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

April 3, 2011

Supreme Court shields prosecutors in wrongful convictions

Though new DNA testing has shown hundreds of convicts to be innocent, the court has protected prosecutors from lawsuits and balked at letting prisoners reopen cases.

One innocent man, from Arizona, was sent back to prison for raping a child when the Supreme Court ruled he had no right to evidence that would later set him free. Another innocent man, from Louisiana, was convicted of murder and came within weeks of being executed because prosecutors had hidden a blood test that later freed him.

The two men were linked at the Supreme Court last week by Justice Antonin Scalia, who argued that criminal defendants have no right to "potentially useful evidence" that "might" show they were innocent.

Since the 1990s, the advent of DNA evidence has swept across the American criminal justice system and revealed that hundreds of convicted prisoners were innocent. Yet, throughout that time, the Supreme Court has shielded prosecutors from claims that they hid evidence that could have revealed the truth and has been reluctant to give prisoners a right to reopen old cases.

By a 5-4 vote Tuesday, the high court threw out a jury verdict won by John Thompson, the Louisiana man who had sued the New Orleans district attorney after he spent 14 years on death row for crimes he did not commit. In the past, the court has shielded individual prosecutors from being sued, even if they deliberately framed an innocent person. Last week's decision protects a district attorney's office from being sued for a series of errors that sent an innocent man to prison.

Advocates for the wrongly convicted denounced the decision. Prosecutors have "enormous power over all of our lives," said Keith Findley, president of the Innocence Network, yet "no other profession is shielded from this complete lack of accountability."

Los Angeles Times

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

Koran-Burning Pastor Unrepentant in Face of Furor

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — His church's membership is down to just a few of the faithful. He is basically broke. Some of his neighbors wish him ill. And his head, he said, carries a bounty.

Yet Terry Jones, the pastor who organized a mock trial that ended with the burning of a Koran and led to violence in Afghanistan, remained unrepentant on Saturday. He said that he was “saddened” and “moved” by the deaths, but that given the chance he would do it all over again.

“It was intended to stir the pot; if you don't shake the boat, everyone will stay in their complacency,” Mr. Jones said in an interview at his office in the Dove World Outreach Center. “Emotionally, it's not all that easy. People have tried to make us responsible for the people who are killed. It's unfair and somewhat damaging.”

Violent protests against the burning continued on Saturday in Kandahar, Afghanistan, where 9 people were killed and 81 injured. The previous day, 12 people were killed when a mob stormed a United Nations building in Mazar-i-Sharif, though on Saturday the top United Nations official in Afghanistan blamed Taliban infiltrators for the killings. He said the victims had been deliberately murdered rather than killed by an out-of-control mob.

“Did our action provoke them?” the pastor asked. “Of course. Is it a provocation that can be justified? Is it a provocation that should lead to death? When lawyers provoke me, when banks provoke me, when reporters provoke me, I can't kill them. That would not fly.”

New York Times

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

Giffords is now talking on phone

He declined to say specifically what Giffords has said "out of respect for her privacy." But, he said, "pretty soon you will be able to ask her yourself because she's just doing extremely well and recovering very quickly."

Giffords was critically wounded 12 weeks ago Saturday, when a gunman opened fire at a constituent event north of Tucson. Six people died and 12 other people were wounded in the Jan. 8 massacre.

Giffords' recovery has been the subject of national interest. Her doctors at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, where she is undergoing rehabilitation, have said she is making significant advances in speech, motor skills and life skills. She began speaking two months ago, asking for more toast with her breakfast.

USA Today

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

Is U.S.-Mexico border secure enough?

Along the U.S.-Mexico border, fortification has reached an all-time peak. The ranks of Border Patrol agents top 17,600. Nearly 650 miles of additional fencing is up. Four unmanned drones patrol from California to the Gulf of Mexico. Twelve hundred National Guard soldiers are on the ground. Camera systems numbering 467 sweep the perimeter and 10,800 ground sensors lie in wait.

Given this unprecedented expansion in resources during the past decade, U.S. government officials said the southwest border is the tightest it has ever been. Skeptics and “border security first” supporters are convinced it is still not enough, while advocates for comprehensive immigration reform believe it is more than adequate and the nation should push forward on other issues, such as restructuring the visa system and creating a process for illegal immigrants living in the U.S. to gain legal status.

Last week, congressional Republicans announced that they're drafting legislation to further bolster border security — add more customs officers, anti-narcotics teams and surveillance equipment. Janet Napolitano, head of the Homeland Security department, said Friday that her agency has and will continue to strengthen enforcement of the southwest border. “No one has described what a secure border looks like. We have no baseline and we have no target,” said David Shirk, director of the Trans-Border Institute at the University of San Diego. “It's a great example of a moving standard and for the last 20 years, that standard has been moving up with no targets in sight.”

Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin credits the cascade of money, staffing and technology flowing into the southwest border region for causing a drop in apprehensions and leading to the lowest rates of illegal entry from Mexico into the U.S. “Secured borders are not sealed borders,” Bersin said. “This is about satisfactory control. The facts on the ground are that the border is not out of control.”

SignOnSanDiego.com

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

April 2, 2011

The stage is too big for kids

Social media can turn private growth into public spectacle.

As if parents don't have enough to worry about, with cyber-bullying and online perverts, now the nation's pediatricians are adding "Facebook depression" to the list of maladies stalking our kids.

According to a report released this week by the American Academy of Pediatrics, doctors may add a new trio of cringe-inducing questions to their screening checklist for teenage patients: "Are you on Facebook? How many friends do you have? And how does that make you feel?"

Apparently, kids with poor self-esteem can be pitched into depression by the perception that everyone on Facebook is having more fun that they are. They become obsessed with others' status updates and friend tallies. Some withdraw and lose interest in socializing; others try to court popularity by taking desperate measures to impress others.

Doctors feel the need to get involved because so many parents go to them "concerned about their children's engagement with social media."

I'm not surprised at that concern. Every day, it seems, we hear some frightening story about teenagers sexting or online harassment or someone's humiliating YouTube horror.

The doctors suggest that children spend less time online and that parents bone up by spending more.

The risks to kids rest in parents' ignorance, the report in the journal Pediatrics says. "They frequently do not have the technical abilities or time needed to keep pace with their children in the ever-changing Internet landscape."

Los Angeles Times

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

Nation's quake-warning systems need work, scientists say

Scientists are working on a system in California to improve earthquake forecasts and warnings, but it could be jeopardized by federal budget cuts.

Americans have been lulled into a false sense of security that they are prepared for a devastating earthquake, according to a report issued Wednesday by the National Research Council.

Among other recommendations, the report's 20-year "road map" for preparedness -- which was in the works long before a magnitude 9 quake hit Japan on March 11 -- calls on the U.S. to beef up earthquake research and improve forecasts and warning systems.

In California, scientists are five years into work on just the type of early-warning system the report endorses. The prototype system passed early tests with aplomb, successfully detecting the 2007 Alum Rock and 2008 Chino Hills quakes, both magnitude 5.4 temblors, before people could feel them.

But even as the federal government peruses the 20-year action plan one of its agencies commissioned, the early-warning project may be halted -- because of cuts in the 2012 federal budget.

"It's not clear that they'll be able to continue funding this," said Richard Allen, a professor at UC Berkeley who works on the project. "We're living on the brink, in multiple ways."

California's earthquake early-warning system, still a work in progress, depends on a network of 400 seismic stations across the state. The stations house motion-sensing instruments called seismometers that send readings to central computers, which in turn determine when an earthquake is coming and how large it might be.

