“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is argument of tyrants.It is the creed of slaves.”–William Pitt in the House of Commons November 18, 1783 “The appropriation of public money is always is perfectly lovely until some one is asked to pay the bill..” President Calvin Coolidge–New York Herald Tribune, August …
"The six 'Robin Hooders' named in the suit troll downtown Keene — often tracking parking enforcement officers — in search of cars parked at expired meters. When they find one, they pay the meter and slip notes under the windshield wiper of the vehicle that says: 'Your meter expired; however, we saved you from the king’s tariffs, Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Please consider paying it forward.' The note includes an address where people can send donations for the effort. The city claims in the lawsuit that the 'Robin Hooders' are causing the city’s three parking enforcement officers so much anxiety and distress that they’ve considered leaving their jobs." Continue reading →
"A subtle, but significant tweak to Florida's rules regarding traffic signals has allowed local cities and counties to shorten yellow light intervals, resulting in millions of dollars in additional red light camera fines. The 10 News Investigators discovered the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) quietly changed the state's policy on yellow intervals in 2011, reducing the minimum below federal recommendations. The rule change was followed by engineers, both from FDOT and local municipalities, collaborating to shorten the length of yellow lights at key intersections, specifically those with red light cameras (RLCs)." Continue reading →
"In 1981, President Reagan signed the Military Cooperation with Law Enforcement Act, a law that granted the Pentagon permission to assist domestic police departments engaged in enforcing the nation’s drug laws. Similar legislation accompanied efforts to combat terrorism even before 9/11. A 1997 federal law known as Program 1033 made it easier for state and local law enforcement agencies to obtain surplus military hardware—including body armor, armored vehicles, and surveillance equipment—for use in counterdrug and counterterrorism activities. In 2011, the program transferred $500 million worth of equipment to state and local law enforcement agencies." Continue reading →
"The lines blurred even further Monday as a new dynamic was introduced to the militarization of domestic law enforcement. By making a few subtle changes to a regulation in the U.S. Code titled 'Defense Support of Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies' the military has quietly granted itself the ability to police the streets without obtaining prior local or state consent, upending a precedent that has been in place for more than two centuries. The most objectionable aspect of the regulatory change is the inclusion of vague language that permits military intervention in the event of 'civil disturbances.'" Continue reading →
"The unnamed Army sergeant first class had been assigned as an Equal Opportunity Advisor and Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) program, according to the Army. He was immediately suspended from his position once the allegations were made, but has not been charged yet. The alleged incident or incidents involved pandering, abusive sexual contact, assault, and maltreatment. The investigation came just a week after an Air Force sexual assault prevention officer was arrested for drunkenly assaulting a woman in a parking lot." Continue reading →
"Police are called out to an apartment for a noise compliant by the neighbors. The three occupants inside non-aggressively exercise their fourth amendment right, refusing the police entry as they demand at gun point to let them inside without a search warrant or probable cause. As the police quickly holster their weapons after the camera turns on, the three occupants continue to exercise their rights non-aggressively. The police respond by going into 'over-the-top' aggressive mode, utilizing excessive force by kicking in the door, assaulting the female and tazing the cameraman four times causing the camera to short out. All three occupants are arrested/cited for obstruction." Continue reading →
"Responding to what he called a case that 'has consumed the media and our community,' Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said Tuesday he has asked the FBI to conduct a 'parallel' investigation into the death of Bakersfield father of four David Sal Silva, who died May 8 after he was beaten by deputies. Youngblood’s call to the FBI — he termed it 'unprecedented' — was made after it was discovered that video evidence expected to be found on one of two cell phones confiscated last week from witnesses was not present on the phone." Continue reading →
"The number of violent crimes fell last year in Philadelphia, as did assaults on police officers. But the number of people shot by police is up. Way up. The number of shootings by police in 2012 resulting in death or injury climbed to the highest level it’s been in 10 years. Philadelphia police shot 52 suspects last year while responding to calls for reported crimes. Of those shot, 15 people died. And the city's own police watchdog says the department hasn't provided a reason for the increase. The Police Advisory Commission has been repeatedly blocked in its efforts to review shootings." Continue reading →
"One option is to encrypt messages before sending them, which can make them indecipherable as they are transmitted across servers. Such messages can only be read after the recipient unlocks the message with an encryption key. Given that authorities can only access emails that have been stored on a server for more than six months, privacy experts say another option is to delete older emails or store them directly on a hard drive (which is protected by the Fourth Amendment). One final option is an 'offshore email account.' Servers operated in other countries would not be subjected to the same rules as those based in the U.S." Continue reading →