he killed 13 people. |
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22 Feb 2012
February 22, 2012 Today's Stories |
| IL Gov. Quinn Calls for Prison Closings, Including Super-Max ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Illinois Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn will deliver a bad-news budget today, suggesting that the state close numerous prisons, mental health centers and social service offices, and other cuts, says the Chicago Tribune. The problem is the same as it's been for years: there's not enough money coming in while costs are rising. The governor will suggest closing the controversial Tamms super-max prison in far southern Illinois, the women's prison in Dwight and juvenile justice centers in Joliet and downstate Murphysboro. Shutting down the super-maximum prison already is drawing plaudits from critics who contend the conditions at Tamms are so harsh that it qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment. John Maki of the John Howard Association, said Tamms is "overly harsh" on prisoners, who are kept in near-isolation. The prisoners face psychological damage that can make behavior worse, he said. While it would be cheaper to house super-max inmates elsewhere, Maki said, it "doesn't make sense" to close the women's prison at Dwight and it doesn't address cells that are "seriously overcrowded." |
| School Crimes: 17 Student Homicides, 359,000 Violent Cases in Year ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A new federal edition of school crime indicators says that of the 33 violent deaths in schools in the year ending June 30, 2010, there were 25 homicides, five were suicides, and three were "legal interventions." The cases included 17 student homicides and one student suicide. In 2010, students ages 12-18 were victims of about 828,000 nonfatal victimizations at school, including 470,000 thefts and 359,000 violent victimizations, 91,400 of which were serious violent victimizations. In 2009, 31 percent of grade 9-12 students said they had been in a physical fight in the previous year |
| Newspaper: Give LA DA's Discretion to Avoid Mandatory Minimums ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ No state in the nation, and no country in the world, sends people to prison at Louisiana's high rate. That's counterproductive in many cases, particularly nonviolent crimes by first-times offenders, says the New Orleans Times-Picayune in an editorial. The state also can't afford it. The inflexibility politicians added in recent decades to sentencing laws has contributed to the large prison population. Mandatory minimums throughout the criminal code eroded much of the discretion prosecutors and judges once had. The state sentencing commission, after spending months forging law enforcement consensus, wanted to restore some of that discretion by recommending that district attorneys be allowed to seek sentences below the mandatory minimum for all crimes except murder and aggravated rape. Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration objected. At the request of the governor, the commission excluded all violent crimes and all sex crimes from its proposal to give district attorneys more discretion. Legislators should consider the sentencing commission's original proposals and give the justice system more discretion than what Gov. Jindal favored, the newspaper says. |
| High Court Blocks Suit Against CA Officers Over Defective Warrant ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ California police officers cannot be sued because they used a warrant that may have been defective to search a woman's house, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled today, 6 to 3, according to the Associated Press. The court threw out the lawsuit against Los Angeles County Sheriff's Detective Curt Messerschmidt and other police officials. They were sued after searching Augusta Millender's house looking for her foster son, who shot at his ex-girlfriend with a sawed-off shotgun. The warrant said the police could look for any weapons on the property and gang-related material. The weapon and the shooter were not found but police confiscated Millender's shotgun. Millender contended that the lawsuit was overbroad. Lower courts let her sue officers personally despite their claims of immunity. The high court reversed that ruling in an opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts; the court's three female members dissented. |
| NRA Claims "Massive Obama Conspiracy" Against 2nd Amendment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gun sales have skyrocketed since Barack Obama became president, says Bloomberg Business Week blogger Joshua Green. During that time, the stock of gunmaker Sturm Ruger (RGR) has outperformed gold. Analysts aren't sure what's causing the trend. Many anticipated a boost in sales from gun owners fearful that Obama might outlaw assault weapons - the "fear trade." They expected a brief spike, no more. Instead, gun sales kept rising, and they've continued to rise even since last fall. Ruger, up 400 percent at the time, is now up more than 500 percent. Despite the fact that Obama hasn't made the slightest feint toward regulating guns, firearms enthusiasts have whipped themselves into a paranoid frenzy, convinced that this is all just part of some elaborate conspiracy. National Rifle Association executive director Wayne LaPierre told the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) two weeks ago of a "a massive Obama conspiracy to deceive voters and hide his true intentions to destroy the Second Amendment during his second term." The website ammo.net has a graphic on just why Obama is, as they put it, the "greatest gun salesman in America." |
