February 8, 2011 |
Rampant Precious Metal Thefts Are Called National Security Issue ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Near-record prices for copper, platinum, aluminum, and other metals are prompting a resurgence in the theft of common items that in better times might be overlooked, says the New York Times. Among them are catalytic converters from automobiles and copper wiring stripped out of overhead power lines, tornado warning sirens, coal mines, and foreclosed homes, where thieves sometimes tear down walls to get to copper pipes and wiring. Thieves make quick money by selling the items to scrap yards. The thefts are difficult to stop by overmatched law enforcement agencies and have been a costly nuisance to public utilities, which must spend millions of dollars on repairs and security. Thieves have electrocuted themselves and caused electrical and telephone failures and street light blackouts. Municipalities hit by budget deficits cannot afford repairs. Some state highways have been dark for months. In California, Little League baseball fields have gone dark because wiring was stolen from lights. "We believe this is a national security issue," said Bryan Jacobs of the Coalition Against Copper Theft, an advocacy group in Washington that includes telecommunications firms, power companies, and railroads. "The only thing keeping it from being an epidemic is that scrap yards are now scrutinizing the material. But theft is still rampant." |
Congressional Backers Unveil Report On Research-Based Corrections Strategies ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Council of State Governments Justice Center got some key congressional support today for a new report documenting strategies to reduce repeat criminality and cut the $50 billion being spent by states each year on corrections in a time of government budget crunches. The report on a "summit" last year offers ways to avoid "haphazard policy decisions that negatively affect public safety." The study includes ways to focus resources on those most likely to offend, base programs on research, use effective community supervision policies, and use "place-based strategies." The effort includes the "justice reinvestment" concept of cutting prison spending and reinvesting savings in other crime-fighting programs. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees the Justice Department budget, said that "quick fixes can have dangerous consequences. To increase public safety in this austere budget environment, we must support cost-effective efforts by states that are grounded in the 'best practices' and draw on the latest innovations from public corrections and the faith-based community." Wolf told the Wall Street Journal that "every state ought to want to move in this direction" and said he was sending the report to every governor. He was joined by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and John Cornyn (R-TX). Others supporting the effort include the Public Safety Performance Project of the Pew Center on the States, the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance, and the Public Welfare Foundation |
Two States Ban Drugs Sold As "Bath Salts;" Congress May Act ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Packets of white powder with names like Vanilla Sky, Ivory Wave, and White Rush are being sold in convenience stores and gas stations across the U.S., NPR reports. The packets are sold as "bath salts," but are actually a drug that produces in users a meth-like high and sometimes violent behavior. Florida has joined Louisiana in banning their sale. For law enforcement authorities, it is just the latest round in what's becoming a familiar fight - one that in the past has involved synthetic marijuana, herbal ecstasy, salvia, and other legal highs. Bath salts have got the attention of Washington. The White House drug czar has issued a warning to parents. In Congress, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) plans to introduce a bill that would impose a nationwide ban. |
Are Cybercriminals Performing Electronic Pickpocketing With RFID? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A new type of cybercrime could be aimed at credit-card holders, but officials say proving it is next to impossible, reports the Columbus Dispatch. What has people concerned is the addition of radio-frequency identification technology microchips to a growing number of consumer credit cards. The technology, known as RFID, is widely used in security badges and toll-pay systems. Marketed as a time-saver, the radio chips allow users to tap or wave their cards in front of scanners to pay for gas or buy a cup of coffee without having to swipe the card or hand it to a cashier. More than 100 million RFID-enabled cards are in use in the U.S. Security expert Walt Augustinowicz said scammers can buy portable RFID readers and a battery pack for less than $100 on the Internet and then connect them to a laptop. The reader can pick up information being broadcast from the cards, such as account numbers and expiration dates, from several inches away. The thieves can move through crowded locations, lifting unsuspecting victims' credit-card information out of their wallets and purses without having to lay a finger on them. Is it happening? The U.S. Secret Service has no open investigations of electronic pickpocketing and does not know of any. Augustinowicz said he thinks the thefts are taking place under the radar of law enforcement because it would be impossible to prove that's how the criminals got the numbers without catching them in the act. A video of Augustinowicz demonstrating how the theft works went viral, garnering millions of hits on a television news site |
