1 May 2012

May 1, 2012   Today's Stories

After Martin, Activists Demand New Look at Questionable Shootings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Across the nation, people disillusioned by the criminal justice system were galvanized by the Trayvon Martin case and took to the Internet to demand that police and prosecutors take a second look at questionable shootings, reports the Miami Herald. From New York to Chicago, Atlanta, North Carolina, and elsewhere, people whose relatives were killed by cops, zealous security guards, or neighbors are inundating law enforcement officials with online petitions, calls from attorneys, and rallies. With Martin killer George Zimmerman facing second-degree murder charges, cases activists say would otherwise have been swept under the rug are gaining new momentum. Social media tools allow anyone to start a petition and keep in touch with people who sign. Experts say that has played a key role in spreading the word about other killings and helped empower victims, who are often poor and black. The phenomenon has lifted the veil on dozens of questionable shootings around the nation where police or prosecutors carried out lackluster investigations or were perceived to have protected law enforcement, activists said. "This is a message to law enforcement: Families are no longer powerless," said Steven Biel, Director of SignOn.org, the online petition site associated with MoveOn.org. "These petitions offer a way to send emails and organize people in an ongoing way. That's the most exciting thing: It's not just petitions, but organizing rallies and making sure the targets understand this is not just a bunch of people clicking a mouse." Miami Herald

Police Departments See More Budget Cuts; Overtime, Cars, Training Hit ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A survey of local police departments conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum suggests that the economic crisis may be easing in a minority of cities, but most police budgets still are being cut. Of 416 agencies that responded to similar surveys in 2010 and this year, 51 percent reported budget cuts this year, compared with 78 percent two years ago. Forty percent of the agencies said budget cuts were planned in the next fiscal year, compared with 61 percent in 2010. "The bad news is that most local police agencies are still suffering budget-cutting," said PERF executive director Chuck Wexler. "However, there may be some good news in the fact that the budget-cutting that began as early as 2008 seems to have stopped in some departments." Wexler said that in places including Camden, N.J., and Oakland, "budget cuts are having a direct impact on violent crime, which is significantly higher." Among other findings of the survey, 53 percent of agencies reported an increase in contacts with persons with mental illness due to the economic downturn, 56 percent of departments believe they have seen an increase in domestic violence because of the economy, and budget cuts were made most often in overtime (reported by 48 percent of agencies), vehicle fleets (39 percent), and training (30 percent). Police Executive Research Forum

Apple Training Chicago Police On How to Find Stolen Cellphones, iPads ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When a young female robber snatched an iPhone from a woman from New Zealand on a Red Line train in Chicago on St. Patrick's Day, the chase was on, says the Chicago Sun-Times. The victim and a good Samaritan pursued the bandit from car to car, and off the train. Police stopped the suspect in an alley, but she swore she didn't have the phone. Then an officer typed the victim's Apple ID and password into the Find My iPhone application on his cellphone. Instantly, her stolen phone was pinpointed on a map. The officers found it nearby, hidden in a red shirt the 17-year-old suspect stripped off during the chase, police said. She was wearing a white tank top when she was caught. More than 700 electronic devices have been stolen on Chicago Transit Authority property over the past two years. More than 300 officers from the Chicago Police Department and other federal and local agencies have received free training from an Apple Store in hunting for stolen cellphones and iPads. The officers have learned to use Find My iPhone ­- as well as similar applications that track down other brands of cellphones such as Droids and BlackBerrys. The training paid off several months ago for an Apple employee robbed of an iPhone near the store. A cop in the store used Find My iPhone to locate the phone in a home. The phone was recovered, and the robber was captured. Chicago Sun-Times

Straub Quits as Indianapolis Public Safety Chief After Tumultuous Reign ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Scrutinized, criticized and second-guessed for much of his 28 months in office, Indianapolis Public Safety Director Frank Straub is calling it quits as of Aug. 1, says the Indianapolis Star. "You wake up one day and decide, 'That's it. It's time to move on,' " Straub said. "I'd been thinking about it for a while." Mayor Greg Ballard hired him from White Plains, N.Y., in 2010. Straub's letter of resignation signaled the end to a tumultuous reign that saw the centerpiece of his agenda -- aggressive police reform -- meet with persistent resistance or indifference from the police rank and file. At the same time, dozens of instances of officer misconduct and Straub's sometimes biting responses served as a sideshow to that agenda. "Frank Straub's work set the stage for the Department of Public Safety and all of its divisions to proudly serve this city in a positive fashion for years to come," Ballard said. "It hasn't always been easy, but meaningful reform seldom is." Straub said neither the pressure from the Fraternal Order of Police nor the City-County Council influenced his decision to leave. "The union criticism has been constant and caustic, and it reached such a point of ridiculousness that it didn't bother me that much," he said. Grillings before the council about his budget deficit and management style "are part of governing." Two weeks ago, Police Chief Paul Ciesielski resigned after a crucial piece of evidence in a pending trial involving a police officer was misplaced. Indianapolis Star

