20 Years After Rodney King Beating Tape, Police Are Watched In a YouTube World ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was 20 years ago this week the nine minutes of grainy video footage Los Angeles police beating Rodney King helped to spur dramatic reforms in a department that many felt operated with impunity, says the Los Angeles Times. The video played a central role in the criminal trial of four officers, whose not-guilty verdicts in 1992 triggered days of rioting in Los Angeles in which more than 50 people died. Today, things are far different and the tape that so tainted the LAPD has a clear legacy in how officers think about their jobs. Police work in a YouTube world in which cellphones double as cameras, news helicopters transmit close-up footage of unfolding police pursuits, and surveillance cameras capture arrests or shootings. Police officials are increasingly recording their officers. Compared to the cops who beat King, officers these days hit the streets with a new reality ingrained in their minds: Someone is always watching. "Early on in their training, I always tell them, 'I don't care if you're in a bathroom taking care of your personal business [ ] Whatever you do, assume it will be caught on video,' " said Sgt. Heather Fungaroli, who supervises recruits at the LAPD's academy. "We tell them if they're doing the right thing then they have no reason to worry." The ubiquitous use of cameras by the public has helped serve as a deterrent to police abuse, said Geoff Alpert, a leading expert on police misconduct |
Police, Prosecutors Often Go To Social Media First Seeking Clues ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As Twitter, Facebook, and other forms of public electronic communication embed themselves in people's lives, the postings, rants, and messages that appear online are often the first place police and prosecutors go to sift through after crimes, says the New York Times. This week investigators went online to make sense of a stabbing in an New York apartment. A few clicks away, some of the clues were there for the world to see. Online postings can help prosecutors establish a level of intent, or even premeditation, in sometimes crucial components of crimes. In Arizona, Jared Loughner posted a message on his MySpace profile saying, "Goodbye friends," hours before the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a note that prosecutors may use as evidence of premeditation. "Especially in gang cases, a criminal defendant will say, 'How do you know that's me?' and prosecutors will say, 'Here's a photo of you throwing gang signs, and here's a photo of you with known gang members, and here's a photo of you holding up the very type of weapon you claim never to have seen before,' " said John Browning, a Dallas lawyer who wrote a book on social media and the law |
The High Cost Of Medical Care for California 3-Strikes Inmates ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "He doesn't know who he is, or where he is," Dr. Joseph Bick told Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Morain about an inmate at California's Vacaville state prison. The inmate, now 85, arrived at the facility in 1996, sentenced to 25 years to life in prison under this state's "three-strikes" law. He is a sex offender with 25 criminal cases against him. Fourteen years later, taxpayers spend an average of $114,000 annually to imprison maybe two dozen medically and mentally debilitated people behind bars. The state spends another $50 million a year for two dozen other inmates whose illnesses cannot be treated in state prison hospitals. As much as that is, it's a small fraction of the $2 billion the state spends each year on inmate health care. Those costs will rise as inmates age. Age they will, so long as the three-strikes law remains as it is. More than 40,000 of this state's 160,000 inmates are doing time under the three-strikes law, approved by voters in 1994 and championed by politicians, Brown among them.. The law has heavyweight supporters, including Brown's benefactor, the California Corrrectional Peace Officers Association, and proxy groups it funds that represent victims |
Dallas May Require Bulletproof Vests; U.S. Backs Mandatory Use ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The federal government is pushing law enforcement agencies to require uniformed police wear bulletproof vests after a sharp increase in the number of officers killed in the line of duty last year, says the Dallas Morning News. Fifty-nine of the 160 officers who died in the line of duty last year were shot. That was a 20 percent increase from the previous year. While many officers working the streets already wear the vests, Dallas is considering making it mandatory. "By and large, our officers understand the importance of these vests because they have families and they know these things save lives," said Dallas Deputy Chief Randy Blankenbaker. "That vest gives them the best opportunity to go home to their families every night. Most officers do not have to be told to wear their vest." The Justice Department will not continue giving law enforcement agencies funds for body armor - which amounted to about $100,000 annually in Dallas - unless they enact a mandatory-wear policy. An FBI study found that an officer who was not wearing a vest was 14 times more likely to be injured in the line of duty. The International Association of Chiefs of Police says about 60 percent of U.S. police agencies have mandatory-wear policies for body armor. Since their creation 40 years ago, the vests have been credited with saving more than 3,000 law enforcement lives |