Inmate Meditation Cuts Discipline Problems In AL High-Security Prison ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An ancient Eastern practice is taking root in the unlikeliest of places: Alabama's highest security prison, reports NPR. Alabama's most violent and mentally unstable prisoners are in the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility outside Birmingham. The prison has 24 death row cells, and a third of the 1,500 prisoners are lifers with no chance of parole. The lockup has a history of inmate stabbings, deaths and suicides and is the target of lawsuits. The prison is named for an officer killed here in 1990. For the past 10 days, the gym has been transformed into a peaceful Vipassana meditation hall. "Vipassana means seeing things as they are," says inmate Johnny Mack Young. He kneels on a blue mat, resting back on a small wooden stool--the position he keeps for up to 10 hours a day during the intense silent-meditation course. "Isolated in the gym, the inmates wake up at 4 a.m. and meditate on and off until 9 p.m. They eat a strict vegetarian diet. They can't smoke or drink coffee. There is absolutely no conversation, only an internal examination of how the body is reacting. Ron Cavanaugh, treatment director for the Alabama Department of Corrections, says many inmates put their defenses up, denying responsibility for their crimes and blaming others. The meditation chips away at those defense mechanisms. "They have nobody to talk to," Cavanaugh says. "So there's nobody that they can deny stuff with or project everything with." Inmates who go through the course have a 20 percent reduction in disciplinary action. It hasn't been an easy sell in Alabama, a state known for harsh punishment policies like chain gangs and hitching posts |
TX Judge Orders Gang Members To Pay $70,000 For Their Prosecution ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Houston judge has permanently banned 47 gang members from a perennially troubled apartment complex. Judge Alexandra Smoots-Hogan agreed with prosecutors who sued to bar members of several gangs, some of whom typically would be rivals but who commit crimes together at the complex, including selling drugs, robbery, and burglary. The judge ordered the repeat offenders to repay the county about $70,000 for their prosectuon. "This judgment (for attorney's fees) is good for 20 years," said prosecutor Kim Ogg. "I've seen gang members win the lottery, get large inheritances, all sorts of things." Ogg said the gang members now can be arrested for being in the 57-acre "safety area" surrounding the 700-unit complex and prosecuted for a Class A misdemeanor, which is punishable by a year in jail. The suit is part of a broader strategy to clean up what District Attorney Pat Lykos called one of the most dangerous apartment complexes in the county. "We are taking the property back from the criminals," Lykos said. "This is notice to the Bloods and the Crips and all the other gangs that we are going after them. |
Detroit Mayor Luring Police Back To City With Big Housing Subsidies ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a plan to bolster select Detroit neighborhoods, Mayor Dave Bing will begin luring 200 police officers back to the city by offering them renovated homes for as little as $1,000, reports the Detroit Free Press. Bing plans to use $30 million in federal stimulus money to rehab houses in two neighborhoods for officers enticed by forgivable loans, no down payments, and energy-efficient homes. In a plan to bolster select Detroit neighborhoods, Mayor Dave Bing will begin luring 200 police officers back to the city by offering them renovated homes for as little as $1,000, reports the Detroit Free Press. Bing plans to use $30 million in federal stimulus money to rehab houses in two neighborhoods for officers enticed by forgivable loans, no down payments, and energy-efficient homes. Officer LaDawn Russell, who left Detroit for Oak Park in 2007, in part for her children, is considering moving back. "Around New Year's Eve, I don't hear gunshots" in Oak Park, said Russell, 30. About 50 officers have inquired about the program. "I think for any neighborhood, whether it's in Detroit or outside of the area, to know that there are professional public safety officials in the community is always a sense of comfort," said Pamela Miller Malone, president of the Historic Boston-Edison Association |
