Who Watches The Watchers

UK lawmakers urge tough new press rules

"More than 40 members of Britain’s ruling Conservative party have urged Prime Minister David Cameron to impose tough new press rules overseen by regulators outside the industry, in an open letter published in the Guardian on Friday. Senior members, including former foreign secretary Malcolm Rifkind and former party chairmen Caroline Spelman and Lord Fowler were among those calling for Cameron to reject the industry’s recommendations for self-regulation." Continue reading →

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The Carlos Miller Case: Jury Says ‘Not Guilty’

"Carlos Miller was arrested for filming the police. Resisting the pressure to accept a 'deal,' he risked more prison time simply by insisting on his right to a jury trial. According to Miller, the prosecutor told the jury that Miller did not behave like a 'real journalist' because a 'real journalist' would have obeyed all police requests and orders." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Carlos Miller Case: Jury Says ‘Not Guilty’

US, Canada announce cross-border action plan

"Since its announcement, the Beyond the Border program has been shrouded in secrecy. Its provisions included multiple information-sharing clauses, including common technical standards for sharing biometric data. The Beyond the Border initiative has been criticized by privacy advocates who worry that Canadians' personal data could be misused by multiple governmental agencies in the United States. Information on Canadian citizens is already being given to the U.S. government under the Secure Flight initiative, a program of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)." Continue reading →

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Prosecutor wife suspected of evidence tampering for accused rapist husband

"Jennifer Grant, a supervising assistant city prosecutor in Seattle, has been been reassigned to duties that 'do not entail courtroom prosecutorial work' because she is suspected of tampering with evidence to protect her husband who is accused of the serial rape of immigrants at several massage parlors. Dan Grant faces seven charges for a series of rapes of Chinese women working as massage therapists, including four counts of first-degree rape, one count of second degree rape and one count of attempted second-degree rape. He also faces a charge for first-degree burglary." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingProsecutor wife suspected of evidence tampering for accused rapist husband

Colorado: Court Endorses Handcuffing of Innocent Motorists During Robbery Search

"Police in Aurora, Colorado did nothing wrong when they handcuffed dozens of motorists and held them at gunpoint for an hour and forty-five minutes, according to a ruling issued last month. US District Court Judge William J. Martinez refused to play the role of a Monday morning quarterback in deciding whether the controversial mass detention violated the Fourth Amendment rights of drivers who had been going about their business on a Saturday afternoon." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingColorado: Court Endorses Handcuffing of Innocent Motorists During Robbery Search

Convicted pedophile cop throws department under the bus

"Aurora's police chief is defending against allegations of rampant sexual misconduct within the department by a former police officer who blew the whistle in court while being convicted for sexual assault on a minor. A lawsuit alleging the police department knew they had a dangerous sexual predator working for them, yet continued to allow the officer to work with children, was filed last week in a federal courthouse in Denver on behalf of a teenage girl, 15, who was sexually victimized by the officer." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingConvicted pedophile cop throws department under the bus

Hurricane Sandy: Local residents banned from barrier island up to 8 months

"Busloads of people were being escorted out, with several residents interviewed saying police and fire officials knocked on their doors, telling them they had five minutes to pack a bag before they had to leave. Residents will be able to return at some point, with police escorts, to gather their belongings. 'Overall, we’re in very very good shape because we have the people in place to do the job at the right time. We’ve pretty much got Seaside on lockdown and that’s what we’ve go to do to make it safe,' Seaside Height Police Chief Thomas Boyd said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHurricane Sandy: Local residents banned from barrier island up to 8 months

School district calls 12-year-old rape victim ‘negligent’ and ‘careless’ in her own abuse

"The Moraga School District in Moraga, California alleged that a 12-year-old girl, who suffered prolonged sexual abuse at the hands of two different middle school teachers in the 1990s, was 'negligent,' 'careless' and 'was herself responsible for the acts and damages of which she claims.' Former Joaquin Moraga physical education teacher Julie Correa pleaded guilty to rape and sexual battery of Cunnane over a four-year period beginning in 1996, when Cunnane was an eighth grader. The suit also alleges that Cunnane turned to her science teacher, Daniel Witters, to report the abuse, who in turn molested her." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSchool district calls 12-year-old rape victim ‘negligent’ and ‘careless’ in her own abuse

Homeland Security worker charged with soliciting kids on Facebook

"A 43-year-old Department of Homeland Security worker allegedly used Facebook to solicit more than 70 area children for sexual acts, according to authorities. Robert B. Rennie Jr., a Loudoun County resident, was charged Oct. 24 with five counts of using a computer to solicit a child under the age of 15, after a school resource officer was tipped off to suspicious activity on a Mercer Middle School student's Facebook page." Continue reading →

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Court OKs warrantless use of hidden surveillance cameras

"U.S. District Judge William Griesbach ruled that it was reasonable for Drug Enforcement Administration agents to enter rural property without permission -- and without a warrant -- to install multiple 'covert digital surveillance cameras' in hopes of uncovering evidence that 30 to 40 marijuana plants were being grown. This is the latest case to highlight how advances in technology are causing the legal system to rethink how Americans' privacy rights are protected by law." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCourt OKs warrantless use of hidden surveillance cameras