Monday, October 18, 2010

Monday 10-18-10

I have no problem with this at all, they should be trained better.

For cops, citizen videos bring increased scrutiny
TALLAHASSEE — Diop Kamau's home in a leafy, gated community just north of town is not easy to find — for good reason.
For more than two decades, the 52-year-old former Hawthorne, Calif., police officer has made a living embarrassing cops with a video camera.

Stung by the rough treatment of his father during a 1987 traffic stop by another California department, Kamau turned to a second career recording police across the country in compromising — often abusive — encounters with the public.

Some of the controversial videos made using hidden microphones and cameras found their way to network and cable television, exposing police to deserved criticism. Mostly, the videos helped launch a new generation of public accountability for local law enforcement. One of Kamau's most effective weapons is a battered 1968 Chevrolet Impala, wired with microphones and cameras, that Kamau, who is black,drives to test the racial profiling tendencies of local police on behalf of paying clients.

"Frankly, there are a lot of people with badges and guns who don't like me very much," Kamau says, motioning to the network of surveillance cameras that protect his home from unwanted visitors. "I step on a lot of toes."

Starting with the grainy images first broadcast by Kamau and other pioneer citizen watchdogs — notably the 1991 beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles, shot by a nearby resident— the public surveillance of cops has exploded to potentially include anyone with a cellphone.

The videos are so ubiquitous that analysts and police debate whether they are serving the public interest — or undermining public trust in law enforcement and even putting officers' lives in jeopardy. The videos are subjecting officers' actions in public places to new scrutiny and changing the way accusations against cops play out in court. In some communities, police are fighting back by enforcing laws that limit such recordings. Other departments are seeking new training for officers to prepare for the ever-present surveillance on the street.

Just about every day, it seems, there is fresh video of cops engaged in controversial actions: Police slamming an unarmed man to the street in Denver. A college student thrashed by officers with batons during a University Maryland basketball victory celebration. An Oakland transit officer fatally shooting an unarmed man on a train platform.

"There is no city not at risk of a video showing an officer doing something wrong," says San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis, president of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, a coalition representing the 56 largest cities in the USA. "The question, when one of these videos do surface, is what we do about it."

In Illinois, Maryland and Massachusetts, some police have responded by trying to limit such recordings when they believe those recordings interfere with police actions.

In Maryland, motorcyclist Anthony Graber was charged with felony violations of Maryland's wiretapping law for recording a March 5 encounter with a gun-brandishing state trooper during a traffic stop. The law requires both parties to consent to the recording of a private conversation. Graber faced a maximum 16-year prison sentence if convicted until Horford County Circuit Court Judge Emory Pitt threw out the case Sept. 27, saying, "Those of us who are public officials and are entrusted with the power of the state are ultimately accountable to the public."

Some departments have sought training for officers to prepare them for increased surveillance of police activity.

"All of our people should be conducting themselves like they are being recorded all the time," says Lt. Robin Larson, who oversees training for the 3,200-officer Broward County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, which once hired Kamau to help prepare new cadets by making them aware their actions could be taped and transmitted.

Some police believe videotaping officers poses broad risks that reach beyond Internet embarrassments: It could cause officers to hesitate in life-threatening situations.

"The proliferation of cheap video equipment is presenting a whole new dynamic for law enforcement," says Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation's largest police union. "It has had a chilling effect on some officers who are now afraid to act for fear of retribution by video. This has become a serious safety issue. I'm afraid something terrible will happen."

Kamau and others argue terrible things already have occurred to victims of officer abuse, and video has brought some of the most brutal cases to the public's attention. Video also has helped narrow the "credibility gap" between police and their accusers, civil rights lawyer John Burris says.

"It used to be that the police officer always got the benefit of the doubt," says Burris, who represented Rodney King in a civil lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles related to his videotaped beating by white Los Angeles police officers. Television broadcasts of the infamous tape, one of the first to show the power of citizen videos of police actions, prompted widespread public outrage.

"The camera, increasingly, is offering a shock to the consciousness," Burris says.

To ignore the effect of video on police credibility, Kamau says, is "like disregarding the influence of the Internet on political campaigns."

"Things are changing dramatically," he says, "and police are not prepared for it."

Video helps explain officer's actions

Video has helped to resolve many cases of police misconduct, but such images also can present a more complex account of officer behavior.

Former Oakland transit cop Johannes Mehserle is in jail awaiting sentencing on Nov. 5 in connection with the fatal shooting of Oscar Grant largely because the incident was captured on video.

