Tag: law enforcement

New abortion protections, legal services coming to CT

Posted on by Judith E. Ashton

HARTFORD — A network of volunteer private attorneys will help provide free legal guidance to both in-state and non-residents seeking access to abortion and other reproductive services under Connecticut’s “safe harbor“ law, Attorney General William Tong announced on Tuesday.

Tong, in a news conference in the State Office Building with about 30 advocates and lawmakers, said last spring’s US Supreme Court decision overturning 50 years of national abortion rights has changed the legal landscape in many ways, some of which might not be known until time passes and elections are decided.

Promising to “build a firewall” against the nationwide conservative campaign to prohibit reproductive rights, Tong will also appoint a new special counsel for reproductive rights in his office’s Civil Rights Unit to safeguard abortion access and reproductive care in Connecticut and nationwide.

“This is about law enforcement,” Tong said. “Enforcing the law of the state of Connecticut, right? And we’re going to put muscle behind that law enforcement, making sure that patients and providers are protected. Today is about making sure what our priorities are.”

Safety, access, affordability and protecting patients from prosecution, civil suits and professional sanctions are the main goals, in addition to a shopping list of possible legislation for the next General Assembly, especially targeting the high mortality rate for Black women in Connecticut, as well as deceptive advertising for so-called crisis pregnancy centres, advocates said.

The Connecticut-based lawyers will join a New York State advice system already in place at 212-899-5567. “It is an army of lawyers,” Tong said, crediting New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Abused women who want to assure their personal privacy, students and foreign-born women elements of the state’s law and other women in a variety of circumstances were encouraged to use the hotline, which will supplement the

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Dueling Wisconsin Senate candidates want to ‘support law enforcement’ in key midterm state

Posted on by Judith E. Ashton

The growing issue of crime and public safety continues to strike the key battleground state of Wisconsin, as voters begin to pin their focus towards candidates who will address these crucial issues going into the midterm elections this fall.

A Marquette University poll, conducted from Sept. 6-11 with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points, found that 88% of Wisconsin residents are either somewhat or very concerned about crime in their state. According to WISN 12 News, the medical examiner’s office in Milwaukee recently reported that four teenagers in Milwaukee have died violent deaths since the beginning of September.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., is seeking re-election in one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races of the cycle, against Democrat Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes. On Monday, Johnson shared to Twitter the story of a 17-year-old victim of gun violence in Milwaukee, shining a light on the city’s crime problem and claiming his opponent wants to release 50% of the prison population.

CRIME TRUMPS ABORTION IN VOTER CONCERNS, GIVING GOP LARGEST LEAD ON ISSUE IN MORE THAN 30 YEARS: POLL

“While Mandela Barnes says it pains him to see law enforcement fully funded, the people that really suffer from his soft on crime policies like defunding police and letting criminals walk free are the friends and families who lose loved ones to violent crime,” Mike Marinella , Press Secretary for the Ron Johnson campaign, told Fox News Digital Monday, “We need to support law enforcement and restore safety to our communities, not adopt the dangerous policies of Mandela Barnes.”

DEMOCRAT VOTERS IN KEY MIDTERM STATE SAY ‘THREATS TO THE DEMOCRACY’ MORE IMPORTANT THAN ABORTION, ECONOMY

Maddy McDaniel, a spokesperson for the Barnes’ campaign, told Fox News Digital that Barnes does not want to defund the

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Top Texas law enforcement official vowed to fire any officer who didn’t respond during Uvalde school shooting

Posted on by Judith E. Ashton
Surveillance footage showing police scattered throughout an elementary school hallway

Uvalde police have been criticized for their handling of the shooting.Austin American-Statesman/Reuters

  • Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw also told CNN he’d fire anyone who didn’t do their job.

  • The top Texas DPS official said he’d resign if his agency shared blamed for the slow response at Uvalde.

  • Law enforcement responding to the May shooting waited over an hour to catch the gunman, reports showed.

Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw said he’d resign if his agency was found of any culpability in the delayed response during the Uvalde school shooting, CNN reported.