Minneapolis Claims Success Dealing With Lower-Level Chronic Offenders ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Minneapolis' Downtown 100 program, which targets 50 people at a time selected for their history as chronic offenders, is close to winding up its first year and is claiming success, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Crime committed by the first 50 offenders dropped in the 120-block downtown core by 74 percent between 2009 and 2010. Various organizations and agencies work with cops, prosecutors, probation officers, and others to define a path to a better, more crime-free future for the chronic offenders. The idea originated with Lois Conroy, who works the downtown precinct as a community prosecutor for the city. After seven years on the job, she realized, "We cannot arrest our way out of this problem. We cannot prosecute our way out of this problem." She began advocating a different approach. Even before funding was lined up, a team began working with community representatives to monitor the behavior of chronic offenders and envision a better outcome for each. Prosecutors entered courtrooms armed with recommendations reached through consensus by those who discuss cases at a weekly meeting. They decide what services might be offered to reduce an offender's chances of appearing in court again. Another key part of the program is having probation officers track frequent offenders, something unusual for lower-level offenses. |
Will Calderon-Obama Meeting Lead To Armed U.S. Agents In Mexico? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mexican President Felipe Calderon meets with President Obama today amid growing pressure to allow U.S. agents to carry guns in his country - a long-standing taboo in Mexico, despite a raging drug war, says the Dallas Morning News. "We have to protect our people," says Attorney General Eric Holder. "What tragically happened two weeks ago [ ] may require a different policy." The Feb. 15 slaying of unarmed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jaime Zapata - with a weapon traced to a Dallas-area gun store - inflamed grievances and fears on both sides. The violence in Mexico has left leaders in both nations frustrated. Mexicans are dismayed at the ongoing appetite of U.S. drug users, the ease with which cartels can obtain powerful weapons and smuggle them south, and delays in aid promised to help in the fight. Said Roberta Jacobson, the State Department's No. 2 official for Latin America: "You cannot have 15,000 people killed in one year from drug violence and not call that a tough year." Border security, the drug war, immigration, trade policy, and other issues will be on the agenda with Obama. The summit was planned long before the attack on Zapata and a colleague, who was wounded |
Getting More Ex-Inmates Into Work Force Called Key To Cutting NJ Recidivism ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New Jersey's prison system is a revolving door for criminals that drains the state budget by jailing the same people over and over again, says a review for Gov. Chris Christie reported by the Newark Star-Ledger. A draft copy of the report says the state's patchwork system is in dire need of reform to reduce the number of ex-offenders returning to prison. It says the best way to do that is to connect former inmates with jobs so they don't return to crime. The report's conclusions are the result of a broad, months-long review involving several state departments and the Manhattan Institute, a conservative New York City-based think tank with a progressive reputation on prison issues. "Exorbitant criminal justice spending persists, incarceration lingers at a high rate, and the same individuals cycle between the criminal justice system and New Jersey communities," the report says. Almost 60 percent of New Jersey's former inmates are arrested again within three years of their release. To prevent new crimes, the report says ex-offenders need to be closely supervised and pushed back into the workforce. It points to the success of a similar Newark program, also created with help from the Manhattan Institute, and says employment is an essential part of rehabilitation |
2,100 Police Agencies Use Volunteers; Some Actions Raise Liability Issues ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hamstrung by shrinking budgets, police department say volunteers are indispensable in dealing with low-level offenses and allow sworn officers to focus on more pressing crimes and more violent criminals, says the New York Times. Volunteers sometimes collect evidence, interview witnesses, search for missing persons, and look into long-dormant cases. "We had the option to either stop handling those calls or do it in a different manner," said Fresno, Ca., police chief Jerry Dyer, whose department has lost more than 300 employees in recent years. "I've always operated under the premise of no risk, no success. And in this instance, I felt we really didn't have very much to lose." In the Phoenix suburb of Mesa, 10 volunteers have been trained to process crime scenes, dust for fingerprints, and even swab for DNA. In Pasadena, Ca., a team of retirees is combating identity theft. There are volunteer programs at some 2,100 departments nationwide, says the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The use of volunteers in investigations raises legal and liability questions, said Robert Weisberg of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center. |
Philly Homicides Up 40%; Mayor Needs Funds For 120 More Police ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So far this year 56 people have been slain in Philadelphia, a 40 percent increase over the first two months of 2010, reports th Philadelphia Daily News. The year's homicide tally is the highest by this point of the year since 2007, when Mayor Michael Nutter campaigned on a promise to halve the murder rate within five to seven years. The homicide total had been progressively declining year after year until a string of violent weekends this year resulted in multiple shooting deaths. Police, academics and city officials caution that it's too early to draw any conclusions about the year's murder rate. Jerry Ratcliffe, a Temple University professor of criminal justice, said, "It's too early in the year to be talking about any type of conclusions." Mayoral press secretary Mark McDonald said yesterday that safety is Nutter's top priority. McDonald pointed to the bigger picture: homicides fell 22 percent between 2007 and 2010 and violent crime is down 13 percent since the mayor took office. The economy's impact on the city finances resulted in two canceled Police Academy classes and monthly reductions in the police force. Nutter is asking the City Council for money to pay for 120 officers to deal with the attrition that has plagued the police department. |
