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From Los Angeles Times

Cartel corruption reaches into the ranks of U.S. border agents, officials say

Top officials in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told a Senate subcommittee during a hearing on Thursday that Mexican drug-trafficking organizations are attempting to generate "systematic corruption" among the ranks of U.S. customs and border patrol agents, forcing the agency to open hundreds of internal investigations on employees.

Charles Edwards , acting inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security , told the subcommittee that corruption on the border has taken the form of "cash bribes, sexual favors, and other gratuities in return for allowing contraband or undocumented aliens through primary inspection lanes or even protecting or escorting border crossings," according to a transcript of the official's testimony.

Since 2004, authorities have made 127 arrests or indictments against border employees for acts of corruption "including drug smuggling, alien smuggling, money laundering, and conspiracy," said Alan Bersin , the U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner.

The figure is small relative to the size of the U.S. border force -- more than 20,700 officers.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laplaza/2011/06/border-customs-hearing-corruption-agents.html

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Law enforcement and cellphone searches

A bill by state Sen. Mark Leno intelligently balances the needs of police to gather evidence from cellphones with the historic limitations on their power to search.

June 14, 2011

On an April afternoon in 2007, a Ventura County sheriff's deputy arrested Gregory Diaz after he allegedly sold Ecstasy to an undercover informant. Diaz was taken into custody and initially denied any wrongdoing, but deputies had seized his cellphone, and they examined it without a warrant. When they did, they found a text message reading "6 4 80." A deputy interpreted that to mean Diaz was offering to sell six tabs for $80. Shown the text message and the deputy's interpretation of it, Diaz admitted selling the drugs. When a court ruled that the text message would be admissible, Diaz pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years' probation.

That ended the immediate issue, but the Diaz case has continued to cause controversy and difficulty for courts and legislators. The California Supreme Court upheld Diaz's conviction, but others have questioned the warrantless search of Diaz's cellphone and argue that it opens the door for police abuse. Among those concerned is state Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), who introduced a bill to overturn the Supreme Court's decision and require officers to secure a warrant, based on a showing of probable cause, before they search a phone. Leno's bill, SB 914, intelligently balances the needs of police with the historic limitations on their power to search; it has passed the Senate and deserves approval by the Assembly as well.

Leno's bill received fairly bipartisan support in the Senate, where it passed by a vote of 28 to 9. That's appropriate, as people of varying politics should recognize the value of strong, clear rules to guide the actions of police. Libertarians no less than liberals should see that it serves no one to have police allowed the authority to snoop without guidance from the courts. Police are not allowed to search a suspect's house or his computer without probable cause, and there's no reason why they should be allowed to search his cell phone.

In the zeal to fight crime, leaders sometimes understandably — if misguidedly — conclude that public safety is best secured by offering police unlimited latitude. The famous Miranda case should remind them that's not necessarily true. Originally opposed by police, who feared it would set untold numbers of criminals free, Miranda instead has supplied police with sound guidance. When the case seemed on the verge of being overturned in 2000, police organizations actually rallied in defense of it, and Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the decision upholding it.

So too with searches and seizures. Police do not need unfettered ability to grab potential evidence. What they need are solid, rational rules that are easy to apply. Leno's bill provides just that.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-cellphone-20110614,0,7151694,print.story

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From Google News

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Hacker group breaks into Senate website

A group that has previously hacked into the websites of Fox.com, Sony and PBS broke into the public website of the U.S. Senate over the weekend, but did minimal damage.

The Senate sergeant of arms revealed the cyber break-in Monday but said the intruder, LulzSec, did not break into the Senate computer network.

“Although this intrusion is inconvenient, it does not compromise the security of the Senate's network, its members or staff,” Deputy Sergeant at Arms Martina Bradford said in a statement. “Specifically, there is no individual user account information on the server supporting senate.gov that could have been compromised.”

Bradford said that “each Senate member and committee maintains its own presence on senate.gov and may not always incorporate recommended security protocols,” and that the sergeant of arms staff was conducting a “ review of all the sites hosted on senate.gov, urging the individuals responsible for those sites to conduct their own review and continuing to take other actions to safeguard the Senate's public Web presence.”

LulzSec posted on its website data it claimed to have taken from the Senate site, but none of it appeared to be sensitive in nature.

In a statement on its site, LulzSec said the hack was in response to a Pentagon statement that cyberattacks that affected the nation's security would be considered an act of war.

“This is a small, just-for-kicks release of some internal data from Senate.gov — is this an act of war, gentlemen?,” the statement asked.

From the White House

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Taking a Stand against Elder Abuse

June 15th, 2011 marks the 6th Annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. This is an important opportunity for Americans and people around the world to recommit ourselves to ending elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

Elder abuse, like domestic violence and child abuse, is a public health crisis that crosses all socio-economic lines. Millions of older Americans are abused, neglected, or exploited each year – often by someone they know – and an estimated 84 percent of these incidents are not reported.

Elder abuse and exploitation is an issue that must be addressed. As Americans enjoy longer lives and the senior population continues to grow, abuse will likely grow with it. And, sadly, during hard economic times the prevalence of financial exploitation increases.

One way this administration is committed to fighting elder abuse is through the Elder Justice Act, which was signed into law by President Obama last year. The Elder Justice Act provides the first-ever authorization of Federal resources for adult protective services demonstrations to test the best methods of identifying, responding to, and preventing elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. In fact, the President's 2012 Budget proposes $16.5 million in first-time funding for this purpose.

In addition to resources, ending elder abuse is critically dependent on the partnership of government agencies, law enforcement, adult protective services professionals, health and human services providers, faith-based organizations, and business and community leaders. All of these entities play a crucial role in providing education, outreach, and support to the community, bringing offenders to justice for their crimes, and protecting and empowering victims and their loved ones. These many organizations work tirelessly to help prevent elder abuse, and throughout the year there are many observances, such as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, that allow each of us the opportunity to honor older individuals and draw attention to the problem of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

On this World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, I encourage agencies, organizations, and individuals across the world to recognize this underreported issue and raise awareness about the mistreatment of seniors. Let this be a renewal of a life-long commitment to ending elder abuse in the United States, and around the world, as we strive to create communities that safeguard and protect elders.

Click here to learn more about this day and how you can “Join Us in the Fight Against Elder Abuse.”

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/06/13/taking-stand-against-elder-abuse

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