McCraw also vowed to fire anyone in his department who didn’t do their jobs during the Uvalde school shooting,

A gunman fatally shot 19 kids and two teachers at Robb Elementary School on May 24.

Police officers from multiple departments waited for over an hour before shooting the gunman who had barricaded himself inside a classroom.

“Despite the immediate presence of local law enforcement leaders, there was an unacceptably long period of time before officers breached the classroom, neutralized the attacker, and began rescue efforts. We do not know at this time whether responders could have saved more lives by shortening that delay,” a July interim report from the Texas House investigative committee on the shooting said.

McCraw told CNN that “no one gets a pass,” and said he would review the actions of the more than 90 DPS officers who responded to the shooting. However, his comments came after he made contradictory remarks at a Texas Highway Patrol captains’ meeting last month, CNN reported.

“And oh by the way, no one is losing their jobs. Quite the Contrary, all leaders in Region 3 did what they were supposed to do and have stepped up to meet the moment,” McCraw said,

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Federal judge blocks Arizona law limiting filming of police

Posted on by Judith E. Ashton

PHOENIX — A federal judge on Friday blocked enforcement of a new Arizona law restricting how the public and journalists can film police, agreeing with the American Civil Liberties Union and multiple media organizations who argued it violated the First Amendment.

US District Judge John J. Tuchi issued a preliminary injunction that stops the law from being enforced when it is set to take effect on Sept. 24. The quick decision came after Republican Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and the prosecutor and sheriff’s office in Maricopa County told the judge they did not plan to defend the law. They were named as defendants in the lawsuit filed last month.

The law was enacted by the Republican-controlled Legislature over unified opposition from Democrats and signed by GOP Gov. Doug Ducey on July 6.

It makes it illegal to knowingly film police officers 8 feet or closer if the officer tells the person to stop. And on private property, an officer who decides someone is interfering or the area is unsafe can order the person to stop filming even if the recording is being made with the owner’s permission.

The penalty is a misdemeanor that would likely incur a fine without jail time.

KM Bell, an ACLU attorney who lobbied against the bill at the Legislature and was in court Friday, said they were pleased the judge acted quickly.

“We are extremely gratified that Arizonans will not have their constitutional rights infringed and their ability to record the police criminalized by this law,” Bell said.

Bystander cellphone videos are largely credited with revealing police misconduct — such as with the 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis officers — and reshaping the conversation around police transparency. But Republican Arizona lawmakers say the legislation was needed to limit

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Federal Judge Blocks Arizona Law Restricting How Public Can Film Police

Posted on by Judith E. Ashton

A federal judge has shot down an Arizona law that would restrict how the public can film police officers.

NBC News arizona-law-limiting-filming-police-rcna47148″reports US District Judge John J. Tuchi on Friday issued a preliminary injunction preventing the law from being enforced. Tuchi’s ruling sides with the American Civil Liberties Union and multiple media outlets, who argued the law violated the First Amendment.

The bill, which Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law on July 6, and was scheduled to go into effect on Sept. 24, would make it illegal in Arizona to knowingly film law enforcement from eight feet or closer without an officer’s permission. The punishment for violating the law is a misdemeanor that would likely incur a fine without jail time.

KM Bell, an attorney for the Arizona ACLU who lobbied against the legislation, told NBC News she’s glad the court is taking action to stop it.

“We are extremely gratified that Arizonans will not have their constitutional rights infringed and their ability to record the police criminalized by this law,” Bell said. “Today’s ruling is an incredible win for our First Amendment rights and will allow Arizonans to continue to hold police accountable.”

She added, “At a time when recording law enforcement interactions is one of the best tools to hold police accountable, we should be working to protect this vital right – not undermine it.”

Tuchi has given the Legislature one week to appeal his ruling, while the ACLU is seeking a permanent injunction.

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Department of Justice launches federal civil rights investigation into violent Arkansas arrest caught on video

Posted on by Judith E. Ashton

The Department of Justice has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the violent arrest of a 27-year-old man in Arkansas on Sunday, a department spokesperson confirmed to CBS News on Monday. The investigation will be separate from the state probe into the arrest, which was captured on video.

