Author: Joe from MassPrivateI

C-Ville

How many cops does it take to check on a man when his employer is concerned that he hasn’t shown up for work?

At least a dozen, by Benjamin Marshall Burruss’ estimate.

According to his November 19 lawsuit filed in federal court, Albemarle County Police held Burruss for two hours in his truck after he said he was fine, had no intention of harming anyone and didn’t want to talk to police, then used a flash grenade, bashed in his window, hauled him out of the truck and had him committed for psychiatric evaluation for more than 72 hours.   Continue reading “SWAT PTSD: Albemarle police sued for false imprisonment”

The Newspaper

The Indiana Supreme Court last month ruled that it is more important for police to respect the privacy of drivers than to pull them over to check whether they are in need of assistance. The justices took up the case of Mary Osborne, who on December 14, 2014 forgot to use the parking brake on her black BMW at a Marathon gas station in Fishers. The car rolled backward and briefly pinned her under the car.

The gas station attendant called 911, and Officer Jason Arnold arrived on the scene, only to watch as the BMW safely drove away. Officer Arnold did not see any traffic violations, but he decided to stop her anyway.   Continue reading “Indiana Supreme Court Overturns Driver Welfare Traffic Stop”

Conway Daily Sun – by Lloyd Jones

CONWAY — Thirty-eight kindergartners at the Pine Tree School in Center Conway were on a mission Thursday as they went on a roundup of missing gingerbread men.

Pupils in Amy Trussell’s and Sarah Learn’s kindergarten classes have been reading books about gingerbread men, including the “Gingerbread Baby,” by Jan Brett, and learning about the importance of community.    Continue reading “Successful Roundup: 38 Gingerbread Men Found Safe And Sound”

Mother Jones – by Laura Smith

On Saturday, Denver’s mayor, Michael B. Hancock, announced that city police officers would be asked to stop seizing sleeping bags, blankets, tents, and other items that help homeless people keep warm in the winter. The announcement came after a video showing officers confiscating blankets in frigid weather provoked outcry. And while the announcement was a win for Denver’s homeless, Maria Foscarinis, executive director of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, notes that the seizure or destruction of homeless people’s property is common practice in the United States.  Continue reading “Denver Isn’t the Only City Seizing Homeless People’s Gear”

Miami Herald – by David Ovalle

When a motorist accused Miami-Dade police officer Jonathan Lang of shooting at her during a road-rage incident in July, state troopers towed away his SUV to a secure impound lot.

But before troopers could get a search warrant to search the vehicle, Lang broke in to the South Miami-Dade tow yard and stole the Glock pistol hidden inside the SUV, according to an arrest warrant released on Wednesday.    Continue reading “State: Cell records point to Miami-Dade cop’s road-rage cover up”

MassPrivateI

Delta Id wants every car to scan your iris, so they can authenticate the driver before ignition.

“ActiveIRIS system scans the iris of the driver to authenticate him or her, before enabling ignition.”

ActiveIRIS identifies the driver, monitors (spies) your driving and spies on your seat, infotainment and temperature preferences.   Continue reading “Coming soon, iris scanning cars that talk to traffic signals”

NJ.com

TRENTON — A bill that quietly resurfaced Monday that would dismantle a state law requiring governments, businesses, and individuals to publish legal notices in printed newspapers is being pushed by Gov. Chris Christie, an advocate for municipalities confirmed Tuesday.

The bill (S2855/A4429) is an update of a six-year-old proposal that would allow government agencies and municipalities to instead post notices on websites. The New Jersey Press Association says the bill would deliver a blow to Garden State newspapers.   Continue reading “Christie pushing bill to pull legal ads from newspapers”

Journal Sentinel – by Gina Barton

Nearly 3,000 people in Wisconsin were sent back to prison last year even though they were not found guilty of new crimes, according to a report released Tuesday.

