Police, Sheriff to Combine IT Services in South Dakota
the Rapid City Journal
The Rapid City Police Department and Pennington County Sheriff's Office in South Dakota will be joining forces for information technology services, but not as originally intended. The Rapid City Council approved a resolution supporting a joint IT department supervised by the city's IT officer but refused to hire the 1-1/2 full-time employees that were part of the original proposal. Under the proposed memorandum of understanding, the county would have paid the city $79,279 a year to hire 1-1/2 full-time employees to work with the sheriff's two IT employees to handle all public safety technology needs.More

Soccer Ball Filled with Drugs, Phones Tossed into California Prison
The Fresno Bee
A parolee was arrested near the Claremont Correctional Center in Coalinga after he allegedly threw a soccer ball full of drugs and cell phones over the prison fence. Correctional staff members had received a tip about the scheme beforehand and notified the Coalinga Police Department, which called the Fresno County Sheriff's Office. Authorities recovered the ball before inmates could get it, and they found Ecstasy pills, marijuana, tobacco, cell phones, batteries and chargers stuffed inside.More

Police Officer Deaths Fell Sharply in 2008, Says FBI
The Associated Press
The number of police officers slain in the line of duty fell sharply last year, according to FBI data released recently. Bureau statistics list 41 law enforcement officers killed in 2008, down from 58 in 2007. Felony killings of police officers haven't been that low since 1999, when 42 were killed, the FBI said. Police officer support groups -- which use different standards to count officer killings -- say the number of officers killed hasn't been this low since the 1960s.More

Taser Advice: Don't Aim at Target's Chest
USA Today
The maker of Taser stun guns is advising police officers to avoid shooting suspects in the chest with the 50,000-volt weapon, saying that it could pose an extremely low risk of an "adverse cardiac event." The advisory, issued in an Oct. 12 training bulletin, is the first time that Taser International has suggested there is any risk of a cardiac arrest related to the discharge of its stun gun. But Taser officials said that the bulletin does not state that Tasers can cause cardiac arrest. They said the advisory means only that law enforcement agencies can avoid controversy over the subject if their officers aim at areas other than the chest.More

Arizona Sheriff Conducts Migrant Sweeps Despite Curb
Reuters
An Arizona sheriff known for cracking down on undocumented migrants is conducting an immigration and crime sweep around Phoenix, less than a day after federal authorities curbed his powers to make immigration arrests. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio dispatched deputies on a two-day "crime suppression" operation in the western Phoenix valley, stopping and arresting at least eight people for minor offenses who could not prove that they were in Arizona legally. "Nothing has changed," Arpaio said while overseeing the operation in a suburb northwest of Phoenix. More

Reno, Nevada Advocates Push for DNA in All Felony Arrests
the San Francisco Chronicle
In July 2002, James Biela was arrested on charges of assaulting an ex-girlfriend with a knife during a drunken rage in Reno. His next arrested occurred in November 2008, when he was arrested in a string of violent, unsolved serial crimes in Reno. Officials say DNA links him to a December 2007 rape and a separate slaying. But the alleged genetic connections were made only after a Secret Witness tip led detectives to Biela. Had Nevada law required DNA be taken from all persons arrested on felony charges, a DNA link could have been made to Biela for the 2007 rape much earlier. Victim advocates say killers likely would be arrested sooner, preventing them from committing more violence. More

Feds to Stop Prosecuting Medical Marijuana Users
The Associated Press via The Dallas Morning News
Pot-smoking patients or their sanctioned suppliers should not be targeted for federal prosecution in states that allow medical marijuana, prosecutors were told recently in a new policy memo issued by the Justice Department. Under the policy spelled out in a three-page legal memo, federal prosecutors are being told it is not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state law. The guidelines issued by the department do, however, make it clear that federal agents will go after people whose marijuana distribution goes beyond what is permitted under state law or use medical marijuana as a cover for other crimes.More

Indianapolis Police Crack Down On Police Cruiser Look-A-Likes
RTV6
Indianapolis police are beginning to crack down on those who have look-a-like police cars, specifically those with red and blue flashing lights.Officials said that recent incidents highlight a growing problem of off-duty, out of county officers unfamiliar with city traffic patterns being hired to direct traffic at downtown construction sites. "It's one of those things where I think they're trying to save a buck on security, as far as helping the company," said Indianapolis police Capt. Mike Bates. "The bottom line is, it hurts us and the citizens."More

High Speed Chase Ends When OnStar Halts Stolen SUV
ABC News
When two Visalia, Calif., police officers swung their cruisers behind a sport utility vehicle that had been carjacked at gunpoint, they prepared for a dangerous high-speed chase. The Chevrolet Tahoe roared away with officers in pursuit, but shortly after the suspect made a right turn, operators at General Motors Co.'s OnStar service sent a command that electronically disabled the gas pedal and the SUV gradually came to a halt. The flustered thief got out and ran, but was quickly nabbed after he climbed several fences and fell into a backyard swimming pool, police said.More

Prison Expert Says Nevada's Inmate Recidivism Rate is Low
The Associated Press via Mercury News
Nevada has one of the lowest inmate recidivism rates in the country, but that may be because some end up in California prisons after their release, a correctional expert said. James Austin estimated 20 percent of Nevada inmates are California residents who "had fun in Las Vegas or Reno for a couple of years," ended up in prison and will return home when they are released. About 28 percent of prisoners released in Nevada commit new crimes and are returned to prison within three years. That compares with a national rate of more than 40 percent, Austin said during a meeting of the Nevada Parole Commission.More