U.S. News/Police Violence
'Elite' Louisville police unit threw bottles at unsuspecting pedestrians 24 times:
“The unprovoked attacks happened at least 24 times in less than a year. The group of suspects would drive across the city of Louisville, pegging drinks at random citizens from vehicles.”
Appeals court blocks homeland security officials from cutting Texas border fencing:
https://www.reuters.com/legal/court-blocks-us-government-destruction-texas-border-razor-wire-fencing-2023-12-19/
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/press/C-Wire%20Injunction%20Pending%20Appeal.pdf
Texas Cops Given Powers To Arrest Illegal Immigrants:
https://apnews.com/article/immigration-texas-border-8c86bc6c20a7c30d6127b2413b8688fc
Texas' New Immigration Law Will Lead to More Policing With Less Accountability:
https://reason.com/2023/12/19/texas-new-immigration-law-will-lead-to-more-policing-with-less-accountability/
ACLU Sues To Block Texas Cops From Being Able To Arrest Immigrants:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/aclu-lawsuit-texas-immigrants_n_6581ed17e4b036ecab46ea96
'Unacceptable': US Homelessness Hits Record High
https://www.commondreams.org/news/homelessness-data
US declassifies intel as the White House pushes for more Ukraine funding:
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/12/white-house-ukraine-intel-declassified-00131296
The US may be flouting its own laws by sending unrestricted aid to Israel:
https://www.vox.com/world-politics/24011316/us-aid-israel-biden-human-rights-leahy-law
Democrat-Linked PR Firm Tapped to Control Gaza War Narrative:
https://www.mintpressnews.com/democrat-linked-pr-firm-tapped-pro-israel-groups-control-gaza-war-narrative/286514/
The Top Ten Politicians Taking the Most Israel Lobby Cash:
https://www.mintpressnews.com/blood-money-top-ten-politicians-taking-most-israel-money-israel-lobby/286491/
Israeli Official Suggests Gaza Be ‘Flattened Completely, Just Like Auschwitz Today’
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/israeli-official-gaza-flattened-auschwitz_n_658092fee4b036ecab461ec1
Israeli Firm Pitches Beachfront Real Estate in Leveled Gaza:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-settlements-gaza
U.S. Privately Moves To Block Another Option For International Accountability For Gaza:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/us-geneva-conventions
https://truthout.org/articles/allegations-of-israeli-war-crimes-grow-as-us-again-delays-security-council-vote/
Israel’s Rewriting of the Law of War:
https://www.justsecurity.org/90789/israels-rewriting-of-the-law-of-war/
Pfizer Sued for ‘False and Deceptive’ COVID-19 Vaccine Claims and Censoring Public Discourse:
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-sues-pfizer-misrepresenting-covid-19-vaccine-efficacy-and-conspiring
ICE Leaked Asylum Seekers' Personal Information. A Court Just Dismissed Their Lawsuit:
https://reason.com/2023/12/22/ice-leaked-these-asylum-seekers-personal-information-a-court-just-dismissed-their-lawsuit/
ICE is sending more people to a troubled Louisiana detention center:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ice-sending-people-troubled-louisiana-detention-center-advocates-say-rcna130707
“Mislabeled as a Threat: How the Terrorist Watchlist and Government Screening Practices Impact Americans”
https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Mislabeled-as-a-Threat_Public_Report-2.pdf
Robotic Airplane Warning: Reliable Robotics pilotless plane takes historic 1st flight
https://abc7news.com/pilotless-flight-airplane-reliable-robotics-mountain-view-autonomous/14152226/
TSA now accepts digital IDs in Samsung Wallet devices:
https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/releases/2023/12/20/tsa-now-accepts-mobile-ids-samsung-wallet-samsung-mobile-devices
TSA PreCheck (facial recognition) program adds four new airlines (Norse Atlantic Airways, Lynx Air, Starlux Airlines and Fiji Airways):
