A closer look at drones

The U.S. is expanding their use in targeted killings, but there are serious moral and legal questions.

Reports that the United States is establishing bases for drone aircraft in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula are the latest example of a transformation in the war on terrorism that poses serious questions about overreach and accountability. According to the Washington Post, a "constellation" of bases would allow the targeting of Al Qaeda affiliates and other terrorists in Yemen and Somalia, new battlegrounds in the conflict with Islamic militants. Though some of the drones are supposed to be unarmed, the overall effort is designed for counter-terrorism, a term that encompasses both the gathering of intelligence and targeted killings. Bases are being established or have been established in Ethiopia, the Seychelles and Djibouti.

Clearly the CIA and the Pentagon regard the campaign of assassination by air as a success. And in some ways, drone warfare is preferable to the alternative. For example, attacks by drones are less likely to result in the death of unintended victims than strikes by, say, fighter jets. That's not to say that there hasn't been collateral damage, but if one accepts the basic principle that assassination of enemy operatives is legitimate and that some innocent lives will be lost in the process, the use of unmanned aircraft doesn't change the moral calculus.

But are these targeted killings in fact legitimate? One worrisome aspect is the geographical reach of the strategy. We're at war in Afghanistan (a conflict that has spilled over into Pakistan), but do we also have the right to kill people we think may pose a threat in Somalia or Yemen? And if we can do it in Somalia and Yemen, can we also do it in London or Los Angeles? Would we think it was acceptable if Russia gunned down a Chechen terrorist on the streets of New York? Granted, the battlefield in the war against terrorism transcends national borders, but surely there must be some limit? Instead, Congress is moving to expand the theater of operations. A defense bill approved in May by the House of Representatives authorizes force directed against "Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated forces," but doesn't include any geographical limitations whatsoever.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-drones-20110925,0,6686025,print.story

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NH police depts. honored by international group

The Citizen reports (http://bit.ly/pmFW8J) the association's Community Policing Committee had chosen the towns as runners-up for the award for communities with populations under 20,000.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2011/09/24/nh_police_depts_honored_by_international_group/

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Sept 24, 2011

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FBI pays reward in capture of accused mobster 'Whitey' Bulger

But the identities of those who led the agency to the Santa Monica apartment where Bulger and Catherine Greig were arrested June 22 remain a mystery, according to news reports.

On Friday evening, the Boston Herald reported this statement from the FBI's Boston division:

"On Monday, Sept. 19, 2011, the Boston Division of the FBI received final authorization from the United States Department of Justice to pay the $2.1 million reward to those responsible for providing information which directly led to the arrest of former Top Ten Fugitive James 'Whitey' Bulger and his companion Catherine Greig. This information was generated as a direct result of the FBI's Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign, which was initiated on June 20, 2011.

"The FBI offered $2 million for information leading to the arrest of Mr. Bulger, and $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of Ms. Greig. As of Friday, Sept. 23, 2011, the FBI has paid this reward money to more than one individual.

"To protect the anonymity and privacy of those responsible for providing information which directly led to the arrests of Mr. Bulger and Ms. Greig, the FBI will not comment further regarding this matter."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/

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Putting pot in its place

With a Rand study showing an increase in crime after some medical marijuana dispensaries were shut down, L.A. needs a better policy toward such facilities.

A Rand Corp. study this week seemed to nip the conventional wisdom about medical marijuana dispensaries in the proverbial bud, contradicting statements from law enforcement officials that these facilities are magnets for crime. On the contrary, Rand researchers said, crime actually increased in the vicinity of hundreds of L.A. dispensaries after they were ordered to shut down.

Does this mean that dispensaries decrease neighborhood crime rather than increasing it? Unfortunately, despite Rand's analysis, we still don't know the answer. There are so many obvious problems with Rand's study that it's impossible to come to solid conclusions about crime either way.

