Archive for the 'Police State' Category
A Complete Unknown: Bob Dylan Detained by Police for Failure to Produce His Papers
August 15th, 2009Via: Telegraph: A novice policewoman picked up an “eccentric old man acting suspiciously”, completely unaware that it was Bob Dylan. The 22-year-old officer was dispatched after residents in the New Jersey town of Long Branch had phoned to complain that a man in the Latin quarter was acting suspiciously. When the officer asked the man […]
Britain: Police Told to Ignore Human Rights Ruling Over DNA Database
August 9th, 2009Via: Guardian: Chief constables across England and Wales have been told to ignore a landmark ruling by the European court of human rights and carry on adding the DNA profiles of tens of thousands of innocent people to a national DNA database. Senior police officers have also been “strongly advised” that it is “vitally important” […]
Woman With “Peace” Written in Icing on Cake Threatened with Arrest Outside British Parliament
August 8th, 2009Via: Guardian: The summer holidays provide the government with plenty of good days to bury bad news. Folks head off on holiday and journos head into the silly season, making it a perfect time to quietly lift the sluice gates of the pools of political sewage. This year is no exception. The government announced its […]
2012 Olympics: Laws Allow Police to Enter Private Homes to Confiscate, “Advertising of a Non-Commercial Nature, and Announcements or Notices of Any Kind”
July 24th, 2009Via: Guardian: The government was accused tonight of giving itself draconian powers to clamp down on protests at the 2012 Olympics. Critics said the powers were so broad they would potentially give private contractors the right to forcibly enter people’s homes and seize materials. Opposition parties and civil liberties groups criticised the powers as top […]
Detroit Might Stop Prosecuting “Low Priority” Crimes
July 17th, 2009Via: Detroit Free Press: Low-priority crimes like breaking and entering might not be prosecuted and the conviction rates will continue to decline if the proposed budget for the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office is approved, Prosecutor Kym Worthy told commissioners this morning. Advertisement “We can’t even cover our courtrooms anymore,” Worthy said in vehemently disagreeing with […]
5 Years After: Portugal’s Drug Decriminalization Policy Shows Positive Results
July 2nd, 2009Maybe Portugal didn’t view the Prison Industrial Complex as a growth industry (like elites in the U.S. do). Via: Scientific American: In the face of a growing number of deaths and cases of HIV linked to drug abuse, the Portuguese government in 2001 tried a new tack to get a handle on the problem—it decriminalized […]
London’s Metropolitan Police Accused of Waterboarding Suspects
June 10th, 2009Via: Times Online: Metropolitan Police officers subjected suspects to waterboarding, according to allegations at the centre of a major anti-corruption inquiry, The Times has learnt. The torture claims are part of a wide-ranging investigation which also includes accusations that officers fabricated evidence and stole suspects’ property. It has already led to the abandonment of a […]
Supreme Court: Suspects Can be Interrogated Without Lawyer
May 27th, 2009Via: AP: The Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned a long-standing ruling that stopped police from initiating questions unless a defendant’s lawyer was present, a move that will make it easier for prosecutors to interrogate suspects. The high court, in a 5-4 ruling, overturned the 1986 Michigan v. Jackson ruling, which said police may not initiate […]
FBI ‘Lured Dimwits’ Into Terror Plot
May 25th, 2009Via: Times Online: ON the steps of New York city hall on Friday, Michael Bloomberg, the mayor, praised the police officers and federal agents who helped disrupt an apparent terrorist plot to blow up a synagogue and shoot down military aircraft. The mayor was flanked by more than 100 homeland security and counter-terrorist specialists, all […]
Netherlands to Close Prisons Due to Lack of Criminals
May 25th, 2009Via: NRC Handelsblad: The Dutch justice ministry has announced it will close eight prisons and cut 1,200 jobs in the prison system. A decline in crime has left many cells empty. During the 1990s the Netherlands faced a shortage of prison cells, but a decline in crime has since led to overcapacity in the prison […]
