~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

February 6, 2011

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Surge of immigrants from India baffles border officials in Texas

Thousands from India have entered Texas illegally from Mexico in the last year. Most are Sikhs who claim religious persecution at home.

Thousands of immigrants from India have crossed into the United States illegally at the southern tip of Texas in the last year, part of a mysterious and rapidly growing human-smuggling pipeline that is backing up court dockets, filling detention centers and triggering investigations.

The immigrants, mostly young men from poor villages, say they are fleeing religious and political persecution. More than 1,600 Indians have been caught since the influx began here early last year, while an undetermined number, perhaps thousands, are believed to have sneaked through undetected, according to U.S. border authorities.

Hundreds have been released on their own recognizance or after posting bond. They catch buses or go to local Indian-run motels before flying north for the final leg of their months-long journeys.

"It was long … dangerous, very dangerous," said one young man wearing a turban outside the bus station in the Rio Grande Valley town of Harlingen.

The Indian migration in some ways mirrors the journeys of previous waves of immigrants from far-flung places, such as China and Brazil, who have illegally crossed the U.S. border here. But the suddenness and still-undetermined cause of the Indian migration baffles many border authorities and judges.

The trend has caught the attention of anti-terrorism officials because of the pipeline's efficiency in delivering to America's doorstep large numbers of people from a troubled region. Authorities interview the immigrants, most of whom arrive with no documents, to ensure that people from neighboring Pakistan or Middle Eastern countries are not slipping through.

Los Angeles Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cameron Criticizes ‘Multiculturalism' in Britain

LONDON — Faced with growing alarm about Islamic militants who have made Britain one of Europe's most active bases for terrorist plots, Prime Minister David Cameron has mounted an attack on the country's decades-old policy of “multiculturalism,” saying it has encouraged “segregated communities” where Islamic extremism can thrive.

Speaking at a security conference in Munich on Saturday, Mr. Cameron condemned what he called the “hands-off tolerance” in Britain and other European nations that had encouraged Muslims and other immigrant groups “to live separate lives, apart from each other and the mainstream.”

He said that the policy had allowed Islamic militants leeway to radicalize young Muslims, some of whom went on to “the next level” by becoming terrorists, and that Europe could not defeat terrorism “simply by the actions we take outside our borders,” with military actions like the war in Afghanistan.

“Europe needs to wake up to what is happening in our own countries,” he said. “We have to get to the root of the problem.”

In what aides described as one of the most important speeches in the nine months since he became prime minister, Mr. Cameron said the multiculturalism policy — one espoused by British governments since the 1960s, based on the principle of the right of all groups in Britain to live by their traditional values — had failed to promote a sense of common identity centered on values of human rights, democracy, social integration and equality before the law.

New York Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Struggle to Disarm People Without Gun Rights

By law, Roy Perez should not have had a gun three years ago when he shot his mother 16 times in their home in Baldwin Park, Calif., killing her, and then went next door and killed a woman and her 4-year-old daughter.

Mr. Perez, who pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and was sentenced last year to life in prison, had a history of mental health issues. As a result, even though in 2004 he legally bought the 9-millimeter Glock 26 handgun he used, at the time of the shootings his name was in a statewide law enforcement database as someone whose gun should be taken away, according to the authorities.

The case highlights a serious vulnerability when it comes to keeping guns out of the hands of the mentally unstable and others, not just in California but across the country.

In the wake of the Tucson shootings, much attention has been paid to various categories of people who are legally barred from buying handguns — those who have been “adjudicated as a mental defective,” have felony convictions, have committed domestic violence misdemeanors and so on. The focus has almost entirely been on gaps in the federal background check system that is supposed to deny guns to these prohibited buyers.

There is, however, another major blind spot in the system.

Tens of thousands of gun owners, like Mr. Perez, bought their weapons legally but under the law should no longer have them because of subsequent mental health or criminal issues. In Mr. Perez's case, he had been held involuntarily by the authorities several times for psychiatric evaluation, which in California bars a person from possessing a gun for five years.

New York Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

U.S. and Russia Activate an Arms Control Treaty

MUNICH — The United States and Russia on Saturday exchanged documents that formally activated New Start, a strategic arms control treaty. It was the final step in a protracted negotiation marked by difficult talks with the Russians and even more difficult talks with Republican holdouts in the Senate.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and her counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov, traded so-called instruments of ratification — paperwork that brings the treaty into force and starts the clock ticking on verification and inspection procedures for the two sides' nuclear arsenals.

Mrs. Clinton, speaking at a security conference here where she and Mr. Lavrov conducted the brief ceremony, said the treaty was an example of “clear-eyed cooperation that is in everybody's interests.”

She said that she and Mr. Lavrov had discussed further arms control initiatives, including a pact to reduce stockpiles of tactical nuclear weapons, as well as one that would scrap long-range warheads stored in warehouses.

And Mrs. Clinton promoted the idea of cooperation in a missile-defense system for Europe, noting that last fall in Lisbon, Portugal, President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia embraced the idea of working with the United States on the technology. Russia had long opposed American missile-defense plans, arguing that they were aimed at weakening its defenses.

New York Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hackers Gained Access to Nasdaq Systems, but Not Trades

Computer hackers have breached the systems of the company that runs the Nasdaq stock exchange in New York but did not penetrate the part of the system that handles trades, Nasdaq said Saturday.

The exchange's operating company, Nasdaq OMX, said in a statement that it had discovered suspicious files on its United States servers, and that it immediately began conducting an investigation in conjunction with outside firms and federal law enforcement agencies.

Government and law enforcement officials with knowledge of the investigation said it was being handled by the F.B.I.'s cybercrimes branch along with the Justice Department. These officials also said it appeared that the trading platform was not breached.

An attack on banks and other pillars the financial system has long been a top fear of government officials because of the potential for harm to the economy.

Nasdaq is one of the country's largest stock exchanges, and many of the nation's most important companies use it to list their shares for trading. If there were evidence that hackers could breach the inner trading systems, it could cause jitters among the companies listed on the exchange and the traders and investors who buy and sell millions of shares each day.

New York Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

February 5, 2011

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jared Lee Loughner to face federal charges first

The suspect will be tried in the shootings of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and other federal employees before state prosecution will begin on behalf of other victims of the Tucson rampage, officials say.

Tucson shooting suspect Jared Lee Loughner will be tried first in federal court in the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and two staff members before he faces prosecution for most of the six deaths and 13 injuries inflicted during the rampage, authorities in Arizona said Friday.

Loughner, 22, faces one charge of attempted assassination and two of attempted murder and will likely face additional indictments in the death of a federal judge and another federal employee, charges that could carry the death penalty, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Arizona said. But state prosecution of Loughner must wait until the federal cases are complete.

Loughner was arrested at the scene of the deadly Jan. 8 attack outside a Tucson supermarket where Giffords had been meeting with constituents. He was indicted last month on only the three attempted-murder charges so that prosecutors could meet a 30-day deadline for indicting or releasing a suspect, said Robbie Sherwood of the U.S. attorney's office in Phoenix.

A not-guilty plea was entered for Loughner on Jan. 24.

"The U.S. attorney is still investigating into the more serious charges," said Sherwood, explaining that charges that can carry a death penalty must go through a time-consuming capital crimes review process within the Justice Department and must be approved by U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. Federal officials hope to have those charges ready in time to consolidate them with the current case.

On Thursday, the office of Dennis K. Burke, U.S. attorney in Arizona, asked U.S. District Judge Larry A. Burns of San Diego, who is presiding over the case, to order Loughner to provide handwriting samples to the government for comparison with documents found in a search of his home after the shootings. Prosecutors plan to introduce the seized notebooks and writings at trial. The court filing said the documents made reference to Giffords and assassination plans, as well as to guns and bullets.

Los Angeles Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Court upholds verdict against Arizona rancher who detained illegal immigrants on his land

A federal appeals court rules that Arizona rancher Roger Barnett must pay $87,000 to four illegal immigrants he detained at gunpoint. The court says the immigrants were not armed and didn't threaten him.

A federal appeals court has upheld a controversial verdict that an Arizona rancher must pay $87,000 to four illegal immigrants he detained at gunpoint while they were crossing his property.

The ruling Thursday from a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco found that the 2009 civil judgment against rancher Roger Barnett was proper and that the jury should not have been instructed that they could find Barnett acted in self-defense.

"Appellant himself conceded on the stand, however, that none of the plaintiffs were armed or threatened him in any other way," the judges wrote in their ruling. "As a result, the evidence adduced at trial did not support a self-defense instruction."

