North Carolina Representatives Offer Probation Remedy
from The News & Observer
North Carolina Republicans introduced a strategy to fix the probation system: allow any police officer to search any probationer at almost any time, without a warrant. The plan would increase supervision of criminals and offer sorely needed assistance to probation officers struggling with heavy caseloads, proponents said. More

Bradley County, Tenn., Sheriff Welcome Stimulus
from the Chattanooga Time Free Press
Though Bradley County, Tenn., Sheriff Tim Gobble has mixed feelings about the effectiveness of President Obama’s stimulus plan, he welcomes any money given to local law enforcement agencies. “The No. 1 responsibility of government is public safety and I do know officers on the street do help reduce crime and increase our public safety,” he said, while explaining that he isn’t sure whether the plan can help the economy as a whole. More

California Inmate Release Spurs Public Safety Debate
from The Associated Press via MSNBC
Without a U.S. Supreme Court reprieve, California will have to free roughly a third of its prison inmates in a few years, and how that can be done safely is still hotly debated. Corrections officials said Tuesday they are struggling with their response to a tentative federal court ruling this week that the state must remove as many as 57,000 inmates over the next two or three years. More

Michigan Law Enforcement Worries about Crime Labs
from The Associated Press via The New York Times
Law enforcement officials used words like ''Armageddon'' to warn lawmakers of a crisis brewing at state crime labs, where caseloads are up 25 percent since Detroit's police lab was shut down more than four months ago. Many of the state's 216 forensic employees are working up to 30 hours of overtime each two-week pay period to keep up with added workload, state police Capt. Michael Thomas said. More

Kids Learn Police Work by Doing It
from the Baltimore Sun
Thirty Baltimore students from 11 recreation centers who are participating in a monthlong exercise to investigate a mock shooting, from the discovery of the body to the trial of the suspect. Baltimore police officers play roles of victim and suspect as teenagers look for clues and learn of career options. More

Better Video Helps Law Enforcement
from The Augusta Chronicle
There's an increasing chance a surveillance camera will catch your public expressions, and police say they're taking even better pictures, which proves helpful when they need to make an arrest. "We are beginning to see more and more commercial companies and stores switching to digital from analog because of the enhanced images digital provides," said Columbia County, Ga., sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris. More

Should Officers See Video of Their Encounters?
from Force Science News
Some months ago, officers responded to a single-car accident on a freeway in a major midwestern city. As they tried to tend to and question the driver, he became unruly and earned himself a Tasering. Later, he died. As customary in that jurisdiction, a state investigative agency took over the death investigation. And that surfaced a nettlesome conflict. More

Jail Strip-searches Ruled Unconstitutional
from The Philadelphia Inquirer
The policy of strip-searching inmates held for minor offenses at the Burlington and Essex County jails in Pennsylvania is unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled this month. More than 10,000 people arrested for minor crimes have been strip-searched at the facilities since 2003, a practice that could end up costing the counties millions of dollars, said Susan Chana Lask, a New York lawyer suing the jails. More

Inmate Internet Access Debated
from The Associated Press via the Carson City News
A plan debated Tuesday by Nevada lawmakers would allow some state prison inmates - who lost the use of personal typewriters starting in 2007 - limited access to the Internet. Currently, inmates can't use the Internet, but have access to electronic library materials on CD-ROMs. Under AB34, they could get e-mail from approved senders, take online classes, and access an electronic law library. All the e-mail traffic could be monitored by prison staffers. More