Immigration: For the sake of the children

You, me — any parent — would risk it all to cross the border to secure a better future for our families.

In 1979, in my hometown of Riverside, my father came home one evening with news from the linen plant where he worked. A group of women whose job it was to wash, dry, iron and stack hospital linen had been taken away by immigration officials that day. They were undocumented workers from Mexico and would be deported.

I was 18 when I heard this, and I couldn't stop thinking about the likelihood that the deported women had left children behind. What if one had been forced to leave her children with a neighbor she didn't like or trust, just for that morning, because she had no one else? What if a 10-year-old had been left to watch younger siblings, and then the house grew dark, and still no one came home? What would happen to those children now?

That summer, I wrote 50 pages in a notebook imagining the life of a young Mexican woman who was taken in an immigration raid, leaving her California-born daughter to be raised by a foster mother. It was a scenario I knew, since my own mother had raised foster children for years, and I knew how, for many of them, "mother" was just a distant idea.

But I didn't really understand — nor could I finish the novel — until I had daughters of my own, and nearly lost one of them. Only then did I begin to understand the full complexity of the story and why mothers, and fathers, would take such huge risks for the possibility of helping their families.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-straight-immigration-20111030,0,7981698,print.story

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Ontario, Canada

Community policing pitches Neighbourhood Watch program

Neighbours on the lookout for suspicious behavior to reduce incidents of mischief, theft and property crime in the community is the motive behind renewed efforts to form a Neighbourhood Watch program in Kenora.

Kenora Community Policing Committee chairman Bill Richards and OPP Const. Dave Cain presented the plan at a sparsely attended public meeting at the Kenora Recreation Centre's Rotary Room, Tuesday evening.

"It's all about teaching the community to take care of our own neighbourhoods," Cain explained.

Richards noted although the program hasn't been active in Kenora for several decades, increasing incidents of neighbourhoods being targeted for mischief, minor theft, graffiti and tagging have made the initiative a priority for the committee. "Hopefully, we'll get the program off the ground over the next year or less," Richards said.

http://www.lotwenterprise.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3350777

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New York

Cops need alternative to Tasers

The New York Civil Liberties Union recently issued a 40-page report, "Taking Tasers Seriously: The Need for Better Regulation of Stun Guns in New York." Unfortunately, the report failed to mention how community policing and police volunteers might help decrease the need to resort to Tasers.

In some Capital Region communities and elsewhere in New York, there are volunteer auxiliary police. Since long before the introduction of the community policing strategy, citizens have had the opportunity of volunteering to assist regular police in making their communities a safer place to live. Use of such volunteer police in New York City predates U.S. involvement in World War I.

The NYCLU report analyzed 851 Taser incident reports from eight police departments, including Albany and Guilderland. The report also looked at 10 departments' policies and guidelines for using the weapons, which deliver up to 50,000 volts of electricity.

A federal appeals court in California in 1995 cited the testimony of a law enforcement officer who compared a Taser shock to "being hit on the back with a four-by-four by Arnold Schwarzenegger." Taser weapons have contributed to the deaths of more than a dozen New Yorkers in recent years.

http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Cops-need-alternative-to-Tasers-2242280.php

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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Operation Pill Nation II Announcement

Today marks an important step forward in our nation's ongoing fight against one of the greatest public safety and public health epidemics of our time: prescription drug abuse. Along with three key leaders in this fight – DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Robert O'Neill, and Florida's Attorney General Pamela Bondi – and with all of the federal, state, and local partners standing behind us – I am here to announce the results of Operation Pill Nation II : the U.S. government's latest effort to target every aspect of the prescription drug supply chain, including the operators of rogue pain clinics, and unethical physicians and pharmacists.

This morning, law enforcement efforts led by the DEA and the U.S. Attorney's Office here in Tampa have resulted in the arrests of 22 individuals – including 5 doctors and 2 pharmacists. This work builds on the success of the first Operation Pill Nation , which was launched last year to target rogue pain clinics in South Florida. As of today, these two operations have led to 118 arrests, the surrender of more than 80 DEA registrations, and the seizure of more than $19 million in assets; and they have helped to bring about the closure of at least 40 Florida pain clinics.

