For The Children

Air Force officer charged with rape and child molestation

"A U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel faces court-martial after being charged with assault, rape and lewd acts against a child for a series of alleged abuses over a six-year period in two states. Prosecutors said Kabban’s attacks against the victim, a girl younger than 12 years old, allegedly occurred between August 2005 and November 2011 in Virginia and Ohio. In May, Lt. Col. Jeff Krusinski, who led the USAF’s Sexual Assault Prevention office, was arrested for allegedly attacking a woman in a parking lot. A sexual assault 'prevention and response' brochure was later revealed to advise victims, 'It may be advisable to submit.'" Continue reading →

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Police Charge Mother With Murder After 5-Year-Old Girl Fatally Shoots Self

"Police say a 5-year-old girl fatally shot herself when her mother locked her inside their home and went to the store. The New Orleans Police Department said in a news release the girl was home alone Sunday, somehow found her mother's revolver, and accidentally shot herself in the head. The mother, 28-year-old Laderika Smith, will be booked on a charge of second-degree murder. Police say her negligence resulted in the death of her daughter." Continue reading →

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What Cop T-Shirts Tell Us About Police Culture

"The Village Voice reports that the quote was also printed on t-shirts worn by NYPD's infamous Street Crimes Unit, which was disbanded after shooting unarmed immigrant Amadou Diallo 41 times in 1999 as Diallo reached for his wallet. The Voice also reports that at least two NYPD police commissioners have used the phrase 'hunter of men' to describe police work -- Bernard Kerik and Howard Safir. There have been a number of other incidents over the years in which cops have donned t-shirts that reflect a mentality someone less lofty than 'protect and serve.'" Continue reading →

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Throwing children in prison turns out to be a really bad idea

"The United States still puts more children and teenagers in juvenile detention than any other developed nations in the world, with about 70,000 detained on any given day in 2010. And as it turns out, this is very likely a bad idea. A new paper by economists Anna Aizer and Joseph J. Doyle, Jr. offers strong evidence that juvenile detention is a really counterproductive strategy for many youths under the age of 19. Not only does throwing a kid in detention often reduce the chance that he or she will graduate high school, but it also raises the chance that the youth will commit more crimes later on in life." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThrowing children in prison turns out to be a really bad idea

Teens Start Rental Car Company, Get Sued By City Of San Francisco For ‘Unfair Business Practices’

"Said three teenagers to themselves last year: 'Yeah, sure, we could go to college. But wouldn’t it be more fun to up-end the airport rental car business?' The idea was this: At every major airport, acres of cars sit idle, left parked by owners who have jetted off. Why couldn’t these same cars be rented to arriving travelers? Rates could be dramatically cheaper than those charged by traditional car rental companies, since, under this model, the rental company wouldn’t have to pay for or maintain the fleet. It’s easy to see how traditional rental companies might not be amused to have their prices undercut. But San Francisco International is crying foul, as well." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTeens Start Rental Car Company, Get Sued By City Of San Francisco For ‘Unfair Business Practices’

Boy Who Refused to Take Off NRA Shirt Facing 1 Year in Jail

"Today, 14-year-old Jared Marcum appeared before a judge and was officially charged with obstructing an officer. A $500 fine and up to a year in jail, that’s the penalty that Jared could face, now that a judge has allowed the prosecution to move forward with it’s obstructing an officer charge against him. Prosecuting attorney Michael White refused to respond to any questions, as did Logan Police. The arresting officer from the Logan City Police Department, James Adkins, claims that when Jared refused to stop talking during the arrest and that hindered his ability to do his job, hence, the obstruction charge." Continue reading →

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Native American Student Denied High School Diploma For Wearing Tribal Feather

"A high school graduate in Alabama is being denied her diploma after being fined $1,000 for wearing a feather reflecting her Native American heritage. 'I don’t think it’s fair at all,' 17-year-old Chelsey Ramer told WPMI-TV. 'I feel like its discrimination.' Ramer, a member of the Poarch Creek Band of Indians, wore the feather while taking part in the graduation ceremony at Escambia Academy High School in defiance of school policy forbidding 'extraneous items' from being worn without school permission." Continue reading →

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California Elementary School Hosts Toy Gun Buyback, Fingerprinting Fair

"An elementary school in Hayward California held a toy gun exchange Saturday (6/8/13), offering students a book and a chance to win a bicycle if they turned in their play weapons. At Saturday’s event, called Strobridge Elementary Safety Day, a Hayward police officer demonstrated bicycle and gun safety, and the Alameda County Fire Department sent a rig and crew to talk about fire safety. Fingerprinting and photographing of children was offered, with the information put on CDs for parents. All youngsters who attended were given a ticket to exchange for a book." Continue reading →

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Cops Use YOUR Children As Props For Homeland Security “School Shooter Drills”

"Hundreds of emergency responders, students and school officials in Eatonville participated in an active shooter drill coordinated by Pierce County Emergency Management and hosted by the Eatonville School District that took over two schools and several blocks in the Mount Rainier foothills community. Sixth-grader Brooklyn Welch, 12, was the first victim in one of two simulated shooting scenarios. She waited on the floor of the school’s front office for about 40 minutes with a fake gunshot wound to the shoulder, before being carried out by a SWAT team officer in full gear." Continue reading →

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French government minister urges public e-cigarette ban

"French Health Minister Marisol Touraine has called for electronic cigarettes to be banned from public places and their sale to be restricted to over-16s only. In an interview with French radio station France Info on Friday morning, Touraine urged that electronic cigarettes be treated in the same way as normal cigarettes. 'We want the same laws that apply to normal cigarettes to apply to electronic cigarettes,' she said, adding that advertisements for e-cigarettes should also be banned. The pen-sized instruments have grown increasingly popular among the smoking community, especially young bar-goers. 'I want us to rally against smoking,' she said." Continue reading →

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