April 4, 2012 Today's Stories |
| 2nd FL Task Force Studies "Stand Your Ground;" Tourism Impact Feared ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Florida State Sen. Chris Smith, frustrated by what he calls "stalling" by Gov. Rick Scott after the shooting death of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin, is launching a task force to review the controversial law at the center of the case, reports the Miami Herald. The governor created a task force to review Stand Your Ground two weeks ago, but has said the group will not convene until after the investigation into the Trayvon Martin shooting is completed. Smith wanted faster action. His group, made up of legal professionals and law enforcement officers, will hold its first meeting tomorrow. He said local judges, attorneys and tourism officials will to show how the controversial law - which allows people to use deadly force when they are threatened - has affected the states. Smith announced a new website to solicit public comment: www.FloridaStandYourGround.org. Nicki Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, will tell the task force that Florida's tourism industry could be harmed by the negative coverage the state is receiving in the media for its Stand Your Ground law. |
| NBC Apologizes For Abridging Broadcast of Zimmerman Call to 911 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NBC has apologized for abridging its broadcast on the "Today" show of the Sanford, Fl., police dispatchers conversation with George Zimmerman in ther Trayvon Martin case, the Washington Post reports. The network called it "an error made in the production process that we deeply regret." NBC had quoted Zimmerman as saying of Martin, "This guy looks like he's up to no good. He looks black." The conversation actually went this way: Zimmerman: This guy looks like he's up to no good. Or he's on drugs or something. It's raining and he's just walking around, looking about. Dispatcher: OK, and this guy - is he black, white or Hispanic? Zimmerman: He looks black. The Post says that the tape editing "was unfair to the truth and to Zimmerman's reputation, such as it is." Post blogger Erik Wemple notes that the NBC statement "is skimpy on the details on just how the mistake unfolded." |
| Some Freed CA Inmates No-Shows at Meetings; Crime Rise Feared ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A sweeping plan to make local officials responsible for supervising thousands of released California prisoners formerly monitored by the state has gotten off to a bumpy start in Los Angeles County, reports the Los Angeles Times. Many ex-criminals are not showing up for counseling appointments, some care centers are not being paid, and county bureaucrats are scrambling to correct foul-ups that have caused delays. About 6,000 prisoners were shifted to county supervision under a realignment law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. The intent was to cut state costs and reduce severe prison overcrowding by keeping nonviolent felons in local jails instead of transferring them to the state system. The supervision of probationers was also shifted to counties. Los Angeles County supervisors have been critical of realignment, saying the state was trying to pass costs to local government and fearing that a rise in crime would occur once prisoners are released. Over six months, about a quarter of the probationers have been arrested for allegedly committing new crimes, which is below the previous state average for probationers. But some politicians and community activists worry that the numbers could climb further, especially since about 10 percent of released convicts are not attending meetings or have gone missing. |
| Oakland University Shooter Had Been Expelled, Teased; No Remorse ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A portrait is emerging of One Goh, 43, a troubled man who apparently returned to Oikos University in Oakland, Ca., to settle a score, killing six students and a secretary, the Los Angeles Times reports. Goh had been expelled from Oikos this year "for behavioral problems, anger management," Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan said. Goh had been teased for his broken English, and he felt bullied and angry, Jordan said. He arrived at the campus in an industrial section of East Oakland Monday morning looking for a certain administrator, but when he couldn't find her, he grabbed a secretary and headed to a classroom. He allegedly ordered the students inside to line up against the wall. When some refused, he opened fire, officials said. He had time during the rampage, authorities believe, to reload and continue shooting. "We don't believe that any of the victims were the ones that teased him," Jordan said. "We believed he stopped [shooting] because people were able to use the phone. He could have heard people calling 911." Police spokeswoman Johnna Watson said Goh "has not shown any sign of remorse for his actions." |
