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NEWS of the Week - Sept 24 to Sept 30, 2012
on some NAACC / LACP issues of interest

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NEWS of the Week 
on some issues of interest to the community policing and neighborhood activist across the country

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following group of articles from local newspapers and other sources constitutes but a small percentage of the information available to the community policing and neighborhood activist public. It is by no means meant to cover every possible issue of interest, nor is it meant to convey any particular point of view ... We present this simply as a convenience to our readership ...

NOTE: To see full stories either click on the Daily links or on the URL provided below each article.

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Sept 30, 2012

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California Border Patrol agent fatally shoots woman

CHULA VISTA — A plainclothes Border Patrol agent clinging to the hood of a moving car shot and killed the woman behind the wheel in Chula Vista Friday afternoon, authorities said.

There were several witnesses to the 1 p.m. shooting, which occurred on Moss Street near Oaklawn Avenue in a residential area lined by stucco apartment complexes and small homes.

Border Patrol agents were in the neighborhood to serve a felony warrant when the agent was struck by the woman's car, said Border Patrol Deputy Chief Rodney Scott.

The agent was lodged in the windshield and carried several hundred yards on the hood of the Honda, he said. “Fearing for his life, he discharged his weapon to get the vehicle to stop,” Scott said. He was the only agent who fired.

The agent was taken to a hospital with unknown injuries, although witnesses said he appeared to be OK. Family members identified the woman as Valeria “Monique” Alvarado, a 32-year-old housewife who grew up in Chula Vista and lived in Southcrest. She died at the scene.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/sep/28/police-border-patrol-agent-fatally-shoots-woman/

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Massachusetts

How chemist in drug lab scandal circumvented safeguards

State drug lab chemist Annie Dookhan labeled the vials as containing THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. But when another chemist ran the vials through a machine to confirm Dookhan's analysis, one had little THC, and another was mixed with morphine and codeine.

The second chemist sent the vials back to Dookhan to resolve the discrepancies, asking her to repeat the screening test the lab used to tentatively identify the drugs in an evidence bag. When she resubmitted them, the machine showed the vials contained pure THC.

The incident, detailed in a 100-page State Police report obtained by the Globe last week, illustrates one of the many ways Dookhan was able to circumvent safeguards intended to ensure that drug evidence was properly handled and analyzed by workers in a now-closed lab formerly run by the state Department of Public Health.

Forensics specialists interviewed by the Globe say the lab's procedures appear to have been fairly standard, including having two chemists test every sample, but they were still not enough to prevent an ambitious chemist's rampant breaches of lab protocol, apparently to boost her performance record. In the process, investigators say, Dookhan has jeopardized the reliability of drug evidence used in 34,000 cases during her nine-year career.

The 34-year-old chemist was arrested Friday and charged with two counts of obstruction of justice and one of falsifying her academic record, in allegedly lying under oath about having a master's degree in chemistry.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2012/09/30/how-chemist-drug-lab-scandal-circumvented-safeguards/A29LZnAw1eW4hvjn4xX7rL/story.html

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Connecticut

New Haven residents weigh in on progress of community policing model

NEW HAVEN — Police Chief Dean Esserman returned to the city nearly a year ago with a pledge to reinstitute meaningful community policing and repair the fractured relationship between officers and many residents in the city's poorest, largely minority, violence-plagued neighborhoods.

Since then, he has ordered the return of walking beats to every neighborhood, instructed beat officers to make “house calls” to check on crime victims, arrived at hospitals to support the families of homicide victims and stood with them at press conferences to announce justice through arrests.

The concept of community policing means different things to different people. The New Haven Register spoke with a cross-section of community members, leaders and activists to get their impressions of the state of policing in New Haven — and whether community policing has gained any traction.

Lisa Siedlarz is chairwoman of the SoHu Block Watch in the East Rock neighborhood. Since the Block Watch started, she has worked with six police chiefs and acting chiefs.

