Free Republic

A bloody robbery attempt brings a roundup of '60s fugitives The armored Brink's truck pulled up to the Nanuet National Bank near suburban Nyack, N. Y., shortly before 4 p.m. and two guards began loading $1.6 million in cash. Suddenly three armed men in ski masks jumped out of a red van and opened fire. One guard was killed instantly and the other critically wounded. The three bandits and an accomplice dashed off with the loot. "They didn't even ask them to hand over the money," declared an incredulous witness. "They just blasted away." The robbers changed conveyances at a...

We are saddened to report that it appears as if a Border Patrol agent may have been intentionally poisoned with a pesticide. We are not going to elaborate because there is an ongoing investigation. The agent has a family to support, and they are facing an extremely tough time ahead. He has been incapacitated by the toxins in his body, and is not expected to fully recover. We hope and pray that he can make a miraculous recovery. Note to agents: Please be careful where you eat when you are on duty. As you know, there are plenty of sick...

Don’t be surprised to see an Army tank rolling down a street near you.The Cobb County police department has refurbished a donated Armored Personnel Carrier for officers to use in SWAT situations. Enlarge this imageBOB ANDRES / bandres@ajc.comCobb police have a new tank. The vehicle is being driven by Detective Steve Brawner as Sgt. Lester Maddox directs him into position. Cobb County police unveil its new crime-fighting machine, The L.A.V. 300 (Light Armored Vehicle) at Marietta Square on Saturday. • Photos The vehicle, which retails for $500,000, is a Light Armor Vehicle that was used by the U.S. Army...

Hundreds of letters have been sent out advising current permit holders of impending revocation. The Sheriff's Department has begun the process of revoking hundreds of concealed weapon permits across Orange County. This week, department officials confirmed that 146 letters have been sent out advising current license holders that their permits to carry firearms in public – called CCWs – are being revoked. There are currently 1,024 permit holders. "The Department has determined that your identified risk does not meet the good cause threshold as required under the new CCW policy based upon the information you provided. As a result of...

CHICAGO (AP) - Residents of foreclosed properties in Chicago and other parts of Cook County don't have to worry about deputies forcing them out. Sheriff Tom Dart says that starting Thursday his office won't take part in evictions.

Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott speaks to a crowd of thousands who gathered at Germain Arena at a rally for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speak on Monday, Oct. 6, 2008, in Estero. His comments about U.S. Senator Barack Obama brought national attention to the rally. David Albers/ Staff BONITA SPRINGS — Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott’s now infamous appearance at Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s public rally has caught the attention of federal officials. Scott is under federal investigation for wearing his uniform during the campaign stump, a spokesman for the Office of Special Counsel said on Tuesday. The...

It was surprising that law enforcement officials appeared suddenly at our Las Vegas offices Tuesday, because ACORN and its attorneys have already been proactive in providing information about problematic cards and any employee suspected of misconduct. In July, ACORN staff and our attorney set up a meeting with Clark County elections officials and a representative of the Secretary of State’s office to urge them to take action on information ACORN had provided. Since then, and as recently as September 29^th , ACORN has provided officials with copies and—in some cases—second copies of many of the personnel records and the "problem...

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin remained in the dark while her husband repeatedly asked top state officials to help get his former brother-in-law kicked off the state police force, Palin's husband and top aides said in affidavits provided to The Associated Press. Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, is the focus of a legislative investigation into whether she abused her authority by firing the state's public safety commissioner to settle a long-standing family dispute. The commissioner says he was fired after resisting pressure to fire Mike Wooten, a trooper involved in a bitter divorce with Palin's sister....

We have seen many changes in this great nation which have been brought about by left wing activists. As kids, we used to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Now, it's being attacked in the courts. We used to say a prayer in the morning before school or at football games. Socialists in America have deemed that "offensive" and the practice has all but disappeared. Christmas displays honoring the birth of Christ trigger convulsions by the Left, who say that we shouldn't make people feel "uncomfortable" with our manger scenes. Now, we can't even say what we want to say in...

Alaska's Supreme Court has refused to shut down an ethics investigation into Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee. The decision Thursday sets the stage for state lawmakers to release a report on their investigation Friday. The report could prove to be an embarrassment for Palin and a distraction for John McCain's presidential campaign in the final weeks of the race....