| Meth Busts Up 7% in Missouri; Database Gets Some Credit ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Methamphetamine lab busts in Missouri increased 7 percent in 2011 but declined in areas where decongestants containing the key ingredient are available only by prescription, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Missouri finished 2011 with 2,096 lab seizures. Illinois, with twice Missouri's population, raided 584 meth labs. St. Louis saw one of the biggest jumps, a sixfold increase to 24 labs from four. City police already have seized eight meth labs so far this year, said Lt. Adrienne Bergh. "It's because a lot of the outlying areas are requiring prescriptions for pseudoephedrine products and it's still not a requirement in the city to have a prescription," she said. A database financed by the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, which represents the pharmaceutical industry, began tracking purchases of pseudoephedrine on Jan. 1, 2011. The system blocked 49,000 consumers from topping monthly or annual sales limits. The association's Elizabeth Funderburk said the database may account for the increase in raids. "In terms of labs being on the increase, law enforcement has an effective tool to find methamphetamine labs and it stands to reason that when you have a good tool, you will find more labs - just like if you have a radar gun, you will catch more speeders," she said. |
| How Informants Help FBI Break Major Terrorism Cases ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An increasingly active informant pool is helping the FBI identify suspects involved in alleged plots against the U.S. from within, says USA Today. Since the 9/11 attacks, when virtually no anti-terror intelligence network existed, federal authorities have tapped into a vast network of informants - many in the Muslim community - who have assisted in the arrests of suspects. Civil rights advocates and defense lawyers have complained that the tactics smack of a disproportionate focus on Muslims. "We are getting regular calls from people across the country who are being approached by the (federal government) to act as informants," said Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American Islamic Relations. "And we are concerned about what kind of pressure is being used to get that cooperation." FBI spokesman Paul Bresson said, "We do not investigate people based solely [ ] on their race, ethnicity, national origin or religious affiliation," In the complaint last week in a plot to bomb the U.S. Capitol, FBI agent Steven Hersem noted that the informant not only brought the suspect to the FBI but accompanied the suspect and the undercover agent Friday on the drive toward the Capitol where the suspect was arrested. |
| PA Judge: Court-Appointed Capital Lawyer Pay "Grossly Inadequate" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A report to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court concludes that the pay for court-appointed lawyers in Philadelphia death-penalty cases is "grossly inadequate" and "unacceptably increases the risk of ineffective assistance of counsel," says the Philadelphia Inquirer. Last year, The Inquirer reported that scores of death-penalty cases had been reversed by appellate courts or sent back for new hearings because of serious errors by defense attorneys. Low pay is a key reason, critics say. In Philadelphia, fewer than 30 of 11,000 lawyers are willing to take capital-case appointments for indigent clients and also meet minimum state requirements for doing so. Philadelphia pays less than any other county in Pennsylvania, according to defense lawyers who petitioned the Supreme Court to increase the fees or halt death-penalty cases until that happens. The high court said more information was needed and asked Common Pleas Judge Benjamin Lerner, who oversees homicide cases in Philadelphia, to determine if the pay for court-appointed lawyers was "so inadequate that it can be presumed that court-appointed counsel are constitutionally ineffective." Lerner found that, the compensation of court-appointed capital defense lawyers in Philadelphia is grossly inadequate, both as to the dollar amount of the compensation and as to the compensation schedule provided by the present fee system. |
