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Crime And Justice News

By David Badertscher, PLL

Source: Crime & Justice News (March 6, 2009)

--Obama Highlights Criminal Justice Stimulus Aid

--12,000 Anticrime Grants Due Under Stimulus Law

--Drug Smugglers Use Ultralight Aircraft On Border

--Convicts Sell Mortgage Loans In WA

--Home Foreclosures Linked To Higher NYC Crime

--Chicago Puts Police-Shooting Cases Online

--Feds: Local Immigration Enforcement Aimed At Serious Crimes

--S.F. Opens Community Court; Defendants Don't Show

--Cocaine Poisoning Outbreak Reported In Denver

--States Diverge On Assisted Suicide; GA Runs Sting

--Chicago Sheriff Sues Craigslist Over Prostitution Ads

--FBI Closed NYC Office In Snowstorm

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Obama Highlights Criminal Justice Stimulus Aid

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About $4 billion for criminal justice in the new federal

economic stimulus law "will help communities

throughout America keep their neighborhoods safer

with more cops, more prosecutors, more probation

officers, more radios and equipment; more help for

crime victims, and more crime prevention programs

for youth," President Obama said today in Columbus,

Ohio. He cited planned police and prevention

spending in Georgia, California, Connecticut, and

Iowa.

Because of a $13 million shortfall in Columbus'

$630 million budget, Mayor Michael Coleman

announced on Jan. 27 that 25 members of a cadet

class poised to graduate from the police academy

after six months of training would be pink-slipped

before they hit the streets. The Washington Post

reports that after negotiations with the White House

and Justice Department, Coleman got $1.25

million in stimulus funds and rescued the cadets.

Coleman says there will be no second class this year.

The Associated Press reports that the new officers will

barely account for expected retirements this year. The

department could shrink by next year, and dozens of

retirements are expected by the end of 2011.

The White House/Washington Post/Associated Press - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102492734716&e=001SYWqYJ4nQDeIO60YNIz6nybvvl543zkNYELzXPWiAH5Il1LAz_JmwY6UNpF_6VJ6MfZF37VK0pqSnEKbiWbdLGfqQNrRekIQHI5y7EUPYHTLh5ViU0tW86pDeX6UulYQ9FP8epaKLCsTyb95ui3pNgP_JvcUz6lMgiLs5HRMsui0w4bbwYU4EXuJLfnFdiiIP59wRdxsnshXdFKnxO1kZ2kU1S80OQvFElseHKRTz7uH9H2GBJO1jGNlfkQpxmQI

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

12,000 Anticrime Grants Due Under Stimulus Law

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Justice Department expects to issue 12,000

anticrime grants to states, localities, and other entities

under the new federal economic stimulus law, says

Acting Assistant Attorney General Laurie Robinson.

Addressing leaders of criminal justice organizations

in Washington, D.C., Robinson said that her agency is

gearing up to process some grant applications within

a few days of their submission, given the urgency to

spend the new money. Information on eligibility

requirements and deadlines will be posted on the

Office of Justice Programs Web site,

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/recovery

. Much of the $2.76

billion available through the agency goes directly to

states via existing funding formulas, but there will be

$225 million available for competitive grants. Among

areas in which applications are being encouraged are

neighborhood-based probation and parole, forensic

science, mortgage fraud, crime victim assistance, and

civilian aides to law enforcement.

Attorney General Eric Holder made the Office of

Justice Programs the first stop on his visits to Justice

Department units, Robinson said. She said the

agency deals with "issues he has passion about"

from his days as a judge, prosecutor, and Deputy U.S.

Attorney General. On one controversial issue,

Robinson said the Justice Department may seek a 2-

year delay in requiring states to comply with the Adam

Walsh Act. The law provides that states may lose 10

percent of their federal anticrime aid if they do not

institute by this summer specific reforms in regulating

sex offenders. As of recently, no state had complied

with the law.

