Law Enforcement & Crime
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Oh, Snap: IsAnyoneUp Founder Hunter Moore Being Investigated by the FBI
Law Enforcement & Crime Rachel Swan — Wed, May 16, 2012 at 4:30 PM
Ouch. So you may remember Hunter Moore, 25 year-old "life ruiner," peddler of humiliation, and founder of the "revenge porn" site IsAnyoneUp.com, from profiles in just about every news outlet around the country — including this one. And now he's in trouble, for real. Roughly a month after taking down his controversial site, Moore is being investigated by the FBI. According to reporter Camille Dodero of the Village Voice, Moore may have colluded with a hacker, known as Gary Jones, who broke into victims' Inboxes, stole nudes from their attachments, and submitted them to IsAnyoneUp. If the accusation turns out to be true, then the defense he's been using — that weird loophole called the Communications Decency Act — might be annulled.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan Deserves a Mixed Review
Politics / People / Law Enforcement & Crime Robert Gammon — Mon, May 7, 2012 at 8:30 AM
When Mayor Jean Quan and City Administrator Deanna Santana appointed Howard Jordan last October to be Oakland’s new police chief, we were skeptical. We understood that Chief Anthony Batts’ sudden resignation — in the wake of another scathing report from federal court monitors — had left OPD in a difficult situation and that the department needed a leader right away. We also knew that Jordan is a smart guy, and well-liked in the department. But we were concerned whether someone who spent his entire career within OPD’s highly dysfunctional system would be able to reform it. After Jordan’s first seven months on the job, we’re still skeptical.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
May Day Protest Coverage Around the Bay
Breaking News / Law Enforcement & Crime / Occupy Kathleen Richards — Tue, May 1, 2012 at 9:52 AM
Friday, April 27, 2012
Friday Must Read: Three-Strikes Reform to Make Ballot; AC Transit Approves Shortened BRT
Politics / Law Enforcement & Crime / Transportation Robert Gammon — Fri, Apr 27, 2012 at 6:57 AM
We’re back with the day’s top stories:
1. Californians likely will have another chance to reform the state’s three-strikes law this November after supporters of a reform measure authored by a group of Stanford University professors gathered far more signatures than needed to qualify for the ballot, the Mercury News reports. The measure would limit life-sentences to only the worst criminals, and would require that a so-called third strike be a violent felony. The measure is patterned after a previous one that lost narrowly at the ballot box, but the new proposition may have a better chance at winning approval because some Republicans are already supporting it, including LA District Attorney Steve Cooley. If passed, the measure could save state taxpayers up to $100 million a year, and would help lessen prison-overcrowding in California.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Feds Bust Suspected Ecstasy Ring Associated with Thizz Entertainment
Law Enforcement & Crime Rachel Swan — Tue, Apr 24, 2012 at 12:43 PM
Not for nothing did local hip-hop label Thizz Entertainment name itself for a movement associated with a popular designer drug — one that was gaining wide currency in the mid-2000s, as it shifted from the rave scene to hip-hop. Evidently, Thizz was also merchandising itself in ways that didn't involve turntables and a microphone. Last Thursday 25 people were as part of an effort to break up a nation-wide drug-trafficking ring, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
The IRS and Melinda Haag’s True Goal Is To Snuff Out Medical Pot in California
Politics / Law Enforcement & Crime / Health & Medicine Robert Gammon — Thu, Apr 12, 2012 at 11:23 AM
The hypocritical attack by the IRS and US Attorney Melinda Haag against California medical cannabis dispensaries, particularly in Oakland, feels like it’s right out of a Kafka novel. On the one-hand, the feds (which include the IRS) adamantly maintain that the possession and sale of medical marijuana is illegal because pot is considered an unlawful controlled substance under federal law. But at the same time, the IRS maintains that any proceeds from the sale of medical pot by dispensaries to members of their cooperatives are taxable. On its face, this double standard is ridiculous. But the Internal Revenue Service’s mind-bending arguments don’t stop there.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Settlement Reached Over Long Haul Raid
Breaking News / Law Enforcement & Crime Kathleen Richards — Wed, Apr 11, 2012 at 12:51 PM
The law enforcement agencies that raided the Long Haul in 2008 have come to a settlement agreement in the lawsuit filed against them by the anarchist library and community center, as well as the prisoner support group East Bay Prisoner Support (EBPS). According to the settlement, the agencies have agreed to delete the computer data seized in the raid and pay $100,000 in damages and attorney’s fees, according to a press release today by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. In addition, the UC Berkeley Police Department acknowledged that the Long Haul, located at 3124 Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley, qualified for federal protections from police searches, even though it had denied this during the lawsuit.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Updated: Jury Exonerates Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus
Breaking News / Politics / Law Enforcement & Crime John Geluardi — Tue, Apr 10, 2012 at 12:45 PM
A Contra Costa County jury today ruled that Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus did not engage in discrimination against seven high-ranking black officers in the department. The jury also completely exonerated now retired Deputy Chief Lori Ritter and the City of Richmond of any wrongdoing.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Oakland Hills Residents Freak Out (Again) About Crime
Politics / Law Enforcement & Crime Robert Gammon — Fri, Apr 6, 2012 at 10:42 AM
Every few years, wealthy residents of the relatively safe and quiet Oakland hills have a mass freak-out over crime. Usually, it’s prompted by a rash of burglaries. And typically, hills residents complain that the city directs too many of its scarce police resources (and their tax dollars) to the poor and violent flatlands of East and West Oakland. Wealthy hills dwellers usually contend that their needs are not being met. Well, residents of the hills and the tony Rockridge district are complaining about a rise in burglaries again, and they’re blaming Mayor Jean Quan’s 100 Block crime plan, because it focuses scarce public resources on the most violent neighborhoods of East and West Oakland.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
US Attorney Melinda Haag Has Got to Go
Politics / People / Law Enforcement & Crime Robert Gammon — Thu, Apr 5, 2012 at 12:29 PM
Melinda Haag has turned out to be the most reactionary US attorney in Northern California in a long time. Her wrong-headed crackdown on medical cannabis; her complete disregard for the voters of California; and her decision to order a massive federal raid on Oaksterdam and the respected businesses and properties of Richard Lee in Oakland on Monday are totally out of bounds. Lee’s legitimate businesses are a model in Oakland: They pay their taxes, they operate cleanly and safely, and they’ve helped lead the sweeping revitalization of Oakland’s once-barren Uptown district. Indeed, Haag’s decision to target Lee was so uncalled for — it proves she’s not fit for office. President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder should replace her.