| Ohio's Capital Punishment System Could be On Its Own Death Watch ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ohio's capital punishment system could be under its own death watch as scrutiny over how the state executes prisoners has led to calls for significant changes of the death penalty, if not an outright repeal, says the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Despite the issues plaguing the state's execution process, Ohio officials say they are are getting this call on life-or-death right. "I feel that we have a solid protocol, and I know that we have the professionally trained staff to execute that protocol," said state corrections director Gary Mohr. Mohr knows there are plenty of people from judges to former prison officials to anti-death penalty activists who have heavy concerns about the death penalty. They question why some criminals land on death row and others do not, whether the state's execution procedures are legal and whether the system can be revamped to restore waning public trust. Ohio has botched one execution, which had to be postponed, and had two others with lengthy delays, including one in which the inmate, while strapped to the gurney in the execution chamber, cried out, "This isn't working." Under legal duress, the state switched from a three-drug concoction to a one-drug dose for lethal injection, a change that is the subject of a lawsuit. |
| Supreme Court Limits Need for Miranda Warnings to Jailed Suspects ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Supreme Court yesterday limited the circumstances in which prisoners must be told of their rights before they are questioned, the New York Times reports. The question was whether an inmate's confession to a sex cime should have been suppressed because he didn't get Miranda warnings before he was questioned. The answer turned on whether he was in custody at the time. Justice Samuel Alito wrote tor the 6-3 majority that "custody" for these purposes "is a term of art that specifies circumstances that are thought generally to present a serious danger of coercion." The inmate, Randall Fields, was in a Michigan jail for disorderly conduct when he was taken to a conference room and questioned for five to seven hours by armed deputies who used a sharp tone and profanity. He was told he was free to return to his cell but was not given Miranda warnings. The key inquiry, Justice Alito said, was whether a reasonable person in those circumstances would have felt free to end the questioning and leave. He said the fact of imprisonment did not by itself provide the answer. On balance, Alito said, Fields was not in custody, and so no warnings were required. |
| Judge Strikes Down LA Law Banning Sex Offenders from Social Media ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A federal judge has struck down a Louisiana law that banned sex offenders from using social media sites, ruling that the law was overly vague and violated free-speech protections, reports The Hill. The law prohibited registered sex offenders who had been convicted of child pornography or another similar crime from using "social network websites, chat rooms and peer-to-peer networks." The law defined the prohibited sites broadly. A "chat room" was defined as "any Internet website through which users have the ability to communicate via text and which allows messages to be visible to all other users or to a designated segment of all other users." Judge Brian Jackson noted that the law seems to ban offenders from using email, news sites that allow reader comments, Amazon, eBay and even government sites like Louisiana's official hurricane preparedness site or the website for the federal court. Lawyers for sex offenders said their clients were afraid to access the Internet at all, including to research safety and technical information related to their jobs. |
| NYC Underage Drinking Cases Up, Enforcement Down ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ At a time when New York state's booze patrol has downsized to its lowest level in 15 years, city hospitals have seen an alarming jump in emergency room cases stemming from underage drinking, reports the New York Daily News. The number of bombed teens in ERs has nearly doubled as the State Liquor Authority's depleted staff has scaled back its routine enforcement to focus on bars and businesses with the worst records for alcohol infractions. "The SLA says that they have zero tolerance when it comes to selling liquor to minors. I'd like them to put their money where their mouths are," said City Councilman James Vacca. He said the agency's skeletal staff depends on tips from the New York Police Department to root out establishments serving alcohol to minors or violating other rules of their liquor license. "If it wasn't for the NYPD, there'd be an explosion of illegal sales," said Vacca. "The NYPD is picking up the slack for the SLA." Binge drinking by teens has become such a crisis that the city Health Department launched a $200,000 ad campaign in 2011 warning of the perils of alcohol abuse. |
21 Feb 2012
February 21, 2012 Today's Stories |