Walking beat Officer Ron Perry already was a familiar face in East Rock when his bosses convened a meeting with a jittery community about a latest rash of burglaries.

He wasn't a featured speaker but introduced himself to those who didn't yet know him, and made an offer: If residents go on vacation, they should let their neighbors know — but also tell him, and he'd make sure to check on their house during his daily rounds.

“An offer like that really changes the perception not just of that one officer, but of the entire New Haven Police Department,” said Siedlarz.

http://nhregister.com/articles/2012/09/29/news/new_haven/doc5067b9c0331c2650293658.txt?viewmode=fullstory

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City Hall rally demands halt to NYPD stop-and-frisk tactic, passage of Community Safety Act

Legislation provides ‘transparency, oversight, and accountability' to prevent police abuse

Fed up with what they believe are discriminatory practices by the NYPD, more than 800 New Yorkers rallied last Thursday at City Hall. Among other things they called for is an end to stop-and-frisk, which overwhelmingly affects black and Latino youth and has become the most visible example of police discrimination and abuse of power.

“Stop-and-frisk makes youth of color feel like we are criminals and not welcome in our own city,” said Alfredo Carrasquillo of the Brooklyn-based VOCAL-NY, one of the groups that participated in the rally,

The problem is serious enough to demand an urgent solution. During the Bloomberg administration, the New York Police Department stopped more than 4 million people. Yet, nearly 90% of those stops did not result in summons or arrests.

To understand how Carrasquillo and thousands like him feel, one only has to know that 85% of those stopped were of black and Latino. “New Yorkers are tired of waiting for justice and reforms,” said Yul-san Liem, a spokesperson for Communities United for Police Reform, which organized the rally.

“Our communities are standing up to reject discriminatory policing like stop-and-frisk abuses, surveillance of Muslim communities, and the lack of police accountability that have continued for too long,” she added.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/city-hall-rally-demands-halt-nypd-stop-and-frisk-tactic-passage-community-safety-act-article-1.1170502?localLinksEnabled=false

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Oklahoma

Opinion

Public-police partnership day

NORMAN — Police Chief Keith Humphrey, in his push for community policing, always stresses police-public partnerships. Activities planned Saturday, Oct. 6, will go a long way to foster that relationship with citizens.

Officers are planning a series of events at the police department, 201 B W. Gray Street. The first, a Shred-A-Thon, with Absolute Data Shredding and Republic Bank and Trust from 9 a.m. to noon, allows residents to bring in sensitive financial documents for destruction. Shredding keeps such documents out of the hands of cybercriminals

At the same time, officers will accept unneeded pharmaceuticals and old or unwanted ammunition for proper disposal. No syringes, liquids or inhalers and no explosives.

Officers will also check car seats for safety and adjust cars for a fit for senior drivers. They won't test driving skills but will adjust controls such as brakes, accelerators, steering wheels and seat belts.

http://normantranscript.com/opinion/x708370728/Public-police-partnership-day

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From the FBI

FBI National Academy -- Celebrating a Milestone

The FBI's National Academy, known as one of the premier law enforcement training programs in the world, graduated its 250th class earlier this month, and the graduates—like thousands who preceded them—returned to their police departments and agencies in the U.S. and overseas with new knowledge and many new friends.

“I have made some true friends for life,” said Kenneth Armstrong, detective chief inspector of the Strathclyde Police in Glasgow, Scotland, referring to his classmates from the 10-week program held at the FBI's training facility in Quantico, Virginia.

Established in 1935, the National Academy provides advanced investigative, management, and fitness training to senior officers who are proven leaders within their organizations. In addition to undergraduate and graduate-level college courses offered in areas such as law, behavioral and forensic science, understanding terrorism and terrorists, and leadership development, students forge lasting connections that strengthen global law enforcement partnerships.

“If you're a National Academy graduate,” said Special Agent Greg Cappetta, chief of the National Academy Unit at Quantico, “it doesn't matter where you go in the world—someone there has gone through the program and will be ready to help you.”