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin remained in the dark while her husband repeatedly asked top state officials to help get his former brother-in-law kicked off the state police force, Palin's husband and top aides said in affidavits provided to The Associated Press.

Illinois sheriff: No foreclosure evictions on my watch * Story Highlights * Sheriff Thomas Dart says he is suspending foreclosure evictions in Cook County * Dart: "These mortgage companies only see pieces of paper, not people." * Illinois Bankers Association opposes plan, says sheriff could be found in contempt * Cook County expected to exceed 43,000 foreclosure cases this year CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- Sheriff Thomas J. Dart said Wednesday he is suspending foreclosure evictions in Cook County, which had been on track to reach a record number of evictions, many because of mortgage foreclosures. He said many of the...

Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott called criticism of his use of Barack Obama’s middle name in a speech on Monday a “huge double standard” and said he had no particular intention when he chose his words. “There was no intention,” he said. “I simply stated his name.” While addressing the jam-packed crowd of 8,800 at the Germain Arena prior to Gov. Sarah Palin’s appearance, Scott said, “On Nov. 4, let’s leave Barack Hussein Obama wondering what happened.” The crowd at Germain cheered wildly at Scott’s remark, but the Palin campaign was not too happy, according to a prepared statement sent...

The Maryland State Police classified 53 nonviolent activists as terrorists and entered their names and personal information into state and federal databases that track terrorism suspects, the state police chief acknowledged yesterday. Police Superintendent Terrence B. Sheridan revealed at a legislative hearing that the surveillance operation, which targeted opponents of the death penalty and the Iraq war, was far more extensive than was known when its existence was disclosed in July. The department started sending letters of notification Saturday to the activists, inviting them to review their files before they are purged from the databases, Sheridan said. "The names don't...

Lee County Sheriff Scott's 'Hussein' reference sparks federal probe

A 29-year-old Richmond police officer is on life support after his patrol car crashed into a utility pole on a rain-slickened road this morning as he responded to an assault call, authorities say. Bradley Moody, a veteran of seven and a half years on the force, was headed north on Marina Bay Parkway at 8:05 a.m., answering an officer's call for more help, when he lost control of his cruiser and slammed sideways into a light pole, authorities said. The accident happened at a bend in the road near railroad tracks and between Regatta Boulevard and Jetty Drive, in Richmond....

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Legal Newsline)-The Alaska Supreme Court has decided to hear an appeal that would block the release of findings of an abuse of power investigation that could prove damaging to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. The state high court will review a decision by Anchorage Superior Judge Peter Michalski, who Thursday dismissed a request by a group of Republican legislators to block the investigation.

In a split decision Thursday, the state Supreme Court rejected a plea by a Kent property owner seeking compensation for damage done during a drug raid. Affirming lower court decisions, five of the court's nine justices found the city of Kent was not required to pay $5,000 for damage to buildings owned by Leo Brutsche during a failed 2004 anti-methamphetamine operation. During the raid, narcotics officers used battering rams to knock down doors in buildings owned by Brutsche while searching for a meth lab they believed Brutsche's son to be operating on the property, according to court records. No drugs...

An Alaska judge has refused to block a state investigation into whether Gov. Sarah Palin abused her power when she fired her public safety commissioner this summer. Judge Peter Michalski in Anchorage said in his ruling Thursday that much of what was raised in a lawsuit seeking to halt the probe was business left to the legislative branch. Five Republican state legislators asked the judge to order a temporary restraining order. They said the investigation has been tainted by partisan politics. An independent investigator hired by the Legislative Council, which authorized the probe, is expected to have his report completed...

NEW YORK (AP) -- A police lieutenant committed suicide Thursday, days after he ordered another officer to fire a stun gun at a naked, distraught man who then fell to his death, police said. The body of Lt. Michael Pigott, a 21-year police veteran, was found in a police locker room at a former airfield in Brooklyn, New York, dead apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, said Paul Browne, deputy commissioner for public information. He used a weapon that was not his, police said. Pigott had been stripped of his gun and badge and reassigned to desk duty after the...