Philadelphia Police Hope To Reinstate Mounted Units For Crowd Control ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As cities like Newark are disbanding police mounted units, Philadelphia plans to bring back cops on horses this fall if a private foundation can raise $2 million to fund the patrols until the city can afford to take over the cost, reports USA Today. With successful pro sports teams and rowdy Saturday night street scenes, Philadelphia needs police horses for crowd control, says Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. The city needs better relations between residents and the police force as it struggles with a high crime rate, and horses can help there, too, Ramsey says. No one ever asks to pet a squad car. Last March, swarming crowds of young people called "flash mobs" resulted in near-riots and arrests. That highlighted the need for the city to have mounted cops. "One horse is worth 10 people when it comes to crowd control," Ramsey says. "When you've got police officers on foot marching in a skirmish line trying to move a crowd, what do you have? You've got tension, you've got conflict. |
Deputies Stopped Clemmons Hours Before He Killed 4 WA Cops ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eight hours before Maurice Clemmons opened fire in a Washington state coffee shop, killing four police officers, two sheriff's deputies crossed paths with him while on routine patrol, says the Seattle Times. One deputy even ran a check for outstanding warrants - and came up empty. That check took place at 12:38 a.m. on Nov. 29, 2009, the same day that Clemmons committed one of the worst crimes in the history of the Pacific Northwest. It is another example of how close authorities came to stopping Clemmons before he acted on a pledge to kill as many police officers as he could. After being released from jail six days before the shootings, Clemmons took a number of steps that could have resulted in a warrant being issued for his arrest or in bail-bond employees trying to hunt him down. Each time, the opportunity was missed. A police report about the deputies' spotting Clemmons the same day of the shootings was made available by the Pierce County Sheriff's Department as part of a large release of public records. News organizaations sued for access to the 2,000-plus pages of documents and prevailed in the state Supreme Court. The records' release was fought by relatives and associates of Clemmons who had been charged with aiding him before or after the shootings. |
D.C. Gun Registrations Disproportionately In Well-To-Do Areas ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Since the U.S. Supreme Court ended Washington, D.C.'s handgun ban in 2008, hundreds of residents in the safest, most well-to-do neighborhoods have armed themselves, registering far more guns than people in poorer, crime-plagued areas of the city, reports the Washington Post. Of the more than 1,400 firearms have been registered with police, nearly 300 are in the high-income, low-crime Georgetown, Palisades and Chevy Chase areas. In all of the neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River - a broad swath of the city with more than 52,000 households, many of them in areas beset by poverty and drug-related violence - about 240 guns have been registered. |
Extended Ammo Magazines Defended By Washington Columnist ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Washington Post columnist Stephen Hunter defends the extended ammunition magazine of the kind that Jared Loughner allegedly carried in Tucson, which Hunter says President Obama is likely to suggest banning in an upcoming speech. Hunter says the effect of the extended magazine does little to improve the pistol's lethality except in extraordinary circumstances, such as Tucson. (Neither the Virginia Tech mass murderer nor the alleged Fort Hood killer used extended magazines.) Hunter says extended magazines actually vitiate the pistol's usefulness as a weapon for most needs, legitimate or illegitimate. The magazine destroys the pistol's essence; it is no longer concealable. When the question arises of who needs an extended magazine, the answer is: the most defenseless of the defenseless, Hunter argues. |
FBI Predicts Growing Federal Child-Porn Case Docket Will Continue Upward ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The number of federal child-pornography cases has exploded in the past 15 years as Congress passed mandatory five-year minimum sentences and federal authorities have declared the investigations a priority, the Associated Press reports. The FBI has made more than 10,000 arrests since 1996, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reports a similar number of arrests since its creation in 2003. Federal prosecutions are up 40 percent since 2006, resulting in roughly 9,000 cases. In 2009, 2,315 suspects were indicted. Local authorities also are stepping up child-pornography investigations, which may require little more than a technically savvy agent, a high-speed Internet connection, and peer-to-peer software that millions of computer owners use to swap videos and other digital files. The number of child-pornography prosecutions is dwarfed by drug and immigration cases in federal courts, but no other crime is growing at the 2,500 percent rate the FBI claims for child-porn arrests. The FBI says the cases will only continue to grow as appeals courts approve their search and seizure methods. Defense attorneys, legal scholars, and some federal judges call the trend draconian for failing to distinguish between hard-core producers of child pornography and hapless Web surfers with mental problems |