Our targeted, aggressive enforcement actions are sending a clear message that – here in Florida, which has long been the nation's epicenter for the illegal distribution of prescription drugs – the days of easily acquiring these drugs from corrupt doctors and pharmacists are coming to an end.

http://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/ag/speeches/2011/ag-speech-111028.html

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Oct 29, 2011

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Police link 6 more slayings to Grim Sleeper suspect

The new allegations bring to 16 the killings linked to Lonnie Franklin Jr. But officials do not plan to seek criminal charges now in the new cases, fearing that would slow progress toward a trial.

Los Angeles police detectives have linked six more slayings to the suspect in the Grim Sleeper serial killings after reviewing hundreds of unsolved homicide cases and missing person reports, as well as a cache of photos of unidentified women found at the man's home.

Law enforcement sources told The Times that the new cases bring to 16 the number of killings linked to Lonnie Franklin Jr., 59, , who is already charged with murder in the slayings of 10 women whose bodies were found on the streets of South Los Angeles over two decades. Police also have now identified a second woman who they say survived an attack from Franklin.

Police investigators had long suspected that they would eventually find that the person responsible for the Grim Sleeper slayings had killed more than 10 women. Franklin was arrested in July 2010 and linked to the 10 slayings by ballistic and DNA evidence.

Detectives continued look for additional victims, taking the unusual step of releasing photographs of dozens of women found at Franklin's home, hoping the public could help determine if they too were victims.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-grim-sleeper-20111029,0,4224162.story

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Most of guns stolen from LAPD may have hit black market

Just three of about 30 weapons taken from a SWAT building have been found. Police had altered the guns to fire only plastic pellets, but it's possible to convert them back to lethal use.

All but three guns in a cache of weapons stolen earlier this month from an unguarded building used by the Los Angeles Police Department's SWAT unit remain missing and may have been sold or traded on the black market, police said Friday.

Police arrested two men on suspicion of committing the heist and three others for allegedly possessing the recovered weapons, said Cmdr. Andrew Smith. Much to police officials' dismay, however, the rest of the roughly 30 weapons stolen were not found in the suspects' possession.

Although the weapons, which included MP-5 submachine guns and large-caliber handguns, had been altered by police to fire only plastic pellets for training exercises, it is possible for them to be converted back to lethal use. LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and other police officials have downplayed that possibility, although gun experts and online tutorials suggest that the process is relatively easy and requires only a few parts.

The company that manufactures the conversion kits used by the LAPD has an instructional video on its website that walks a viewer through the steps of returning an MP-5 to its original form in about five minutes.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-swat-20111029,0,7984747.story

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China defines terrorism to win global support

BEIJING (AP) — China's legislature authorized new guidelines Saturday to define and combat terrorism, inching closer to international practices as the nation grapples with a sporadically violent rebellion in Central Asian border lands.

The resolution clearly sets China's legal definition of terrorism and the steps for formally declaring groups and individuals terrorists and for freezing their assets. The measure should help law enforcement prosecute terrorists differently from other criminals and to promote international cooperation on terrorism, said Li Shouwei, a criminal law expert for the legislature.

"Our country faces a real threat from terrorist activities, and the long-term, complex and sharp counterterrorism struggle is increasingly prominent," Li told reporters after the legislative session.

Separatist sentiment among Uighurs, a Turkic and traditionally Muslim ethnic group, in China's western Xinjiang region has occasionally erupted in riots, bombings and other acts of violence. Despite pouring in billions of dollars in investment and the migration of millions of Han Chinese into the largely poor, remote territory, China has been unable to squelch the violence. A raid on a police station and an arson-stabbing attack took place in July.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gQtfVHgIScvHrw8KDcRvpNw_4VYQ?docId=23e726d9e12c43c894362f1caaf141d5

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Canada

Community policing says Lock It or Lose It in NOTL parking lots this weekend

Committee members will be at community centre, Virgil sports park parking lots this weekend to help educate the public about car thefts, and thefts from cars

It's even easier if a vehicle is unlocked.

Yet when Cathy Wickabrod of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Community Policing Committee introduced the Lock It or Lose It program about three months ago, she discovered about half the cars she checked were not locked or had valuables in sight on a seat inside the car.

She chose a weekend in July, got permission from the town to put flyers on windshields in the Virgil Arena Sports Park, and checked about 30 cars.

