Weekly Privacy/Civil Rights News Stories

U.S. News/Police Violence

Dec 16, 2024

‘Of course they intentionally framed her’ (Las Vegas detectives): Lobato, attorneys react to $34M jury verdict

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/15/us/kirstin-lobato-jury-award.html

https://www.8newsnow.com/investigators/of-course-they-intentionally-framed-her-lobato-attorneys-react-to-34-million-jury-verdict/

$895.2 Billion Compromise NDAA Released

https://breakingdefense.com/2024/12/895-2-billion-compromise-ndaa-released-sliding-under-fiscal-responsibility-act-cap-levels/

Summary of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act

https://democrats-armedservices.house.gov/_cache/files/6/2/62393fd3-adf6-4101-a57c-bba870eb0e31/575CFBE27B8E28AE0F3BCFA9C931512F.20241207-ndaa-summary-final.pdf

https://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/FY2025/FY2025_Pacific_Deterrence_Initiative.pdf

Congress Keeps Trying to Hide the True Gaza Death Toll

https://theintercept.com/2024/12/12/congress-gaza-death-toll-palestinians/

“Terrorist Organization” Means Whatever The US Wants It To Mean

The US government is simultaneously (A) justifying Israel’s land grab in Syria by saying the nation has been taken over by terrorists, and (B) talking about removing those same forces from its list of designated terrorist organizations. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said these moves by Israel “are temporary to defend its borders” and that Assad’s ouster “potentially creates a vacuum that could have been filled by terrorist organizations that would threaten the state of Israel and would threaten civilians inside Israel.”

https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2024/12/11/terrorist-organization-means-whatever-the-us-wants-it-to-mean/

Tech billionaires prepare to invade the Pentagon

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/10/silicon-valley-takes-over-pentagon-00193576

Senate Intel Committee Blocks CIA Job for RFK Jr. Daughter-in-Law

https://www.thedailybeast.com/senate-intel-committee-blocks-cia-job-for-rfk-jr-daughter-in-law-amaryllis-fox-kennedy/

Democrats steered taxpayer money to Capitol police officer who shot Ashli Babbitt

https://sharylattkisson.com/2024/12/read-democrats-steered-taxpayer-money-to-officer-who-shot-ashli-babbitt/

Black Lives Matter activist calls on ‘black vigilantes’ after Daniel Penny’s acquittal

https://nypost.com/2024/12/09/us-news/jordan-neelys-father-escorted-out-of-courtroom-jaws-with-someone-in-gallery-after-daniel-penny-acquitted-in-chokehold-death/

Minnesota Supreme Court balks at bid to strip reporter protections in DAPL lawsuit

"A Minnesota district court found that Unicorn Riot's actions during the 2016 protest of a North Dakota oil pipeline were akin to journalists embedding with a military unit."

https://www.courthousenews.com/minnesota-supreme-court-balks-at-bid-to-strip-reporter-protections-in-dapl-lawsuit/

DOJ ignored procedure to steal journalist and staff phone records

https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-inspector-general-reporters-congress-records-d337eb87f286b9c14779adb8b4b14365

DOJ spied on its new FBI Director Kash Patel—and other Congressional staffers

https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/10/politics/justice-department-spying-congress-patel-trump-ig-report/index.html

2 Homeland Security agents sold illegal drugs for profit through informant

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/fbi-2-homeland-security-agents-utah-sold-illegal-116661901

Appeals court stops the border patrol from removing string concertina wire along Texas/Mexico border

https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/23/23-50869-CV1.pdf

BS WARNING: Boston ICE official claims criminals back sanctuary cities

“Elected officials preaching their sanctuary city status are making it easier for those who commit sex crimes and fentanyl dealers,” said Todd Lyons, who led U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE/ERO) field office for New England and was promoted in October to acting assistant director of field operations for the agency.

https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/12/09/criminals-back-sanctuary-cities-a-top-ice-official-warns-massachusetts-boston-pols/

Mayor Adams Working To Bypass NYC Council On Sanctuary City Law

https://nypost.com/2024/12/08/us-news/adams-wants-to-bypass-city-council-to-tweak-nyc-sanctuary-city-migrant-restrictions-i-think-theyre-wrong/

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/10/nyregion/adams-migrants-sanctuary-nyc.html