Excerpt..... A new policy banning Virginia State Police chaplains from saying Jesus,’ Christ’ during prayer is stirring up a lot of controversy. Six chaplains have already resigned over the issue. “In the bible it says to pray in Jesus name,” said Charlotte Ryan, Johnson City, Tennessee resident. Claude Duncan from Johnson City is also against the prayer policy change. “I think it’s a terrible thing that they would create such a thing that would deny us the privilege of praying in the name of our savor, Jesus Christ,” Duncan said. We found strong opposition on Monday to a decision.........

A senior New York police officer who caused the accidental death of a suicidal man has killed himself. A police spokesman said the unnamed lieutenant was found dead days after he ordered another officer to fire an electric stun gun at a naked, distraught man who then fell to his death. The spokesman said the lieutenant was found at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The lieutenant had ordered another officer to shock Inman Morales, who fell nearly 10 feet to his death in Brooklyn. The lieutenant was stripped of his gun and badge after...

The NYPD lieutenant who ordered the fatal tasering of a disturbed naked man last week killed himself today, police confirmed. Lt. Michael Pigott's body was found by another officer who was reporting for duty around 6 a.m. in a locker room at Floyd Bennett Field with a gunshot wound to the head. Pigott was stripped of his badge and gun and put on desk duty after he ordered another officer to taser Inman Morales, who was standing naked on a 10-foot-high ledge in Bed-Stuy on Sept. 24.

Denver's red-light cameras were anything but picture perfect in their first month of operation. More than 60 percent of the 2,545 suspected red-light violations caught on camera ...have been tossed out. The reasons vary, but police said that most of the citations were rejected because the "threshold speed" that helps trigger the cameras was set too low, generating hundreds of false readings. "The cameras fired, but the picture clearly showed all of the vehicles in compliance," ... Since then, the threshold speed was reset ... In Denver, police officials expect the city's $838,800 red-light camera system to perform more smoothly...

Associated Press - link only

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is defending why his administration forced the sudden resignation of five Virginia State Police Chaplains because they prayed publicly “in Jesus’ name.” Police Superintendent Col. W. Steven Flaherty single-handedly created then enforced a strict “non-sectarian” prayer policy at all public gatherings, censoring and excluding Christian prayers, then accepted the resignation of five chaplains who refused to deny Jesus or violate their conscience by watering down their prayers. House Republican Leader Morgan Griffith and Delegate Charles W. Carrico, (R-Grayson) both issued public statements defending the chaplains, questioning Governor Kaine’s role in terminating the chaplains, and vowing to...

A friend of yours has recommended you visit http://injesusnameipray.org. This site gives you the ability to join Delegate Bill Carrico and voice your opposition to the decision by Colonel W. Steven Flaherty's to not allow State Trooper chaplains to pray in Jesus name and to reinstate the chaplains that resigned due to this request. Please forward this email to as many people as you wish.

Controversy stirs over state police ruling on prayer By CHELYEN DAVIS [in the Free-Lance Star newspaper of Fredericksburg, VA] http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2008/092008/09262008/413698 Date published: 9/26/2008 RICHMOND-- A Fredericksburg court case has set off a flurry of accusations between Republicans and Democrats over public prayer. The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld a Fredericksburg City Council ban on referring to Jesus Christ in public prayers that open council meetings. So Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Steve Flaherty directed state police chaplains to avoid references to Christ in their public prayers--they were told to use nondenominational prayers in public, although they could...

OBAMA 'TRUTH QUADS': Campaign asks Missouri law enforcement to target anyone who lies or runs misleading TV ads...

DETROIT - The Detroit police crime lab was shut down by the city's new mayor and police chief after an outside audit found errors in some evidence used to prosecute cases involving murder and other crimes, officials said Thursday. An audit by Michigan State Police found erroneous or false findings in 10 percent of 200 random cases and subpar quality control compliance at the lab, said Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy. The report revealed a "shocking level of imcompetence" in the lab and constitutes a systemic problem, she said at a news conference. When it came to recognized work standards,...

Detectives investigating the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Patrick McDonald are probing if his killer obtained the weapon through a straw purchase. Officer McDonald, 30, was fatally shot during an altercation with Daniel Giddings in North Philadelphia Tuesday afternoon. Giddings, who wounded a second officer, was killed by police. A straw purchase is when an individual without a criminal record purchases an item, most often a firearm, for a criminal who cannot legally obtain the item. "What is it with these punks with guns that they think that they can outgun and outshoot Philadelphia police officers," District Attorney Lynne Abraham...