| Arpaio Rejects DOJ Monitor, Setting Up Court Fight Over Bias Charges ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Phoenix has rejected outright the U.S. Justice Department's demand for an independent monitor to oversee his office's operations, saying it would infringe on his authority over the agency, the Arizona Republic reports. The decision makes it likely that the two sides will face off in federal court in what both parties expect to be a lengthy and expensive court battle to settle government allegations that Arpaio's deputies discriminate against Latino residents. The Justice Department last December issued findings from a three-year investigation that accused the sheriff's office of rampant discrimination against Latinos in its police and jail operations. Negotiations on remedies were expected to begin within weeks, with the explicit threat of a federal lawsuit if negotiations were unsuccessful. This week, a top Justice Department attorney contacted Arpaio's lawyers and told them that agreement on the presence of an independent monitor was among the crucial elements required to continue negotiations and avoid a lawsuit. Arpaio flatly rejected a monitor yesterday, calling it a political attempt by President Barack Obama's administration to take control of daily operations in the Sheriff's Office. |
| Juan Rivera Discusses His Illinois False Confession Case ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Juan Rivera, who spent nearly 20 years in prison before his murder conviction was overturned by an Illinois appeals court, told law students yesterday he is training to become a medical researcher. Rivera, 39, was released in January, says the Chicago Tribune. "Life is short," said Rivera, who got married and learned two new languages during his incarceration. "You have the power to correct a lot of wrong. Never think a person in prison is lost." Jane Raley of Northwestern University's Center on Wrongful Convictions blamed the case on "arrogance and an inability or refusal to admit that one is wrong." Rivera was 19 when he was convicted of the 1992 rape and murder of baby sitter Holly Staker, 11, after a confession that his lawyers have long said was false. Raley said this "will be one of the most famous false confession cases in the country." |
| OH Court Nixes Lifetime Registration, Internet Listing for Teen Sex Offenders ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Automatically making juvenile sex offenders register with law-enforcement agencies for life and putting their names and photos on the Internet are cruel and unusual punishments, the Ohio Supreme Court said yesterday, in another rebuke of the state's sex-offender law, the Columbus Dispatch reports. In a 5-2 decision, justices said lifelong registration and notification requirements for certain juveniles, even if they can be lifted after 25 years, are "extraordinary." "It will be a constant cloud, a once-every-three-month reminder to himself and the world that he cannot escape the mistakes of his youth," Justice Paul Pfeifer wrote. The high court struck down parts of Ohio's 2007 Adam Walsh Act, ruling that it unconstitutionally limits judges' discretion by imposing a punishment that "lasts far longer than the jurisdiction of the juvenile court." It was the court's third significant blow to the law in less than two years. Justices in 2010 ruled that the reclassification of 19,000 offenders went against the separation-of-powers doctrine, and in 2011 said the law violated the prohibition against retroactive criminal punishment, which affected 7,000 offenders. |
| Citing Police Fears, MN City Considers Banning Airsoft Guns in Public ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Responding to a recent 911 call, Hopkins, Mn., police found three men having a gun battle, but it turned out to be all in fun with Airsoft guns, which are powered with compressed air and shoot plastic pellets. "My worry is that we will shoot someone with an Airsoft gun, or an officer will make a mistake and get shot," said Sgt. Darin Hill. Hopkins officials may ban people from having Airsoft guns out in public. To transport the guns, people would have to carry them in cases. Many Airsoft guns are so realistic looking that police departments use them in training. "One of my biggest fears is shooting someone with a toy gun," said Lino Lakes police Sgt. Kelly McCarthy. "These are an issue for law enforcement nationwide." Last month, teenagers were arrested in Michigan for shooting Airsoft guns from a car at other vehicles. In California, five masked teenagers with Airsoft guns were detained after a report of a man with a rifle on a school roof, and in Connecticut two young boys had their Airsoft guns confiscated by police after they shot at a mail truck. "I don't want this hobby to become illegal because some kid makes a mistake," said Erik Pakieser of the Minnesota Airsoft Association. "And I don't want some kid getting hurt because they're not wearing eye protection or because they get on the wrong end of the police." |
