Monthly Archives: September 2013

Spy Car Protects Against Unscrupulous Cops [2012]

"After a couple of negative interactions with what he calls "unscrupulous cops", Rick took the initiative to outfit his ride with some cutting-edge technology. And he founded Veterans Against Police Abuse to encourage others to do the same - use technology to create a transparent record of interactions. That, he says, is the surest way to bring-about a safer society. To learn more about the technology in Rick's ride, check out this page on his site, which includes links to many of the devices housed in his car." Continue reading →

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Marijuana Legalization Activists Target States For 2014

"Alaska and Oregon may become the next states to legalize marijuana for recreational use, as early as next year some proponents say. But the big battle over marijuana prohibition will come in 2016 with the next presidential election. Although a slim majority of Americans support legalization, younger voters may vote for change in higher numbers than older generations, Mason Tvert, a spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, says. That group, and others, plan to target state legislators in five states, including Rhode Island and Hawaii, to legalize the drug by 2017. UN drug control officials remain alarmed by challenges to marijuana prohibition in America, Germany, and Uruguay." Continue reading →

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Texas lawman sentenced to 1 year prison for protecting drug smugglers

"A Houston-based federal judge Monday ordered a former Starr County lawman to spend a year in prison after he admitted to taking money from drug traffickers in exchange for police information. Ramirez was arrested on March 12. He pleaded guilty a month after to a violation of the Hobbs Act, which deals with public servants taking bribes. According to court records, from January 2006 to September 2008, Ramirez accepted about $30,000 from drug traffickers in exchange for the location of Texas Department of Public Safety troopers. Before his arrest, Ramirez was in charge of the jail division for the Starr County Sheriff’s Office." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTexas lawman sentenced to 1 year prison for protecting drug smugglers

Officer indicted for illegal drug prescriptions, fake disability claims

"Authorities say Driscoll, who was in his police uniform, went to a CVS Pharmacy in Burlington on July 10, seeking to obtain Percocet pills. Burlington police were notified and an investigation was launched. Officials allege Driscoll had presented five fraudulent prescriptions to CVS pharmacy between May and July of 2013, and that he received more than 260 Percocet tablets through these false prescriptions. Officials said they also learned Driscoll passed false prescriptions for pain medication at an Osco Pharmacy in a Burlington supermarket. In all but one instance, Driscoll is accused of dropping off and picked up medications while in his police uniform." Continue reading →

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Delcambre officer accused of altering pain med prescriptions

"A Delcambre police officer has been arrested after being accused of altering his pain medication prescriptions. Police Chief James Broussard asked Louisiana State Police to investigate, and state police detectives discovered Raleigh Cheramie, 38, altered his prescriptions seven times between March 2013 and August 2013, according to Trooper Stephen Hammons. 'He would alter them so he could receive more than the prescribed number of pills,' he said." Continue reading →

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Poor Training Of Narcotics Officers Contributes To Culture Of Ignorance

"Examples of training courses advertised by the CNOA include inflammatory titles such as 'The Eradication of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in Los Angeles' or 'Initial Contacts with Persons Claiming Protections Under California’s Medical Marijuana Laws and Statues.' Through the author’s own words, his article shows the institutional bias of the CNOA as an entity, and the author as an individual. It is this language that points to the perception that the narcotics officers are more interested in deliberately undermining the intent of the Compassionate Use Act by lumping all use as criminal in nature. This leads to subverting the law instead of fairly enforcing it." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPoor Training Of Narcotics Officers Contributes To Culture Of Ignorance

CDC: Painkillers Kill Four Times More than Cocaine and Heroin Combined

"A powerful report spanning 10 years from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed that painkillers are actually responsible for a whopping four times as many deaths as both heroin and cocaine combined. While the previous report documented in 2011 found that 12 million were actually on prescription painkillers purely for the high it gives, the new CDC papers found that there was a massive 415% rise in the overall rate of fatal painkiller overdoses from 1999 to 2010. We’re talking about a higher fatality rate than those who are dosing up on heroin and cocaine." Continue reading →

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Man killed by half-ton of marijuana

"A man carrying 500 kilos of pot in his car lost his life when the illegal merchandise in the back of the vehicle slammed into him during an auto accident. The victim was traveling from the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul to Sao Paulo this past Saturday when he refused to stop at a Federal Highway Patrol roadblock. A chase ensued over a three mile stretch of road, which ended with a fatal crash against a tree after the man lost control of his car. The impact resulted in the man being crushed against the steering wheel by the bricks of marijuana he was transporting." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMan killed by half-ton of marijuana

Reports: Speeding Not A Cause Of Child Accidents

"In 72 percent of the accidents, investigators believed the child's failure to look properly was at least in part to blame. Another 31 percent involved reckless behavior on the part of the child, including playing in the road in 11 percent of incidents. On the part of the driver, 8 percent failed to look properly, and another 8 percent could not see the child because of a parked car or other obstruction. In 3 percent of cases the driver was reckless, and in less than 1 percent of cases was 'traveling too fast for conditions' (which is not necessarily exceeding the posted speed limit). All together, in 71 percent of the incidents, the driver was not found to be at fault." Continue reading →

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French Study Investigates Danger Of Speed Limit Fixation

"In jurisdictions with automated speed enforcement, cruise control can save drivers from receiving a nasty surprise in the mail. A study released July 30 from the Vinci Autoroutes Foundation concluded that this reliance on cruise control can actually make driving more dangerous. These findings are consistent with those of the late Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign, who calculated that each time a driver looked down to check his speedometer in a 200 yard speed camera zone -- each glance takes about 1.1 seconds -- he loses 13 percent of the time available to observe the road for hazards. The UK Department for Transport lists driver inattention as the cause of 25% of accidents." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFrench Study Investigates Danger Of Speed Limit Fixation