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which helped litigate the case, hailed the ruling. It said Barnett threatened to sic his large dog on 24 migrants while they rested and that he kicked a woman while she lay, terrified, on the ground. Four women in the group sued.

"This decision vindicates constitutional guarantees for all," the group's president, Thomas Saenz, said in a statement Friday. "Even in Arizona, vigilantes do not have the right to harass and victimize peaceful migrants."

Los Angeles Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will LAPD gang units' turmoil lead to benefits later?

New officers may bring new approaches to the battle against street crime

It sounds like a doomsday scenario for a city finally vanquishing a street crime menace that gave Los Angeles a reputation as the nation's gang capital.

LAPD officers charged with fighting gangs are walking away from their jobs en masse because they don't want to disclose to their bosses details of their personal lives.

They consider insulting, invasive and potentially dangerous a rule aimed at ferreting out corruption by requiring gang and narcotics officers to submit for scrutiny their personal financial records.

So many officers have refused to comply that gang units have been temporarily disbanded in six of the LAPD's 21 divisions, according to a story this week by Times reporters Joel Rubin and Scott Gold.

The gang cops are returning to street patrol; the units are being rebuilt over time with new recruits. That has led some to worry that the city will be caught flat-footed in the summer, when gang activity tends to rise.

That could happen. Veteran gang officers are repositories of street knowledge and connections that help tamp down violence and put troublemakers behind bars. Their years of expertise can't be replaced in the next few months.

But there's another possibility, of the making-lemonade-from-lemons sort.

With violent crime at its lowest level in more than 30 years, this could provide a chance for a new generation of officers to make its mark. Gangs have changed in the last decade, and so have the LAPD's tactics. It's no longer about banging heads and battering down doors but about enlisting others in community efforts.

Los Angeles Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shaken-Baby Syndrome Faces New Questions in Court

At 4 months, Noah Whitmer was an easy baby. Super tranquilo, remembers Trudy Eliana Muñoz Rueda, who took care of Noah at her home day care center in Fairfax County, Va. Rueda and Noah's mother, Erin Whitmer, both noticed when he stopped taking his bottle well and napping as usual in the middle of his fifth month, in April 2009. Whitmer thought this was because Noah had just started eating solid food. She and Rueda talked about it early on April 20, both of them hunched over Noah in his car seat when Whitmer dropped him off.

That afternoon, after a morning in which Noah didn't nap and drank only a couple of ounces of formula, Rueda says she prepared a bottle for him while he lay on a mat. In her native Peru, Rueda, who is 46, ran a travel agency and taught college courses for prospective tour guides. Her husband was trained as a lawyer. After they moved to the United States in 2001, the couple had a second child, and three years later Rueda converted her basement into a home day care center so she could work while spending time with her two kids. When Rueda sat down to feed Noah, her 13-year-old daughter was at school, her 5-year-old was upstairs watching TV and the four other children in her care were taking naps. Rueda's sister-in-law, who spent the morning with the children while Rueda was at a doctor's appointment, had just left the house. “Everything was calm and quiet,” Rueda, who has soft features and dark hair, told me in Spanish while her lawyer translated.

There are two irreconcilable versions of how that calm shattered. Rueda says that Noah was crying, and she picked him up, sat on the couch and gave him the bottle to help put him to sleep. While she was feeding him, she felt Noah's arm go limp, and when she moved to take the bottle out of his mouth, he made a sound that she didn't recognize. “I could tell something was happening,” she says. She stood up and put Noah on her shoulder, patting him on the back. “As I did this, his body tensed up in a ball. It was as if he was looking for air, and he couldn't breathe.” Rueda put Noah on the floor and started C.P.R., at the same time reaching for her phone to call 911. She put the dispatcher on speakerphone so she could keep tending to Noah. “I said, ‘Please, please get someone here,' ” she said. “I knew it could hurt him if there wasn't enough oxygen going to his brain.”

New York Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

40 Years On, Detective Sees Light Shed on a Killing

The front door was locked, so police officers broke into the Upper East Side apartment from the back. They found a dead woman lying against an overturned bed, with a rope tied around her neck. Her bra had been pulled up over her head, and someone had bitten her left breast.

Though gruesome, the scene of that 1971 murder was not so different than many others that the lead investigator in the case, Frank Donnelly, said he had encountered during his 22 years as a detective with the New York Police Department.

He canvassed the neighborhood with other officers. He examined fingerprints and compared impressions of suspects' teeth to a mold of the victim's breast. He looked for clues in other murder files. He even interrogated the mailman.

Still, the person who had raped and strangled the woman, Cornelia Crilley, a 23-year-old Trans World Airlines flight attendant, eluded him, and the case went unsolved.

Then last month, almost 40 years after he was assigned to the case, Mr. Donnelly, now retired, heard for the first time the name of the man the authorities now believe killed Ms. Crilley: Rodney Alcala, a photographer and a one-time contestant on “The Dating Game” who is on death row in California for murdering five people in the late 1970s.

New York Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Video surfaces of Houston's teen alleged police beating

(Video on site)

(CNN) -- Houston's mayor and police department were on the defensive Friday, two days after graphic video came out showing several officers repeatedly kicking and beating a 15-year-old burglary suspect as he lay on the ground.

An internal police investigation of the incident last March led to the firing of seven police officers, said spokesman John Cannon of the Houston police department.

Two successfully appealed and returned to their jobs, said Houston NAACP President D.Z. Cofield.

Five other officers were disciplined in other ways, Cannon said. A Harris County grand jury indicted four of the officers this summer, based in part of the video.

Harris County District Attorney Patricia Lykos opposed the video becoming public and felt doing so might prejudice potential jurors and force the indicted officers' trials to be moved out of the county.

CNN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lubbock Police Department debuts new community alert system

The department on Thursday launched NIXLE— a community information service designed specifically so law enforcement can quickly alert the public about important information as it happens, such as Amber Alerts, fugitives on the loose, significant crimes in progress and major traffic situations.

The alerts will immediately show up on residents' phones via SMS text messaging, in their e-mail inbox, or both, depending on how they want it.

Lubbock Police Capt. Greg Stevens said he hopes the service will help improve public safety by allowing police to send out information quickly to the entire city or specified areas.

“We're opening new ways to reach out to the community,” Stevens said. “We want to keep the public aware of criminal activity in the city and our response to it.”

Lubbock Online.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Superbowl Sunday DUI Prevention - Fans Don't Let Fans Drive Drunk

Los Angeles:  Football is one of America's favorite pastimes, but fans can put themselves in serious danger if they don't plan ahead.  Whether you're at the game or watching from a sports bar or a friend's house, designate a sober driver before the game.  And remember, Fans Don't Let Fans Drive Drunk.

The following are some recommendations of what you can do if you are hosting a Super Bowl party:

Make sure all of your guests designate their sober drivers before kick-off or help arrange ride-sharing with other sober drivers

Find unique ways to recognize the designated drivers at your party

     o Give them a great spot to watch the game
     o Whatever non-alcoholic beverage they are drinking, make sure their glass is always full
     o Let them have the first pass at the buffet table
     o Make sure their cars are easy to access when it is time to start driving people home ..<<more>>

Los Angeles Police Department

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

February 4, 2011

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rape flourishes in rubble of Haitian earthquake

Sexual violence against women has long been a scourge in Haiti, but rights activists had made real progress in recent years. Many of them died in the quake, and now women and girls are stalked by gang rapists.

Halya Lagunesse thought she knew despair. Nearly seven years ago, the soldiers who had killed her husband gang-raped the Haitian woman and her daughter Joann, who was 17 at the time.

But that pain pales in comparison to the torment of learning last March that her 5-year-old granddaughter had been raped.

The attacker gave the child about 50 cents to go and buy rice. On her way back, he intercepted her and dragged her into a cemetery.

"How did that happen? How did that happen?" Lagunesse, 50, cried, wringing her hands.

"This situation does something to their minds and makes people sick," she said. "Their hearts are bad."

Hers is a tragedy of rape compounded: Her granddaughter, now 6, was conceived in the gang rape of her daughter.

Los Angeles Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

California prison guards union called main obstacle to keeping cellphones away from inmates

Members of the politically powerful union would have to be paid millions extra to be searched on their way to work. Prison employees, about half of whom are guards, are the main source of the smuggled phones.

Lawmakers struggling to keep cellphones away from California's most dangerous inmates say a main obstacle is the politically powerful prison guards union, whose members would have to be paid millions of dollars extra to be searched on their way into work.

Prison employees, roughly half of whom are unionized guards, are the main source of smuggled phones that inmates use to run drugs and other crimes, according to legislative analysts who examined the problem last year. Unlike visitors, staff can enter the facilities without passing through metal detectors.

