U.S. News/Police Violence
Most Surveilled Cities Worlwide 2024
(Los Angeles has 22,678 CCTV cameras)
https://surfshark.com/surveillance-cities
U.S. Plans $8 Billion Sale of Arms, Including Bombs, to Israel
U.S. Military Service Is Strongest Predictor of Carrying Out Extremist Violence
https://theintercept.com/2025/01/02/military-veterans-extremism-attack-new-orleans-vegas/
BS WARNING- Federal consent decree mandating Minneapolis police reforms expected after city and DOJ reach tentative agreement
Why has it taken the Minneapolis police 5 years after George Floyd's murder to FINALLY accept reforms?
Ohio Governor Signs Bill Allowing Police to Charge Public up to $750 for Access to Body Cam Footage
https://people.com/ohio-governor-signs-bill-charge-public-police-footage-8768697
White Judge Who Threatened to Shoot Black Teens Resigns
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/20/nyregion/ny-judge-erin-gall.html
Black Teen Killed During 'No-Knock' Drug Raid Had His Hands Raised
Corrupt DC Police Lieutenant With Ties To Proud Boys Leader Found Guilty
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/corrupt-cop-with-ties-to-proud-boys-leader-found-guilty_n_67572eb9e4b0c2b47b1d3073
'Shocking' bodycam video released of NY corrections officers fatally beating a handcuffed Black prisoner
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/rcna185537
Former Marcy Correctional Prisoners Say Deadly Robert Brooks Beating Is Sadly Routine
https://www.thecity.nyc/2025/01/03/former-prisoners-say-robert-brooks-beating-routine/
NY prison emergency teams face scrutiny after fatal beating. Inmates call them the 'demon squad'
NY AG's office recuses itself from probe into inmate's murder by corrections officers
Corrections officer accused of raping 96 female prisoners allowed to keep his pension (2023)
U.S. Repatriates Ridah bin Saleh al-Yazidi held without charge in Guantánamo for over two decades
https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/31/us/us-repatriates-guantanamo-detainee-tunisia-intl-hnk/index.html
Cook County sheriff skips hearing on jail deaths as families offer tearful testimony
DOJ enters consent decree with Fulton County over jail conditions
Prisons Flout Law by Keeping Inmates Past Release Date, A.C.L.U. Says
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/20/us/politics/prisons-first-step-act-aclu.html
https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-sues-bureau-of-prisons-for-keeping-people-in-prison-longer-than-the-law-allows
It's extremely rare for prisoners to win lawsuits on Eighth Amendment claims
Courts have allowed prisons and private medical contractors to neglect prisoner health
https://www.businessinsider.com/prison-medical-health-care-neglect-2024-12
Doctors Sanctioned for Glaring Medical Mistakes Find a Place to Practice in NY State Prisons
https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/12/23/sanctioned-doctors-misconduct-new-york-state-prisons/
Other States Banned Forced Prison Labor. Why Didn’t California?
