Daniels Threatens IN Sentencing Reform Veto, Blames Prosecutors ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels' sentencing reform proposal -- an attempt to save money and avoid building more prisons -- has been overhauled by lawmakers to the point that officials say it would require the state to build three new prisons in the next two decades, reports the Indianapolis Star. Daniels says he would veto the bill he once championed if it isn't changed. The original proposal -- endorsed by Daniels and drafted by a commission of the state's top justice officials -- sought to lessen prison time for nonviolent drug offenders and bring Indiana's harsh sentencing laws into line with those of other states. After county prosecutors assailed it as soft on crime, senators gutted the bill and even lengthened sentences for some offenders. "It's a shame, honestly, that what looked to be a consensus is unraveled because of one interest group, the prosecutors, and they do not speak for all prosecutors," Daniels said. "The main point here was to incarcerate people in a smarter way and to save Indiana's taxpayers a lot of money. |
Would "Drunk Tanks" Be Cheaper, More Effective than Jail? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Opening a sobering center - a drunk tank where the 19,000 people picked up for public intoxication in Houston every year could be taken in lieu of jail - could save money and help connect chronic alcoholics with the assistance they need, police, mental health advocates, and a City Council member tell the Houston Chronicle. Proponents envision a center staffed by substance abuse professionals who could counsel alcoholics and connect them with housing, treatment, and other services. "It's a more humane way of dealing with alcoholics," said Houston police Lt. Mike Lee. The city may be able to run a sobering center for a little more than half the $5.8 million currently spent on public intoxication annually, Lee said. "It's not going to be free and it's not going to be cheap," Lee said. The savings could be critical as Houston seeks to close a $130 million budget gap. Of the Houston Police Department's 139,617 arrests last year, 19,587 were for public intoxication. |
Expert: MA Parole Board Firings "Hasty, Heavy-Handed" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has announced nominations to fill the four remaining vacancies on the state parole board. If confirmed, they will join Patrick's choice for parole board chairman: Joshua Wall, a former prosecutor.. Once these members are in place, the board can begin to rebuild from the rubble of the last few months, says former New Jersey parole official William Burrell in The Crime Report.. Patrick fired five board members, suspended several board staffers and imposed a moratorium on all parole releases in response to the December 26, 2010 murder of a police officer by parolee Dominic Cinelli, While the commission of such a serious crime by a parolee certainly demands a quick response and thorough review of the actions of all involved, the public record suggests to me that the Massachusetts response was hasty, heavy handed and misdirected. As former Kansas Secretary of Corrections Roger Werholz has said, it is a statistical certainty that someone released from prison on parole will do something horrible. The parole system should be structured and operated in such a way as to reduce the likelihood of that happening, and should be judged on its overall performance, not a single high-profile incident. The four brave individuals who were selected from among 100 applicants to be nominated to the Massachusetts parole board have a tough job ahead of them. |
Philadelphia Hopes to Close 19th Century Prison ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Deputy Philadelphia Mayor Everett Gillison said a goal over the next five years is to close one of the city's prisons, a 19th Century structure called the House of Corrections that houses between 1,300 and 1,800 inmates, reports the Philadelphia Daily News. The city's daily prison population is down to about 7,700 - from about 10,000 a few years ago. Gillison credits the prison population decline to guiding inmates more efficiently through the legal system, as well as shifting some prisoners to the state correctional system. The city has also sought to move non-violent offenders serving on minor charges into day reporting facilities. |
Holder Starts Law Enforcement Officer Safety Program ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Acknowledging an increase in law enforcement officer fatalities, Attorney General Eric Holder today began a law enforcement officer safety initiative. He directed every U.S. Attorney to meet with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials in their districts to ensure that federal resources are made available to help reduce officer deaths. Holder convened a meeting of law enforcement officers in Washington, D.C., to seek ideas for action to improve officer safety. After a two-year decline in law enforcement fatalities, 2010 was one of the deadliest years in nearly two decades. This year, 27 law enforcement officers have been killed either by firearms or felonious assaults. Holder directed federal prosecutors to identify the "worst of the worst"--offenders with criminal histories who cycle in and out of jail and prison--and ask if any of them are eligible for prosecution, and possibly higher sentences, in federal court. |