The flyers let people know that their car has been checked, and remind drivers that an unlocked vehicle or an open window presents an easy target for thieves.

http://www.niagaraadvance.ca/PrintArticle.aspx?e=3350526

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Oct 28, 2011

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Dallas-area rapes have sorority asking why

Texas police are likewise confounded by why the assailant appears to be targeting older alumnae of Delta Sigma Theta, one of the nation's prominent black sororities.

Betty Culbreath is normally not a fearful person. That changed when she learned that four women raped in their homes nearby were fellow Delta Sigma Theta sorority alumnae — all in their 50s and 60s.

Culbreath, 70, went out to her car and removed her Delta license plate holder. She heeded the advice of the national president of the sorority to think twice before wearing Delta clothing or accessories, much of it in the sorority's signature color, red.

The crimes "made me fearful, more precautious," she said. "It has made me very conscious about anything that might identify me" as a Delta Sigma Theta.

Police are confounded by why a rapist appears to be targeting older women in one of the nation's prominent black sororities. For sorority members, the mystery underlies a dread that they could be the next victim attacked at home in the leafy Dallas suburbs of Corinth, Coppell and Plano. Here the flat land is dotted with lakes, evangelical churches and seemingly safe planned communities with names like Arbor Manors, Copperstone and Meadow Oaks.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-delta-sig-20111028,0,6032822.story

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Kidney "matchmaker" pleads guilty in organ trafficking case

U.S. officials said it was the first U.S. conviction for illegal sales of human organs.

Levy Izhak Rosenbaum, 60, could face up to 20 years in prison and a hefty fine after pleading guilty in federal court in Trenton, N.J., to brokering three illegal kidney transplants. He also admitted to one count of conspiring to broker an illegal kidney sale. According to prosecutors, he procured the kidneys from sellers in Israel for customers in New Jersey, who paid at least $120,000 per transaction.

Rosenbaum, who lives in Brooklyn, was arrested in 2009 in a sweeping crackdown on corruption in New Jersey, which also netted politicians and rabbis. A government informant had recorded Rosenbaum setting up what was supposedly a kidney sale for a man seeking an organ for his sick uncle.

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

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Albany Police Department Holds Community Policing Forum

Albany residents met with members of the Albany Community Police Advisory Committee Tuesday at the La Salle School. The forum allowed residents to share their concerns about their neighborhoods.

The Albany Police Department hopes to fix these problems through community policing, which encourages the police to have an active role in issues that go on in the neighborhoods. Their goal is to eliminate crime and the fear of crime by inspiring and empowering the community to work together to improve the quality of life and to make Albany a safer community.

Members of the Advisory Committee, which was formed in September 2009, were appointed by the Common Council. The committee holds forums throughout the city so that voices can be heard from different neighborhoods. They hope this approach gets the public more involved and builds a relationship between the police and the community.

The Neighborhood Engagement Unit works with the committee to monitor problems. Their job is to patrol different areas and interact with the community. The unit is made up of some 27 beat officers who are part of this unit and they work daily as a team. Lieutenant Michael Tremblay of the Neighborhood Engagement Unit helps with these efforts.

http://strosechronicle.com/wordpress/?p=2054

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Forum Hopes To Steer Tulsa Teens In A Positive Direction

TULSA, Oklahoma -- Tulsa's police and community coalition held a youth forum to get an important message across to high schoolers: That they can't have a positive future when they're involved in negative activities.

"We don't need you locked up, young men," said Marvin Blades, TPS Police Officer

This was the message of officer Marvin Blades as he talked to high school students. A message he hopes sinks in and makes a difference.

"Oh I hear it all the time, 'Oh I got five kids.' But you aren't taking care of any of them. Not one," Blades said.

It's straight talk about responsibility, education and doing the right thing.

http://www.newson6.com/story/15894183/program-hopes-to-steer-tulsa-teens-in-a-positive-direction?clienttype=printable

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Oct 27, 2011

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Mexico City opens massive public-surveillance center

The cameras peek at streets and people from the tops of light poles, inside buses and over subway platforms, watching in the name of public safety.

The local government, headed by Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, this week unveiled an intelligence center where all these video feeds are monitored. It is a state-of-the-art "integrated" hub with a name that sounds like a futuristic space vessel: the C4I4.

Speaking inside the building's circular nerve center -- where 600 video screens carried scenes of residential streets and choked intersections -- Ebrard told reporters that the C4I4 is one of the largest and most advanced public-safety command centers in the world.