While union officials' stated position is that they do not necessarily oppose searches, they cite a work requirement that corrections officers be paid for "walk time" — the minutes it takes them to get from the front gate to their posts behind prison walls.

Putting metal detectors along the route, with an airport-like regimen involving removal of steel-toed boots and equipment-laden belts, could double the walk time, adding several million dollars to officers' collective pay each year, according to a 2008 Senate analysis.

Since then, cellphones have proliferated exponentially in California's state lockups. This year, state Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) is calling on Gov. Jerry Brown to "put the [search] issue on the table" in contract negotiations with the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn.

Los Angeles Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Phillip Garrido ruled competent to stand trial in Jaycee Lee Dugard kidnapping

The judge in the Jaycee Lee Dugard kidnapping case ruled Thursday that defendant Phillip Garrido is mentally competent to stand trial for her 1991 abduction.

El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Douglas Phimister reviewed reports from psychiatrists and handed down the ruling Thursday shortly after 1 p.m.

Garrido and his wife, Nancy, are accused of kidnapping Dugard when she was 11-years-old and holding her captive for 18 years.

The case was on hold until Thursday because of questions about Garrido's mental competence. Lawyers for the prosecution and defense both agreed to allow the judge to decide on the issue.

Among the reports Phimister reviewed was an account from a court-appointed psychiatrist who met with Garrido to determine his mental state, said Jackie Davenport, El Dorado's assistant court executive officer.

An arraignment on Garrido's grand jury indictment is scheduled for the same day, officials said.

Los Angeles Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Former California mental hospital chief guilty of abusing son

A former California mental hospital director, who prosecutors alleged had a history of sexually abusing young boys, was convicted Thursday of molesting his son.

A Long Beach jury found Claude Edward Foulk, 63, guilty on 31 counts of sexual molestation, including lewd acts on a child and sodomy by use of force. He was acquitted on four other counts.

His son, now 27, testified that he was abused from the age of 9 until he fled home at 21, and said he was “beyond happy” at the verdict. “I'm very relieved. He will never see the light of day,” he said.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Danette Gomez alleged that Foulk molested 11 other boys since 1966, but charges couldn't be filed in those cases because the statutory deadline had passed.

However, four of those victims, who are now adults, testified about the abuse at the trial. Those witnesses, who had lived in the foster care system or came from abusive homes, said Foulk showered them with gifts and affection, but began molesting them.

Until his arrest last year, Foulk worked as executive director of Napa State Hospital in Northern California, which mostly houses adults who are judged incompetent to stand trial or found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Defense attorney Richard Poland argued that the case hinged on the testimony of men with histories of lying, drug abuse and theft. “Just because people say something does not make it the truth,” he said. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 23. Foulk faces up to 248 years in prison.

Los Angeles Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2 missing women may be Grim Sleeper victims, detective says

Los Angeles detectives have identified two more missing women they think alleged Grim Sleeper serial killer Lonnie Franklin may have killed.

Franklin, 58, has been charged with killing 10 women in South L.A. during two distinct periods -- the mid-1980s and from 2002 to 2007. The LA Weekly gave Franklin the "Sleeper" moniker because of the 14-year gap between killings allegedly committed by him. From the outset of their investigation, however, LAPD detectives suspected the killer had been active during the period of apparent quiet.

Last week, LAPD Det. Dennis Kilcoyne announced police had reopened two unsolved homicide cases of women killed during this period and police believe may have been killed by Franklin. Kilcoyne added that investigators also were looking at four women who have been reported missing as possible victims.

He also provided an update on the effort to identify scores of women shown on a trove of photographs that was discovered during a search of Franklin's property after his July arrest. Police released the photos in December in hopes of locating the women and determining whether any may have been Franklin's victims.

To date, police have identified 74 women but still do not have identities of women seen in 57 of the photos.

Los Angeles Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monster or Savior? Doctor Draws New Scrutiny

ISTANBUL — For a surgeon wanted by Interpol and suspected of harvesting human organs for an international black-market trafficking ring, Yusef Sonmez, was remarkably relaxed as he sipped Turkish red wine in a bustling kebab restaurant facing the wind-whipped Sea of Marmara.

Dr. Sonmez, refreshed from a ski trip to Austria, spoke last month while on a break from business trips to Israel and operations on cancer patients here.

He boasts about the satisfaction of his kidney transplant surgeries, more then 2,400 by his count. He keeps friends (and, incidentally, investigators) up to date on his life via a blog and his Web site listing contact details. And in his seaside villa on the Asian side of Istanbul, he treasures a framed copy of a signed letter in 2003 from the Ministry of Health in Israel commending him for his life-saving aid to “hundreds of Israeli patients who are suffering from kidney diseases and awaiting transplants.”

Yet Interpol is circulating an international red-alert notice for the Turkish surgeon's arrest with a mug shot of him in a surgical scrub cap. The Turkish authorities have shut down his private hospital. The local press has labeled him “Dr. Frankenstein.” And an expert who monitors the lurid and lucrative global trade in human organs says Dr. Sonmez has been arrested at least six times in Turkey.

“There are two Yusufs, one my family and friends know and the one created in the press who is a monster— this is a drama, a tragedy,” said Dr. Sonmez, 53, a trim, angular man with intense, gray-green eyes and a graying goatee. “Up to now, I didn't kill anybody. I didn't harm anybody, counting donors or recipients. I have not committed any kind of social harm to anyone. This is the main thing that I am proud of.”

New York Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Police Chief Is Shot Dead in Mexico

MEXICO CITY — Just over a month after he took charge of the police force in one of the country's most violent cities, Manuel Farfán, a former brigadier general in the army, died Thursday in a torrent of bullets.

Mr. Farfán, 55, had been appointed police chief in Nuevo Laredo, on the Texas border, with great acclaim. He was one of 11 retired military officers appointed in the past year as local chiefs in troubled Tamaulipas State, a recent hot spot of smuggling and battles among rival drug trafficking organizations.

The army officers come from one of Mexico's most trusted institutions and are seen as the kind of independent iron fist needed to clean up corrupt police forces and take on organized crime.

The former police chief in Tijuana was an army officer credited with making gains against crime but also accused, by human rights groups, of attaining them through excessive force.

Mr. Farfán's short tenure suggests that even those with a military pedigree may not be able to escape the powerful gangs, which assassinated the police chief in Nuevo Laredo in 2005 just hours after he took office.

New York Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Authorities Faulted in Fort Hood Attack

WASHINGTON — Various federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies missed an opportunity to prevent the 2009 shootings at Fort Hood that left 13 people dead and dozens injured, even though they had information that the man charged in the attack, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, had communicated with a terrorism suspect and harbored extreme political proclivities, according to a new report.

The report was prepared by the offices of Senators Joseph I. Lieberman and Susan Collins, who said they were rebuffed numerous times by law enforcement and other government agencies in their attempt to investigate the attack. Mr. Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, is chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, and Ms. Collins, of Maine, is the ranking Republican.

The conclusions of the report echoed a Pentagon review released last year that detailed a systemic breakdown within the military that permitted Major Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, to advance through the ranks despite concerns that he embraced violent Islamic extremism.

“Instead of disciplining him or removing him from the military altogether,” Mr. Lieberman said at a news conference at Capitol Hill, “they inexplicably promoted him and, in my opinion, outrageously suggested that the evidence of his radicalization showed a knowledge of Islam that could benefit our military and our country instead of showing that he was a clear and present danger to our military and our country.”

New York Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lubbock Police Department debuts new community alert system

Lubbock residents can now sign up for free e-mail and text alerts directly from the Lubbock Police Department to be notified of the latest emergency situations in their neighborhoods.

The department on Thursday launched NIXLE— a community information service designed specifically so law enforcement can quickly alert the public about important information as it happens, such as Amber Alerts, fugitives on the loose, significant crimes in progress and major traffic situations.

The alerts will immediately show up on residents' phones via SMS text messaging, in their e-mail inbox, or both, depending on how they want it.

Lubbock Police Capt. Greg Stevens said he hopes the service will help improve public safety by allowing police to send out information quickly to the entire city or specified areas.

Lubbock Online

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Blue Alert" system for law officers

You're probably familiar with Amber Alerts. That's a program where law enforcement agencies cooperate with the news media, wireless companies and now even Twitter and Facebook, to get instant information out about serious child abduction cases.

Washington is considering a Blue Alert system to immediately put out information about suspects when a police officer is missing, injured or killed in the line of duty.

The Blue Alert would be a "quick response system designed to issue and coordinate alerts following an attack upon a law enforcement officer." As with Amber Alerts, which are only posted when police suspect a child is in danger, the Blue Alerts would be used when a suspect has not been apprehended and is considered a serious threat to the public.