Crime & Justice News - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102492734716&e=001SYWqYJ4nQDcvE-_4MQYeEuIjlHGepR7Ls9WQ3ScaUa5K8L6h52mPEKT5TIQzmJZxuC6wcuhICCwf4ViF4K-yxUZvWBRiG-e6LSzrrWy9-eeETf7B_FkgXA==

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Drug Smugglers Use Ultralight Aircraft On Border

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Drug smugglers increasingly are using one-person

motorized "ultralight" aircraft that resembles a hang

glider to get narcotics across the U.S.-Mexican border,

says USA Today. Michael Kostelnik, a Customs and

Border Protection (CBP) official, says they fly low

under cover of darkness and are harder to see on

radar than larger planes. The agency has intercepted

three drug-hauling ultralights since October. "This is a

new twist," Kostelnik says. "You're really at war with

drug cartels on this. They change tactics, and we have

to change tactics in the same way."

The Department of Homeland Security has beefed up

border enforcement, adding agents, fencing,

cameras, and other detection technology. There are

18,000 Border Patrol agents, compared with fewer

than 11,000 five years ago. There are 608 miles of

vehicle and pedestrian fencing, compared with about

140 in 2006.

USA Today - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102492734716&e=001SYWqYJ4nQDf5DVgB_8Um9z0vzntxj_19hnfBXLDwB_VbuZcpSxUk34VGyeZ_AqJj_l9j3lhgK4O9izo2f_MfE2Iv6txmk2JTJCJ9o4N-dW_M4qc7yTE29Gf8ZOtkHmT9KXKwnYZ56BRNEGv-l07YwFP5IdezU2Lo_VHMdLMdoYM=

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Convicts Sell Mortgage Loans In WA

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Many convicts -- including embezzlers, robbers, meth

dealers, and rapists -- sold mortgage loans to

unsuspecting homeowners in Washington state in

recent years while state and federal lawmakers

debated and tabled requirements for licensing and

background checks, reports the Seattle Post-

Intelligencer. Ronald Bernard Cox Sr. sold mortgages

for as many as eight years, freely admitting that he

sold loans even while on work release for felony theft

in 2003.

A total of 299 loan originators with criminal records

applied for licenses in 2007 when licensing and

criminal background checks were first required in

Washington state. They applied even though they

knew their fingerprints would be checked by law

enforcement and that all felonies and gross

misdemeanors involving dishonesty within the

previous seven years would disqualify them. Half of

them -- 149 -- were denied licenses because of their

convictions, and the other half kept their licenses

because their convictions were more than seven

years old. If the state legislature enacts a proposed

law to conform with a new federal law, they, too, will be

prohibited from renewing their licenses at the end of

2009.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102492734716&e=001SYWqYJ4nQDf6ESBSXeCbBQ6BlN-N0Bk6OVT-_YAoss59B9rwrj24VfxM-A-haGOx1mJW_3YghO59rohkBvh1W--_xtwKriUzHHPi6_jiFWeFTsOmuSAX_WXLH_VYxdTYSrPdze0grZgpz9f9EfIUmR6Uepa59341I13wLaTef2g=

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Home Foreclosures Linked To Higher NYC Crime

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Foreclosures in New York's Queens borough are

leaving behind abandoned homes that become prime

targets for thieves and havens for squatters, a new

report by the advocacy group ACORN shows, the New

York Daily News reports. "It is common sense that

foreclosure and crime go together," said New York

State ACORN President Pat Boone. "Thousands of

families across New York have lost their homes to

foreclosure. In turn, their communities have lost

neighbors who care for their homes and help keep an

eye on everyone's safety."

Researchers compared the number of foreclosure

notices in Queens to official statistics for felonies

such as murders, robberies, burglaries and auto

thefts. High-foreclosure neighborhoods in Queens

had an average 424 more incidents than low-

foreclosure areas in 2008 - a jump of nearly 150

percent since 2006, the report found. Not only are

abandoned homes looted, but "the increasing

displacement of homeowners leaves neighborhoods

without the deterrent presence of concerned

neighbors' watchful eyes" to help protect other

houses, the study says. Two serial rapists who

terrorized an area of the borough last summer

viciously attacked women more than a dozen times in

a vacant church and other abandoned buildings.

Whether the neighborhoods were home to wealthy or

poor families didn't affect the numbers in the study.