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Do Police Go Too Far In Extending "Professional Courtesy"? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Professional courtesy" has been called the "third rail" of topics in law enforcement circles, says the Baltimore Sun. Many police officers don't like to acknowledge it exists outside the family. It's one of the worst-kept secrets in the world: the ethic that "cops don't write tickets on other cops." Or retired cops. Or cops' family members. Or military. Or people with a sticker on their cars indicating they've donated to a police charity. Or anybody any individual police officer decides is part of a protected class. To get an idea of how far professional courtesy has gone, Google "professional courtesy police" and you'll find a wealth of reading matter about when - if ever - law enforcement officers should apply the same traffic penalties to colleagues as they do to civilians. Professional courtesy is a lively topic of discussion on police forums such as PoliceOne.com, where officers heatedly debate such topics as whether police who drive drunk should receive the same courtesy as other offenders. Frank Borelli, editor in chief of Officer.com and a former instructor, says, "When I was working the street there were certain groups of people I extended a level of leniency to because I felt either I or society as a whole owed them that as a sign of appreciation. Those groups, for me, included cops, firemen, doctors, nurses and military service members. Those folks would only get a citation from me if either 1) what they did was way out of hand, or 2) they just couldn't find it within themselves to show me common courtesy when I pulled them over." | ||||||||
Pharmacists Beef Up Security As Brazen Robbers Seek Painkillers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There have been more than 1,800 pharmacy robberies nationally over three years, often by young men seeking opioid painkillers and other drugs to sell or feed their own addictions, reports the New York Times. The most common targets are oxycodone (the main ingredient in OxyContin), hydrocodone (the main ingredient in Vicodin) and Xanax. Florida, Indiana, California, Ohio and Washington have had the most armed robberies of pharmacies since January 2008, says the Drug Enforcement Administration. Maine, Oklahoma, and Oregon had the sharpest increases last year. Some robbers are brazen and desperate. In Rockland, Me., one wielded a machete, leaping over a pharmacy counter to snatch oxycodone, gulping some before he fled. In Satellite Beach, Fl., a robber threatened a pharmacist with a cordless drill, and in North Highlands, Ca., a holdup led to a shootout that left a pharmacy worker dead. Pharmacists have tighten security measures, upgrading surveillance cameras and some installing bulletproof glass and counters high enough to keep would-be robbers from jumping them. In Tulsa, where there was a steep increase in drugstore robberies last year, one pharmacist now requires customers to be buzzed in the door. | ||||||||
White House Again Delays Rule Aimed At U.S. Gunrunners To Mexico ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ White House budget officials have rejected an emergency request by federal firearms investigators for a rule meant to help catch gunrunners to Mexico, the Washington Post reports. The decision delays for at least two months a proposed requirement that dealers along the Mexican border report anyone who buys two or more assault weapons in five days. The White House said the delay will give the public more time - until Feb. 14 - to comment on the proposal. It was the the second time that the rule, which is strongly opposed by the gun industry and the National Rifle Association, has been put on hold by the Obama administration. It was shelved by former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel last year and was not reconsidered until after the midterm congressional elections. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had hoped the reporting requirement would help them track potential gunrunners like accused trafficker Sean Christopher Steward, 28, of Phoenix, who purchased more than 100 AK-47s in a single month. | ||||||||