It would serve as a hub in case of a major earthquake, an eruption of one of the nearby volcanos or an outbreak of the kind of intense drug-war street violence that has been seen in other parts of the country.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2011/10/mexico-city-security-intelligence-emergency-center-c4i4-ebrard.html

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Gallup poll: Record 43% of U.S. women say household has a gun

The number of U.S. women who say their household possesses a gun is at a record high. A Gallup Poll released Wednesday says 43% of American women report a gun in their home or somewhere on their property. That number is up seven percentage points, from 36% in 2010.

Men were even more likely to say their household has a gun. This year 52% of men reported a gun in their house or on their property -- also seven points higher than in 2010, when 45% said so. The gender gap is more pronounced when people are asked who owns the gun. Twice as many men as women say they own a gun -- 46% of men, 23% of women.

These results come from Gallup's Oct. 6-9 crime poll, which also found that public support for Americans' right to bear arms has hit an all time high. When asked whether there should be a law banning possession of handguns, nearly three-quarters said they opposed such a law. A little more than a quarter supported such a law.

It's unclear, however, whether more households actually have guns. Perhaps more people feel comfortable admitting that they do.

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

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Red-light traffic camera deals under scrutiny

Some contracts restrict police from doing things like lengthening the yellow signal and leave taxpayers holding the bag if the contracts are terminated early, says the report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, the federation of state public interest research groups.

"The most problematic contracts require cities to share revenue with the camera vendor on a per-ticket basis or through other formulas as a percentage of revenue," the group says. "In other words, the more tickets a camera system issues, the more profit the vendor collects."

"It just creates this really broad incentive to fine as many people as you can," says Phineas Baxandall, a co-author of the report. "That's not a good safety model."

About 700 communities in about half the states have deals with for-profit companies to install camera systems. The trend has been accelerated during the recession as local governments seek revenue that can help them avert laying off teachers, firefighters and police officers, the report says.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-10-26/red-light-camera-deals/50943554/1

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Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Speaks at the Anti-Violence Initiative Press Conference

Thank you John [Walsh]. It is an honor to be here today in support of the success of this Metro Denver summer anti-violence enforcement initiative. As John mentioned, during this past spring Metro Denver had an increase in the number of violent firearm related shootings and homicides. Instead of sitting on the sidelines, the U.S. Attorney's Office and the ATF, in partnership with the Aurora, Denver and Lakewood Police Departments, and the local District Attorneys, stepped up, focusing on locations where violent gun crime was most likely to occur. They combined their resources, created a task force, and initiated investigations into gang violence.

To see the results of this law enforcement initiative – arresting 80 defendants with firearms, most of whom have gang affiliations – is impressive. Agents and officers also seized over 100 firearms of all types, including machine guns, sawed-off shotguns, handguns, silencers, and destructive devices. It is clear that this partnership has made the streets of Metro Denver safer.

This initiative is consistent with the Department of Justice anti-violence strategy. In 2010 Attorney General Eric Holder tasked U.S. Attorney's Offices to be proactive, identifying violent crime hot spots, and develop law enforcement strategies to address the violent crime. That is exactly what was done here.

http://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/dag/speeches/2011/dag-speech-111026.html

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FBI Child ID App Updated with New Features

In response to user feedback, the FBI Child ID App has been updated with new features, including password protection and additional photo capabilities. To download the update, go to the iTunes store and click on the Apps button.

The iPhone mobile application, which enables users to electronically store photos and vital information about their children so that it's handy if they need it, was launched on August 5 and has been downloaded more than 80,000 times.

The app also includes tips on keeping children safe as well as specific guidance on what to do in those first few crucial hours after a child goes missing.

Read more about the Child ID App

http://www.fbi.gov/news/news_blog/fbi-child-id-app-updated-with-new-features

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Supporting Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Who Keep Our Nation Safe

Supporting Our BioDefense System to Meet Evolving Threats

Chemical weapon stockpile destroyed at Oregon's Umatilla site

For nearly 50 years, it was the deathtrap next door: 3.7 tons of nerve gas and blister agent, a big part of America's chemical weapons arsenal, stored at a depot near the little town of Hermiston, Ore.

