Fighting the national debt, out of their own pockets

Tired of watching endless partisan fights in Congress, a few people are taking simple action on the national debt: They mail the government a check.

Atanacio Garcia isn't waiting for Washington to reduce the national debt. The 84-year-old retired postal worker from San Antonio, a man of simple means and a simple credo, donates $50 a month from his pension, plus whatever he makes from collecting aluminum cans in his neighborhood, to reduce Uncle Sam's IOU.

"I'm a believer in our country," said Garcia, an Army veteran who has promised that he will contribute "until the debt is paid off or until I die."

Garcia, a father of five who has lived in the same two-bedroom home for decades, is among hundreds of public-spirited Americans who have sent money, from pocket change to million-dollar checks, to the federal Bureau of Public Debt at P.O. Box 2188 in Parkersburg, W.Va.

Since President Kennedy signed legislation 50 years ago setting up the little-known program that accepts donations to pay down the debt, about $83 million has been collected, including $2,440.80 from Garcia.

While Congress generates widespread public disgust with its hyper-partisan fights over reducing the national debt — which this month surpassed $15 trillion —this tiny corps of debt-busters has quietly found a way to take a micro-stab at the problem, motivated by a sense of patriotism, not politics.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-debt-donors-20111127,0,7702312.story

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LAPD's approach to Occupy L.A. will be put to the test

The Police Department under Chief Charlie Beck, well aware of a history of clashes with civilians, has put on a charm offensive toward protesters. Monday's camp shutdown may be a defining moment.

When the tents started spreading out across the City Hall lawn seven weeks ago, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck quickly realized that the Occupy L.A. protest could become a defining moment for his department.

Beck immediately made it his business to know what was going on inside the loosely organized movement. He talked frequently to several protest leaders on the telephone and kept in close contact with civil rights lawyers who were advising the demonstrators. His officers made a point of talking up protesters on the ground — and trying to ignore the smell of marijuana that wafted through the camp. On Thanksgiving Day, two LAPD commanders delivered turkeys to demonstrators.

The charm offensive was all leading up to Monday morning, when the LAPD may begin clearing out the camp.

As police in New York and Oakland and at UC Davis and UC Berkeley have come under criticism for what some consider heavy-handed treatment of Occupy protesters, Beck said he's determined for things to go more smoothly in Los Angeles. But he admits he's not sure they will.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-occupy-lapd-20111127,0,6814740,print.story

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A small piece of immigration reform

The Department of Homeland Security will roll out a pilot program next week intended to speed up the deportation of immigrants with criminal records by weeding out low-priority cases.

Next week, the Department of Homeland Security will roll out a pilot program intended to speed up the deportation of immigrants with criminal records by weeding out low-priority cases. It's a sensible plan, and one that could restore some sanity to a deportation system that wastes time with harmless immigrants and thereby allows dangerous ones to escape its attention.

Under the pilot program, teams of prosecutors in Baltimore and Denver will review all pending immigration cases in those cities and then decide whether to issue temporary reprieves to the elderly, students, children, victims of domestic crimes and those with a close relative who is a U.S. citizen. Reprieves would be limited to those without criminal convictions. If all goes well, the program would be expanded nationwide in January.

Until recently, government attorneys were required, with rare exceptions, to treat immigrants convicted of serious crimes with the same urgency as those who are merely here illegally. The new guidelines will allow them to place the high-priority cases — those involving criminals — on a fast track for a hearing before a judge. At the same time, this could help free up overburdened immigration courts by reducing dockets.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-dhs-20111127,0,5026866,print.story

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Former LAPD Chief Predicts The Future Of Policing

L.A.'s triumph over crime

More officers and better policing are among the key reasons L.A. is a much safer city today.