Los Angeles Times

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

Serial killer John Floyd Thomas Jr., dubbed the Westside Rapist, is sentenced to life

John Floyd Thomas Jr., a career criminal, pleaded guilty to seven murders but is suspected in numerous other slayings.

A former insurance claims adjuster who was suspected of terrorizing women in the 1970s as the Westside Rapist has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for seven murders that were committed in two waves of killings and sexual assaults.

John Floyd Thomas Jr., 74, sat with his hands manacled to a waist chain and used sheets of paper to shield his face from a photographer as he was sentenced for the killings that took place in a swath stretching from Inglewood to Claremont.

Detectives describe Thomas as one of the region's most prolific serial killers, saying that he remains a suspect in at least 10 to 15 additional slayings, based on the dates of the crimes and his method of killing.

"He has been my worst nightmare," said Tracy Michaels, who flew from Austin, Texas, to witness Friday's conclusion of a 35-year search for justice after her great-aunt, Elizabeth McKeown, was raped, strangled and stuffed in the trunk of her car. "For me the death penalty would've been too easy."

Michaels, who as a teenager lived with her great-aunt, asked Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge George G. Lomeli to "remove any comfort from this man's life.… Make the rest of his life feel like what he's made our lives feel like."

Police said the attacks targeted women who ranged in age from their 50s to their 90s, many of whom lived alone. The killer broke into their homes at night and raped and choked his victims until they passed out or died. Before he left, he would cover their faces with a pillow or blanket.

Los Angeles Times

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

Costco shoppers credited with helping save toddler left in sweltering car

Police are crediting good Samaritans with helping save a 14-month-old girl left unattended in a car for 10 minutes Thursday while the temperature in the vehicle hit 115 degrees. The incident occurred at the parking lot of a Costco at 1051 W. Burbank Blvd.

A concerned shopper spotted the baby sleeping and sweating inside the car and noticed that no parents were around, prompting her to call police. When police arrived at the store's parking lot, they found the baby and discovered the car's doors were locked, Burbank Police Sgt. Robert Quesada.

The car's windows were rolled down slightly, so officers tried reaching into the car to unlock it, he said. A good Samaritan with petite arms offered to help police and was able to slip her arm inside the cabin to unlock the door, Quesada said. Police removed the baby from the car and poured cold water on her head to keep her cool, Quesada said.

Burbank Fire Department paramedics examined the toddler and determined that she was uninjured. Police placed the father under arrest after he returned to the vehicle. The girl was taken to the Burbank police station and officials said she would be released to the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services, Quesada said.

Los Angeles Times

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

OPINION

Immigration: Review of jail fingerprint sharing program underway

An outside expert has been hired to review the Secure Communities program. A statistician has been brought in and is working with Department of Homeland Security's Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, which investigates complaints and assists in policy evaluations. Both are said to be looking at data already collected.

Under the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Program, state and local police must check the immigration status of people who have been arrested and booked into local jails by matching fingerprints against federal databases for criminal convictions and deportation orders.

Secure Communities has come under scrutiny over the last two months, after thousands of documents, including internal agency memos, were made public indicating officials were unsure if cities and counties were required to participate, or could opt out.

Concerns were also fueled by DHS own numbers that indicate more than half of the 87,534 immigrants deported under the program had minor or no criminal records, even though the program was aimed a dangerous criminals. Secure communities was launched in late 2008. DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano is asking Congress for $184 million to expand the program in fiscal year 2012.

Napolitano is right to seek outside help in crunching the numbers. It would help bring transparency and could quell critics. Immigrant and civil rights groups oppose the program because of concerns it encourages racial profiling and pretextual arrests. At the same time, some local police chiefs and sheriffs have said they worry the program will damage their efforts at community policing in cities with large immigration populations.

Los Angeles Times

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

U.S. Starts Inquiry in Miami Police Shootings

MIAMI — The Justice Department has opened an inquiry into seven fatal shootings of suspects by Miami police officers since last July, according to a letter sent to a Miami congresswoman.

Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich responded to a request made in February by Representative Frederica S. Wilson, a Democrat, who wrote to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. asking for a federal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting deaths of the seven suspects. Two of the men were unarmed.

In a letter dated Thursday, Mr. Weich said the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division would “carefully review the information you have provided to determine what, if any, action is appropriate.”

The development may increase the pressure on the Miami police chief, Miguel A. Exposito, whose judgment and leadership have been challenged by several city commissioners and victims' family members. Mr. Exposito has defended his officers, saying they shoot only when they believe their lives are in danger.

The killings of the six men and a 16-year-old boy occurred between July and February. One officer shot two suspects to death within nine days.

Some city leaders and community activists have raised questions about whether race was a motive in any of the shootings. All the officers are Hispanic; all those killed were black. The state attorney's office in Miami is investigating the shootings. In addition, a former F.B.I. agent, Paul Philip, is investigating the chief's public safety record at the request of the Miami city manager, Tony E. Crapp Jr.

New York Times

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

EDITORIAL

The Truth About American Muslims

At the Justice Department, it's called the post-Sept. 11 backlash — the steady stream of more than 800 cases of violence and discrimination suffered by American Muslims at the hands of know-nothing abusers. These continuing hate crimes were laid bare at a valuable but barely noticed Senate hearing last week that provided welcome contrast to Representative Peter King's airing of his xenophobic allegation that the Muslim-American community has been radicalized.

Offering federal data rather than mythic scapegoating of an easy political target, the Senate hearing focused on the fact that while Muslims make up 1 percent of the population, they are victims in 14 percent of religious discrimination cases. These range from homicides and mosque burnings to job, school and zoning law abuses, according to the Justice Department.

In running the hearing, Senator Richard Durbin tried to set the record straight about the patriotism of a vast majority of American-Muslim citizens and the continuing assaults on their civil rights. He warned against the “guilt by association” whipped up by Mr. King's broadsides — that there are “too many mosques” in the nation, that most of them are extremist, and that American Muslim leaders have failed to cooperate with law enforcement against home-grown terrorism.

It was former President George W. Bush who first warned against turning on Muslim Americans after Sept. 11, 2001, stressing the fact that Islam is “a faith based upon love, not hate,” regardless of the religious veneer the fanatics of 9/11 tried to attach to their atrocities. Since then, American Muslims have served as the largest source of tips to authorities tracking terror suspects, according to a recent university study.

The Senate hearing was not designed as a full refutation of Representative King's wild thesis, but it put a more human and factual face on a community that has been badly slurred. Mr. King is promising more committee haymakers. This is unfortunate. At least Mr. Durbin's hearing made clear that the nation's struggle against terrorism is best served by information, not dark generalizations.

New York Times

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

Choking ‘game' can be deadly, Broward parents warned

The video shows a fresh-faced kid taking a couple of quick and deep breaths before the bigger boy places him in a chokehold.

Within seconds, the boy is passed out and his friends scramble to wake him up.

The disturbing video is among dozens like it posted on YouTube, and experts say they are increasing in popularity and volume.

Activists fear the videos are helping fuel the resurgence of an old and dangerous game among teenagers that goes by dozens of names but is most commonly referred to as the choking game or passing out game.

At least 100 youths across the nation have died from the choking game since 1985, but many experts believe those numbers are much higher because many of the deaths are ruled accidents or suicide.

After learning that a number of her students were routinely playing the game, Krista Herrera, the principal at Glades Middle School in Miramar, launched an awareness campaign for parents.

“It's called the choking game, but it's not a game,” she said. “We went around asking our children and we were surprised by how much they freely admitted to playing it and how they had nothing to fear.”