https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/releases/2023/12/19/tsa-precheckr-program-adds-four-new-airlines
Dallas Fort Worth Airport to use TSA self-service biometric checkpoints by next year:
https://www.dallasnews.com/business/airlines/2023/12/08/dfw-airports-future-could-see-the-arrival-of-self-service-tsa-checkpoints/
Pittsburgh International Airport to use CLEAR facial recognition to ID passengers:
https://ir.clearme.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/91/clear-launches-new-lanes-at-pittsburgh-international-airport
TSA self-screening (facial recognition) is the next big step for airport security:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2023/12/18/tsa-self-service-screening-las-vegas/
TSA conducts international cross border exercise with Amtrak, Transport Canada:
FTC Bans Rite Aid from using facial recognition:
Apartment membership platform Landing to use CLEAR to ID members:
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/12/19/2798707/0/en/UPDATE-Landing-Partners-with-CLEAR-to-Bring-New-Level-of-Security-and-Convenience-to-Apartment-Rentals.html
Heathix to use CLEAR to ID customers in 8,000 health facilities in NY:
"Healthix, one of the largest public Health Information Exchanges in the nation which serves the greater southern New York region, and CLEAR have launched Individual Access Services to empower consumers with free, easy and secure access to their healthcare data from more than 8,000 health facilities across New York State in a single portal."
https://ir.clearme.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/90/healthix-and-clear-announce-partnership-to-empower-new
IRS direct file participants will have to use ID.me facial recognition for verification:
https://www.irs.gov/about-irs/a-closer-look-at-the-irs-direct-file-pilot
DHS's National Biosurveillance Integration Center:
"The National Biosurveillance Integration Center (NBIC) is located within Department of Homeland Security Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office as a unique national resource. NBIC integrates, analyzes and shares key information about developing biothreats to ensure U.S. responses are well-informed, minimize economic impact and save lives."
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-106142
https://www.dhs.gov/nbic
FBI Caught Trying to Sweep Its US Private Vaults Violation of Constitutional Rights Under the Rug:
Sen. Mike Lee: Section 702 Is “Widely, Infamously, Severely Abused”
https://www.protectprivacynow.org/news/sen-mike-lee-section-702-is-widely-infamously-severely-abused
19 Examples of Section 702 Deep State Surveillance Abuse:
https://www.freedomworks.org/press/house-will-vote-on-patriot-act-2-0-as-soon-as-tuesday/
Google moves to end geofence warrants, a surveillance problem it largely created:
https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/16/google-geofence-warrants-law-enforcement-privacy/
New lawsuit against federal cops by protesters alleges negligence, battery in 2020 clashes in Oregon:
https://apnews.com/article/portland-racial-justice-protests-lawsuit-federal-government-ca71e7eba088f81204d2576b09e8c9b4
Yawn: Court to Decide Whether Atlanta Voters Could Have a Say on Cop City:
https://truthout.org/articles/a-federal-court-will-decide-whether-atlanta-voters-could-have-a-say-on-cop-city/
The Flimsy RICO Case Against Cop City Protestors:
https://reason.com/2023/12/21/the-flimsy-rico-case-against-atlantas-cop-city-protestors/
Mass. senate to review bill stripping Boston City Council of public safety grant approval authority:
"State Sen. Nick Collins, a Democrat from South Boston, introduced the bill at an informal Senate session Monday, saying that he filed for a change in state law, after the Boston City Council voted, 6-6, last week to block a $13.3M counter-terrorism grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security."