Memphis' Godwin Taking #2 Tennesee Safety-Homeland Security Post ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Departing Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin will become second in command for the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, says the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Godwin, 59, leaves Memphis April 15, and will assume the position as deputy commissioner under Commissioner Bill Gibbons, former Shelby County district attorney, on April 18. Godwin, 59, will be paid $110,000 and will move to Nashville. He will run the day-to-day operations of the department's three divisions -- the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Homeland Security and the Driver's License division. He said his Blue CRUSH initiative, credited for a 15 percent drop in serious crime in Memphis over the past four years, received a lot of its useful input from the department's street officers. "I'm excited about what we two as a team can accomplish," said Gibbons, whose prosecutors worked closely with the Blue CRUSH campaign by declaring dozens of drug houses public nuisances and shutting them down. |
Fear of Obama Continues to Boost Concealed-Carry Gun Permits in Ohio ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ohio has granted a record number of permits to carry concealed weapons since Barack Obama became president, says state Attorney General Mike DeWine. "There's the perception out there that gun control might be inevitable under the Obama administration," Jeff Garvas, president of Ohioans for Concealed Carry, told the Columbus Dispatch. "So when there's a potential to lose your right to own a gun or it might be harder to get a permit, that might drive more people to go out and get them." Ohio's gun permits continue to increase based on a "fear campaign" related to Obama's record, said Toby Hoover of the Toledo-based Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence. The 47,337 concealed-carry permits issued in Ohio last year were the second most since the state began issuing licenses in 2004, when 45,497 were handed out. An Ohio-record 56,691 new licenses were issued in 2009, when Obama took office. Obama, as the leader of the Democratic Party, which is traditionally linked to gun-control supporters, has yet to attempt to limit gun ownership while president. He said during his presidential campaign that he "respects the constitutional rights of Americans to bear arms," but pro-gun lobbyists fear that his past foreshadows gun limits his administration will pursue. |
Proposed CT Gun Offender Registry Wouldn't Be Publicly Available ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Connecticut's proposed gun-offender registry would be accessible only to law enforcement, unlike public sex-offender registries, says USA Today. State Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney. Looney says his proposal was driven by the fact that gun-related deaths nearly doubled in New Haven, Connecticut's second-largest city, from 12 in 2009 to 22 in 2010. Rep. Rosa Rebimbas says the concept is good, but the new registry would be redundant to existing databases that track criminals. Looney counters that many offenders coming out of prison are not subject to oversight or review and are not easily traceable. He says the registry would target those who are near the end of their sentences and those who have had their sentences suspended. Gun-offender registries exist in four cities and one county: New York, Washington, Baltimore, Utica, N.Y., and Suffolk County, N.Y., says to Arkadi Gerney, special adviser to the New York City mayor. Registered gun offenders in New York City are required to give their home addresses and workplaces to authorities, and they receive home visits from the police, Gerney says. James Bruno, a National Rifle Association instructor, is skeptical the registry would work, but he doesn't oppose the bill, "as long as it doesn't affect law-abiding citizens who have the right to carry and bear arms." |
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Friday, March 4, 2011
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Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Articles for 2 March 2011
TX Report: Cutting Inmate Rehab Could Require 12,000 More Prison Beds ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the latest sign that Texas' budget woes could prove tougher than expected, a new study reported by the Austin American-Statesman warns that the state could face a shortage of as many as 12,000 prison beds within two years if it whacks corrections programs as planned. Cuts of up to $600 million over the next two years would hobble rehabilitation, probation, and treatment programs that have saved taxpayers almost that much in the past four years, the report said, and the resulting flood of Texans that would be sent to prison would quickly overwhelm the current capacity of state-run lockups. "The new costs, the big costs, that Texas is looking at will be for new prisons, more capacity," said Tony Fabelo , a national criminal justice consultant who authored an updated projection of Texas' prison needs presented to the Senate Criminal Justice Committee yesterday. "That's the headache that we avoided four years ago with a system that's working well, so far. But the projected cuts and growth are going to change that." Senate and House leaders reacted with surprise at the whopping numbers, which come after they asked prison officials to begin cutting treatment and rehabilitation programs to help the state meet a projected budget shortfall of as much as $27 billion in 2012-13 |