Miami Herald

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

Arizona march puts spotlight on shootings by border patrol

The march in Douglas, Ariz., aims to draw attention to a teen who was shot by a border patrol agent while trying to climb the international fence. The agent was being pelted by rocks.

A march in the Arizona border town of Douglas Friday seeks to highlight what activists call the increasing use excessive and sometimes lethal force against illegal immigrants and even Hispanic citizens in rock-throwing incidents.

The march is to place candles and flowers at the stretch of the border fence where Carlos Lamadrid was shot and killed March 21. Mr. Lamadrid was fleeing toward the international boundary in a pickup truck carrying 48 pounds of marijuana when, as he attempted to climb a ladder placed against the fence, a border patrol agent opened fire, according to the Cochise County Sheriff's Department.

The agent, whose name is being withheld, reported that he fired shots after being pelted with rocks. A man “was on top of the border fence and was observed throwing rocks at the border patrol agent,” a sheriff's department statement notes, but spokeswoman Carol Capas says it was not Lamadrid.

Lamadrid is the third teen in a year to die in incidents that reportedly involved border patrol agents and rock-throwing. In June, a 15-year-old Mexican boy was shot by an agent after a group tried to illegally enter El Paso, Texas, and in January, a 17-year-old died after falling off the border wall in Nogales, Ariz., reportedly after being shot by border patrol agents.

Christian Science Monitor.com

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

Secretary Napolitano's Remarks on Border Security and Facilitating Legal Travel and Trade

WASHINGTON—Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today delivered remarks highlighting the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) unprecedented efforts to strengthen security while facilitating legal travel and trade along the Southwest border .

“Security and economic prosperity represent two sides of the same coin,” said Secretary Napolitano. “We are committed to further strengthening our border security efforts, which will reinforce and help expand legal trade and travel in the border region.”

During her remarks, Secretary Napolitano underscored the Department's historic efforts to strengthen border security through the Southwest Border Initiative, launched in March 2009— which includes increasing the number of Border Patrol agents from approximately 10,000 in 2004 to more than 20,700 today; doubling the number of personnel assigned to Border Enforcement Security Task Forces; and deploying more than a quarter of all U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel to the Southwest border region—the most ever.

Secretary Napolitano also highlighted the unprecedented collaboration between the United States and Mexico to bolster cooperation on law enforcement, intelligence sharing and joint operations along the Southwest border. The Department has increased joint training programs with Mexican law enforcement agencies and, for the first time in history, Border Patrol agents are coordinating joint operations along the Southwest border with Mexican Federal Police to combat human trafficking and smuggling in both nations.

Dept of Homeland Security

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

April 1, 2011

Happy Motoring: Traffic Deaths at 61-Year Low

It may not seem that way when some knucklehead speeds past you on the right, but driving is getting much, much safer: last year the United States recorded the fewest traffic deaths in more than 60 years, according to federal data released on Friday.

An estimated 32,788 people were killed in traffic accidents in 2010, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That represents a 25 percent decline since 2005, when there were 43,510 traffic fatalities, and the fewest deaths since 1949 — when “On The Town” won the Academy Award for best score for a musical, a new magazine called Motor Trend named the Cadillac as its first car of the year, and when there were far fewer drivers on America's pre-Interstate roads.

“Last year's drop in traffic fatalities is welcome news, and it proves that we can make a difference,” the transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, said in a statement. “Still, too many of our friends and neighbors are killed in preventable roadway tragedies every day. We will continue doing everything possible to make cars safer, increase seat belt use, put a stop to drunk driving and distracted driving and encourage drivers to put safety first.”

The reason driving deaths have declined so steeply over the past five years is something of a mystery, but officials and experts point to a combination of factors. Old cars are being replaced by newer models with more safety features, including air bags and antilock brakes. Highways are built or refurbished with more attention to safety, with features like rumble strips and cable median barriers to separate cars from oncoming traffic. Seat belt use is believed to be up, and stricter car-seat laws have made the days when children bounced around in the back of station wagons a distant memory.

New York Times

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

2 Former Officers Sentenced in a Killing After Katrina

NEW ORLEANS — Two former police officers were sentenced to prison on Thursday in the killing of an unarmed civilian and the burning of his body in the days after Hurricane Katrina in a case that exposed the city's troubled police department.

One of the officers, David Warren, was sentenced by Judge Lance M. Africk of Federal District Court here to 25 years and 9 months in prison for a civil rights violation resulting in the death of Henry Glover, 31. Mr. Warren was also convicted of using a firearm to commit manslaughter.

The other officer, Greg McRae, was sentenced to 17 years and 3 months for obstructing justice and other charges in the burning of Mr. Glover's body. On Sept. 2, 2005, Officer Warren shot Mr. Glover from the second floor of a strip mall that was being used as a police substation. Mr. Glover had been preparing to leave the city and was picking up suitcases that had been looted. He was shot as he was running away; at trial, Mr. Warren said he had fired in self-defense.

The wounded Mr. Glover was taken by a group of bystanders to a nearby school that was being used a makeshift police station. There, officers surrounded the men and handcuffed them. Officer McRae drove off in the bystanders' car with Mr. Glover in the back seat; he then burned Mr. Glover's body and the car with a traffic flare.

The men were convicted in December. A third, Travis McCabe, a former lieutenant, was convicted of perjury and obstructing justice for drawing up a false police report; he has not been sentenced. Mr. Warren was ordered to pay $7,642.32 to Mr. Glover's family for funeral expenses; Mr. McRae was ordered to pay $6,000 as restitution for the burned car. Federal investigators began looking into Mr. Glover's death after The Nation, in a joint investigative project with ProPublica, published an article about the killing in 2008.

New York Times

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

Justice Department to Review Seattle Police's Use of Force

SEATTLE — The Justice Department said Thursday that it would conduct a comprehensive investigation of the Seattle Police Department after a series of episodes in which police officers have been accused of using unnecessary force and discriminating against minorities.

The decision follows a preliminary investigation the department announced earlier this year amid a public backlash after an officer shot and killed a woodcarver who was a member of a First Nations tribe of Canada.

The carver, John T. Williams, was frequently seen at work in downtown Seattle. He sometimes drank heavily and his hearing was limited. He was shot by a police officer on an August afternoon last year after refusing to put down his carving knife.

A police review found that the shooting was unjustified, but the officer who shot Mr. Williams, Ian Birk, was not charged. Local prosecutors said state law involving police shootings prevented them from filing charges. Mr. Birk resigned from the force.

The killing followed other problems with the police over the past year that have rattled this city. In one case, an officer was caught on video kicking and threatening a Hispanic man. In another, an officer was caught on video punching a young black woman who resisted him after she was stopped for jaywalking.

New York Times

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

LI bones not Shannan's

The plot thickens.

A fifth corpse found off a Long Island beach Tuesday evening is not Shannan Gilbert, a missing New Jersey prostitute, as had been expected, Suffolk cops revealed yesterday. The announcement only adds to the mystery surrounding the discovery of five bodies near Gilgo Beach, four of which had already been identified as missing hookers.

Cops have worked on the assumption that the victims were all slain by a serial killer. The four identified victims were all petite white women in their 20s who advertised their services on the Internet.

Observers thought that the fifth set of bones -- discovered Tuesday evening -- likely belonged to Gilbert. The Jersey City Craigslist prostitute, who was last seen running from a john's house in a panic just miles from where the bodies were discovered, certainly fit the mold.

But cops confirmed yesterday that the latest corpse does not belong to Gilbert, and has yet to be identified. It was found a mile away from the cluster of bodies that had previously been discovered. A police source said that the latest discovery has detectives wondering if additional bodies are strewn in the area. The search will resume Monday.