https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/12/20/massachusetts-senate-to-review-bill-stripping-boston-city-council-of-grant-approval-authority/
Boston City Council President Ed Flynn is angry over freezing $13.5M anti-terror funds:
https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/12/21/13-3m-anti-terror-grant-frozen-by-boston-sparks-outrage/
Senator wants to make Boston take federal anti-terrorism grants:
https://www.dotnews.com/2023/collins-files-bill-block-local-vote-federal-grants
Mass. Committee Holds Hearing on Bills to Limit Police Militarization:
https://blog.tenthamendmentcenter.com/2023/12/massachusetts-committee-holds-hearing-on-bills-to-limit-federal-militarization-of-police/
Albuquerque real time crime center wants $40M to expand surveillance tech:
"New Mexico's largest city is blanketed with 10,000 cameras, license plate readers along some of the busiest roadways and special listening devices that hone in on the sound of gunfire — all part of a technological net of sorts that Albuquerque authorities say has been an integral part of addressing high crime rates and record homicides."
https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/leaders-seek-to-expand-crime-fighting-net-of-18562185.php
Police Tech Isn’t Designed to Be Accurate — It’s Made to Exert Social Control:
Police bodycams are more relevant than race and gender in the public’s appraisal of use-of-force:
https://phys.org/news/2023-12-police-bodycams-important-gender-use-of-force.html
MatrixSpace announces FCC authorization of mass surveillance services:
"Advanced Air and Ground-based Surveillance Services Now Available Globally."
Drones Deployed by Police for Holiday Shopping Mall Patrols to Deter Theft:
Schenectady police to acquire a fleet of drones equipped with night vision, can break glass and more:
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/schenectady-eyes-new-fleet-drones-police-fire-18556076.php
La Porte Police to add more thermal-imaging drones "to find people who are in SUPER NEED"
“They’re just an invaluable asset to the department and to be able to get more of something like this is definitely going to help us in apprehending either subjects who’ve committed crimes or being able to find people who are in super need,” Officer Dalton Pflughaupt said.
https://www.lpheralddispatch.com/news/local/la-porte-police-to-add-more-drones-for-improved-coverage-and-safety/article_5bc47357-e268-59bf-80ef-fa84f5eefdb3.html
Lawmakers want Biden to reject export licenses for Chinese drone maker DJI:
Police Violence
SCJ Thomas Complained About His Salary, Then Was Showered With Gifts From Billionaires:
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-money-complaints-sparked-resignation-fears-scotus
Thomas Thinks He Was Practically Forced To Take All That Under The Table Money:
https://abovethelaw.com/2023/12/clarence-thomas-thinks-he-was-practically-forced-to-take-all-that-under-the-table-money/
DEA agent who got a man to confess to distributing marijuana, falsified records, obstructed, committed perjury can seek relief:
Yawn: DOJ creates database to track misconduct by federal law enforcement
To get the public’s trust, open the police misconduct database:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/12/22/public-trust-open-database/
New Mexico supreme court rules police cannot impound vehicles from people's driveways:
https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsc/en/522239/1/document.do
Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office disproportionately stops Black people:
https://www.aclunc.org/news/report-finds-sacramento-county-sheriff-s-office-deputies-most-likely-stop-black-people-traffic
Teens sue San Francisco police for mass arrests during skateboarding event:
"But San Francisco now faces a class-action lawsuit from four of the teenagers, including Carmen, alleging that the roughly 80 juveniles corralled by police were wrongfully detained without being given a chance to disperse and held for hours without access to food, water or bathrooms, in violation of the police department's own juvenile detention policies."
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/teens-sue-san-francisco-after-mass-arrests-at-18570287.php
One of Utah’s Best-Known Police Chiefs Has Spent Decades Defending Police Misconduct:
https://theappeal.org/wallentine-utah-police-misconduct-lexipol/
Corrections Officer Sentenced To 7 Years For Assaulting Restrained Inmate:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/alabama-corrections-officer-assault-restrained-inmate_n_658307ede4b06a9c6529d405
12 Journalists Arrested, 44 Assaulted Across the US This Year
“Attempts to criminalize routine journalistic activities… send a chill through the heart of newsgathering.”