Texas legislators moved last month to try to include immigration enforcement in the responsibilities of local police departments, but area officials insist the differences among communities would make it almost impossible to uniformly implement those laws. In Brownsville, a losing competition for staff with the U.S. Border Patrol and the city’s daily flow of legal and illegal immigrants have resulted in a police department with barely enough personnel to carry out its regular duties. State Rep. Frank Corte Jr., R-San Antonio, and state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Austin, have sought an opinion from Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on whether the...

Philadelphia police are searching for three gunmen who robbed an East Oak Lane Dunkin' Donuts Thursday. Police also believe one of the men may have filled out a job application at the shop and have a name and address on file that they are hoping will aid in their search ...

RICHMOND Thou shalt not mention specific deities in public prayers. That command was handed down recently to Virginia State Police troopers who work as chaplains, prompting several to resign the religious part of their jobs because they are forbidden to mention a particular god by name. Republican legislators blasted the policy Wednesday, marking the latest flare-up in the debate over how much religion is appropriate in government. Del. Charles W. "Bill" Carrico Sr., R-Grayson, declared the decision an "attack on Christianity" and is leading a campaign to have it reversed. "Censoring what these chaplains can say is a violation of...

Contact: Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt, 719-360-5132 cell, chaplaingate@yahoo.com RICHMOND, Virginia, Sept. 25 /Christian Newswire/ -- Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is defending why his administration forced the sudden resignation of five Virginia State Police Chaplains because they prayed publicly "in Jesus' name." Police Superintendent Col. W. Steven Flaherty single-handedly created then enforced a strict "non-sectarian" prayer policy at all public gatherings, censoring and excluding Christian prayers, then accepted the resignation of five chaplains who refused to deny Jesus or violate their conscience by watering down their prayers. House Republican Leader Morgan Griffith and Delegate Charles W. Carrico, (R-Grayson) both issued public...

Guess what the Philadelphia cop killers all have in common? http://www.thebulletin.us/site/index.cfm?newsid=20136673&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=576361&rfi=8

Johnson County deputies have acquired a new crimefighting tool: a device that quickly tells them —right during a traffic stop — whether someone is lying about who they are. The sheriff’s department is among the first agencies in Kansas and the metropolitan area to test a portable machine that identifies fingerprints in the field, deputies said. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation recently gave five units to the department for testing, said sheriff’s spokesman Tom Erickson.

A 30-year-old Philadelphia policeman was shot and killed yesterday by a wanted felon who fired several times into the fallen officer as he lay wounded on a North Philadelphia street. "He stood over the top of him and killed him," said Homicide Capt. James Clark, who called the killing of Officer Patrick McDonald an "execution." --snip-- The gunman was identified as Daniel Giddings, 27, who was recently released from state prison after serving time for a 1998 robbery and aggravated assault

UNLAWFUL FLIGHT TO AVOID PROSECUTION - FIRST DEGREE MURDER, ATTEMPTED FIRST DEGREE MURDER SKIP BRINKLEY Aliases: Larry Wayne Brucke, Larry Wayne Brucke, Jr. DESCRIPTION Date of Birth Used:  May 27, 1976 Hair: Dark Blond Place of Birth: South Carolina Eyes: Green Height: 5'9" Sex: Male Weight: 180 to 185 pounds Race: White NCIC: W615122212 Nationality: American Occupations: Former United States Military, E-4; Former Law Enforcement Officer; Self-Employed (raising livestock) Scars and Marks: Brinkley has a scar above one of his ankles. Remarks: Brinkley may be in western North Carolina, and has ties to South Carolina. Brinkley was last seen...

BALTIMORE, Md. -- Biden accepted the endorsement of the National Association of Police Organizations this morning on behalf of the Democratic ticket, pledging to again provide a seat at the table for local law enforcement. Biden, speaking on a conference call with NAPO President Tom Nee, made a plug for the “Biden Crime Bill,” which he said was contributed to a 30 percent drop in violent crime in the 1990s. “Then, for some reason, because this administration and my good friend John don’t think it’s a role of the federal government to be involved in local law enforcement … they...

OAKLAND -- A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent opened fire today on an armed man who grabbed her purse in Oakland's Chinatown, police said. The off-duty agent was walking near Ninth and Franklin streets in downtown Oakland when she was accosted shortly after 6 a.m. A man with a gun demanded her purse, but the agent pulled out her own weapon and opened fire, police said.