Yet video also is the reason, defense attorney Michael Rains says, that Mehserle was convicted July 8 of the lesser offense of involuntary manslaughter after he was charged with murdering the unarmed, 22-year-old train passenger.

The criminal allegations followed transit officers' response to reports of fighting aboard a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train in the early morning hours of New Year's Day 2009.

Grant was among a group pulled off the train at a local stop, according to court documents. Mehserle and another officer had detained the group, the documents state, when Mehserle shot the unarmed Grant while the man's hands were cuffed behind his back in a scene captured by bystanders on cellphone and video cameras. The images of the shooting involving a white officer and a black victim quickly hit the Internet, where they prompted violent protests in Oakland and instant comparisons to the Rodney King case.

"The King video went viral pretty quickly for back then," says Burris, who also represents the Grant family. "But this went as fast as anything could go. The outrage came much quicker."

State prosecutors charged Mehserle with murder, and the case — because of its notoriety and local unrest — was moved to Los Angeles.

Defense attorney Rains concedes the raw video initially had a "shocking effect" on jurors.

"I tried to prepare them for it," he says. "I guess you don't get oblivious to seeing something like that."

What did help Mehserle's case, Rains says, is that more than one video showed what happened that morning; six were introduced at trial. Taken together, Rains argued, the videos captured several angles and supported his client's claim that he meant to draw a stun gun but mistakenly pulled his .40-caliber handgun.

Rains says his client's hand movements recorded on some of the videos were consistent with attempts to open the snap of the holster of his stun gun.

"His body was doing things as if to draw and fire the Taser, not the gun," Rains says.

More video, Rains says, shows Mehserle's "compelling" reaction after the shooting.

"The video shows him throwing his hands to his head in shock," Rains says. "It was a terrible thing to happen. It was a tragedy it did." But the attorney says he was "very, very happy to have this video."

Although Burris does not agree with the jury's apparent interpretation of the videos (jurors have not spoken publicly about their decision), he also is happy they exist.

"Without the videos, there would have been no prosecution," he says. "It meant everything."

A 'profound effect' on officers' actions

David Allred, a former Justice Department official who prosecuted police misconduct cases for more than 30 years, says the proliferation of video in police cases is likely to have "a profound effect" on the long-term behavior of officers.

"If you're prosecuting a case and you can find video to support it, it's just terrific," Allred says. "But often it's terrific for the police, as well, because it can just as easily exonerate officers.

"The real impact, I think, is on what officers will do if they think they are being photographed."

One of the most-viewed incidents — more than 200,000 views on YouTube— is a March encounter between a University of Maryland student and Prince George's County, Md., police officers during a celebration of a Maryland basketball victory.

A video shows senior Jack McKenna approaching officers, who began pummeling him with batons. A police report alleged that McKenna had provoked the encounter by striking mounted officers and their horses, contrary to what is shown in the video.

Three officers have been suspended and the case remains under investigation by Prince George's County and the Justice Department.

In August, the city of Denver's public safety manager resigned and two officers were reassigned after questions surfaced about police conduct in at least two incidents captured on video. The incidents, which remain under investigation by Denver police, include an April 2009 encounter between police and two pedestrians, one of whom is shown being violently wrestled to the street.

The encounter was recorded by a security camera mounted on a light pole and later landed the alleged victims on network morning news programs.

"At this point, officers need to be constantly reminded that the potential for them to be on video or to be photographed is extraordinarily high," Pasco says.

'It embarrassed us'

Larson, the Broward County Sheriff's Office training officer, says her agency knows firsthand the power of video and has learned from it.

The lesson was delivered about three years ago by Kamau. While working for his private investigative firm policeabuse.com and a client, the former cop walked into one of the agency's reception areas with a hidden camera and found immediate problems with the way officers and employees dealt with the public. Kamau says police routinely provided incorrect information to people or couldn't answer basic questions about department policy, such as how to file a complaint against police.

"It embarrassed us," Larson says, adding the video found its way to local television.

Larson says the incident "sparked a lot of activity" within the agency, leading to changes in public reception area staffing, including retraining. Police officials also invited Kamau to help train new cadets.

"Even though he could be viewed as the enemy, we were open to learning from the experience," she says. "If we screwed up, give us your thoughts on how we can make it better."

Kamau, who helps clients resolve their grievances with police, says he counsels many of them to arm themselves with cameras to support their cases.