https://truthout.org/articles/12-journalists-arrested-44-assaulted-across-the-us-this-year/
Biden Ordered the DOJ to Stop Using Private Prisons. Thousands Are Still Being Held Inside:
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/12/warren-private-prison-us-marshals/
Bad Science and Bad Statistics in the Courtroom Convict Innocent People:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bad-science-and-bad-statistics-in-the-courtroom-convict-innocent-people/
New York jails can transfer people with mental illnesses to maximum security prisons, even while they’re legally innocent:
https://nysfocus.com/2023/12/21/boarding-out-prison-jail-new-york-attica
How jails ignore medical guidelines and contribute to the U.S. drug overdose crisis:
"People with substance use disorders, and OUDs more specifically, are disproportionately represented in jails and prisons, with close to one in five reporting regular opioid use prior to incarceration. Oftentimes, it is the substance use itself leading to incarceration, through either direct criminalization or arrests stemming from minor crimes driven by poverty and addiction. There is no justifiable public safety reason to be incarcerating thousands of people for use of certain substances."
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/the-us-criminal-legal-system-continues-to-fail-people-who-use-drugs
Jail And Prison Population Growth Likely to Continue:
The report argues that rising crime is “among the worst explanations for the growth of incarcerated populations over the past couple of years.” Instead, one reason populations are on the rise is the fact that courts appear to have recovered from pandemic disruptions such as a suspension of jury trials and other operations. During that time, the number of new cases, dispositions, and clearance rates all declined, leading to a backlog in the court system and a drop in prison admissions.
https://www.ncja.org/crimeandjusticenews/report-jail-and-prison-population-growth-likely-to-continue
https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2023/12/19/bjs_update_2022/
DOJ Report Highlights Increase in Jail Population to Pre-Pandemic Levels and Continued Systemic Issues:
https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/jail-inmates-2022-statistical-tables
NYC Council Defies Mayor, Pushes for Ban on Solitary Confinement:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/18/nyregion/solitary-confinement-adams-nyc.html
NYC police union says banning solitary confinement will make jails less safe:
https://nypost.com/2023/12/18/metro/banning-solitary-confinement-will-make-jails-less-safe-union-says/
Ex-NYPD chief shifts Probation Department focus towards law enforcement, worrying critics:
"In the nine months since Mayor Adams tapped ex-NYPD chief Juanita Holmes to run the city Probation Department, she has ordered officers to carry guns, pushed for offenders to be charged more often with probation violations, and slashed funding to well-regarded programs."
NYPD cops received more than $150M in overtime for subway patrols:
https://nypost.com/2023/12/22/metro/nypd-cops-received-more-than-150k-in-overtime-for-subway-patrols-as-data-shows-decline-in-crime/
The NYPD Spent $150M to Catch Farebeaters Who Cost the MTA $104,000:
https://hellgatenyc.com/the-nypd-spent-150-million-to-catch-farebeaters-who-cost-the-mta-104000
NYPD to Stop Withholding Bodycam Footage of Police Shootings From Civilian Review Board:
https://www.propublica.org/article/nypd-release-body-camera-footage-civilian-investigators
NYC Council approves bills forcing cops to record all encounters, banning solitary confinement:
https://nypost.com/2023/12/20/metro/nyc-council-approves-bill-forcing-cops-to-record-all-encounters-bans-solitary-confinement/
The Police Executive Research Forum pushes for change in how police use body camera footage in officer shootings:
https://apnews.com/article/police-shootings-body-cameras-use-of-force-93354a71a3fe0a2e308ccca3037cdd62
Oakland police making progress on investigating misconduct, federal monitor says:
