FW: Crime & Justice News: More Gun Violence in Seattle as Man Kills Five, Himself
Dianne Tramutola-Lawson
From: Ted Gest [mailto:rob...@mn-8.ccsend.com] On Behalf Of Ted Gest
Subject: Crime & Justice News: More Gun Violence in Seattle as Man Kills Five, Himself
May 31, 2012 Today's Stories -- More Gun Violence in Seattle as Man Kills Five, Himself -- Police-Shooting Experts: Portland Failed to Learn From Past Mistakes -- Memphis Mayor Starts Three Gun Violence Initiatives; Goal: 10% Cut -- Ohio Prison Population Drops Slightly; Impact of New Laws Muted -- Judge Suggests Gradual Plan For California to Regain Prison Control -- Despite Crime Decline, Gang Violence Continues at High Levels in Some Places -- Congress Has Invested $7 Billion to Improve Public Safety Communications -- NC Attorney Becomes Media Expert on Edwards: He's Well-Informed and Free -- Gay Rights Advocates Split on Webcam Spying; Prosecutor Wanted 5 Years -- Employment for Ex-Prisoners A Big Challenge For TX Re-Entry Services -- Austin's Art Acevedo Wins Praise for Visibility In 5 Years On Job -- 12,000 Untested Rape Kits in TX; Sen. Cornyn Wants More Federal Aid On every business day, Criminal Justice Journalists (CJJ) provides a summary of the nation's top crime and justice news stories with Internet links, if any. Crime & Justice News is being provided by CJJ with the support of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, its Center on Media, Crime and Justice, the Ford Foundation, and the National Criminal Justice Association. The news digest is edited by Ted Gest and David Krajicek. You may go to TheCrimeReport.org to search all archived CJN stories. Please e-mail Ted Gest at CJJ with concerns about the editorial content of our news items, to suggest news stories, or with general comments. | |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Seattle, already beset with a wave of gun violence, had another major episode yesterday when Ian Stawicki, 40, killed four people at a cafe and a fifth in a parking lot before police found him on a sidewalk four hours later and he shot himself fatally in the head, the Seattle Times reports. Mayor Mike McGinn was asked at a news conference, "Mayor, what is going on?" Andrew Stawicki said that in recent years, his brother had been mentally ill and "angry. He was really angry toward everything." The brother added, "someone like that is so stubborn you can't talk to him. It's no surprise to me this happened. We could see this coming. Nothing good is going to come with that much anger inside of you." Andrew Stawicki said their family long hoped Ian would go to mental-health treatment or take medication to keep his moods in balance. | |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Consultants who reviewed seven Portland officer-involved shootings between 2004 and 2010 found many of the same tactical and communication problems that have plagued police for more than a decade, The Oregonian reports. The California-based Office of Independent Review Group identified communication gaps among officers at the scene, excessive delays in getting medical care to wounded suspects, the failure of AR-15 rifle operators to use earpieces to monitor radio talk, long waits to interview involved officers. and a reluctance by the training division to second-guess officers' actions. The consultants called for an end to a 48-hour rule with the union that allows officers to wait two days before answering investigators' questions. Over the past 20 years, no Portland officer who has used deadly force has ever agreed to give a voluntary statement on the day of the shooting. "This circumstance is unfortunate," the consultants wrote. "We believe that 48 hours is too long to wait for a statement from involved personnel and advocate for a restructuring of the labor agreements mandating the 48-hour delay." The Police Bureau is seeking a compromise, moving to have officers provide an on-scene "public safety statement" that would give supervisors crucial details on who was injured, whether any suspects are at large and where bullets went. The consultants said that wouldn't rectify the problem because such statements don't provide full accounts of what happened. The consultants, hired by the city, found the bureau has failed to learn from past mistakes. | |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In an effort to reduce gun violence, particularly among youths, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton is launching three gun violence initiatives today, reports the Memphis Commercial Appeal. During the last two years, 118 juveniles were ordered to face charges as adults on gun-related charges. Wharton has likened gun crimes to a public health problem that requires a comprehensive attack. A team funded through a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies has met with everyone from gang members to CEOs, police, pastors, and community leaders. Its goal is reducing youth gun violence by 10 percent citywide and 20 percent in two target areas by September 2014. The first three initiatives are The Retaliatory Violence Project, to prevent the eye-for-an-eye mentality that often leads to retaliation shootings and other violence. Officers will be trained to spot conflicts and prevent their escalation. The Youth Intervention Team will assign case workers to mentor and monitor at-risk youths one-on-one in two target areas that were chosen because of high rates of gun crimes by young offenders. They'll also head to area hospitals to talk with young adults who are shot in an attempt to prevent retaliation. A Summer Challenge to youths includes a pledge to avoid guns. | |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ohio's revised criminal-sentencing laws are