To date, more than 46,000 men and women have graduated from the program, and more than 28,500 are still active in law enforcement work. The 250th graduating class, consisting of 264 officers, came from 49 U.S. states and 24 countries.

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2012/september/fbi-national-academy-celebrating-a-milestone/fbi-national-academy-celebrating-a-milestone

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From the Department of Homeland Security

DHS and Wisconsin Bring Safety Messages to Billboards (and more) Across the Badger State

Over the past year, I've had the exciting opportunity to introduce partnerships between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and state and local governments in support of the “If You See Something, Say Something™” awareness campaign. Today is the fifth time that I have had the pleasure to personally announce a new partner in this important initiative.

This afternoon, I was in Madison, WI to join Governor Walker, Attorney General Van Hollen, Major General Dunbar and law enforcement and homeland security officials in announcing a new “If You See Something, Say Something™” partnership with the state of Wisconsin.

The “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign encourages citizens to speak up if they see something that seems out of place – like an unattended bag – and gives individuals information about how to report suspicious activities. The Badger State will take a number of innovative steps to help deliver these important safety messages to its more than 5.7 million residents.

“If You See Something, Say Something™” messages will appear on digital billboards on major highways and thruways across the state, including I-94, WIS 57, and WIS 164, from Oshkosh to Westbend to Jefferson and a variety of other cities. Additionally, “If You See Something, Say Something™” campaign posters will be hung in a variety of venues around the state to engage a host of sectors and communities throughout Wisconsin. For example, in Madison, posters with photos of the state capitol will be on display, as well as posters with images of Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Pictures of Miller Park and Summerfest will also accompany these materials in Milwaukee.

http://www.dhs.gov/blog/2012/09/28/dhs-and-wisconsin-bring-safety-messages-billboards-and-more-across-badger-state

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Sept 29, 2012

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Same-Sex Couples Granted Protection in Deportations

The Department of Homeland Security has stated in writing that foreigners who are same-sex partners of American citizens can be included under an Obama administration policy suspending deportations of some immigrants who pose no security risk.

In letters sent late Wednesday to several Democratic lawmakers, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said she was clarifying guidelines that enforcement officers had used when applying a policy of prosecutorial discretion in cases of illegal immigrants with no criminal convictions.

Under the guidelines, which were first issued in June 2011, officers can consider “ties and contributions to the community, including family relationships” when deciding whether to halt a deportation. Ms. Napolitano wrote that she had ordered her department to issue written instructions specifying that those “family relationships” include “long-term same-sex partners.” Gay rights groups hailed the letter as a small change with large implications for foreigners in same-sex relationships who were facing deportation.

“This is the first time the government has recognized in writing that the relationship between a gay American and a gay immigrant is a real and positive factor in an immigration case,” said Rachel B. Tiven, the executive director of Immigration Equality, a group that supports gay immigrants' causes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/us/homeland-security-puts-it-in-writing-on-immigration-policy-and-gay-couples.html

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Connecticut

Mercy Came Knocking

A new teacher turned up at a training academy classroom to address New Haven's police recruits the other day. He told a parable about the night he almost lost his life to a gun-toting driver of a Dodge Intrepid.

The parable ends with a remarkable act of mercy. The teacher left that part out. For a reason. The teacher told the parable to offer a lesson about how to be a cop. A “community” cop. The teacher that day, Anthony Campbell, was both a cop and a reverend: A police sergeant. And a Yale Divinity School-trained Christian minister. Sgt. Campbell turned up at the morning session of the academy the other day because, as of this month, he now runs New Haven's police academy.

He takes over at a propitious time. New Haven aims to pump 100 new officers into the force over the course of a year as part of a mission to reignite community policing. As Chief Dean Esserman's choice to run the academy on Sherman Parkway, Campbell will play a key role in that mission. He will oversee efforts to recruit lots more cadets, to find more of them right here in New Haven with the help of churches and employers. He has already brought in the housing authority to urge suburban cadets to take advantage of a new offer to buy specially low-priced homes in the newly rebuilt Brookside housing development . And the academy is reemphasizing the idea of walking the beat, getting to know the community, earning their trust.