As families gather across Los Angeles and beyond, many will celebrate the holiday weekend with a joy they owe in part to this city's historic triumph against crime. In the early 1990s, Los Angeles typically was the scene of more than 1,000 murders a year, a shocking toll that sapped the city's self-confidence as it cut a devastating swath through neighborhoods, schools and, most tragically, families. It has become easy in recent years to expect crime to decline here, but it's worth remembering how dangerous this city was compared with how safe it is.

As of mid-November this year, 254 men and women have been murdered in Los Angeles during 2011. That's still a shocking number, but it means that some 800 families will enjoy this holiday without the shadow of murder. And that's true year after year; those 800 families are merely those who escaped a tragedy in the last 12 months. Hundreds more would have suffered a loss in the previous year or years before, so the relief is as compounding as the tragedy once was.

That sea change in violence and its ramifications is part of a national trend, though the effects in Los Angeles have been particularly dramatic. Across the nation, the homicide rate — the number of people killed per 100,000 population — increased from about four per 100,000 in the 1950s to about 10 in the early 1990s; since then, it has dropped to about 5.5. The decline in Los Angeles has been far greater: In 1993, the homicide rate was 30.5 per 100,000; this year, it's on track to end at about six. As city leaders like to note, not since Eisenhower was president has Los Angeles been this safe.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-crime-20111126,0,25464,print.story

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Ohio

Two more bodies may be linked to Craigslist

ZANESVILLE - Two more bodies were discovered Friday morning - one in Noble County and the other in Summit County - that might be linked to an alleged murder plot using a Craigslist help wanted ad.

Early Friday morning, the Noble County Sheriff's Office and agents from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation discovered a body that appears to be that of a white male in a shallow grave in Stock Township. No identification was found, and the body was sent to the Licking County Coroner's Office for an autopsy.

A second body was found Friday morning in a shallow grave near Rolling Acres shopping mall in Akron.

Special Agent Vicki Anderson with the Federal Bureau of Investigation said that body was discovered after investigators were given information about where to look.

Anderson said she could not say if the body was that of Timothy Kern, of Massillon. Kern hasn't been seen in more than a week, and might have been another victim of the Craigslist ad asking for workers to help with a farm in Noble County.

http://www.marionstar.com/article/20111126/NEWS01/111260303/Two-more-bodies-may-linked-Craigslist?odyssey=nav%7Chead

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Dayton mayor praises police department

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - Dayton's Mayor Gary Leitzell joined 2 News Today Friday morning where he praised Dayton's police department.

Theft from vehicles in the downtown district is down by more than a third this year, even though there are more restaurants, bars and clubs operating downtown, said Leitzell.

He also told 2 News about an award given for a community policing project at Belmont High School. The project reduced reported crimes and disorderly behavior by 80 percent, and student attendance and performance have improved. This project has just won an international award for its excellence.

The mayor also set the facts straight. "The proposed 2012 budget does not include any reductions in firefighters or police officers," he said.

http://www.wdtn.com/dpp/news/dayton-mayor-praises-police-department

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Texas

Rowlett police recognized for community policing

The Rowlett Police Department has been recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police for its approach to community policing.

The department was named a finalist for the 2011 IACP Community Policing Award in the 50,001-100,000 population category. The winner for the category was the New Rochelle Police Department in New York.

“It tells our community that we take our job seriously, that we are working hard to provide them the best law enforcement that we can,” Chief Matt Walling said. “Internally, it validates the efforts that we've made the last couple of years to try to make a community policing and problem-solving ingrained in the department.”

Community policing involves the community in crime prevention, while problem-oriented policing, another discipline the department practices, focuses on addressing the root problem as opposed to merely clearing calls, Walling said.

The Supreme Court's unlikely friend to criminals

Conservative Justice Antonin Scalia has led the charge in reversing convictions, citing the 6th Amendment and the right to challenge witnesses. For him there are no shades of gray.

Justice Antonin Scalia, the Supreme Court's most outspoken and combative conservative, is not often described as friendly to criminals. But in recent years, Scalia has led an unusual pro-defendant faction at the high court in reversing convictions for murder, drug dealing, wife beating and drunken driving.