The legislation comes from Mike Hope, a 44th District Representative and Seattle Police Officer.

"Since this would use the existing system, there would be very little, if any, cost to operate it," Hope says. "Getting information out about an immediate threat in our neighborhoods will save lives. The criminals who harm law enforcement officers won't think twice about harming average citizens. These are usually the most dangerous and violent criminals. This is about protecting our cities, counties and state."

My Northwest.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

High Recovery Rate For Missing Children In Jamaica

Jamaica -- Though children still make up the largest percentage of persons reported missing, with figures showing them accounting for up to 70 per cent of cases, the recovery rate has drastically improved since 2009.

According to statistics from the Missing Person Call Centre (MPCC), which falls under the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), of the 2,394 people reported missing for the period January to December last year, 1,680 were children. Of those children, 1,248 have returned home.

The figures also include habitual missing children.

Fifty-nine people were found dead, eight of whom were children, and 424 remain missing.

For 2008, it was reported that 960 went missing, while for 2009, 1,770 disappeared.

The head of the Ananda Alert system has attributed the high recovery rate of missing children to the introduction of that mechanism.

Jamaica Gleaner

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ICE arrests 2, detains 53 at Phoenix drop house

PHOENIX - Two Mexican citizens appeared in federal court to face human smuggling charges Monday following the discovery of a Phoenix drop house by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations Friday where agents detained 53 illegal aliens.

Edgar Meza-Bustamante, 23, and Cruz Gerardo Meza-Tirado, 34, both citizens of Mexico illegally present in the United States, were arrested at the drop house located at 11226 West Roma Avenue in Phoenix. HSI agents, following a tip from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, identified the possible drop house and knocked on the front door. They then gained entry after several illegal aliens attempted to flee through the back of the residence.

In addition to the two suspects, agents discovered 53 illegal aliens from Mexico, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. While the majority of the aliens are adult males, the detained aliens also included seven females and six juvenile males.

"While Arizona is the busiest human smuggling corridor in the United States, it is unusual to find so many aliens in the same drop house," said Matt Allen, special agent in charge of ICE HSI in Arizona. "This is a good reminder to human smugglers that they are not welcome in our communities. We are out there looking for them, and when we find them they will be arrested and prosecuted."

ICE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Berlin Man Sentenced to More Than Eight Years in Prison for Amassing Arsenal of Illegal Weapons

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ALAN D. ZALESKI, 49, of Berlin, Connecticut, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge Ellen Bree Burns in New Haven to 101 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing machine guns and numerous other unregistered weapons, including a sawed-off shotgun, silencers, grenades, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). On March 27, 2009, a jury found ZALESKI guilty of 28 counts related to the illegal possession of those firearms.

“This defendant possessed an arsenal of illegal weapons, the size and scope of which Connecticut law enforcement has rarely, if ever, encountered,” stated U.S. Attorney Fein. “I want to commend the FBI, ATF, Connecticut State Police, and the police departments that investigated this matter, as well as an alert citizen who first notified law enforcement authorities to this potentially dangerous situation.”

According to the evidence provided at trial, in 2005, a tree cutter contracted by a local utility company went to ZALESKI's heavily-wooded property in Berlin to cut back some trees from power lines and inadvertently tripped over one of several tripwires set up on the property, triggering a percussion explosive that detonated and caused him permanent hearing loss in one ear. When the utility worker returned to the property in August 2006 and noticed the tripwires again, he contacted the police.

FBI

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

February 3, 2011

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Guns tracked by firearms bureau found at firefight scene

Two AK-47s bought in Arizona were used in a firefight that left a Border Patrol agent dead last month. The discovery comes amid a growing congressional investigation into the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

In a sign of the cost of widespread U.S. weapons smuggling into Mexico, federal law enforcement sources have confirmed that two guns, part of a series of purchases that were being monitored by authorities, were found at the scene of the firefight that killed a U.S. Border Patrol agent in southern Arizona.

Sources said U.S. authorities did not have the ability to adequately monitor the movement of the guns toward the southern border, in part because current laws and low levels of staffing.

As a result, "the next time they became aware of those weapons was when they turned up at the crime scene," said one source, who, like others connected to the case, spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing criminal investigation.

"My worst fear was that they would be used in a homicide of a Mexican military official or a Mexican police official. It crossed my mind that they would be used against U.S. forces, but I didn't think it would happen this soon," said another federal law enforcement source.

The disclosure comes amid a widening congressional investigation into allegations lodged by whistleblowers within the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They allege the agency has been aware of the purchase of assault weapons in the U.S. by buyers suspected of selling across the border, but failed to adequately track them.

Los Angeles Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Orange County man convicted of raping 5 women

A Lake Forest man was convicted Wednesday of raping five Orange County women and sexually assaulting a sixth, according to the Orange County district attorney's office.

Sekayi Rudo White, 33, was found guilty of 14 felony counts of rape, sexual assault, making criminal threats and burglary. He will be sentenced April 15 and faces a maximum of 119 years to life in state prison.

Prosecutors learned of White's history of sexual assaults after his  arrest in April 2007 for attempting to assault a 28-year-old woman the month before. Three additional victims stepped forward after prosecutors released details about his arrest to the media.

Authorities believe the attacks stretch back to August or September  2002, when White raped an unconscious 22-year-old woman at a Santa Ana hotel. The woman said she woke up while White was raping her, prosecutors said. The woman could not remember drinking alcohol or entering the hotel room. After the assault, she told prosecutors, White began harassing her at work and home.

In December 2005, White met a 44-year-old woman at a bar at the Irvine Spectrum. He gave the woman a ride to her home in Newport Beach, where he asked if he could use the restroom. Shortly after, White came out of the bathroom naked, pinned the woman down and tried to remove her pants, prosecutors said. The woman fought back and White grabbed his clothes and fled, authorities said.

In August 2006, White met a 22-year-old woman at a bar in Huntington Beach and drove her to his home in Lake Forest, where he raped her, prosecutors said. The following month, he was arrested and charged for the Newport Beach assault and the attack against the 22-year-old woman at his Lake Forest home.

While out on a $250,000 bail, White went on to rape at least three more women from January through April 2007, when he was arrested again, prosecutors said.

Los Angeles Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Charles Manson found with second cellphone

For the second time in less than two years, California prison officials caught Charles Manson, mastermind of one of the most notorious killing sprees in U.S. history, with a cellphone behind bars.

Guards at Corcoran State Prison found the phone on Jan. 6, according to prison spokeswoman Terry Thornton. Manson was charged with violating prison rules, but not with a crime, because there is no law in California that prohibits inmates from possessing phones. Thornton declined to provide any details about where Manson got the phone, or who he called, saying the case is still under investigation.

Manson called people in California, New Jersey and Florida with an LG flip phone found under his prison bunk in March 2009, Thornton said.

Thirty days were added to his sentence for the first offense, officials said. Manson is technically eligible for parole but will almost certainly die in prison for ordering the ritualistic murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others in 1969.

Los Angeles Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Julie Schenecker Case: Parents Sometimes Can Lose Control of Emotions

After 'Mouthy' Kids Killed, Experts Weigh in on Warning Signs

It's normal for parents to feel angry at their children now and then, and experts say those emotions rarely reach a level or a frequency that leads to violence. 

"While there are common patterns among parents who kill their children, there do seem to be some parents who just 'snap,' like the buildup of stress becomes too much and they can no longer cope," said Kaslow.

Several parents told ABC News while they've never felt the urge to kill their children, they have had trouble coping with anger.

ABC News

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

February 2, 2011

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chester Turner, serial killer on death row, is charged with four more murders

Investigators say DNA links serial killer Chester Dewayne Turner to the slayings of four women. In some cases, others had been accused of the crimes now attributed to Turner, who is on death row.

Chester Dewayne Turner, one of Los Angeles' most prolific serial killers who prowled the streets of South L.A. in the 1980s and '90s, was charged Tuesday with four additional murders linked to him through DNA.

The charges were filed after a DNA test recently connected Turner to the 1997 slaying of Cynthia Annette Johnson, whose killing had been considered cleared by the LAPD after the arrest and unsuccessful prosecution of another suspect. A department criminalist inadvertently included evidence from the Johnson case for testing last year as part of the LAPD's effort to reduce the backlog of untested sexual assault kits, Det. Cliff Shepard said.

The remaining three murder counts stem from killings in which authorities long suspected Turner but never filed charges against him.

In two cases, another man was wrongfully convicted and spent 11 years behind bars until his release in 2004, when DNA linked Turner to the killings. In the fourth case, DNA connected Turner to the case after he had been charged with multiple killings in 2004. All four of the victims were strangled.