On the last Tuesday of every month, 76 large sirens mounted on 50-foot poles across three counties would emit a blast of sweet-sounding Westminster chimes, followed by a reassurance that this was only a drill -- if not, a loud blare would have sounded instead and residents would have known that a plume of some of the deadliest poison on Earth was headed their way.

On Tuesday, the sirens sounded for the last time -- only hours after the final chemical agents there were destroyed. The end of the three-year disposal effort marked one of the closing chapters for the United States' once-massive buildup of weapons of mass destruction.

The last ton of mustard agent at Umatilla was successfully torched at 9:17 a.m., leaving the U.S. with just three of nine original chemical weapons storage sites, the last of which is scheduled for full disposal by 2023. Even deadlier caches of VX and sarin nerve agent were destroyed earlier at the northern Oregon facility.

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

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Loaded guns in checked bags aren't on TSA's radar

A handgun that fell out of a duffel at LAX exposes a potential loophole in safety precautions

For all the security improvements at airports after 9/11 — full-body scans, bans on liquids, pat downs — there is one check that airports aren't doing.
Bags checked at airline counters are scanned for possible explosives but not for loaded guns.

The potential loophole became apparent over the weekend at Los Angeles International Airport, when an undeclared, loaded .38-caliber handgun went undetected from the airport and almost onto an Alaska Airlines flight to Portland. It was discovered by ramp workers, who said the gun fell out of a duffel bag as they were about to load it on the plane.

At first, the incident appeared to a be a breakdown of LAX's extensive weapons detection system. But Transportation Security Administration officials said they are not required to screen for loaded weapons in checked luggage, only in carry-on luggage. TSA spokesman Nico Melendez said the duffel bag in question went through an explosives scanner, as do all checked bags. It did not generate an alert. "It may be an issue for some agency or the airline, but it's not a TSA issue. Our mandate is to screen baggage for explosives," he said.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gun-luggage-20111026,0,5644060.story

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The death penalty: valid yet targeted

No serious constitutional argument can be made against the death penalty. The endless campaigns to ban it cost taxpayers millions to defend.

On the September night that the state of Georgia put Troy Davis to death, a crowd of several hundred gathered at the Supreme Court in Washington to protest America's continued practice of capital punishment. But they were in the wrong place. The protesters should have assembled 600 miles southeast, in Atlanta. The Constitution does not empower the Supreme Court to proscribe capital punishment or to regulate it out of existence, and those who ignore that point have made it increasingly expensive and less effective.

Every legal argument against the death penalty begins with the 8th or 5th Amendment. The 8th bars "cruel and unusual punishments," and the 5th guarantees "due process of law" before a person can be "deprived of life, liberty or property." But there is no serious constitutional argument against the death penalty. The 5th Amendment itself recognizes the existence of "capital" crimes, and executions were common before and after the Constitution's framing. No framer ever suggested that the Constitution divested states of this part of their historical punishment power, nor has there been a constitutional amendment that does so.

Matters not addressed by the Constitution are left to the democratic process and, in the main, to the states. As in Europe and Canada, a solid majority of American citizens supports the death penalty, believing it to serve both as a deterrent and an appropriate societal response to particularly heinous crimes. Unlike in Europe and Canada, however, U.S. courts and political leaders have not overridden public opinion to end the practice.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-rivkin-death-penalty-20111026,0,7425149.story

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New York

Albany Police Department holds Community Policing Forum

Albany residents met with members of the Albany Community Police Advisory Committee Tuesday at the La Salle School. The forum allowed residents to share their concerns about their neighborhoods.

The Albany Police Department hopes to fix these problems through community policing, which encourages the police to have an active role in issues that go on in the neighborhoods. Their goal is to eliminate crime and the fear of crime by inspiring and empowering the community to work together to improve the quality of life and to make Albany the safest community in America.

Members of the Advisory Committee, which was formed in September 2009, were appointed by the Common Council. The committee holds forums throughout the city so that voices can be heard from different neighborhoods. They hope this approach gets the public more involved and builds a relationship between the police and the community.