First and most glaringly, Rand's findings are based on a large and unwarranted assumption: that the dispensaries ordered by the city to close their doors on June 7, 2010, when L.A.'s sweeping medical marijuana ordinance took effect, actually did so. There were thought to be about 600 dispensaries operating in the city at that time, of which 430 received notification that they would have to close. Rand looked at crime statistics during the 10 days before the ordered closure and the 10 days afterward, and compared the numbers for locations near facilities that supposedly closed and the 170 that didn't. Within three-tenths of a mile of the "closed" facilities, there were 59% more criminal incidents than there were within the same distance of those that remained open, and a 24% increase within six-tenths of a mile.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-marijuana-20110924,0,3149399,print.story

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Mississippi

Columbus officers encourage community policing

Columbus police are asking residents for one thing: If you see something, say something.

A handful of residents attended the Ward 3 community meeting Thursday night at First Christian Church in East Columbus and discussed concerns within their neighborhoods.

A few residents did not wish to have their names published, but the general consensus is worry about Columbus High School students loitering on private property.

"They're sitting there on our curb, sitting and smoking all day long," one resident, who lives on Sycamore Street, said.

Another Ward 3 resident, who lives on Sycamore Street near the school, Kitty Page, expressed concerns about seeing people walking from behind houses.

"They go through the backyard. A lot of people across the street are at work. The other day, I counted seven of them," she said.

http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=13164

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Michigan

Property crimes trending down in Kalamazoo County

KALAMAZOO — The figures spell it out clearly: Violent crimes and property crimes reported in Kalamazoo County dropped in 2010 to their lowest levels in the past five years. The reasons for the decrease, however, are a little harder to pin down, local police leaders say.

“If the trend is down, that is obviously a very good thing,” Kalamazoo Township Police Chief Tim Bourgeois said. “But I think it can be hard to analyze these numbers because of the different factors. I always think we have to take the increases and decreases in reported crime with a grain of salt.”

The crime statistics, gleaned from the FBI Uniform Crime Report and the Michigan Uniform Crime Report, show the number of property crimes — burglary, larceny and auto theft — reported to the four largest police agencies in the county dropped each of the last three years and decreased by 13 percent from 2009 to 2010, from 9,174 to 7,959.

The city of Kalamazoo saw the largest decline in property crimes last year — 18 percent — with nearly 800 fewer reported than in 2009. The drop in violent crimes last year was not as significant countywide when compared to 2009. But the total number of murders, rapes, robberies and assaults recorded in 2010 — 1,070 — was the lowest tally in at least five years, statistics show.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/09/property_crimes_trending_down.html

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Domestic Terrorism -- Focus on Militia Extremism

Last March, nine members of an extremist militia group were charged in Michigan with seditious conspiracy and attempted use of weapons of mass destruction in connection with an alleged plot to attack law enforcement and spark an uprising against the government.

According to the federal indictment, the nine individuals planned to kill a law enforcement officer and then use bombs to attack the caravan of cars taking part in the subsequent funeral procession, hoping that this violence would incite a larger armed conflict with authorities. Fortunately, the FBI and the Michigan State Police intervened and took the subjects into custody before they could carry out their alleged plot.

It's just one example of the dangers posed by so-called militia extremists—the latest topic in our series to educate the nation on domestic terror threats that the FBI investigates today. Previous stories have focused on anarchist extremists, eco-terrorists/animal rights extremists, lone offenders, and sovereign citizen extremists.

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/september/militia_092211/militia_092211

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Sept 23, 2011

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Once-controversial Islamic center opens in New York

The scene at Wednesday's official opening at the building on Park Place, about 2 1/2 blocks from the former World Trade Center towers, was far different from a year ago, when the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks became a platform for groups trying to prevent the center from going forward. Previously, the towering building housed a Burlington Coat Factory, which was damaged in the 2001 attacks and subsequently closed.

The new owner's decision to use the building for an Islamic center, including a prayer space, divided politicians and survivors of Sept. 11 victims, with some saying the project was an insult because it is so close to ground zero. They labeled the center the "ground zero mosque."

Others, who were supported by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, said the center was the ideal way to improve ties among New York's diverse groups and give Muslims a place to pray, see art exhibits, watch films and listen to lectures.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/

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Perils of the PTSD defense

As more people, especially veterans, are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, it's increasingly important not to let that be used unfairly as a defense in criminal cases.

Understandable sympathy for veterans traumatized by war is transforming the conduct of criminal trials. A recent story by Times staff writer David Zucchino reported that post-traumatic stress disorder is increasingly being cited by defense attorneys in arguing that a defendant lacked the intent necessary for conviction of most offenses. The implications for the criminal justice system are significant. Already, 170,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have been diagnosed with PTSD, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, which is not limited to veterans, is a recognized psychological ailment that is included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. But just because a person is diagnosed with it doesn't mean that he or she can't form the requisite intent to commit a crime. And the defense is not always successful. Zucchino told of Joshua Stepp, an Army infantryman convicted of killing his infant stepdaughter, who had cited post-traumatic stress disorder in his defense. (The jury deadlocked on whether to impose the death penalty.)

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-ptsd-20110923,0,87553,print.story

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From Google News

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Virginia

Purcellville Wins Community Policing Award

The Purcellville Police Department is the winner of the 2011 International Association of Chiefs of Police's Community Policing Award for communities with populations less than 20,000. The award is jointly presented with Cisco Corporation.

Todd A. Miller, chairman of the Community Policing Committee for the International Association of Chiefs of Police, announced five agencies have been selected to receive the 2011 Community Policing Award.

Purcellville Police Chief Darryl C. Smith and Lt. James S. Rust will receive the award Oct. 26 at the IACP's annual Conference Banquet in Chicago, IL.

In his five years as Purcellville's top cop, Smith has pursued a strong community policing program for the town's police department, instituting a number of initiatives and citizen-law enforcement partnerships, in which Rust has been a key player.

http://www.leesburg2day.com/news/towns_villages/article_4b30c9e8-e52d-11e0-ad64-001cc4c03286.html

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Opinion

New Jersey

Why Do We Need A Neighborhood Watch?

Do you want to know the key to preventing crime? It's a Good Neighbor!

The kids in my neighborhood stuck together and everybody's parents knew everyone else's. Someone was always home in the neighborhood and watching what was going on and trouble and mischief seldom went unobserved or unreported, much to our own chagrin. These were the days before the Internet, cell phones and even computers.

Today things are different. Many families have two working parents leaving their homes empty during the day. While the Internet and social media have opened our access and knowledge all over the world, it has caused parents and their children to become more shut in and more isolated from their immediate surroundings.

http://livingston.patch.com/articles/why-do-we-need-a-neighborhood-watch-41e5b1f7

Two Fullerton police officers charged in homeless man's death

One is charged with second-degree murder and another is accused of involuntary manslaughter in the slaying of Kelly Thomas, who suffered from schizophrenia.

Orange County prosecutors charged two veteran Fullerton police officers in the death of a mentally ill homeless man, accusing them of a callous cascade of violence against Kelly Thomas as he begged for his life.

Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas on Wednesday said what began as routine questioning by police devolved into a "beating at the hands of an angry police officer," with other officers eventually joining in. He stressed that Thomas did not provoke the attack and that all of his movements were purely defensive.

"This never had to happen," Rackauckas said. "And it never should have happened."

Rackauckas, a former paratrooper and judge, was unusually animated as he announced the charges, at one point raising his fists like a bar brawler to mimic the alleged actions of one officer.

His account of Thomas' death was vivid and chilling, and inside his office, onlookers choked back tears and gasped at the details as he spoke. Outside, dozens of supporters of Thomas' family watched on television monitors and erupted in an audible cheer as the charges were announced.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-kelly-thomas-20110922,0,3012540,print.story

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Convicting an officer is a tough challenge, experts say

Jurors are usually sympathetic toward police officers and even when prosecutors get a conviction, the sentence may be reduced.

Murder charges against on-duty police officers — such as the one announced by Orange County prosecutors in the Fullerton beating case — are rarely filed, and successful prosecutions in such cases are almost unheard of in California.

Legal experts said jurors who are naturally sympathetic toward law enforcement are not easily persuaded that an officer has committed the ultimate crime, even after seeing video of the death.

Ira Salzman, who has represented police officers, said defense attorneys in Orange County will have the added benefit of jurors who look favorably toward law enforcement and can make a forceful argument that police had the legal right to use force against a non-complying suspect.

Investigators interviewed more than 150 witnesses, analyzed video and reviewed stacks of documents as part of an intensive 11-week investigation leading up to the decision to charge Officer Manuel Ramos with second-degree murder in the July 10 death of a mentally ill homeless man.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-kelly-thomas-legal-20110922,0,3669027,print.story

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Kelly Thomas: Councilwoman calls for police oversight panel

Fullerton Councilwoman Sharon Quirk-Silva said Wednesday she will seek to create a police oversight board after prosecutors charged two city police officers in the fatal beating of a mentally ill homeless man.

In the wake of the beating death in July of Kelly Thomas, Quirk-Silva said, city leaders need to examine and reform Fullerton Police Department policies and procedures “that are lacking.”

The oversight board Quirk-Silver is proposing could be either a citizens advisory group or a panel of people with law enforcement and legal expertise, similar to the Los Angeles Police Commission, the councilwoman said.

“I'm open to researching how things operate in other cities and how it would best work here,” Quirk-Silva said. “I don't want add another level of government and hinder the police department. But I want it [the panel] to be productive, a board that goes both ways, working for the public and for the police.”

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/09/fullerton-councilwoman-to-ask-for-police-oversight-board.html

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Kelly Thomas and justice in Fullerton

The Orange County district attorney's decision to file murder charges against an officer in the beating death of a homeless man is welcome. But the public deserves more answers.

Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas fulfilled the highest standards of his office by conducting a thorough yet timely investigation into a homeless man's death at the hands of Fullerton police officers. The unusual nature of the charges he has filed — it is rare for a police officer to be charged with murder in the execution of his job, as one of them was — indicates the deep level of consideration that prosecutors gave the case of Kelly Thomas, who was beaten by police in July during an altercation outside a Fullerton bus depot.

Whatever the outcome of the criminal charges, though, they don't bring resolution to the case. Rather, they pave the way for other official actions that should be undertaken by the city of Fullerton.

Rackauckas brought charges against two of the officers involved — the second officer was charged with involuntary manslaughter and use of excessive force — but determined that four other officers had committed no crime. That does not mean their actions met police standards, and the Police Department should be investigating to determine whether administrative action is warranted.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-fullerton-20110922,0,1553563,print.story

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Georgia puts convict to death despite protest

Supporters of Troy Davis maintain his innocence in off-duty officer's '89 killing.

Despite his claims of innocence and a roster of high-powered supporters, Troy Davis was executed late Wednesday night for the 1989 murder of an off-duty Savannah, Ga., police officer.

Strapped to a gurney in the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison about four hours after his scheduled 7 p.m. execution, Davis, 42, lifted his head and used some of his last words to deny his guilt to the family of the victim, Mark MacPhail.

The incident that night 22 years ago was not his fault, he said, according to media witnesses. He said he did not even have a gun.

"I personally did not kill your son, father and brother," he said. "I am innocent."

He was pronounced dead at 11:08 p.m., and a coroner's van hauled away his body.

It was the end of a drama that was followed by thousands of death penalty opponents and others around the world. It began on an August night in downtown Savannah, when MacPhail, an off-duty officer working as a security guard, was gunned down in a bus station parking lot as he came to the aid of a homeless man. Davis, whose nickname, according to court documents, was RAH, for "Rough as Hell," was convicted two years later in a jury trial and sentenced to death.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-0922-troy-davis-20110922,0,4329960,print.story

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Texas executes man in 1998 dragging death

One of three people convicted in the 1998 dragging death of a black man in Jasper, Texas, was executed Wednesday night for his part in the slaying, the Associated Press has reported.

The racially motivated killing of James Byrd Jr. stunned the nation, sparking protests, inspiring the movie "Jasper, Texas," and leading to state and federal hate-crime legislation.

One of Byrd's sisters planned to be in Huntsville, Texas, for the execution; another planned to hold a prayer vigil in Jasper, according to the Beaumont Enterprise.

The night he was killed, Byrd had accepted a ride home from a white man he knew, Shawn Berry, then 24, and two of Berry's friends -- John King, then 23, and Lawrence Brewer, then 31. King and Brewer were later identified as white supremacists.