Next up in early December is a Chicago rapist who claims his 6th Amendment right to confront his accusers was violated because prosecutors did not put on the witness stand a lab technician from Maryland who conducted the DNA test that sent him to prison.

This claim might have been a loser even during the court's long-past liberal era. But with the relentless Scalia leading the charge, it may well succeed, a prospect that worries prosecutors and crime lab directors across the nation. Sometimes, Scalia's insistence on following the "original" Constitution leads to unexpected results. And for him, there are no shades of gray and no halfway measures.

The 6th Amendment to the Constitution says the "accused shall enjoy the right … to be confronted with the witnesses against him." To Scalia, this clause not only gives defendants the right to challenge actual witnesses, but also the right to bar testimony from all those "witnesses" who did not or cannot testify in court. He takes this view even if the witness is dead.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-court-scalia-20111125,0,6016872,print.story

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Canada

Volunteers needed for community watch

Crime rates have been on the rise as Estevan has continued to grow, and that has led Estevan resident Beckey Franke to form a neighbourhood watch to counteract some forms of criminal activity.

Franke said she decided to start a neighbourhood watch because she and her family have been victimized by crime on multiple occasions. Her husband had a wallet and a gym bag stolen. And some of her items were removed when her car was broken into a few weeks ago.

"I'm tired of people going into my stuff and taking things," said Franke. "I don't worry about the stuff so much. I don't care about it. It's just the idea of somebody coming into your own property and your things that you have. It's like an invasion. It's frustrating."

People who are interested in joining the community watch can attend a meeting on Monday, November 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Souris Valley Aquatic and Leisure Centre's multi-purpose room.

http://www.sasklifestyles.com/article/20111125/ESTLIFESTYLES0101/311259994/-1/estlifestyles/volunteers-needed-for-community-watch

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Wisconsin

White ribbons for safety

Over the next two weeks, ribbons, signatures and high heels will be used to stamp out violence against women in Superior

Members of the Douglas County Domestic Violence Coordinated Community Response Team are bringing the international White Ribbon Campaign back to the area.

“We decided to try and get the campaign into the high school, and now it has carried on into the college,” said Community Policing Officer Bonnie Johnson of the Superior Police Department. “It's carrying out through the community.”

The White Ribbon Campaign began in 1991 in Canada. White ribbons were worn during the week leading up to the second anniversary of the massacre of 14 women at the Universite de Montreal engineering school. With only six weeks preparation, an estimated 100,000 men across Canada wore a white ribbon. The campaign has spread and now takes place throughout the world.

“I am very excited to be a part of the team that is bringing this campaign back to Superior,” said Douglas County District Attorney Dan Blank. “It is a continuation of our October Domestic Violence Awareness Month activities and community awareness information. “This is now a specific challenge to men and boys to pledge/commit to not commit, condone or stay silent about violence against women and girls … Starting the campaign at SHS and UWS this year will hopefully build to an all-county initiative next year and into the future.”

http://www.superiortelegram.com/event/article/id/60263/

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Nov 24, 2011

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Occupy protests put spotlight on police tactics

A post-9/11 climate has led some departments to respond more forcefully to Occupy protests in Northern California than they might have before, observers say.

Reporting from San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York -- Police efforts to break up Occupy encampments in Northern California and elsewhere have led to investigations, apologies and lawsuits. And now the soul-searching: Why did some officers use what is being described as excessive force, wielding batons and pepper spray, against apparently peaceful protesters?

The tough response to the 2-month-old movement of civil disobedience — particularly in Oakland and on campuses in Berkeley and Davis — is an outgrowth, some say, of factors that include the spontaneous nature of the Occupy protests and two post-9/11 trends: a heightened police sensitivity to threats and a more militaristic approach to police work.