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/mission_of_mercy_com/id_50997

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Sept 28, 2012

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Pennsylvania

4 Teen Girls Held in Taped Beating of Pa. Woman

Four teenage girls have been arrested outside Philadelphia in connection with the beating of a woman that was recorded on video and posted to Facebook.

Authorities say the teens will be charged as adults in the beating in the city of Chester. Police are looking for two more suspects.

Detective James Nolan said Friday the fourth suspect is a 16-year-old girl who was turned in by her father Thursday night. He says the teens appear to have attacked the woman "for fun" this week.

Video shows a group of girls walking along before suddenly deciding to attack the woman sitting on her stoop. They follow the victim into her home as she tries to escape, taking turns beating her.

Police describe the woman as "mentally challenged." She is being treated.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/teen-girls-held-taped-beating-pa-woman-17347562

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Arkansas

Police department to offer citizens' training academy

For the next nine weeks myself and other citizens of Russellville will experience the ins and outs of the Russellville Police Department through the Citizens' Police Academy.

Drew Latch, RPD public information officer, said the academy was designed to bridge the gap between the citizens of Russesllville and the police department and to remind and encourage the community that the RPD needs their vigilance to be a productive, successful department.

I can't speak for the other cadets, but while I'm excited to get a behind-the-scenes peek at the RPD, I'm also nervous about the next few weeks.

During the course of the next few weeks, the CIP will go on patrol, try our hands at handling patrol cars through the Emergency Vehicle Operations Course, administer sobriety checks, undergo use of force training, fire arms training at the RPD range and even shoot what was referred to as crayon bullets at actual police officers during an active shooter exercise. The list of activities just goes on and on, each more exciting or depending on how you look at it, scary.

I'm much more comfortable as an observer than as a participant, so the academy should be an interesting experience for me. The thought of driving the obstacle course makes me nervous. I don't even want to think ahead to fire arms and active shooter exercises.

http://www.couriernews.com/view/full_story/20288966/article-Police-department-to-offer-citizens%E2%80%99-training-academy

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Sept 27, 2012

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New Jersey

Fort Lee Police Accepting Unwanted Prescription Drugs Saturday

The event is part of the DEA's national “Take-Back Initiative,” which the agency says has netted tons of potentially dangers prescription drugs since it started.

The Fort Lee Police Department is partnering with the U.S. Department of Justice's Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Saturday, offering the residents another chance “to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangers expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.”

Fort Lee Police Chief Thomas O. Ripoli therefore encourages people to bring their medication for disposal to Fort Lee Police Headquarters at 1327 16th St. in Fort Lee on Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., where officers from the Community Policing Unit and Evidence Bureau will be on hand.

The service is free—no questions asked, police said. This is not the first time the DEA is conducting it national “Take Back Initiative.” In fact, it's proven successful in the past.

The Fort Lee Police Department provided the follow information about the initiative:

Last October, Americans turned in 377,080 pounds—188.5 tons—of prescription drugs at over 5,300 sites operated by the DEA and nearly 4,000 state and local law enforcement partners. In its three previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in almost a million pounds—nearly 500 tons—of pills.

http://fortlee.patch.com/articles/fort-lee-police-accepting-unwanted-prescription-drugs-saturday

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Florida

Have Unwanted Medications? Prescription Drug Round-Up Is Saturday

The Escambia County Sheriff's Office, the Pensacola Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and CVS Pharmacies will partner Saturday for a “Prescription Drug Round-Up”.

The event is a one-day effort between local and federal law enforcement to provide the pubic a site to voluntarily surrender expired, unwanted, unused pharmaceutical controlled substances and other medications for destruction.

