I generally don’t place a lot of stock in reports from The Examiner. The Examiner is, basically, a well syndicated blog, filled with opinions and few links to ANY substantiation of that opinion.

That said, this is a piece I believe to be very accurate, partly because of personal, 1st hand knowledge regarding the policies of some Law Enforcement Agencies, and partly because of the credibility of this particular writer, Mr. Jim Kouri.

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he’s a columnist for The Examiner (examiner.com) and New Media Alliance (thenma.org). In addition, he’s a blogger for the Cheyenne, Wyoming Fox News Radio affiliate KGAB (www.kgab.com). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.

He’s former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed “Crack City” by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He’s also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others.

ICE chiefs slammed with “no confidence” vote from agents

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents overwhelmingly say that their department’s leadership has become politicized to the point of affecting the effectiveness of ICE.

ICE agents through their union claim their leaders have little regard for the safety of American people. Their union has released a letter announcing its recent unanimous “vote of no confidence�? in ICE agency heads, accusing them of “misleading the American public�? regarding illegal immigration in order to further a pro-amnesty agenda.

The National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council and its affiliated local councils cast a unanimous 259-0 vote of no confidence in ICE Director John Morton and Assistant Director Phyllis Coven, according to Fox News Channel’s Martha MacCallum.

The National Council members criticized the ICE leadership and claim they created “misguided and reckless initiatives,�? and claim ICE managers “abandoned the Agency’s core mission of enforcing United States immigration laws and providing for public safety, and have instead directed their attention to campaigning for policies and programs related to amnesty.�?

Besides Morton’s and Coven’s low marks, the Obama Administration recently appointed a former police chief, who believes in illegal alien sanctuary city policies, to command the immigration enforcement program that entails federal agents working with local police departments on cases involving illegal aliens.

As part of the Homeland Security Department’s anti-terrorism mission, the new director for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Office of State and Local Coordination is now Harold Hurtt, an outspoken critic of immigration enforcement on the local level such as Arizona’s new immigration enforcement law.

“As police chief in two different cities with huge illegal alien populations—Phoenix and Houston—Hurtt enforced don’t-ask-don’t-tell immigration measures that prevented officers from inquiring about a suspects’ legal status in the U.S.,” according to officials at Judicial Watch, a non-partisan, public-interest group that investigates public corruption.

In his new post, Hurtt will receive a salary $180,000 a year plus benefits to oversee outreach and communication between federal immigration staff and local law enforcement agencies. He is charged with strengthening the collaboration between local police and federal immigration officials in an effort to combat a crisis that has rocked practically every major U.S. city and many small municipalities, according to Judicial Watch officials.

Homeland Security officials are promoting Hurtt as “a respected member of the law enforcement community�? who will be an “invaluable asset to ICE’s outreach and coordination efforts.�?

However, the reality is quite different, say proponents of tough immigration enforcement. Chief Hurtt is on record opposing immigration enforcement and as police chief protected the most violent of criminals. Hurtt has even testified before Congress that local police should not assist with immigration enforcement, say officials at Judicial Watch.

« Read the rest of this post HERE! »

Ladies and Gentlemen, I want to introduce you to a friend of mine, Barry Morris. Barry is a Texas DPS Trooper, a member of The Thin Blue Line and a really great guy. Below is Barry’s story and a request. If you can help him in this noble deed, please do!

Dear Friend of Law Enforcement

On the 9th day of May 2010, I will again have the pleasure of participating in the Police Unity Tour.

The Police Unity Tour is a bicycle ride comprised of hundreds of law enforcement officers from across the US and Puerto Rico. We ride from just outside of New York City to Washington D.C. The Tour acts as the kick-off for National Police Week, celebrated each May in D.C. I will be riding alongside several Texas State Troopers, who plan to make the 320+ mile bike ride in honor of all the fallen officers of the past year. This will be my 4th year on the Tour and I am very much looking forward to the ride. My wife, Gene Ann, will be participating (for the 2nd year) in the Tour as one of the many support personnel necessary to complete the Tour.

Texas DPS did NOT lose an officer to a “line of duty death�? this (past) year (2009)!!! I hope and pray we continue this trend for years into the future. Since we did not lose an officer last year I will be riding in memory of Patrick Randel, the only DPS Narcotics officer to be killed in the line of duty. I have been a DPS Narcotics Officer for 15 years. In 2003 I was making an undercover purchase of crack cocaine from a dope dealer.