https://www.courthousenews.com/oakland-police-making-progress-on-investigating-misconduct-federal-monitor-says/
Los Angeles police kill Black woman who called 911 for domestic violence:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/21/los-angeles-domestic-violence-victim-fatally-shot-police
Family of woman killed by deputy after calling for help seeks $30 million in claim against LA sheriff’s department:
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/22/us/los-angeles-sheriffs-department-claim-woman-shot/index.html
LAPD Reports Homicides and Violent Crime Down in 2023:
LAPD sued over use of violent tactics during traffic stops:
https://abc7.com/lapd-sued-traffic-stops-lawsuit-black-lives-matter/14204938
Pennsylvania passes laws to overhaul probation system, allow courts to seal more criminal records:
https://whyy.org/articles/pennsylvania-probation-system-overhaul-courts-seal-more-criminal-records/
Black man who spent 12 years in prison based based on testimony of a BLIND witness is FINALLY exonerated:
Everyone from the cops to the DA should be imprisoned for at least 12 years.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/darien-harris-exoneration-murder-blind-witness/
Oklahoma judge rules a 71-year-old Black man who spent nearly 50 years in prison for murder is innocent:
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/12/20/judge-rules-man-who-spent-50-years-in-prison-is-innocent-of-murder/
Judge Says Man Who Spent 48 Years In Prison On False Murder Conviction Is Innocent
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/glynn-simmons-false-murder-conviction-innocent_n_65849d9fe4b04da984263d0b
Wrongful murder convictions vacated after 2 cousins serve 42 years in prison:
https://abc7chicago.com/james-soto-david-ayala-conviction-overturned-murder/14184469/
Oregon Isn’t Paying Those Who Were Wrongly Convicted:
Drug-sniffing dog searches fall under Fourth Amendment protections, NY appeals court rules:
https://www.courthousenews.com/drug-sniffing-dog-searches-fall-under-fourth-amendment-protections-ny-appellate-court-rules/
St. Louis Police Cruisers Crashes Into LGBTQ Bar, Arrest Its Owner
https://www.newsweek.com/police-car-crash-gay-bar-arrest-owner-1853715
https://www.ksdk.com/video/news/local/bar-owners-cops-tell-contrasting-stories-after-police-suv-slams-into-business/63-f1257ade-6bcf-4dad-a530-121d20a5d7fc
St. Louis Cops Didn’t Breathalyze or Drug Test Cop Who Drove Into Bar:
Lawsuit against Wisconsin Supreme Court justice dismissed after she turns over records:
https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-supreme-court-open-records-98b12316bef3e5097d884e87b2b13523
DISGUSTED: Appeals Court Rules Against Victim of a Prosecutor Who Was Also a Law Clerk
Appeals Court: When Every Judge Thinks Your Warrant Is Bad, Good Faith Ain’t Gonna Save It
Appeals court: Missouri police cannot ask a passenger in a vehicle to let them search someone's handbag
https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=203653
Florida trooper "accidentally pulls PIT maneuver" on police captain:
Jury Acquits 3 Troopers In Death Of A Black Man Who Told Them He Couldn’t Breathe:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/police-charged-murder-trial-manuel-ellis_n_6584c8e0e4b04da9842648d1
Cop Who Shot an 11-Year-Old Unarmed Black Boy Won’t Face Charges:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mississippi-police-sergeant-greg-capers-shot-aderrien-murry-11-chest-not-charged-grand-jury/
Family of 11-year-old shot by police vows to seek justice after officer gets no charges:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/15/aderrien-murry-police-shot-911-family-vows-fight-justice
Cop charged with manslaughter for fatal punch of 71-year-old Black man:
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2023/12/19/detroit-officer-charged-with-manslaughter-in-death-of-man-71-after-restaurant-scuffle/71976057007/
Mom Of 10-year-old Black Boy Charged For Urinating In Public Won’t OK Probation Terms:
https://www.theroot.com/this-black-mother-isnt-having-the-probation-terms-for-f-1851115258