“This is an excellent opportunity for citizens of Escambia County to dispose of their unwanted medications before they fall into the hands of someone who may abuse or misuse them,” Sheriff David Morgan said, “We appreciate the assistance of a community-minded business CVS in this endeavor, so much can be accomplished when law enforcement, businesses and citizens partner together.”

http://www.northescambia.com/2012/09/have-unwanted-medications-prescription-drug-round-up-is-saturday

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Alabama

Auburn Police to host Prescription Drug Take Back Day

Auburn, Ala. - The Auburn Police Division (APD) is hosting a Prescription Drug Take Back Day from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 29 at Our Home Pharmacy located at 2320 Moores Mill Road, Suite 100 in Auburn.

This Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) program is being coordinated and sponsored by Auburn University's Harrison School of Pharmacy. APD officers and Opelika Police Department officers will be stationed in the parking lot of Our Home Pharmacy to collect unneeded prescription drugs turned in by the public.

Participants need only to simply drive up and turn over prescription drugs to an officer. The exchange must be from a citizen to a law enforcement officer per DEA guidelines. Collection containers and instructions for custody and disposal will be provided to participants.

This event is an extension of APD's community oriented policing approach and serves as an example of how Auburn Police Chief Tommy Dawson and the Auburn Police Division work with citizens in ridding our community of harmful drugs.

http://www.wltz.com/story/19645344/auburn-police-to-host

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From the White House

Empowering Women and Girls in the United States and Abroad

This week, we took two major steps in empowering women and girls both here in the United States and abroad. On Monday, we announced Equal Futures, a partnership between the U.S. and other nations to advance the rights and opportunities of women and girls.

At last year's UN General Assembly, President Obama challenged member nations to “break down economic and political barriers that stand in the way of women and girls.” To answer the call, on Monday, I joined Secretary Clinton and leaders from around the world to launch the Equal Futures Partnership.

Founding members, including the United States and 12 other countries, each shared new national commitments to further women's political and economic participation. For the United States, our Equal Futures commitments will:

  • Expand opportunity for women and girls in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields
  • Expand economic security for domestic violence victims
  • Support women entrepreneurs
  • Promote civic and public leadership for girls

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/09/26/empowering-women-and-girls-united-states-and-abroad

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From the Department of Homeland Security

FirstNet Board's Inaugural Meeting on the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network

Following the attacks on September 11, 2001, members of the emergency response community – police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical service personnel came together, in conjunction with the Federal government, to strengthen emergency communications capabilities through enhanced coordination, planning, training, and new equipment. Through the President's Wireless Innovation and Infrastructure Initiative, the Administration outlined its commitment to the development and deployment of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network for use by emergency responders throughout the country.

The establishment of the FirstNet Board represents an important milestone in the implementation of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, and today, I had the privilege of joining my fellow board members at the inaugural meeting to provide our nation's first responders with a dedicated communications network to help them share information and communicate during emergency situations. The FirstNet Board will work directly with first responders to ensure that the design, construction, and governance of a nationwide network is done efficiently and effectively.

The FirstNet Board is ready to tackle the challenge before us, and DHS is committed to ensuring that the establishment of a nationwide network meets the needs of our nation's emergency responders. To that end, DHS is providing technical assistance to states to update their Statewide Communication Interoperability Plans, and engaging federal, state, local, territorial and tribal public safety groups in the development of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network.

For more information on the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network please go to www.dhs.gov/PublicSafetyBroadband

http://www.dhs.gov/blog/2012/09/25/firstnet-board%E2%80%99s-inaugural-meeting-nationwide-public-safety-broadband-network

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Sept 26, 2012

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One Woman's Fight Against a Tribute to an Early Leader of the Ku Klux Klan

Alabama native Malika Fortier is leading a battle to block a controversial monument to a Civil War general and early leader of the Ku Klux Klan. Abigail Pesta reports.

Malika Fortier doesn't think the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan is someone to celebrate.