Wisconsin Gov. Walker Seeks To Halt Early Prison Releases ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Wisconsin program allowing some nonviolent offenders to seek early release from prison, which Republican critics derided as "catch and release," would end under Gov. Scott Walker's new budget plan, reports the Wisconsin State Journal. The program of former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle was designed to reduce ballooning prison costs by releasing up to 3,000 inmates early - most of them with significant health problems or close to completing their sentences. Just 391 inmates were released under the program from Oct. 1, 2009, to Jan. 1, 2011. Walker's budget calls for a $90.1 million cut to the $1.3 billion corrections budget next year, followed by a $26.2 million cut from current spending in fiscal year 2012-13. The department would lose 341 full-time positions from its current staffing of 10,594. Much of the job loss would be felt in juvenile corrections, which has seen a reduction in offenders for the past decade. Corrections Secretary Gary Hamblin said the department would close two juvenile facilities. The budget would provide an extra $1 million over the next two years to add 19 staff members to the Internet Crimes Against Children program, one of Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen's top initiatives. |
Texas Tells Students to Stay Alive By Avoiding Mexican Spring Break ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ College students ar getting a blunt warning from the Texas Department of Public Safety, says the Dallas Morning News: "Avoid traveling to Mexico during spring break and stay alive." The unusual admonition from director Steven McCraw was tied to worsening drug-related violence and other crimes that have moved from the border to other parts of that country. "Underestimating the violence in Mexico would be a mistake for parents and students," McCraw said. On CBS' Early Show, U.S. Rep. Ted Poe said, "Mexico is not safe for Americans or Mexican nationals, because the drug cartels are really operating at will in different portions." A year ago, his department warned only against travel to border cities. The latest alert was the agency's third in three months that advised staying totally out of Mexico. Some travel experts in Texas and Mexican tourism officials said the state was exaggerating the risk. some students said they don't plan to scrub their warm-weather trips. "I'm not going to let being scared keep me from vacation," said Grace Roberts, a junior at Southern Methodist University who will be celebrating a belated 21st birthday in Cabo San Lucas with five girlfriends. |
Weis Out As Chicago Chief; Hillard a Temporary Replacement ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ His fate sealed by the election Rahm Emanuel as mayor, Chicago police Superintendent Jody Weis abruptly stepped down after three years in office, and in a surprise, Terry Hillard, who retired as the city's top cop in 2003, was named an interim replacement, reports the Chicago Tribune. Emanuel made it clear he would name a new superintendent after he takes office May 16, but Mayor Richard Daley had wanted Weis to serve until then. The interim appointment of Hillard, 67, was unexpected. He was a low-key superintendent who served for 5 1/2 years and agreed to take a leave of absence from his security consulting business until Emanuel appoints a permanent successor. Weis, 53, an FBI veteran who became the first outsider named to head the tradition-bound department in more than 40 years, struggled to win over rank-and-file officers, but he had successes. No major scandals erupted during his reign. In his first year, violent crime spiked, but then murders fell even as staffing declined sharply. Last year, Chicago had the fewest homicides since 1965. Yet the department suffered its deadliest year in a quarter-century as six police officers were killed |
Philadelphia Chief Accuses Newspaper Of Ruining Probe Of Officer ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey wanted more than officer Joseph Sulpizio's badge - he wanted the cop behind bars, locked up like a criminal. The 42-year-old narcotics cop won't face criminal charges because the Philadelphia Daily News messed up an undercover Internal Affairs investigation when it detailed allegations that Sulpizio had repeatedly stolen money from people he stopped, Ramsey said. "He will not be criminally charged because you blew the investigation," a miffed Ramsey told the newspaper . "The shame of this is that we weren't able to get him criminally because of the fact that the story ran." Ramsey fired Sulpizio yesterday for lying to Internal Affairs investigators and for having no regard for his responsibility as a cop. Sulpizio had been taken off the street twice since 2008 for allegedly stealing money from people he detained but never arrested. Long before the Daily News published a Dec. 10, 2010, article about Sulpizio, high-ranking narcotics supervisors repeatedly alerted Internal Affairs that Sulpizio might be a thief. Sulpizio has denied taking money from anyone. |