| Detroit Cites Culture of Violence As Infant Dies in Gang Killing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A toy Jeep lay among shards of broken glass in the front yard of a Detroit where a shooting left a 9-month-old boy dead and an outraged community searching for ways to stop the violence, reports the Detroit News. A woman said she was asleep in her home early yesterday when shots rang out. As her son dozed on a living room couch, bullets pierced windows and walls, striking the boy. The shooting was gang-related, said Police Chief Ralph Godbee. The killing was the 43rd homicide in the city so far this year, up from 35 during the same period last year. It's also the second murder of a youngster in Detroit within the past three weeks. Said minister Malik Shabazz: "This culture of violence, the culture of individualism, the culture of me, myself and I must end. You're never going to resurrect Detroit until you deal with the culture of violence that exists within the people." Part of that culture is the "no snitch" attitude that has frustrated police investigating murders. Godbee said key people have refused to provide information about yesterday's killing. |
| Will Taser's New Tiny Police Camera Defuse Stun-Gun Controversy? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Taser International is announcing a new a camera for police, a half-ounce unit about the size of a cigar stub that clips on to a collar or sunglasses of an officer and can record two hours of video during a shift, the New York Times reports. The information eventually is stored in a cloud-computing system that uses Taser's online evidence management system. Taser has had its share of controversies over its electric-shock guns, which the firm says are used by 17,000 of the 18,000 U.S. law enforcement agencies. The camera system, called Axon, is one way to defuse the controversies. Taser already has some 55,000 minicameras mounted on Tasers. But the camera is only triggered when the gun is drawn. It could do the same for police shootings. The video, however, would not capture the events leading up to that point and provides no context that might justify the weapon's use. "One big reason to have these is defensive," says Taser CEO Rick Smith. "Police spend $2 billion to $2.5 billion a year paying off complaints about brutality. Plus, people plead out when there is video." |
| Chicago Police Horses Getting "Riot Gear" For NATO, G-8 Summits ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Horses in the Chicago Police Department's Mounted Unit assigned to crowd control during the NATO and G-8 summits will be outfitted with riot gear, just like the officers riding them and those on the ground facing off against protesters, says the Chicago Sun-Times. Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration is soliciting bids for "police horse riot gear and training aids" in preparation for the May 19-21 summits expected to shine an international spotlight on Chicago. The mounted unit has 30 horses, 30 officers and an annual budget of nearly $2.7 million.Police spokesperson Melissa Stratton said all 30 horses will be equipped with the new riot gear. She noted that the horses are "great crowd control tools" expected to provide "significant support to officers on the ground" during the summits. "This is not the first time we've had [riot] gear for the horses. [But] we are updating the equipment. We have had horses attacked in the past. If the horse is injured, it puts both the horse and the officer at risk. This equipment protects both the officer and the horse," she said. An officer assigned to the Mounted Unit noted that some of the 30 horses "may not be street-ready" in time for the NATO and G-8 summits. |
| Glendale, Az.'s Steve Conrad Named Louisville Police Chief ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Steve Conrad, a former assistant police chief in Louisville now chief in Glendale, Az., is the new Louisville police chief, says the Louisville Courier-Journal. Conrad left Louisville in 2005, having helped to shape the newly formed Louisville Metro Police Department. He joined the former city department as a patrol officer in 1980 and rose through the ranks to become assistant chief under former chief Robert White. White left Louisville in December to take the chief's job with the Denver Police. Conrad was chosen from a slate of five candidates who were interviewed by Mayor Greg Fischer the week of Feb. 6. The five finalists included the deputy chiefs, Yvette Gentry and Vince Robison. Two of the candidates are chiefs in other districts but formerly served with either the city or county department. They are Jeffersontown Chief Rick Sanders and Conrad. The other candidate, Glenn Skeens, has had a long career with the Owensboro Police Department, where he now serves as police chief. |
| Some CA Justice Leaders Fighting Plan to Close State Juvenile Units ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Some California criminal justice leaders will fight a plan by Gov. Jerry Brown to phase out the state's Division of Juvenile Justice over the next three years and return the most violent and troubled youths to county facilities, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. Probation officials, district attorneys, and others say they will spend the next several months trying to persuade the Democratic governor to remove the proposal, which Brown says will save the state more than $100 million a year, from his budget. Many county officials believe the plan will unduly give counties the burden of incarcerating serious juvenile offenders and put existing, successful rehabilitation programs at risk. The officials were relieved when Brown backed off a plan to shutter the state facilities this year, unless counties ponied up $125,000 a year per offender. Instead, the governor offered to work with county officials over the next year to come up with a smooth transition plan. Under Brown's plan, the state would stop accepting youths in January and close the Division of Juvenile Justice by June 30, 2015. |