Fortier is leading a charge against the construction of a monument in honor of Nathan Bedford Forrest in her hometown of Selma, Ala. Forrest, a Confederate general hailed by some as a Civil War hero, is believed to be the first national leader of the Klan. Fortier calls the proposed monument “boldly racist.” On Tuesday, she helped organize a protest and turned in a Change.org petition with more than 325,000 signatures to the Selma city council. Her efforts paid off; the city council reportedly voted Tuesday night to halt all work on the statue until the courts decide who owns the property where the monument would be based—the city or a Civil War historical society. *

“I never dreamed that we might, as a town, go backwards,” says Fortier, 39, who works in a local law office. “I grew up here meeting giants of the civil-rights movement. I was inspired by the sacrifices that these leaders were willing to make so life could be better for all people. I thought that during my lifetime, things would get better and better.”

A bust of Forrest was first placed on a pedestal in the town more than a decade ago, Fortier says. It caused such a controversy that it later was moved to a more out-of-the-way cemetery called Live Oak. This past spring, the bust mysteriously disappeared. A local group that calls itself “Friends of Forrest” is now pushing to build a new monument—a “bigger and better one,” Fortier says. “They are just determined to celebrate this hate.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/09/26/one-woman-s-fight-against-a-tribute-to-an-alleged-leader-of-the-ku-klux-klan.html

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How the Federal Government is Killing Community Policing

If you've ever watched a television series, like “Hill Street Blues” or “NYPD Blue,” you are probably well acquainted with the mutual disdain between local and federal law enforcement. While the script for these shows was predictable, it was engrossing nonetheless. Cops were local bumpkins who policed on gut instinct, and whose ties to locals made corruption an ever-present danger. Feds were arrogant ‘suits' who used wiretaps and hi-tech devices to drag in dozens at a time—cops included. When I recently joined the FBI in an advisory position—I spent two years visiting field offices around the country in an effort to understand how federal agents put together a case, and to gauge their impact on local public safety—such antagonism is exactly what I expected to find.

Instead, I saw a different drama, one that has received far less attention, but is no less compelling. Increasingly, across the country, the town cop who walks a beat and relies on trust with locals may be a thing of the past; your neighborhood police investigation is increasingly likely to be a federal initiative, built on cooperation between your local police department and Washington, DC. In fact, with feds and local cops increasing their collaborations and seeking funding to expand their joint investigations, we may be seeing the end of “community policing” as we've known it. In the short run, this has been a good thing, since crime has grown more complex and stiff federal penalties are often necessary deterrents. But in the long run, it's shaping up to be the biggest challenge to liberal governance and local autonomy that we've seen in some time.

FEDERAL-LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS currently target a surprisingly wide range of crimes and it's hard to pinpoint the criteria determining the involvement of FBI, DEA, ICE and other Department of Justice officials in local matters. Sometimes the locals are out-matched, at other times multiple-jurisdictions require federal coordination, and on occasion, a federal prosecutor simply finds a racketeering case too good to pass up. It's almost always true, however, that the relationship is openly transactional. The feds bring gifts to the locals, in the form of cars, decent pay, and fancy surveillance gadgetry. In return the feds “rent” local cops (and the local knowledge they possess).

http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/107675/how-big-brother-killing-community-policing

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Prescription drug abuse drops among U.S. young adults

Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Prescription drug abuse among young adults ages 18 to 25 in the United States fell 14 percent between 2010 and 2011, according to a federal report released Monday.

During that time, the number of young adults who reported using prescription drugs for non-medical purposes in the last month decreased from 2 million to 1.7 million. However, prescription drug abuse among children ages 12 to 17 and among adults 26 and older remained unchanged.

The 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health also found that rates of drinking, binge drinking and heavy drinking in the past month among underage people continued to decline from 2002, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said.

Among young people ages 12 to 20, past month alcohol use fell from nearly 29 percent in 2002 to about 25 percent in 2011. Binge drinking -- consuming five or more drinks on a single occasion on at least one day in the past month -- declined from more than 19 percent to about 16 percent, and heavy drinking decreased from about 6 percent to 4.4 percent.