678 More Drug-Gang Arrests But Market Demand Remains Strong ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In Project Southern Tempest, the latest federal gang sweep, 678 gang members were arrested in 168 U.S. cities from Atlanta to South Salt Lake, Utah over the last two weeks, says the Christian Science Monitor. Project Southern Tempest is part of Operation Community Shield, a five-year effort that unites federal, state, and local law enforcement against gangs with ties to international drug syndicates, primarily those in Mexico. Southern Tempest notched the 20,000th arrest of the program. "A Mexican criticism that we hear is, 'Why isn't the U.S. doing more to fight the cartels north of the border?' " says David Shirk of the Transborder Institute at the University of California-San Diego. Project Southern Tempest shows that "is exactly what ICE [the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency] and other [] agencies are trying to do," he adds. The problem for ICE is that it can't control the fundamental driver of the entire equation: American demand for illegal drugs. "In the end, you can arrest people all day long, and as long as the market demand remains strong there will be new entrepreneurs who rise to satisfy that demand," Shirk says. |
CA Yet To Set Parole Hearings On Very Sick Inmates Costing $50 Million ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ California has identified 25 "permanently medically incapacitated" inmates being treated at outside hospitals who are candidates for parole because they no longer pose a threat to the public. The Los Angeles Times says taxpayers will pay more than $50 million to treat them this year, between $19 million and $21 million of that for guards' salaries, benefits, and overtime, according to he federal receiver who oversees California prison healthcare. n September, then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a "medical parole" law designed to spare taxpayers the cost of guarding severely ill inmates. Some are in comas, others paraplegic. If the prisoners were released from custody, the medical costs would shift to their families if they could afford to pay, or to other government programs if they could not. The expense of guarding the patients would be eliminated. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has yet to schedule a parole hearing for even one such inmate. "It's maddening," said state Sen. Mark Leno. who sponsored the bill that Schwarzenegger signed. "We have school districts on the verge of closing" because of the state's budget crisis. "We don't have millions of dollars to squander on this kind of nonsense." An official would not predict when the first sick inmate might get a parole hearing. "These are complex public-safety regulations," she said. |
53rd CA Death Row Inmate Dies of Natural Causes; No Executions in 5 Years ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ California has 712 prisoners on death row at San Quentin Prison. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that since the death penalty was reinstated in 1978, California has executed 13 prisoners, while 53 have died of disease, old age, or other natural reasons. Another 18 have committed suicide. The latest to die was robber-murderer Richard Parson, who succumbed to natural causes this week. Executions have been on hiatus in the state since 2006 while a federal judge assesses whether the lethal injection method is humane. The last person to die on the injection gurney was Clarence Ray Allen, 76, in 2006. Parson, 67, was sent to death row from Sacramento County in 1996 for robbing and killing a nurse, 59, by beating her with a hammer. |
DEA Joins 16 States In Banning "Fake Pot" As Health Threat ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has joined 16 states in banning "fake pot" substances, which use chemicals to replicate the effects of marijuana. Those substances had been in a legal limbo, with many states lacking laws to deal with them, says NPR. DEA says the chemicals have provoked reactions that include seizures and hallucinations, and that they pose a threat to public health and safety. The five federally banned substances drug agency are JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-200, CP-47,497, and cannabicyclohexanol. Clemson University chemistry Prof. John Huffman helped to create one of the first and most famous of the cannabinoids in the 1990s, when he was conducting research on possible medical applications of marijuana. Despite the the new ban, it seems likely that some manufacturers will try to adapt their formulas so they include cannabinoid chemicals other than the five banned this week. |
NYC Making Jail Fixes After Increase Reported In Inmates' Makeshift Weapons ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An increase in makeshift weapons discovered in New York City jails last year has prompted officials to begin demolishing 4,000 jail beds and removing metal covers from old-style heating radiators that inmates were turning into razors, picks, and knives, reports the Wall Street Journal. Correction officers found 651 weapons at six jails between last July 1 and Oct. 31, compared to the 378 seized during the same time period in 2009, said a report on the performance of city agencies for the first four months of this fiscal year. |
OH Vows Review Of DNA-Sample Processing After Contamination Reports ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The head of Ohio's state crime lab is promising a "top to bottom" review of the way its technicians process DNA samples, reports WBNS10-TV in Columbus. Thomas Stickrath, new superintendent of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification & Investigation, which operates the lab, says evidence in some recent cases might have been mishandled. "I think folks could have been more careful," Stickrath told WBNS-TV (Channel 10). Yesterday, the TV station reported on its investigation that turned up dozens of cases in which DNA evidence was contaminated while in the lab's possession - sometimes, it appears, with DNA from technicians who handled the samples. Lab officials acknowledge some contamination but downplay its significance. In the past four years, the lab identified 46 instances in which a batch of DNA was contaminated, said Liz Benzinger, DNA quality-assurance administrator for the bureau. The affected DNA had a potential bearing on 106 cases. During that time, the lab tested 28,618 samples, so contamination occurred in about 1 percent of the cases. "Even if it happens only once a year, that's something that really needs to be remedied," said Dan Krane, a biological-sciences professor at Wright State University and founder of Forensic Bioinformatics, which reviews DNA test results from hundreds of court cases around the world each year. |