Cops ask jury to find them not guilty in death of an unarmed Elijah McClain:
Two Aurora first responders asked a jury on Wednesday to find them not guilty of manslaughter charges after administering a fatal dose of ketamine to Elijah McClain, an unarmed Black man apprehended while walking home in 2019
https://www.courthousenews.com/first-responders-who-treated-elijah-mcclain-with-ketamine-ask-jury-to-find-them-not-guilty-of-manslaughter/
Paramedics Found Guilty In Death Of Elijah McClain, cops not charged:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/elijah-mcclain-paramedics-trial_n_65863033e4b04da984271663
Trooper initially charged in connection with Ronald Greene’s death is being reinstated to active duty:
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/19/us/ronald-greene-death-louisiana-state-trooper-reinstated/index.html
AG won't prosecute Vallejo cop who shot and killed an unarmed man through his windshield:
https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/california-doj-bonta-sean-monterrosa-18564403.php
https://www.courthousenews.com/california-attorney-general-says-no-charges-in-vallejo-officer-involved-fatal-shooting/
Man Sues Vermont Trooper Sued For Arresting Him For Flipping Him Off:
https://www.thefire.org/news/lawsuit-vermont-man-sues-after-being-arrested-flipping-police
SWAT turned family's life 'upside down,' wrecked house in search for murder suspect who wasn't there:
NYPD cop charged with misconduct for using pepper spraying handcuffed detainee:
Cop sexually assaulted minors in numerous attacks that started when he was 12:
Deputy accused of 'masturbating in patrol car' faces sexual misconduct charges:
https://www.newberggraphic.com/news/yamhill-county-deputy-faces-sexual-misconduct-charges-after-explicit-videos-surface-online/article_fdd7a142-9de0-11ee-8722-538d4fb901b6.html
Appeals court: Lawyer who defended a cop who had sex with a woman in exchange for not arresting her is not entitled to attorney fees
https://webservices.courthousenews.com/sites/Data/AppellateOpinionUploads/2023-15-12--11-13-18-4bbedf5d-485d-47c5-9789-ce95e25dcc2a.pdf
Sheriff facing obstruction, concealment charges ordered to give up law enforcement duties:
https://apnews.com/article/arkansas-hot-spring-county-sheriff-scott-finkbeiner-3ab1d3f32e82156b956ae6e73eca7f54
NJ cop stole cocaine, fentanyl from evidence room:
https://www.nj.com/news/2023/12/lieutenant-stole-cocaine-fentanyl-from-nj-evidence-room-ag-says.html
Deputy indicted for theft, money laundering:
https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/lewis-county-deputy-charged-with-theft-money-laundering/
Special Police Officer fires at suspects fleeing after robbing DC Chanel store:
How Two Men Convicted by Kelly Siegler Uncovered the Dark Secret to Her Success:
https://theintercept.com/2023/12/17/kelly-siegler-cold-case-informants/
Kelly Siegler relied on jailhouse informants to win convictions despite reasons to doubt their credibility:
https://theintercept.com/2023/12/17/kelly-siegler-jailhouse-snitch-scheme/
Kelly Siegler Is a True-Crime Celebrity. Did She Frame an Innocent Man for Murder?
https://theintercept.com/2023/12/17/kelly-siegler-prosecutor-jeffrey-prible/
NYC Medical Examiner’s office reviewing hundreds of cases in lab scandal:
Connecticut troopers logged dozens of tickets minutes apart. Are they legitimate or 'ghost tickets'?
https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/ct-state-police-logged-many-tickets-minutes-18555129.php
Texas trooper lied to FBI about his dad's drug trafficking and how he helped him
https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/dps-trooper-lied-fbi-drug-trafficking-border-18559951.php
Texas Correctional Officers, Inmates Indicted On Charges Of Smuggling Drugs Into Prisons:
https://www.fox7austin.com/news/texas-prisons-drug-smuggling-inmates-correctional-officers
Former Mass. troopers convicted for overtime scheme:
Conviction won’t stop these thieving Mass. State Police troopers:
Medical Staff at Notorious Atlanta Jail Let Autistic Teen Waste Away and Die:
https://theappeal.org/fulton-county-jail-medical-staff-shane-kendall-death/