Turner, 44, was sentenced to death in 2007 for the murder of 10 women, one of whom was 6 1/2 months pregnant.

"He needs to be held accountable for what he did," said L.A. County Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Grace, who helped prosecute Turner. "It's very important for everyone in the city, particularly those in South L.A., that the justice system does value the lives of people killed."

Los Angeles Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LAPD clears decades-old backlog of untested DNA evidence

The testing has resulted in the arrest of hundreds of suspects. But shortages in the department's lab mean police can't keep pace with new evidence collected in rape and sexual assault cases.

The Los Angeles Police Department has cleared a decades-old backlog of untested DNA evidence collected in rapes and other sexual assaults and made hundreds of arrests because of the testing, the department reported Tuesday.

The accomplishment was tempered somewhat, however, by continued staffing shortages in the department's laboratory that remains too small to keep pace with new cases.

Victim advocate groups and elected officials in late 2008 put intense pressure on the LAPD to address the thousands of pieces of DNA evidence that had sat untouched in storage freezers for years. The department counted 6,132 untested rape kits, which contained samples of semen, blood, hair or other genetic material collected from victims' bodies and crime scenes. Analysis of the material can help identify perpetrators by matching DNA to the genetic profiles of felons stored in law enforcement databases.

LAPD officials have spent the last two years scraping together federal grants, public funds and private donations to outsource the testing to private labs. They have also lobbied elected officials for special permission to add more analysts to the LAPD's lab despite a citywide hiring freeze.

All of the untouched kits have now been analyzed, Capt. Kevin McClure told the Los Angeles Police Commission. The effort has paid dividends. Last year, the department identified and arrested about 300 people using DNA evidence collected at crime scenes, mostly sexual assault or rape cases, McClure said.

Los Angeles Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

38th Street gang members arrested in federal indictment alleging murder, drug trafficking

Several dozen members of Los Angeles' 38th Street gang were arrested Tuesday under a federal racketeering indictment alleging that they are responsible for numerous murders and large-scale drug trafficking, as well as impersonating federal agents and using a child as a shooter.

The early morning raids involving 800 law enforcement officers targeted one of L.A.'s oldest gangs, known for its deep ties with the Mexican Mafia prison gang. Investigators documented numerous plots, including one in which a gang member claims to have directed a 14-year-old girl to shoot a rival gang member as part of her initiation, according to the affidavit.

In another incident, gang members dressed as FBI agents and other law enforcement officers shot their way into a South Gate house, where they tied up and kidnapped a man, prosecutors said Tuesday. During a subsequent high-speed chase, the victim was allegedly executed with a bullet to his head, according to prosecutors.

During the pre-dawn raids Tuesday, LAPD officers and special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested 37 defendants on federal indictments; 20 more people were taken into custody on state weapons and narcotics charges.

"We targeted 87 members and associates of a violent street gang, which terrorized one of our communities," said Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck.

Los Angeles Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Mexico, Massacres but Claims of Progress

ACAPULCO, Mexico — Only a week into the new year, 15 human heads sat outside a gleaming shopping center on the other side of the lush hills that frame this seaside resort's big tourist hotels. Within hours, several bodies turned up in a taxi and elsewhere, bringing the number of victims to 33 in a single weekend, scattered around a side of town few visitors see.

Then two weeks later, the government announced that it had captured the leader of a shadowy criminal organization believed to be responsible for the mayhem, as well as for the disappearance of 20 men who came here for vacation last fall.

The twin events — the shock of yet another massacre and the government's ability to take down those it believes responsible — define the seesawing battle for the right to claim victory at a critical juncture in Mexico's organized crime war.

The increase in violence is indisputable. The government says more than 34,600 have been killed in the four years since President Felipe Calderón took office and threw the federal police and military at the cartels, with last year's toll, 15,273, the heaviest yet.

Mexican and American officials, crediting American training of the military and what they consider to be an increasingly professional federal police force, point out that more than half of the 37 most wanted crime bosses announced last year have been captured or killed. The government also maintains that the last quarter of 2010 showed a decline in the pace of killings.

But the public does not seem to believe it. A poll released Jan. 11 by Mexico's national statistics institute found that more than 70 percent of respondents believed that the country's security had worsened since 2009.

New York Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

11.2 Million Illegal Immigrants in U.S. in 2010, Report Says; No Change From '09

About 11.2 million illegal immigrants were living in the United States in 2010, a number essentially unchanged from the previous year, according to a report published Tuesday by the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research organization in Washington.

Despite continuing high unemployment among American workers, record deportations by the Obama administration and expanding efforts by states to crack down, the number of unauthorized immigrants in the work force — about eight million — was also unchanged, the Pew report found. Those workers were about 5 percent of the American work force.

The population of illegal immigrants leveled off after peaking in 2007 at 12 million, then dropping sharply over two years to 11.1 million in 2009, according to the report, which is based on census data. The declines occurred primarily because fewer people from Mexico and Central America came illegally to the United States, Pew concluded.

The report found no evidence of an exodus of illegal immigrants from the country. In particular there is no sign that Mexicans, who are the largest group — 58 percent — of illegal immigrants, are leaving in larger numbers, the report finds.

The Pew report suggests that the high numbers of unauthorized immigrants are confounding enforcement efforts by the Obama administration and also a recent spate of measures by state legislatures to crack down locally on illegal immigration. Federal immigration authorities deported about 400,000 immigrants in each of the last two years, the highest numbers in the country's history, according to Department of Homeland Security officials.

New York Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

7th Youth Arrested in Bullying of Teenager in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA — A seventh teenager was arrested on Tuesday in a bullying incident in which a 13-year-old student was kicked and beaten before being hung by his coat from a spiked fence post, the police said.

The attack on the 13-year-old boy, whose family came to the United States to escape the war in Liberia in 2000, was recorded on video by one of the suspects.

The boy, Nadin Khoury, was left suspended from the seven-foot-high fence on Jan. 11 after being dragged, punched, kicked and placed upside down in a tree in Upper Darby, a Philadelphia suburb, said Superintendent Michael Chitwood of the Upper Darby Township Police.

The attack took place about 1 p.m. outside an apartment building about a mile from the Opportunity Center, a public school for students with behavioral problems. All seven suspects and Nadin attended the school, Superintendent Chitwood said.

Nadin was bruised but not otherwise injured in the attack.

The suspects, whose ages range from 13 to 17, face charges including kidnapping, false imprisonment, terroristic threats and conspiracy. If convicted, they face probation or time in a juvenile detention center, Superintendent Chitwood said. Two of the suspects have prior convictions for assault.

New York Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Woman called 'Jihad Jane' pleads guilty

Philadelphia (CNN) -- Colleen LaRose, the woman who authorities say called herself "Jihad Jane" on YouTube, has changed her mind about fighting government charges that she was plotting to wage violent jihad overseas. She pleaded guilty to all counts Tuesday at a federal change-of-plea hearing in Philadelphia.

LaRose was indicted in 2009 on four counts, including conspiring to support terrorists and kill someone overseas. She was allegedly part of a plot to murder Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, who outraged some by depicting the prophet Mohammed with the body of a dog in 2007.

Five other co-conspirators were allegedly involved, but never named by the government.

LaRose also is accused of lying to a federal agent and attempted identity theft.

Her lawyer, Mark Wilson, would not comment after Tuesday's hearing nor about whether his client has been cooperating with authorities in hopes of avoiding a potential life sentence.

She has spent nearly two years behind bars since her arrest, but Wilson does not think LaRose will be freed after being given credit for time served.

CNN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Department of Justice Announces Launch of Human Trafficking Enhanced Enforcement Initiative

WASHINGTON – The Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Labor announced today the launch of a nationwide Human Trafficking Enhanced Enforcement Initiative designed to streamline federal criminal investigations and prosecutions of human trafficking offenses.

As part of the Enhanced Enforcement Initiative, specialized Anti-Trafficking Coordination Teams, known as ACTeams, will be convened in select pilot districts around the country. The ACTeams, comprised of prosecutors and agents from multiple federal enforcement agencies, will implement a strategic action plan to combat identified human trafficking threats. The ACTeams will focus on developing federal criminal human trafficking investigations and prosecutions to vindicate the rights of human trafficking victims, bring traffickers to justice and dismantle human trafficking networks.

The ACTeam structure not only enhances coordination among federal prosecutors and federal agents on the front lines of federal human trafficking investigations and prosecutions, but also enhances coordination between front-line enforcement efforts and the specialized units at the Department of Justice and federal agency headquarters. The ACTeam Initiative was developed through interagency collaboration among the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Labor to streamline rapidly expanding human trafficking enforcement efforts.