"Video is making victims more credible," Kamau says. "If Rodney King would have tried to tell his story without video, nobody would have believed it."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-10-15-1Avideocops15_CV_N.htm

I do have a problem with is next two articles

Feds use social media to gather private information
WASHINGTON -- The federal government exploits social media users' desire for online popularity to gain access to private information, a digital civil liberties watchdog group says.
By "friending" users on Facebook, Flickr, Myspace, Twitter and other social media sites, federal investigators can gather information involving immigration and homeland security cases, according to government documents obtained by The Electronic Frontier Foundation.

This tactic takes advantage of social media users' likelihood to become cyber "friends" with others, whom they might not know, to increase online popularity.

"Narcissistic tendencies in many people fuel a need to have a large group of 'friends' link to their pages, and many of these people accept cyber-friends that they don't even know," stated one of the documents, according to a Fox News report.

"This provides an excellent vantage point for (the Office of Fraud Detection and National Security) to observe the daily life of beneficiaries and petitioners who are suspected of fraudulent activities."

These investigators join a growing list of groups, including advertisers and hackers, who use social media sites for alternative means.

http://wtop.com/?nid=104&sid=2080366

Should red light cameras be used to catch drivers on cellphones?
Should red light cameras be used to catch drivers using cellphones?

Buried in a critical audit last week of Los Angeles’ photo enforcement program was some intriguing language about new ways police might use the ever-vigilant intersection cameras.

“LAPD also stated that the existing (program) equipment currently detects numerous other violations that impact driver safety and if cited would result in additional penalties and fees,” says the audit conducted by City Controller Wendy Greuel.

The program is intended to increase safety and decrease traffic deaths, the city says. But the audit noted the cameras cost more than $1 million a year to operate, partly because most of the $500 in fines and fees courts impose on red-light violators go primarily to the state and county.

Among violations being detected by the cameras, cellphone use is “extremely common” and failure to wear a seat belt is “very common,” the audit notes. Making improper turns from a lane is “fairly common.”

Other violations being observed: failure to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks; having earphones in both ears; reckless driving; speed contests; and expired registration.

State law would have to be changed to allow camera citations for violations other than running a red light. LAPD officials declined to comment, citing their current push to overhaul the program and seek bids for a new, multimillion-dollar contract next year.

The deal could include a major expansion of the program to additional intersections.

What do you think? Should red light cameras also be used to enforce texting and cellphone bans on the road? What about other traffic laws?

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/10/should-red-light-cameras-be-used-to-catch-drivers-on-cell-phones.html

These same people admit it is all about revenue and not public saftey
California: Los Angeles Auditor Finds No Safety Benefit to Red Light Cameras
http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/32/3277.asp

Watch the price of clothing soar

Flashback to 1870 as Cotton Hits Peak
Cotton prices touched their highest level since Reconstruction on Friday, as a string of bad harvests and demand from China spark worries of a global shortfall.

Stocks end mixed as financials stumbled for a second-straight day while a big jump in Google shares lead technology stocks and the Nasdaq higher. Plus, cotton hit a 140-year high. Mike Reid wraps up all of the day's market action.
.The sudden surge in prices—cotton has risen up to 56% in three months—has alarmed manufacturers and retailers, who worry they may be forced to pass on higher costs to recession-weary consumers.

The December cotton contract hit $1.1980 a pound minutes after the opening of trading on the IntercontinentalExchange Inc. on Friday. It is officially the highest price since records began back in 1870 with the creation of the New York Cotton Exchange.

The Mississippi Historical Society has its own records that show cotton was changing hands at $1.89 a pound during the middle of the Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865. In the early stages of the war, the South halted exports in a failed attempt to draw Europe to its defense. Then later, the North imposed a blockade, crippling the South's ability to ship cotton to Europe.
.The U.S. was then the largest cotton producer at the time and the halt led to what was dubbed the "cotton famine."

"I've seen a lot of big moves and this exceeds everything," said Sharon Johnson, senior cotton analyst at First Capitol Group, a financial adviser. "It's not something you're going to see again in your lifetime."

The cotton surge is part of a broad-based commodities rally since the beginning of the year, underpinned by fears over a weakening dollar, healthy demand from emerging markets and various weather-related supply disruptions. Along with cotton, prices of so-called soft commodities such as sugar, orange juice and coffee all have soared, adding to concerns that consumers might soon be paying higher prices for daily necessities.

For the apparel industry, rising prices have upended roughly two decades of cheap cotton. Consumers have become used to relatively low prices, making it hard for garment producers to pass on the rising costs, especially as the economy struggles to recover.

Raw materials make up anywhere between a quarter and half of the cost to produce a garment.