Study: Methadone Clinics Don't Raise The Local Crime Rate ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Methadone clinics often are seen as the bad neighbor nobody wants, says the Baltimore Sun. Residents concerned about crime and other quality-of-life issues protest if they even hear word of a methadone clinic, which treats those addicted to heroin and other opiates, is considering moving into the area. Drug-addiction specialists who say methadone is one of the most effective ways to treat opiate dependency are hoping a new study led by a University of Maryland School of Medicine faculty member debunks concerns that the clinics breed crime and drag down neighborhoods. The study is the first that takes a geographic look at crime around clinics, says the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Previous research examined the link between crime and methadone users. "The concern is that methadone treatment facilities are related to a higher crime rate in the area, but there is no evidence that this is what happens," said Antonello Bonci, scientific director of the institute. "We hope this study will alleviate this concern. I hope people will look at this data and realize it is not a problem." The research, led by Susan Boyd, found that crime doesn't increase because a methadone clinic opens. "I think there is still a very bad perception of methadone clinics," she said. "There are many more people out there who need treatment, but there are not enough slots and clinics available, and part of it is because of the community stereotypes they have about methadone clinics." Baltimore Sun

Police Chiefs Call for Tougher Prosecution of Gun Crimes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Police executives are calling for tougher prosecution and stiffer penalties of gun crimes. "The fact is, people don't go to prison for firearms in Chicago," Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy told a meeting of the Police Executive Research Forum in Washington DC last week. "We're losing about half of our gun cases without disposition." McCarthy's comments were echoed by several other law enforcement leaders at the meeting, attended by about 250 police chiefs, assistant chiefs, FBI officials, Department of Justice authorities, public policy experts and others. Many complained that their enforcement efforts were hampered by lack of prosecutions and punishments on even the most serious of gun crimes---and said many U.S. Attorneys did not appear to be addressing the problem. "No one wants to put anyone in jail in D.C.," said D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier. Others pointed out that they could only be sure of getting the courts to focus on gun violence when they could tack federal charges onto a case. "Any time we can make a federal case out of a weapons or drugs play, we do," said Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo. The comments came during a standing-room-only discussion of a new PERF study on gun violence in six North American cities--Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Austin, San Diego, Philadelphia, and Toronto. The Crime Report

In Test of Detroit Rape Kit Backlog Mess, 1997 Case Goes to Trial ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fourteen years after a Detroit woman reported a sexual assault, she got her first call back from authorities, says the Detroit News. A suspect's DNA matched a sample taken that long-ago night and sealed in a cardboard box in a Detroit Police Department Crime Lab property room. Today, a 38-year-old man is being tried for that crime. Defendant Antonio Jackson has been married for five years, working, getting on with his life. His lawyer, Michael Komorn, questions "a rush to judgment" based on physical evidence collected long ago, in what he calls "a monumental" backlog. It's the first test of the 400 Project, a random sample of 400 of the 10,559 cardboard boxes called "rape kits" that languished in a property room until they were "discovered" or "observed" during a 2008 walk-through of the room by state police officials and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy. Four years after authorities began an effort to tackle the boxes, and the thousands of stories and potential crimes languishing inside, the first case of 400 studied is finally coming to trial. "You don't get a problem like this because one person didn't do his job," said Rebecca Campbell, a Michigan State University psychology professor. She is working with prosecutors, police, and medical personnel to diagnose what happened, why it happened, and how to prevent it from happening again. Campbell describes a systemic failure of colossal proportions involving many people: relationships between the police and prosecutor, between hospitals and forensic examiners and doctors and lab technicians, each trying to do their jobs. Detroit News

Arrests Down, Crime Up After Newark, Camden Police Layoffs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Police in Newark and Camden, N.J., made nearly 7,700 fewer arrests last year than in 2010 as violent crime rose during the same period in the wake of some of the largest police layoffs in New Jersey history, reports the Newark Star-Ledger. While many had suggested the layoffs would result in surges in violent crime, the trend actually began at least a year before the first officers were handed pink slips. After looming budget deficits forced the two cities to lay off more than 160 cops each, the combined number of arrests fell to 25,012 last year from 32,703 in 2010. Camden's arrest rate dropped 43 percent last year from 2010, while Newark's dropped by 16 percent. The arrest rate has fallen for the past three years in Newark and for the past two in Camden. At the same time, the number of shootings, homicides, and robberies rose over the same period in both cities. Prof. Wayne Fisher of the Rutgers Police Institute said it is clear that reductions in police manpower will have consequences. "These numbers are evidence that those consequences have in fact taken place," he said. Newark Star-Ledger