New York Post

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

2 Chicago police officers face sexual assault investigation

Two Chicago police officers are under investigation for alleged sexual assault and have been "relieved of their police powers," according to a statement released Thursday by the city's police department.

Chicago's top law enforcement officer on Thursday called their actions "inappropriate."

"You can't justify it," Chicago Police Superintendent Terry Hillard said Thursday. "What they did, allegedly have done, was inappropriate and was against the law."

Investigators refused to provide further details about the incident. However, CNN affiliate WLS-TV reported Thursday that the alleged attack on a 22-year-old woman took place Wednesday morning after she accepted a ride home from the on-duty officers.

WLS attributed the information to a police report on the incident.

According to the report cited by WLS, the woman initially did not reject sexual advances from the officers. The report stated that the woman had sex with one of the officers in the passenger seat of a department SUV.

CNN

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

F.B.I. Seeks Help Cracking Code in Victim's Notes

It sounds like the beginning of a good whodunit, or at least a “Law and Order” episode: A body is found. In the victim's pants are two notes written in some sort of code. The F.B.I. is called in and concludes the man was murdered.

But the encrypted notes have the F.B.I. stumped — so stumped that this week, after years of trying to decipher them, it posted what amounted to a public request for help on its Web site. The two notes, a jumble of letters and numbers occasionally set off with parentheses, have also flummoxed members of the American Cryptogram Association, which the F.B.I. has consulted.

The body of Ricky McCormick was found in 1999, in a cornfield west of West Alton, Mo.

The F.B.I., drawn into the case because of the two mysterious notes, came to believe that Mr. McCormick, 41, was murdered and that the encrypted notes might lead to the killer.

“We are really good at what we do,” Dan Olson, chief of the F.B.I.'s Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit, said in a statement on the site. “But we could use some help with this one.” The notes, he said, are part of one of the unit's “top unsolved cases.”

“Breaking the code could reveal the victim's whereabouts before his death and could lead to the solution of a homicide,” Mr. Olson said.

New York Times

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

Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez of the Civil Rights Divison Speaks on the Justice Department's Investigation into the Seattle Police Department

Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us. The purpose of today's call is to announce that we have alerted Mayor McGinn and the Seattle Police Department that the Justice Department is launching a comprehensive investigation of the SPD concerning allegations of the use of excessive force and discriminatory policing.

As you all know, the Civil Rights Division, along with U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan's office, conducted a preliminary review over the last several months. Based upon information gathered during our preliminary review, we believe a formal investigation is warranted to determine whether there has been a pattern or practice of violations of the Constitution or federal law.

When conducting investigations such as this one, we aim to gather as much information as possible from as many sources as we can. We will examine department policies and practices, review records and observe police officers in the field. We will talk to department leadership and rank and file officers. We will also engage with the community – a critical part of the process of determining whether violations have occurred and how a police department can be improved.

Our goal with this investigation – as with all of our police pattern and practice investigations – is simple: to ensure that the community has an effective, accountable police department that controls crime, ensures respect for the Constitution, and earns the trust of the public it is charged with protecting.

We do not prejudge our investigations – rather we gather all available facts to determine whether violations have occurred. If we determine that they have, we will work with the city and the Police Department to develop a plan to remedy them. Our experience has shown that, when we have cooperation from a city and its police department, we can more efficiently conduct our investigation.

Dept of Justice

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

Protect the Civil Rights of American Muslims Outreach and Enforcement Efforts

The Department of Justice is actively working to protect American Muslims, as well as members of the Arab, Sikh and South Asian communities, from threats and violence directed at them because of their religion or ethnicity, and to prevent acts of discrimination against them in the workplace, schools, and many other areas.

Hate Crimes

Examples of prosecutions:

• On February 23, 2011, an Arlington, Texas, man pleaded guilty to setting fire to playground equipment at a mosque in July 2010.
• An Illinois man pleaded guilty on August 11, 2010, to sending a threatening email to a mosque in Urbana, Illinois. He was sentenced on November 3, 2010 to 12 month's incarceration.
• Three Tennessee men pleaded guilty to spray painting swastikas and “white power” on a mosque in Columbia, Tennessee, and then starting a fire that completely destroyed the mosque. In 2009, two of the men were sentenced to more than 14 and 15 years in prison. In 2010, the third was sentenced to more than 6 years in prison for his role in the crime.
• On March 11, 2010, a husband and wife were convicted of harassing with ethnic slurs and assaulting an Indian-American couple while they were using a public beach in South Lake Tahoe. The male victim suffered multiple broken facial bones. On June 30, 2010, the defendants were sentenced to 18 months incarceration each.

Guide from the Department of Justice for National Crime Victims Rights Week.

Designed to help communities and victim assistance providers promote awareness of crime victim issues, the Guide includes educational content, campaign materials, artwork, and a theme video. Explore the Guide online or download all materials for use offline.

Dept of Justice

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

March 31, 2011

Low Levels of Radiation Found in American Milk

Tests of milk samples taken last week in Spokane, Wash., indicate the presence of radioactive iodine from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan, but at levels far below those at which action would have to be taken, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday.

Radioactive materials in liquids are measured in pico-curies per liter, and the sample, taken March 25, showed a reading of 0.8 pico-curies, the agency said. Those numbers, it said, would have to be 5,000 times higher to reach the “intervention level” set by the Food and Drug Administration.

“These types of findings are to be expected in the coming days and are far below levels of public health concern, including for infants and children,” the environmental agency said. Levels of iodine 131 entering the air can be very diluted, but if the iodine is deposited on grass eaten by cows, the cows will reconcentrate it in their milk by a factor of 1,000. This is mainly a concern with fresh milk, not for dairy products that are stored before consumption.

Iodine 131 has a half-life of eight days, meaning that every eight days it loses half its strength. Since production of iodine 131 stopped when the Fukushima reactors shut down on March 11, it has already been through two half-lives and could easily be halved once or twice more again before the milk is consumed as cheese or yogurt. Iodine 131 emits beta particles, which resemble electrons. They are not considered a major hazard outside the human body, although in large doses, they can damage the cornea of the eye.

The problem arises when materials that emit beta particles are ingested or inhaled. Iodine 131 is chemically identical to normal, nonradioactive iodine and thus is absorbed into the body just as normal iodine is, mainly in the thyroid gland, where it delivers a concentrated dose to that small organ and can cause cancer. In the Chernobyl nuclear accident of 1986, the biggest health effect was cases of thyroid cancer, especially in children living near the nuclear plant in Ukraine.

New York Times

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

Secretary Napolitano Commends Announcement of Reward for Information Regarding Shootings of Two ICE Agents

WASHINGTON—Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today commended the announcement of a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of additional individuals responsible for the murder of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent Jaime Zapata and the attempted murder of ICE HSI Special Agent Victor Avila. In addition, the FBI, in conjunction with ICE, has established a 24-hour tip line based in the United States to process the information.

The announcement was made jointly today by the Departments of Justice, State and Homeland Security. Click here to view the press release and information related to the reward and tip line.

“This reward reflects the U.S. government's unwavering commitment to ensuring that all those responsible for the murder of Special Agent Zapata are brought to justice,” said Secretary Napolitano. “We encourage anyone with information about this case to contact authorities.”

Also today the Government of Mexico announced a reward of up to 10 million pesos for information leading to the arrest of individuals allegedly responsible for the murder and attempted murder.

Zapata and Avila were ambushed in Mexico on Feb. 15, 2011, as they were traveling in their U.S. government-issued vehicle from the state of San Luis Potosi to Mexico City. Mexican authorities have detained several individuals in connection with this incident and the investigation continues at this time.