Ohio Teens-Behind-Bars Total Down 62 Percent In Decade ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Ohio Department of Youth Services continues to downsize, having closed three facilities and a regional parole office, and reduced its staff by 300 (13.5 percent) in the past two years, says the Columbus Dispatch. In September, another facility will close: the Ohio River Valley Juvenile Correctional Facility in Scioto County. The total number of youths held by the state is less than half what it was as recently as three years ago. A decade ago, the agency had 10 facilities and 1,949 youth inmates. Today, it has five (soon to be four) facilities housing 736 offenders, a 62 percent drop. The agency, through the RECLAIM Ohio program, is doing what the adult prison system wants to do: shrink by diverting offenders to less-restrictive and lower-cost community treatment facilities |
High Court Takes Up Issue of Juvenile Miranda Warnings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Supreme Court takes up a North Carolina case today that could have sweeping implications for young suspects who are questioned by law enforcement, say the McClatchy Newspapers. The question is whether an interrogator should consider a suspect's age before deciding whether to read the Miranda warning. Now, police must decide whether a "reasonable person" would consider themselves in custody. If the answer is yes, law enforcement must tell suspects they have the right to remain silent, to call an attorney and, if under 18, to have his or her parents notified. The issue "comes down to the type of society we want to live in," said Tamar Birckhead, who teaches law at the University of North Carolina School of Law. She and other juvenile justice advocates argue that children should be given extra consideration by police officers in the early stages of an investigation, including in interrogations. Those who advocate for law enforcement agencies say youths already have extra protections in court, and that police officers should not bear an additional burden of trying to figure out a suspect's age |
Despite Spate of Police Shootings, Miami Chief Defends His Force ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Miami police officers have shot and killed 7 African-American men in eight months. The New York Times says the shootings in the racially polarized city have led to marches on police headquarters and calls for a Justice Department investigation. The city manager has initiated an investigation into the chief's record. Families of the seven shooting victims will speak at a City Commission meeting on Thursday. Some families are demanding that Police Chief Migual Exposito be dismissed. "I don't understand how the powers that be can allow these things to keep happening," said Sheila McNeil, the mother of one victim. Exposito, a 37-year veteran who became chief in 2009, defended his leadership. "We don't have a violent police department," he said in an interview. "You'll find our officers are very compassionate with the people they deal with. They will try to de-escalate situations rather than resorting to deadly force." |
Chicago Fighting Police-Misconduct Lawsuits--and Winning ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Illinois Supreme Court overturned a $4 million jury award to Christopher Ries for neck and back injuries he suffered after he was hit by a stolen Chicago police car in 2002. Chicago is getting more aggressive in fighting lawsuits against police officers - a strategy that's winning approval from the rank-and-file who believe the city settled too easily in the past, says the Chicago Sun-Times. Some plaintiffs and their attorneys complain the city is going too far. "For the average citizen this is a very scary situation," said Ries' attorney, Scott Rudin. "It's a guilty verdict and there's no recourse for this guy. This is something where the city should have stood up and said, 'You know what? We're wrong.' " Law Department spokeswoman Jennifer Hoyle explained the city started asking outside lawyers to take "defensible" lawsuits to trial for $25,000 each. They get a $15,000 bonus for winning. As a result, the number of new lawsuits alleging police misconduct dropped by 47 percent in 2010 |
What It's Like for Victims Who Wrongly Identify Suspects ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Advances in genetic testing have led to the exonerations of 267 people across the U.S. who were convicted of crimes they did not commit. In more than three-quarters of those cases, a victim or witness identified the wrong person, according to the Innocence Project. "There is no support group for rape victims who wrongly identify people," said Jennifer Thompson, who was raped in 1984 in Nroth Carolina and wrongly identified a suspect. "While trying to do the right thing, we got it wrong. I felt that I had become the offender and [the defendant] was the victim. I had failed everybody. |
Critics Demand Probe on How States Got Lethal-Injection Drug ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Attorneys in Arizona and Kentucky have joined a lawyer in Georgia calling on the Justice Department to investigate how the states acquired a key lethal injection drug that is in short supply in the U.S., the Associated Press reports. The requests come as many of the 34 death penalty states scramble to find an alternative for lethal injections after the sole U.S. maker of sodium thiopental said earlier this year it would no longer produce it. Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood said the state was still trying to get sodium thiopental from other states, but officials may have no choice but to switch to another drug, which probably will be pentobarbital. Texas and Oklahoma have announced a switch to pentobarbital, and plan to use it along with two other drugs. Ohio became the first state to use pentobarbital alone when it executed an inmate with the drug March 10. |