Blind Spot in Gun Background Checks: Legal Buyers Who Turn Illegal ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tens of thousands of gun owners bought weapons legally but under the law should no longer have them because of subsequent mental health or criminal issues. It's another major blind spot in the federal background check system that is supposed to deny guns to prohibited buyers, says the New York Times. Policing these prohibitions is difficult in most states. Authorities usually must stumble upon the weapon in a traffic stop or some other encounter, and run the person's name through various record checks. California is unique, gun control advocates say, because of its computerized database, the Armed Prohibited Persons System. It was aimed at enabling law enforcement officials to handle the issue pre-emptively, actively identifying people who legally bought handguns, or registered assault weapons, but are now prohibited from having them. The list had 18,374 names on it as of the beginning of this month - 15 to 20 are added a day - swamping law enforcement's ability to keep up. | ||||||||
WA Bars Medical Pot Dispensarlies But Collects Their Taxes Anyway ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Washington state allows medical marijuana but not dispensaries to sell it. Still, says the Kitsap Sun. some 129 hae been established under a murky area of state law that allows providing medical pot only to "one patient at any one time." One local dispensary says it does indeed help only one card-carrying patient at a time - but they come and go about every 15 minutes. The dispensary has built a clientele of about 500 patients in its two-and-a-half months of operation, and it is already looking to open a second location. The state Department of Health says dispensaries are not allowed, though it does permit a provider to supply a patient. Making the message further mixed, the Department of Health's website has astatement saying that dispensaries are illegal - yet the state's Department of Revenue is registering them as taxpaying entities. Should law enforcement be investigating any of this? Mason County Sheriff's spokesman Dean Byrd acknowledged that without clarification, police have a difficult time knowing what to investigate and what will hold up in court. "The criminal law should not be ambiguous," he said. "When there is ambiguity, it ties the hands of law enforcement." | ||||||||
Despite WA Guard's Death, Women Prison Officers Have Good Safety Record ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The death of Washington state corrections officer Jayme Biendl on Jan. 29 has raised debate about the vulnerability of women working among male inmates, says the Seattle Times. Having a lone, slight woman doing hands-on work behind bars might seem like a jarring risk, but in the 35 years since women broke into the ranks at Washington's male prisons, gender has become mostly an afterthought inside. Of the 3,708 officers in the state's prisons, 592 - 15 percent - are women. They have filled every job, from officer to superintendent. Several female officers said they don't feel targeted by inmates because of their gender. Female corrections officers once were excluded for their lack of size and strength. Female officers are hurt less often than men. They are seen as better communicators, often defusing machismo tension before it erupts. Biendl's death was the first of an officer in 32 years. Last year, Department of Corrections officers spent 8,900 days - more than 24 years in total - on paid disability leave because of assaults or on-the-job physical injury. Officer Keri Towle, a slim, blond 26-year-old with the walk and demeanor of an ex-jock, has not suffered an injury since being hired three years ago. | ||||||||
2,500 Teens In Texas Database Of Suspected Child Abusers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About 2,500 people under age 18 were added in fiscal 2009 to a Texas database of people accused of child abuse and neglect, records that can be shared with other states, says the Texas Tribune. The "central registry" was created in the mid-1990 to give a variety of people and agencies, from child welfare workers to certain job placement offices, a central location to run comprehensive background checks or to aid investigations. It is largely made up of people who aren't convicted criminals or registered sex offenders, from the negligent parent whose child died in a hot car to a group home operator who hit a disabled child. The problem, say critics, is that it includes the names of thousands of juveniles who may have no idea they're even on it and, unlike a criminal proceeding, have had no chance to contest the designation. State spokesman Patrick Crimmins says that, "If a child has a history of sexually acting out, sexually abusing other children, physically abusing other children or otherwise engaging in behaviors that create safety concerns, staff takes steps to ensure these children and any other children in the placement are safe." | ||||||||
Ex-PA Juvenile Court Judge to Go On Trial in Big Corruption Case ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Former Pennsylvania juvenile court judge Mark Ciavarella is seen as the pitiless overseer of a cutthroat courtroom in which he conspired with another judge to grow rich upon the suffering of children, says