Dept of Homeland Security

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

Statement of Todd Hinnen, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security

Washington D.C. ~ Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Chairman Sensenbrenner, Ranking Member Scott, and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for inviting me to testify today. Three weeks ago, I testified before this Subcommittee on the three provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that were recently reauthorized by Congress but are scheduled to sunset again in May: the “roving” surveillance provision, the “lone wolf” definition, and the “business records” provision. Today I will address other national security investigative authorities enacted or amended as part of the USA PATRIOT Act, focusing in particular on the legal authorities relating to national security letters (NSLs). These authorities are not currently scheduled to expire, but I understand the Committee would like me to discuss their use, oversight, and importance to national security. Before I do that, I'd like to provide a brief overview of the investigative tools Congress enacted in the USA PATRIOT Act and why they remain important today.

Investigative Authorities in the USA PATRIOT Act

Nearly ten years ago, shortly after the September 11 attacks, Congress enacted the USA PATRIOT Act, a key purpose of which was “to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools” to protect the country from terrorism. See United and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required To Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act of 2001, Pub. L. No. 107-56, 115 Stat. 272, 272 (2001). Title II of the original PATRIOT Act, entitled “enhanced surveillance procedures,” contains a number of important amendments to FISA and other laws to make national security investigations more effective and efficient. Of these Title II provisions, 16 were scheduled to expire in 2005, but Congress made 14 of them permanent in the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 while extending the sunsets on the roving surveillance and business records provisions. See USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005, Pub. L. No. 109-177, §§ 102-03, 120 Stat. 192, 194-95 (2006).

Dept of Justice

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

Drug Trafficking Ring Taken Down

11 Indicted on Drug Trafficking Charges; Allegedly Imported and Distributed Heroin, Methamphetamine, Cocaine and Marijuana

(TUCSON, Ariz.) – Federal authorities have broken up a drug trafficking organization operating along the United States-Mexico border. The organization is allegedly responsible for trafficking kilo quantities of heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine into the United States from Mexico, according to a case unsealed on Thursday.

On Wednesday, agents from a multi-agency task force led by the Drug Enforcement Administration arrested three defendants in and around Phoenix and Rio Rico, Arizona as part of “Operation Charro Negro.” The DEA and its partners also seized approximately 15 pounds of heroin, 14 pounds of methamphetamine, 1 kilogram of cocaine, and 350 pounds of marijuana during the course of the investigation. Seven other suspects named in the federal indictment -- Oscar Castro-Gonzalez, Cruz Javalera-Heredia, Holme Soto-Salazar, Sergio Romero-Duarte, Miriam Selene Araujo-Mendoza, Omar Francisco Quevedo, and Marco Antonio Mendoza-Contreras have warrants for their arrest and remain fugitives.

The others apprehended and in custody are, Agustin De La Rosa-Acosta, Gustavo Aron Lopez, Oscar Ivan Valdes-Espinosa and Abraham Patricio Lugo-Ruelas.

“Operation Charro Negro dealt a major blow to a significant poly-drug trafficking organization whose tentacles stretched across northern Mexico to the neighboring cities of Arizona,” said DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Doug Coleman. “By dismantling this group, DEA and our partners have removed large quantities of drugs and powerful weapons off our streets. Law enforcement is at its best when we combine our assets, unite and stand strong against those who try to poison our communities."

“These indictments struck to the heart of a highly dangerous Mexican drug trafficking organization responsible for poisoning our communities with major amounts of heroin, meth, cocaine and marijuana,” said U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke. “Because of a strong cooperative effort by law enforcement, this ring has been broken and their ill-gotten cargo is off the streets.”

Dept of Justice

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

DEA and Partners Holding Second Nationwide Prescription Drug Take-Back Day in April

March 28 -- (EL PASO, Texas) – This spring, the Drug Enforcement Administration and its national and community partners will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. On Saturday, April 30th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time, DEA and its counterparts will hold their second National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day at sites nationwide. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last September, Americans turned in over 242,000 pounds—121 tons—of prescription drugs at nearly 4,100 sites operated by more than 3,000 of the DEA's state and local law enforcement partners. The agency hopes to collect even more this spring by opening the event to long term care facilities.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high -- more Americans currently abuse prescription drugs than the number of those using cocaine, hallucinogens, and heroin combined, according to the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

“The overwhelming public response to DEA's first nationwide Take-Back event last fall not only rid homes of potentially harmful prescription drugs, but was an unprecedented opportunity to educate everyone about the growing prescription drug abuse problem," said DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart. “Studies have shown that, for many, prescription drugs are the very first drugs they abuse—and all too often they aren't the last. That is why we are committed to helping Americans keep their homes safe by ridding their medicine cabinets of expired, unused, and unwanted drugs.”

Dept of Justice

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

Undercover Storefront Sting Nets Over 100

49 Defendants to Face Federal Gun, Drug Trafficking Charges, Another 54 Face State Charges

PHOENIX — The United States Attorney's Office District of Arizona announced today that 49 defendants will be facing federal firearms and drug trafficking offenses as part of a nine–month undercover operation at a west–Valley secondhand shop. The Arizona Attorney General's Office is expected to charge an additional 54 defendants on related state drug and firearms charges as part of the same investigation, dubbed Operation 602 Exchange.

A multi–agency law enforcement task force led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Phoenix Police Department, with assistance from the U.S. Marshall's Service, began arresting suspects in the case early last week. Over its duration, the Operation resulted in the seizure of 223 weapons – including handguns, assault rifles, rifles and sawed–off shotguns, many of them stolen. Agents and officers also seized narcotics, including methamphetamine, crack and powder cocaine, prescription medications, marijuana and heroin.

ATF agents and a detective from Phoenix PD culminated the nine–month investigation in January. The agents operated a secondhand merchandise store dealing in military supplies and used electronics, where they purchased guns and narcotics from individuals who came into the store. As with previous successful ATF investigations in other states, the store was equipped with electronic surveillance equipment to capture all of the transactions.

This operation sends a clear message to criminals: If you endanger the public by trafficking firearms and drugs in our communities, we are coming after you, said U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke. When federal, state and local authorities team to fight gun and drug trafficking, your neighborhood is safer. I commend the ATF and the Phoenix Police Department for the incredible work they have done in this highly complex undercover operation and for taking these defendants, their guns and illegal drugs off of our streets.

ATF

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

March 30, 2011

Supreme Court rejects damages for innocent man who spent 14 years on death row

In a 5-4 ruling, justices overturn a jury verdict awarding $14 million to John Thompson, who had sued then-New Orleans Dist. Atty. Harry Connick Sr. because prosecutors hid a blood test that would have proved his innocence in a murder case.

A bitterly divided Supreme Court on Tuesday tossed out a jury verdict won by a New Orleans man who spent 14 years on death row and came within weeks of execution because prosecutors had hidden a blood test and other evidence that would have proven his innocence.

The 5-4 decision delivered by Justice Clarence Thomas shielded the New Orleans district attorney's office from being held liable for the mistakes of its prosecutors. The evidence of their misconduct did not prove "deliberate indifference" on the part of then-Dist. Atty. Harry Connick Sr., Thomas said.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg emphasized her disapproval by reading her dissent in the courtroom, saying the court was shielding a city and its prosecutors from "flagrant" misconduct that nearly cost an innocent man his life.

"John Thompson spent 14 years isolated on death row before the truth came to light," she said. He was innocent of the crimes that sent him to prison and prosecutors had "dishonored" their obligation to present the true facts to the jury, she said.

