News Roundup

Illinois: Sheriff, family face charges in murder-for-hire plot http://thesouthern.com/news/local/article_a627cb2e-f823-11de-8367-001cc4c002e0.html

Imprisoned Gallatin County Sheriff Raymond Martin, his wife and adult son are facing charges of solicitation of murder for hire.

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Arizona: An advocate for immigrant and civil rights has started using text messages to warn residents about crime sweeps by a high-profile Arizona sheriff.  http://newsmax.com/SciTech/US-Ariz-Crime-Sweeps/2010/01/04/id/345252 

An advocate for immigrant and civil rights has started using text messages to warn residents about crime sweeps by a high-profile Arizona sheriff.
Lydia Guzman, director of the nonprofit immigrant advocacy group Respect/Respeto, is the trunk of a sophisticated texting tree designed to alert thousands of people within minutes to the details of the sweeps, which critics contend are an excuse to round up illegal immigrants.
Guzman said the messages are part of an effort to protect Latinos and others from becoming victims of racial profiling by sheriff's deputies. Deputies have been accused of stopping Hispanics, including citizens and legal immigrants, for minor traffic violations to check their immigration status.
"Everyone is responsible for sending it out to their own networks, and that is how it spreads like wildfire," Guzman said of the text messages.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has repeatedly said his deputies do not engage in racial profiling, and he publicizes the details of his crime sweeps ahead of time. He said he suspects the real goal of the text messages is to help illegal immigrants avoid arrest.

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Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia police officer implicated in the shooting of a 21-year-old during a block party in Port Richmond the weekend before Thanksgiving is being suspended and will likely lose his job. http://www.kyw1060.com/Phila--Cop-to-Lose-Job-Over-Fatal-Shooting/6033124

Boston: Police investigate report of officer posting photo of dead body on Facebook http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20100105police_investigate_report_of_officer_posting_photo_of_dead_body_on_facebook/srvc=home&position=recent

Florida: A Tampa police officer shot and wounded a man after he tried to pass counterfeit cash, according to a TPD statement. http://www.abcactionnews.com/content/news/local/story/Fleeing-suspect-shot-by-Tampa-officer/YMLw6rsnlEul4ysnJasUew.cspx

 Texas: Is the Collin County District Attorney building his own SWAT Team? http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2010/jan/04/collin-county-district-attorney-building-his-own-s/

Reason to own a gun, #35465432169

Brittany Zimmerman, a 21-year-old college student who wanted to be a doctor, called 911 as she was being attacked by a stranger, police say.

Brittany Zimmerman's screams and struggle for her life were captured by a 911 tape.

But the police did not come for 48 minutes. By that time, Zimmerman was dead. Her fiance found her body.

Interestingly:

Zimmerman managed to call 911 at 12:20 p.m. The call was taken by the Dane County 911 center and an internal investigation revealed the dispatcher did not hear any sounds that would signal an emergency.

Because of that, police were not sent to the apartment until 48 minutes after Zimmerman made the call. Her fiance was already there.

Just to be clear, this:

The call was taken by the Dane County 911 center and an internal investigation revealed the dispatcher did not hear any sounds that would signal an emergency.

apparently does not conflict with this:

Brittany Zimmerman's screams and struggle for her life were captured by a 911 tape.

48 minutes is a LOOOONG time.

St. Louis Park Police

Every contact I have with the St. Louis Park Police Department is positive. It is a wonderful, service-oriented organization.

Protest Arrests

First, the Linky love.

In Ramsey County, 716 people were arrested in RNC-related incidents this week, according to a preliminary tally from the Ramsey County sheriff's office. With the 102 arrests in Minneapolis on Wednesday, the total number of people arrested stood at 818.

On Thursday, 396 people were arrested, with 90 percent of them misdemeanors, according to the Ramsey County sheriff's department. However, some of those arrested Thursday had guns or other weapons, Harrington said.

On Thursday, the anti-war demonstrators, facing their last chance at a national audience before the elections in November, finished with a flourish.

The day's events began with police closing the High Bridge at 9:45 a.m. because of the high volume

A lot of people were arrested last night, due to marching after the "permitted" time. They had a protest permit that expired at 5PM.

First of all, protest permits are bullshit. If you are protesting government action, getting a permit for the protest is kind of silly. Civil obedience while committing civil disobedience? I don't get it.

However, if your actions, your "right of the people peaceably to assemble", or your "freedom of speech" is designed solely to disrupt someone else's right to peaceable assembly, or their right to freedom of speech, you are no longer protesting, your are criminally violating another person's civil rights. Your rights do not, can not, conflict with mine or they are not rights. Rights are not mutually exclusive and do not convey a positive obligation on another.

Your freedom of speech does NOT give you the right to be heard. It does not convey upon me an obligation to pay attention. I am perfectly in my rights to ignore you for the idiot you obviously are.

If your idea of the right to peaceably assemble includes brick-throwing, window-smashing, dissenter-stomping, urine-throwing, poop-smearing, car-torching, or any number of other violent activities, your assembly is not peaceable and is a ripe target for justified police action.

Rules for the Police

Via LawDog, I bring you The Peelian Principles, which are considered to be the basic foundation for all modern policing:

1) The basic mission for which the police exist is to prevent crime and disorder.

2) The ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon the public approval of police actions.

3) Police must secure the willing co-operation of the public in voluntary observation of the law to be able to secure and maintain the respect of the public.

4) The degree of co-operation of the public that can be secured diminishes proportionately to the necessity of the use of physical force.

5) Police seek and preserve public favor not by catering to public opinion, but by constantly demonstrating absolute impartial service to the law.

6) Police use physical force to the extent necessary to secure observance of the law or to restore order only when the exercise of persuasion, advice, and warning is found to be insufficient.

7) Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent upon every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.

8) Police should always direct their action strictly towards their functions, and never appear to usurp the powers of the judiciary.

9) The test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, not the visible evidence of police action in dealing with it.