Yearly Archives: 2013

As cities lay off police, frustrated neighborhoods turn to private cops

"After people in Oakland’s wealthy enclaves like Oakmore or Piedmont Pines head to work, security companies take over, cruising the quiet streets to ward off burglars looking to take advantage of unattended homes. Long known for patrolling shopping malls and gated communities, private security firms are beginning to spread into city streets. While private security has long been contracted by homeowners associations and commercial districts, the trend of groups of neighbors pooling money to contract private security for their streets is something new." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAs cities lay off police, frustrated neighborhoods turn to private cops

Texas prosecutor, wife gunned down two months after assistant DA killed

"The top law enforcement officer in one Texas county and his wife were found shot to death in their home on Saturday. Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Justin Lewis confirmed to KTVT that Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and Cynthia McLelland had been killed. An assault rifle had been used to shoot the district attorney multiple times, KTVT reported. His wife was only shot once. Their home reportedly showed no signs of forced entry. Authorities are investigating if the case is related to the January slaying of Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse, according to Kaufman Police Department Chief Chris Aulbaugh." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTexas prosecutor, wife gunned down two months after assistant DA killed

West Virginia sheriff fatally gunned down outside courthouse

"A West Virginia sheriff was shot and killed outside a courthouse in downtown Williamson on Wednesday. According to WCHS-TV, Mingo County Sheriff Eugene Crum had been shot and killed at around 12:04 p.m. A suspected shooter was also shot before being taken into custody. The condition of the suspect was not immediately known. Officials told WSAZ that Crum had been on his lunch break when he was gunned down. The Mingo County Courthouse was evacuated, but no other injuries were reported. Crum was known for his Operation Zero Tolerance program targeting illegal drug trafficking." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWest Virginia sheriff fatally gunned down outside courthouse

Mexican vigilantes seize town, arrest police

"Hundreds of armed vigilantes have taken control of a town on a major highway in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero, arresting local police officers and searching homes after a vigilante leader was killed. Members of the area's self-described 'community police' say more than 1,500 members of the force were stopping traffic Wednesday at improvised checkpoints in the town of Tierra Colorado, which sits on the highway connecting Mexico City to Acapulco. They arrested 12 police and the former director of public security in the town after a leader of the state's vigilante movement was slain on Monday." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMexican vigilantes seize town, arrest police

Reclaiming our Police Forces

"A couple of articles worth reading on the subject of Law Enforcement. One of the real important reasons for ending the drug war, in my opinion, has been to reclaim the positive relationship between police and their communities. The drug war in particular, along with militarization, has turned the police against those they are supposed to serve, and vice versa." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingReclaiming our Police Forces

Court orders NYPD to pay $360,000 for raid that destroyed Occupy Wall Street library

"Around 1 a.m. on Nov. 15, 2011, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg ordered the NYPD to evict protestors — some of whom had camped there for almost two months — from Zuccotti Park in New York City’s Financial District. The police threw away 5,554 books from the Occupy library and destroyed media equipment in addition to removing tents, tarps, and belongings. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York decided that the NYPD’s actions violated the protestors’ rights under the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCourt orders NYPD to pay $360,000 for raid that destroyed Occupy Wall Street library

Network of satellite guardians in space keep an eye out for natural disasters

"Almost unknown to the public, a constellation of satellite guardians is flying overhead, and all it takes is a phone call for them to intervene when a country is hit by a storm, earthquake, tsunami or flood. Their cooperation comes under an agreement called the International Charter Space and Major Disasters. When catastrophe strikes, an 'authorised user' of the Charter simply phones a number at the European Space Agency (ESA), where space technicians are on round-the-clock duty. One of the 41 authorised users of the Charter is the United Nations, which can activate it on behalf of member states." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNetwork of satellite guardians in space keep an eye out for natural disasters

Secrets of FBI Smartphone Surveillance Tool Revealed in Court Fight

"A legal fight over the government’s use of a secret surveillance tool has provided new insight into how the controversial tool works and the extent to which Verizon Wireless aided federal agents in using it to track a suspect. Verizon reprogrammed his aircard so that when an incoming voice call arrived, the card would disconnect from any legitimate cell tower to which it was already connected, and send real-time cell-site location data to Verizon, which forwarded the data to the FBI. This allowed the FBI to position its stingray in the neighborhood where Rigmaiden resided. The stingray then 'broadcast a very strong signal' to force the air card into connecting to it." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSecrets of FBI Smartphone Surveillance Tool Revealed in Court Fight

The Internet-Homeland Security Power Center Revolving Door

"The second-ranking official at the Department of Homeland Security said she will resign shortly, ending four years as a champion of a civilian-controlled Internet. In an exclusive interview with Reuters, Jane Holl Lute, the sole deputy secretary at Homeland Security, said on Monday she would give notice this week and leave to pursue a role in international Internet affairs. Lute said that she was leaving with the department on a strong footing in Internet matters, with its central role cemented by an executive order on cybersecurity issued by President Barack Obama in February." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Internet-Homeland Security Power Center Revolving Door

CISPA cybersecurity bill coming back with ‘significant improvements’

"The lawmakers said they would insert a more narrow definition of national security in the bill. The amendments would also seek to clarify that Internet firms could only use data about threats for cybersecurity purposes, not for marketing or other commercial uses, and would give more oversight to privacy officers at federal agencies. Greg Nojeim of the Center for Democracy and Technology said the changes failed to address one key concern — that information could be accessed by the top-secret National Security Agency, a branch of the military." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCISPA cybersecurity bill coming back with ‘significant improvements’