Challenges Likely To Rulings by GA Judge With Brain Damage ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Before he was sentenced for crimes committed with a stripper, former U.S. District Judge Jack Camp of Atlanta said he long has suffered from a misdiagnosed bipolar disorder and brain damage from an accident more than a decade earlier, says the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Camp has been sentenced to 30 days in prison. The revelations have lawyers wondering whether justice was meted out by an impaired jurist. "Every case he handled from the time he was misdiagnosed, or before, depending on when he was affected by these conditions, should be re-evaluated," said Marcia Shein, a Decatur appellate lawyer. "The question is: Did these conditions affect his ability to be an objective judge making fair decisions?" U.S. Attorney Sally Yates said her office will consider requests from defendants concerning Camp's judgment "to ensure that justice is served." Camp handled more than 3,000 cases, but only a small fraction of those is expected to be challenged. |
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Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Articles for 23 March 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Articles for 22 March 2011
TN to Release 2,200 Inmates 2 Months Early to Save Money ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tennessee plans to release more than 2,000 prison inmates two months earlier than their full sentences to save $5.7 million over the next year, The Tennessean reports. The state will merge prison rehabilitation programs, allowing more inmates who complete those programs to shave 60 days off their sentences. Inmates who committed violent offenses and nonviolent offenses could be eligible for early release. Inmates sentenced to death or life without parole are not eligible. Correction officials expect 2,200 inmates to leave this year and next before their terms otherwise had been expected to end. Their empty beds would then be filled by state inmates who have been housed - at greater cost - at local jails because of prison overcrowding. The news is being met with guarded optimism from sheriffs departments. While some welcome any chance to unload state inmates from local jails, they worry that the benefits will be short-term. "Anytime they can get beds out of here and into Nashville, that's going to help obviously. But at some point in time, the state's going to have to build more beds," Wilson County Sheriff Terry Ashe said. "We'll hear from the victims of some of them, I'm sure." |
Privatizing Ohio Prisons Would Save Via Lower Employee Benefits ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ohio corrections director Gary Mohr's goals include selling five prisons, privatizing two, cutting the population by 2,000 inmates, and saving $10 million in medical costs, says the Columbus Dispatch. In a legislative hearing on a proposed $2.97 billion biennial prison budget, Mohr made it clear that his proposed changes won't be easy. Some 171 state employees would lose their jobs. Mohr said private companies pay less and allow less vacation, sick and personal time. It takes two state employees to staff a position for a week but requires 1.7 private employees to do the same job, he said. He was asked about the influence his former employer, the private-prison operator Corrections Corp. of America, would have on the proposed sales and contracts. He said he has turned over all decision-making in the matter to chief of staff Linda Janes. |
Study Faults Drug Treatment In New York State Prisons ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Up to three-fourths of New York State's 57,000 prison inmates need drug counseling or treatment to have a chance at productive, crime-free lives once they are released, says a study reported by the New York Times. The Correctional Association of New York looked at drug treatment at 23 of the state's nearly 68 facilities. It found that the programs varied wildly in effectiveness and that most departed significantly from best practices of the federal Department of Health and Human Services. New York prisons fail to screen candidates based on the severity of their problems, which means they wastefully enroll large numbers of people in intensive programs they don't need. They also routinely enroll poorly motivated inmates, which limits effectiveness. They fail to coordinate prison treatment programs with those offered in the communities to which the inmates will return. Researchers found model treatment programs in at least four state prisons. The study said the state could improve drug treatment without spending any more than the estimated $19 million it devotes to this problem by deploying the existing staff in better designed programs. |
Critics: Drug Courts Widen the Net, Spend Resources Ineffectively ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ America's growing reliance on drug courts is an ineffective allocation of scarce state resources, the Justice Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group argued today. The institute contends that "drug courts can needlessly widen the net of criminal justice involvement, and cannot replace the need for improved treatment services in the community." The group said that of nearly 8 million people in the U.S. who say they need treatment for drug use, fewer than one fourth classified with substance abuse or a dependence on drugs and/or alcohol gets treatment. For those who do receive treatment, more than 37 percent are referred by the criminal justice system. Among the institute's recommendations: provide more treatment before people get involved in the justice system, start more "diversion" programs, focus court treatment programs on those who would have gone to prison, and do more evaluations of drug courts |
