Has All The Homeland Security Spending Made Us Safer? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The U.S. Homeland Security Department, established in 2002, absorbed 22 federal agencies, with the idea of unifying homeland security efforts. NPR asks whether it has made us safer. Former congressman Lee Hamilton, co-chair of the federal 9/11 commission, says, "It is not seamless yet by any means. It is not easy to get all these people working together." DHS has funneled $35 billion to local communities. That money has gone for the useful, such as new radios and computers to allow first responders from different communities to better communicate. Do communities need an armored vehicle with a machine gun turret and chemical gas injector costing $300,000 in the name of homeland security? Prof. John Mueller of Ohio State University believes homeland security spending has far surpassed the actual risk of a terrorist attack. He says the U.S. should use a more risk-based approach in deciding how to spend money. |
U.S. Homeland Security Spending in Decade: $360 Billion ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Osama bin Laden bragged that he would bankrupt the United States. Newsweek totals homeland security expenditures in the past decade at $360 billion. During that period, law-enforcement and intelligence agencies have foiled dozens of attacks. The magazine estimates various other expenses related to homeland security. It's into the trillions of dollars if war spending is included. |
Florida Enforcing Law Barring Local Gun-Control Measures ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Signs saying "No Guns Allowed" are being stripped from many Florida government buildings, libraries, and airports, reports the New York Times. Local ordinances that bar people from shooting weapons in their yards, firing up into the air, or taking guns into parks are coming off the books. Since 1987, local governments in Florida have been banned from creating and enforcing their own gun ordinances. Few cities and counties paid attention, though, believing that places like Miami might need to be more restrictive than others. This year the legislature passed a new law that imposes fines on counties and municipalities that do not do away with and stop enforcing their own firearms and ammunition ordinances by Oct. 1. Mayors and council and commission members will risk a $5,000 fine and removal from office if they "knowingly and willfully violate" the law. Towns that enforce their ordinances risk a $100,000 fine. State lawmakers who supported the bill, which was backed by the National Rifle Association, said local governments were overreacting, particularly since the original law that pre-empted local gun ordinances was passed in 1987. "The notion that a city ordinance stops violence is patently absurd," said State Representative Matt Gaetz, who sponsored the bill. "People lawfully carrying weapons with permits are rarely part of the problem." The law seeks to protect licensed gun owners who travel from county to county and may not be familiar with the patchwork of rules that dictate where they can carry and shoot a gun. |
Supreme Court GPS Case Reviews Rulings That Cite Orwell ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In rulings on the use of satellites and cellphones to track criminal suspects, judges have been citing George Orwell' "1984" to sound an alarm, says the New York Times. They say the Fourth Amendment's promise of protection from government invasion of privacy is in danger of being replaced by the futuristic surveillance state Orwell described. In November, the Supreme Court will take up the question of whether police need a warrant to attach a GPS device to a suspect's car and track its movements for weeks at a time? The main Supreme Court precedent, a case called U.S. v. Knotts, is almost 30 years old. It allowed the use of a much more primitive technology, a beeper that sent a signal that grew stronger as the police drew closer and helped them follow a car over a single 100-mile trip from Minnesota to Wisconsin. The Supreme Court said no warrant was required but warned that "twenty-four hour surveillance of any citizen of the country" using "dragnet-type law enforcement practices" may violate the Fourth Amendment. |
Seattle Green River Killer Sheriff Spokesman Stepping Down ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sgt. John Urquhart, who is quitting after 11 years as spokesman for Seattle's King County Sheriff's Office, is a self-described news junkie who sees the media as an integral part of a democratic society, says the Seattle Times. He says the news media "are the watchdog on government and we put bad guys in jail. We need both in this country." Urquhart handled media relations during the infamous Green River killer serial case. Urquhart, 63, is so trusted by his colleagues that he's allowed to attend briefings at murder scenes and send out news releases without getting them approved first. "I want 100 percent of the information so I can give [the media] an accurate 10 percent. I want to give you enough information to tell the public what happened without compromising our investigation," he says. "No matter how much I believe in the public's right to know, the investigation has to come first." |