In the past, the high court has absolved trial prosecutors from any and all liability for the cases they bring to court. The key issue in the case of Connick vs. John Thompson was whether the district attorney could be held liable for a pattern of wrongdoing in his office and for his failure to see to it that his prosecutors followed the law.

Los Angeles Times

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

L.A. County supervisors OK funding to renovate housing at Downtown Women's Center

Rejecting arguments that it is poor policy to keep homeless people on skid row, Los Angeles County supervisors have approved funding to renovate housing units at the Downtown Women's Center.

The vote Tuesday came after Supervisor Gloria Molina, whose district includes downtown's skid row, made an impassioned appeal to her colleagues to reject the project. She asserted that it does homeless women no good to continue living on skid row, an area of downtown Los Angeles marked by immense poverty, drug dealing and crime.

“This is not safe housing for these women,” Molina said. “If we want to truly help these women, the best policy is to get them out of skid row.... Any time you have an overconcentration of this, you are getting a ghetto.”

But other supervisors sided with advocates for the Downtown Women's Center Residence Project. Officials with the center said their housing has provided a safe haven for homeless women.

In December, Lisa Watson, chief executive of the Downtown Women's Center, told The Times that the best way to help to the homeless is to go to where they are living. "You have a community of people for whom this is their home," she said. "This is where they'll spend the rest of their life."

Los Angeles Times

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

Miranda rights for schoolchildren

Children questioned by police in school, though not in formal custody but without doubt in a coercive setting, should be given the Miranda warning.

When a police officer says "You have the right to remain silent," the "you" is usually an adult. But what if a child suspected of wrongdoing is interrogated? That question is at the heart of a case argued before the Supreme Court last week. The issues are complex, but the bottom line is clear: Children being questioned in what they experience as a coercive environment must be read their rights.

The case involves a 13-year-old North Carolina boy who was suspected by police in two break-ins. A police department investigator questioned the boy in a school conference room, but he wasn't read his rights — not because he was a juvenile but because no suspect, regardless of age, is entitled to Miranda rights until he's in custody.

By adult standards, the boy wasn't in custody: He wasn't under arrest, the door was unlocked and at one point the police investigator told him he could leave. But common sense suggests that a 13-year-old taken to an office and faced with not only the police but also school officials, as happened in this case, won't feel free to leave or to refuse to answer their questions. And, as often with adults, a coercive environment in this case produced a confession. The boy was then adjudicated delinquent by the juvenile justice system.

Los Angeles Times

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

Virginia Tech Faces a Fine for Its Delays After Shooting

The Department of Education fined Virginia Tech $55,000 on Tuesday for waiting too long to notify students after the 2007 campus shooting that left 33 people dead. More than two hours passed after the shooting began before the university sent a notification to the entire campus, the department said. The fine was the maximum amount allowed for violating a federal law that requires timely notification after campus crimes.

Virginia Tech said it planned to appeal the fine. “We believe that Virginia Tech administrators acted appropriately in their response to the tragic events,” it said in a statement. “The department's own compliance guidelines had illustrated 48 hours as an acceptable timely notification time frame.”

On April 16, 2007, Seung-Hui Cho, a senior at the university, killed 32 people and wounded dozens of others before committing suicide. The shooting began at 7:15 a.m., but Virginia Tech did not release a notification until 9:26 a.m. And, according to a letter the Education Department wrote Tuesday to the school, that notification was insufficient because it did not say that the gunman was still at large or that a murder had been committed.

After the notification, Mr. Cho shot 47 more victims. By 9:50 a.m., the university issued a more severe warning by e-mail, phone and loudspeaker. The slow response may have resulted in more victims, the department said. “Had an appropriate timely warning been sent earlier to the campus community, more individuals could have acted on the information and made decisions about their own safety,” the letter said.

New York Times

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

From Google News

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

Three arrested in unusual death of Kearns woman

(Video on site)

KEARNS, Utah -- Police have arrested three people in connection to an unusual abuse and death of a disabled woman in Kearns.

Authorities say Christina Harms, 22, was found dead in the closet of her family home at 4978 South and 5415 West Friday. They say the body was bruised and evidence such as plastic zip ties and bandages allegedly show the victim was tortured.

"They found a closet in the family room and in that closet there was an alarm on the door and a metal bar hanging in the closet to where they found evidence of the victim being hung crucifixion-style in this closet," said Unified Police Lt. Justin Hoyal.

Police arrested Harms' primary caretaker 27-year-old Cassandra Shepard for domestic violence murder and domestic violence obstructing justice. She was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail. Shepard's mother Sherrie Lynn Beckering, 50, and stepfather Dale Beckering, 53, were booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on the charge of domestic violence of a vulnerable adult. Police say the Beckerings took care of the victim for a good part of last year and were aware of the crime.

Police are now awaiting the results of an autopsy to confirm Harms' official cause of death. A motive in the case has not yet been determined. Police also say the suspects do not have criminal backgrounds. "The case is still early and we're looking into all the motives and the reason for this, but this is obviously a very sad and tragic situation that took place in this residence," said Hoyal.

Fox13Now.com

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

The day that changed presidential security forever

(Video on site)

Washington (CNN) -- "If we had been a split second slower, he could have been hit in the head."

It has been 30 years since the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan. But for retired Secret Service agent Ray Shaddick, the memories of that gray, rainy day in Washington remain clear.

It was 2:27 p.m., March 30, 1981. The 70-year-old president, barely two months into his term, exits the Washington Hilton after delivering a speech to leaders of the AFL-CIO. He walks out a side door to the hotel -- a door used more than 100 times by presidents in the previous decade.

Waiting roughly 15 feet away stands a disturbed John Hinckley Jr., holding a .22-caliber revolver. The president waves to the crowd as he approaches the open door of his armored limousine.

In less than two seconds, Hinckley fires off six shots. Press secretary James Brady is hit. Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and D.C. police officer Thomas Delahanty are also wounded. One bullet hits the limo's armored glass; another ricochets off the car.

CNN

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

Maryland Senator Calls For National 'Blue Alert' System

Both Maryland and Virginia issue what's known as "Blue Alerts" after police officers are seriously injured or killed by suspects.

"It's been very successful. The information gets out quickly. But as you know, the suspect could cross state lines, so it's important that we establish this nationally," he says.

Blue Alerts first started in Maryland last year, following the shooting death of state trooper Wesley Brown. He was killed while working off-duty as a security guard at a restaurant in Prince George's County in June.

Police say the suspect in the case had been escorted from the restaurant by Brown after a dispute over a bill, only to return a short time later and shoot the trooper in the back. Some of Brown's family members joined Cardin at Monday's announcement.

WAMU.org

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

McLean Virginia District Using New Crime-Fighting Scanner

he Fairfax County police department is just beginning to determine the effectiveness of its newest crime fighter: A camera mounted on their cars that can read license plates in a flash.

"The readers scan for stolen vehicles, stolen license plates, and AMBER alerts," said Officer Tawny Wright of the police public information office. "On an average patrol shift (11.5 hours), the devices might scan around 7000 license plates, far more than any officer could view and run manually, which increases the likelihood of detecting a vehicle or person potentially involved in criminal activity," she said in an e-mail.

County police now have 26 of the cameras, three at each of the county's eight district stations, including McLean, and one in the Criminal Investigations Bureau. Each device costs $23,000. All but three were purchased through a federal grant, Officer Wright said.

The police started installing the cameras in December 2010 and is still in the process of putting them in the designated cars, she said. "But to give you an idea of how well they work, the license plate readers can accurately scan as many plates as we can pass by even at interstate speeds, regardless of weather or light conditions and we've had minimal, if any, issues with the devices."