8-Year Old Child Abuse Dispute May Not Survive Supreme Court Test ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Supreme Court may throw out a dispute over interviewing children at school about child abuse because the case has been in court so long that the girl involved no longer will be affected by the outcome. The case involves an Oregon girl identified as S.G. who was nine when she was interviewed by a child protection worker - while an armed police officer sat silently in the room -- about alleged abuse by her father, reports Youth Today. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit said the interrogation was unconstitutional. At oral argument yesterday, Justice Antonin Scalia said the girl now "doesn't care what happens. She's moved, she is 17 years old." Justices' questions indicated some skepticism about how to provide clarity on how non-school officials should proceed in child welfare cases. In three weeks, the high court is due to hear a North Carolina case of a disabled teen who was interrogated by police at school without being advised of his rights. The court will focus on what constitutes being "in custody" on school grounds. |
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Articles for 1 March 2011
CA's Brown Scales Back Plan Shifting Prison-Parole Work To Cities, Counties ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ California Gov. Jerry Brown has backed away from a controversial plan to shift responsibility for managing certain prisoners and parolees to local governments, reports the Los Angeles Times. Brown scaled back his proposal after law enforcement groups and municipalities loudly condemned his initial plan. Local officials said their jails are already overcrowded, and they had too few parole agents to monitor more ex-convicts. Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said that the original proposal endangered public safety. Brown downsized the plan by stripping dozens of crimes from the list of offenses that would cause an inmate to be housed in local jails rather than state lockups. He shrank sharply the number of added cases that local parole agents must manage. The revised plan reduces the number of parolees that Brown initially wanted counties to supervise by 80,000 and the number of offenders they would have to incarcerate by 8,000. Brown has proposed to transfer money and responsibility for nearly $6 billion in state programs to local governments in the coming budget. It is a linchpin of his campaign promise to bring government "closer to the people," and he hopes to use the changes to persuade the public to support more taxes to balance the budget. |
Two National Juvenile Justice Groups Oppose Obama's Reform Initiative ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two national juvenile justice organizations are strongly opposing President Obama's proposal to overhaul federal funding for juvenile justice, reports Youth Today. The Coalition for Juvenile Justice, which represents the state advisory groups, said the plan would "jeopardize ongoing state efforts to achieve and sustain compliance" with the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act . Obama would create a $120 million incentive grant system to replace $130 million of formula funds and block grants to states. Only states that complied with the four key federal requirements could compete for the funds. Even then, a compliant state might not get funding. The coalition eight states would be ineligible because they are not in compliance. "If states are denied equal access to federal resources," said the group, "this number would likely increase." The Campaign for Youth Justice, which campaigns against the practice of prosecuting juvenile offenders as adults and incarcerating them in adult facilities, said the proposal is "inconsistent with the Administration's position on the law." The administration is misleading, the campaign said, when it compares the proposal with Obama's Race to the Top initiative in the Department of Education. |
Plea Deal Offer in 18-Year Dugard Kidnapping Case: 440 Years to Life ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nancy and Phillip Garrido have confessed to kidnapping Jaycee Lee Dugard 20 years ago, the Sacramento Bee reports. The two reportedly kept Dugard as a sex slave for the 59-year-old convicted kidnapper and rapist for 18 years. The confessions were part of an effort by Phillip Garrido to win some leniency in an 18-month-old court case that could send both defendants to prison for life. Defense attorney Stephen Tapson says prosecutors have offered Nancy Garrido a plea deal if she agrees to a sentence of 241 years and eight months to life, while her husband has been offered a sentence of 440 years to life. "Admittedly [Nancy] cooperated with him, under his authority, under his thumb," he said. "So, obviously, [] if we go (to trial) we're going to have to argue Stockholm syndrome and Patty Hearst stuff and so on. And there's already psychiatric evidence to show she was under his thumb." The case has dragged on since Dugard was found alive in August 2009, and she testified in September before a grand jury about her captivity. Dugard got a $20 million payment from the state for lapses by parole agents who supervised Garrido while she was being held captive. |
