Author: Joe from MassPrivateI

New York Times – by Matt Apuzzo

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Monday called on state judges across the country to root out unconstitutional policies that have locked poor people in a cycle of fines, debt and jail. It was the Obama administration’s latest effort to take its civil rights agenda to the states, which have become a frontier in the fight over the rights of the poor and the disabled, the transgender and the homeless.   Continue reading “Justice Dept. Condemns Profit-Minded Court Policies Targeting the Poor”

KSL

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah lawmakers took a bold step in the final minutes of the 2016 Legislative Session. Late Friday night, the Utah House of Representatives passed a resolution declaring pornography a public health crisis. The resolution is the first of its kind in the country.

“Society must see this evil like the epidemic it is,” said Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, member of the LDS Church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “This ought to be seen like a public health crisis, like a war, like an infectious fatal epidemic, like a moral plague on the body politic that is maiming the lives of our citizens.”   Continue reading “Pornography declared ‘public health crisis’; Elder Holland calls it an ‘infectious, fatal epidemic’”

Courthouse News Service – by Tim Hull

TUCSON (CN) – A former Border Patrol agent claims the FBI entrapped and indicted him on bogus charges of money laundering and bribery to try to rescue their undercover operation at a Southern Arizona port of entry, ruining his life and career.

Seeking $5.5 million in damages, Lauro Tobias and his wife sued the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, the Office of Inspector General, the Department of Homeland Security, three federal agents and an assistant U.S. Attorney, among others, in Federal Court.   Continue reading “Sting Ruined Border Patrolman’s Life, He Says”

Patch – by Beth Dalby

EASTPOINTE, MI – A judge who was sued by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan has agreed to stop routinely using a “pay or stay” practice that throws poor defendants in jail simply because they can’t pay court fines and fees.

The Macomb County Circuit Court’s order Tuesday settles the case filed against 38th District Court Judge Carl F. Gerds III, Eastpointe’s only district court judge. Gerds has agreed to stop jailing poor defendants who can’t pay up, the ACLU said.   Continue reading “Michigan Judge Told to Stop Jailing Poor People Who Can’t Pay Fees”

The Newspaper

Police officers may not hold a Florida driver’s license and demand to search a vehicle. That was the conclusion last month of a three-judge state Court of Appeal panel that ruled the search of Joey Villanueva’s van unconstitutional.

Lakeland Police Officer Bradley Dollison, a rookie, pulled Villanueva over, claiming he blew through a stop sign. The officer opened with the standard request for license and registration. Villanueva’s papers were in order, except a computer check noted that he was on probation. At trial, Officer Dollison admitted that once the check was complete he had completed everything he had to do except write the citation. The officer decided to ask more questions — why was Villanueva on probation? Did he have any weapons or anything illegal in the vehicle?   Continue reading “Florida Court: Cops May Not Hold Licenses As Leverage To Search”

EFF – by Andrew Crocker

EFF recently received records in response to our Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Department of Justice for information on how the US Marshals—and perhaps other agencies—have been flying small, fixed-wing Cessna planes equipped with “dirtboxes”: IMSI catchers that imitate cell towers and are able to capture the locational data of tens of thousands of cell phones during a single flight. The records we received confirm the agencies were using these invasive surveillance tools with little oversight or legal guidance.   Continue reading “New FOIA Documents Confirm FBI Used Dirtboxes on Planes Without Any Policies or Legal Guidance”

Courthouse News – by Jeff D. Gorman

The Ohio Supreme Court disbarred a former judge who was convicted of accepting bribes and who gave false testimony at his trial.

Steven Terry began to serve as a judge on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas in 2007.

Four years later, he was convicted of federal conspiracy and mail-fraud charges after he provided judicial favors in exchange for campaign contributions.   Continue reading “Ohio High Court Disbars Bribe-Taking Judge”

What is happening to America?

Valley Morning Star – by Raul Garcia

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND — Next time you look up in the sky at the beach it might not be a seagull that’s flying by.