| More Electronic Gadgets Prompt 12% Theft Spike on Portland Transit ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A run of electronic-device thefts fueled a 12-percent spike in serious crimes on Oregon's largest transit system in Portland, The Oregonian reports. Officials blame the increasing popularity of iPhones, iPads, Androids and other high-tech mobile devices among commuters for fueling much of the increase. Said Transit Police Commander Mike Crebs, "Every time there's a new gadget, people buy it and others want it." It appears that Portland's TriMet system has a higher crime rate than transit agencies in much larger cities such as Los Angeles or Boston. Every time Apple debuts a new iPhone model, New York City police said they see a noticeable acceleration in subway thefts. Two weeks ago, San Francisco unveiled "be smart with your smartphone" posters on Muni buses, showing a shadowy figure hovering over a woman holding an iPhone. Often, Crebs said, thieves "grab and run," snatching devices from riders who are absorbed in their music, an electronic book or a game of "Draw Something." Many bus and light rail riders, he said, leave their smartphones and iPads exposed on seats or open bags. "There's also more robberies where people walk up and say, 'Give me your phone,'" Crebs said. "Say no and they'll physically remove it."s |
| Washington Becomes 34th State to Activate "Secure Communities" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Washington has become the 34th state to activate fully the controversial Secure Communities program, reports the Seattle Times. The program allows the fingerprints of everyone booked into local jails to be checked against a national immigration database. Established in 2008, Secure Communities has been divisive almost from the start, with immigrant advocates saying it snags immigrants who've committed minor offenses. States from California to New York have fought its implementation. Secure Communities uses fingerprints instead of names. The prints, once collected, are funneled through a state database to the FBI, where ICE can access them, checking them against its own databases for matches. Federal officials credit the program with helping to remove 129,000 convicted criminal immigrants from the U.S. since 2008. Craig Keller, with a group called Respect Washington, declared "sanctuary for criminal aliens is now evaporating." |
| Sex Accusations Against Milwaukee Officers Prompt Several Probes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Allegations that seven Milwaukee police officers and a sergeant may have sexually assaulted people and violated their civil rights while conducting body cavity searches on the street have led to the most sweeping investigation of the police department in at least a decade, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee County prosecutors have started a John Doe investigation in which prosecutors can compel testimony and subpoena documents without public knowledge. The civilian Fire and Police Commission and the department's internal affairs division are reviewing complaints dating back a couple of years. The FBI and the U.S. attorney's office are closely monitoring the local investigation. If federal authorities are not satisfied with the outcome, they could launch their own investigation, as they did after the 2004 beating of Frank Jude Jr. by off-duty officers. Three officers were acquitted in state court; those three and four others were convicted in federal court. In total, at least 13 former Milwaukee officers have been convicted of federal crimes since 2005. |
| Can Arkansas Bar Sex Offenders on Parole From the Internet? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Arkansas' parole board wants to bar convicted sex offenders under parole supervision from using the Internet. The board postponed a vote while the state Attorney General studies whether the idea is constitutional, reports the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Kim Knoll of the Department of Community Correction said offenders frequently use the Internet to download child pornography and communicate with children. Under the proposal, all sex offenders would initially be barred from accessing the Internet, but they could request permission to use it for a specific purpose, such as for work. The Association of Paroling Authorities International is surveying states on their policies. Criminal-defense attorney Jeff Rosenzweig of Little Rock called the proposal "ill-considered, particularly since so much of life and commerce and everything else like that has gone to the Internet." In Louisiana, a federal judge ruled unconstitutional a law prohibiting certain types of sex offenders from using social networking sites, chat rooms, and peer-to-peer networks. |
This project is set up to let users post and discuss articles that are involved with Criminal Justice. Everyone is free to post their ideas or opinions.
Monday, April 9, 2012
4 April 2012
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment