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From the Los Angeles Times

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The wrong way to fight terrorism

Law enforcement and intelligence agencies' continued use of anti-Muslim training materials could lead to the collapse of a critical partnership with the Muslim American community.

by Salam Al-Marayati

October 19, 2011

We in the Muslim American community have been battling the corrupt and bankrupt ideas of cults such as Al Qaeda. Now it seems we also have to battle pseudo-experts in the FBI and the Department of Justice.

A disturbing string of training material used by the FBI and a U.S. attorney's office came to light beginning in late July that reveals a deep anti-Muslim sentiment within the U.S. government.

If this matter is not immediately addressed, it will undermine the relationship between law enforcement and the Muslim American community — another example of the ineptitude and/or apathy undermining bridges built with care over decades. It is not enough to just call it a "very valid concern," as FBI Director Robert Mueller told a congressional committee this month.

The training material in question provided to FBI agents at the academy in Quantico, Va. — as first reported by Wired magazine's Danger Room blog — contained bigoted and inflammatory views on Muslims, including claims that "devout" Muslims are more prone toward violence, that Islam aims to "transform a country's culture into 7th century Arabian ways," that Islamic charitable giving is a "funding mechanism for combat" and that the prophet Muhammad was a "violent cult leader."

Wired also found a 2010 presentation by an analyst working for the U.S. attorney's office in Pennsylvania that warns of a " 'Civilizational Jihad' stretching back from the dawn of Islam and waged today in the U.S. by 'civilians, juries, lawyers, media, academia and charities' who threaten 'our values.' The goal of that war: 'Replacement of American Judeo-Christian and Western liberal social, political and religious foundations by Islam.'"

Such baseless and inflammatory claims shall best be left to those few who share Al Qaeda's agenda of keeping America in a perpetual state of war with Islam. In other words, the rhetoric of Al Qaeda and these law enforcement trainers are opposite sides of the same coin of hate.

If our law enforcement and intelligence agencies continue to use incorrect and divisive training literature, the crucial partnership between the Muslim American community and law enforcement will slowly disintegrate. According to the Muslim Public Affairs Council's Post-9/11 Terrorism Incident Database, these partnerships have proved effective in keeping our nation safe. Nearly 40% of Al Qaeda-related plots threatening the American homeland since 9/11 have been foiled thanks to tips from Muslims.

One example of this is the so-called Virginia 5 case in 2009, in which information from the Muslim community in Virginia led to the arrest in Pakistan of five Muslims from Virginia who were trying to join an Al Qaeda group. Last year, in another case, members of a Maryland community warned law enforcement about Antonio Martinez, who had recently converted to Islam. He was subsequently arrested after he allegedly tried to blow up a military recruitment center.

More important, Muslim leaders, not FBI agents, can more effectively battle Al Qaeda's destructive ideas.

I have worked for more than 20 years with law enforcement and Muslim American communities, and one of the biggest consequences of these training sessions and use of this material is the setback of a vital relationship that required years to build. I know justifiable criticism can be levied against some Muslim leaders in America for not aggressively promoting civic engagement, for not being self-critical enough and for not distancing themselves from rabble-rousers. But how can we persuade Muslim American communities to stay at the table when the food on the table is filled with poison?

These training manuals are making it more difficult for Muslim Americans to foster any trust with law enforcement agencies. Biased and faulty training leads to biased and faulty policing.

The real challenge now is getting the partnership back on track, and for the FBI and the Justice Department to take the following steps: issue a clear and unequivocal apology to the Muslim American community; establish a thorough and transparent vetting process in selecting its trainers and materials; invite experts who have no animosity toward any religion to conduct training about any religious community to law enforcement. Finally, the White House needs to form an interagency task force that can conduct an independent review of FBI and Justice Department training material.

The following words are etched into the walls of the FBI headquarters building in Washington: "The most effective weapon against crime is cooperation … of all law enforcement agencies with the support and understanding of the American people."

Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. and FBI Director Mueller, take some leadership on this matter, or the partnership we've built to counter violent extremism will forever be handicapped. The question you have to answer is simple: Are we on the same team or not?

Salam Al-Marayati is president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-almarayati-fbi-20111019,0,5130318,print.story

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From Google News

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Deportations Reach a New All-Time High

October 18, 2011

The United States deported the largest amount of people in the last year in the nation's history, immigration officials say.

John Morton, the director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, says the agency deported nearly 400,000 individuals during the fiscal year 2011 that just ended in September.

ICE said about 55 percent of those deported had felony or misdemeanor convictions.

More than 1 million undocumented immigrants have been deported since President Obama took office in January 2009.

Officials said the number of deported individuals who had been convicted of crimes was up 89 percent from 2008. But officials could not immediately say how many of those crimes were related to immigration violations.

Among those deported were more than 1,000 people convicted of homicide. Another 5,800 were sexual offenders, and about 80,000 people convicted of drug related crimes or driving under the influence.

Authorities say two-thirds of those deported either recently crossed the border or had done so repeatedly.

"Smart and effective immigration enforcement relies on setting priorities for removal and executing on those priorities," Morton said in a statement.

“These year-end totals indicate that we are making progress, with more convicted criminals, recent border crossers, egregious immigration law violators and immigration fugitives being removed from the country than ever before,” he said.

The Obama administration recently announced that it was suspending deportations while it reviewed each of the roughly 300,000 cases pending and put those involving criminals or people who posed another threat to the public ahead of the line. Those whom it deemed low-risk would be put on hold, or their cases would be closed, administration officials said.

"These priorities," said the ICE website, "include the identification and removal of those that have broken criminal laws, threats to national security, recent border crossers, repeat violators of immigration law and immigration court fugitives."

The administration's announcement about the new deportation policy unleashed criticism by proponents of a tough approach to illegal immigration who said the new policy was a form of amnesty. They argue that everyone whose presence here is unlawful should be deported.

Advocates for more lenient immigration policies have assailed the Obama administration for failing to achieve comprehensive immigration reform, and instead expelling a record number of immigrants.

Many say his actions -- which they say run counter to his 2008 campaign pledges to help people find a path to legalization -- amount to betrayal.

The Obama administration says it is simply using limited resources in a more efficient way by directing them at the most dangerous immigrants in the country.

This is based on a story by The Associated Press.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2011/10/18/us-deportations-reach-new-record/

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Most illegal immigrants deported last year were criminals

WASHINGTON–The U.S. deported nearly 400,000 illegal immigrants last year, and an increasing number of them were convicted criminals, according to figures set for release Tuesday by the Department of Homeland Security.

Deportations have been on the rise for the past decade, and the 396,906 illegal immigrants deported in fiscal year 2011 is the highest number yet, according to the figures.

Under the Obama administration, Homeland Security issued new priorities to focus deportations on convicted criminals, people who pose threats to national security and repeated border-crossers. Last year, 55% of those deported were convicted criminals, the highest percentage in nearly a decade.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton said the numbers reflect the administration's "focus on sensible immigration."

"In the face of limited resources, we have to prioritize, and that starts with criminal offenders," Morton said. "We are making sure that people who game the system face the consequences."

Critics say the numbers illustrate that the administration is intent on finding ways for illegal immigrants to stay in the country.

Obama last year endorsed the DREAM Act, which would have granted legal status to some children of illegal immigrants, but it failed to pass Congress.

And Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has questioned the reprioritizing of deportations, arguing that it amounts to a free pass for illegal immigrants who have not committed major crimes.

"It's disappointing that the Obama administration continues to put illegal immigrants before the American people," Smith said. "We could free up millions of jobs for citizens and legal immigrants if we simply enforced our immigration laws."

Others look at the numbers and wonder how they could be interpreted as leniency.

"For billions of dollars to be spent so that 45% of the people we're deporting are not convicted criminals is not a good use of our enforcement dollars," said Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, which supports a path for some of the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants to become citizens.

Of the convicted criminals deported last year, 1,119 were convicted of homicide, 5,848 of sexual offenses, 44,653 of drug-related offenses and 35,927 of driving under the influence, according to the Homeland Security figures.

The number of illegal immigrants deported has risen from 116,782 in 2000. The percentage of criminal deportations was at 31% when Obama assumed office.

Chief's Challenge: Change Minus Tsuris

by Paul Bass

Bringing community policing to New Haven the first time sparked a civil war within the department. Will the city's new chief be able to bring it back without sparking another one?

That question follows Tuesday's return appearance in town of Dean Esserman. The one-time New Haven assistant police chief will become the city's new police chief, the fourth in four years, starting Nov. 16.

At a City Hall press conference, Esserman made clear what he plans to do. Initial reactions, including from some old-line skeptics, suggest that he may have an easier path this time around.

“In my day [New Haven] was the center of the country for community policing. It is time to regain that reputation,” Esserman said. “Community policing works.”

Esserman, most recently the chief in Providence, R.I., spelled out some of what that means (since “community policing” has at times become a catch-all, often meaningless phrase in public discussion): Cops assigned to regular neighborhood walking beats again. Programs like the one New Haven invented pairing cops with Yale Child Study Center shrinks to work with young kids who witness violence. Acknowledging that gangs exist and dealing with them. Police developing personal relationships with people in neighborhoods and focusing on intelligence-gathering. Cops visiting shooting victims—even in the middle of the night.

“I roll on every shooting,” declared Esserman, who's 54. “I go to every hospital. I go to every wake. I go to every funeral.” He said he expects his officers, too.

After 20 years in the business, Esserman added, he has new tricks to add to that toolkit. The biggest one: He promised to bring the “High Point” plan to New Haven.

That's the gang-violence and drug-dealing strategy that grew out of High Point, N.C. In Providence, Esserman oversaw the federal government's first successful effort to replicate that program. That strategy has now spread to cities across the country. Under the High Point experiments, police work with federal agencies, probation, family members, and social services to offer two choices to the small group of violent drug-gang members responsible for the majority of homicides in a community. They amass mountains of evidence to lock them up—with a commitment to follow through. But they also offer them a chance to avoid jail and get help to straighten out their lives. The approach has targeted open-air drug markets as well as gangs engaged in deadly ongoing beefs. New Haven officials promised to bring it here a few years ago, then didn't. (Read about that here, here, and here.)

That strategy is now definitely coming to New Haven, Esserman said.

Will the cops go along—with the whole package?

Civil War

The question emerges because of what happened in the early 1990s, when Esserman and his then-boss, Chief Nick Pastore, brought community policing to New Haven for the first time.

They established walking beats. They indeed visited gang leaders in the hospital when they got shot—and then, with the help of a new neighborhood-fueled intelligence unit, put them and their fellow gang-bangers behind bars for more than a decade. They brought cops up on charges if they brutalized citizens—and then held firm when white cops went on a 48-hour “blue flu” and jammed police radios amid a flurry of shootings. Cops accused the new regime of coddling criminals and opposing police.

As New Haveners have called for a return to the old community-policing approach, that part of the happy story usually gets left out.

In some of the initial reaction to Esserman's appointment, some of the old refrains have emerged. Someone claiming to be a Providence cop blasted Esserman in an Independent comments thread for visiting a shot gang member in the hospital. (When Nick Pastore did that with a gang leader named Montez Diamond, cops erupted in outrage. Diamond's gang was one of the ones the cops eventually dismantled.)

“To the gang bangers and murderers: Don't worry; if you find yourself in the hospital with serious wounds, Esserman will be by your bedside holding your hand and telling you that you are safe now,” the person wrote.

“Talk about a slap in the face,” a veteran New Haven cop wrote about Esserman in the same thread. “The ship will definitely sink.”

Eventually, Pastore succeeded in overcoming resistance to community policing. It became the city's policy for more than a decade. Violent crime plummeted. The strategy began to unravel over the past five years. In the past few years, especially in this year's Democratic primary campaign, people throughout the community called for a return to walking beats and bike beats and reestablished community ties. In response, the mayor recently announced a small return to walking beats, albeit not with cops regularly assigned to a neighborhood, but with temporary moving teams of overtime officers from across the city.

Mayor John DeStefano Tuesday predicted Esserman won't face resistance in instituting New Haven Community Policing 2.0.

“We know it. There's a foundation here,” DeStefano said. “The men and women [on the force] just want to serve. This is not going to be foreign and alien to them.”

“There won't be a war. These cops want it. And Esserman, his policing strategies are tried and true. He's a professional. he knows what he's doing. And he's going to be here,” agreed Officer Shafiq Abdussabur, who joined the force in round one. “The officers are excited.”

One longtime cop described how his own thinking changed, and how he turned from a Pastore resister to a community policing advocate.

“When you're a young rookie on the job, you want to get in the car and put on the siren and make an arrest. When you mature, you realize if the community trusts you there isn't anything you can't solve” he said.

He predicted Esserman will succeed.

“I'm happy we have somebody who is going to bring real community policing,” he said. ” A lot of guys don't know what it's like to walk and shoot baskets with kids and go up on people's porches and have iced tea. They just might like what they see.”

“Don't forget there was a lot of resistance with him because of Nick Pastore. The majority of those people are gone—the people who were older on the job when Nick was here. Listen, at this stage of the game, we've got a guy who's going to come in here and truly be a leader. People are going to get stuff [promotions and assignments] here based on merit.”

However, this veteran officer said he disagrees with Esserman's call to visit shooting victims in the hospital. “Don't you think that's a little much? If two guys get involved in a gunfight and one guy gets shot, do you go and say, ‘Are you OK?' As a citizen, I don't think we coddle criminals.”

DeStefano also noted that Esserman is not bringing in a crew of out-of-town deputies. Esserman made a point at Tuesday's press conference of praising the existing four assistant chiefs and vowed to rely on them. He also spoke of how he made his “first call” en route to New Haven to police union President Arpad Tolnay (at left in photo). At that point in the press conference, Esserman left the podium to shake Tolnay's hand.

“Thank you for taking my call, brother,” Esserman said as cameras rolled.

Afterward Tolnay said they'd had a good conversation.

“He seems very dedicated about coming here and working with everyone,” Tolnay said.

One veteran officer who remains critical of the Pastore/Esserman era to this day said wariness remains of Esserman's bonafides. “We know he was never a street cop and never made a pinch,” said the officer, who for obvious reasons preferred to remain nameless.

The officer said that nevertheless, he sees two differences this time around. First off: Esserman “was always pro-cop. It didn't seem like he came as an adversary to the cops. ... Pastore was despised by the rank and file.”

Second: “People in New Haven like community policing. A lot of the newer generation cops like community policing. It fell by the wayside, like all things in New Haven, like the bicycle patrol.”

A Guru's Prediction

Kennedy, a John Jay College professor, devised the High Point strategy. The U.S. Justice Department hired him to help departments across the country implement it. He has worked with Esserman for 30 years, he said.

“Dean has been one of the national leaders in embracing this new way of doing the work and making it concrete in his city,” Kennedy said in an interview Tuesday.

“There is a new breed of police administrator in this country, the style that Bill Bratton first modeled in New York. Police professionals take over their agencies with the idea their police departments will actually do something powerful and dramatic about crime. They're not looking for 5 percent improvement over last year. They're looking for really big improvements.”

Don't Shoot , Kennedy's new book on the strategy includes a chapter highlighting Providence's force under Esserman as a shining example of how it can work. So have newspaper articles around the country, such as this one.

Kerekes Isn't Sold; Graves Optimistic

At a press conference outside police headquarters, he blasted Mayor DeStefano's decision to hire a new chief 20 days before the election.

“He's very arrogant to think he's still going to be mayor,” Kerekes said.

The selection of Esserman should have gone through a “proper vetting process,” Kerekes said.

“He might be the right person for the job,” he said, but “a cloud” hangs over him from Providence.

Esserman has endured widespread criticism from some cops in Providence who disagreed with his approach to policing, as well as from critics such as jailed former mayor-turned-talk radio jock Buddy Cianci, who relentlessly slammed him on the air.

Kerekes noted that Esserman lost a no-confidence vote from the Providence police union and later stepped down—just as Chief Frank Limon lost a no-confidence vote form New Haven's union and subsequently left the job.

“Why aren't we hiring a chief from within” the department? Kerekes asked. “We have some good people here.”

Clifton Graves, who also ran against DeStefano this year, attended Kerekes' press conference as a spectator. Afterwards he said he agrees with Kerekes' criticism of the hiring process. But he praised the choice of Esserman.

Graves noted that in his Democratic mayoral primary campaign this year, he called for a return to ‘90s-style community policing under the direction of an experienced leader. He said Esserman could be that guy.

“I had a chance to meet Esserman when he was the architect of community policing” in New Haven, Graves said. He said Esserman did a good job.

Mayoral spokesman Adam Joseph argued that “the mayor of New Haven has a responsibility to act in the best interests of public safety for all the families of the city. It is incumbent on the mayor to act swiftly and decisively to fill leadership at the top of the department.”

“Family Cops”

In a recent speech, Esserman offered an expanded version of his philosophy of community policing.

He spoke at a “summit” sponsored by a group called the “Business Innovation Factory." Click on the play arrow to watch.

And click here to read about Esserman's bout with colon cancer—and how his experience in the hospital spawned an idea to replicate the “medical” model in making police departments “teaching” places.

“The new family practice in America is policing. The neighborhood doctor who makes house calls might be fading,” Esserman said at the Business Innovation forum. “But the police officer who makes house calls and walks the neighborhood and is part of a neighborhood and a community is ascendant.”

“Most crime is little crime, not big crime,” Esserman said. But, he said, it can become big crime—and police need to reestablish a trusting relationship with the public in order to address it.

Esserman comes to New Haven at a time that many in the community have called for a return to the style of community policing he helped usher in during the 1990s along with his then-boss, Chief Nick Pastore.

Esserman spoke to the Business Innovation Factory with, among others, Ben Berkowitz of New Haven's SeeClickFix. Berkowitz, who was has been outspoken on police issues, came away impressed with Esserman.

“I go to every funeral. .. I go to every wake. I go to every hospital room,” Esserman said. “I expect my people to have no life. I expect them to work.”

He spoke of his “report cards” for his officers.

“If the community loves you and they're hugging and kissing you, and murders are going through the roof, you are not going to feel my love,” he said.

“At the same time, if you are doing remarkable work and you have alienated the community, you are not going to feel my love.”

“You need to be connected to the community. They are the ones who give you your authority ... At the same time, you have to do what you are given your oath to do, which is ... to make it a safer community,” Esserman said.

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/we_lost_our_relation/id_41254

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Washington

Lindon police chief working to prevent domestic abuse

by Audra Rasmussen

Police Chief Cody Cullimore of Lindon was selected as one of 30 law enforcement executives from across the United States to participate in the 15th National Law Enforcement Leadership Institute on Violence Against Women.

Hosted by The International Association of Chiefs of Police, the goal of the conference was to help law enforcement develop and enhance strategies to prevent and eliminate violence against women in their communities.

Since he had the rare opportunity to build a police department from the ground up, Cullimore has created community policing programs that have allowed the citizens of Lindon to get to know their law enforcement officers. Known in his town simply as Cody, it is his small-town approach to law enforcement that has kept the city of Lindon statistically safe from crime.

"A lot of places there is an emphasis on revenue and ticket writing and those types of things," Cullimore said. "We have never felt that here. When I came here at the start of this police process I explained that my attitude was more into education and safety. The council bought into that and I have felt that support from them."

The Seattle conference provided Cullimore with the opportunity to brainstorm with other police executives on how to develop awareness about domestic violence and how to train law enforcement to respond to acts of domestic violence.

IACP hopes "to strengthen the commitment of law enforcement officers to address violence against women, and enhance the ability of agencies to effectively respond to victims," said Meredith Ward, legislative and media affairs manager for the IACP.

The conference represented several types of communities; many have high rates of crime when compared to those like Lindon with low crime rates. However, no matter the location, domestic violence goes widely unreported and exists in all fashions in all communities, according to Ward.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month is observed every October to give a voice to those affected by domestic violence. Cullimore said he hopes to provide an outlet for victims to do this as well. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than 2,000 women and men were killed in 2007 by intimate partners. Domestic violence impacts not only the direct victims of violence but also the children who witness it.

"Leaders explored innovative approaches for investigating these crimes, learned ways to communicate their commitment to combating violence against women, and set meaningful goals for their agencies and communities," Ward said.

Education will be a key element in opening up communication between the police and the community of Lindon. A program will be developed to be taught to schoolchildren about domestic violence, stalking and harassment. The program also will focus on teaching about these crimes through social media.

"Yes, you should try to keep yourself out of bad situations and avoid things that could cause you to become a victim, but when something happens to you it does not mean that it is your fault. No means no," Cullimore said.

Victims of domestic violence are often hesitant to report the crimes because they fear retaliation from their abuser; they believe that such abuse happening is demoralizing, and they think that there is no guarantee that reporting the crime will make their lives any safer.

Cullimore hopes to inform the Lindon community and law enforcement officers about the importance of noticing, reporting and most importantly supporting victims of domestic violence.

"Victims need to feel safe in their relationship with law enforcement. They need to know that we are out there to help them," Cullimore said. "We want the victim to feel comfortable coming forward and let them know that the community is going to be on their side. By the time the victim actually becomes brave enough to contact the police, the incidents of false reporting are very, very small."