“This modern-day slavery is an affront to human dignity, and each and every case we prosecute should send a powerful signal that human trafficking will not be tolerated in the United States,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “The Human Trafficking Enhanced Enforcement Initiative takes our anti-trafficking enforcement efforts to the next level by building on the most effective tool in our anti-trafficking arsenal: partnerships.”

Dept of Justice

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the President's Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons Meeting

Thank you, Secretary Clinton. It's an honor and privilege to join my colleagues to mark the many breakthroughs we've made over the past year – and the momentum we've generated for the year ahead – in our fight to end human trafficking.

This past year – for the third year in a row – the Department of Justice prosecuted more human trafficking cases than ever before. This modern-day slavery is an affront to human dignity, and each and every case we prosecute should send a powerful signal that human trafficking will not be tolerated in the United States.

Our prosecutions have brought long-overdue justice to victims from Nigeria, Togo, Ghana, the Philippines, Thailand and Mexico, as well as from our own country. We have liberated adults, children, men and women exploited for sex and labor in virtually every corner of our nation. We have secured long sentences against individual traffickers. And we have dismantled large, transnational organized criminal enterprises that have exploited victims across the United States, depriving them of freedom and dignity.

But we have more to do – and farther to go. On the Tenth Anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act last fall, I committed that the Justice Department would be launching a Human Trafficking Enhanced Enforcement Initiative to take our counter-trafficking enforcement efforts to the next level by building on the most effective tool in our anti-trafficking arsenal: partnerships.

Dept of Justice

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

New and Improved N-DEx

About to Go Nationwide

Colorado law enforcement working an organized crime case identified a “person of interest” during its investigation but couldn't find a current address or much else on the individual.

So a state trooper searched our Law Enforcement National Data Exchange, or N-DEx, which revealed the subject as a person of interest in an out-of-state drug case worked by a federal agency. The trooper contacted that agency and learned that this individual had been named in other drug-related cases in California.

Based on that information, the trooper began reaching out to other federal, state, and local agencies in California and beyond…and soon discovered that his subject was a member of a violent gang headquartered in Los Angeles that, up until then, wasn't known to be operating in Colorado.

This process of connecting the dots between seemingly unrelated pieces of criminal data housed in different places is the backbone of N-DEx. The system enables its law enforcement users to submit certain data to a central repository—located at our Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division in West Virginia—where it's compared against data already on file from local, state, tribal, and federal agencies to identify links and similarities among persons, places, things, and activities across jurisdictional boundaries.

FBI

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

February 1, 2011

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Federal judge says healthcare law is unconstitutional

He cites the requirement to buy insurance. The ruling is the most sweeping blow yet to President Obama's signature domestic achievement.

A federal judge in Florida dealt President Obama's healthcare overhaul a sweeping blow Monday, ruling the law unconstitutional because of its requirement that Americans have health insurance starting in 2014.

U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson declined to suspend the law but said the government should abide by his ruling, potentially complicating implementation in some states.

The Washington lawyer who represented the 26 states in the lawsuit said the ruling freed them from complying with its provisions, including requirements not to cut people from their Medicaid programs, as some governors say they want to do.

"For the 26 states that were parties to this suit, the entire statute is dead," said David B. Rivkin Jr. "The decision has immediate force, and it means all the new Medicaid stuff is gone."

Obama administration officials disputed Rivkin's analysis and indicated they would appeal Vinson's decision.

"We don't believe this kind of judicial activism will be upheld and we are confident that the Affordable Care Act will ultimately be declared constitutional," Assistant to the President Stephanie Cutter said in a White House blog post.

Los Angeles Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Central Valley canal's murky waters hide dark secrets

Divers searching for a car reportedly used in a boy's kidnapping have a tough task — zero visibility, dangerous pumping pressure, a junkyard of abandoned vehicles and evidence of past crimes.

On a pretty day from a vista point a few miles south of here, you can look over green grazing lands, almond orchards, row crops and the blue ribbons of canal water that run through California's Central Valley.

This isn't a pretty day.

The valley's infamous Tule fog has leached the color from the scene, leaving the hills pale and the sky gray. The water in the Delta-Mendota Canal is rust-brown — and day after day yields ugly secrets as divers search for what they hope they won't find: the body of 4-year-old Juliani Cardenas, kidnapped from his grandmother's arms two weeks ago.

A farmworker said he saw a car go into the canal 45 minutes after Juliani was taken.

On this late January afternoon, the sixth day of the search for the kidnapper's silver Toyota, authorities so far have fished up a Lexus, an Infiniti, a red Mustang, four economy-sized sedans, an SUV, two pickup trucks, a motorcycle and parts of a decaying Trans Am. Before the eight-day search ends, they will pull up four more vehicles — 16 in all — that are not the car they are looking for.

In other years, along with hundreds of vehicles, the canal has offered up weapons, remnants of meth labs and the bodies of murder victims, suicides and hapless fishermen. The severed limbs of one victim washed up 12 miles apart.

Los Angeles Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gates Calls for a Final Push to Eradicate Polio

On Monday, in a Manhattan town house that once belonged to polio's most famous victim, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Bill Gates made an appeal for one more big push to wipe out world polio.

Although that battle began in 1985 and Mr. Gates started making regular donations to it only in 2005, he has emerged in the last two years both as one of the biggest donors — he has now given $1.3 billion, more than the amount raised over 25 years by Rotary International — and as the loudest voice for eradication.

As new outbreaks create new setbacks each year, he has given ever more money, not only for research but for the grinding work on the ground: paying millions of vaccinators $2 or $3 stipends to get pink polio drops into the mouths of children in villages, slums, markets and train stations.

He also journeys to remote Indian and Nigerian villages to be photographed giving the drops himself. Though he lacks Angelina Jolie's pneumatic allure, his lingering “world's richest man” cologne is just as aphrodisiacal to TV cameras.

He also uses that celebrity to press political leaders. Rich Gulf nations have been criticized for giving little for a disease that now chiefly affects Muslim children; last week in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Mr. Gates and Crown Prince Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan jointly donated $50 million each to vaccinate children in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In Davos, Switzerland, Mr. Gates and the British prime minister, David Cameron, announced that Britain would double its $30 million donation. Last month, when the Pakistani president, Asif Ali Zardari, went to Washington for the diplomat Richard C. Holbrooke's funeral, Mr. Gates offered him $65 million to initiate a new polio drive. Twelve days later, publicly thanking him, Mr. Zardari did so.

New York Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OPINION

When Microcredit Won't Do

If you asked poverty experts to name the single most significant new concept in the field in the last few decades, chances are they would say microcredit.  Microcredit is the lending of very small amounts of money to very poor people to help them invest in things that have the potential to bring income later on — a loan of $50 to buy a sewing machine to make clothes, for instance, or piglets to raise and sell.  It reaches nearly 100 million clients in more than 100 countries.

One of the reasons that microcredit is so exciting is that its benefits can go beyond the women (and they are almost all women) who borrow money. Not only does their increase in income add to the economy of the whole village, they can start businesses that sell needed goods and services to their neighbors.  After all, much of rural development involves bringing to villages the same things that city dwellers take for granted.  For example, a borrower can use her loan to buy a cell phone and charge her neighbors for calls and messages.  She has a new business and her neighbors have a link to the outside world.

But microcredit isn't a panacea.  It has always been vulnerable to abuse.   The most recent example is a scandal in India, where banks have been luring microborrowers into excessive debt, just as predatory lenders lured millions of Americans into unsustainable mortgages.  Loans can be malignant.  Some people shouldn't take on debt.  Some businesses are too risky.  And the temptation is always present to spend the loan on food for the family or shoes for the children.

In the hills of rural Guatemala, a different kind of microfinance, one that doesn't involve loans, is doing something microcredit can't.  A company called Soluciones Comunitarias (“community solutions”) is selling products that improve the health and prosperity of villagers, and doing it in a sustainable way while providing rural people — the vast majority of them women — with new business opportunities that do not require risk or debt.

New York Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tampa mom faced abuse allegations months before her kids' murder

The Tampa woman accused of killing her teenage kids was no stranger to state officials.

Florida officials were investigating abuse allegations against Julie Schenecker just months before the slayings that the overall risk to the children was low.

The Florida Department of Children and Families released a report on its investigation into Julie Schenecker, who had been accused of hitting her daughter on two occasions.

Schenecker is now charged with killing her 16-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son.  Their bodies were found Friday.

The DCF report centered around two fights between Schenecker and her daughter, Calyx.

Schenecker's husband told investigators his wife had never hit their daughter before the two incidents.  The family was in counseling at the time.