Police have added two drones to the public safety department to help monitor the beach from the sky.   Continue reading “Drones on the Beach: SPI police to launch drone project during Spring Break”

AJC – by Carrie Teegardin

A private probation company used a “March Madness” bonus program to encourage employees to meet goals for collecting cash from probationers, according to a document revealed in an Augusta court case.

Sentinel Offender Services offered a chance at a cash bonus of up to $1,000 for probation employees who met the program’s “Slam Dunk” requirements. The program also offered the top performers a chance to win a free trip to Hilton Head Island.   Continue reading “March Madness bounty put squeeze on Sentinel probationers”

Oregon Live – by Maxine Bernstein, March 8, 2016

It’s drummed into every police officer and federal agent during training: They must report every time they discharge their gun on duty and justify each shot.

So Tuesday’s announcement that a member of the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team allegedly failed to disclose two gunshots fired at Robert “LaVoy” Finicum seemed inconceivable to former FBI agents and criminal justice experts.   Continue reading “Investigation of FBI agents involved in LaVoy Finicum shooting shocks justice community”

MassPrivateI

DHS’s 2015 Data Mining report, reveals that TSA, CBP or all DHS employees are using their own judgment to determine who’s put on a government watchlist!

“While each program described below engages to some extent in data mining, no decisions about individuals are made based solely on data mining results. In all cases, DHS employees analyze the results of data mining, and then apply their own judgment and expertise to bear in making determinations about individuals initially identified through data mining activities.”
Continue reading “DHS employees use their own judgment to put Americans on Do-Not-Fly list”

Union Leader

CONCORD — A Rochester man facing conspiracy charges in connection to his role in a 2014 standoff with federal agents in Nevada remained in custody Monday after a one-hour court hearing over whether he should be released.

U.S. District Court Judge Andrea Johnstone said she needed more time to consider all of the information in the case against Gerald DeLemus, who faces nine federal charges based on an indictment brought in Nevada.    Continue reading “Judge refuses to release NH liberty activist charged in 2014 Bundy Ranch standoff”

ABC 7 Chicago

TINLEY PARK, Ill. (WLS) — A 28-year-old Oak Forest police officer was arrested in connection with an attack on two teenagers in California. The victims said they were targeted because they were speaking Arabic.

Arthur Roman, of Tinley Park, his 25-year-old brother, Martin, and his brother’s wife, Jessica, were charged with assault with a deadly weapon and battery.   Continue reading “Oak Forest Police Officer Arrested in California Attack on 2 Teens”

Doctors Are Selling Your Prescription Information To Advertisers!

Ad Age – by Kate Kaye

A recent partnership expected to be announced today between mobile ad firm 4Info and pharma data company Crossix could help drug advertisers find out if their mobile ads actually influenced someone to get a prescription or visit a medical specialist. The relationship represents the potential reward — and risk — of targeted advertising on personal devices in the highly regulated healthcare industry.   Continue reading “Data Partners to Tie Mobile Ads to Drug Refills, Doc Visits”

San Jose Mercury News – by Stephen Baxter

SANTA CRUZ — A 32-year-old Soquel man who deliberately struck and killed a woman with his SUV near the Fishhook in 2011 was sentenced on Thursday to life in a state mental hospital.

The crash on July 11, 2011 killed Ana Luz Barajas, a Santa Cruz mother of four and a medical technician. She was on her way home from work.   Continue reading “Santa Cruz wrong-way driver sentenced to life in state mental hospital”

Alter-Net – by Sarah Lazare

Under new guidelines, the FBI is instructing high schools across the country to report students who criticize government policies and “western corruption” as potential future terrorists, warning that “anarchist extremists” are in the same category as ISIS and young people who are poor, immigrants or travel to “suspicious” countries are more likely to commit horrific violence.   Continue reading “The FBI Has a New Plan to Spy on High School Students Across the Country”