Baltimore Chief Seeks Tougher Gun Laws After Spate of Shootings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After a weekend in which 18 people were shot in Baltimore, including a police detective who was injured and a 4-year-old boy who died, Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld used the spate of violence to argue for tighter gun laws in Maryland, reports the Baltimore Sun. Bealefeld bemoaned the availability of illegal guns, and said the arrest record of a man accused of opening fire on a city police officer Friday night underscores the point. Gerry Gough, 23, was arrested in 2009 with a loaded semiautomatic handgun, telling police he carried the weapon for protection and knew how to get more - his cellphone wallpaper even displayed an image of him clutching a weapon He got just six months in jail. "After they get arrested, they get guns again. To say it minimally, it's [exasperating] that more people don't understand the enormous ramifications of these guys running around the city with these handguns," Bealefeld said. "[Baltimore residents] expect that when people do bad things, they're going to be held accountable." |
Seattle Police Investigate Charges Of Rubber-Stamping DUI Cases ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Seattle police are investigating the alleged mishandling of dozens of drunken-driving cases by members of the department's DUI Squad, prompting city attorneys to put some prosecutions on hold, the Seattle Times reports. The investigation is focused on accusations that arrest reports weren't properly screened and approved by a sergeant in the DUI Squad, as required under department policy. The head of the Seattle police union, Sgt. Rich O'Neill, called the investigation an unfair reaction to a "paperwork snafu." Among the allegations is that Sgt. David Abe, a 32-year veteran, routinely did not report to work and approved DUI arrests by telephone. A rubber stamp then was used by DUI officers to affix the sergeant's name to reports. The Police Department is looking into the possibility that the sergeant's name was put on reports without first contacting him. Dozens of the squad's current and past DUI cases might be compromised. |
Utah To Close Gap When Domestic Violence Suspects Harass Victims ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The first 36 hours after an abuser is arrested are often the scariest for a domestic violence victim, says Katy Peterson of the Dove Center, a Utah domestic violence center. "They start doubting themselves and fear the repercussions of what they've done," she says. If there is any delay in getting a protective order in place - which is likely if an arrest happens at night or on a weekend, when courts are closed - those are the hours when an abuser often tries to manipulate a victim through repeated telephone harassment, even from behind bars. The gap is closed once an alleged abuser bails out of jail and is given a no-contact order, designed to give a victim enough time to get a temporary protective order. "Until that no-contact order or no-release order is in place, there is nothing we [can] do about it," said Shauna Jones of the Washington County Sheriff's Office. That bill will change in May when a bill Gov. Gary Herbert signed yesterday will make it a class B misdemeanor for an alleged abuser to contact a victim after being arrested and while detained in jail |
Can Legislators Do Anything About "Facebook Felons"? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A "Facebook felon" bill working its way through the South Carolina legislature would impose a maximum $500 fine and as many as 30 more days in jail for any prisoner caught creating or using a Facebook or Twitter account, says the Christian Science Monitor. Some inmates are managing to get their hands on smart phones and surreptitiously tap out pithy updates, send messages to the outside world, and even post photos after lights-out. For South Carolina state Rep. Wendell Gilliard, a law-and-order Democrat, the use of social media by prisoners is "a slap in the face" to both society and to victims. Criminalizing cell block use of social media could infringe on First Amendment rights, some experts say. A new law could obscure the real problem now being brought to light in prisons: an unchecked flow of contraband, including drugs and cellphones. "This is a meaningless strategy that makes it look like you're doing something about contraband and you're not," says Michele Deitch, a prison policy expert at the University of Texas at Austin. "Adding 30 days to someone's sentence is not going to keep them from doing this. What needs to happen is better controls within the prison." |
Chicago's "Becoming a Man" Tries to Steer Kids from Gangs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In some of Chicago's troubled neighborhoods, boys may join gangs at a young age. For many, it's a road fraught with violence, reports NPR in the second in a series. A group called Becoming a Man (BAM) is working on getting to those youngsters before they're drawn into gang life or drop out of school. Tony DiVittorio, a 42-year-old, muscular and tattooed social worker, created BAM in 2003 to mentor boys. He says young males are often more likely than females to be victims or perpetrators of violent crime. BAM operates in 16 public high schools and elementary schools. The students are often at risk of failing, have behavior problems or have no positive male role models in their lives. BAM counselors conduct clinical assessments, provide individual counseling if needed and consult with teachers. The curriculum is built around core principles like integrity, accountability, and positive ways to express anger. The University of Chicago Crime Lab is evaluating BAM and other programs designed to curb violence. Co-director Harold Pollack says BAM, at a cost of about $1,000 per student, is promising. |
