Archive for the 'Police State' Category
The NYPD Tapes: Inside Bed-Stuy’s 81st Precinct
May 10th, 2010Via: Village Voice: Two years ago, a police officer in a Brooklyn precinct became gravely concerned about how the public was being served. To document his concerns, he began carrying around a digital sound recorder, secretly recording his colleagues and superiors. He recorded precinct roll calls. He recorded his precinct commander and other supervisors. He […]
Connecticut Growing Gardens at Prisons to Cut Food Costs
May 9th, 2010While Connecticut’s decision to have prisoners grow some portion of their own food is a positive development for several reasons (the health of the prisoners being the main one), let’s make sure that we’re seeing the big picture and understand that the prison industrial complex is just about the most diabolical aspect of the American […]
Magic 8 Ball Police Cameras to Flood Manhattan, Looking for “Suspicious Behavior”
May 5th, 2010Via: AFP: New York officials say they could stop attacks like the attempted Times Square car bomb by expanding a controversial surveillance system so sensitive that it will pick up even suspicious behavior. New York is already a heavily policed city, with 35,000 officers and a counterterrorism bureau — the first of its kind in […]
Britain: Plate Reading Cameras Combined with GPS Will Automatically Issue Speeding Tickets; System Calculates Average Speed Between Two Points in ‘SpeedSpike’ Network
April 20th, 2010Via: Telegraph: A new type of speed cameras which can use satellites to measure average speed over long distances are being tested in Britain. The cameras, which combine number plate reading technology with a global positioning satellite receiver, are similar to those used in roadworks. The AA said it believed the new system could cover […]
Crime Prediction Software Is Here and It’s a Very Bad Idea
April 18th, 2010Via: Gizmodo: There are no naked pre-cogs inside glowing jacuzzis yet, but the Florida State Department of Juvenile Justice will use analysis software to predict crime by young delinquents, putting potential offenders under specific prevention and education programs. Goodbye, human rights! They will use this software on juvenile delinquents, using a series of variables to […]
Arizona Passes Strict Immigration Bill; Gives Police the Power to Stop and Verify the Immigration Status of Anyone Suspected of Being Illegal
April 14th, 2010Your papers, please. Via: Wall Street Journal: Arizona lawmakers on Tuesday passed one of the toughest pieces of immigration-enforcement legislation in the country, which would make it a violation of state law to be in the U.S. without proper documentation. It would also grant police the power to stop and verify the immigration status of […]
The Cove
April 12th, 2010I just saw The Cove. It’s worth a look on several levels. On the DVD, the “extra features” are really good too—must see for anyone who eats larger, predatory fish. Hint: You’re poisoning yourself.
Court OKs Repeated Tasering of Pregnant Woman
March 31st, 2010Via: Wired: A federal appeals court says three Seattle police officers did not employ excessive force when they repeatedly tasered a visibly pregnant woman for refusing to sign a speeding ticket. The lawyer representing Malaika Brooks said Monday that the court’s 2-1 decision sanctioned “pain compliance” tactics through a modern-day version of the cattle prod. […]
Loose Units in Hemet Torching City Vehicles, Setting Potentially Deadly Traps for Police
March 25th, 2010Via: AP: Four municipal trucks were set ablaze in a rural Riverside County town plagued by bizarre booby trap attempts to kill police officers, and authorities said Wednesday the fire may be linked to the earlier attacks. “Everyone is worried, everyone is being careful,” Hemet police Lt. Duane Wisehart said. “You get scared a little […]
U.S. Forest Service Admits Putting Surveillance Cameras on Public Lands
March 19th, 2010Via: Island Packet: Last month, Herman Jacob took his daughter and her friend camping in the Francis Marion National Forest. While poking around for some firewood, Jacob noticed a wire. He pulled on it and followed it to a video camera and antenna. The camera didn’t have any markings identifying its owner, so Jacob took […]