How Fusion Centers Work to Prevent Terrorist Attacks ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Austin Regional Intelligence Center is one of more than 70 "fusion centers" that have sprung up across the U.S., says the Austin American-Statesman. Initially funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, it operates by sharing information about organized crime, serial criminals, and terrorism among 40 law enforcement agencies in three Texas counties. It also shares information at the state and federal level. The center "actually is a direct result, in some respects, of recognizing the deficiencies in law enforcement after 9/11," said David Carter, an assistant chief with the Austin Police Department. Carter said the center helps prevent terrorism because it utilizes police reports and information from across the region. For example, if someone bought a large quantity of chemicals in one city, and guns in another, and that information was tipped off to police, the center can begin building information on the suspects - putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Retired Adm. Bobby Inman, former director of the National Security Agency and deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, believes that better sharing of intelligence could have stopped the 9/11 attacks before they happened. "It was an intelligence failure," said Inman, who teaches at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. "The fundamental flaw was a failure to share information." While the stated goal of fusion centers is to prevent terrorism and fight organized crime by sharing information, they have come under fire in some cases with people being targeted - or perceiving themselves as being targeted - because of their political activities. |
Connecticut State Police Union Sues to Block Trooper Layoff ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Does Connecticut need 1,248 state troopers, or is that number an unenforceable, feel-good requirement passed by lawmakers following a high-profile 1998 murder? That debate may get settled because of Gov. Dannel Malloy's decision to lay off rookie state police officers, reports the Connecticut Post. On Thursday, a judge is scheduled to hear arguments in a Connecticut State Police Union lawsuit over the 56 job cuts. At the heart of the case is the union's insistence that the administration is bound by a 1998 law to maintain a minimum of 1,248 sworn officers. There are now 1,064 troopers. Since it passed the measure, the state legislature has sent mixed signals about its intent in adopting the minimum staffing level. According to court documents submitted last week by the state police union, the law was passed after troopers responding to a 911 call arrived too late to prevent the Jan. 3, 1998, murder of Heather Messenger. The state, the union maintains, had 960 sworn troopers at the time and a staffing study determined 1,300 were needed. |
Indianapolis Studies Change to Police Chase Policy After Deaths ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bonnie Wittman has been waiting 28 years for Indianapolis police to change their chase policy. In 1983, says the Indianapolis Star, her husband, Fred, was killed by a suspected drunken driver being pursued by police. Wittman was encouraged when she heard -- after two teens died last month while fleeing police in a stolen vehicle -- that the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is considering a policy to reduce pursuits. "It just seems like there is a certain mentality with police that because they can chase someone, they will chase someone," said Wittman, 57. "That's not much of a rationale." That mind-set might not be easy to change. Many police officers are expected to oppose a change. "We don't want to just change something because we are reacting to a recent event," Public Safety Director Frank Straub said. The Police Executive Research Forum presented options for a stricter policy in June. Complicating the timetable is the mayoral election in November. Democratic challenger Melina Kennedy has said she would get rid of Straub if she is elected. |
AZ Domestic Violence Victims Get Protection Orders from Hospital ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A unique Maricopa County program is providing an easier and safer way for victims of domestic violence to get restraining orders without walking into a courtroom, says the Arizona Republic. Since the county started a videoconferencing program last January, at least 60 domestic-violence victims have obtained orders of protection against their abusers from their hospital rooms. Typically at the end of their stay, victims hospitalized have the opportunity to request an order of protection by video. Only three people are involved in the process. The victim is in the hospital room with a domestic-violence advocate who has been taking care of the victim throughout his or her stay. The third person is Justice of the Peace Rachel Carrillo, who sits by herself in a courtroom. The process is designed to create a safe, private space so that victims feel comfortable enough to open up about their situations. They do not have to face their abusers in a courtroom setting. The videoconferencing program has been lauded nationally as an innovative county program. It was the brainchild of Carrillo and Dena Salter, family-violence program coordinator at Maricopa Medical Center, who is one of the hospital's four advocates for domestic-violence victims. "The victim has even more power and control over the situation than handing it over to somebody else," Salter said of the program. |
FL Prosecutors Say Teens Commit Repeat Crimes, Get Probation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A new type of career criminal is emerging - neighborhood teens. They're breaking into cars, burglarizing homes and robbing people on the street, reports the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Police and prosecutors say they are seeing hard-core youth committing burglaries and robberies over and over again and that they are largely helpless to stop what's happening. Some have been arrested dozens of times in the span of their short life, often while they are on probation or awaiting trial for earlier charges. In Fort Lauderdale, a police analysis shows that a small group of teens - just 50 youths; some as young as 13 - were charged with almost 700 crimes last year. They accounted for more than half of all the juvenile arrests in the city. Police brass believe the youths are partly to blame for a recent increase in property crime. "We aren't talking about kids arrested for the first time and whether they can be rehabilitated," Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Frank Adderley said. "These are prolific offenders, and there is no incentive for them to stop. They have no fear and know the justice system is a revolving door." Prosecutors say teens who commit property crime usually are sentenced to probation. At most, they are sent to a residential treatment facility for about six months. Juveniles also cannot be held for more than 21 days while awaiting trial regardless of the charges or their history. |