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Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Articles for 1 Feb 2011
Feb. 1, 2011 |
Probe Finds 'Deep Dysfunction' in U.S. System of Death Investigations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Real-world post-mortems have little in common with the fictionalized accounts in novels and on TV shows like "CSI," where skilled medical professionals equipped with sophisticated tools thoroughly investigate each suspicious fatality. In fact, the nation's 2,300 coroner and medical examiner offices add up to a deeply dysfunctional system that literally buries its mistakes, according to a joint investigation by ProPublica, PBS "Frontline" and NPR. Blunders by doctors in America's morgues have put innocent people in prison cells, allowed the guilty to go free, and left some cases so muddled that prosecutors could do nothing. More than one in five physicians working in the country's busiest morgues -- including the chief medical examiner of Washington, D.C. -- are not board certified in forensic pathology, the branch of medicine focused on the mechanics of death, our investigation found. Experts say such certification ensures that doctors have at least a basic understanding of the science, and it should be required for practitioners employed by coroner and medical examiner offices. |
Study Says Red-Light Cameras Save Lives; Opponents Unconvinced ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a new study that is certain to heat up the debate over red-light cameras, a traffic safety group says that the controversial devices saved 159 lives in 14 cities during a five-year period, reports USA Today. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says red-light cameras reduced the rate of fatal red-light running by 24% from 2004 to 2008. Had the cameras been installed in all U.S. cities with populations above 200,000, 815 deaths would have been prevented, says the Insurance Institute, a group funded by auto insurers that aims to reduce injuries and damage on the nation's roads. "The cities that have the courage to use red-light cameras despite the political backlash are saving lives," IIHS President Adrian Lund says. The research was immediately challenged by camera opponents. The National Motorists Association, a drivers' rights group, says cameras have increased crashes in some areas and that other strategies, such as lengthening the duration of yellow lights, are more effective in making intersections safer. And Greg Mauz, a researcher for the Best Highway Safety Practices Institute, which studies traffic-safety laws, says, "The whole idea that cameras can prevent fatalities and crashes is total nonsense." |
After Police Shootings, Florida Pays Heed to Vast Warrant Backlog ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Broward County, Fla., has 219,000 active arrest warrants, and Palm Beach County has 58,000, reports the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Statewide, more than 100,000 warrants are outstanding for felony offenses, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. That includes more than 6,400 warrants for people wanted for assault, 2,300 sought for sex crimes and 785 for homicide. The majority of the warrants in South Florida are for relatively minor crimes - misdemeanors and traffic offenses, including driving with a suspended license - as well as failure to appear in court and violation of probation. But hundreds of others are issued for fugitives sought in robberies, kidnappings and other acts of violence. Recent news headlines have been a reminder that serving warrants is dangerous and unpredictable work. Ten days ago, two Miami-Dade detectives were shot to death while attempting to arrest a career criminal on a murder warrant. Just before their memorial service began Monday, two St. Petersburg officers were killed serving a warrant on a sex offender. |
Illinois Study Finds Blacks Face Harsher Drug-Offense Punishment ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Minority populations in Illinois face stiffer and more frequent punishment for low-level drug offenses than whites, the Associated Press reports. The Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact Study Commission said 19 percent of blacks arrested for Class 4 drug felonies end up in prison, compared to 4 percent of white offenders. The study found a disproportionate number of minority arrests for drug-related crimes in 62 of 102 Illinois counties. The commission said providing alternatives to prison could cut costs and help get people off drugs. The alternatives include substance abuse treatment and educating offenders on the consequences of prison time, such as hurting their chances of getting a job. Pam Rodriguez, president of the Treatment Alternative for Safe Communities, said she believes minorities often accept plea agreements that involve prison time instead of alternative sentencing. That might be because they don't know about options other than prison, or poor communities may not have the money to offer alternatives. Difficulties hiring lawyers also may contribute to the disparity, she said. |
