Evictions by Deputies Bring Home the Housing Crisis
from the Omaha World-Herald
On the job, Brian Parizek comes face to face with the fallout from the nation's economic crisis 30 or more times each month. That's about how often Parizek, a Douglas County, Neb., sheriff's deputy, evicts people from their homes because they haven't paid the mortgage or the rent. While reliable national statistics on residential evictions are not available, more Americans are being removed from homes and apartments by law enforcement, the National Sheriffs' Association says, citing a slumping economy blighted by job losses, rising costs and tightening credit. More

Sheriff Urges Switch to Direct Deposit to Prevent Fraud
from the Lincoln Tribune
Lincoln County, N.C., Sheriff Tim L. Daugherty is partnering with the National Sheriffs’ Association and the U. S. Department of the Treasury’s efforts to promote electronic payment of federal benefits to help prevent financial crime. Sheriff Daugherty says electronic payments are the safest, easiest way for people to get their federal benefits. More

Law Enforcement Officials Fear Financial Crisis May Spawn Suicides
from The Associated Press via CBS11-TV
Across the country, authorities are becoming concerned that the nation's financial woes could turn increasingly violent, and they are urging people to get help. In some places, mental-health hot lines are jammed, counseling services are in high demand and domestic-violence shelters are full. More

As City Homicides Decline, Special Police Team Gets Most of the Credit
from the Baltimore Sun
In Baltimore's most stubbornly violent districts, police have taken a decidedly different approach this year: staying put. As the city continues to march toward a historic year-to-year drop in homicides, two of the biggest success stories are coming from the Eastern and Western districts, which have long been among the city's bloodiest. Police leaders say a major factor is the consistent presence of an enforcement team focused on developing intelligence on violent criminals who frequent those areas. More

Corrections Alert: Small Device, High Security Risk
from CorrectionsOne
Technology is running amok in our prisons and jails. New technologies that help skirt the system are accessible like never before. Correctional officers must keep up or be mowed over. Each of us is trained to look for certain signs while we conduct our tours of duty. We are educated about inmate manipulation and we hope it will never happen to us. There is a new and potentially dangerous product being introduced to the U.S. market that could send the correctional system back to the Stone Age. More

Seattle Officers Work with the Mentally Ill
from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
With resources limited for the mentally ill, police often are the first to get called when someone is having a psychiatric meltdown. In a unique approach, the Seattle Police Department dedicated two officers to cases such as this one, hoping to prevent crises before they turn tragic. Part cop, part social worker, these officers look for solutions for people who commit crimes because they are undiagnosed, off their meds or lacking access to services. They coordinate with social workers, probation officers and mental health professionals, hoping to get unstable people off the streets and into treatment, or jail. More

Jail Officers to Try 12-hour Shifts
from the Atlanta Journal Constitution
Atlanta corrections officials have come up with an unconventional plan to slow the exodus of officers leaving the department -- 12-hour shifts. Not every day, officials say. The plan is to have officers work 12 hours on three consecutive days and then have at least two days off. More

Illinois Sheriff Seeks Changes to Ease Jail Crowding
from the Chicago Tribune
Cook County, Ill., Sheriff Thomas Dart is pushing ahead with a plan to transform Bond Court in an effort to better screen pretrial detainees and reduce chronic overcrowding at County Jail. Daniel Gallagher, an attorney representing Dart, told a federal judge Friday an improved Bond Court would give judges more information to better determine whether a non-violent pretrial detainee should be held in custody or released on electronic monitoring. More

President Bush Signs Bill to Combat Meth
from Iowa Politics
President Bush recently signed the Methamphetamine Production Prevention Act into law, a week after the Congress unanimously passed the measure. The bill, introduced by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), makes it easier for pharmacies to use electronic logbook systems to monitor sales of meth precursor chemicals and identify individuals who are illegally stockpiling those chemicals. The legislation was endorsed by numerous organizations, including the National Sheriffs' Association. More