AltWeeklies Wire
Two North Carolina Cities Wonder: Who's Watching the Cops?new
Alleged misdeeds at two local police departments raise the issue: Whose job is it to hold police accountable? Citizens in Durham and Chapel Hill have long been calling for better public oversight of the police in their towns, but the best way to do that is up for debate.
INDY Week |
Samiha Khanna and Joe Schwartz |
11-12-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Harvey Silverglate Dissects Federal Prosecutors' Corrupt Justicenew
In Three Felonies A Day, the civil liberties watchdog's thesis is as provocative as it is simple: justice has become sufficiently perverted in this nation that federal prosecutors, if they put their minds to it, could find a way to indict almost any one of us for almost anything.
Boston Phoenix |
Peter Kadzis |
09-23-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Ed Graf May Be a Victim of Flawed Arson Sciencenew
Ed Graf was sentenced to life for burning his two young stepsons alive. Two decades later, science may exonerate him.
The Texas Observer |
Dave Mann |
06-03-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Death Row Inmate Brett Hartmann Says He Can Prove His Innocencenew
Hartmann says that when he was first arrested for murder, he didn't take it seriously enough, because he knew he didn't do it. He put his faith in his lawyers. He never expected to be sentenced to death.
Cleveland Scene |
James Renner |
03-26-2009 |
Crime & Justice
The Trials of Mexican Georgenew
For 20 years, the feds have suspected supermarket mogul George Torres is a drug runner and murderer with friends in Los Angeles City Hall. Now they'll try to make it stick.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Jeffrey Anderson |
02-23-2009 |
Crime & Justice
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
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
Salinas Calls In the Big Guns to Quell Rash of Gang Violencenew
Reacting to a stark spike in shootings that has left six people dead in the past two weeks, Salinas leaders brought in the uniformed cavalry and elevated their peace-building rhetoric. But the beefed-up patrols will likely only quiet gunfire temporarily.
Monterey County Weekly |
Zachary Stahl |
01-22-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Edward James Olmos Schools Salinas on Reaching Gang Membersnew
Emmy-winning actor Edward James Olmos delivered a sweeping and powerful address in Salinas, from breaking down the allure and definition of gangs to offering practical solutions to the Monterey County’s number one crime problem.
Monterey County Weekly |
Zachary Stahl |
01-22-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Blood Money in the New Orleans DA's Officenew
A $15 million judgment against New Orleans' DA's office after a man who spent 14 years on death row was found not guilty of the crime for which he was convicted has new District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro on the financial ropes. And that may only be the beginning.
Gambit |
David Winkler-Schmit |
01-14-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Virginia Organizing Project Fights for Ex-Con Voting Rightsnew
A recent speeding ticket set back Harold Folley's efforts to regain his voting rights, 15 years after he was released from prison. He's trying to help other ex-cons navigate Virginia's byzantine restoration process.
C-Ville Weekly |
Chiara Canzi |
01-14-2009 |
Politics
How a Mother of Two Ended Up in a Plot to Smuggle High-Tech Gear to Irannew
Shahrzad Mir Gholikhan maintains that she became accidentally caught up in her shady ex-husband's international plot. The feds have a different theory: That she was an operative of the Iranian government working to put U.S. security at risk.
New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
Deirdra Funcheon |
01-13-2009 |
International
With Domestic Violence on the Rise, Baltimore Finds New Ways to Help its Victimsnew
This year, a new Family Crimes Unit was created in the Baltimore Police Department to investigate domestic-violence cases. And Mercy Medical Center has new technology that is helping to document abuse. Both aim to help women (and men) get out of abusive relationships before they become deadly. It's not an easy goal to meet.
Baltimore City Paper |
Anna Ditkoff |
01-13-2009 |
Crime & Justice
It's Hard to Assign Blame in Seattle Club Shootingsnew
Whether blame was being aimed at Chop Suey, Big Kountry Entertainment, the city's lack of attention to a purportedly growing gang-activity problem, or the music itself, grief quickly manifested itself as cries for culpability. Few viewed it as a failure of club security, but many theories abound when looking closer at the root of the tragedy.
Seattle Weekly |
Hannah Levin |
01-12-2009 |
Music