Majority of Oregonians Believe Crime is Rising Even When It's Down ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crime rates are declining, but 52 percent of 1,569 adults surveyed by Portland State University believe crime is on the rise, The Oregonian reports. The disparity between perception and reality, said criminologist Brian Renauer, can affect everything from public policy to law enforcement's ability to keep the public safe. He directs the university's Criminal Justice Policy Research Institute, which which conducted the telephone survey last year. Respondents who said they thought crime had climbed were more inclined to define themselves as conservative. They typically did not have bachelor's degrees, reported their family income at less than $50,000 and said they were dissatisfied with the criminal justice system. Of that group, 45 percent ranked punishment and enforcement as top crime-control measures. Sociologists long have studied fear as an indirect effect of crime, and conclude it has contributed to everything from political campaigns with a law-and-order bent to the rapid growth of gated communities and the security industry. Some studies show a strong correlation between fear of crime and media consumption -- from the abundance of crime reports in newspapers and on TV to the plethora of forensics and cop dramas on the tube night and day. A 2009 Purdue University survey found that those who watched lots of crime shows estimated real-world deaths due to murder at 2 1/2 times more than non-viewers |
How Mobile Devices, Social Media Help Sexual Predators Find Targets ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sexual predators, pornographers, and prostitution rings are capitalizing on the rising popularity of mobile devices and social media to victimize children, police and child safety experts tell USA Today. CyberTipline, the nation's hotline for reporting sexual exploitation of children, received 223,374 reports in 2010, nearly double the 2009 number. The soaring use of social networks, online games, smartphones, and webcams has translated into "more opportunities for potential offenders to engage with children," says Ernie Allen of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is testing software that automatically scours seedy websites for evidence of child prostitution. If the technology from start-up DigitalStakeout proves effective, states could use it to monitor Facebook and Twitter for signs of predators stalking children. Children routinely divulge information about themselves across the Web, says John Whitaker of the Georgia bureau's Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit. Often they do it away from home, on laptops and smartphones. "There is no real way for parents to monitor it all," he says. Services like Foursquare and Gowalla offer incentives for using a smartphone's GPS locator to post on Facebook and Twitter where the user is located. This makes it easy for predators to discover a potential victim's whereabouts |
40% of Cases On Atlanta Court's "Rocket Docket" Are Dismissed ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ More than 4 in 10 cases in Fulton County GA's "rocket docket" were dismissed in in the last six months of 2010, a rate nearly twice as high as other big cities with similar courts, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The judge who oversees the rocket docket, which expedites low-level felony cases, says dismissals are high because of the low quality of many cases he gets from police and prosecutors. The Fulton County district attorney places blame on the judges for the dismissal rate, arguing judges side with defendants too often when defense attorneys challenge evidence and police searches. A lighter case load that weeds out weak cases, argues Chief Magistrate Richard Hicks, would give judges more time to concentrate on the most serious cases. The so-called rocket docket Hicks oversees is expected to handle low-level felonies within nine weeks of arrest. The court became the center of controversy when Georgia State Patrol Trooper Chadwick LeCroy was shot to death in December. The accused gunman had walked out of jail days after being charged with an attempted car break-in because the arresting officer failed to testify in court. In July, the career criminal got 60 days plus probation on a cocaine plea despite being on probation. District Attorney Paul Howard took judges to task for lenient sentencing. Judges say the system is so overcrowded that it's tough to give cases the full attention they deserve. |
McNeil Island, WA -- Only Remaining U.S. Island Prison -- Closing In Budget Cut ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Washington State's 135-year-old McNeil Island prison will close April 1 because of state budget cuts, reports the Seattle Times. Inmates formerly worked on ferries that served the island, were part of road crew,s and labored on island farms. These days, the daily ferries carrying inmates, visitors and corrections staff have mostly been replaced by large barges as workers strip the sprawling prison of anything salvageable. McNeil Island, a former federal prison, at its peak was home to 1,700 inmates and has housed the likes of Charles Manson and Robert Stroud, better known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz." Operating it has been a costly proposition because of the logistics involved in transporting everything by water. Washington State took over McNeil Island in 1981, five years after it was closed by the Bureau of Prisons. It is the only U.S. prison accessible only by boat or air. The closure will save the state an estimated $8.6 million per year. The state spends roughly $1,200 more per inmate each year to house inmates at McNeil Island than at other state prisons. "It's sad that we have to do it," said corrections Eldon Vail, superintendent of McNeil Island from 1992 to 1994. "It was a good location for a prison; you had a moat and additional protection from folks getting out and getting free. |
