Police State

End War at Home, End War Abroad

"The home invaders that traumatized Hill’s children were from the Ogden Police Department. Yet Hill was not wanted for any crime. He had been mistaken for a different man, charged with 'desertion' from the military. In pursuit of a suspect accused of a non-violent offense, police armed themselves with multiple assault rifles and tactical weapons and chose to invade a home in the middle of the night. They stated their willingness to kill anyone who held a gun to defend their home from such a raid. And these were police in Utah, where gun ownership is common." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEnd War at Home, End War Abroad

Policing in Prince George’s County, Maryland

"Other Maryland students were roughed up and badly injured by the police after the basketball game. At least three were knocked unconscious; two of them required medical care. Nine students (in addition to Mr. McKenna) received a total of $1.6 million in settlements from the county stemming from police violence. In the absence of video evidence in those cases, the officers who used Maryland students as punching bags faced no disciplinary consequences." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolicing in Prince George’s County, Maryland

Iowa implementing face recognition program to track sex offenders

"The Iowa Department of Public Safety has secured $110,000 in federal funds that will be used to implement a state-wide face recognition program that will start with tracking convicted sex criminals. Iowa isn’t the first location to look towards biometrics, but it will be a big step in the grand scheme of implementing intensive face recognition programs elsewhere if it indeed gets off the ground. The state isn’t likely to see much opposition when it comes to cracking down on criminals that prey on innocent children." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIowa implementing face recognition program to track sex offenders

Mo Farah held by US customs on suspicion of being a terrorist as he returned to family home for Christmas

"Farah, who won a 5,000m and 10,000m double at London 2012, was detained for questioning after the US border force saw he was born in Somalia. The 29 year-old came over to Britain with his English-born father as a child and is one of the most famous athletes in the world, but this did not stop judicious officials from grilling him at the border. Farah moved to Portland last year to work with his coach Alberto Salazar at Nike's HQ in the Pacific Northwest and was travelling back to spend Christmas with his wife and children. And even presenting his two gold medals to the officials did not help his cause." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMo Farah held by US customs on suspicion of being a terrorist as he returned to family home for Christmas

Why it’s the Year of the Snake

"Just before President Obama jetted off to Hawaii and the U.S. Congress broke up for its short Christmas recess on Thursday, Dec. 28, the U.S. Senate debated renewal of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). It’s not for nothing the Chinese calendar calls 2013 the Year of the Snake." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhy it’s the Year of the Snake

Wary eyes shift to the skies as unmanned aircraft are tested in Oklahoma

"The simulated chase this month was among the first test flights in a U.S. Department of Homeland Security program designed to evaluate the possible civilian use of 'Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems.' In coming months, dozens of companies will come to Oklahoma to put their state-of-the-art aerial vehicles through a series of scenarios designed to test their capabilities in situations that police and firefighters might encounter. Many of the drones being tested come with very advanced surveillance technology, including radar, video cameras, infrared thermal imagers and wireless network detectors that can collect sensitive information." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWary eyes shift to the skies as unmanned aircraft are tested in Oklahoma

Senate Votes Against Fourth Amendment Protection Act

"Yesterday evening, the U.S. Senate voted on amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments Act Reauthorization Act of 2012, H.R.5949, including one introduced by Sens. Rand Paul and Mike Lee. The amendment, known as the Fourth Amendment Protection Act extends Fourth Amendment guarantees to electronic communications and requires specific warrants granted through FISA courts in order to obtain this information. The amendment failed, 79-12." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSenate Votes Against Fourth Amendment Protection Act

Senate votes to extend warrantless wiretapping powers

"The law was set to expire at midnight on Friday, but the Senate’s vote means it will almost certainly be extended through December 2017. The extension continues warrantless wiretapping powers that apply even in the event that one person participating in the communication is an American citizen, despite the Fourth Amendment’s requirement for court oversight. It was originally passed in 2008 as a means of granting top Bush administration officials and the telecommunications companies legal immunity against suits over wiretaps that even the former president once claimed to be illegal." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSenate votes to extend warrantless wiretapping powers

Another woman arrested for defending herself against the TSA

"A South Korean woman visiting this country and, of course, having no idea that she was required to undergo physical assault as a condition of getting on a plane, was arrested at Orlando International Airport. 39-year-old Hyunjoo Kim was being groped by a TSA agent when she allegedly 'slapped' said agent." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnother woman arrested for defending herself against the TSA

High School Student Arrested for Doodling?

"A 16-year-old high schooler in Egg Harbor City, NJ, was arrested after doodling in his notebook what may have been either weapons or a magic hand with flames coming off it, or perhaps something else. Concerned by the boy’s notebook, a Cedar Creek High School staff member called the local police, who searched the school and the teen’s home with sniffer dogs. The boy was charged with possession of a weapon, an explosive device, and was placed in Harborfields Detention Center. The boy’s mother explained that her son, who had no history of violence or threat-making, regularly assembled and dissambled electronics as a hobby." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHigh School Student Arrested for Doodling?