Arizona Governor Says Her State's Gun Laws Are 'Fair and Just' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gov. Jan Brewer is defending Arizona laws that allow the sale of firearms at gun shows without a background check and that forbid cities from imposing such requirements, reports Capitol Media Services. "We believe our laws are fair and just in the state of Arizona,'' she said. Her comments followed New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's release of videos taken by undercover agents at a Phoenix gun show just 15 days after the mass shooting in Tucson. There, Arizona private investigators hired by New York City were able to purchase weapons not only without a background check but, at least twice, after admitting to sellers they probably would not pass. Last year Brewer signed legislation making Arizona only the third state in the nation to let anyone carry a concealed weapon without a state permit, training and a background check. But Brewer said Monday she remains open to further liberalizing the state's gun laws. "I am a strong proponent of the Second Amendment,'' she said. One of the measures awaiting debate this session would further expand where individuals can carry guns to include public buildings unless there were metal detectors and lockers for owners to secure their weapons. |
Cost-Cutting Expected to Bring 'Dramatic Shift' in FL Prison Policy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Florida's get-tough policy on crime over the past few decades is set to collide with an austere budget and a conservative governor pledging to take bold steps to save money, reports the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. With 102,000 prisoners, Florida has the third-largest prison population in the country and some of the toughest sentencing practices in the United States. But most of those prisoners, poorly educated, lacking job training and facing unresolved drug and alcohol problems and mental illness, will wind up back on the streets -- and soon, in prison again. Those circumstances have led to an explosion in the prison population and the annual $2.4 billion corrections budget. Over the last five years, the system has grown by 17,300 prisoners, despite a declining crime rate. Now, in a dramatic shift in prison policy, state leaders looking to cover a budget gap of more than $4 billion may look to aggressively embrace private prisons, as well as an substance abuse and education programs and other efforts to prepare prisoners to successfully return to their communities. Gov. Rick Scott has promised to cut $1 billion from the corrections budget over the next seven years. His plan for achieving that goal will become clearer in the next few weeks, as he presents his first budget to the Legislature and his newly appointed corrections secretary, Edwin Buss -- who earned a reputation as an innovative cost-cutter as head of the Indiana prison system -- begins his job on Feb. 14. |
Reporters Find Barriers to Filing Police Complaints in Philadelphia ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Getting your hands on a police complaint form in Philadelphia isn't always as easy as it's supposed to be, says the city's Daily News. A spot-check by the paper found that officers at some police-district headquarters pressure complainants for personal information regarding the complaint, provide misinformation or even deny them the form needed to file a complaint. Supervisors at five police districts refused to allow the complainant to remain anonymous - which is against the Police Department's policy - and wouldn't supply the form to reporters who posed as complainants. An additional 11 of the city's 21 police districts did not follow department policies for filing complaints. Problems included creating a hostile environment for complainants, and neglecting to inform them of the procedure and locations to file a complaint. Reporters visited every police district and politely requested a form to file a complaint against a police officer. All the reporters requested anonymity and said they would rather not discuss the nature of the complaint. Five districts followed procedures perfectly, and officers at some of the districts that didn't follow all directives were courteous or even friendly. But in all, 12 districts asked for an ID, an action criticized by the civilian Police Advisory Commission. |
