Who Watches The Watchers

State Department has hired agents with criminal records, memo reveals

"The State Department has hired an alarming number of law-enforcement agents with criminal or checkered backgrounds because of a flawed hiring process, a stunning memo reveals. The background problems are severe enough that many of the roughly 2,000 agents in State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security can play only limited roles in agency efforts to police bad conduct and prosecute wrongdoers. The problems in the bureau are the latest revelation in an exploding scandal that also involves accusations that members of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s security detail and those of the US ambassador to Belgium solicited prostitutes overseas." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingState Department has hired agents with criminal records, memo reveals

Alabama Gov. orders investigation after DNA, blood samples collected at roadblocks

"Alabama Governor Robert Bentley's office reacted Tuesday to news that roadblocks were setup in two counties at which point commuters were offered compensation for saliva and blood samples. Drivers in St. Clair and Bibb counties were stopped at roadblocks in the area and were asked to give DNA and blood samples as part of a study. Officials say giving samples was voluntary and participants were paid $10 for mouth swabs and $50 for blood samples. Governor Robert Bentley is ordering an investigation in to the roadblocks." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAlabama Gov. orders investigation after DNA, blood samples collected at roadblocks

Las Vegas woman sexually assaulted by court officer, then arrested for reporting it

"Contreras was approached by Court Marshal Ron Fox, who ordered her into a side room for a random drug search. Fox allegedly groped her breasts and buttocks, then ordered Contreras to expose her breasts, at which point she fled into the open courtroom and requested a female marshal. On courtroom video, a confrontation can be seen in which Marshal James Kenyon arrests Contreras on charges of making false accusations against a police officer. Judge Patricia Donninger watched and took no action as Kenyon and Fox hectored Contreras into recanting her story, then arrested her when she refused to repeat it over the courtroom public address system." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLas Vegas woman sexually assaulted by court officer, then arrested for reporting it

Baton Rouge sheriff’s office targets gay men under ‘crimes against nature’ law

"A sheriff’s office task force in Baton Rouge, Louisiana has been conducting undercover investigations that target gay men under the state’s defunct sodomy law. At least a dozen gay men have been arrested for agreeing to have sex with undercover officers, according to the report. The District Attorney Hillar Moore III told the Baton Rouge Advocate his office refused to prosecute the cases because they found no criminal violation had occurred. The Baton Rouge sheriff’s office, meanwhile, told the Baton Rouge Advocate that it would continue to prosecute all laws currently on the Louisiana books." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBaton Rouge sheriff’s office targets gay men under ‘crimes against nature’ law

The Chilling Effects of License-Plate Location Tracking

"Location tracking has far-reaching implications for the way we live, even if we don't think we've done anything wrong. Our recent report, 'You Are Being Tracked,' shows that automatic license plate readers allow law enforcement to track every car on the road, not just those relevant to an investigation. This type of widespread tracking endangers our rights of protest and association and has the potential to reach deep into our lives and alter our daily decision making. Once your location information is collected and stored by a third party, you have lost control over it, and there is no way to know whose hands it will end up in." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Chilling Effects of License-Plate Location Tracking

CA Highway Patrol officer accused of sexual battery against disabled man

"A CHP officer was arrested and charged with sexual battery and disorderly conduct on Friday for allegedly touching a 22-year-old disabled man inappropriately inside a shopping mall bathroom. The Sacramento Bee reported that 47-year-old Jeffery Closson, a 25-year veteran of the CHP, was booked into Sacramento County jail on Friday afternoon in connection with a June 20 incident at the Arden Fair Mall. Police said they determined Closson was a possible suspect using mall security camera footage from the day of the alleged encounter. KOVR-TV reported that Closson was allegedly exposing and touching himself during the incident." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCA Highway Patrol officer accused of sexual battery against disabled man

Six ways Congress may reform NSA snooping

"The narrow 205-217 vote showed that there is significant support in Congress to reform NSA surveillance programs. Here are six other legislative proposals on the table. 1) Raise the standard for what records are considered 'relevant'; 2) Require NSA analysts to obtain court approval before searching metadata; 3) Declassify Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court opinions; 4) Change the way Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judges are appointed; 5) Appoint a public advocate to argue before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court; 6) End phone metadata collection on constitutional grounds." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSix ways Congress may reform NSA snooping

Cop Fired for Speaking Out Against Ticket and Arrest Quotas

"Hanners blew the whistle on the department's tactics and was eventually fired for refusing to comply and keep quiet. He says that each officer was required to make 100 contacts each month, which included tickets, arrests, field interviews, and warnings. This equates to 72,000 contacts a year in a 50,000 person town. His claims are backed up by audio recordings of his superiors he made. The Auburn police department declined requests to be interviewed for this story. The police chief singled out by Hanners retired this July, citing medical reasons." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCop Fired for Speaking Out Against Ticket and Arrest Quotas

Feinstein, Chambliss object to proposal to defund NSA mass phone surveillance

"The heads of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday voiced their opposition to a proposal that would defund some of the National Security Agency’s domestic surveillance programs. 'The FISA business records program has contributed to disrupting numerous terrorist attacks against our nation. It has been reviewed and authorized by all three branches of government and is subject to strict controls,' Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Vice Chairman Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) said in a joint statement." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFeinstein, Chambliss object to proposal to defund NSA mass phone surveillance