Brewer, now 44, was the one scheduled for execution.

FBI joins forces with LAPD on gang slayings

The three-month Save Our Streets operation solved 32 deaths and led to 168 arrests in the gang-plagued South Bureau.

Kashmier James had spent most of Christmas Day 2010 with family before heading off in the evening to visit with high school friends in the Manchester Square neighborhood of South Los Angeles.

As she arrived at her destination in the 1700 block of 85th Street near Western Avenue, half a dozen people stood talking on the sidewalk.

With her 3-year-old daughter still strapped in her car seat, James got out of her vehicle. Within moments, she was hit with a fusillade of gunshots.

Interactive: Gang killing details

For months, the James killing and dozens of other gang-related slayings like it remained unsolved.

Taxed detectives finally got some assistance in July when the FBI joined forces with the Los Angeles Police Department's criminal gang homicide unit for a three-month operation called Save Our Streets.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gang-homicides-20110922,0,4043886,print.story

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Loughner ordered to appear in Ariz. court next week

Against his attorneys' wishes, Loughner wants to travel to his hometown of Tucson for the hearing. There, U.S. District Judge Larry Burns will consider whether it's possible he can be made mentally competent for trial and whether his stay at a prison facility in Springfield, Mo., will be extended, the Associated Press reported .

Loughner has been at the facility since May 27, after experts found him mentally unfit for trial. Experts have said that he suffers from schizophrenia.

Loughner has pleaded not guilty to 49 felony charges stemming from the January shooting in Tucson that killed six people and wounded 13, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/

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NY police eyed US citizens in secret intelligence effort

Documents detailing surveillance program in Muslim communities undercut claim that officers only follow leads when investigating terrorism

The documents describe in extraordinary detail a secret program intended to catalog life inside Muslim neighborhoods as people immigrated, got jobs, became citizens and started businesses. The documents undercut the NYPD's claim that its officers only follow leads when investigating terrorism.

It started with one group, Moroccans, but the documents show police intended to build intelligence files on other ethnicities.

Undercover officers snapped photographs of restaurants frequented by Moroccans, including one that was noted for serving "religious Muslims." Police documented where Moroccans bought groceries, which hotels they visited and where they prayed. While visiting an apartment used by new Moroccan immigrants, an officer noted in his reports that he saw two Qurans and a calendar from a nearby mosque.

It was called the Moroccan Initiative.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44621976/ns/us_news-security/#

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California

What happened to neighborhood watch?

Marysville used to have three officers, a sergeant and two crime analysts devoted to community policing. Yuba City had a full-time police officer devoted to schools and community outreach.

But state and federal grant funding for such things is long gone, and in Marysville, at least, so are most neighborhood watch groups.

"We had a big program until 2005," said Sgt. Chris Sachs, who has been with the Marysville Police Department since 2001.

In those days, neighborhood watch groups were thriving, he said, and Community Oriented Policing grants paid for programs to support them.

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/marysville-110091-devoted-neighborhood.html

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Prepared Statement of Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism

“Countering Terrorist Financing: Progress and Priorities”

Chairman Whitehouse, Ranking Member Kyl, and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for inviting me to testify today regarding the Department of Justice's role in combating terrorist financing. The Department of Justice's efforts to combat terrorism are closely coordinated with those of our interagency partners, some of whom are testifying with me here today. Our common objective is to deploy the counter terrorist financing tools available to the United States in a coordinated, integrated fashion to effectively disrupt the flow of funds and other material support to terrorist organizations.

The Department of Justice's efforts in this regard fall generally into three categories, each of which I'll address briefly today: our capacity building and technical assistance efforts with foreign governments; our participation in and defense of terrorist financing laws, regulations, and processes; and our investigation and prosecution of the individuals and networks involved in financing and supporting terrorism.

http://www.justice.gov/nsd/opa/pr/testimony/2011/nsd-testimony-110921.html

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Ralph S. Boelter, Acting Assistant Director, Counterterrorism Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Statement Before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism

Good morning Chairman Whitehouse, Ranking Member Kyl, and members of the subcommittee. I appreciate the opportunity to testify before you today regarding the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to combat terrorist financing.

