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Technology Wars: Cops vs. Speeders

The battle is raging between police officers and speeders as they continually try to one-up the other with new technology (Corbis). People speed for plenty of reasons. Some claim they’re in a hurry. Some aren’t paying attention. Some do it for sport. Likewise, police have multiple motivations for ticketing speeders. Some officers claim driving anything over the speed limit is “unsafe.” Some departments do it to fill municipal coffers hit hard by falling tax revenues. And yes, some do it for sport. Regardless of why drivers speed and cops ticket, each side is using technology to increase their chances …Read more […..]

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Is That A Cop? Or A Fraud With A Fake Badge?

Is that a cop or an impostor pulling you over? (Seth Periman, AP). That navy blue sedan behind you with the flashing blue light on the dash is probably a cop — but it could be a creep using police paraphernalia to get you to pull over. How to tell the difference? And what should you do if you’re not sure? In the United States, almost all traffic enforcement work is done by police driving one of the following vehicles: * Ford Crown Victoria sedan * Chevy Impala sedan (some departments also use the smaller Malibu and the Lumina sedans as well, though the majority in service today are Impalas) * Chevy Tahoe …Read more […..]

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Chicago Pols Want National Guard to Fight Crime Wave

Two Chicago lawmakers want the National Guard brought in to help fight a surge of violent crime in the city, saying there is a “war” in Chicago that warrants the same kind of deployment as the U.S. has in the streets of Iraq and Afghanistan. Democratic state Reps. John Fritchey and LaShawn K. Ford are urging Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis, Mayor Richard Daley and Gov. Pat Quinn to order the Illinois National Guard to Chicago, where 113 people have been killed in shootings, stabbings, beatings and other violent crimes in 2010. The death toll at this time last year was 105. At a news conference Sunday, Fritchey and …Read more […..]

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Calif. deputy's daughter dies in accidental shooting

This is very, very sad. What a tragedy. Hopefully, we can all learn from this–keep those guns out of child’s reach! And to think that this guy can possibly be charged with a crime….Sad.. The tragic shooting didn’t involve the officer’s service weapon ROSEVILLE, Calif. — Members of the Placer County Sheriff’s Department banded together Wednesday after one of its deputies lost a child when she accidentally shot herself with her father’s gun. According to the Sacramento County Coroner’s office, 3-year-old Kalli Skogen died Tuesday from a gunshot to her abdomen. The coroner said that bullet traveled through her chest. Roseville …Read more […..]

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Man charged in massacre of wife, 3 other relatives

MARQUETTE PARK | No moon, no sun: ‘That meant Allah told him to take his family’ April 16, 2010 BY MARK J. KONKOL AND FRANK MAIN Staff Reporters The murderous rampage started after James Larry, a converted Muslim, looked to the sky and didn’t see the moon or the sun before dawn Wednesday, a family member says. “That meant Allah told him to take his family,” said the woman, who asked that her name not be printed. “That meant Allah told him to take his family,” said the woman, who asked that her name not be printed. “He went inside and said, ‘It’s time,'” the woman told the Sun-Times. » Click to enlarge image James …Read more […..]

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Police: Motel Guest Smacks Man in Head With Snake

ROCK HILL, S.C. (April 15) — Police in South Carolina say an argument between two motel guests ended when one of the men was hit in the head with a snake. Rock Hill police say the victim told officers that he argued Tuesday night with 29-year-old Tony Smith over loud music coming from Smith’s room. The dispute appeared to be over, but the man told police Smith walked up to him several hours later with a 4-foot python and hit him in the face with the snake’s head. Smith surrendered the snake to family members before police handcuffed him and took him to jail. Smith was charged with assault and battery. He remains in …Read more […..]

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Videotape Your Next Traffic Stop: A Good Idea?

You Have Rights, But The Cop Is Writing The Ticket With the proliferation of video cameras in phones and MP3 players, capturing an event on video has never been easier. The tools are now pocket sized, creating a new wrinkle in how we’re interacting with everything around us, including the police. While cops started arming themselves with vehicle-mounted cameras over a decade ago, only recently have we seen citizen-police interaction from this new perspective. Is it legal? The official answer is yes, but that doesn’t mean it will win you any points with a police officer. Is it smart? Well, we’ll get to that. No Expectation …Read more […..]

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