Police State

Senate bill rewrite lets feds read your e-mail without warrants

"Leahy's rewritten bill would allow more than 22 agencies -- including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Communications Commission -- to access Americans' e-mail, Google Docs files, Facebook wall posts, and Twitter direct messages without a search warrant. It also would give the FBI and Homeland Security more authority, in some circumstances, to gain full access to Internet accounts without notifying either the owner or a judge. CNET obtained a draft of the proposed amendments from one of the people involved in the negotiations with Leahy." Continue reading →

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Virginia’s ‘21-day rule’ needs to go

"Jonathan Montgomery was convicted in 2008 of sexual assault on the strength of testimony from a teenage girl who has now recanted. The accuser, charged with perjury, is free while she awaits trial. Mr. Montgomery, sentenced to 7 1 / 2 years, is innocent but can’t get out of prison. This month, the judge who sentenced Mr. Montgomery to prison in 2008 was presented with new evidence that his accuser, Elizabeth Paige Coast, had admitted lying about her accusation. But the evidence came to light only in recent weeks, when Ms. Coast came clean about her deception. New evidence or not, the 21-day rule applies." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingVirginia’s ‘21-day rule’ needs to go

Legal logjam lets troubled cops keep their badges

"Police officers punished for serious misconduct by the state may continue to draw their pay and even carry a badge for years if they appeal the sanctions. Some appeals languish for more than a decade after arriving at the state attorney general’s office. Rank and file officers and even chiefs of police have continued to work — for their original agency or a different one — after being sanctioned for violations as serious as killing a recruit during training, waving a gun at random in a bar, falsifying official records and DUI. Some officers were accused of new offenses while they appealed their first cases." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLegal logjam lets troubled cops keep their badges

Piedmont Officer Fired After Writing Controversial Public Urination Ticket

"Piedmont police have fired the officer who ticketed a mom $2,500 after her son urinated in their front yard. After allegedly being harassed by this officer, the Warden family got justice. The $2,500 ticket was dropped, the police chief personally apologized, and the officer was disciplined. Both the mayor and the police chief said the officer should have used better judgment. Veteran officer Ken Qualls was suspended on Tuesday, and he was fired on Friday." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPiedmont Officer Fired After Writing Controversial Public Urination Ticket

Sheriff Arpaio Will Arm Deputies With Automatic Weapons To Prevent ‘Illegals’ From Escaping

"Arpaio’s boast of expending vast county police resources to chase down individuals in the desert is misplaced at best. While Arpaio continues to 'make every effort' to snag these individuals through violent means, less local police resources are available for addressing violent and property crimes. Instead, he is increasing the risk of violence going forward by pledging to arm all of his deputies with automatic weapons. What’s more, Arpaio’s aggressive efforts put him and his department at risk of becoming the target of yet another lawsuit." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSheriff Arpaio Will Arm Deputies With Automatic Weapons To Prevent ‘Illegals’ From Escaping

Shots fired during FBI warrant search in District Heights

"Around 6 a.m. he says he came up to the living room and saw 15 FBI SWAT agents coming inside, guns drawn. Hughley says he looked up and saw his daughter standing outside her bedroom in the hallway. Then he heard gunfire. Myasia was treated at a local hospital for a flesh wound and released. The Hughley’s say none of them were armed an in fact, none of them own guns. They were never told why their home was raided." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingShots fired during FBI warrant search in District Heights

Mentally disabled man playing with Legos fired upon by Seattle cop

"A police officer in King County, Washington opened fire on a mentally disabled man on Thursday, believing he was brandishing a gun, but later discovering the object was actually made out of Legos. The Seattle Times reported that the incident occurred in the morning hours, after several motorists reported a man waiving a gun at cars near a roadway. Police told the paper they’d encountered him before, and that he’s got a 'fascination with guns.' When the first officer arrived on the scene, he did not comply with her commands, so she opened fire." Continue reading →

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Man with strange watch arrested at Oakland airport

"A bomb squad arrived within five minutes and determined there were no explosive materials in the watch, Nelson said. The checkpoint was closed while officers secured the area. McGann was taken to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin where he was charged with possessing materials to make an explosive device, sheriff's officials said. He was still in custody Friday night and could not be reached for comment. McGann told Transportation Security Administration officers that he's an artist and the watch is art, Nelson said." Continue reading →

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Guy Who Started Alabama’s Secession Petition Wants His Topless Car Wash Back

"'I'm working poor. And I work -– I've never taken a dime from the government. I'll starve before I take a handout. That's what being a true American is all about.' Belcher blamed the government for shutting down his former business. Belcher said his Euro Details car wash, which featured topless women, was successful for a decade on Halls Mill Road in Mobile. But he said he was arrested and charged with obscenity by city officials in 2001. 'The government ripped my business away, and now they're choking America to death with rules and regulations,' he said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGuy Who Started Alabama’s Secession Petition Wants His Topless Car Wash Back