Miami Chief Exposito's Fate May Be Decided Monday ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A hearing last Friday to decide the fate of Miami Police Chief Miguel Exposito turned into theater of the absurd, reports the Miami Herald. The city manager bumbled his way through the first few hours, and cops, lawyers, and commissioners got into screaming matches over legal technicalities. After 17 hours of bluster, and at times blistering cross examination, commissioners didn't finish what they had set out to do: Determine whether Exposito should be fired for disobeying orders from City Manager Johnny Martinez. That - in all likelihood - will be decided some Monday when commissioners gather once again, this time to hear summations from the attorneys and vote to decide whether or not the chief should stay |
FBI Virtually Eliminates Backlog of DNA Samples ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An internal Justice Department review said the FBI has "effectively eliminated" its backlog of DNA samples collected from federal arrestees, convicted offenders, and non-U.S. citizens detained in the country, reports Legal Times. The FBI reviews DNA samples to aid law enforcement investigators working on unsolved cases. Last December, the FBI reported a backlog of 312,000 samples that had not been processed. Justice's Inspector General's office said that by this May, the backlog had fallen to about 14,000 samples. The FBI has the ability to analyze 60,000 samples a month. The report said the FBI reduced the number of untested samples through a strategy that included additional hiring and a reconfiguring of laboratory space for more efficient processing. |
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How 9/11 Concerns Have Reshaped Local Policing Coast to Coast ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Terrorism concerns have reshaped local policing in the decade since 9/11, says the Los Angeles Times. From the New York Police Department to small rural sheriff's departments, agencies have added counter-terrorism to their traditional crime-fighting duties - a shift that has cost billions of dollars and changed not just the equipment police use, but the way they approach law enforcement. Police officers monitor extremist chat rooms, study the tactics and weaponry of the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, and travel to Muslim countries to develop their own intelligence. New York has more than 1,000 officers engaged in counter-terrorism, including a dozen based overseas. It recruits foreign-born New Yorkers and trains them in secret for undercover work. In Los Angeles, 700 police officers work in the Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau, including some who speak Urdu and Arabic. That's more than twice as many officers as are assigned to any police station in the city, even those in the highest-crime areas. Local police team up with federal authorities at 72 "fusion centers" around the U.S., where experts from an alphabet soup of agencies work in adjoining cubicles to analyze "suspicious activity reports." They look for unusual trends, unexpected behaviors, and other potential clues that deserve further investigation. "I would sum it up in one quick sentence, and that is: Traditionally law enforcement has not had any direct responsibility for national security, and now we do," said Michael Grossman, chief of the homeland security division for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. |
How to Sustain Long-Term Juvenile Justice Reform ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nationwide, the number of incarcerated kids has fallen since 1995. A new report examines the reform models that made this possible, and judges their future usefulness. Resolution, Reinvestment, and Realignment: Three Strategies for Changing Juvenile Justice, by Jeffrey Butts and Douglas Evans of the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Justice, looks at various models of reform and finds that the realignment model, which involves altering and reorganizing juvenile justice systems, may be the best choice for sustaining long-term reform. |
Miami Chief Exposito Suspended For Failing to Obey Orders ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After 17 tumultuous months of fighting the mayor and a commissioner and attempting to quell angry voices from the inner city seared over a series of police shooting deaths of black men, Miami Police Chief Miguel Exposito has been suspended, paving the way for his removal from the city he's worked in for 37 years. "I have taken this action because you have failed to obey my orders and have taken other actions that indicate just and reasonable cause to demonstrate that you cannot properly perform your duties as chief of police," City Manager Johnny Martinez told Exposito, according to the Miami Herald. The city commission now has five days to meet and determine if Martinez has cause to warrant Exposito's departure, loosely defined in the city charter as anything from intoxication to insubordination. If they don't override the manager's decision - or if the chief does not fight the suspension - Exposito is gone. Anticipating his suspension, Exposito requested whistleblower protection from Martinez late last week - the first step in a possible lawsuit. Martinez named 31-year veteran Maj. Manual Orosa as acting police chief. Orosa's first action was to remove Maj. Alfredo Alvarez from his post as head of internal affairs. Alvarez was one of the most visible members of Exposito's administration. |