Cullimore said he will work with his officers to ensure that they follow a standard procedure so law enforcement responds to victims' needs appropriately on scene, making arrests when necessary, filing detailed police reports and gathering the right evidence needed for a successful prosecution. Victims also will be given information regarding government and nonprofit agencies that are available to them to help them leave their abuser.

Human trafficking also will be addressed in law enforcement training as this crime becomes increasingly common in Utah.

The IACP will continue working with Cullimore by having him report to make sure his plan of action is developing and to receive additional support and feedback on how to improve his efforts.

Cullimore said he credits a lot of his ability to work so much with the community to Mayor James Dain and the Lindon City Council, who have supported him in his efforts to educate the residents of Lindon about crime prevention, reporting and being prepared.

"Chief Cullimore is the finest chief any community could ask for. He has instilled in his officers a love for Lindon and our residents," Dain said. "His opinion is that relationships with community members are more important than a heavy hand."

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/article_0c42d102-b790-53fb-9f61-d98fa6dd84d7.html

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From ICE

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ICE announces year-end removal numbers, highlights focus on key priorities including threats to public safety and national security

Versión en español

WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director John Morton today announced the agency's fiscal year 2011 year-end removal numbers, highlighting trends that underscore the administration's focus on removing individuals from the country that fall into priority areas for enforcement. These priorities include the identification and removal of those that have broken criminal laws, threats to national security, recent border crossers, repeat violators of immigration law and immigration court fugitives.

"Smart and effective immigration enforcement relies on setting priorities for removal and executing on those priorities," said Director Morton. "These year-end totals indicate that we are making progress, with more convicted criminals, recent border crossers, egregious immigration law violators and immigration fugitives being removed from the country than ever before. Though we still have work to do, this progress is a testament to the hard work and dedication of thousands of ICE agents, officers and attorneys around the country."

Overall, in FY 2011 ICE's Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations removed 396,906 individuals — the largest number in the agency's history. Of these, nearly 55 percent or 216,698 of the people removed were convicted of felonies or misdemeanors — an 89 percent increase in the removal of criminals since FY 2008. This includes 1,119 aliens convicted of homicide; 5,848 aliens convicted of sexual offenses; 44,653 aliens convicted of drug related crimes; and 35,927 aliens convicted of driving under the influence. ICE achieved similar results with regard to other categories prioritized for removal. Ninety percent of all ICE's removals fell into a priority category and more than two-thirds of the other removals in 2011 were either recent border crossers or repeat immigration violators.

Secretary Napolitano has directed ICE to focus its resources as effectively as possible on key priorities. This includes expanding the use and frequency of investigations and programs like Secure Communities and Operation Cross Check, that target criminal aliens; working closely with CBP to remove recent border crossers; and focusing on repeat violators of immigration laws and immigration fugitives.

As part of the effort to ensure that the immigration system can focus its resources on high priority cases, ICE has implemented policies and processes that ensure that those enforcing immigration laws make appropriate use of the discretion they already have in deciding the types of individuals prioritized for removal from the country.

ICE will continue to analyze its policies and the results of its programs, making improvements where necessary to meet our priorities.

Visit our immigration enforcement Web page for more information.

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1110/111018washingtondc.htm

From the FBI

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FBI Releases Images in David Parker Ray Case

The Albuquerque FBI has released hundreds of images of items that were collected during the investigation of David Parker Ray. The New Mexico man died in state prison in 2002 while serving a sentence of more than 223 years in connection with kidnapping and other charges involving two women who said he sexually tortured them at his residence near Elephant Butte Lake. Numerous searches have been conducted over the years based on suspicions Ray may have killed several unidentified victims. Ray claimed to have abducted about 40 victims from several states. No bodies have been found.

The FBI believes some of the items, which include jewelry and clothes, may have been taken from victims and is asking the public to see if they recognize any of the items.

"The FBI, along with its law enforcement partners in New Mexico, is aggressively pursuing several leads in the search for remains of any possible victims of David Parker Ray," said Frank Fisher of the Albuquerque Field Office. "We are asking family and friends of missing people to look over these photographs and contact us if they recognize any of these items."

Anyone with any information in the case is asked to contact Albuquerque Police Detective Richard Lewis at rlewis@cabq.gov

View the items

http://www.fbi.gov/news/news_blog/fbi-releases-images-in-david-parker-ray-case

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