The video shows the three officers repeatedly hitting 27-year-old Randal Worcester of Goose Creek, South Carolina. One officer repeatedly strikes Worcester with a closed fist while another knees him several times in the lower body. The officers are also seen slamming Worcester’s head into the pavement.

Crawford County Sheriff Jim Damante said Monday that none of the three officers were wearing body cameras. The Mulberry police officer’s vehicle was equipped with a dash cam.

“The dash cam does bring to light other things that did happen there that initiated, that wasn’t caught on the citizen’s camera,” Damante said.

Also Monday, officials identified the three law enforcement officials who have been suspended over the arrest: Crawford County Sheriff’s Office deputies Zack King and Levi White and Mulberry police officer Thell Riddle.

The officers were responding to a report of a man making threats outside a convenience store Sunday in the small town of Mulberry, about 140 miles northwest of Little Rock, near the border with Oklahoma, authorities said.

Officers Suspended-Video
A car is parked outside the Kountry Xpress in Mulberry, Ark. Three law enforcement officers have been suspended after a video posted on social media showed a South Carolina man being held down on the ground and beaten by police. Arkansas State Police said Sunday night that it would investigate the use of force by the officers earlier in the day outside the convenience store in Mulberry, about 140 miles northwest of Little Rock.

Andrew DeMillo / AP


According to Damante, a man was

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Idaho abortion ban seems to conflict with federal law

Posted on by Judith E. Ashton

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho’s near-total abortion ban appears to have a serious conflict with a federal law governing emergency health care treatment, a federal judge said Monday.

The US Department of Justice sued the Republican-led state of Idaho earlier this month, saying the abortion ban set to take effect on Thursday violates a federal law requiring Medicare-funded hospitals to provide “stabilizing treatment” to patients experiencing medical emergencies. Idaho’s law criminalizes all abortions in “clinically diagnoseable pregnancies,” but allows physicians to defend themselves in court by arguing the procedure was necessary to avert the death of the mother.

US District Senior Judge B. Lynn Winmill said the potential conflict is because Idaho’s law doesn’t appear to account for cases when a pregnant person might face serious medical consequences if the pregnancy is continued.

“That is more than just a hypothetical concern,” Winmill told attorneys on both sides during oral arguments in Boise’s federal courthouse. The judge said he would decide by the end of the day on Wednesday whether to temporarily block the strict abortion ban while the lawsuit proceeds.

States across the US are watching the case closely and picking sides. So far, 36 states have signed on to friend-of-the-court briefs, with 20 states siding with the federal government and 16 defending Idaho’s abortion ban. Several major medical organizations have also filed briefs siding with the federal government, saying the ban forces physicians to choose whether they will break state or federal law.

During Monday’s arguments, Winmill questioned Idaho Deputy Attorney General Brian Church about whether ectopic pregnancies are included in the state’s definition of pregnancy, as written in the abortion ban law.

Ectopic pregnancies are considered life-threatening and occur in about one in every 50 pregnancies, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. They happen

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Law-enforcement officials raise alarm that angry words from Trump and allies over Mar-a-Lago search are triggering real-world violence

Posted on by Judith E. Ashton

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man armed with an AR-15 dies in a shootout after trying to breach FBI offices in Cincinnati. A Pennsylvania man is arrested after he posts death threats against agents on social media. In cyberspace, calls for armed uprisings and civil war grow stronger.

This could be just the beginning, federal authorities and private extremism monitors warn. A growing number of ardent Donald Trump supporters seem ready to strike back against the FBI or others who they believe go too far in investigating the former president.

Law-enforcement officials across the country are warning and being warned about an increase in threats and the potential for violent attacks on federal agents or buildings in the wake of the FBI’s search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.

Experts who study radicalization and online disinformation — such as Trump’s aggressive false claims about a stolen election — note that the recent increase was sparked by a legal search of Trump’s Florida home. What might happen in the event of arrests or indications?