https://truthout.org/articles/other-states-banned-forced-prison-labor-why-didnt-california/
After Writing About Prison Censorship, I Got Blocked From Messaging My Sources
Bill Clinton's name on secret Epstein island guest list
Steve Bannon Escalates MAGA Civil War With Call for ‘Reparations’ Over H-1B Visas
Texas AG Blocks Biden Administration from Disposing of Wall Materials Before President Trump Takes Office
https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/es/node/268211
Far-Right Sheriffs Want to Carry Out Donald Trump's Mass Deportations
https://www.wired.com/story/far-right-sheriffs-donald-trump-mass-deportations-constitutional/
Trump advisers accuse two Maine county jails of disobeying immigration law
Trump border czar floats halfway houses for children of migrants
Border Patrol- “We Need to Take Away Children” Zero Accountability Six Years After “Zero Tolerance”
https://www.hrw.org/report/2024/12/16/we-need-take-away-children/zero-accountability-six-years-after-zero-tolerance
Beyond excessive force: How police abuse women, the poor, the homeless
A ‘sweeps-free’ encampment popped up at SF City Hall. Two days later, cops swept it
https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/19/sweeps-free-san-francisco-homeless-encampment-swept-by-cops/
What I Learned Reporting in Cities That Take Belongings From Homeless People
https://www.propublica.org/article/homeless-encampments-essay
Homelessness rates jumped by double-digits in 2024 as Americans battled to afford housing
The Empire Burns The Middle East While US Homelessness Surges
Spy bosses ‘silenced’ Defense Department, FBI scientists from briefing Biden on COVID lab leak
https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/fbi-covid-19-pandemic-lab-leak-theory-dfbd8a51
DOJ criticized for impeding Ethics Committee's Matt Gaetz investigation
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/23/us/politics/gaetz-house-ethics-report.html
Google lets you review members of Congress, and the appraisals are brutal
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/dec/24/google-lets-review-members-congress-appraisals-bru/
DHS agents used informant to sell illicit "bath salt" drugs that were seized as evidence
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dhs-agents-utah-sold-illicit-bath-salt-drugs-evidence-prosecutors/
DOJ, DHS and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Report on use of Facial Recognition
Police facial recognition body cams!
"The best practices focus on the use of facial recognition technology (FRT); other biometric technologies, like DNA, iris, and fingerprint already have a substantial body of detailed guidelines on use which are outlined in Section V. The Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, with support from the Executive Office of the President, publish this report in response to Executive Order 14074, Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety, Section 13(e), Ensuring Appropriate Use of Body-Worn Cameras and Advanced Law Enforcement Technologies."
https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2024-12/24_1230_st_13e-Final-Report-2024-12-26.pdf
Here’s why I am opting out of TSA facial recognition — you should, too
https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/facial-recognition-tsa-19998085.php
Lawmakers sound alarm over TSA facial recognition
https://www.wnct.com/news/lawmakers-sound-alarm-over-tsa-facial-recognition-technology/amp/
North Carolina to Launch Digital Id Program by Mid-2025
https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/politics/north-carolina-politics/new-north-carolina-laws-2025/275-88d0312a-a74b-48f5-8f26-fe1ceba83718
Illinois to launch digital ID program this year
Digital IDs could pave the way for biometric mass surveillance
https://edri.org/our-work/pre-travel-controls-digitalising-travel-documents/
Digital IDs in Travel Industry to Hit $72B Revenue by 2028
"Air travel represents the largest market segment at 47 percent of revenue. Hotels and resorts account for 33 percent, while casinos, sports venues, theme parks, and conference venues comprise the remaining 20 percent."
Crime and Terrorism are Poor Rationales for Immigration Restrictions
Philadelphia Border Patrol Intercept $1.4M in Counterfeit PA Vehicle Inspection Decals from Israel
Border Patrol Fails Baseline Privacy Requirements for Surveillance Technology
Border Technologies Under Trump 2.0
The Private Sector’s Growing Influence in the White House: Various other Silicon Valley Republicans, such as defense contractor Palantir’s founder Peter Thiel and Anduril’s CEO Palmer Luckey, will likely have influence in the new administration.
https://www.justsecurity.org/105662/border-technologies-under-second-trump-administration/
Cellphone Seizures and the Courts
"We cannot trust that federal agents will just be looking for child pornographers or international drug traffickers when they demand access to our electronics at the border."