Comey, Wainstein May Have The Edge as Possible FBI Choices ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Of a long list of possible candidates to succeed Robert Mueller as FBI director, the Associated Press is suggesting that James Comey and Kenneth Wainstein, two high Justice Department officials from the George W. Bush administration, have the edge. The AP cited only "people familiar with the search" as sources. Mueller's 10-year, nonrenewable term expires Sept. 4. The explanation of Comey and Wainstein's prominence is that the Obama administration faces an expanded Republican minority in the Senate, which must confirm the choice. Comey became a hero to Democratic opponents of Bush's warrantless wiretapping when Comey, as Deputy Attorney General, refused for a time to reauthorize it. Wainstein was working for Mueller at the FBI when agents at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, objected to abusive interrogation techniques employed by the military and when Mueller decided FBI agents could not participate in interviews involving these techniques. |
Why is Race Now an Issue in Media Coverage of TX Gang Rape? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the disputed news coverage over a rape in Cleveland, Tx., there was hardly any mention of the victim's or suspects' race at first, but many news organizations have now reported that the victim, 11, is Hispanic, many of the 18 suspects charged are black,and racial tensions are stirring, reports the Poynter Institute, a news media think tank. Poynter says the mention of race has raised more questions than it's answered. Among them: "Why wasn't race mentioned in the initial reports, and at what point did it become relevant? Is there a history of racial tension between blacks and Hispanics in Cleveland, or does the tension have more to do with people believing the suspects were wrongly targeted because they're black? Was race a motive in the crime?" |
NH Police Department Curbs Info Release After Official Complains ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Concord, N.H., police have dramatically restricted the amount of information included in arrest reports made available to the public after a complaint from City Councilor Fred Keach and his lawyer, who said the police disclosed too much information after Keach was charged with driving while intoxicated last fall, the Concord Monitor reports. Until recently, the reports often included a narrative account of the circumstances that led to an arrest, explaining why the police were called and what happened when they made the arrest. Now the reports are limited to a list of basic information, including the name of the person arrested, the charges filed by the police, the time and location of the arrest, and the name of the arresting officer. The Monitor's First Amendment lawyer, Bill Chapman, is negotiating with the city in hopes of modifying the new policy and allowing more information to be released. "Clearly it's not complying with the Right-To-Know Law," Chapman said. City officials said the policy change was prompted by a letter from Keach's attorney, Jim Rosenberg, who questioned the police department's practice of disclosing information about arrests to the press and the public. |
Monday, March 14, 2011
Articles for 14 March 2011
Two Months After Tucson, Obama Seeks Better Gun Buyer Checks ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
Kerry Assails GOP Cuts in COPS; "I Didn't Know We Had Ended Crime" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Senator John Kerry (D-MA), speaking to the Fraternal Order of Police in Boston, blasted House Republicans for taking a "meat ax'' to crucial items in the proposed federal budget, including education, research, infrastructure, and public safety, and he vowed to continue to fight for unions, reports the Boston Globe. The FOP endorsed Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) for president in 2008, but members now say they are deeply concerned about the Republican-led House's plans to slash anticrime programs in the federal budget. Kerry said Republicans are attempting to dismantle a program he helped spearhead in 1994, with GOP support, to put as many as 100,000 additional police officers on the streets. He said crime decreased 1.5 percent since then, and violent crime dropped 2.5 percent. "Well, I didn't know that we had ended crime in America," Kerry told FOP members. "But some of our Republican friends evidently think that none of this matters. I mean, none of it. We're caught up now in one of the most ridiculous moments that I've ever seen in all the time that I've been in public life." |
