"Police chiefs across the country are finding it nearly impossible to fire some of their own officers, in part because of arbitration and union rules. Senior correspondent John Miller reports." Continue reading →
"A Milwaukee police officer has been fired after his conviction for stealing cash from a convenience store where he had responded to investigate a burglary. According to the criminal complaint, the owner of Hopkins Food Mart at N. 46th St. and Hopkins Ave. had reported a burglary, and Howell came to take a report. The owner showed Howell a drawer with cash that was not taken during the burglary, and Howell later went back to the drawer and took some of the money. His actions were recorded on store surveillance video. Upon his arrest, Howell admitted taking about $200 and said he did so because he was behind on his rent." Continue reading →
"A man who claims a police officer planted drugs on him will have the charges dismissed one day before his case was set to go to trial. But the DeKalb County Solicitor General’s Office said the dismissal has nothing to do with a surveillance video Alphonzo Eleby said proves the officer set him up. His attorney said surveillance video from the location shows the officer call the officer guarding Eleby over to the SUV he had been searching. As she searches the vehicle, Zenobia Waters said the video shows the officer circle back to her client and toss marijuana next to him. She said the officer then picks the drugs up and repositions them." Continue reading →
"A judge has found Bozeman police intentionally erased a portion of an audio recording made during a welfare check on a man who claims officers used excessive force against him. Soheil Jesse Verdi claims the officers caused him to fall and injure his skull when they used a stun gun against him in 2007. One of the officers was wearing a microphone. Attorneys for Verdi said there is a missing audio segment. U.S. District Judge Richard Anderson agreed with Verdi in a ruling last month the segment was intentionally erased." Continue reading →
"Prosecutors wrapped up their case on Monday, saying Valle should be found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap women that he discussed abducting and eating. They showed the Manhattan federal jury gruesome pictures downloaded onto Valle’s computers, including women apparently being burned. It was not always clear when a picture had been staged or not. Lawyers for Valle, who faces up to life in prison if found guilty on the kidnapping conspiracy charge, hope to persuade the jury that he is guilty of nothing more than unusual sexual fantasies." Continue reading →
"The US Supreme Court heard argument Tuesday in a case testing whether government officials can routinely collect a person’s DNA at the time he or she is arrested and then use that DNA sample to try to link the individual to unsolved crimes. At issue in the case is whether taking a DNA sample from an arrestee without first obtaining a court-authorized warrant is an unreasonable search under the Fourth Amendment. DNA material contains a plethora of highly personal information bound within a person’s genetic code. DNA might someday reveal information about an individual’s susceptibility to future diseases and perhaps even personality traits." Continue reading →
"The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that human rights groups do not have standing to sue the government over its warrantless wiretapping program because they have no proof that the wiretapping has harmed them. The vote was split 5-4 along partisan lines, with the conservative majority supporting the Obama administration’s argument that the FISA Amendments Act was above reproach in this case because the harms were 'speculative,' and not 'actual.' Roving, warrantless wiretaps were authorized by President George W. Bush after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, turning the National Security Agency into the nation’s spy machine." Continue reading →
"The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that human rights groups do not have standing to sue the government over its warrantless wiretapping program because they have no proof that the wiretapping has harmed them. The vote was split 5-4 along partisan lines, with the conservative majority supporting the Obama administration’s argument that the FISA Amendments Act was above reproach in this case because the harms were 'speculative,' and not 'actual.' Roving, warrantless wiretaps were authorized by President George W. Bush after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, turning the National Security Agency into the nation’s spy machine." Continue reading →
"An Occupy Wall Street activist was acquitted Thursday after jurors were presented with video evidence that directly contradicted the NYPD’s story. Prosecutors working on behalf of the NYPD have insisted that Premo tackled an NYPD officer and broke a bone during a protest. This week, Premo’s attorney presented a video that showed officers charging into the defendant unprovoked. The video shows a NYPD officer was filming the arrest as well, but prosecutors told Premo’s attorney that no such footage existed. The Manhattan District Attorney's office had presented Premo with a deal that would have let him off the hook by pleading guilty to lesser charges." Continue reading →
"I became a police officer because I wanted to be a good guy. Even though we’ve all seen reports of police brutality and corruption, I still believe we cops are the good guys. I’ve seen cops perform brave, selfless acts for strangers on countless occasions. Even the worst cops I’ve ever known would risk their lives to defend the innocent. But I have to say this anyway. Before you start throwing shoes, hear me out. I have a good reason for saying it. If you think our police are no threat to your freedom, you’re living in a fantasy world." Continue reading →