As we commemorate the 10th anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, we are reminded that the FBI's number one priority in its mission to protect and defend the United States continues to be the prevention of terrorist attacks against the United States. The mission of the Terrorism Financing Operations Section (TFOS) is twofold. First, to manage the FBI's investigative efforts in relation to individuals who provide funding to terrorists; and second, to ensure financial investigative techniques are used, where appropriate, in all counterterrorism investigations to enhance the investigations.

In coordination with our law enforcement and intelligence community partners, TFOS carries out this mission through the application of financial investigative techniques and the exploitation of financial intelligence. To improve its ability to detect and disrupt those with the intent and capability to conduct attacks against the United States, TFOS has undergone a significant shift in the way we address the threat of terrorism financing.

http://www.fbi.gov/news/testimony/countering-terrorist-financing-progress-and-priorities

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Sept 21, 2011

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35 bodies dumped on street in Mexico

The dead spill from two trucks left on a street under a busy overpass in Boca del Rio, a popular tourist spot in Veracruz. Officials say at least some of the dead are criminals.

Gunmen dumped the bodies of 35 people with suspected ties to organized crime under an overpass filled with motorists Tuesday on the outskirts of the Mexican port city of Veracruz, officials said.

The bodies were left in a pair of trucks and on the road near a major shopping center in the community of Boca del Rio, a popular site for Mexican tourists to the port city, along the Gulf of Mexico.

Reynaldo Escobar, prosecutor for the state of Veracruz, said the dead bore signs of torture. In an effort to calm residents who have been appalled by rising drug-related violence, Escobar said the seven victims identified by late Tuesday had criminal records for involvement in organized-crime activities, including kidnappings, extortion, drug sales and murder.

"This is something that can calm the population," he said in a telephone interview with Milenio Television. "This is not about civilians. These are people involved in illicit business, in drug sales."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-bodies-20110921,0,1429353,print.story

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The cold, cold case of Jack the Ripper

A retired homicide detective is trying to force Scotland Yard to release uncensored versions of files that might offer fresh leads on the identity of Britain's most notorious serial killer.

It's been called the world's most famous cold case, a source of endless fascination and speculation ever since the first mutilated victim was found in a bloody heap 123 years ago on the gas-lighted streets of East London.

So why is Scotland Yard suppressing information that some crime buffs think could offer fresh leads on the identity of Britain's most notorious serial killer, Jack the Ripper?

That's the question baffling Trevor Marriott, a retired homicide detective who's been waging a solitary legal battle to force "the Yard" to release uncensored versions of information recorded in thick Victorian ledgers that are gathering dust in an official archive.

The volumes contain tens of thousands of tidbits on the Yard's dealings with the public and police informants in the years that followed the Ripper's grisly two-month killing rampage in 1888. The shadowy figure is alleged to have slain five women in London's seamy Whitechapel district, slitting their throats and, in some cases, eviscerating them with almost surgical precision.

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New Jersey

Local P.D.s receive funds for community-policing initiatives

Twenty-four local police departments will benefit from $120,000 in grants to develop community-policing programs.

Carteret, Dunellen, East Brunswick, Edison, Helmetta, Highland Park, Metuchen, Middlesex Borough, Milltown, Monroe, New Brunswick, North Brunswick, Old Bridge, Perth Amboy, Piscataway, Plainsboro, Sayreville, South Brunswick, South Plainfield, South River, Spotswood and Woodbridge, as well as the Rutgers University Police Department and the Middlesex County Sheriff's Department, will receive the funds in order to enhance public awareness while combating such crimes as bias intimidation, bullying and vandalism.

The $5,000 “Law Enforcement Response to Community Concerns Grant” funds had been seized from criminal defendants who obtained proceeds though illegal activities, such as selling drugs, according to a statement from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office. The program is sponsored by the prosecutor's office and the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

http://ns.gmnews.com/news/2011-09-22/Front_Page/Local_PDs_receive_funds_for_communitypolicing_init.html

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Sept 20, 2011

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Mexico still waiting for answers on Fast and Furious gun program

Top Mexican officials say the U.S. kept them in the dark. One official was stunned to learn that the cartel hit men who killed her brother had assault rifles from Fast and Furious in their arsenal.