“When messaging reaches a certain pitch, things start to happen in the real world,” said former New Jersey Attorney General John Farmer, a onetime federal prosecutor who now directs the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. “And when people in positions of power and public trust start to echo extremist rhetoric, it’s even more likely that we’re going to see real-world consequences.”

Amplified by right-wing media, angry claims by Trump and his allies about the search are fanning the flames of his supporters’ distrust of the FBI — though it’s led by a Trump appointee — and the federal government in general. And at least a few of Trump’s supporters now appear to be acting on his anger.

An armed man decked out in body armor tried

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Some North Carolina schools now have locked-up AR-15s for law enforcement. Gun-safety experts are appalled

Posted on by Judith E. Ashton
Sheriff Buddy Harwood and Lt. Coy Phillips meet with school system administration July 13 to brief them on the enhanced security procedures coming to Madison County Schools in 2022-23.

Sheriff Buddy Harwood and Lt. Coy Phillips meet with school system administration July 13 to brief them on the enhanced security procedures coming to Madison County Schools in 2022-23.

MARSHALL, NC – A North Carolina sheriff’s office has placed locked-up AR-15 rifles on a school district‘s six campuses as an added security measure for the coming school year in response to the Uvalde, Texas, mass school shooting.

It’s a move the North Carolina sheriff says will help law enforcement respond to possible acts of violence at the schools. But experts told USA TODAY the idea was unlikely to work and is the wrong approach to curbing gun violence.

Madison County Sheriff Buddy Harwood has promoted the idea as the nation reels from the botched law-enforcement response in Uvalde, Texas. The tragedy revealed systemic failures and poor decision-makingand responding police disregarded active-shooter trainings, according to a Texas state house report.

“Hopefully, we’ll never need it, but I want my guys to be as prepared as prepared can be,” Harwood said.

If an active-shooter situation occurs, the sheriff’s office has stored semi-automatic weapons in locked safes at each Madison County school. The safes also contain extra magazines, ammunition and breaching tools, Harwood said.

FILE - AR-15-style rifles are on display at Burbank Ammo & Guns in Burbank, California, June 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

FILE – AR-15-style rifles are on display at Burbank Ammo & Guns in Burbank, California, June 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

“In the event we have someone barricaded in a door, we won’t have to wait on the fire department,” he added. “We’ll have those tools to be able to breach that door if needed. I do not want to have to run back out to the car to grab an AR, because that’s time lost.”

But national gun-safety experts told USA TODAY they disagreed with the idea.

Allison Anderman, senior counsel and

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Law enforcement officers’ death by firearms rising this year, compared to 2021

Posted on by Judith E. Ashton

Thirty-three law enforcement officers died in the line of duty as a result of shootings in the first half of this year, representing an 18% increase in firearms-related fatalities, compared with the first six months of 2021, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Yet, so far in 2022, overall fatalities among law enforcement officers have fallen by roughly 31%, following last year’s record number of line-of-duty deaths. Dropping from the 188 officers killed during the same period last year, a new report by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund found the decline is “almost entirely related to a reduction in Covid-19 deaths.”

William Alexander, Executive Director of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and former commander of the Prince George’s County Police Department summed up the mid-year report as a “mixed bag.”

“It’s certainly optimistic in terms of the reduction of Covid-19 related deaths. On that front, we’ve seen a 45% decrease from 98 line-of-duty deaths, this time last year,” Alexander told CBS News. “We’re hopeful that through some combination of lower infection rates and, more likely than not, increased uptake on vaccines, that number will continue to trend downward.”

Fifty-four officers died “as a result of contracting the disease while executing official duties,” as of June 30, 2022, according to the report. Although COVID-19 related deaths among law enforcement officers have dipped this year by nearly half, Covid-19 remains the number one cause of law enforcement deaths.

Thursday’s report also warns of a “marked increase” in traffic-related crashes so far this year. In the first six months of 2022, 20 officers have died due to traffic-related crashes – a 25% uptick compared to the same time span last year. Fatalities include single-vehicle accidents, vehicle collisions, and motorcycle crashes while working along roadways.

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