WPXI 11

HARRISBURG, Pa. — A south-central Pennsylvania municipality is agreeing to pay $500,000 to settle two federal civil rights lawsuits that claimed its police officers beat two suspects in separate incidents then made false reports to cover up the assaults.

Lawyer Devon M. Jacob said Thursday that Springettsbury Township will pay $250,000 each to the plaintiffs, Steven Landis and Debra Lynn Williams. Township Manager John Holman acknowledged the payments.   Continue reading “Pa. town pays $500K in police brutality settlement”

John Twombly was beaten unconscious at his own wedding. (Source: WHOtv.com)Police State USA

DES MOINES, IA — A settlement has been reached for a groom who was beaten unconscious at his own wedding reception, although the city still refuses to admit their officer did anything wrong.

Wedding Bash

The case dates back to 2011, when John Twombly and his bride Khamla made their vows.   They held a reception with roughly 275-300 guests, and hired an off-duty Des Moines police officer, Andrew Phipps, to provide security.   Continue reading “Groom beaten unconscious by police at his own wedding”

Posted on Social MediaCleve Scene – by Doug Brown

One year ago this month, the U.S. Justice Department announced it had opened an investigation into the Cleveland police department and its troubled history with use of excessive and deadly force. The investigation, spurred on by the deaths of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams, the two unarmed suspects who were killed after Cleveland cops fired 137 shots into their car at the end of the now infamous cross-city chase that began with a routine traffic stop and ended in a hail of blood and gunfire on the east side, is still ongoing.   Continue reading “A Traffic Ticket and a Bullet Through the Chest”

privacy.istockThe Raw Story

Via Moyers & Company. Julia Angwin, 3/13/2014 10:42:15 AM

The following is an excerpt from Julia Angwin’s Dragnet Nation: A Quest for Privacy, Security, and Freedom in a World of Relentless Surveillance. Who is watching you?

This was once a question asked only by kings, presidents and public figures trying to dodge the paparazzi and criminals trying to evade the law. The rest of us had few occasions to worry about being tracked.   Continue reading “Dragnet Nation: Here’s how you may already be getting hacked”

Mary Magdalene RootCBS Baltimore -by Gigi Barnett

HARFORD COUNTY, Md. (WJZ)—An 81-year-old great-grandmother is placed behind bars for a minor pet violation committed nearly a year ago. The Harford County woman says she tried paying thousands of dollars in fines but couldn’t afford them.

As Gigi Barnett explains, the senior citizen says her punishment doesn’t fit the crime.   Continue reading “81-Year-Old Great-Grandmother Jailed For 2 Days For Pet Violation”

Officer Kevin CorcoranPhilly.com – by Sam Wood

A Philadelphia police officer was suspended with intent to dismiss after being charged with false imprisonment and other counts in a 2013 arrest of an Operation Iraqi Freedom war veteran who had pointed out the officer was driving the wrong direction on a one-way street.

The vet, who served in the U.S. Air Force, has filed a $1 million suit against the city claiming unlawful search and seizure, assault and battery, and multiple violations of Constitutional rights.    Continue reading “Philly cop charged with false imprisonment of war veteran”

mark zuckerberg word bubbleTry not to laugh!

CNN Money – by Jose Pagliery 

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg called President Obama on Wednesday night to express frustration about the government’s spying and hacking programs.

“When our engineers work tirelessly to improve security, we imagine we’re protecting you against criminals, not our own government,” Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post Thursday afternoon.   Continue reading “Mark Zuckerberg calls Obama to complain about NSA”

Chron – by Craig Hlavaty

The family of a Robstown Independent School District student has filed a federal lawsuit against the Robstown Police Department, the school district, and the city of Robstown, after one of its officers allegedly choked the student to the point of passing out.

The student’s offense?  He was throwing milk in his school’s cafeteria, the suit says.

At the time of the February 2012 incident, the male student, whose is unnamed in the suit, was enrolled at Ortiz Intermediate School.   Continue reading “Federal lawsuit accuses Texas cop of choking milk-throwing student”

(Photo Credit: KDKA)Illustrating again how the TSA has its operations outside of airports, bus passengers in Pittsburgh will be eyeballed by TSA agents during a “security exercise” involving multiple agencies that begins today.

CBS Pittsburgh – by Heather Abraham

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – If you take the bus or T to work, you may notice increased security at your stop today.   Continue reading “Port Authority To Perform Joint Security Exercise”

Tribune illustrationChicago Tribune – by David Heinzmann

Citizen complaints about Chicago police misconduct and the related investigative files are public records and must be turned over by the city, an Illinois appeals court ruled this week.

