The Private Drug War and the Tattered Fourth Amendment
Pete at Drug WarRant had an troubling post this weekend about a couple ways that private companies have beenstepping in to the police’s shoes in carrying out drug policing. Pete wrote about a private, “voluntary” drug and alcohol screening stations for motorists (see examples here and here), and also about the use of Blackwater to […]
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10 Tips to Avoid Scams on Craigslist
Most of us are aware of the ever-growing Web site called Craigslist. People can post job openings, search for jobs, search for and sell vehicles, sell and purchase most any types of items, place personal ads and even barter old stuff for new stuff. There are, however, some things you have to be weary of […]
READ MOREPOLICE SUICIDE IS AN ALARMING PROBLEM RARELY DISCUSSED PUBLICLY
Stuck in a job where everyday is spent wonder when the next tragedy will happen, cops are killing themselves at twice the national rate. Efforts to address the problem have varied with mixed results.
READ MORECA Supremes Grant Review in Warrant Affidavit Case People v. Galland
The California Supreme Court on Wednesday (4/18/07) granted review in People v. Galland, the Fourth District Court of Appeal case whose language was so sharp that it drew coverage from the LA Times. Galland deals with a pet obsession of mine: sealed search warrant affidavits. In general, under California law, the prosecution can seal part […]
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An Illegal Ponzi Scheme Leads to 13-Years in Prison
A Ponzi scheme is a scheme in which unrealistically high rates of return are promised to investors. When new investors are lured by these promises and provide their funds to a money manager or financial advisor, money that the new investors pay in is used to enrich the person orchestrating the fraud scheme as well […]
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Death Penalty Faces Biggest Test in Decades
Death penalty in the US is currently facing one of its biggest tests in decades. While capital punishment is legal in 36 nations including China, Japan and the US and it is legal in the 32 American states, three death row inmates in Oklahoma are now challenging new experimental drugs that are used in lethal […]
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CA 4th District on Warantless Search of Probationer
A police officer can not use a probationer’s search condition to retroactively justify a warrantless detention that begins before the officer learns of the condition, the CA Fourth District Court of Appeal held 1/4/07 in People v. Miller, G033762. The officer in Miller stopped a car purely because of the car was in a dark […]
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CA 1st on Detention By Spotlight, Officer Tone
A police officer who stopped his car about 35 feet away from a man, shined his spotlight directly at the man, and then began to walk briskly toward him while questioning him about his legal status, did in fact “detain” the man by taking these actions, implicating the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and […]
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Operation Rotten Tomato Case Ends in Guilty Plea
In a fascinating case arising out of the Eastern District of California that I’ve watched for the past couple of years, the government has vigorously pursued the former owner of a California based food company. The head of SK Foods, Scott Salyer, entered a surprising guilty plea Thursday to one count of racketeering and one […]
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Three Strikes: A Mistake That Led to Mass Incarceration
In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed an omnibus crime bill into law. The bill included a “three strikes” provision at the federal level, which imposed a mandatory life sentence for a criminal convicted of a violent felony after having two prior convictions. These two prior convictions could be for a huge variety of different crimes, […]
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