Trump plans to scrap policy restricting ICE arrests at churches, schools and hospitals

https://www.nbcnews.com/investigations/trump-scrap-restriction-ice-arrests-churches-schools-rcna183688

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to use CLEAR facial recognition to ID passengers

https://ir.clearme.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/133/clear-expands-at-hartsfield-jackson-atlanta-international

TSA opens a facial recognition Precheck location in the Westfield World Trade Center

https://ir.clearme.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/134/clear-an-official-tsa-precheck-enrollment-provider

How Police Departments Navigate Around Facial Recognition Prohibitions

https://reclaimthenet.org/facial-recognition-bans-privacy-concerns-police-workarounds

NY Bars and restaurants to accept digital IDs

https://dmv.ny.gov/news/dmv-serves-up-mobile-id-demonstration-at-common-roots-brewing-in-albany

Digital driver's licenses now available in New Mexico

https://www.koat.com/article/mobile-drivers-licenses-now-available-in-new-mexico-koat/63128151

The Federal Police Force (Federal Protective Service) Trump Could Use To Suppress Dissent.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/12/federal-protective-service-trump-crush-dissent.html

Kindle Version of "The Digital Fourth Amendment" Is Now Available

https://reason.com/volokh/2024/12/12/kindle-version-of-the-digital-fourth-amendment-is-now-available/

MA police get $450K to use Axon Fusus AI to spy on the public in real-time

Chicopee Mayor John Vieau said, “What we’re really looking to do, and it’s no secret, update our tasers, add body cam and dash cams and really integrate AI into what we do with a real-time information center here in the city of Chicopee.”

https://thereminder.com/local-news/chicopee-working-on-advancing-police-department-technology/

Owasso police use drones to spy on Xmas shoppers under the guise of added security

https://www.fox23.com/news/owasso-police-provide-advanced-security-for-shoppers-during-the-holiday-season-with-drones/article_b9a7c02e-b824-11ef-a0a7-377ca7183066.html

Sedalia police seek money to purchase drones as a first responder

https://www.kmmo.com/2024/12/10/sedalia-police-fire-departments-seek-budget-item-for-first-response-drones/

Sandy Police expands drone program in resolving SWAT situations

https://ksltv.com/715819/sandy-police-expands-drone-program-in-resolving-swat-situations/

Panama city police to get 3 new drones

https://www.wjhg.com/2024/12/13/panama-city-beach-police-fire-departments-get-new-drones/

Ascent AeroSystems Spirit Receives AUVSI Green UAS Certification

https://ascentaerosystems.com/spirit/

The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International announced Green UAS certification for four new drone platforms

https://www.auvsi.org/auvsi-announces-green-uas-certification-ascent-aerosystems-spirit-ageagle-ebee-tac-and-inspired

Police Violence

Trump pick for DOJ civil rights draws blowback from advocacy leaders

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-pick-for-doj-civil-rights-draws-blowback-from-advocacy-leaders/ar-AA1vCSy9

Woman Asks Supreme Court to Hold TX Prosecutor and County Accountable for Judicial Conflict of Interest

https://ij.org/press-release/texas-woman-asks-supreme-court-to-hold-county-and-prosecutor-accountable-for-judicial-conflict-of-interest/

Appeals court rules Texas cop who body slammed an elderly man into the pavement for walking away from him, cannot be sued

https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/23/23-20539-CV0.pdf

Appeals court rules MO cop who choked, punched, slapped and body slammed a man for being annoying can be sued
https://ecf.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/24/12/231650P.pdf

President Biden Commutes the Sentence of a Dirty Judge—What Does This Really Signify?

"It appears, however, that there is more to this story than a scummy judge getting caught and rehabilitated and subsequently set free. Research indicates that somewhere in the range of ⅔ of the judges already checked have financial profiles that are redolent of money laundering and bribe taking. Let that sink in. A full ⅔ of sitting judges, both state and federal, have been confirmed as on the take. And given that the research involves only those partaking of the mortgage scam (more on this in a moment) and excludes other vehicles for bribing a judge, these numbers need to be seen as deeply conservative."

https://nypost.com/2024/12/12/us-news/biden-slammed-for-commuting-sentence-of-notorious-kids-for-cash-judge-michael-conahan/

https://activistpost.com/2024/12/president-biden-commutes-the-sentence-of-a-dirty-judge-what-does-this-really-signify.html