TX Suspect in Fire That Killed 4 Kids Flees to Nigeria Before Charges are Filed ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Houston day care operator's ability to slip out of the U.S. before she was charged in last week's fire that claimed the lives of four children has prompted questions about whether law enforcement or prosecutors dropped the ball, the Houston Chronicle reports. Jessica Tata, 22, left Texas on Saturday on a flight bound for Nigeria. One day later, a charge of reckless injury to a child was filed. But it was too late. Tata was gone. Houston Fire Department arson investigators said it took at least four approaches to the Harris County District Attorney's Office before prosecutors filed charges against Tata on Sunday. Fire Marshal Richard Galvan said an arson investigator told prosecutors on Friday they had a tip that Tata was preparing to leave the United States. "The state had to establish there were no other employees or adults on site at the time the defendant (Tata) left the residence," said Donna Hawkins, spokeswoman for the district attorney's office. Tata operated an at-home day care for children. |
Godwin To Leave As Memphis Police Director, Collect $377,000 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin retires this spring after 37 years with the city, he'll walk away $377,000 richer thanks to some generous city retirement policies, says the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Godwin, 59, announced last week that he would retire April 14 after he was unable to reach an agreement with Mayor A C Wharton to remain as director. His departure payment includes about $100,000 for unused sick leave, vacation days, and holidays. The remainder of the $377,000 involves interest and a retroactive $93,500-a-year pension that Godwin will be paid for each of the three years he has been enrolled in the city's Deferred Retirement Option Plan. That retroactive pension comes on top of the annual salary Godwin already earned over that period. His most recent salary was about $120,000 annually. "That's a big number," City Councilman Shea Flinn said. "I think a lot of people are going to have a problem with that number." |
Why No One Who Helped Orchestrate Financial Crisis Is Going To Prison ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two and a half years after the financial system nearly collapsed, it appears that none of the highly paid executives who helped start the disaster will ever see jail time, like Michael Milken in the 1980s, or Jeffrey Skilling in the Enron disaster, says New York Times columnist Joe Nocera. It's a difficult question whether anybody should. In the 1980s, when nearly 1,000 savings and loans - a third of the industry - collapsed, costing the government billions, there were more than 1,000 major felony convictions, says William Black, a former regulator who teaches law at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. The federal government threw enormous resources at those investigations. There were a dozen or more Justice Department task forces, involving more than 1,000 FBI agents. With the FBI now focused on terrorism, there isn't a lot of manpower left to dig into potential crimes that may have taken place during the financial crisis. Fewer than 150 of the bureau's agents are assigned to mortgage fraud. Lawyers who represent white collar defendants say that outside of New York, there aren't nearly enough prosecutors who understand the intricacies of financial crime and know how to prosecute it. Sheldon Zenner, a Chicago attorney says, "These kinds of cases are extraordinarily difficult to make. They require lots of time and resources." |
Oklahoma Second Chance Program For Women Claims 90% Success Rate ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An Oklahoma program has given women a second chance so they don't end up like the more than 2,500 women incarcerated in the state's prisons, The Oklahoman reports. State officials estimate 90 percent of women who've entered the female prison diversion programs haven't re-entered the criminal justice system. Currently, 133 women are enrolled. Sequita Smith, 44, was charged with a felony count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. She is a rare case in the program. Many women have committed drug or money crimes. "I snapped one day," said Smith, who had no previous criminal record before lashing out at her boyfriend. She says her life has turned around since entering the program. When she graduates next month, she plans to come back and volunteer. Smith is on probation. She was on a path to having it revoked before a judge sent her to the program. Katie Hayden, program manager, said the women work to identify the behaviors that got them in trouble. "Doing drugs, selling drugs, writing hot checks, getting angry and all of these behaviors meet a need they have," Hayden said. "We help them identify what it is they really need and find a way to address it positively." |
Sacramento Now Features the Hydroponics "Wal-Mart Of Weed" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Wal-Mart of weed has come to Sacramento, reports the Sacramento Bee. That's the moniker embraced by weGrow, a cavernous hydroponics store marketing itself as a retail outlet for people cultivating marijuana for personal medicinal use. The 10,000-square-foot weGrow store is the first national franchise for a company that bills itself as a supply and training destination for legal pot growers. The gardening emporium doesn't sell marijuana, but it is billed as "the first honest hydro store" and will be followed by weGrow stores in Arizona, Colorado, New Jersey, and Oregon in coming months. With California, 14 other states and the District of Columbia legalizing marijuana for medical use, the hydroponics industry is exploding. Unlike weGrow, most hydroponics outlets avoid any mention of marijuana, billing themselves only as generic suppliers for people growing anything from peppers to rosemary. The 'm' word is also avoided by some growing equipment and nutrient suppliers that either operate in states where medical marijuana is illegal - or don't want to offend organic farmers or other customers growing nonmedicinal products. |
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