making a difference after six months, diverting hundreds of inmates away from state prisons to less-expensive community programs, the Columbus Dispatch reports. From Oct. 1, 2011, when the new laws took effect, through the end of March, 26 percent fewer inmates were imprisoned for child-support-only violations and 180 fewer inmates came to prison for nonviolent fourth- and fifth-degree felonies. As a result, the prison population dropped to 49,846, the lowest since November 2008. The number of prisoners had peaked at 51,278. The recidivism rate - the number of offenders who return to prison within three years after being released - is at an all-time low, 31.2 percent. Ohio prisons director Gary Mohr isn't satisfied with the numbers. He had hoped to hit 49,168 inmates by July 1, but that won't happen. "The impact has been slower than we anticipated," he said. The provision expected to make the deepest impact has been delayed because of legal complications. It would allow the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to recommend that specific inmates be released after serving 80 percent of their sentence. The inmates must have a record of good behavior and be recommended by prison staff. | |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A federal judge proposed a plan to relinquish control of California's prison medical care after nearly seven years, reports KPCC Radio. U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson seized control of the system because one inmate a week was dying from inadequate treatment. Henderson appointed a federal receiver to improve conditions, which the receiver did. Henderson says he wants state officials to prove they can implement and sustain the receiver's changes before he lets go of the system. Prison officials had argued they're ready to resume control of health care within a month, but Henderson said he sees "no sufficient evidence" to back up that claim. Instead, the judge wants a gradual transition of authority from the federal court to the state. Henderson has proposed that the receiver return control of the health care system one piece at a time. He has already returned provisional control over the escorts who take prisoners to their appointments, and future steps would include returning control over hiring staff, managing medicines and, ultimately, the prison budget. How well prison officials handle each step will determine how quickly the rest of the transition goes. "If someone's been found to be guilty of neglect and malfeasance, for decades, you don't just say 'OK we trust you. Go for it!'" says Don Spector of the Prison Law Office. Spector sued on behalf of inmates who did not receive timely care. He likes Judge Henderson's plan. | |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Despite the overall decline in crime, gang violence continues at high levels in some cities, says the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in an annual report, this one for 2010. The report estimates 29,400 gangs and 756,000 gang members throughout 3,500 jurisdictions across the U.S. It says gang-related homicides increased more than 10 percent from 2009 in cities with populations of more than 100,000. Highly populated areas accounted for the vast majority of gang-related homicides nationally. Gang members were less likely to migrate to smaller areas and had most likely migrated for social, not illegitimate, reasons, the report said. The overall estimate of gang activity, in terms of the percent oif law enforcement agencies reporting gangs, remained stable, from 34.5 percent in 2009 to 34 percent in 2010. | |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ More than a decade after the 9/11 attacks, Congress has approved $7 billion and the reallocation of 20 megahertz of spectrum airwave capacity to try to deal with the public safety inter-communication problem, says Stateline. Those resources will help in the effort to create a national public safety network capable of transmitting both voice and data, including videos and photos. Many implementation challenges lie ahead, even with generous funding and broad bipartisan agreement that the network is a national priority. "There are significant opportunities with going to this network," said Delaware Gov. Jack Markell. "Think about an ambulance that had picked up a patient and they can send a video directly to the doctor." Markell, vice chair of the National Governors Association, testified before a congressional committee about the need for a nationwide network and the accompanying airwaves. NGA will hold a meeting in late June designed to help states understand the federal legislation and the options it lays out for them, including whether to build their own portion of the network or allow a new federal entity to do so on their behalf. | |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With jury deliberations in their 9th day in former presidential candidate John Edwards' campaign finance trial in North Carolina, lawyer Kieran Shanahan has emerged as a frequent media commentator on the case. He has appeared on NBC-TV's Today Show and Nightly News, on ABC's Good Morning America, FOX News and The O'Reilly Factor. He's been quoted in People magazine and the Boston Globe, reports the Raleigh News & Observer. Instead of reporting every day to his job as a principal in the Shanahan Law Group, Shanahan has become a regular at the federal courthouse in Greensboro. The media have come to rely on Shanahan for quick commentary on the casepartly because he's well-informed and partly because he gives his opinions for free. "He's in a unique position to comment," says Andy Lancaster, marketing coordinator for the private law firm that Shanahan started after serving five