The DCF says it took no action on the case.

WOKV.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How to Buy a Glock If You Flunk a Background Check

 (Video on site)

The guv'ment's tyrannical background checks stopping you from exercising your Second Amendment right to carry a semiautomatic handgun that can squeeze off 33 rounds in seven seconds or less? Just come on down to the Crossroads of the West Gun Show in Phoenix, Arizona, where undercover investigators working with Mayor Bloomberg's administration had no problem buying Glocks like the kind used by Jared Loughner in the Tuscon massacre. All you need to do is show some I.D. to exploit what some lawmakers call the "gun show loophole." In fact, one investigator was able to pay cash for a 9 mm semiautomatic even after telling the seller he probably wouldn't pass a background check. Instead of refusing the sale, as required by federal law, the gun peddler pockets the $500 and directs his shady customer toward the tent with the cheap ammunition. Watch:

City Hall says gun shows are linked to 30% of guns in federal gun trafficking investigations. Mayor Bloomberg announced the results of the investigation today, and said in a statement, "We have demonstrated how easy it is for anyone to buy a semiautomatic handgun and a high capacity magazine, no questions asked. This country must take two simple steps to stop more of the 34 murders that occur with guns every day: make every gun sale subject to a background check, and make sure the background check system has all the required records in it. Congress should act now, but gun show operators shouldn't wait."

After a similar gun show investigation in 2009, four of the seven gun shows targeted by Bloomberg each signed agreements with the City of New York agreeing to end no-background check gun sales. Of course, Tuscon shooter Jared Loughner bought his Glock from a Sportsman's Warehouse after passing the FBI's background check "immediately and without incident."

GOTHAMIST.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Program targeting dangerous illegal immigrants falls short

WASHINGTON — An immigration enforcement program that trains local police officers to enforce federal immigration laws has not been used to target illegal immigrants who commit the most serious crimes, according to a report released Monday.

Some viewed those figures as proof that the program is being abused by local authorities who are simply trying to rid their communities of growing numbers of legal and illegal immigrants.

"Nobody disputes the need to get rid of dangerous people, of drug dealers," said David Leopold, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. "But when the effect is to split up families and to chase people out of the country who might otherwise help the country, you've got to scratch your head and wonder 'What is the point of this program?' "

Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates lower levels of immigration, said it's unfair to criticize the program without understanding how its being used in each area.

USA Today

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Readout of Secretary Napolitano's Remarks on Border Security at the University of Texas at El Paso

EL PASO, Texas—Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today delivered remarks at the University of Texas at El Paso highlighting the Department's unprecedented efforts over the past two years to secure the Southwest border by deploying historic levels of manpower, resources and technology and increasing collaboration with federal, state, local and tribal, and Mexican partners while facilitating legal trade and travel.

“The Obama administration has engaged in an unprecedented effort to bring focus and intensity to Southwest border security, coupled with a reinvigorated, smart and effective approach to enforcing immigration laws in the interior of our country,” said Secretary Napolitano. “Almost two years into the Southwest Border Initiative and the verdict is in: our approach is working—illegal immigration is decreasing, deportations are increasing and crime rates have gone down.”

During her remarks, Secretary Napolitano highlighted the Obama administration's efforts to strengthen Southwest border security by increasing the number of Border Patrol agents from approximately 10,000 in 2004 to more than 20,700 in 2010; doubling the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel assigned to Border Enforcement Security Task Forces; increasing the number of intelligence analysts working along the U.S.-Mexico border; quintupling deployments of Border Liaison Officers; and beginning screening of southbound rail and vehicle traffic for the illegal weapons and cash that are helping to fuel the cartel violence in Mexico.

Secretary Napolitano also underscored the results of these investments, noting that Border Patrol apprehensions—a key indicator of illegal immigration—have decreased 36 percent in the last two years and are less than half of what they were at their peak; violent crime in border communities has remained flat or fallen in the past decade; and statistics have shown that some of the safest communities in America are along the border.

Dept of Homeland Security

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Secretary Napolitano Announces "If You See Something, Say Something" Campaign at Super Bowl XLV

Washington, D.C. — Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today joined National Football League (NFL) Vice President of Security Milt Ahlerich and Arlington, Texas Chief of Police Theron Bowman to announce a new partnership to bring the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) "If You See Something, Say Something" public awareness campaign to Super Bowl XLV - to help ensure the security of fans, players, and employees by identifying and reporting suspicious activity.

"Security is a shared responsibility and each citizen has a role to play in identifying and reporting suspicious activities and threats," said Secretary Napolitano. "Our partnership with the NFL and local law enforcement to bring the "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign to Super Bowl XLV is a critical part of our efforts to ensure the safety of every player, employee and fan in the area for the game."

The "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign—originally implemented by New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority and now licensed to DHS for a nationwide campaign—is a simple and effective program to engage the public and key frontline employees to identify and report indicators of terrorism, crime and other threats to the proper transportation and law enforcement authorities.

The "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign at Super Bowl XLV will include both print and video advertisements, as well as a training video for NFL employees to ensure that both employees and fans have the tools they need to identify and report suspicious activities and threats. DHS is also working with federal, state, local and private sector partners to support security efforts at the Super Bowl through additional personnel, technology and resources.

Dept of Homeland Security

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Third Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crime Charge Related to Desecration of Synagogue and Churches in Modesto, California

WASHINGTON – Andrew Kerber, 22, of Chico, Calif., pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill in Fresno, Calif., to violating the civil rights of congregants of Congregation Beth Shalom, a synagogue in Modesto, Calif.

According to court documents, on or about Feb. 2, 2006, Kerber and two other men, Abel Mark Gonzalez, 23, of Morgan Hill, Calif., and Brian Lewis, 23, of Modesto, Calif., defaced and damaged the synagogue. Kerber admitted that the men spray-painted anti-Semitic and neo-Nazi graffiti on the synagogue's exterior walls. Kerber further admitted that the men spray-painted anti-Christian graffiti on the exterior walls of, and caused other damage to, Our Lady of Fatima Church and School and the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, both located in Modesto. Lewis and Gonzalez pleaded guilty for their role in the offense on Jan. 14, 2011.

Kerber faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a fine of $100,000. A sentencing hearing has been set for Friday, April 8, 2011.

"The Constitution protects the right of all individuals to worship in peace, and strong enforcement of our nation's civil rights laws safeguards that right," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "The department will continue to aggressively prosecute those who seek to violate the rights of their fellow Americans to worship freely."

Dept of Justice

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Canadian John Wrenshall sentenced on child porn charges

Worldwide endeavor brought man to justice

NEWARK, N.J. - John Wrenshall, 64, was sentenced to 300 months in prison for inviting men to travel from around the world to his home in Thailand in order to sexually abuse young boys. The investigation was conducted by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Peter T. Edge, special agent in charge of ICE HSI in Newark stated: "Criminals who prey on children are committing unspeakable acts, causing irreparable harm and robbing the innocent of their innocence. HSI will track down these criminals, wherever they think they can hide, arrest them and bring them to justice."

Wrenshall, a Canadian citizen, admitted that from at least as early as January 2000, he arranged trips to his home during which U.S. citizens and others paid him to engage in anal sex, oral sex, and other sexual acts with Thai boys, some as young as four years old. Wrenshall's customers were allowed to videotape and photograph their abuse. Wrenshall also personally victimized the boys in order to "train" them for his paying customers.

Wrenshall was indicted by a federal grand jury in New Jersey in August 2008 after authorities learned that Wayne Nelson Corliss had traveled to Wrenshall's home to engage in illegal sexual acts with minor boys. Wrenshall was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport in December 2008 by London's Metropolitan Police, with HSI agents, and was extradited to the United States in July 2009 to face the New Jersey indictment.

ICE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

California man sentenced to 17 years in prison for engaging in a child exploitation enterprise

Homeland Security Investigations, Pittsburgh, identified global Internet ring

PITTSBURGH - Stephen Sims of Palm Springs, Calif., was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Gustave Diamond in the Western District of Pennsylvania to 17 years in prison for engaging in a child exploitation enterprise. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Pittsburgh and the High Technology Investigative Unit of the Department of Justice Criminal Division, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).

The sentence was announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania David J. Hickton and John Kelleghan, special agent in charge of ICE HSI in Phildelphia.

Sims, 57, pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in a child exploitation enterprise before U.S. District Court Judge Arthur A. Schwab on July 13, 2010. According to court documents and proceedings, Sims and others distributed images and videos of children being sexually abused to other members of an international group that had restricted membership and was formed on a social networking website. Members of the group distributed to one another thousands of sexually explicit images and videos of children, many of which graphically depicted prepubescent, male children, including some infants, being sexually abused and sometimes sodomized or subjected to bondage.