Yreka, Calif. - Siskiyou County Sheriff Rick Riggins said that approximately 100,000 marijuana plants were discovered at various garden locations in western Siskiyou County last week. Involved in the discoveries were the Sheriff’s Office Marijuana Eradication Team, Siskiyou County Sheriff’s deputies, Jackson County Sheriff’s deputies, the United States Forest Service, the Department of Fish and Game, and the California Highway Patrol Air Division. Riggins noted that a representative from the Fish and Game Department came along to assess the damage to the environment caused by marijuana operations. Riggins said that on Friday, the agencies involved discovered a garden in the...

Democrats pushing "Troopergate" are getting closer and closer to defending the records of two abusive men who have threatened family members and on occasion taken violent action towards them. Alaska's former Public Safety Commisioner Walt Monegan and state trooper Mike Wooten both have a distrubing history of abuse. Monegan, of course, is the man who Democrats believe GOP vice presidential contender Sarah Palin improperly fired as Alaskan Governor and who is at the center of their controversial "Troopergate" inquiry. Wooten is Palin's former brother-in-law who Democrats think Palin unethically pressured Monegan to terminate. Via the San Francisco Chronicle Monegan admitted...

An internal government document obtained by ABC News appears to contradict Sarah Palin's most recent explanation for why she fired her public safety chief, the move which prompted the now-contested state probe into "Troopergate." An internal government document obtained by ABC News appears to contradict Sarah Palin's most recent explanation for why she fired her public safety chief Walt Monegan, the move which prompted the now-contested state probe into "Troopergate."

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Department of Law Enforcement Friday blamed federal justice officials, a U.S. House speaker and even Mark Foley himself for its failure to press charges against the disgraced former congressman involving the use of computers to solicit sex from minors. And even if FDLE had found grounds to charge Foley, the state did not launch the investigation until six months after the three-year statute of limitations had passed. "I am of course relieved ... the determination has been made that there is no probable cause to believe that I committed any crime," Foley said in a statement...

Hackers broke into the Yahoo! e-mail account that Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin used for official business as Alaska's governor, revealing as evidence a few inconsequential personal messages she has received since John McCain selected her as his running mate.

TORRINGTON — A police officer flirted and had sex with female dispatchers on duty for four months, and he and the two dispatchers involved, with whom he had separate affairs, used a city messaging system to exchange sexual suggestions and arrange their encounters. Nearly 700 pages of messages and internal reports revealed that Donovan had sex with the dispatchers in the women's locker room at the Torrington Police Department while on duty. He and Goodfield, who began having sex in February or March, arranged for trysts in the parking lot of Torrington Middle School and the Torrington Industrial Park. Donovan...

Published on HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com (http://hamptonroads.com) Man claims he broke into garage, was police informant CHESAPEAKE The case against accused cop killer Ryan Frederick relies partially on the accounts of burglars who may have been working as confidential police informants. A 21-year-old Chesapeake man said he and another informant broke into Frederick's garage in the Portlock section of the city in January to look for evidence of a marijuana-growing operation and told the police about what they found there. In an interview at the Chesapeake Correctional Center, Renaldo Turnbull Jr. told The Virginian-Pilot that he had been working with police...

A raid gone wrong: Time to rein in police SWAT teams Published: Friday, September 19, 2008 Marc Fisher The Press of Atlantic City 9/19/09 It's sad, of course, that Cheye Calvo's dogs were blown away, left for hours in two pools of blood on the floors of his living and dining rooms. It's unfortunate, to be sure, that Calvo's front door had to be burst open, that it was necessary to plant his mother-in-law on the floor, arms bound, a high-caliber weapon pointed at her head, or that his house had to be trashed, every drawer flipped over, his belongings...

Hackers broke into the Yahoo! e-mail account that Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin used for official business as Alaska's governor, revealing as evidence a few inconsequential personal messages she has received since John McCain selected her as his running mate. "This is a shocking invasion of the governor's privacy and a violation of law. The matter has been turned over to the appropriate authorities and we hope that anyone in possession of these e-mails will destroy them," the McCain campaign said in a statement. The Secret Service contacted The Associated Press on Wednesday and asked for copies of the...