For Embattled Camden, the Future Now Seems Even More Bleak ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The future looks even more bleak now for Camden, New Jersey's poorest and most violent city, which earlier this month laid off nearly half its police force, reports the Newark Star-Ledger. No one knows what will happen next because this kind of civic collapse is new and historic. But the city's 78,788 residents wonder if their lives are teetering, as resident William Sylvester says, on the edge of "all-out hellfire." New Jersey's impoverished cities are facing a perfect storm that creates frightening possibilities. Newark recently shrank its police force by 167 officers, Trenton postponed the layoffs of 111 cops, and cities such as Irvington, East Orange and Elizabeth are facing shortfalls that are forcing tax hikes and spending cuts, which are bound to reinforce the downward spiral. |
ATF Budget Cuts Could Eliminate Border Gun-Trafficking Initiative ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The ATF fears that steep cuts for the agency proposed by the White House would effectively eliminate a major initiative in the fight against firearms trafficking on the Mexican border, reports the Washington Post. Project Gunrunner is a signature effort by the Obama administration to assist Mexico in stemming the flow of guns south of the border. Under the project, federal officials in Arizona last week arrested more than a dozen people named in a 53-count indictment alleging that a network of gun buyers and smugglers had planned to ship hundreds of weapons to Mexican drug cartels. Dubbed "Fast and Furious," the investigation found traffickers purchasing 10, 20, 30 or 40 AK-47-style rifles at a time from gun shops in the Phoenix area. On one day in April, a couple now charged in the case paid $18,000 and walked out of a retail store with three .50-caliber, armor-piercing Barrett sniper rifles. The proposed ATF cutbacks, which would amount to nearly $160 million out of a $1.25 billion budget request--a 12.8 percent reduction that would also be 3.6 percent below the current budget--are outlined in a preliminary budget document obtained by the newspaper. |
Albuquerque Reverses Short-Lived Policy on Take-Home Police Cars ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A new policy that limited the number of Albuquerque police officers who could take their official vehicles home has been reversed a month after it was imposed, reports KASA.com. Officers will get their take-home cars back even if they live more than 11 miles from the city's interstate interchange. About 180 officers had lost their take-home cars on Jan. 1. Public Safety Director Darren White said they reached an agreement with the police union that will allow its officers to once again participate in the take-home car program. The police union had threatened to sue over the new policy, which barred officers from having a take-home car if they live more than 11 miles away from the interchange. The city said it would have saved more than $600,000 a year on gas and wear and tear on the cars. A number of other U.S. cities looking for savings have reconsidered take-home policies for official vehicles, including Chattanooga, Tenn. |
A&E's 'Scared Straight' Perpetrates Myths About 'Tough on Crime' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Writing in the Baltimore Sun, two federal officials have joined the criticism of "Beyond Scared Straight," an A&E TV series that follows the stories of youths placed in adult detention as a way to frighten them into changing their behavior. "The network portrays such programs as effective in keeping youths from becoming lifelong criminals," write Laurie O. Robinson, assistant attorney general for the federal Office of Justice Programs, and Jeff Slowikowski, acting administrator of the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. "Unfortunately, the research tells us otherwise: 'scared straight' is not only ineffective but is potentially harmful. And it may run counter to the law." They cite research that teens who go through the training are more likely to offend again, not less. Robinson and Slowikowski, "The fact that these types of programs are still being touted as effective, despite stark evidence to the contrary, is troubling.(). Fortunately, in recent years, policymakers and criminal and juvenile justice practitioners have begun to recognize that answers about what works are best found in sound research, not in storytelling. Evidence from science provides the field with the best tool for sound decision-making. This 'smart on crime' approach saves taxpayer money and maximizes limited government resources - especially critical at a time of budget cuts." |
Experts Discuss Courts, Civil Liberties, Prisons at John Jay ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ At the sixth annual H. F. Guggenheim Symposium on Crime in America Monday, experts discussed problems in the court system, civil liberties challenges, and the state of the corrections system in the United States. For details, see the Inside Criminal Justice section of our redesigned website, http://thecrimereport.org. Scheduled today are panels on guns and technology issues, among other subjects. The conference is being held at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City and is funded by the H.F. Guggenheim Foundation. |
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