Unknown to me he had a gun and attempted to rob and shoot me. It was only by the grace of God that I was able to react in an appropriate manner and live through that confrontation. Knowing firsthand how dangerous an under cover officer’s job can be I have chosen to ride for Investigator Randel, who was shot and killed while attempting to make an undercover purchase of Amphetamine from 2 scumbags on 10/23/1974. I have known one of Patrick’s daughters for most of my 15 year career in the Narcotics service and will be honored to ride in his memory; each pedal stroke serves as a reminder that life is precious and should never be taken for granted.

Each rider/support member is required to raise the necessary funds for sponsorship as a requirement for participation in the Tour. The Tour’s primary goal is to raise funds for The National Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial in Washington D.C. which is scheduled to open in 2011. As a participating officer, I am required to raise a minimum of $1,700.00 as an entry fee. In addition, my wife is also required to raise $1,700.00 for her participation in this year’s Tour. Any additional funds raised will also help cover personal travel expenses incurred to and from the ride.

The primary purpose for the Police Unity Tour, as stated on their website, Police Unity Tour® - We Ride for Those Who Died is “To raise awareness of the Police Officers who have died in the line of duty.�?

The second purpose is to raise funds for the National Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial and Museum.

It is an honor to represent the State of Texas, its citizens, and its State, County and Local Police Officers. I am very grateful that your donations will allow me to participate in this meaningful Tour. On behalf of me and the other Texas riders and the families of the fallen officers, THANK YOU- for your sponsorship and support.

Respectfully,

Barry Morris, Agent DPS CID—Drug Section

Please make donations to:

Texas Troopers—Police Unity Tour

C/O Barry Morris
CID—Drugs
350 W. I-30
Garland, TX 75043

« Read the rest of this post HERE! »

U.S. Cities to Rely on Persuasion as Crime-Fighting Tactic

At least 30 cities are expected to announce Monday that they are joining an unorthodox crime-fighting program that relies on persuasion, rather than arrests, to cut down on criminal behavior.

The initiative, run by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, targets violent crime and open-air drug markets that are the scourge of some communities. The program is potentially controversial because it involves not prosecuting known offenders if they agree to quit their criminal activities.

Full Story Here:
U.S. Cities to Rely on Persuasion as Crime-Fighting Tactic

“The program is potentially controversial because it involves not prosecuting known offenders if they agree to quit their criminal activities.” Uh, what??

Potentially controversial? You think? Sure, ALL the bad guys are going to stand there in court, raise their right hand and SWEAR that they’ll NEVER do it again.

The National Network for Safe Communities, which is slated to be unveiled at the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, will be run in cities including Boston, Cincinnati, High Point, N.C., Los Angeles, Milwaukee and Providence, R.I., where the mayors’ gathering began Friday.

I don’t know too much about crime stats in all of those other cities, maybe they have some different types of criminals, but I am far too familiar with crime in the Los Angeles area. I can hear the response from the gang-bangers in South Central right now:

Cójale los bastardos locos del gringo, cójale en sus asnos blancos pastosos del gringo, poseemos L.A. del sur y nos don’ ¡t no hace ninguna promesa sin CERDOS de mierda!

My *street Spanish* isn’t all that good, the above is proper Castilian Spanish, and roughly translate into ‘screw all of you stupid gringos’, well, something close to that. And trust me, that is a fairly accurate presentation of the response law enforcement officers will get from the hard core bangers.

“The prosecutor talks to them and lets them know: ‘we could arrest you now but we won’t because the drug dealing stops today, the violence stops today,’” said Jeremy Travis, president of John Jay. “If you continue, you now know the consequences and you’ve seen the case against you but we don’t want to send you to prison.”

You know, all things considered, this just might work, IF you’re dealing with morons, or 8 year old kids that are more afraid of Mom spanking their asses than they are anything else.

I’m not trying to be deliberately negative, but there is no way in hell this crap will work on a real criminal or a person that is seriously intent on becoming one. I don’t know where they came up with this idea, maybe they were doing the research in Boy Scout camps, bluffing the *camp rogue* into a life of Eagle Scout behavior.

I do know this, persuasion, as these people are using it, and their determination of it’s effectiveness, is nothing more than a crock of psychological crap. Psychology only works on those with the ability to recognize and distinguish the difference between right and wrong. For those that don’t possess the ability to distinguish, even hard prison time isn’t an effective tool of persuasion.

There is only one effective tool that will always persuade the criminal to give up his violent ways, it’s called a Winchester Ranger 230-Grain .45 ACP, a .45(ACP) 230gr Hydra-Shok or the Remington 230gr Golden Saber HPJ, and when applied properly, that particular criminal will never have to be persuaded to change his ways again.

Not in this world!