Free Talk Live

Many San Francisco residents were calling for Police Chief George Gascón to be relieved of his position for his uniquely bumbling slurs against the city's Arab community. Today he's meeting with members of the Arab American community to smooth things over, but Gascón's desire to reinstitute a controversial intelligence unit that would spy on the citizens of San Francisco has many wondering if he hasn't tipped his hand and revealed more Draconian prejudices.

The number of wiretaps authorized by state and federal judges in criminal investigations jumped 26 percent from 2008 to 2009, according to a report released Friday by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
Courts authorized 2,376 criminal wiretap orders in 2009, with 96 percent targeting mobile phones in drug cases, according to the report. Federal officials requested 663 of the wiretaps, while 24 states accounted for 1,713 orders.

Not one request for a wiretap was turned down.

Justice delayed is justice denied: Attorney General Eric Holder says that the U.S. needs to examine whether the current rules regarding Miranda warnings give law enforcement agents the “necessary flexibility” when dealing with terrorism cases, suggesting that regulators consider a longer delay before American citizens must be read their rights. “If we are going to have a system that is capable of dealing, in a public safety context, with this new threat, I think we have to give serious consideration to at least modifying that public safety exception.”

Following a joint investigation by the Eureka Police Department and the Humboldt County District Attorney’s office, former Eureka police officer Daniel “Danny” Kalis has been charged with numerous crimes including false imprisonment, possession of heroin, possession of more than an ounce of marijuana, petty theft and vandalism.

Essex County prosecutors said yesterday that they will confer with the states top federal prosecutor over the case of a Worcester man who was fatally injured in November at a police checkpoint in North Andover. Jonathan W. Blodgett, Essex district attorney, plans to discuss the case of 45-year-old Thomas Howe, who collapsed Nov. 25 after struggling with police from three different agencies on Route 114 in North Andover, with US Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz.

Voter ID and early voting cases heat up in courts across the country

Legal battles over controversial voter ID laws, changes to early voting rules, and even the way ballots could look on election day are being heard in courts from Florida to Nevada.

Max Abramson faces 6 years in prison because corrupt cops and an aggressive district attorney can abuse the system and push an anti-gun agenda.

Courts authorized 2,376 criminal wiretap orders in 2009, with 96 percent targeting mobile phones in drug cases, according to the report. Federal officials requested 663 of the wiretaps, while 24 states accounted for 1,713 orders.

Not one request for a wiretap was turned down.

2 students were left stranded at bus stops this morning in sub-zero weather, while others were left home after buses either didn’t start or stalled out on their routes this morning because of the cold.

“It was a bit chaotic,” said Superintendent Jack Copps.

Copps wasn’t notified of the problem until 7 a.m. — late in the morning for parents or district officials to arrange other rides for students, he said. The district tried to notify parents using its automated phone calling system, but the system first sent out only a garbled message, further compounding the problem.