Police State

Profiles in Pork

"One doesn’t have to sign up for law enforcement work as a Hail Mary way to avoid poverty, or the gulag . . . or the gas chamber. So, what sort of person chooses to become a law enforcer – and remains one – when it is still possible to avoid such a dirty occupation? An occupation that, as a matter of routine, puts one in the position of rousting – and caging – people who’ve done nothing that can be characterized as causing harm to others (or their property)? Who have merely run afoul of 'the law'? There seem to be four general types." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingProfiles in Pork

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer defends tech company NSA cooperation

"Mayer said she was 'proud to be part of an organisation that from the beginning, in 2007, has been sceptical of – and has been scrutinizing – those requests [from the NSA].' Yahoo has previously unsuccessfully sued the foreign intelligence surveillance (Fisa) court, which provides the legal framework for NSA surveillance. In 2007 it asked to be allowed to publish details of requests it receives from the spy agency. 'When you lose and you don’t comply, it’s treason,' said Mayer. 'We think it make more sense to work within the system,' she said. The meeting came as Yahoo and Facebook filed suits once more to force the Fisa court to allow them to disclose more information." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingYahoo CEO Marissa Mayer defends tech company NSA cooperation

Donald Trump eyeing ‘building swap’ for FBI headquarters

"Flamboyant New York property developer and reality TV star Donald Trump is casting his eye on what some Washingtonians consider an architectural eyesore in the US capital — FBI headquarters. He told The Washington Post in an interview posted online Wednesday that he might take an opportunity to acquire the Brutalist-style premises on Pennsylvania Avenue in return for erecting a new and bigger home for the storied federal law enforcement agency. Inaugurated in the mid-1970s, the 11-floor J. Edgar Hoover Building houses more than half of the 10,000 employees of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the greater Washington area." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDonald Trump eyeing ‘building swap’ for FBI headquarters

FBI continues to investigate Hastings for ‘controversial reporting’

"The FBI released a heavily redacted document on Rolling Stone journalist Michael Hastings, which revealed the law-enforcement agency is continuing to investigate what it characterized as 'controversial reporting' by the journalist, who died in a late-night car crash in Los Angeles in June. The FBI'S public liaison officer wrote that after the agency searched for responsive records it located one 'cross reference' file pertaining to a pending criminal investigation. The papers revealed that the FBI still considers Hastings' work highly sensitive; even the title of the case file has been withheld under claims that the information could interfere with an ongoing law-enforcement investigation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFBI continues to investigate Hastings for ‘controversial reporting’

Cardboard officer cuts crime by 67% at Mass. subway stop

"The burly officer watching over the bike racks at a Boston-area transportation hub is a real stiff. As part of an effort to cut crime at the Alewife MBTA subway and bus station in Cambridge, transit police placed a cardboard cutout of a police officer in the bicycle cage. Hundreds of people use the racks daily. Deputy Chief Robert Lenehan says the fake cop, along with video cameras and a new lock, has cut bike thefts by 67 percent. It’s also a money saver. Lenehan estimates it would cost $200,000 a year to have an officer watch over the cage full-time. The cutout is actually a picture of real MBTA Officer David Silen. Silen says the split second thieves take to glance at the cutout is enough to discourage them." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCardboard officer cuts crime by 67% at Mass. subway stop

The Pine Bluff PD: From Merely Dysfnctional to Downright Deadly

"No tactical genius is necessary to bring about a bloodless end to a standoff involving a 107-year-old man armed with a handgun and surrounded by police officers inside an otherwise vacant house. All that is necessary is a willingness on the part of the officers to accept a minimal amount of risk, and a time horizon longer than a half hour. In fact, only someone with a perverse appetite for gratuitous bloodshed could arrange to end that confrontation with the violent death of the centenarian suspect. As it happens, the valiant men of the Pine Bluff, Arkansas Police Department’s SWAT team were equal to that task. That’s why 107-year-old Monroe Isadore was killed in a torrent of gunfire on September 7." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Pine Bluff PD: From Merely Dysfnctional to Downright Deadly

Plainclothes deputy in unmarked car pulls gun; 5 officers attack and tase brothers

"The use of Tasers against two brothers in Algiers last year by Jefferson Parish deputies – a confrontation partially caught on a cell phone video – is now the subject of a federal civil rights lawsuit. Casey and Sean Warren filed the suit last week against Sheriff Newell Normand and seven deputies in connection with the Sept. 9 police stop that resulted in both men being hit with Tasers multiple times. In the lawsuit, the brothers claim they were victims of a host of civil rights violations, including excessive force, unlawful arrest and improper seizure. The lawsuit also notes that the deputies were outside of their jurisdiction when they followed Casey Warren to his home in Algiers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPlainclothes deputy in unmarked car pulls gun; 5 officers attack and tase brothers

Police Shoot Man For No Reason Except Open-Carrying Rifle

"A 27-year-old Edmonds man who was shot by police after a verbal confrontation was in serious condition Saturday at Harborview Medical Center. Police spokesman Aaron Snell said the man had been walking along a street near Edmonds Elementary School carrying a rifle. His behavior prompted two 911 calls from nearby residents — the first coming in around 7:30 a.m., Snell said. He said officers don’t know of a motive for the man’s actions. 'We don’t believe he was aiming or shooting the weapon,' Snell said. The Edmonds officers who responded to the 911 calls issued verbal commands to the man, then fired at him, Snell said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice Shoot Man For No Reason Except Open-Carrying Rifle

Deputies punished for actions during 1:30 am wrong-address arrest

"Deputies went to a house in Ellenwood on July 26 to serve an arrest warrant. The family told CBS Atlanta News they were startled at 1:30 a.m. when deputies beat on their front door. Fearing for their safety, the family said they took their time to open the door. Once inside, an officer used excessive force and aggressive language, according to one family member. 'If the police come to your house and need to come in, whether you agree or not that they need to come into the home, you need to open the door,' said DeKalb County Sheriff Thomas Brown." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDeputies punished for actions during 1:30 am wrong-address arrest

Police fire officer accused of waving gun around during argument

"A Little Rock police officer has been fired after he allegedly displayed a gun at a bar in Fayetteville. Police spokeswoman Sgt. Cassandra Davis released Jeffrey Harris' termination letter on Thursday. The letter dated Wednesday says Harris drew his weapon and waved it at people at a bar in April. The letter says Harris also used profane language and made a 'racially derogatory statement during the incident.' Davis says Harris has 10 days to appeal his termination." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice fire officer accused of waving gun around during argument