Some were on probation when the violations occurred. Others had been released from custody but were still being supervised by the Department of Corrections. About 70% of them were suspected of criminal activity, the department says. But because they were not formally charged, they did not have due process rights in court.   Continue reading “3,000 sent to prison without new convictions in 2015”

MuckRock – by Beryl Lipton

Though construction on the Dakota Access Pipeline has halted for now, the lessons for law enforcement and protesters are still percolating. For the former, they’ll likely find themselves one day studying the event as they prepare for future mass gatherings, maybe in a guide just like the one distributed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to North Dakota law enforcement in September.   Continue reading “FEMA Field Force manual offers protesters insights into the future of crowd control”

EFF – by Kerry Sheehan

No one should have to fear losing their internet connection because of unfounded accusations. But some rights holders want to use copyright law to force your Internet service provider (ISP) to cut off your access whenever they say so, and in a case the Washington Post called “the copyright case that should worry all Internet providers,” they’re hoping the courts will help them.   Continue reading “The Music Industry Shouldn’t Be Able To Cut Off Your Internet Access”

ABC News

If president-elect Donald Trump keeps his promise, surplus military grenade launchers, bayonets, tracked armored vehicles and high-powered firearms and ammunition will once again be available to state and local U.S. police departments.

National police organizations say they’ll hold Trump to that promise.   Continue reading “Police Expect Trump to Lift Limits on Surplus Military Gear”

TechDirt – by Tim Cushing

Another high-profile asset forfeiture battle has resulted in the government relinquishing its claim on seized cash and returning it to its owner.

In February 2014, DEA agents took $11,000 from Charles Clarke at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The DEA claimed Clarke’s luggage “smelled” like marijuana. It may have been right (Clarke was a recreational marijuana smoker), but it didn’t even bother to get a second opinion from a drug dog. Nor did it find any drugs or paraphernalia when it searched Clarke and his baggage.   Continue reading “US Government Gives $11,000 Back To College Student Three Years After The DEA Took It From Him”

RT

Journalist Brian Williams has become the latest person to slam ‘fake news,’ claiming it influenced the US election. But there’s some irony in his apparent defense of quality journalism, as he was let go from his NBC gig last year for… reporting fake news.

“Fake news played a role in this election and continues to find a wide audience,” Williams said on MSNBC on Wednesday night.   Continue reading “Disgraced ex-NBC ‘fake news’ journalist Brian Williams on crusade against false reporting”

Department of Justice

Atlanta Police Sergeant Trevor King, 48, of Rex, Georgia, was charged by a federal grand jury with violating the rights of a man by using excessive force against him on Oct. 13, 2014.

The indictment was announced today by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Civil Rights Division, and U.S. Attorney John Horn of the Northern District of Georgia.    Continue reading “Atlanta Police Sergeant Charged with Using Excessive Force”

The Libertarian Institute – by Will Grigg

Since 2002, observes investigative author Trevor Aaronson in his deeply researched book The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI’s Manufactured War on Terrorism, the FBI has been spending roughly $3 billion a year “to hunt an enemy that is largely of its own creation.” The 30-year prison sentence imposed on a 22-year-old Ohio resident named Christopher Lee Cornell (not to be mistaken for that Chris Cornell) represents a typical return on that dubious investment.   Continue reading “The FBI Continues Its Winning Streak in Convicting Its Own “Terrorist” Patsies”

Institute for Justice – by Nick Sibilla

The Iowa Department of Public Safety announced on Monday that it has disbanded its drug interdiction team, a unit roundly criticized for confiscating cash from motorists. Although local and state agencies can still pursue asset forfeiture cases, “the State Patrol no longer specifically assigns Troopers to [interdiction] duty on a full-time basis,” Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Nathan Ludwig said in a statement. Instead, more troopers will be assigned to handle traffic safety and special events.   Continue reading “Iowa Disbands a State Forfeiture Unit, Pays $60,000 to Settle Cash Seizure Case”

The Newspaper

There are no limits on a private individual or government agency that seeks to track Virginia motorists by photographing their license plates and storing the information in a database. That was the ruling last month of a Fairfax County Circuit Court judge who rejected the contention that automated license plate readers (ALPR or ANPR in Europe) violate state data protection laws.

“There is one salient issue that this court must decide,” Judge Robert J. Smith wrote in his November 18 ruling. “If a license plate reader is personal information, then the Fairfax County Police Department has violated the act.”   Continue reading “Virginia Court Says License Plate Tracking Is Legal”