"I think we're talking about a long-term trend accelerated in the post-9/11 era," said George Ciccariello-Maher, a political scientist at Drexel University in Philadelphia. After the attacks, "the federal government began to provide military technology to police agencies, a very clear upping of the stakes."

Former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper, who presided over the chaotic and violent response to the World Trade Organization protests in his city in 1999, faults what he calls the militarization of police forces across America in the last 10 years for the heavy-handed crackdowns on Occupy protesters.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-police-civil-disobedience-20111124,0,817670,print.story

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FBI arrests 7 Amish men on hate-crime charges

FBI agents on Wednesday raided an Ohio compound and arrested seven Amish men on hate charges in connection with haircutting attacks on other members of the usually isolated Christian religion.

The early morning arrests opened a window in the world of the Amish, who are known for shunning modern conveniences, using horses and buggies rather than cars, and preferring to deal with their problems within their traditional and ordered communities, without going to outside civil authorities.

Court papers, distributed by the Justice Department after the raid, paint a picture of those arrested as a schismatic group with some of the attributes of a cult, at battle with the traditionalist and pacifist religion.

At the center of the splinter group is Samuel Mullet Sr., who with his family and followers left the established Amish community in Frederickstown, Ohio, in 1995 to establish a separate group in Bergholz, Ohio. Ohio ranks right behind Pennsylvania with the second-largest number of Amish, about 61,000 in the rural areas outside Cleveland.

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

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Louisville police help church deliver Thanksgiving meals to needy

During his first year in the department, Louisville Metro Police Officer Scott McConnell heard that help was needed in delivering Thanksgiving meals to elderly and indigent members of the community. So he enlisted the assistance of his daughter, Amanda.

On Wednesday father and daughter made their third trip to Greater St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church to help plate Thanksgiving meals with all the trimmings to take to members of the community.

“I just like cooking the meals,” said 9-year-old Amanda, who added that one of the highlights is “hanging out and spending some time with my dad and helping others get a good Thanksgiving.”

This is the 13th year that police have paired with the church to cook up turkey, gravy, green beans, macaroni and cheese, stuffing and corn pudding. Police officers come to the church to pack up the meals and then deliver them to people who may be alone for the holiday. Officers also served meals this year to residents at Flaget Apartments and Lourdes Hall.

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20111123/NEWS01/311230064/1001/Louisville-police-help-church-deliver-Thanksgiving-meals-needy

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The FBI and DNA
Part 1: Maintaining the Nationwide System that Helps Solve Crimes

The use of DNA—which carries individuals' unique genetic information—to help solve crimes has become such a fundamental tool for law enforcement that it's hard to believe this technique of matching unknown profiles to known offenders is a fairly recent phenomenon.

The FBI launched the National DNA Index System (NDIS) in 1998—along with the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) software to manage the program—and since that time it has become the world's largest repository of known offender DNA records. Last year, in partnership with local, state, and federal crime laboratories and law enforcement agencies, CODIS aided nearly 25,000 criminal investigations.

FBI.gov recently sat down with Douglas Hares, a Ph.D. scientist at the FBI Laboratory who is the custodian of the National DNA Database.

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/november/dna_112311/dna_112311

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On Cyber Monday, Don't Let a Cyber Grinch Steal Your Holiday Spirit...or Your Passwords

Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility and each of us has a role to play. For more basic tips to stay safe while shopping online, visit:

www.dhs.gov/files/cybersecurity.shtm

http://blog.dhs.gov/2011/11/on-cyber-monday-dont-let-cyber-grinch.html

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Nov 23, 2011

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Oregon governor declares moratorium on death penalty

Saying he "simply cannot participate in something I believe to be morally wrong," Gov. John Kitzhaber on Tuesday declared a moratorium on the death penalty in Oregon, granting a temporary reprieve for an inmate who has battled in the courts to hasten his own execution.