https://consortiumnews.com/2024/12/23/john-kiriakou-cell-phone-seizures-the-courts/
DOJ settles lawsuit to reopen controversial Adelanto ICE Processing Center
Lying About Spying: FBI and DOJ Misconduct Dates Back Decades
https://sharylattkisson.com/2024/12/lying-about-spying-fbi-and-doj-misconduct-dates-back-decades/
DARPA’s “Theory of Mind” Program Aims to Predict and Influence Behavior, Raising Privacy Concerns
‘Cop City’ Leads US Buildup in Police-Training Bases
"Atlanta’s Cop City site was designated in 2021, the year after a white Minneapolis police officer named Derek Chauvin asphyxiated a Black man named George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for more than nine minutes. At the federal level, however, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act has stalled. And while the wave of protests in 2020 helped expose the threat that police pose to the overall population in the U.S., they did not succeed in protecting Americans from deadly police violence. In 2024, police killed civilians at the highest rate in a decade, according to the collaborative research group Mapping Police Violence."
https://consortiumnews.com/2024/12/23/cop-city-leads-us-buildup-in-police-training-bases/
Experts Warn Cybercrime Treaty Gives Governments New Powers to Crush Dissent
https://www.commondreams.org/news/un-convention-against-cybercrime
Secret Service Admits It Didn’t Check if People Really Consented to Being Tracked
The tool used by the Secret Service is called Locate X, which is made by a company called Babel Street. In the 2022 email, the office of Senator Ron Wyden asked the Secret Service what steps it had taken to verify that the location data it purchased from Babel Street was obtained from consumers who consented to “the onwards sale and sharing of the data.” Venntel collates location data from a variety of sources, including apps installed on peoples’ phones such as weather or navigation tools. The Secret Service’s one word response to that question read “None,” according to a copy of the email Wyden’s office shared with 404 Media.
The Surveillance State Can Target Churches, Journalists, Political Campaigns, and You
We Tracked the Secret Police ShotSpotter Microphones Hidden Everywhere
https://www.wired.com/video/watch/we-tracked-the-secret-police-microphones-hidden-everywhere
Charges dismissed against six UNC-Chapel Hill anti-Israel demonstrators
NYPD Kept Public in Dark About Its Spy Drone Program
https://www.amny.com/new-york/nypd-drone-program-inspector-report-policy/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/18/new-york-police-drone-capability-report
NYPD’s massive Times Square surveillance presence to include drones hovering over ball drop
Yonkers Police Propaganda Message To Justify Drones As A First Responder
To better serve our community, the Yonkers Police Department took part in an eight-week "Drone as a First Responder" pilot program.
https://www.yonkersny.gov/1117/Drone-as-a-First-Responder
Draganfly Completes Drone Delivery Research Project for Mass General Brigham
Palladyne AI Unveils Autonomous Target Tracking with Small Drones
The Deep State’s Triumph: 2024 and the Erosion of Liberty
Police Violence
Trump Picks Judge Mizelle's Husband as DOJ Chief of Staff
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/21/trump-chad-mizelle-doj-chief-of-staff-00195813
Trump administration profile: Pam Bondi
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/12/trump-administration-profile-pam-bondi
DISGUSTED- Judicial body declines to refer Clarence Thomas for DOJ investigation
Justice Roberts points fingers at judicial critics, warns of threats to independence
MN state supreme court rules people convicted of murder can't become attorney's
https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/attorney-disbarred-for-murdering-wife.pdf
Public reprimand sought for Maine high court justice who didn’t recuse herself
BS WARNING- Judge acknowledges 'mistake' in speaking to politically affiliated club
Georgia judge shoots himself dead inside courtroom on last day in office
https://www.wsav.com/crime-safety/effingham-county-courthouse-deputies-respond
WTF? Florida Judge Allows VR Simulation of Alleged Crime to Be Submitted as Evidence
Judge dumbfounded by error in Ellen Greenberg ‘suicide’ probe —after teacher was found stabbed 20 times
Biden delivers on threat to veto bill to expand US judiciary
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-vetoes-bill-adding-new-judges-courts-following-trumps-win-2024-12-24/
Is Another Woman Convicted of Murder In Travis County Actually Innocent?