years as a federal prosecutor. Shanahan is also a former member of the Raleigh City Council, where he served four terms. Shanahan, 56, is a lifelong Republican. While Shanahan has posted links to some of his television appearances through his Facebook and Twitter accounts, Lancaster archives clips of those media moments for a web page the firm will use to showcase Shanahan's skills as a media commentator. | |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A New Jersey judge offered a spirited defense of the 30-day jail sentence he imposed on Dharvun Ravi, the ex-Rutgers University student convicted of using a webcam to spy on his roommate having sex with another man, the New York Times reports. Judge Glenn Berman said Ravi, convicted of spying on his roommate, did not deserve to spend time in a state prison alongside murderers and rapists. Berman said, "I can't find it in me to remand him to state prison that houses people convicted of offenses such as murder, armed robbery and rape," adding. "I believe that he has to be punished, and he will be." In addition to the jail term, Ravi was sentenced to 300 hours of community service, three years' probation and $10,000 to be paid to a fund that helps victims of bias crimes. The sentence has divided gay rights advocates, with some arguing that 30 days was little more than a slap on the wrist, and others arguing that his conduct, while despicable, did not merit the same punishment as the kind of violent or threatening behavior typically associated with bias crimes. The lead prosecutor called for a 5-year prison term. | |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Texas releases 75,000 inmates every years, and Texas Re-Entry Services tries to give many of them the tools they need to find employment and housing, says the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram. In the three years after release, about 32 percent of jail offenders and 24 percent of the prison population will be re-incarcerated, says a new report from the Sunset Advisory Commission. Taxpayers bear the burden when offenders are re-incarcerated at an average cost of $50.79 per day. Finding housing and employment are crucial to an ex-offender's successful reintegration into society, but after serving their time, many ex-offenders find that they cannot get a job without a home address and cannot find a place to live without the money to pay rent. So they may end up roaming the streets. In survey of homless people last year in Tarrant County, more than 76 percent of the 410 people surveyed said their criminal records were the main reason they were unemployed. Kay Smith, founder of Texas Re-Entry Services, said: "If you are coming out of state prison you get $100, a bus ticket home and a suit of clothes. If they have a place to go they're lucky. If they aren't lucky they end up homeless." During the past three fiscal years, funding cuts have curtailed Re-Entry Services' reach, Smith said. | |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the nearly five years since Art Acevedo signed on as Austin's cop, he has changed the face of the department - turning it from an organization that appeared reluctant at best to engage with the media and the community into a department that is now defined by the energy and charisma of its 47-year-old leader, reports the Austin Chronicle. He's led the department through a handful of officer-involved shootings and a federal Department of Justice review prompted by allegations that Austin police have used force disproportionately against minorities; he's fired 21 cops and handed out 187 lesser suspensions; he's butted heads with the police union boss and the city's police monitor; he's restructured major department operations - including how it patrols the city, how it handles officer discipline and how it investigates its own. So far at least, he's weathered every storm with his reputation as an affable straight-shooter largely intact. Acevedo is not without his critics, sometimes quite harsh ones, particularly those who say that he's too quick to justify officers' use of force. Others say the chief's outgoing manner and reputation only serve to disguise institutionalized practices in a department that either resists change or endures it only grudgingly, after years of public pressure. Longtime department critics, including Nelson Linder of the Austin NAACP, offer some praise for a chief who they say has helped to turn the department into a more community-friendly force. "The biggest thing is visibility," Linder says. "He talks to people and makes himself visible to every segment of the population. I think that is his strength." | |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis and the Department of Public Safety reminded law enforcement agencies to follow a new state law requiring them to report their backlog of untested rape kits, reports the Texas Tribune. So far, more than 12,000 untested rape kits have been reported to DPS, with more than 100 law enforcement agencies responding. The new law, which Davis introduced in response to news that tens of thousands of rape kits were sitting untested in evidence storage rooms, requires police departments to submit a rape kit to a crime lab within 30 days of determining a sexual assault has occurred, and run DNA analysis within 90 days of a sexual assault being reported. To the extent that funding is available, the bill also requires testing of untested rape kits in active cases since 1996. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has introduced the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Registry Act, which would commit more federal money to states to reduce rape kit backlogs. | |
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