The Neighborhood Engagement Unit works with the committee to monitor problems. Their job is to patrol different areas and interact with the community. The unit is made up of some 27 beat officers who are part of this unit and they work daily as a team. Lieutenant Michael Tremblay of the Neighborhood Engagement Unit helps with these efforts.

http://blog.timesunion.com/pinehills/albany-police-department-holds-community-policing-forum/4824/

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Community Policing: Branson Police's New Chief Wants Department More Involved With Residents, Businesses

Changes coming include officers on beats, more detective work and potentially longer shifts

BRANSON, MO -- Branson's new police chief has only been on the job since August, but he's already working to change the way his department enforces the law. Chief Kent Crutcher wants to practice Community Policing, connecting officers with a specific neighborhood or beat.

Crutcher says it brings a personalized approach to problem solving: if a police officer is more familiar with the area where a crime happened, it helps the investigation. That means more detective work for those officers and maybe more time on the job. Branson PD is currently studying the expanding the workday to a 12 hour shift instead of a 10 hour shift.

Chief Krutcher thinks, though, this philosophy fits for Branson. "Anytime you have a community that wants to be a part of that process, it'll work," said Krutcher. "That's what we have here. In the first couple of months I've met many people in the community and they appear to be a community that wants to be engaged, wants to know what's going on with the Police Department and crime in the community."

The chief reminded us though that things don't change overnight, or even in a few days - he says this move may not happen for over a year.

http://www.kspr.com/news/local/kspr-bransons-new-police-chief-introduces-community-policing-to-department-20111026,0,3221037,print.story

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Maryland

Sheriff rekindles neighborhood watches

SNOW HILL -- Sheriff Reggie Mason is fulfilling a campaign promise by reviving Worcester County's Neighborhood Crime Watch program.

The sheriff and his deputies, along with Worcester County State's Attorney Beau Oglesby, have met with residents of Stockton, Girdletree, Bishopville and Newark about the initiative. Next, the Sheriff's Office will meet with neighbors in Oyster Harbor, Friendship, Germantown, South Point and Whaleyville, according to Detective Dale Trotter, who heads up the crime watch under the department's Community Policing Division.

Mason said he's "tickled" the program will return under his tenure as sheriff.

"I'm very happy. I always liked this program, and I wanted to get it back," he said. "It's all about neighbor looking after neighbor. Hopefully, we'll get some of these smaller parts of the county covered before the year is out. This is one thing I wanted to get back in the communities."

He hopes Crime Watch can help build stronger relationships between the community and the deputies on patrol.

http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20111026/NEWS01/110260368/Sheriff-rekindles-neighborhood-watches

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Oct 25, 2011

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Rand retracts report on pot clinics and crime

Think tank says researchers failed to realize that data used in the study did not include LAPD statistics. It plans to recalculate its analysis.

In a rare move for one of the nation's most highly regarded research institutions, Rand Corp. on Monday retracted a controversial report on crime around Los Angeles medical marijuana dispensaries after realizing that it failed to include any crimes reported by the city's Police Department.

Researchers with the Santa Monica-based think tank used crime data compiled by a firm that collects information from about 1,200 law enforcement agencies, including the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, but not the LAPD.

"They made mistakes," said Debra Knopman, a Rand vice president and director of the infrastructure, safety and environment division. "What we're wrestling with is how the mistakes went undetected."

The extraordinary lapse has the esteemed institution closely examining how it reviews its research. The discredited report went through an internal and an external peer review.

"This is not something we take lightly," Knopman said. "This is a rare event, but it's happened, and it's absolutely leading us to take a renewed look at the procedures we follow."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-rand-pot-study-20111025,0,2844501.story

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Testing students' knowledge of the civil rights movement

Are students not learning such an important part of U.S. history? The Southern Poverty Law Center has done groundbreaking work combating racism and prejudice. But its study simply doesn't stand up.

"Students' Knowledge of Civil Rights History Has Deteriorated," one headline announced. "Civil Rights Movement Education 'Dismal' in American Schools," declared another.

The alarming headlines, which appeared in newspapers across the country, grew out of a report released three weeks ago by the Southern Poverty Law Center, "Teaching the Movement," which claims that the civil rights movement is widely ignored in history classrooms. By not teaching it, the report claims, American education is "failing in its responsibility to educate its citizens to be agents of change." The study included a report card for individual states, and California got slapped with a big fat F.

But is it true? Are today's students really not learning about such an important part of U.S. history? The Southern Poverty Law Center has done groundbreaking work in combating racism and prejudice. But its new study simply doesn't stand up.