Order Unsealing Opinion Granting New Trial Based on Judge's Sexting Relationship With One of the Prosecutors

https://reason.com/volokh/2024/12/10/order-unsealing-opinion-granting-new-trial-based-on-judges-sexting-relationship-with-one-of-the-prosecutors/

https://reason.com/volokh/2024/12/10/new-trial-in-case-where-judge-had-sexting-relationship-with-one-of-the-prosecutors/

NCJA: Only One Exoneration After Nine Years Of Rape Kit Backlog Grants

"Federal officials who pledged millions of dollars to test backlogged rape kits promised that sexual predators would be brought to justice – and wrongfully convicted prisoners would be exonerated. Nine years later, after the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative awarded nearly $350M in grants to 90 state and local agencies, USA Today has been able to confirm just one exoneration as a result of the grant program."

https://www.ncja.org/crimeandjusticenews/only-one-exoneration-after-nine-years-of-rape-kit-backlog-grants

12 states are using AI to wipe criminal records clean automatically

"Some state governments have looked to buck the trend and help their residents clear their criminal records more easily. Twelve states — CA, CO, CT, DE, MI, MN, NJ, NY, OK, PA, UT and VA — have passed fully automatic record clearance policies, meaning around 15.6M people will get full or partial relief as a result. Seven states — IL, KY, MD, MA, MO, OH and TX — are in various stages of working on policies of their own, known in many places as “clean slate laws.”

https://www.route-fifty.com/emerging-tech/2024/12/states-are-using-tech-wipe-criminal-records-clean-automatically/401612/

How Prisons, Jails, and Courts Coerce ‘Consent’ While Violating Visitors

https://theappeal.org/prison-visitors-rules-force-consent/

Memphis cops used force to punish and retaliate against people who do not immediately do what they say

https://www.techdirt.com/2024/12/10/memphis-mayor-shrugs-off-doj-investigation-of-pd-figures-trump-will-make-this-all-go-away/

Gov. Desantis Made It Easier For Police To Involuntarily Commit People

While the issues that Disability Rights Florida is alleging with data collection did not start under Governor Ron DeSantis, changes to the Baker Act have happened under him. DeSantis approved legislation this past June that would make it easier for police officers to put people on an involuntary psychiatric hold. A 2021 SPLC report found that the use of the Baker Act has outpaced the increase of mental health diagnoses in the state, especially for children. “This explosion in Baker Act use has coincided with a drastic increase in police presence in schools,” the report notes, “suggesting that the Baker Act is being used punitively in some cases, like juvenile arrests and incarceration, to target and remove children that teachers, administrators, and school police perceive as uncontrollable or undesirable.”

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/12/florida-baker-act-involuntary-commitments-desantis-lawsuit/

Schools Using AI to Send Police to Students' Homes

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/health/suicide-monitoring-software-schools.html

Mount Vernon Police’s Strip Searches Were Unconstitutional

Two women, 65 and 75 years old, were taken to a police station in Mount Vernon, N.Y., after a traffic stop in 2020. Officers instructed both women to undress. Then they were told to bend over and cough. Neither woman was arrested.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/12/nyregion/mount-vernon-police-strip-searches.html

Texas deputy sued for beating and tasing doctor for asking about roadblock

https://atlantablackstar.com/2024/12/11/texas-deputy-allegedly-tases-and-assaults-doctor-at-roadblock-falsely-accuses-him-of-trying-to-run-cop-over-to-justify-violence/

https://thehawkseyecn.com/news/galveston-taser-excessive-force-allegations/

South Dakota Cops go to Man’s Home, Order Him to ‘Refrain from Taking Pictures of Other People in Public'

https://rollingout.com/2024/12/11/south-dakota-man-public-photos-4-tips/

https://atlantablackstar.com/2024/12/11/police-order-man-to-refrain-from-taking-pictures/

YAWN: DOJ, Louisville Police Reach Deal On Reform

https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/12/us/louisville-police-reform-breonna-taylor/index.html

Report: Worcester police used excessive force, including the unjustified uses of tasers and K-9s and strikes to the head

https://www.wbur.org/news/2024/12/09/worcester-police-federal-report-prostitutes-excessive-force

BS WARNING: Police unions blast bombshell DOJ report on department as ‘inaccurate’