Last fall's slaying of Mario Gonzalez, the brother of a Mexican state prosecutor, shocked people on both sides of the border. Sensational news reports revealed that cartel hit men had tortured Gonzalez, and forced him to make a videotaped "confession" that his high-powered sister was on the take.

But American authorities concealed one disturbing fact about the case from their Mexican counterparts: U.S. federal agents had allowed AK-47 assault rifles later found in the killers' arsenal to be smuggled across the border under the notorious Fast and Furious gun-trafficking program.

U.S. officials also kept mum as other weapons linked to Fast and Furious turned up at dozens of additional Mexican crime scenes, with an unconfirmed toll of at least 150 people killed or wounded.

Months after the deadly lapses in the program were revealed in the U.S. media — prompting congressional hearings and the reassignment of the acting chief of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — top Mexican officials say American authorities have still not offered them a proper accounting of what went wrong.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-fast-furious-20110920,0,1282076,print.story

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Remains identified as those of Michelle Le

The remains were identified by the Alameda County coroner's office, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Esteban had been a person of interest in the investigation, authorities said, because she had blamed Le for ruining her relationship with her boyfriend. Investigators also said they found Le's DNA on one of Esteban's shoes, along with evidence that she had been in Le's car and security camera footage of Esteban from the Hayward parking lot.

Searchers found remains and other items Saturday and Sunday near Pleasanton Sunol Road and Verona Road, said Sgt. J.D. Nelson of the Alameda County Sheriff's Department.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/

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Sentence for Terrorist Is Too Short, Court Rules

MIAMI — A federal appeals court ruled on Monday that the 17-year prison sentence imposed on Jose Padilla, who was convicted of terrorism conspiracy in 2007, was too lenient and sent the case back to the district court here for a new hearing.

In a 2-to-1 opinion, the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, in Atlanta, ruled that the sentence was “substantively unreasonable” and did not take into account Mr. Padilla's violent criminal history as a former gang member in Chicago. It also said the lower court did not take seriously enough Mr. Padilla's time at a Qaeda camp in Afghanistan, where he was trained to kill.

“Padilla poses a heightened risk of future dangerousness due to his Al Qaeda training,” the court said. “He is far more sophisticated than an individual convicted of an ordinary street crime.”

The appellate court also affirmed Mr. Padilla's conviction and that of his two co-defendants.

The government had appealed Mr. Padilla's sentence, which was 17 years and 4 months, seeing it as too great a departure from federal sentencing guidelines.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/20/us/jose-padillas-prison-sentence-too-short-appeals-court-says.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

Community Policing, Afghan-Style

Lal Mohammed says his 9-year-old son was stabbed and shot and left to die in a raid on his home. Another Afghan villager reported that a 17-year-old boy had been detained, beaten, and had nails driven into his feet. His injuries were so bad that his family packed up and left the country to get medical treatment.

A 13-year-old boy was walking home after evening prayers when he was allegedly gang-raped by a local commander and his henchmen.

Stunningly, the accused perpetrators in these crimes were not Taliban but local Afghans the U.S. military helped to recruit and arm as part of a local “community policing” effort to protect Afghans from the Taliban scourge.

In fact, the Afghan Local Police (ALP) program is the latest in a long line of controversial attempts to turn local strongmen and their militias into the “sons of Afghanistan” à la Iraq. It was the brainchild of the omnipotent Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, who has since left his post for greener pastures at the CIA, leaving this potentially explosive taxpayer-funded mess behind.

Mohammed said of his son's killing: “I have not been given any compensation or anything else by Americans or the Afghan government. No one has told me sorry or expressed their condolence about my only 9-year-old son, and for these reasons I hate them. I want to fight against them till the end of my life.”

http://original.antiwar.com/vlahos/2011/09/19/when-afghan-militia-programs-go-bad/

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Holt urges Congress to keep COPS alive

On Monday morning, Holt stood in same spot, but for the opposite reason. This time, he visited the township to denounce Congress' latest effort to end the decades-old COPS program — the only federal program that supports community policing efforts.

