"States consider police body cameras after civilian deaths; Bills aim to curb excessive force, racial profiling" by Reid Wilson, Washington Post February 15, 2015
WASHINGTON — More than a dozen states are considering new legislation aimed at increasing police accountability after incidents in Ferguson, Mo., Staten Island, N.Y., and Cleveland that left unarmed black men dead at the hands of officers.
They left the Cleveland kid to die with the lights flashing in Ferguson.
Dozens of bills addressing body cameras for police have been filed in at least 13 states. Other proposed measures would change the way police departments report officer-involved shootings, racial profiling, and the way courts deal with low-level offenders.
‘‘There is a concrete, coherent legislative agenda that we are pushing for,’’ said Cornell Brooks, president and chief executive of the NAACP. ‘‘We’ve been doing this from state capital to state capital, as well as here in Washington, D.C.’’
Some of the proposed responses have bipartisan support. In other cases, familiar partisan divides between Republicans and Democrats, and civil rights groups and police organizations, are emerging and slowing legislative action.
Those partisan fissures are exacerbated by events beyond Ferguson, Staten Island, and Cleveland. In Springfield, Mo., a police officer was shot in the head while on patrol; he suffered career-ending injuries.
Ever since the NYPD psyop(?) the whole debate and narrative in the pre$$ has shifted.
‘‘Our citizens deserve to be and feel safe, and our law enforcement deserve our respect and support,’’ said Missouri Representative Lincoln Hough, Republican. ‘‘I say all that to illustrate the complexity of these issues. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to this issue.’’
Brooks and other civil rights leaders have vowed 2015 will be a year of legislative strategy, pressuring state houses to pass laws on special prosecutors and grand juries while pushing for legislative steps in Washington.
Occupy found that goes nowhere, and need I remind you military surplus is still being shipped to locals -- and with the surge in terror threats.... !
Body camera acts are at the forefront of that push. Groups like the NAACP, The Advancement Project, and the American Civil Liberties Union are behind many of the body camera proposals, and the Obama administration has allocated $263 million for a three-year program to expand training for local police departments, including $75 million that would purchase 50,000 cameras through a matching program.
Meaning bankrupt states have to match it? And who i$ getting the contracts?
‘‘We’re seeing a lot of discussion about body cameras for police officers, both on the national level and in the states,’’ Denise Lieberman of The Advancement Project said.
The exact contours of body camera bills are different in each state. Richard Williams, a criminal justice policy specialist at the National Conference of State Legislatures, said states are determining which officers will have to wear body cameras, when recording will be required, and how to square recording policies with eavesdropping laws that require permission from both parties and the Fourth Amendment.
You don't "square" anything with inviolable rights!
But even with those details yet to be worked out, body camera legislation is the response to the police incidents most likely to be successful. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle support body camera bills, and police unions and officers back cameras, too, William Johnson of the National Association of Police Organizations said.
Lawmakers in California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia have already filed or prefiled measures that would require at least some law enforcement officials to wear body cameras, according to Williams’s tally.
In Missouri, tensions remain high after the shooting death of unarmed teen Michael Brown in Ferguson in the summer.
--more--"
Getting back to that:
"2 suits target St. Louis County jails" Associated Press February 10, 2015
ST. LOUIS — Jails in the St. Louis County towns of Ferguson and Jennings operate essentially as modern-day debtors’ prisons, where minor traffic offenses can lead to extended periods behind bars, according to two lawsuits.
The federal lawsuits were filed Sunday on behalf of people who have spent time in jail for failure to pay fines for traffic violations and minor offenses. They represent 11 people jailed in Ferguson and nine in Jennings.
The suits were filed by the nonprofit Equal Justice Under Law of Washington, the St. Louis nonprofit ArchCity Defenders, and Saint Louis University School of Law.
New concerns about the treatment of poor people in the St. Louis region were raised after the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer in August. Part of that resentment was aimed at traffic court.
‘‘Because they generate so much revenue, many towns in our region attempt to squeeze every dollar possible out of defendants and their families by jailing citizens who are not criminals, and who are not a threat to society,’’ said Thomas Harvey, executive director of ArchCity Defenders.
The suits, which allege that Ferguson and Jennings have made millions of dollars through traffic court fines, seek unspecified damages and injunctions to keep the neighboring towns in north St. Louis County from jailing people who are unable to pay the fines.
Just playing Robin Hood is my I gue$$.
Maybe it should be Robbing Hood in$tead.
--more--"
You guys ever here of Shay's Rebellion out there because it was pretty much driven by the same thing.
"Mo. family accused of staging boy’s abduction" Associated Press February 07, 2015
TROY, Mo. — A 6-year-old Missouri boy’s mother, grandmother, and aunt face charges after authorities said they staged his kidnapping because they believed he was too nice to people, and they wanted to teach him about possible danger from strangers.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday the three wanted to scare the boy. Authorities said the women enlisted one of the aunt’s co-workers to lure the child into his pickup after he got off a school bus Monday.
Not that I am approving of the method for the lesson, but we have a government and media that specializes in false fear. Just making an observation.