McLean.Patch.com

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

March 29, 2011

Obama justifies U.S. intervention in Libya

President Obama tells Americans that the U.S. has a 'strategic interest' in stopping Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi and that he ordered military action to halt a humanitarian disaster.

President Obama told a skeptical American public that he ordered military action in Libya because circumstances allowed the U.S. and its allies to halt a humanitarian disaster, but he acknowledged that even a weakened Moammar Kadafi still may be a long way from leaving power.

In his first address to the nation since launching cruise missiles and airstrikes 10 days ago, Obama on Monday cast doubt on the likelihood of U.S. military action in other Middle Eastern countries, where oppressed citizens have taken to the streets to demand reform. Under his leadership, he said, the United States would not act unilaterally, risking American lives and treasure as it did by launching the Iraq war in 2003.

Libya, ruled for more than four decades by a man Obama referred to as a "tyrant," is a country where the United States could build an alliance that would protect civilians and defend U.S. interests, he said.

"In this particular country, Libya, at this particular moment, we were faced with the prospect of violence on a horrific scale," Obama said. "We had a unique ability to stop that violence: an international mandate for action, a broad coalition prepared to join us, the support of Arab countries and a plea from the Libyan people themselves."

"To brush aside America's responsibility as a leader and, more profoundly, our responsibilities to our fellow human beings under such circumstances would have been a betrayal of who we are," he said.

The U.S. had an "important strategic interest" in preventing Kadafi from overrunning the opposition forces because a massacre would have driven thousands of refugees across Libyan borders and put a strain on the transitional governments in Egypt and Tunisia and on American allies in Europe.

Los Angeles Times

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

EDITORIAL

The president makes his case on Libya

Obama addressed the tough questions about Libya, but not all of his answers were persuasive.

Before President Obama's address to the nation about Libya, three questions about U.S. involvement there loomed large: Why, among all the places with vulnerable civilian populations, did the U.S. and its allies choose to intervene in Libya? Was the mission designed to prevent civilian suffering or to topple Moammar Kadafi? How (and how quickly) would the U.S. extricate itself from this engagement?

In his speech Monday, Obama addressed these thorny questions and many others with cogency and clarity, though not all of the answers were persuasive. He was at his most eloquent when he discussed the Libyan regime's crimes against its own people, his reluctance to put Americans in harm's way and his eagerness to work within a multinational coalition. We were pleased to hear him reaffirm that the U.S. has limited interests in Libya and a limited role to play.

But at the same time, we were left unpersuaded on several key points. His dramatic recounting of Kadafi's misdeeds — including the targeted killings of individuals, attacks on hospitals and ambulances, the choking off of food and water — did not sufficiently explain why the U.S. and its allies would use military force in Libya and not in other states where governments brutalize their people. The president argued essentially that the humanitarian crisis in Libya was unique, but he did not describe genocide, or atrocities all that different from those that occur in many civil wars around the world, so he left us wondering where this mission fits with America's foreign policy objectives more broadly.

Second, he was not terribly reassuring about the exit strategy. To be sure, he said that the U.S. would hand off the lead role in the operation to NATO and that he would not introduce ground troops or pursue a military strategy to depose Kadafi — all of which we were pleased to hear. But it was still unclear whether the nonmilitary steps aimed at ousting Kadafi would succeed or how the allies would continue to protect civilians indefinitely if he does not leave. And if the regime does fall, what exactly is the plan for what comes next?

The president ended his speech by welcoming "the fact that history is on the move in the Middle East and North Africa, and that young people are leading the way. Because wherever people long to be free, they will find a friend in the United States." One clear challenge ahead, of course, is to make good on that vision in dealing with oppressive regimes that are U.S. allies.

Obama may not have changed the minds of those who believe that the Libyan operation was unwise or of others who believe it didn't go far enough. But no one can complain that he didn't make a thoughtful, compelling case for his decision to intervene.

Los Angeles Times

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

8th suspect held in gang rape of 11-year-old in Moreno Valley

Michael Sykes, 19, and six male juveniles allegedly raped the girl in a park bathroom March 10. A teenage girl was also arrested. The attack is believed to be gang-related, authorities say.

Moreno Valley police arrested the final suspect Monday in the gang rape of an 11-year-old girl. Michael Sykes, 19, was arrested about noon at a residence in Moreno Valley, said Cpl. Courtney Donowho, a Riverside County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman. He had not been booked into jail as of Monday afternoon.

Six male juveniles had previously been arrested and booked in Riverside County Juvenile Hall on charges of sexual assault on a child. A teenage girl who allegedly helped lure the victim to the scene of the rape was also arrested. The suspects allegedly raped the girl March 10 in a bathroom at Victoriano Park.

According to a police statement, the suspects are believed to be associated with a local gang, and Donowho said police believe the rape was gang-related. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Det. Duke Viveros of the Moreno Valley Police Department at (951) 247-8700 .

Los Angeles Times

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

Trial begins Tuesday for Irvine man accused of raping women he met on online dating site

An Irvine man accused of raping and sodomizing women he met on an online dating site will stand trial Tuesday in Santa Ana. Joseph Raymond Garcia, 51, is charged with six felony counts of sodomy by force and two felony counts of forcible rape.

Garcia allegedly met two of his victims on MillionaireMatch.com, an online dating site that bills itself as “the first, largest and most effective site in the world to connect with, date and marry successful, beautiful people.” According to the Orange County district attorney's office, Garcia allegedly created a personal profile where he claimed to make more than $200,000 a year and described himself as “sophisticated, charming” and “strikingly handsome.”

He met a third alleged victim at United States Postal Service facility, where she worked. All three of the women reported that Garcia took them to his Irvine home and forcibly sodomized them. Two of the victims also reported that he raped them. The women reported the crimes at different times to the Irvine Police Department, which investigated the case. If convicted, Garcia faces a maximum sentence of 120 years to life in prison.

Los Angeles Times

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

States Battling Meth Makers Look to Limit Ingredients

NASHVILLE — Faced with a surging methamphetamine problem, a number of states are weighing contentious bills this spring that would require a doctor's prescription for popular decongestants like Sudafed.

The drugs contain pseudoephedrine, the crucial ingredient in methamphetamine, and the police say past efforts to keep them out of the hands of meth cooks have failed. Here in Tennessee, the police seized nearly 2,100 meth labs last year — a 45 percent increase over 2009 and more than any other state.

“It's a no-brainer,” said Thomas N. Farmer, director of the Tennessee Methamphetamine Task Force, who is pushing for a prescription-only law along with most other law enforcement officials here. “This has got to be the next step.”

But the proposals have met with stiff resistance from drug makers and pharmacy groups, who say the measures would place an undue burden on cold and allergy sufferers. They are promoting other bills that would help the police monitor pseudoephedrine sales with interstate electronic tracking.

“We can't change lives just to stop these weirdo people,” said Joy Krieger, executive director of the St. Louis chapter of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, who is fighting a prescription-only bill in Missouri.

Officials like Mr. Farmer say drug companies only want to protect the multimillion-dollar profits they reap from over-the-counter pseudoephedrine sales. But the industry's argument to legislators — that law-abiding citizens should not have to pay for a doctor's visit for a mere stuffy nose — has proved potent. Prescription-only bills were defeated or failed to make it to a vote this month in Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky and West Virginia after heavy lobbying by the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, a trade group representing makers of over-the-counter drugs. Similar bills are still alive in Alabama, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, Tennessee and several other states.