Will Emanuel Lure Ramsey Back to Head Chicago Police? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Will Philadelphia Police Chief Charles Ramsey be lured back to Chicago? The Chicago Sun-Times quotes Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel as saying Ramsey has "great strengths" that would be "natural for the job" of Chicago Police superintendent. Said Emanuel: "From Chicago. Two proven departments under his belt of leadership. A proven record on community policing, which is important to us. The trust of the department [to solve] the morale issue, which is essential." Ramsey, 63, is the former head of Chicago's community policing program who left the city in a huff after Mayor Richard Daley's surprise choice of Terry Hillard in 1998. He spent nine years as Washington, D.C., police chief before moving on to Philadelphia in 2008. Ramsey has told associates he would love to come home to run the Chicago Police Department, but probably won't apply without assurances he is Emanuel's choice. The mayor-elect wouldn't go that far. He still has to wait for the nine-member Police Board to conduct a nationwide search for a new police superintendent, then give him three finalists from which to choose. |
Schumer Presses for NYPD's Kelly to Succeed Mueller at FBI ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is pushing for New York City police commissioner Raymond Kelly to head the FBI when Robert Mueller's term ends in September, the New York Daily News reports. "I think the country needs him," said Schumer. "Ray Kelly is a world-class choice, and he's at the top of the list, whether it's fighting terrorism, drug crime or street crime." Schumer will strenuously advocate for Kelly in both the Justice Department and the White House. "He's the preeminent law enforcement person in the country," said Schumer. "He knows more about this than anyone." Kelly rejected overtures to head the FBI before Mueller was appointed. Schumer touted Kelly's experience keeping the city safe from terrorism since the Sept. 11 attacks. New York police have had a hand in thwarting at least 13 potential plots since the 2001 attacks and has established international outposts in cities like Tel Aviv, Paris, and Madrid. Kelly, 69, has spent 31 years in the NYPD, including two stints as commissioner. He ran the department from 1992 to 1994 under Mayor David Dinkins and reclaimed the top spot when Michael Bloomberg became mayor in 2002 |
Ohio Gov. Kasich Likely to Propose Selling Prisons to Private Operators ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ohio Gov. John Kasich's may propose Tuesday to sell three to five state prisons to private entities, reports the Columbus Dispatch. Kasich's first budget proposal will roil the landscape, the paper says, especially the public, nonprofit and private entities that count on the state's largesse. There is a projected $8 billion hole in the next two-year state budget, and Kasich won't fill it with tax increases. He will cut, cut and then cut some more. Services will be consolidated and privatized. Some user fees probably will be raised. Mandates will be lifted. Far more than previous state budgets, Kasich's will include significant policy changes with the usual taxing and spending decisions. In his State of the State speech last week, Kasich provided a partial roadmap for where cuts will be made. He warned government entities that used their one-time shares of the roughly $5.7 billion Ohio received in federal stimulus funds for operating costs to expect that money to be eliminated |
Patrol Officers Increasingly Trained in SWAT-team Skills ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Portland, Or., police officers are trained with advanced stills that traditionally have been reserved for police tactical teams, reports The Oregonian. After the Columbine school shooting -- when the nation watched in horror as police waited for SWAT teams to rescue the wounded -- larger police agencies have been providing more intensive training for the patrol officers first on the scene. "If a citizen or officer is in a field of fire, it's our obligation to remove them as fast as we can," said Ronald McCarthy, a police consultant who retired as an assistant commander from the Los Angeles Police Department. "Sometimes SWAT teams aren't there when the world is coming down." Thomas Aveni, a New Hampshire officer who serves as executive director of the Police Policy Studies Council, said there's been a greater emphasis over the last decade on preparing all ranks of police for what's called "active shooter" situations, from issuing patrol officers rifles to teaching how to rescue a wounded officer. "Especially post-Columbine, there's been a trickle down of SWAT techniques to patrol officers," Aveni said. Portland police have been teaching the officer-evacuation training for at least a decade in its advanced academy. It was developed specifically for street officers to remove a wounded cop from a shooting zone to a safe location and into the hands of emergency medics as quickly as possible. In such a situation, police are taught to fill three roles: one to fire rounds toward the suspect's location to neutralize the threat; at least one to carry out the wounded officer; and a lead-out officer to help guide the cover-fire officer out of the area once the wounded cop is removed. |
Ex-Federal Judge Gets 30 Days in Prison for Crimes with Stripper ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Telling him he has "a scarlet letter chiseled on his forehead the rest of his life," a federal judge sentenced disgraced ex-federal trial judge Jack Camp of Atlanta to 30 days in prison for committing repeated crimes with a stripper, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. "He has disgraced his office," Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan said of Camp. Camp was arrested Oct. 1 in an undercover drug sting. Hogan also ordered Camp to serve 400 hours of community service, pay a $1,000 fine, and reimburse the government for the cost of its prosecution. Camp, 67, was appointed to the bench by President Ronald Reagan in 1987. He resigned before pleading guilty to drug charges and to giving the stripper his $825 government-issued laptop computer. Camp met the exotic dancer when she did a table dance for him. He then paid her for sex and together, they began smoking marijuana and snorting cocaine and a synthetic form of heroin. |