For starters, the report did not base its conclusions on any direct testing of student knowledge. Not a single student, not a single teacher, not a single principal answered a single question about their knowledge for this report. The closest we get to a live child — and even this is a stretch — comes from Julian Bond, who wrote the report's forward. Bond recounts that "some years ago" he gave a quiz to college students and found that none could identify George Wallace.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-wineburg-civil-rights-education-20111024,0,5267952.story

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Fla. welfare drug test law blocked

A federal judge ordered a temporary halt Monday to a Florida law backed by Gov. Rick Scott that requires those seeking welfare benefits to pass a drug test, the AP reports.

Judge Mary Scriven, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, ruled that the law may violate the Constitution's protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Scriven expressed concern that drug tests were not kept confidential, and that they could be shared with law enforcement officers. The judge noted also that the tests can also reveal private information about an individual's medical issues.

The law's temporary injunction will remain until the judge can hold a full hearing on the matter, but it is not immediately clear when that will be.

The lawsuit was filed by the ACLU, which teamed up with 35-year-old Navy veteran and University of Central Florida student Luis Lebron, who receives welfare but has refused to take the drug test.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/66773.html

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Florida

Community Policing Credited in Tracking Murder Suspects

Bradenton Police have been building relationships with residents and businesses. On Saturday, the community helped solve the city's second murder of the year.

It took just 15 hours for Bradenton detectives to solve what seemed to be a ? random shooting death early Saturday. Detectives had arrested suspects and gotten a confession by 9 p.m. Saturday night, according to the police report.

Catching the suspects happened quickly, but solving the case was based on years of work to build relationships and trust between neighborhoods and police.

Charles A. Brown, 25, of Palmetto, and Tarvin L. Martin Jr., 23, of Bradenton, were charged with second degree murder in connection to the shooting of a motorist in east Bradenton. It is the city's second murder of 2011.

Police say residents were open to the request by police for help after the shooting. Businesses were eager to provide surveillance video, because they knew police as helpful since they frequently check in to make sure everything is all right.

http://bradenton.patch.com/articles/community-policing-pays-off-in-solving-weekend-murder

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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference

Thank you, Mark [Marshall]. It is an honor to stand with you today – and to salute the leadership that you have provided over the past year, as well as the example that you have set for IACP's next President.

Every person in this room – and, especially, the leaders on this stage – can be proud of the fact that, as IACP “forges forward” and begins an exciting new chapter, this association is starting from a position of strength. Not only is IACP our nation's oldest and largest law enforcement organization. It is also the most influential, and – many would argue – the most essential.

Although I know he'd never claim his share of credit for this achievement, the progress that IACP has made – and helped to lead – in recent years simply would not have been possible without Dan Rosenblatt. Throughout his 25 years as Executive Director, Dan has breathed new life into the IACP's founding principles of collaboration, innovation, and integrity. He has also served as an essential partner to our nation's Department of Justice.

During my tenure as Deputy Attorney General and now as Attorney General, Dan has been a trusted advisor to me – and a tireless advocate for law enforcement officials nationwide. He has called attention to the need for cutting-edge research and tools; paved the way for new levels of cooperation, transparency, and efficiency; and helped to drive significant improvements in national public safety efforts.

http://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/ag/speeches/2011/ag-speech-111024.html

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In the Line of Duty

56 Officers Feloniously Killed in 2010

Fifty-six law enforcement officers in 22 states and Puerto Rico were feloniously killed in 2010, and more than 53,000 officers were assaulted during the same period, according to statistics released by the FBI.

The annual Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted report released today offers the most complete public picture of the fatal circumstances that officers faced in 2010. In chilling detail, the report summarizes most of last year's fatal confrontations and illustrates a reality that every officer continually trains to recognize: that there are no routine engagements.

Information in the report, which is collected each year through the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, is intended to provide law enforcement agencies with detailed descriptions of the circumstances leading up to officer fatalities. The data can then be incorporated into tactical training.

“Only when detectives, use-of-force investigators, supervisors and administrators examine the various components of the deadly mix will a greater understanding of these encounters emerge,” FBI researchers wrote in a study called Violent Encounters, an in-depth look at years of fatal altercations like those in today's report. “To make an objective assessment of each case, it is necessary to carefully and completely examine all aspects of the incident thus allowing the facts to surface.”