"Sims and others distributed thousands of images and videos of children, including infants, being sexually abused around the world in an exclusive online forum that the users thought was hidden from justice. They were wrong," said Special Agent in Charge Kelleghan. "An HSI operation identified them, arrested them and brought them to justice. HSI will continue to protect children and the pursuit of those who would use them for sexual gratification."

ICE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

January 31, 2011

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bitter internal dispute roils San Fernando Valley mosque

The court battle for control of the mosque has turned ugly, with each side using inflammatory rhetoric, claiming to be more assimilated and alleging that it has been threatened or assaulted.

On a Friday afternoon in October, men in black security T-shirts and matching cargo pants roamed the parking lot and perimeter of the Islamic Center of Northridge as worshipers arrived for weekly prayers.

Several Los Angeles Police Department patrol cars were parked nearby as officers kept a watchful eye on a demonstration out front. About 30 men yelled and held up signs. One waved a small American flag as another denounced the mosque's religious leader as a devil.

Worshipers, looking uncomfortable, hurried past and into the building.

It's a scene reminiscent of others across the country where new and existing mosques have faced heated opposition in recent months. But the protests at the Islamic Center's main mosque in Granada Hills are different, not demonstrations by anti-Islamic groups but a struggle between rival Muslim groups over control of the institution.

The two sides, each made up mainly of Pakistani and Afghan immigrants, are battling in court over leadership elections and greater openness at the Granada Hills mosque and an older satellite center in Northridge. The dispute has taken on an ugly, ethnically charged tone, including heated rhetoric about which group is more American in dress, accent and behavior.

The parties have traded accusations of radicalism as each side tries to discredit the other, sometimes using comparisons and accusations that American Muslims are more accustomed to hearing from critics outside their communities.

Los Angeles Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ban proposed on 'bath salts' drugs

Sen. Charles E. Schumer proposes a bill that would make the synthetic stimulants into federally controlled substances. They are already banned in 3 states and in Europe.

Two drugs that produce a meth-like high and are being sold under the guise of "bath salts" would be banned as federally controlled substances under a bill unveiled Sunday by Sen. Charles E. Schumer.

"These so-called bath salts contain ingredients that are nothing more than legally sanctioned narcotics, and they are being sold cheaply to all comers, with no questions asked, at store counters around the country," said Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Schumer said he would introduce a bill to outlaw the two synthetic drugs — mephedrone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone, or MDPV. The drugs come in powder and tablet form and are ingested by snorting, injecting, smoking and, less often, by use of an atomizer.

Users experience an intense high, euphoria, extreme energy, hallucinations and insomnia and are easily provoked to anger, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, which is investigating the drugs.

They have emerged as legal alternatives to cocaine and methamphetamines, and one or both ingredients have already been banned in the European Union, Australia, Canada and Israel. Florida, Louisiana and North Dakota have all recently banned the substances as well.

"The longer we wait to ban the substance, the greater risk we put our kids in," Schumer said.

Los Angeles Times

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Working on immigration

Resuming workplace raids isn't the answer. Better enforcement and a path to citizenship are needed.

Congressional Republicans will not — and should not — succeed in persuading the Obama administration to resume workplace raids to detain and deport illegal immigrants.

The administration has been effectively enforcing immigration laws without recourse to such raids, which have disrupted families and resulted in the detention of immigrants for minor offenses such as carrying a forged driver's license or using a fraudulent Social Security number. Instead, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has concentrated its resources on apprehending immigrants accused of serious crimes and fining employers that encourage illegal immigration by continuing to hire undocumented workers.

As Times staff writer Brian Bennett reported, the Obama administration has quadrupled the number of employer audits and fined businesses $6.9 million in fiscal 2010, compared with $675,000 in 2008. Deportations are also up, from 369,221 in 2008 to 392,862 in fiscal 2010. More than 195,000 criminals were deported in 2010, a 70% increase over 2008. These numbers suggest that the administration is not under-enforcing immigration laws, as Republicans claim, but has set reasonable priorities and is pursuing them.

The fact remains that the administration's selective enforcement of the law, defensible as it is on fiscal and humanitarian grounds, feeds a narrative that the administration and Democrats in general don't really object to illegal immigration and that "comprehensive reform" is a Trojan horse for open borders. Though some who make this argument may be dismissed as racists or xenophobes, other Americans with no ulterior motives are skeptical about whether reformers are serious about enforcement. That impression complicates the effort to reach compromise in Congress.

Los Angeles Times

New York City Investigates Arizona Gun Show

PHOENIX — Weeks after a shooting left six dead and 13 injured in Tucson, New York City sent undercover investigators to an Arizona gun show and found instances in which private sellers sold semiautomatic pistols even after buyers said they probably could not pass background checks, city officials said.

The investigation, part of an effort by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg 's administration to crack down on illegal gun sales nationwide, took place Jan. 23 at the Crossroads of the West Gun Show in Phoenix, officials said.

“The background check system failed in Arizona, it failed in Virginia and it fails in states around the country,” said John Feinblatt, an adviser to Mr. Bloomberg. “If we don't fix it now, the question is not whether another massacre will occur, but when.”

Private, unlicensed sellers are not required to run federal background checks, but it is a violation of federal law to sell guns to people if sellers suspect they are felons or mentally ill or are otherwise prohibited from buying. In the case of Jared L. Loughner, who is accused of opening fire on the crowd in Tucson on Jan. 8, the gun used in the shootings was bought at a licensed gun dealer, and he passed a background check, the authorities said.

In two instances, the New York undercover officers specifically said before buying a gun, “I probably couldn't pass a background check,” but were still sold guns, city officials said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Airline Crews to Ground Sex Traffickers Heading to Super Bowl

DALLAS -- Sex traffickers who plan to come to Dallas to conduct business during the Super Bowl weekend might find themselves grounded if they travel by plane.

Employees from at least five airlines will attend a special training session this week to learn how to get better at recognizing sex traffickers among travelers and learn what security measures to take.

"We want to become especially vigilant during the week before the Super Bowl," said Nancy Rivard, executive director of Airline Ambassadors, a humanitarian group of flight attendants that has aided victims of sex trafficking internationally.

The group will conduct the training in conjunction with representatives of Traffick 911, a local Christian group that launched "I'm Not Buying It," a national public awareness campaign to combat human trafficking. The training will be held at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport on Monday, six days before the NFL championship game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers.

Rivard says this is the first time that flight staff will receive training about how to handle human trafficking.

Hundreds of sex workers are expected to come to the area for Super Bowl XLV, and flight crews are often the first line of defense for women and young girls who are victims of sex traffickers, she said.

AOL News

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Correctional officer in Washington prison is found dead

(CNN) -- A female correctional officer at a Washington state prison was strangled and an inmate who told officers he had planned to escape is under investigation, authorities said Sunday.

Jayme Biendl, 34, was discovered late Saturday night after workers at the Monroe Correctional Complex noticed her keys and radio were missing, according to a statement from the Washington State Department of Corrections. Staff at the prison immediately went to where she worked and found her unresponsive, it said.

Emergency responders declared Biendl dead at the scene shortly before 11 p.m. PT, the department said.

She had been strangled, according to Chad Lewis, a department spokesman.

Also Saturday night, a prison inmate was reported missing during a routine count, the department said. He was later found in the chapel lobby and told officers he had planned to escape, but changed his mind. The inmate, who Lewis identified as Byron Scherf, has since been taken to a segregation unit. The entire complex was on lockdown Sunday as officers investigate the incident, the statement said.

Police are interviewing Scherf as a suspect in the officer's death, Lewis said. Biendl had worked with the corrections department since 2002.

CNN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Police: Mosque attack thwarted in Dearborn

About 700 people were attending a funeral inside the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, the largest mosque in metro Detroit, when Dearborn police arrived to arrest a man in a car in the parking lot.

He had driven to Michigan from California and reportedly was overheard in a bar making threatening comments about Muslims or Arabs. His car was loaded with large, illegal fireworks, police said. Now, Roger Stockham, 63, is jailed on charges that include making a false report or threat of terrorism.

"He's very dangerous," said Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad.

Tip led to mosque bomb suspect

The comments a worker at a bar heard were enough to make the employee think a 63-year-old patron might target Muslims or Arabs in metro Detroit, Islamic Center of America executive administrator Kassem Allie said.

So the employee called police. His tip led police to the parking lot of the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, where police said Roger Stockham was arrested Jan. 24 for trying to blow up the biggest mosque in metro Detroit. A preliminary examination is set for Friday, police said.

Detroit Free Press

.