First Scientific Study Contends Tasers Can Cause Cardiac Arrest ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The American Heart Association journal, "Circulation" published the first ever scientific, peer-reviewed evidence that Tasers can cause cardiac arrest and death, says the Cincinnati Enquirer. Written by electrophysiologist Douglas Zipes of Indiana University, the article looked at eight cases involving the TASER X26 ECD. The controversial electroshock devices administer 50,000 volts designed to immobilize a person's muscles temporarily so officers can gain control of the subject. They have a range of 35 feet. About 16,000 agencies internationally use the device, which was marketed as non-lethal. Of­ficials have cred­ited them with help­ing to reduce fa­tal po­lice in­cidents. Cinc­innati po­lice began us­ing Tasers af­ter the Nov. 30, 2003, death of Nathaniel Jones in po­lice custody. The 41-year-old man's vio­lent struggle with offi­cers ended when his heart stopped. Jones had cocaine, PCP, and methanol in his system. Critics argue that Tasers too often have a deadly outcome. Since 2001, more than 500 people have died after Taser stuns, charges Amnesty International, which contends that stricter guidelines for its use are "imperative." Cincinnati Enquirer

Oakland Police Trained for May Day Protests, Used Illegal Weapons In Fall ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oakland police officers will all be trained to handle crowds in advance of a May Day protest today, says Chief Howard Jordan. Concern is mounting that police and protesters might come to blows, as they did Oct. 25 after officers evicted protesters from an encampment in front of City Hall. Internal police department reports from last fall's protests show that factors like poor planning, understaffing, uneven officer training, and the use of mutual aid, as well as violent behavior by small groups of protesters, culminated in uses of force on entire crowds that violated policies and made protesters vulnerable to potential harm, reports the Bay Citizen. Police officers from Oakland and other Bay Area agencies repeatedly used weapons that were illegal under Oakland's policy. Mutual aid agencies are not required to adhere to Oakland's policies on use of force, nor are they required to stop using weapons that the Oakland agency prohibits. The current policy prohibits the crowd-control use of various weapons, including Tasers, wooden dowels, and stingball grenades (which eject rubber pellets). Bay Citizen (CA)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Gina Barton Wins Nakkula Award ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Denver Press Club named Gina Barton, law enforcement investigative reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, winner of the 2012 Al Nakkula Award for Police Reporting. The award is named for the late Al Nakkula, a 46-year legendary police reporter of the Rocky Mountain News, and is sponsored by the press club and the Colorado University School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and the DPC. "Gina Barton demonstrated the kind of bulldog reporting that personifies what Nak was all about," said Tustin Amole, a judge in this year's contest. "She spent two years scouring records and tracking down victims and witnesses to reveal that the same people the public trusted to protect and serve them, were themselves guilty of criminal behavior. Her work not only represents excellent journalism, but personifies the kind of fearlessness needed to investigate those who hold positions of power." In February, Barton won one of the annual John Jay College/Harry Frank Guggenheim Excellence in Criminal Justice Reporting awards for "Both Sides of the Law," a multi-part series about lawbreakers on the Milwaukee police force. Denver Press Club

U.S. Court: Police Rubber Bullet Shots At Drunk Driver Suspect Excessive ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A federal appeals court overturned a jury and found that Waukesha, Wi., police used excessive force when they shot a suspected drunken driver four times with rubber bullets in 2005. reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. One shots caused a six-inch gash in the driver's ankle that required 30 stitches. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that a trial judge should have granted Tamara Phillips' motion for judgment as a matter of law, despite a jury's verdict in favor of the police. The case now heads back to federal district court for a hearing on the extent of Phillips' damages and attorney fees. "In an excessive force case, while we accept the factual inferences made by the jury, we must independently review the jury's interpretation of what is reasonable under the Fourth Amendment," wrote Judge Ann Claire Williams, joined by Judge Diane Wood. Dissenting Judge John Daniel Tinder wrote that he believed a jury could have found the force was reasonable. Phillips' attorney, Mark P. Murphy, said the incident was a turning point in his client's life. "She's very grateful to the judges," he said. "The easy, political thing to do would have been to say, 'The jury has spoken.' " Milwaukee Journal Sentinel