Innocent man imprisoned for 28 years sues Orleans Parish DA
DA Jason Williams fights payouts for wrongfully convicted defendants
DISGUSTED- San Francisco cop looks to dismiss civil suit over 2019 shooting of unarmed man
Lawmakers must reform the nation’s forfeiture programs
How a 1963 Cleveland Case Shaped Stop-and-Frisk Police Tactics, and Why It Still Matters
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2024/12/19/ohio-stop-frisk-cleveland-police
‘Ghost stops’: Lieutenant claims LAPD officials were warned about troubled gang unit
"LAPD Lt. Mark Garza led an anti-gang unit in the San Fernando Valley whose members are accused of trying to cover up illegal traffic stops and thefts from motorists."
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-12-28/ghost-stops-lapd-lieutenant-mark-garza-lawsuit
Rockford police settle wrongful conviction lawsuit for $5M
"The $5 million settlement comes less than five years after the city agreed to pay $11 million to settle a lawsuit filed by three Rockford men who said they were framed for the 2002 murder of 8-year-old boy."
Police raid wrong home over a stolen weed wacker and kill 61-year-old man
US sex-abuse watchdog fires investigator after learning of his arrest for stealing drug money when he was a cop
PA high school cop arrested for sexually abusing 5 students
Minneapolis sued over cop sexually assaulting teenager during ride-along
"Minneapolis police officer David Edward Campbell had 30 complaints filed against him, none of which resulted in discipline, before he was stripped of his law enforcement license, according to Communities United Against Police Brutality, a Minnesota-based police watchdog."
Salt Lake City cop accused of raping woman on date now faces 13 felony charges
https://utahnewsdispatch.com/2024/12/16/slc-police-officer-accused-of-rape-13-felony-charges/
Cape Cod cop pleads guilty to child porn charges
NYPD cop arrested for domestic assault on Christmas Day
NYPD cop arrested on rape, strangulation and assault charges
"While on duty in February 2023, he was accused of assaulting a woman and abusing his authority during a traffic stop, according to the 50-a.org website. He was ordered to undergo retraining, although the abuse of authority and physical force allegations were deemed to be “within department guidelines."
https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/12/28/off-duty-nypd-cop-busted-on-rape-charges/
Off-duty NYPD cop charged with assault on Staten Island suspended without pay
NYPD sergeant commits suicide inside car
https://nypost.com/2024/12/23/us-news/nypd-sergeant-fatally-shoots-himself-inside-car-in-queens-sources/
Police commissioner ousts dozens of NYPD bosses in shocking purge
https://nypost.com/2024/12/28/us-news/jessica-tisch-ousts-dozens-of-nypd-bosses-in-shocking-purge
Ex-NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey’s former driver — who made $163K in overtime last year — questioned by feds
Eric Adams Promoted and Protected Jeffrey Maddrey, Ex-NYPD Chief
https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/12/22/jeffrey-maddrey-eric-adams-promoted/
NYPD raids home of ex-top cop Jeffrey Maddrey
Atlantic City cop arrested for domestic violence against his wife
Charlotte-Mecklenburg cop arrested, charged with pointing a gun during a domestic dispute
https://qcitymetro.com/2024/12/27/charlotte-mecklenburg-police-officer-arrested/
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Cop Arrested On Christmas Eve is Arrested Again For Pointing Gun At A Man And Woman In Their Home
San Antonio cop arrested on family violence charge
Statesville cop arrested on domestic violence charge
https://www.wbtv.com/2025/01/02/statesville-officer-charged-with-assault-domestic-violence/
Boston cop arrested on domestic violence charge
Mass. trooper suspended without pay for stealing golf balls
Dallas cop arrested for driving while intoxicated, carrying weapon
Anne Arundel County cop arrested for drunk driving
https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/maryland-anne-arundel-county-police-officer-arrested/
Off-duty Newark cop charged in traffic agent's death
https://abc7ny.com/post/off-duty-newark-police-officer-charged-traffic-agents-death/15742752/
DHS gives Pacific Northwest National Laboratory $2.8M to develop a fentanyl detector