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/october/leoka_102411/leoka_102411

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Oct 24, 2011

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U.S. immigration authorities boost efforts to hunt war criminals

The U.S. government — Immigration and Customs Enforcement in particular — steps up efforts to find, prosecute and deport people accused of human rights violations who try to hide here.

When Carlos de Graca Lopes took over as director of Sao Martinho Prison in Cape Verde in 2001, he arrived with a warning for inmates: He had one hand made of velvet and another made of iron. Grab the velvet hand and be rewarded. Grab the iron hand and face the consequences.

Over the next five years, Lopes ruled with his iron hand, according to a government indictment filed against him in Cape Verde. More than 150 times, the indictment alleges, he ordered or executed the beating and torture of prisoners, including spraying them in the face with water so they could not breathe and handcuffing them to an iron bar for weeks.

In 2006, despite a government order that Lopes remain in the island country off Africa's Atlantic coast while under investigation, he was granted a tourist visa to the United States, where he quickly disappeared.

There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of people like Lopes in the U.S., alleged human rights and war crimes violators who managed to emigrate to this country, often with legal authorization. Although federal immigration officials have long sought to find and deport such offenders, efforts to prevent their entry and punish violators has grown in the last few years.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ice-war-crimes-20111019,0,451828.story

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Malware myopia

As modern society leans more heavily on the Internet, its fragility becomes an ever greater concern.

Earlier this month, researchers discovered a cunning strain of malware, dubbed the Lurid Downloader, that has been systematically and silently stealing data from carefully targeted government computers in 61 countries.

The discovery was made by Trend Micro, a Tokyo-based computer security company, which identified the invader as a version of a well-known strain of malware that exploits vulnerabilities in the popular programs Adobe Reader and Microsoft Office. It inserts itself into a computer's core, and then phones home to a remote operator who moves continually from domain to domain on the Internet to avoid detection.

The Lurid Downloader had been at work for more than a year inside sensitive government networks (diplomatic offices, space agencies, research institutions), mostly in Russia and countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union. Once in place, the virus can easily hop around inside a network and, under the control of a remote operator, observe users' keystrokes, peruse files and upload any data it wants to keep.

It is just the most recent example of the newest trend in cyberattacks, something those in the field have dubbed "advanced persistent threats," or APTs. They forgo the more familiar blunderbuss methods of mass infection in favor of sniper-like precision, and they have begun bedeviling cyberspace like a cloud of stinging insects. All take advantage of the anarchic nature of the Internet itself, which emerged 30 years ago free of any central governance or oversight. Because of the essential fluidity of Internet Protocol addresses, which locate a computer in cyberspace, such attacks can be launched with little fear that authorities will be able to pinpoint their origin.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-bowden-malware-20111023,0,3815010,print.story

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Georgia

Restore community policing

Recently, Paine College played host to a meeting dedicated to better understanding how local neighborhoods can become safer places to live. Gathered there were representatives of several neighborhood associations, several county officials, Commissioner Matt Aitken and Capt. Scott Peebles of the sheriff's department.

Community policing is hardly new. It is what most seniors recall as the dominant policing philosophy from the 1940s, '50s and '60s, particularly in urban areas. It was characterized by officers who were assigned to an area for extended periods of time.

The officer knew the people on his beat, and the people who lived and worked there knew him. He knew whom to trust, and the people trusted him. The flow of intelligence and citizens' sense of security was significant. Why did this effective system change?

http://chronicle.augusta.com/opinion/letters/2011-10-23/restore-community-policing?v=1319412065

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South Carolina

Harleyville takes pride in community policing

HARLEYVILLE -- The way Neal Dye sees it, big-city cops are finally coming around to the kind of policing his department has done for years.

At age 83, Dye is thought to be the state's oldest police chief. He's also a walking billboard for community policing, for engaging citizens and building trust to combat crime.

Most days, you'll see Dye walking the streets, popping in shops and restaurants, chatting up customers, razzing clerks and otherwise taking the pulse of his town.

"Everything we do boils down to community policing and knowing who's in your town and who's on your streets," said Dye, who's been chief for 15 years. "If you want to know what's going on, you have to get out and talk to people."

A fractured hip and other ailments sidelined Dye for a spell this year, but he was back at it on a recent day. Passing motorists honked and waved. A few stopped to give him a hug.

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/oct/24/24smallc0psside/

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