New York Daily News - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102492734716&e=001SYWqYJ4nQDfgGoln1eSDcddbBUPl78KPGHC4RFbdTTRm3L6TyjPStSCMZ7u8h9ektxQOuwvAzz8X3QgPumbqpB9LtOx4etx6bzEMbnXPExgUJ6w6UR3IIO2KS7fZiW4rC60bihGq1PMkDF041DYd5J7IjUexrEiMyuabjak07Q5QDMyCQ526WDYeJIY1fvJ3MGVmNR455O_kNBWzL5t_8pa0oycMXacmhbypedFTdgchlzHGnghQRQ==

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Chicago Puts Police-Shooting Cases Online

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The agency that reviews allegations of misconduct by

Chicago police officers is posting results of its

investigations of police-involved shootings online,

says the Chicago Tribune. It is the first time the

reports have been made publicly accessible. The

agency yesterday posted two 2007 cases in which

officers were found to have acted properly when they

fired at citizens. One officer shot a robber, injuring him.

In a second case, several officers fired at a gun-

wielding woman who fired shots at them, injuring

three officers; the woman was killed.

The reports posted to the Independent Police Review

Authority's Web site, www.iprachicago.org, detail the

agency's investigation, including accounts from

witnesses and the officers involved, but individuals

are not named. The posts are part of the agency's

goal to make all of its investigations accessible to the

public.

Chicago Sun-Times - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102492734716&e=001SYWqYJ4nQDfEfoeOqFbj6mSiecnGfzU3yUDnYXxNKqCZ9SdmhIqGllSj6PyqWfhZ8SwTS0R8L2TpqSmGdW4MASsBzH5V8Rn64BFa93cPtwWswWYS4y-2Yribl14LXhUirAhHQKnK-9iWgpLfuwwCp_hYmGUP8aP_Rqx7kqTThREBABxlroMk_-1OtlrwqumAdpDzMzFLcp-qr_rANKdUMQ==

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Feds: Local Immigration Enforcement Aimed At Serious Crimes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Federal Homeland Security officials will make it clear

in new guidelines that a federal program that lets local

police enforce federal immigration laws is primarily for

going after immigrants who commit serious crimes,

reports the Arizona Republic. Maricopa County Sheriff

Joe Arpaio says he will likely drop out of the program if

immigration officials attempt to curtail his enforcement

powers, including his ability to arrest immigrants for

merely being in the U.S. illegally.

That wouldn't be the end of Arpaio's controversial

immigration crackdowns, which have led to

allegations of racial profiling. Arpaio said that even if

he drops out of the federal program he will continue

arresting illegal immigrants under the state's human

smuggling law and employer sanctions laws. He

would turn over any suspected illegal immigrants his

deputies encounter to federal Immigration and

Customs Enforcement officials even if they haven't

committed any offense other than being in the country

illegally. ICE officials are rewriting the rules of the

program, known as 287(g), in response to a federal

report that found the program lacks clear goals about

what kinds of criminals should be targeted.

Arizona Republic - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102492734716&e=001SYWqYJ4nQDfLC4KmxVpivOZAevmkC22aQoVFwfoeqjVhwvFc0aimLxVVjYjW_DUhUTEeehIZkCT5HyXdEuPhqHyJfiMjoA9qYuvKNzf3u7AOPZWCfLJfh79SLizmozjSbq2j87IyQPr1Swky4y9Fc0IGFFHU_tZNDKr3sPhY-ad1pYmJUZW_o5g-8KXK84ar

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

S.F. Opens Community Court; Defendants Don't Show

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San Francisco opened a community court this week,

with a judge, prosecutors, and public defenders. The

only thing missing was defendants, says the San

Francisco Chronicle. None of the five people arrested

over the past week and assigned to come to court

showed up. Still, it was progress for the controversial

court, proposed by Mayor Gavin Newsom after a 2007

trip to a similar court in New York City. Back then, he

said the San Francisco version would be up and

running within months. Two years later - after fierce

resistance from homeless advocates, the Board of

Supervisors and even city voters - the court is open,

and its first cases were scheduled for Wednesday

afternoon.

The no-shows were disappointing but typical.

Commissioner Ron Albers said up to 80 percent of

people cited in San Francisco for low-level crimes -

such as buying drugs and breaking into cars - fail to

appear in court.