More Young, White Atlanta Men Drive In from Suburbs to Get Heroin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A U.S. Department of Justice analysis of Atlanta's drug market last year found that more young Caucasians are traveling from suburban counties into the city to buy heroin, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. They buy a gram for about $160 and return home to abuse the drug and sell the leftovers. This year, three young men from the northern suburbs died within a month of each other from heroin overdoses. Those deaths affirm research that shows a new type of heroin user is emerging across the nation - one that is more likely to be young, white, suburban, and male. Often the users are transitioning to heroin as a cheaper alternative to prescription painkillers, the abuse of which has exploded among teenagers. "When these kids drive into this community, many of them find a spot where they feel safe, they go in and use drugs," said Jeff McDowell of the Atlanta Harm Reduction Coalition. "That's where a lot of 'em OD at. It's also where they get HIV or hepatitis. So now he's taken what was given to him in this neighborhood back out to the suburbs to perpetuate hepatitis and HIV in those communities." |
23 D.C. Cops Arrested in '11; Expert Calls Rate One of U.S. Highest ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twenty-three Washington, D.C., police officers have been arrested this year on charges ranging from sexual assault to killing a mother and her 1-year-old daughter, a rate of alleged abuse by city cops that one expert places on par with the worst-run city police departments, reports the Washington Examiner. In the last week, an off-duty police officer with a history of alcohol problems allegedly was drunk and jumped on the hood of a vehicle and shot at transgendered people inside, striking at least one. The department has 3,818 officers. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said the acts of some of them were "despicable and dishonor the uniform that we wear. She said the public should be encouraged that some the misconduct was discovered internally. Criminologist Samuel Walker of the University of Nebraska, who specializes in police accountability, said he was astonished by the sheer numbers of D.C. police officers arrested and the level of criminality. "This might even exceed New Orleans, probably everybody's candidate for worst police department in the country," he said. The arrests raise questions about the recruiting, the screening, and the disciplinary process, he added. |
CA Auditor Seeks Halt to Testing Inmates on Rehabilitation Needs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ California's state auditor is recommending that the state corrections system halt tests that determine what rehabilitation prisoners need, calling the tools unproved and little used, reports California Watch. Since 2006, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has developed and revised the assessments, called Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS). It is composed of two tests. The first is given to incoming inmates, gauging levels of criminal thinking, violence, substance abuse, and educational needs. The other, for prisoners about to go on parole, measures housing and employment prospects on the outside. Auditors found many shortcomings in how prisons have used assessment scores. Rank-and-file officers within the corrections system show "a lack of buy-in on COMPAS" and doubt the tests are useful, the report says. The department often fails to use the scores when deciding where to place inmates, and few inmates even receive the exams. State prison officials acknowledge problems cited by the auditor, but strongly disagree with the conclusion. The department plans to continue, upgrade and expand the assessments. "We refuse to return to the method of simply placing an offender in the next slot available - regardless of their criminogenic needs," said Corrections Undersecretary Scott Kernan. The tests represent a major culture shift for California's prison system, said Lee Seale, internal oversight and research director for the department. |
Crime Reduction Potential In New Orleans Housing Fix Backed in Study ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As New Orleans hastens work on its latest public housing redevelopment, the Iberville complex near the French Quarter, a new report from the Urban Institute suggests that public housing redevelopments benefit surrounding neighborhoods through reductions in crime, reports the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The Iberville is the linchpin of a $589 million plan to create nearly 2,500 new apartments and many ground-floor commercial spaces within a 300-square block area of downtown New Orleans. The Iberville has had a reputation as both a springboard for criminals who prey on tourists and a sleazy destination for tourists hoping to indulge an appetite for illicit drugs or sex. The area's sporadic gun violence and blatant drug-slinging have made it feel unsafe for other residents, many of whom work in the Quarter or at nearby hospitals. That's been the case at many severely rundown public housing complexes across the nation. Researchers have found that crime may be even higher within 100 yards of public housing, because criminals from other parts of town seek out public housing areas to traffic drugs and commit violent crime. The Urban Institute's "Movin' Out: Crime Displacement and HUD's Hope VI Initiative" showed that the redevelopments studied "had significantly positive effects on crime." |
Texas, Like Other States, Scaling Back Prison Industries Programs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When the local soap factory in Sugar Land, Tx., closed last month after more than 45 years, 95 workers were without a job and a thriving business with as much as $4 million in sales left town, says the Austin American-Statesman. The factory was located inside a state prison, one of six prison factories in Texas that have closed in recent months because of the struggling economy. In the case of the soap factory, the prison that housed it closed as well. The closures are part of a national trend, as agencies that run prison industry programs experience budget cuts and government agencies that buy prison-made goods scale back purchases, also to cope with tighter budgets. "The question is how do you keep convicts busy if the plant closes," said Tony Fabelo, an Austin-based expert who tracks criminal justice trends. "This has implications for prison management, beyond just the closing of a plant here and there." Texas' prison-industry program is among the nation's largest, where convicts make everything ranging from furniture, highway signs and soap to garments, license plates, and shoes at 41 plants. Now some officials worry that increasing numbers of idled convicts could lead to new disciplinary and security problems inside Texas' sprawling system of 111 state prisons. |