The use of illicit drugs remained stable. Illicit drug use within the past month was reported by 8.7 percent of Americans aged 12 and older in 2010, compared to 8.9 percent last year, according to the report released during National Recovery Month.

http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/19625121/prescription-drug-abuse-drops-among-us-young-adults

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Sept 25, 2012

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Obama to urge UN to confront roots of Muslim rage

NEW YORK (AP) — Campaign politics shadowing every word, President Barack Obama on Tuesday will challenge the world to confront the root causes of rage exploding across the Muslim world, calling it a defining choice "between the forces that would drive us apart and the hopes we hold in common."

Obama will step before the United Nations General Assembly and declare that the United States will not shrink from its role in troubled, transitioning nations despite the killing of four Americans in Libya, including U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens, and more than 50 people total in violence linked at least in part to an anti-Muslim film.

Obama will also to seek to show U.S. resolve in preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, a menacing issue that has undermined White House relations with Israel's leadership.

In his final international address before the November election, Obama will stand up for democratic values on a stage afforded to presidents, not presidential challengers. He will use it to try to boost his political standing without ever mentioning Republican opponent Mitt Romney.

Were there any doubt that the U.S. presidential campaign hung heavy over Obama's speech, Romney shredded it by assailing Obama's foreign affairs leadership on the eve of the president's speech. Now comes Obama's chance to assert his world vision on his terms.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iMM7YB6DTzL1aYjfnegWFSagfE-w?docId=48575d8c27ab4131a9ec7275f273241a

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From the Department of Justice

Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the United Nations General Assembly's High-Level Event on the Rule of Law

New York ~ Monday, September 24, 2012

Mr. President; your Excellencies. I am honored to represent the United States at this historic meeting on the rule of law – and I want to thank all of the distinguished leaders gathered here for bringing your voices, your perspectives, and your commitment to this critical discussion.

History has proven that the establishment and enforcement of the rule of law is essential – in protecting the security and civil liberties of our citizens; in combating violent crime, public corruption, and terrorist threats; and in strengthening civil society. In recent days, we have been reminded – in the most painful and tragic of ways – of just how vital the rule of law is to ensuring freedom, opportunity, justice, and peace.

I am here not only to pledge the United States' commitment to these principles – but also our support for the United Nations' robust efforts to strengthen the rule of law worldwide. And I want to assure each of you that my colleagues and I are determined to stand with any nation that strives to ensure integrity, foster innovation, and create opportunities for prosperity and progress. We will also stand with those governments that cherish the benefits of a free, fair, and open society; and that seek to eradicate the corrupt and abusive activities that can weaken political institutions, threaten the democratic process, undermine the strength and promise of civil society, and diminish the quality of life for countless individuals, families, and communities. We must all truly serve the people we are privileged to represent.

http://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/ag/speeches/2012/ag-speech-120924.html

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Sept 24, 2012

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Ohio

Memorial for slaying victims to focus on race

Black-on-black crime predominates 2012

Most of Toledo's 22 homicide victims this year have been black. Of the total 16 cases with black victims, nine have named suspects, all of them black. One additional case, the shooting death of Travis Johnson by an off-duty Walbridge police officer, was ruled justifiable by the Toledo Police Department.

Tomorrow, all homicide victims will be honored during the National Day of Remembrance for Murdered Victims, but the event will focus on black-on-black crime, coordinators said. “If you look at what's going on in Toledo, it's black-on-black crime,” said Leslie Robinson, whose son was was shot to death on Cone Street in 2005.

A total of six victims this year, in Toledo, are not black – three are white and three are Hispanic. Mr. Robinson said there are a number of factors, in his mind, as to why so much of the violent crime – not only in Toledo but across the country – leaves blacks, especially young men, wounded, dead, or behind bars.

“To me it goes way back. There was a time in the black community where you were raised by the neighborhood,” he said. “The mother down the street had permission to spank your butt and you got spanked again when you got home. A lot of that has been taken away from the community.”

http://www.toledoblade.com/Police-Fire/2012/09/24/Memorial-for-slaying-victims-to-focus-on-race.html

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