San Francisco Chronicle - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102492734716&e=001SYWqYJ4nQDfCZFJexmFaxsJa2GeOA7Bu2GfuV2ZkvMURj_4CXZnSIeTek0knfh_GbiS2v1aNIYoPOaXPW-DKVac-GjP2iM2kGJXD5pNfsVcz0CUrKIL4vBTXpegdfDwsNsUoxTkcl0fp48YrTFlfechSdAgpTtoJlVcBbyDkSGrE6XKPcnjY8NNFpd3TaUxDIiaYGqrH48Uy14xt7VBGLg==

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Cocaine Poisoning Outbreak Reported In Denver

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Cocaine on Denver streets could be more dangerous

than usual - infused with an animal medication

called levamisole that can kill or sicken those who

snort or smoke it, the Denver Post reports. "We're very

concerned about public safety," said Denver police

spokesman Sonny Jackson. "Drugs are illegal and

dangerous enough, much less when they're laced

with such a dangerous drug that's corrosive to the

body and potentially deadly."

A victim of levamisole poisoning remains in a hospital

after a week with a severely compromised immune

system. The U.S. Department of Justice reported a

spike in the use of levamisole in cocaine last year,

from 9 percent of confiscated cocaine to 19 percent.

Drug dealers commonly use cheaper powders,

including talcum and aspirin, to cut cocaine and

extend the supply for more sales. Health officials in

New Mexico said in January they were investigating 11

poisoning cases, including one fatality, involving

cocaine laced with levamisole.

Denver Post - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102492734716&e=001SYWqYJ4nQDek75vz8sgF4S9rd8C3vC1xt-TR5KzRP4vukqgw1-KsFRKRso3DNHkENruR9OO87akXnYZB__ApSkNL36ry9Pj-Nd_6r48nfKnRj1yxJll8avBRKNB1C4BSceausCcCI_TBKsnP5KKtNQ==

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States Diverge On Assisted Suicide; GA Runs Sting

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A law allowing physician-assisted suicide took effect

yesterday in Washington state, the second state that

permits this, along with Oregon, says National Public

Radio. In many other states assisting in a suicide is a

crime. Prosecutors in Georgia have charged four

members of a group called the Final Exit Network with

assisting in suicides. Investigators say the group

could be involved in the deaths of as many as 300

people.

The Georgia Bureau of Investiation set up a sting in

which an undercover agent posed as a man with

pancreatic cancer who wanted to die. The agent made

contact, filled out an application and then received

calls and was visited by members of the Final Exit

Network to go over what would transpire, said the

bureau's John Bankhead. Officers executed search

warrants in 14 locations in eight states, including

Georgia, Florida, Maryland, and Colorado. Four

members of the group have been charged with

assisting in a suicide, racketeering and tampering

with evidence by removing equipment.

National Public Radio - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102492734716&e=001SYWqYJ4nQDc36iybM0Yn0Yc5SzOLN0lxipwFeXP8f72dX3OmOg3kBdmaZV_iZ7ub17lSHLv5SsVR_ekAzqaTSn4GygIrJT15QRenRcqvF3w6g-OfHybQM138IBLICR7_z-IZl6eZefQCPblcY6SkDdtIHwUSXdZeEQZoYdtHQuHYmnzSGIaD4f1c5fRhBvGB

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chicago Sheriff Sues Craigslist Over Prostitution Ads

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Officials at the FBI's New York field office - the first line

of defense in preventing another terrorist attack - got

so spooked by the threat of bad weather that they

declared a "snow day" Monday, reports the New York

Post. Millions of other New Yorkers with jobs

unrelated to national security managed to trudge

through the snow. Nearly 2,000 agents and support

staff were told not to bother showing up for work. The

downtown field office, one of the FBI's largest, houses

1,100 agents and 800 support staff, and is home for

many of the nation's top counterterrorism experts.

FBI spokesman James Margolin confirmed "a large

percentage of our personnel" were told not to come to

the office Monday. He wasn't sure of the exact number

because he, too, stayed home. ssential staff were on

hand, manning the operations center, and answering

calls on the switchboard, he said. "Criminals don't

take snow days and neither should crime fighters,"

commented City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr.

New York Post - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102492734716&e=001SYWqYJ4nQDc6miWb0_BMJ8XngInIA80DjosT3IVNb1r0ZP-rmM7iBlFYhzTnKFi4fW3fJras7ZscK4GymFPmWWW3Oo3XSG_0aJL1Cd2TgS02hz7A6gKDycyxjmS-uDQu1Q_aHd1WGSbLZF4BP_I-Sef8qPEYjqOwdckAGTdO6iFCu2a6VKnxmZYQ7iAl-pvs

 

Full post as published by New York Supreme Court Criminal Term Library on March 06, 2009 (boomark / email).