A three-judge panel of the state Appellate Court in Chicago rejected the city’s claim that such files are exempt from the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. A spokeswoman for Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration said Tuesday that the city would appeal the ruling to the Illinois Supreme Court.   Continue reading “Court: Misconduct complaints against Chicago police should be public”

Humboldt County Sherriff's Sgt. Chris Aker describes the county's drug interdiction program on U.S. Interstate 80 in Winnemucca, Nev., Tuesday, March 11, 2014, as his K-9 ``Boots'' peers out from behind the podium during a public meeting at the Winnemucca Convention Center. About 40 people attended as Sheriff Ed Kilgore and others helped respond to questions about two federal lawsuits recently filed accusing county deputies of seizing tens of thousands of dollars without bringing criminal charges against suspected drug traffickers.RGJ – by SCOTT SONNER

WINNEMUCCA — A rural Nevada sheriff is defending the practice of stopping suspected drug traffickers on U.S. Interstate 80 and confiscating tens of thousands of dollars even if no criminal charges are filed.

Reports that two men had filed lawsuits in federal court against the county stirred concerns among Humboldt County residents that deputies are making illegal searches and seizures along I-80 in the high desert near Winnemucca about 165 miles east of Reno.   Continue reading “Rural Nevada sheriff defends I-80 drug stops”

Robert Koistinen was charged with hindering prosecution in connection with his actions after his son, Michael Koistinen, struck and killed 15-year-old Henry Dang.The Hartford Courant – by SHAWN R. BEALS and DAVE ALTIMARI

WINDSOR LOCKS — The police commission decided Wednesday night to appeal an arbitration panel’s ruling that Robert Koistinen, a police sergeant fired by the town in 2012, should get his job back.

With the appeal, the commission will attempt to block Koistinen from returning to the police department.   Continue reading “CT town fights order to reinstate cop fired for covering up his cop son’s vehicular homicide”

Inglewood schools / CBS Los Angeles screenshotThe Daily Caller – by Robby Soave

Members of the Inglewood, Calif. community were outraged to learn that school district administrators had spent $38,000 worth of public money vacationing at a luxurious hotel and spa — ostensibly for the purpose of discussing strategies for implementing the Common Core standards at schools in the impoverished district.

Later, when the spa trip was uncovered and reported by local news, a veritable army of police officers was dispatched to one of the schools to prevent a protest by angry students.   Continue reading “Impoverished school district sends admins on lavish Common Core spa trip”

Ben Swann – by Michael Lotfi 

NASHVILLE, March 11, 2014– A bill which would nullify federal “voluntary” checkpoints in the Volunteer State State moved another step towards law today. Sen. Mike Bell filed Senate Bill 1485 in January (SB1485). It passed on Jan 27 unanimously by a 37-0 vote. And today, the House concurred by a vote of 91-0.

It reads, in part:   Continue reading “Tennessee legislators vote to nullify some federal roadside checkpoints”

google big brotherWashington’s Blog – by JimQ

“Even if you’re not doing anything wrong, you’re being watched and recorded. …it’s getting to the point where you don’t have to have done anything wrong, you simply have to eventually fall under suspicion from somebody, even by a wrong call, and then they can use this system to go back in time and scrutinize every decision you’ve ever made, every friend you’ve ever discussed something with, and attack you on that basis, to sort of derive suspicion from an innocent life.” – Edward Snowden   Continue reading “Google, China, The NSA and the Fourth Turning”

Gothamist – by Jen Chung

A number of East Williamsburg and Bushwick residents were surprised by a combined federal and NYPD raid on Devoe Street early Sunday morning. Some were disturbed by a loud, low-flying helicopter, while others were simply stopped from going home because the street was blocked off.

Witnesses spotted a big Department of Homeland Security truck as well as DHS agents toting machine guns as they raided 221 Devoe Street. The NYPD was also involved, and one officer told a resident that the bust turned up “kilos of heroin.” (Apparently the drugs may have been from out of the country, hence DHS.)   Continue reading “Homeland Security’s Heavily Armed East Williamsburg Raid ‘Terrorized And Confused’ Residents”

MassPrivateI

Facebook has offered to pay $200,000 a year for a full-time Menlo Park police officer who would work out of the city’s planned substation in Belle Haven, a stone’s throw from its headquarters.

The company has pledged to fund the position for three years, and possibly two more, according to an agreement that goes to the Menlo Park City Council for approval.

THAT’S CLOSE TO A MILLION DOLLARS THE POLICE OFFICER WOULD EARN: $600,000 FOR 3 YEARS & $800,000 FOR 5 YEARS!   Continue reading “Facebook becomes the first private company to hire a full-time police officer to spy on public”

MassPrivateI

The advent of mobile apps and websites that allow more people than ever to listen to police radio chatter prompted two local law enforcement agencies to follow a growing trend across the country – encrypting police radio traffic.

What that means is news outlets and the general public will no longer be able to hear when a traffic accident blocks a major intersection or an armed standoff results in evacuations.   Continue reading “Law enforcement agencies are encrypting radio transmissions citing bogus officer safety concerns”