Police State

Missouri man facing charges for using fake penis to pass drug test

"A 34-year-old St. Louis man is facing criminal charges after he allegedly attempted to use a prosthetic penis to pass a drug test. According to FoxNews.com, Sydney Levin was arrested and charged with 'possession of a forging instrument.' He was caught attempting to use the Whizzinator Touch, a device designed to fool drug tests by creating body-temperature synthetic urine that will test negative for drugs. Police arrested Levin and released him when he posted $25,000 bond. In 2010, Gerald Willis of Los Angeles was sentenced to six months in federal prison for running the company that sold the Whizzinator. Willis’ company no longer exists." Continue reading →

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TSA officer hits six colleagues after mistaking pepper spray for laser pointer

"Six security officers at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport landed in hospital after being hit by pepper spray — fired by one of their own. According to a report in the New York Post, quoting an unnamed source, an agent was 'playing around' with what he and other agents thought was just a laser pointer when it suddenly emitted spray. The TSA has suffered a series of embarrassing recent news reports, ranging from failure at Newark International Airport to detect a fake bomb carried by an undercover government agent, to complaints of overzealous searches." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTSA officer hits six colleagues after mistaking pepper spray for laser pointer

Ex-cop guns down wife after she filed horrifying domestic violence report

"A former Pennsylvania state trooper gunned down his estranged wife in the middle of a Philipsburg supermarket on Thursday and then turned his weapon on himself. Police said that Mark R. Miscavish, 51, who retired from the force in 2011, used a shotgun to murder his wife Traci A. Miscavish, who filed for divorce just days prior following a report of domestic violence on Jan. 23. Mark Miscavish was facing a prosecution over the incident, the AP noted. He allegedly became violent when his wife tried to intervene in suspected prescription drug abuse, throwing her to the ground and trying to tie her up with duct tape." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEx-cop guns down wife after she filed horrifying domestic violence report

Kansas couple: Indoor gardening prompted pot raid

"Two former CIA employees whose Kansas home was fruitlessly searched for marijuana during a two-state drug sweep claim they were illegally targeted, possibly because they had bought indoor growing supplies to raise vegetables. April 20 long has been used by marijuana enthusiasts to celebrate the illegal drug and more recently by law enforcement for raids and crackdowns. But the Hartes' attorney, Cheryl Pilate, said she suspects the couple's 1,825-square-foot split level was targeted because they had bought hydroponic equipment to grow a small number of tomatoes and squash plants in their basement." Continue reading →

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Beware Of All Enterprises That Require New Clothes

"Despite sequestration and Big Sister's threats that the reduced growth of the TSA's budget -- not its actual operating one -- will delay passengers in hours'-long lines, the agency signed a $50-million contract with VF Imagewear for uniforms. Yes, those ugly, neon brown-sorry, blue polyester shirts that the thugs at the checkpoint wear cost a pretty penny. But this is old news. I'm bothering you with it because VF Imagewear is 'better known for its Lee and Wrangler brand jeans.' Additional lines include 'Vanity Fair®, ... The North Face®, and JanSport®.'" Continue reading →

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NSA Whistleblower Thomas Drake speaks at National Press Club – March 15, 2013

"Thomas Drake, a former Senior Executive at NSA who was charged under the espionage act after he blew the whistle on waste and fraud and illegal activity at the intelligence agency, spoke at a March 15, 2013 National Press Club luncheon. Drake's event was part of the club's celebration of Sunshine Week, a national initiative to underscore the importance of open government and freedom of information." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNSA Whistleblower Thomas Drake speaks at National Press Club – March 15, 2013

Glenn Greenwald: Domestic drones and their unique dangers

"What possible reason could someone identify as to why these small, portable weaponized UAS products will not imminently be used by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in the US? They're designed to protect their users in dangerous situations and to enable a target to be more easily killed. Police agencies and the increasingly powerful drone industry will tout their utility in capturing and killing dangerous criminals and their ability to keep officers safe, and media reports will do the same. One has to be incredibly naïve to think that these 'assassin bugs' and other lethal drone products will not be widely used on US soil." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: Domestic drones and their unique dangers

Texas Women Subjected to Roadside Cavity Search Speak Out After Troopers Indicted

"Angel and Ashley Dobbs say they’re relieved and pleased two state troopers now face criminal charges after this controversial traffic stop caught on dashcam video last July. It shows trooper Kelly Helleson conducting a body cavity search of both women on an off-ramp of the Bush Turnpike in Irving last July. A Dallas County Grand Jury charged Helleson with two counts of sexual assault and two counts of official oppression. If convicted, she would have to register as a sex offender. The other trooper, David Farrell, who initiated the traffic stop, is charged with theft. Angel Dobbs says her bottle of prescription pills was stolen during the traffic stop." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTexas Women Subjected to Roadside Cavity Search Speak Out After Troopers Indicted

Supreme Court Rules that Citizens Can Hold Federal Government Liable for Abuse by Law Enforcement Officers

"In its ruling in Millbrook v. United States, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court has concluded that the U.S. government may be held liable for abuses intentionally carried out by law enforcement officers in the course of their employment. Arguments put forward by The Rutherford Institute in its amicus brief urged the Court to enforce the plain meaning of federal statutes allowing citizens to sue the government for injuries intentionally inflicted by law enforcement officers. In striking down lower court rulings, the justices held that the courts had erred in dismissing a prisoner’s lawsuit alleging that three prison guards had brutally and sexually assaulted him." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSupreme Court Rules that Citizens Can Hold Federal Government Liable for Abuse by Law Enforcement Officers

Louisiana: Jefferson Parish To Refund Red Light Camera Tickets

"Officials in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana are moving forward on plans to refund $4.7 million in red light camera tickets. About 284,000 tickets were issued in the program until it was suspended over ethical concerns on January 27, 2010 -- long before the Chicago scandal broke. In light of the early revelations of impropriety, a third of recipients threw their photo tickets in the garbage. Redflex had paid a 3.2 percent cut of the firm's profit on each ticket issued to lobbyist Bryan Wagner, a former New Orleans city councilman, who in turn shared the funds with the wife of District Judge Robert Murphy." Continue reading →

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