Behind the Debate Over Florida's Missing Prescription-Drug Database ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Not long after Anna Nicole Smith's 2007 death in a Florida hotel room, authorities declared legal narcotics were killing three times as many people as street drugs in Florida. Those events combined to give the Sunshine State an embarrassing new nickname: Pill Mill Capital of the nation, says the St. Petersburg Times. It wasn't until 2009, after seven deadly years of political stalemate, that lawmakers approved a database to thwart drug-seekers who go from doctor to doctor, and pharmacy to pharmacy, filling multiple prescriptions for powerful narcotics. The database still doesn't exist. Florida's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program is the subject of a battle that pits Republicans against Republicans, politicians against major campaign contributors, and at least one legislator against his own vote. As Gov. Rick Scott and opponents work to kill the program, an unlikely coalition of pain clinic doctors, police officers, and grieving mothers are united in distress. Politicians from New York to Kentucky are begging the state to stop the drug pipeline that sends deadly narcotics across their borders. Even the nation's drug czar recently implored Florida to enact the monitoring system. |
Abuse of NY Group-Home Residents Rarely Leads to Charges, Firings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A New York state network of small group homes for the developmentally disabled operates with scant oversight and few consequences for employees who abuse the vulnerable population, reports the New York Times. The newspaper found widespread problems in the more than 2,000 state-run homes. In hundreds of cases, employees who sexually abused, beat, or taunted residents rarely were fired, even after repeated offenses. Then often were transferred to other state-run group homes. Despite a law requiring that incidents in which a crime may have been committed be reported to law enforcement, referrals are rare. Of 13,000 allegations of abuse in 2009 in state-operated and licensed homes, fewer than 5 percent were referred to law enforcement. The cases included shocking examples of abuse of residents with conditions like Down syndrome, autism, and cerebral palsy. |
Mexican Drug Gang Makes North Texas a Key Hub ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Zetas drug cartel, a shadowy Mexican gang, has made north Texas a key hub in a criminal enterprise extending through Central America, reports the Dallas Morning News in a series of articles available only to paid subscribers. Dallas Morning News |
Federal Budget Cut Could Curtail State, Local Money Laundering Probes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A looming cut to the federal financial crime agency's budget could cripple state and local investigations that depend on transactions monitored via the anti-money laundering Bank Secrecy Act, Reuters reports. The Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) decided to save nearly $1.4 million by doing away with jobs that facilitate state and local law enforcers' access to the coveted data, often used in fighting drug trafficking, fraud and terrorism finance. "For very, very small savings, we're looking at having a very major negative impact on investigations," Cameron Holmes of the Arizona Attorney General's Office, told Complinet. "It is far, far, far out of proportion to the savings." The data include reports that financial institutions like banks, broker-dealers, and money services firms file on transactions deemed suspicious, or those involving large amounts of cash. Millions of such reports are filed with the Treasury Department each year and are stored electronically in FinCEN databases. Financial investigators and others rely on these documents to help them track suspicious money flows. In recent years, investigators with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies have been able to access Bank Secrecy Act data instantly online at their workstations. FinCEN spokesman Steve Hudak said that as a result of deficit concerns, all federal agencies were asked to "prioritize their capabilities." |
NY Times Ombudsman Assails Unbalanced Story on Rape of TX Girl ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Arthur Brisbane, the "public editor' of the New York Times, has taken his own paper to task for this week's story about a gang rape of an 11-year-old girl in the East Texas town of Cleveland. The story, headlined "Victious Assault Shakes Texas Town," got "viral distribution" that was due partly to intense outrage among readers who thought the piece pilloried the victim, Brisbane says. "My assessment is that the outrage is understandable," says the ombudsman. "The story dealt with a hideous crime but addressed concerns about the ruined lives of the perpetrators without acknowledging the obvious: concern for the victim."He continues that, "It was not enough to simply report that the community is principally concerned about the boys and men involved - as this story seems to do. If indeed that is the only sentiment to be found in this community - and I find that very hard to believe - it becomes important to report on that as well by seeking out voices of professional authorities or dissenting community members who will at least address, and not ignore, the plight of the young girl involved." |
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