Jail Official Calls High Web Mugshot Removal Fees "Heartbreaking" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Phillip Cabibi, who was arrested in Florida for driving under the influence four years ago, tells the Salt Lake Tribune how he was trapped in an emerging Internet niche that's akin to the modern-day scarlet letter: websites that post jail mugshots of people in local towns. At least one site charges to take your photo off. Another has made a deal with a separate website that charges to remove them. He pleaded no contest but four years later, his mugshot was on Florida.Arrests.org. Some sites offer to remove the mugshots for a price. MugShotsList.com says it will delete a booking photo for a $12.95 "processing fee." The Florida.Arrests.org webmaster is paid $9.95 when another site, RemoveSlander.com, purges a customer's arrest mug for $399. Cabibi says he "found out how big of a scam this was. And it's legal. It boggles my mind that it's allowed to go on." Salt Lake County Jail commander Rollin Cook said that because of public information laws, there's nothing jails can do about it. He said, "It's heartbreaking for us because our intent is not to humiliate but to provide information. But there are people who are doing it to extort or humiliate." |
Police In New Jersey Town Embroiled In Accusations From Website ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Police officer Joseph McNally of Waterford Township, N.J., is pursuing a court case to shut down a web site called WaterfordTwpTeaParty.com, which primarily targets a cadre of local police officers, accusing them of everything from abusing steroids to harassing residents, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. It even posts photos of police out drinking. McNally contends that the site has posted accusations that are both false and damaging to his credibility as a law enforcement official. McNally says former Mayor Maryann Merlino prompted another resident to create the website. Merlino, who won the June Democratic primary for the Township Council and could be back on it in January, would not comment. The Inquirer says there has long been a "hardball side" to the town of 10,500. In the 1980s, three police officers were convicted of framing a former chief over a stolen shotgun. In the 2000s, elected officials launched a probe into police officers' having sex on the job and tipping off drug dealers about a pending raid. Mayor Ralph Condo said much of the current rash of accusations stems from long-established personal grievances. The town was settled in the early 20th century by a handful of Italian families, and feuds were common. "I don't want to call it Mayberry RFD. But one family would get mad at one another, and that would extend into politics," he said. "But it's gotten better recently. We don't need any more bad press." |
Chicago Police Seek to Fire 14 Officers for Sick Leave Abuse ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One Chicago Police officer went shopping at a suburban mall, another grabbed some food at a restaurant, and a third took a trip to the Caribbean. the problem, says the Chicago Sun-Times, is that they were all on sick leave. They were required to stay home to recuperate unless they called a supervisor first to say where they were going. Police investigators conducted surveillance and documented them leaving their homes. Those cases are among 1,800 that have been investigated by the department's Medical Integrity Unit, which was formed in 2009. The department is seeking to fire 14 officers for alleged violations of the medical policy. Another 19 face possible suspensions and about 70 have received lesser forms of discipline. "The overwhelming number of officers on medical are on it for legitimate reasons," says former Police Superintendent Jody Weis, who started the crackdown. "However, I am pleased that for those who chose to abuse the system, justice was served." Chicago cops have a generous medical-leave policy of 365 days of sick leave every two years. In 2009, officers took about 150,000 sick days for an average of 11.6 per officer. |
In Case of Career Criminal, Illinois Records Called Deficient ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Wisconsin prosecutor says Illinois criminal records are seriously deficient, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He cites the case of Michael Tolbert, 47, who raped two women - five days apart - in Chicago in 1980 and shot his second victim and her two children who witnessed the crime, but 30 years later was living freely in Wisconsin armed with guns in an apartment full of children. Now he is charged with failing to register as a sex offender and being a felon in possession of a gun. Because of Illinois' arcane criminal justice record-keeping practices, it took Kenosha prosecutor Richard Ginkowski hours on the phone with counterparts in Illinois to build a case. Ginkowski, a 30-year veteran prosecutor, had to call sources in law enforcement and prosecutor's offices, asking for favors to get records. "This is an extremely dangerous person who committed heinous crimes," he said. He said it is common to get reports from Illinois showing arrests but not whether there was a conviction. Other states have such information readily accessible online. "That is a serious problem getting reliable information out of Illinois," Ginkowski said. |
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