| Private Prison Divestment Drive's Success With United Methodist Church ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The United Methodist Church Board of Pension and Health Benefits has voted to withdraw nearly $1 million in stocks from two private prison companies, the GEO Group and Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), says The Crime Report. The decision by the largest faith-based pension fund in the U.S. came in response to concerns expressed last May by the church's immigration task force and a group of national activists. "Our board simply felt that it did not want to profit from the business of incarcerating others," said the board's Colette Nies. It was an important success for a slew of activists across the country who are pushing investors and institutions to divest in the private prison industry. The National Prison Divestment Campaign, launched last spring, includes a broad coalition of immigrant rights, criminal justice and other organizations targeting private prison companies like CCA and the GEO Group, the two largest private prison corporations in the United States. Affecting companies' bottom lines is just one of the campaigners' aims. Their larger goal is to raise public awareness about an industry they claim not only profits from incarceration, but also drives local and national immigration and criminal justice policy. |
| How Milwaukee Cops Talk People Out of Committing Suicide ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Milwaukee County Sheriff's Deputy Steven Schmitt talked a man, 22, off a ledge Sunday, something he has done for two decades in law enforcement without losing anyone, says the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. How does he do it? He says: "You want to watch the tone of your voice, what you're saying. Just get them talking: 'Who do you live with? What's your name? Where'd you go to school?' Find things to talk about. 'What's your problem? What's your family doing?' Just talk, talk, talk. Pretty soon, it takes a little of the edge off. They're not thinking about all the problems that led them to this whole thing. Time is on the negotiator's side, and people tend to mentally exhaust themselves by talking, said Lt. Alfonso Morales of the Milwaukee Police Department. "When we're sent in there, a lot of times we're the mediator, we're the problem solver. You name it. A lot of times, what we have to do is be the listener," he said. "The biggest thing with a person in crisis is that their emotions are either high or low. They're not thinking rationally." Brenda Wesley of the National Alliance on Mental Illness says, "It's our impression that with the economic downturn, people are stressed more than ever before. They're losing their houses, losing their homes. They react in ways they never thought they'd react." The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office experienced an increase in calls for service for people with suicidal tendencies from 2008 to 2010. |
| Social Media, Gay Rights Issues Surround NJ Student Suicide Trial ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dharun Ravi, the ex-Rutgers University student charged in the case involving Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide, will be subject to two very different judgments, in and out of the courtroom, says the Somerville (NJ) Courier News. "There is the trial of public opinion and there is the legal trial that will go on in the Superior Court," said attorney Edward Weinstein. "The entire public can and has weighed in on this on an international level." The trial is scheduled to start today. Ravi is charged with 14 counts, including various degrees of bias intimidation, invasion of privacy, tampering with physical evidence, hindering apprehension or prosecution, and witness tampering. Clementi committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge in 2010. Presumably, Clementi was reacting to the alleged social-media outing of his sexuality and the live video stream taken by Ravi of Clementi's encounter with another man, only known as M.B., in the dorm room Ravi and Clementi shared. The incident sparked international outrage concerning cyberbullying and gay-teen suicide. Noting that it is a difficult case to prosecute, Weinstein said prosecutors are under pressure to "go for it" because of national attention. He explained that what makes the case so attractive to the media and the world is its connection to gay rights. |