Authorities said the man told the boy he wouldn’t ‘‘see his mommy again,’’ and that he’d be ‘‘nailed to the wall of a shed,’’ the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. They also said he showed the boy a handgun to make him stop crying.
The man tied the child’s hands and feet with plastic bags and blindfolded him with a jacket, the sheriff’s office said, before he drove the boy to his Troy home.
Now you are talking torture and that would lead you to the realm of the CIA.
Authorities said the boy was kept in the basement before being untied and lectured about staying away from strangers.
Police were alerted after the boy told school officials. Investigators said the boy’s relatives felt they didn’t do anything wrong.
The four adults face felony kidnapping and child abuse or neglect charges and were being held in the Lincoln County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail.
The boy has been placed into protective custody.
--more--"
"NYC officer pleads not guilty in fatal shooting" Associated Press February 12, 2015
NEW YORK — A rookie police officer pleaded not guilty Wednesday to manslaughter, official misconduct, and other charges in the shooting death of a man in the darkened stairwell of a Brooklyn public housing complex.
Officer Peter Liang appeared briefly in a Brooklyn courtroom as the charges, which also include criminally negligent homicide and assault, were unsealed in the death of 28-year-old Akai Gurley. Liang’s attorney, Stephen Worth, maintained the shooting was an accident.
Gurley was killed Nov. 20 while visiting the Louis Pink Houses in Brooklyn’s East New York neighborhood to get his hair braided. Liang, who had been an officer about 18 months, and his partner were patrolling the complex where reports of violent crime had spiked.
Gurley had opened the door into the landing after giving up his wait for an elevator.
Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson said prosecutors didn’t believe Liang intended to kill Gurley. ‘‘But he had his finger on the trigger and he fired the gun,’’ he said.
--more--"
Related: Stairway to Heaven Begins in New York City
Where does it end?
Murder charge added in UVA case
I didn't realize that was a black-on-white crime. I just see names.
Gunman kills four, self near Atlanta
Another fake? That why coverage was so quickly dropped?
Police link Ky. slayings, Md. shootout
Family of Sandy Hook victim seeks trademark protection
For the staged and scripted production of a hoax?
Two years after Newtown, Conn. panel issues report
Like 9/11 cover-up commission issued recommendations, pfft.
Hearing on bill to expand gun restrictions expected to draw crowd
Proposal for background checks for Vt. gun buyers stirs debate
Is that Vermont or Pakistan (speaking of which, the fable is still fed as the war grinds on over there. It's enough to make one sick)?
Standoff with gunman ends with no injuries
Statistics open eyes to the debate on race
Most crime is black on black, but if you stray from the political orthodoxy it will co$t you:
"Protest goes on after cancellation of Bill Cosby shows; Feminist groups target comedian" by Jacqueline Tempera, Globe Correspondent February 08, 2015
Despite snow, bone-chilling winds, and the cancellation of the Bill Cosby shows they were targeting, a group of about 20 protesters gathered Sunday evening in downtown Boston outside the Wilbur Theatre to speak in support of survivors of sexual assault.
The comedian cited the weekend snowstorm as the reason for the cancellation of both performances on Sunday.
Two feminist groups in the city planned the protest, amid claims that Cosby sexually assaulted more than two dozen women during his career.
“Just because the show is canceled doesn’t mean we’re going to stop protesting rape culture,” said Brandie Skorker, a 28-year-old East Boston resident and one of the protest organizers.
Not to excuse the Coz, but when is the next protest outside a military base?
At the protest, attendees held handmade signs, many reading “Don’t give Cosby a pass.” They huddled together, many covered with so many winter accessories only their eyes showed....
Sort of like wearing a burqa, huh?
--more--"
“He needs to be taken down.”
Related: Bill Cosby cancels Feb. 21 appearance in Pittsburgh
Along with several other shows.
Time to Comey clean on race in AmeriKa:
"FBI leader is direct on race" by Sari Horwitz, Washington Post February 13, 2015
WASHINGTON — In an unusually frank and personal speech, FBI Director James B. Comey on Thursday addressed ‘‘hard truths’’ about policing, acknowledging racial bias among law enforcement officers and lamenting a ‘‘disconnect’’ between police agencies and communities of color.
‘‘We are at a crossroads,’’ Comey said. ‘‘We can choose to live our everyday lives, raising our families and going to work, hoping someone, somewhere, will do something to ease the tension, to smooth over the conflict. Or we can choose to have an open and honest discussion about what our relationship is today.’’
As if government would ever initiate such a thing.
In giving the speech to students at Georgetown University, Comey placed himself at the heart of the politically charged debate on race, policing, and use of force that has so often riven minority communities during the Obama administration.
I'm tired of this being turned into a racial thing for agenda-pushing purposes when we are all being oppressed.
President Obama has spoken out about allegations of police brutally against minorities. In 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder sparked a controversy when he said the United States was a ‘‘nation of cowards’’ when it came to discussing race.
I'm here every day giving government rope with my grievances. Cowards launch airstrikes and sign off on drone missile destruction.