New York Times

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

In Texas Courtroom, Saudi Denies Plotting Bomb Attacks

A Saudi man who had been a student at Vanderbilt and Texas Tech Universities pleaded not guilty on Monday in federal court in Lubbock, Tex., to a charge of trying to assemble an explosive device, with the potential to be used for American targets including New York City, a Dallas residence of former President George W. Bush and dams.

The defendant, Khalid Aldawsari, 20, a chemical engineering student, had obtained two of the three chemicals needed to assemble a bomb during the past several months and had sought to buy the third, prosecutors said. He was arrested Feb. 23. Mr. Aldawsari faces a single count of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, which carries a penalty of life in prison. A federal judge has barred lawyers from discussing the case publicly. The trial is scheduled to start May 2.

Federal officials said Mr. Aldawsari first came under suspicion after placing an online order in late January with a North Carolina chemical supply company for phenol, to be shipped to a Lubbock address. Phenol is explosive when combined with the two other chemicals Mr. Aldawsari was said to have obtained. The company reported Mr. Aldawsari's order to the F.B.I. on Feb. 1, and within days law enforcement officials were secretly searching Mr. Aldawsari's home, where they said they found chemical lab equipment and read his diary.

In it, Mr. Aldawsari wrote that his enrollment at Texas Tech had given him a type of access to his desired targets, officials said. It also made clear, they said, that he had planned to carry out bombings long before September 2008, when he came to the United States on a student visa. “And now, after mastering the English language, learning how to build explosives and continuous planning to target the infidel Americans, it is time for jihad,” Mr. Aldawsari wrote, according to court documents.

New York Times

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

March 28, 2011

Virtual war a real threat

The U.S. is vulnerable to a cyber attack, with its electrical grids, pipelines, chemical plants and other infrastructure designed without security in mind. Some say not enough is being done to protect the country.

When a large Southern California water system wanted to probe the vulnerabilities of its computer networks, it hired Los Angeles-based hacker Marc Maiffret to test them. His team seized control of the equipment that added chemical treatments to drinking water — in one day.

The weak link: County employees had been logging into the network through their home computers, leaving a gaping security hole. Officials of the urban water system told Maiffret that with a few mouse clicks, he could have rendered the water undrinkable for millions of homes.

"There's always a way in," said Maiffret, who declined to identify the water system for its own protection.

The weaknesses that he found in California exist in crucial facilities nationwide, U.S. officials and private experts say.

The same industrial control systems Maiffret's team was able to commandeer also run electrical grids, pipelines, chemical plants and other infrastructure. Those systems, many designed without security in mind, are vulnerable to cyber attacks that have the potential to blow up city blocks, erase bank data, crash planes and cut power to large sections of the country.

Terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda don't yet have the capability to mount such attacks, experts say, but potential adversaries such as China and Russia do, as do organized crime and hacker groups that could sell their services to rogue states or terrorists.

Los Angeles Times

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

Vacaville man injured by explosive device hidden in newspaper

An explosive device wrapped in a newspaper exploded in a residential neighborhood in Vacaville on Sunday, seriously injuring a man and forcing the evacuation of more than a dozen homes.

The explosion on Cashel Circle occurred about 10:20 a.m. when the unidentified man went to his driveway to retrieve the Sunday paper, said Mark Mazzaferro, a spokesman for the city, about midway between San Francisco and Sacramento.

The man was airlifted to a local hospital and his condition was unknown, Mazzaferro said. It was unclear whether the victim was targeted or whether it was a random attack. There was also no information on the type of device used.

Authorities evacuated 12 to 14 homes in the surrounding cul-de-sac, while investigators from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives and a bomb squad from nearby Travis Air Force Base searched for more explosives.

Police detectives were also canvassing the community for information on anyone acting suspiciously Saturday night or Sunday morning, Mazzaferro said. Residents within a one-mile radius of the explosion were advised not to approach any suspicious packages.

Los Angeles Times

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

Documents Reveal Pressure to Comply With Program to Deport Immigrants

Federal immigration officials, frustrated by the refusal of Chicago and Cook County to join a controversial program aimed at deporting immigrants with criminal records, pressed Mayor Richard M. Daley and Sheriff Tom Dart in an aggressive campaign to obtain participation from reluctant police authorities, according to internal documents.

Last spring, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials tried to put the program, Secure Communities, in effect in Cook County without clear consent from the sheriff's office. Their advisers proposed asking Rahm Emanuel, then White House chief of staff, to use his Chicago connections to intervene with unresponsive local leaders.

Chicago and Cook County were among several localities nationwide that refused to enroll in the program, which involves sharing fingerprints of anyone arrested with the Department of Homeland Security. Chicago and Cook County cited so-called sanctuary ordinances that prohibit local officials from involvement in immigration enforcement.

The Secure Communities program is in effect in more than 1,000 jurisdictions in 40 states, including Illinois. The federal agency plans to take it nationwide by 2013 and says it does not need local approval to do so.

E-mails and other documents — obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, an immigrant-rights group — show that immigration officials saw Chicago and Cook County among the cities to be test cases for whether localities are allowed to opt out of the program.

New York Times

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

Japan quake dead and missing over 28,000

THE number of confirmed dead and people listed as missing from the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan's northeast coast has topped 28,000, the National Police Agency says.

The agency - which collects data from the prefectures affected - said today that 10,901 had been confirmed dead and 17,649 listed as missing as of 5pm (AEDT) as a result of the March 11 catastrophe.

A total of 2776 are listed as injured.

The quake has become Japan's deadliest natural disaster since the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, which killed more than 142,000 people.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced from their homes and have taken shelter in emergency facilities.

Herald Sun

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

Groups target states' illegal-immigration bills

After Arizona last year passed its immigration enforcement bill, which would have given police officers more powers to enforce immigration laws, legislators in dozens of states filed similar legislation. A complex web of Hispanic groups, business associations, farm bureaus, civil rights organizations and lawyers has crafted a state-by-state attack against such proposals and is starting to see results.

The latest victory came March 17 when the Arizona Senate rejected the five bills that also would have barred illegal immigrants from buying or driving cars or getting marriage licenses.

"After what happened last year, many expected there was going to be an across-the-board wave of these bills and they would be slam-dunks," said Clarissa Martinez of the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic civil rights group. "But legislatures are realizing that it's a risky proposition."

Several states are considering bills that would mirror Arizona's S.B. 1070, which would have required all state law enforcement officers to determine the immigration status of people stopped, detained or arrested for another offense if there was a "reasonable suspicion" that they were in the U.S. illegally. A federal judge halted the core aspects of the law, and that ruling is on appeal.

USA Today

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

Dorothea Puente, boarding house operator who killed tenants, dies at 82

Dorothea Puente, who was serving life sentences in state prison when she died at 82, was arrested in 1988 and accused of killing tenants at her boarding house to take their money and collect their Social Security checks.

by Rich Connell, Los Angeles Times

March 28, 2011

Dorothea Puente, a notorious, grandmotherly Sacramento boarding house operator convicted in the 1990s of killing her tenants, died Sunday in a state prison in Chowchilla. She was 82.

Puente died of natural causes at the Central California Women's Facility, said Paul Verke, a Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesman. She was serving life-without-parole sentences for two first-degree murder convictions and a concurrent 15-years-to-life sentence for a second-degree murder conviction, Verke said.

Her macabre story, including allegations that she buried several victims in the yard of her Victorian-style home a few blocks from the Capitol, made headlines across the country.

At 64, Puente was tried for nine murders after police unearthed seven bodies around her home. Two more bodies, including that of a former boyfriend found in a box in the Sacramento River, were discovered later. After a five-month trial, jurors deadlocked in 1993 on six of the murder charges.

Los Angeles Times

.