"The death penalty as practiced in Oregon is neither fair nor just, and it is not swift or certain. It is not applied equally to all," said Kitzhaber, a Democrat who came back after a hiatus to a third term as governor in 2010.

"It is time for Oregon to consider a different approach. I refuse to be a part of this compromised and inequitable system any longer, and I will not allow further executions while I am governor," Kitzhaber said, reading from a statement at an emotional news conference.

The decision cancels the Dec. 6 execution set for Gary Haugen, convicted of the 2004 stabbing and beating of a fellow inmate in prison, where Haugen was already serving a life sentence for the aggravated murder of his ex-girlfriend's mother, Mary Archer.

In plea deal, youth gets 21 years for killing gay teen

Brandon McInerney avoids a retrial by pleading guilty to shooting Larry King. The jury deadlocked in the first trial, with some saying prosecutors were being too harsh in trying him as an adult.

A teenager who fatally shot a gay classmate in the back of the head during an Oxnard middle school computer lab will spend 21 years in prison under a plea deal reached Monday, closing the books on a case that drew international headlines and ignited debate on how schools should handle sexual identity issues.

Brandon McInerney, who was 14 when he pulled a gun out of his backpack and shot Larry King two times at point-blank range, will be kept behind bars until he is 38 under the terms of the deal struck by Ventura County prosecutors.

In an unusual arrangement, the 17-year-old pleaded guilty to second-degree and voluntary manslaughter. In return, prosecutors agreed not to go forward with a second trial, which could have resulted in a life sentence.

The family of the victim, Larry King, broke their silence on the case outside court Monday, saying that they supported the sentence but believed school officials hold deep responsibility for what happened.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-1122-gay-shooting-20111122,0,425342.story

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(Related article from July 2011)

Hate crimes against gay, transgender people rise, report says

The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs report says violent crimes against people in the LGBT community rose 13% in 2010, and that minorities and transgender women were more likely to be targeted.

An 18-year-old gay man from Texas allegedly slain by a classmate who feared a sexual advance. A 31-year-old transgender woman from Pennsylvania found dead with a pillowcase around her head. A 24-year-old lesbian from Florida purportedly killed by her girlfriend's father, who disapproved of the relationship.

The homicides are a sampling of 2010 crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people compiled by a national coalition of anti-hate organizations.

The report, released Tuesday, showed a 13% increase over 2009 in violent crimes committed against people because of their perceived or actual sexual orientation, gender identity or status as HIV positive, according to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs.

Last year's homicide count reached 27, up from 22 in 2009, and was the second-highest total since the coalition began tracking such crimes in 1996. Of those killed, 70% were minorities and 44% were transgender women.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-lgbt-hate-crimes-20110713,0,3199857.story

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Terror suspect's mother apologizes, thanks N.Y. police for arrest

The mother of a Dominican-born U.S. citizen arrested in connection with an alleged terrorist plot targeting American troops, as well as post offices and police, apologized on Monday to New York City as she expressed shock over her son's arrest.

"I want to apologize to the city. I love the city," 56-year-old Carmen Sosa said as reporters thronged the apartment building in Manhattan's Hamilton Heights neighborhood where she lived with Jose Pimentel. Pimentel, 27, was arrested Saturday afternoon as he was putting the finishing touches on a pipe bomb, according to police.

"I'm very disappointed with what my son was doing. I didn't raise him that way. I feel very bad about the situation," said Sosa, who opened the front door of her apartment to reporters. "I thank the police," added Sosa, who works for a nonprofit organization helping find housing for the mentally ill. "They did what they were supposed to."

According to a five-page criminal complaint, Pimentel had gleaned bomb-making instructions from an online magazine, Inspire, and had been under surveillance for two years. He was driven by anger over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and his views became so extreme in recent years that even close friends who shared some of his political views became worried, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said at a news conference Sunday night.

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

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Save money — hire police

Budgets may be tight, but cutting crime makes economic sense too.