| Indian Reservation Crimes 2 1/2 Times U.S. Average; DOJ Faulted ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Indian reservations long have grappled with chronic rates of crime higher than all but a handful of the nation's most violent cities. The New York Times says the Justice Department, which is responsible for prosecuting the most serious crimes on reservations, files charges in only about half of Indian Country murder investigations and turns down nearly two-thirds of sexual assault cases, according to new federal data. The 310 U.S. Indian reservations have violent crime rates that are more than two and a half times higher than the national average. American Indian women are 10 times as likely to be murdered than other Americans. They are raped or sexually assaulted at a rate four times the national average, with more than one in three having either been raped or experienced an attempted rape. The low rate of prosecutions for these crimes by U.S. Attorneys has been a longstanding point of contention for tribes, who say it amounts to a second-class system of justice that encourages lawbreaking. Prosecutors say they turn down most reservation cases because of a lack of admissible evidence. |
| Texas Rate of Medical Paroles Dropping Despite Calls to Save Money ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Despite calls to save money by releasing seriously ill and aging inmates, Texas' parole board approves only a small portion of eligible prisoners, and the approval rate for this fiscal year is lower than usual, reports the Dallas Morning News. Inmate advocates and some fiscal conservatives cite cost savings as a reason to expand inmate medical releases. Parole board members and prosecutors say they concentrate on public safety, not cost. "We're looking to see if that person, considering their medical condition, if they are a threat to society," said Rissie Owens, chairwoman of the Board of Pardons and Paroles. Board members don't know a prisoner's medical care costs when making their decisions, she said. Along with the nature of the inmate's crimes and ability for future criminal activity, the board looks at things like the prisoner's degree of mobility, assistance needed for daily living, cognitive condition, and estimated life expectancy, Owens said. Prison officials and others couldn't say why the rate of release approvals has dipped this year. Inmates who are terminally or seriously ill, who need long-term care or who are elderly, physically handicapped, mentally ill or mentally disabled may be eligible for the parole, technically called "medically recommended intensive supervision." Prisoners who committed certain high-level crimes cannot be considered. |
| Female Gun-Owning Demographic Is Growing Rapidly ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There are pink guns, pink ear protection, and pink shell pouches. For your car, get a pink "Pistol Packing Princess" sticker. For packing heat at your favorite tea room, a purse with a special pistol holster is de rigueur, says the Des Moines Register. All of this is aimed at women who want to own a gun - for protection, for hunting or for sport shooting - a rapidly growing demographic. The National Sporting Goods Association shows female participation in target shooting grew by 46.5 percent between 2001 and 2010. An October 2011 Gallup Poll found 23 percent of women own a gun. In Iowa, a law that took effect on Jan. 1, 2011, making weapons permits available to anyone who met criteria and passed a background check has resulted in huge increases in the number of permits granted to both men and women. In Polk County the number of women granted permits has outpaced those granted to men by more than two to one, skyrocketing more than 311 percent between 2010 and 2011. The Register talked with three Iowa female gun enthusiasts about why they shoot. |
| Spotty Enforcement of Protection Orders Leaves Victims Vulnerable ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ More than 30 years after Ohio enacted comprehensive domestic violence laws, spotty enforcement of protection orders still leaves victims vulnerable, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Particularly perilous is some law enforcement officers' and agencies' reluctance to respond to civil protection orders, issued mainly by domestic relations courts. "They see it as a civil matter and they don't see it as having the same oomph of a criminal order," said Alexandra Ruden, a Legal Aid Society of Cleveland lawyer. Legally, the civil orders hold the same weight and deserve the same attention as the criminal ones, she said. Too often that isn't what happens, say judges, magistrates, lawyers, and advocates. Criminal protection orders are temporary and often follow an arrest for domestic violence. The civil orders do not require a crime to have been committed but are granted by a judge or magistrate who can issue a temporary order based on a petition that outlines the person's fears and evidence of harm. It's common to hear from victims that they were shooed away by officers who tell them to go back to court or call their attorney after an order was violated, said Dan Clark, a former police chief who trains police across the country. "They tell victims there is nothing they can do about it," which is not true, he said, adding that many officers are either uninformed or misinformed. |
Monday, February 20, 2012
20 Feb 2012
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