Holt was joined at Monday's news conference by North Brunswick Mayor Francis “Mac” Womack, police and educational officials and several students to protest the House of Representatives' version of the 2011 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Act that would end the Community Oriented Policing Services program.

The Secure Our Schools initiative, one of several funded through COPS, supports state and local efforts to improve school safety, including the costs of metal detectors, locks, lighting security assessments and security training.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20110919/NJNEWS/309190031/Holt-urges-Congress-to-keep-COPS-alive

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Study finds crime witness ID method can affect error rate

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - The method by which photos of suspected criminals are shown to witnesses can affect the accuracy of identifications, with photos shown in a sequence producing fewer mistakes, a study has found.

Gary Wells, a psychology professor at Iowa State University who was the study's lead researcher, said presenting photos one at a time, in a sequence, produced a lower error rate than when witnesses were shown a simultaneous array of photos.

Wells' study found witnesses identified a "known innocent filler" photo 18 percent of the time under the simultaneous procedure compared to 12 percent under the sequential procedure.

"We believe these results go a long way toward instilling greater confidence in the sequential procedure as something that improves the reliability of eyewitness identification evidence," Wells said in a conference call with reporters.

http://news.yahoo.com/study-finds-crime-witness-id-method-affect-error-232443953.html

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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the United Nations Secretary-General's Symposium on International Counter-Terrorism Cooperation

Thank you, Mr. President. It is a privilege to join with you – and with so many distinguished leaders and partners – in the city where I was born and raised, to discuss the future that we all seek and, together, must build.

I am honored to bring greetings from President Obama, and from my colleagues across the Administration and the Department of Justice. On their behalf, I especially want to thank the Secretary General for convening this symposium; for inviting me to join with Prime Minister Hasina, His Royal Highness Prince Al-Saud, Minister Jiménez, and Minister Natalegawa in opening today's discussions; and for his outstanding leadership in advancing the goals, and honoring the values, that our nations share.

In this time of uncommon challenges and evolving threats, our allegiance to these values – of liberty, privacy, opportunity, and justice – and the achievement of our collective security goals – have never been more important, or more urgent. Nowhere is this truer than in our work to confront, to prevent, and to combat global terrorism and counter violent extremism in all of its forms.

http://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/ag/speeches/2011/ag-speech-110919.html

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Latest Crime Statistics
Volumes Continue to Fall

The incidence of crime nationwide decreased again, according to our just released Crime in the United States Report. Overall, the estimated volume of violent crimes in 2010 dropped 6 percent compared to the 2009 figure, the fourth consecutive year it has declined. For the eighth consecutive year, the volume of property crimes went down as well—2.7 percent.

The report was compiled from data submitted to us by more than 18,000 city, county, university and college, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies from around the nation. It contains information on the number of reported murders and non-negligent manslaughters, forcible rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, larceny-thefts, motor vehicle thefts, and arsons.

Violent crime offenses were down across the board—the largest decrease was robbery, down 10.0 percent. Property crime offenses went down as well—the largest decline, 7.4 percent, was for motor vehicle thefts.

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/september/crime_091911/crime_091911

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Sept 19, 2011

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Jurors question deputies' testimony

Panelists' concerns over what they see as 'fabrications' spur an internal affairs investigation into law enforcement actions and testimony in a Compton weapons case.

When Compton jurors recently deliberated the fate of a man charged with possessing a concealed firearm, they thought the evidence was overwhelming — not that the man was guilty but that the Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies who testified against him had lied.

Jurors said a video of the arrest and inconsistent testimony from deputies left them no choice earlier this month but to vote for acquittal. The five jurors who spoke to The Times said authorities should investigate the deputies from the sheriff's anti-gang-unit who were involved in the case.

"These were not minor inconsistencies…. These were outright fabrications," said juror Ted Rhodes, 28, a construction project manager. "It'll be an injustice … if someone isn't held accountable."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sheriff-credibility-20110919,0,7947320,print.story

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