The most at risk are discount retailers that compete on price and sell large quantities of cotton-based basic items, such as T-shirts. But clothing manufacturers of all price levels may be forced to decide between absorbing the costs or passing them on. Some say they also are exploring different materials, including synthetic blends.

Jeans maker Levi Strauss said earlier this year that higher cotton costs would result in price increases. And in the past month, executives from Kohl's Corp., Aeropostale Inc. and Guess Inc. have mentioned increased pressure from cotton prices.

Apparel Makers Prepare for Rising Cotton Prices
Cotton Inventories Shrinking. Access thousands of business sources not available on the free web. Learn More .Brian Tunick, managing director at J.P. Morgan, said last week that cotton prices, along with sales and inventory pressures, could lead to "substantial downward" revisions in earnings per share in the specialty-apparel sector.

Jennifer Fritz, chief executive of Bambeeno Cashmere Inc., a children's apparel producer in Atlanta, decided to scrap all the cotton-cashmere blend items from its spring production line due to the sudden rise in cotton prices. Since it is hard to raise prices in this economic environment, Ms. Fritz said she would have to swallow the rising costs of cotton and lose money on her collection. "It's just not worth doing so," she said.

Price increases could come in the first quarter next year, according to Sterling Smith, an analyst at Country Hedging, a brokerage firm.

While the recent price eclipses the previous nominal record of $1.1720 in 1995, it is still a way off from the inflation-adjusted high of $5.2644 in 1918, when demand was soaring due to the textile industry's explosive growth. And, after peaking early in the trading session on Friday, the December contract declined 5 cents, or 4.35%, to settle at $1.0987.

Cotton futures prices pushed past the $1 a pound level on Sept. 20 for the first time since 1995. In the intervening 15 years, cotton prices have largely traded between 40 cents and 80 cents.

Prices began moving higher in July as it became clear that a rekindling of demand for cotton—spurred by manufacturers restocking as the economy recovered—collided with fears of a shortage.

Pakistan, the fourth-largest producer of cotton, saw its crops affected by devastating floods this summer. Heavy rains in China crimped that nation's crop, resulting in a 5.4% drop in global production in 2010.

China is the largest cotton producer, followed by India and the U.S. Even though India and the U.S. reported bountiful harvests this year, it didn't make up for the declines in China and Pakistan.

Cotton on Friday hit a price not seen since at least 1870. That's shortly before Degas painted this scene of the New Orleans Cotton Exchange, and not long after the 'cotton famine' of the Civil War sent prices soaring. Behind today's rise: strong Chinese demand and poor harvests.
.Demand from Chinese cotton mills has meanwhile shown no signs of slowing. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said China bought 267,700 running bales of U.S. upland cotton last week, more than half of the total bales exported and more than the country usually takes.

On Friday, the China Cotton Association issued a warning on its website, saying that this surge, though supported by fundamental factors, was largely caused by speculators.

"It has messed up the order of purchases, led to lower quality of cotton and put the industry's sustainable development on danger," it noted.

In Kennett, Mo., cotton farmer Tom Wilkins has just finished harvesting 2,500 acres of cotton. He said that "this is the best year" since he started planting cotton since the 1970s.

However, the lofty prices are making some cotton farmers worry.

"I hope it won't go too high. If you can't put it into clothes and clothes become too expensive, prices will come down," he said.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704300604575554210569885910.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection


Why Do Police Want a Centralized Database of Flu Sufferers?
Pseudoephedrine sales were restricted federally in many states about five years ago because the legal non-prescription cough ‘n’ cold remedy can be used to make methamphetamine. Purchasers are restricted to a limited amount of pseudoephedrine and must sign a register at the pharmacy. Buy too much — say, a couple of boxes for your family — and you get arrested.


In Wabash Valley, Ind., Sally Harpold bought a box of Zyrtec and a box of Mucinex and became the subject of an early morning police raid:

The morning she was arrested, Harpold and her husband were awakened by police officers banging on the front door of their home at Midway along U.S. 36. She was allowed to get dressed, and was then taken in handcuffs to the Clinton Police Department, where she was questioned about her cold medicine purchases. She was later booked into jail, and her husband had to pay $300 bail to get her released.

Harold is actually employed in law enforcement: she works at the Rockville Correctional Facility for women. Her police mugshot ran on the front page of her local newspaper under the headline “17 Arrested in Drug Sweep.” The local cops couldn’t care less, according to TribStar.com:



http://www.bnet.com/blog/drug-business/why-do-police-want-a-centralized-database-of-flu-sufferers/6081

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