At a recent Capitol Hill rally for the administration's job creation bills, Vice President Joe Biden urged America to hire more police — even in this era of austerity — or accept that crime will increase.

His point is worth considering. Although crime in the United States on average has shown a historic decline since the early 1990s, a recent Rand Corp. report shows that a 10% increase in the size of a police force decreases the rate of homicide by 9%, robbery by 6% and vehicle theft by 4% each year. (The effect on rates of sexual assault is less clear.)

And crime is expensive to communities, businesses and victims.

Each homicide costs a community an average of $8 million, according to reliable cost-of-crime studies. At that rate, Los Angeles' homicides cost it more than $4 billion in 2006, or 2% of the city's total economic output. That bottom line includes obvious costs of crime: adjudication, coroners, medical costs and incarceration. Rand also figured in a factor for the intangible costs of victims' pain and suffering.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-ridgewayheaton-police-20111122,0,6994027,print.story

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President Barack Obama Grants Pardons and Commutation

WASHINGTON – Today President Barack Obama granted pardons to five individuals and commutation of sentence to one individual:

PARDONS: · Lesley Claywood Berry Jr. ­- Loretto, KY · Dennis George Bulin - Wesley Chapel, FL · Ricky Dale Collett - Annville, KY · Martin Kaprelian - Park Ridge, IL · Thomas Paul Ledford - Jonesborough, TN

COMMUTATION: · Eugenia Marie Jennings - Alton, IL

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/November/11-opa-1519.html

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Program Global Shield keeps bomb-making chemicals out of terrorists' hands

Common chemicals like ammonium nitrate, also used as lawn fertilizer, can be transformed into improvised explosive devices (IEDs). We've seen instances of this in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people and the 2005 bombing of London's transportation system where more than 50 people died. IED attacks are on the rise, especially in Afghanistan, where IEDs continue to be the top killer of U.S. troops. In 2010, insurgents planted more than 14,000 IEDs – resulting in the deaths of 368 foreign soldiers and wounding more than 3,000 others.

Program Global Shield is an international effort to eliminate the smuggling of chemicals used in attacks like these. Conceptualized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2010, the program is being led by the World Customs Organization (WCO) in partnership with Interpol and the United Nations' Office on Drugs and Crime.

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1111/111121washingtondc.htm

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Holiday Shopping Tips

In advance of the holiday season, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reminds shoppers to beware of cyber criminals and their aggressive and creative ways to steal money and personal information.

Scammers use many techniques to fool potential victims including fraudulent auction sales, reshipping merchandise purchased with a stolen credit card, sale of fraudulent or stolen gift cards through auction sites at discounted prices, and phishing e-mails advertising brand name merchandise for bargain prices or e-mails promoting the sale of merchandise that ends up being a counterfeit product.

Here are some tips you can use to avoid becoming a victim of cyber fraud.

New York police arrest 'lone wolf' bomb plot suspect

Authorities say the U.S. citizen is an Al Qaeda sympathizer who was about to test explosives he hoped to use against police and American troops.

A U.S. citizen who learned bomb-making on the Internet and considered changing his name to Osama out of loyalty to Osama bin Laden has been arrested on charges of plotting to blow up post offices and police cars and to kill U.S. troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, authorities said Sunday.

Jose Pimentel, 27, a Dominican-born convert to Islam, was on the verge of testing his homemade explosives in a mailbox when he was arrested Saturday in a Manhattan apartment, New York Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said.

"We had to act quickly yesterday because he was in fact putting this bomb together," Kelly said at a City Hall news conference with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr. "It would have been not appropriate for us to let him walk out the door with that bomb."

Bloomberg described Pimentel as "a total lone wolf" not working in conjunction with anyone else or with terrorist groups abroad, despite his devotion to Al Qaeda. "He was not part of a larger conspiracy."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-new-york-terror-20111121,0,1984597,print.story

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