AltWeeklies Wire
A Month of Terror with Nashville's Most Brazen Stick-Up Crewnew
Pam Carpenter can't sleep at night with three suspects still at large.
Nashville Scene |
Caleb Hannan |
02-20-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Be a Hero on Your Own Timenew
“Victim's heroics rouse judge,” read a headline in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, but Nigel Haskett's heroics apparently didn't rouse his employer, McDonald's. The hamburger kingpin has denied Haskett's claim for workers compensation benefits.
Arkansas Times |
Doug Smith |
02-19-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Tasered Bicyclist Beats Resisting Arrest Chargenew
One night last June, police stopped Phil Sano for not having a bike light. Sano flailed his arms at the cops and wound up on the ground, Tasered multiple times and cited for resisting arrest. Sano was vindicated when a jury cleared Sano of the charge.
The Portland Mercury |
Sarah Mirk |
02-19-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: law enforcement, Phil Sano
He Joined the Gang When He Was 13, Now He Can't Get Outnew

Membership in one of the nation's most notorious criminal gangs can have its benefits: money, girls and a ready cadre of friends. But it may also be a dead end with no easy exit.
Willamette Week |
James Pitkin |
02-18-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Gang Leader Blames PTSD for Killingsnew
Defense attorneys will argue that a violent upbringing left Down Below Gang leader Emile Fort, who is accused of 30 federal crimes, with cognitive defects and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which positioned him to commit and attempt murder in self-defense.
SF Weekly |
Ashley Harrell |
02-18-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Workload Is Getting Worse for Colorado Springs Copsnew
After years of slow growth, Colorado Springs' police department is staring down a budget cut. The chief says police, already struggling to keep up, are cutting corners, skipping investigation of lesser crimes, and using volunteers to do real police work.
Colorado Springs Independent |
J. Adrian Stanley |
02-17-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Justice Proceeds Delicately When the Accused Is a Judgenew
The most serious charges that Pulaski County Circuit Judge Willard Proctor now faces concern exactly what his staff members reportedly warned him about.
Arkansas Times |
Mara Leveritt |
02-12-2009 |
Crime & Justice
"He Just Went Off"new
On Jan. 26, Osman Abdullahi was killed by police after attacking a fellow resident at a group home for the mentally ill in Washington, D.C. The question no one can answer: What was he doing there to begin with?
Washington City Paper |
Jason Cherkis |
02-12-2009 |
Crime & Justice
How Useless Are the D.C. Police Department's Crime Cameras?new

The D.C. police department's network of more than 120 cameras has been shooting the moon since installation of the first units began more than eight years ago at no trivial cost to the taxpayer.
Washington City Paper |
Arthur Delaney |
02-12-2009 |
Crime & Justice
San Francisco Park Rangers Want More Power, Gunsnew
Not long ago, San Francisco park rangers comprised a mere five part-time guards whose main tasks included giving directions to parkgoers, scolding dog owners, locking park bathrooms at night, and shifting the occasional homeless camper. That was before Marcus Santiago came along.
SF Weekly |
Matt Smith |
02-11-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Turf Wars Are Fueling Seattle’s Gang Conflictsnew
In cases of gang-banging, it's often just a verbal insult or a step in the wrong direction that gets bullets flying. Nothing more than an imaginary line through Seattle, some observers say, is at the core of the ongoing feud between Central District and South End gangs.
Seattle Weekly |
Rick Anderson |
02-10-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Pasadena Board Considers Having Cops Patrol Middle Schoolsnew
The Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education will debate again whether to place Pasadena police officers on two of its three middle school campuses.
Pasadena Weekly |
Andre Coleman |
02-09-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Ending a Gang Rivalry, or Catching Bystanders in Its Net?new
Is a popular legal weapon putting an end to a 30-year-old gang rivalry in South Orange County, or catching innocent bystanders in its net?
OC Weekly |
Daffodil J. Altan |
02-03-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: gangs, Orange County
A Bill to Repeal Capital Punishment in New Mexico Breathes New Life into a Fierce Debatenew
Albuquerque Rep. Gail Chasey’s bill to replace the death penalty with a sentence of life without parole made it past the New Mexico House in 2005 and 2007. Chasey expects her legislation to clear the House again this year. Several new senators, Chasey says, should vote in favor of her bill.
Weekly Alibi |
Simon McCormack |
02-03-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: New Mexico, death penalty
Report Says Prison Phone Companies Still Gouging Familiesnew
Phone companies providing jail service depict happy scenarios on their websites. A recent report suggests the situation may not be so rosy for inmates’ families.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Dave Maass |
01-29-2009 |
Crime & Justice