The Evansville (IN) Police Department has seen a drug bust go up in a cloud of flashbang smoke. A search warrant for drugs and weapons, based on an informant’s tip, was executed perfectly… if you’re the sort of person who believes it takes a dozen heavily-armed officers, a Lenco Bearcat, and two flashbangs to grab a suspect no one felt like arresting when he was outside alone taking out his trash.
The state appeals court decision hinges on the deployment of a flashbang grenade into a room containing a toddler. Fortunately, in this case, the toddler was only frightened, rather than severely burned. But it was this tossed flashbang that ultimately undoes the PD’s case. The evidence is suppressed and the conviction reversed.
Tag: USA
Defense Department Oversight Finds More Evidence Of Retaliation Against Whistleblowers | Techdirt
The heavily redacted report, which MuckRock requested following on an announcement in the January newsletter of the Department of Defense Inspector General, found that the supervisor accused the whistleblower of being a mentally unstable drug abuser in addition to revoking his security clearance for the offense of reporting that colleagues were allowed to leave work hours early and lie on their time cards.
Source: Defense Department Oversight Finds More Evidence Of Retaliation Against Whistleblowers | Techdirt
Malcolm Gladwell’s Ridiculous Attack On Ed Snowden Based On Weird Prejudice About How A Whistleblower Should Look | Techdirt
So, suffice it to say I was already skeptical of Gladwell’s recent piece attacking Ed Snowden as not being a “real” whistleblower. But the piece is much, much worse than even I expected. The short, Gladwellian-style summary of it might be: real whistleblowers have to look the part, and they need to be part of an Ivy League elite, with clear, noble reasons behind what they did. Here’s how Gladwell describes Daniel Ellsberg, the guy who leaked the Pentagon Papers, and to whom Gladwell has given his stamp of approval as a “Real Whistleblower™”
FBI Says It Has 487 Pages Of James Comey Talking Points, Refuses To Release Any Of Them | Techdirt
“Talking points” aren’t deliberative documents, interagency memos, or documents containing sensitive personal information [b(5), b(6)]. Neither are they documents that might expose law enforcement sources or investigative techniques [b7(D) and 7(E)].They are exactly what the name says they are: points to be used when discussing these issues in Congressional hearings or during press conferences. They are indicative of the public stances the FBI takes on certain issues. There’s nothing secret about them, or at least there shouldn’t be.
Source: FBI Says It Has 487 Pages Of James Comey Talking Points, Refuses To Release Any Of Them | Techdirt
City Passes Ordinance Mandating CCTV Surveillance By Businesses, Including Doctors And Lawyers Offices | Techdirt
All commercial businesses located here will now be required to install and maintain security cameras or face a fine or jail following passage of a new citywide ordinance by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen Tuesday night.“A matter that has been of increasing concern to the board lately is keeping the citizens of Madison safe, as well as the people who come here to visit our stores, through the use of security cameras,” City Attorney John Hedglin said. “It’s very important to have a record of what happens in as many places as possible.”The ordinance has 30 days before it takes effect.
California Blames Incarcerated Workers for Unsafe Conditions and Amputations
Injury logs generated by California Prison Industries Authority provide a rare window into the varied dangers that face inmate laborers.
Source: California Blames Incarcerated Workers for Unsafe Conditions and Amputations
NYPD Officers Search Wrong Home; Post Photos Of Handcuffed Family To Snapchat | Techdirt
A family in Brooklyn is outraged after NYPD officers raided their home, put everyone in handcuffs and then posted a picture of them on social media with the caption “Merry Christmas Its NYPD.” The ordeal led to the suspension of an officer.The Brownsville residents were so upset that not only did they file a report, but they also called 911.
Source: NYPD Officers Search Wrong Home; Post Photos Of Handcuffed Family To Snapchat | Techdirt
Prenda Law “copyright trolls” Steele and Hansmeier arrested | Ars Technica
Lawyers who turned porn lawsuits into big business now face criminal charges.
Source: Prenda Law “copyright trolls” Steele and Hansmeier arrested | Ars Technica
Stupid law of the week: South Carolina wants anti-porno chips in PCs that cost $20 to disable • The Register
And it’s only Monday
John Deere Really Doesn’t Want You to Own That Tractor | Electronic Frontier Foundation
John Deere is at it again, trying to strip customers of the right to open up and repair their own property. In the new License Agreement for John Deere Embedded Software [PDF], customers are forbidden to exercise their repair rights or to even look at the software running the tractor or the signals it generates.
Source: John Deere Really Doesn’t Want You to Own That Tractor | Electronic Frontier Foundation