Comey’s remarks were perhaps less provocative but still remarkably candid for a director of the FBI.
Meaning the director of the lead law enforcement branch of the country has not been all these years?
They also did not come without risk, given the backlash by police across the country to previous statements by political figures about racial bias in law enforcement.
Police ‘‘often work in environments where a hugely disproportionate percentage of street crime is committed by young men of color,’’ he said.
‘‘Something happens to people of good will working in that environment,’’ he added. ‘‘After years of police work, officers often can’t help but be influenced by the cynicism they feel.’’
A police officer, whether ‘‘white or black,’’ has a different reaction to two young black men on the side of a street than he does to two white men, Comey said, because the black men ‘‘look like so many others the officer has locked up.’’
At one point, Comey cited the song ‘‘Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist’’ from the Broadway musical ‘‘Avenue Q’’ in making the case that everyone makes judgments based on race. ‘‘Look around and you will find,’’ Comey said, quoting the lyrics, ‘‘no one’s really color blind.”
True. You can't help but notice because it is right in front of you (it goes both ways, too. They see whitey, right?)
While acknowledging biases within law enforcement, Comey, the grandson of an Irish police officer, called on communities to appreciate the perspective of officers who ‘‘want to do good for a living’’ and who often risk their lives to protect others.
‘‘Citizens . . . need to really see the men and women of law enforcement,’’ he said. ‘‘They need to see the risks and dangers law enforcement officers encounter on a typical late-night shift.’’
After all the ma$$ media shows and movies deifying them as heroes?
--more--"
Truth is, we are all the same under the skin while being uniquely different:
"Conn. officials, detective settle DNA dispute" by Dave Collins, Associated Press February 08, 2015
HARTFORD — Connecticut officials have settled a long-running legal dispute with a State Police detective who alleged management retaliated against him after he refused to give a DNA sample and brought the issue to his union.
Detective Christopher Burns accused his superiors of telling him and other detectives in January 2009 that they had to give DNA samples or they may not be allowed at crime scenes. State Police wanted the samples so that unknown DNA found at crimes scenes could be identified, making investigations easier, according to the state attorney general’s office.
A DNA database is scary. If they have it, they can plant it.
Burns sued State Police officials and the agency now called the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection in federal court in December 2010. He said employers are barred by state law from forcing workers to give DNA samples and that he had been reprimanded and transferred in retaliation for refusing to give a sample and speaking out against it.
I support state police.
Burns and the attorney general’s office filed a document in federal court in Hartford last week indicating that a settlement was reached. Lawyers in the case said they would not disclose details of the deal until after it is finalized in about a month.
The attorney general’s office, which represented State Police officials and the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, denied in court documents that State Police ordered detectives to give DNA samples. Officials said some detectives voluntarily provided DNA samples when asked.
In his lawsuit, Burns said he was concerned about what would happen to his DNA information if he gave a sample and about potential violations of his privacy rights. He said State Police had no policies on the collection, storage, or testing of employees’ DNA.
He must be conspiracy.... never mind.
--more--"
NDU:
"Suspect in Tewksbury is killed by officer; Man stabbed two at school, DA says" by Laura Crimaldi, Globe Staff February 17, 2015
TEWKSBURY — Sue Greenan looked out her bathroom window about 9 a.m. Tuesday and saw a man covered in snow pacing in the driveway next door. She figured her neighbor had finally found someone to shovel off his roof.
Within moments, though, she saw what looked like a plainclothes police officer walk down Forest Avenue with a firearm aimed at the man, later identified as 30-year-old Doug Sparks. Greenan warned her grandchildren and daughter to take cover.
Then, four shots rang out, she said.
************
She did not know it then, but just a short time before she saw Sparks, he had been in a nearby parking lot at the Salter School, where, Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan said, he approached a vehicle carrying a man and woman, slashed two tires, and stabbed the people inside.
This just pours more $alt in the wound.
He then fled to the residential neighborhood where, Ryan said, he was shot by police after he “refused to follow the orders given to him by the detectives who had responded.” She said the man was armed with a knife and a BB gun, and that “the gun was seen by the officers.”
“What we know at this point is that an ordinary day took a very tragic turn,” she said during a news conference outside the private vocational school.
By Tuesday night, further chilling details of that episode emerged.
“This frightening incident appears to be another example of a person violently confronting someone at their workplace about a personal domestic situation,” Ryan said in the statement.
Officers tracked Sparks to 55 Forest Ave., with the help of a resident who was listening to a police scanner at home and provided information about where Sparks may have gone, said Tewksbury Police Chief Timothy Sheehan. Ryan said she could not say how many officers opened fire.
Sparks, who lived in Medford, was pronounced dead at the Saints Campus of Lowell General Hospital, a Ryan spokeswoman said. Ryan did not release the names of the stabbing victims.
Before the stabbing, the man identified as Sparks had been observed “fairly early” Tuesday morning in the parking lot on Woburn Street, Ryan said.
After he confronted the man and woman as they arrived for work, an altercation ensued which led to the stabbing, Ryan said....
--more--"
