Holidays Spell Danger for Law Officers
from National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
A review of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) records shows that the Christmas and New Year's holiday season can be one of the most dangerous times of the year for law enforcement. Just consider that, throughout history, the chances of an officer being killed on New Year's Eve is 30 percent higher (65 total deaths) than the average day (50 total deaths), and on Christmas the number of line of duty deaths is 56 percent higher (78 total deaths) than normal. More

A New Crime-fighting Tool: Facebook
from the Northern Star
Facebook and MySpace aren’t just for connecting with friends. Police are using these Web sites to catch criminals. On the social networking sites, users tend to post detailed information about themselves along with pictures and comments not always intended to be viewed by law enforcement officials. More

FBI Sting Brings Down Corrupt Cops
from The Associated Press via CBS News
Tales of law enforcement gone awry emerged in court papers Tuesday as U.S. federal prosecutors unveiled a series of elaborate sting operations aimed at officers hired out to ride shotgun for drug deals and other criminal activities. Fifteen officers and two other men who had pretended to be law enforcement officials were charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine or heroin or both. More

Washington State Patrol Gets Tech Upgrade for Tickets
from the Tri-City Herald
The Washington State Patrol has gone green in the Tri-Cities. Troopers have tossed aside the usual practice of writing tickets on paper and now they can issue electronic tickets with just a couple of quick clicks on a computer. Troopers in Benton and Franklin counties have been filing e-tickets through SECTOR -- Statewide Electronic Collision & Ticket Online Records -- for about five months. More

Tasers Cut Injuries, North Carolina Officers Say
from The News & Observer
Durham, N.C., police say six months after the police force began using Tasers that the number of times officers were involved physically with crime suspects has declined. Physical contact with suspects has declined from an average of six to 1.5 incidents per month, according to police. Pepper spray use is down from 3.8 to 0.75 times a month on average. And use of force reports have been reduced by half. More

Texas Prison Officials Plan Cell Phone Jamming Test
from the Austin American-Statesman
Buoyed by the successful test of cell-phone jamming technology Friday in a South Carolina prison, Texas officials confirmed Tuesday that they are working on a similar demonstration in the Lone Star State. House Corrections Committee Chairman Jerry Madden said he has requested a test of the technology at a Texas prison "as soon as it can be worked out." More

Effort Growing to Rehabilitate Women Who Commit Crime
from The Gazette
Vanessa Doolin was leaving prison for the third time, this time after a yearlong sentence for conspiracy, when she joined Moving On in May. A group for female probationers and parolees, Doolin didn't see at first how it would help her. But now, as she nears the end of management courses and re-establishes a relationship with a daughter, Doolin has changed her mind. More

New Data Shows Disturbing Number of Repeat Drunk Drivers on America's Roadways
from PR Newswire via the Columbus Business Journal
Nationally, an estimated two million drunk drivers with three or more convictions, including 400,000 drunk drivers with five-time or more convictions will share our roadways this holiday season. These figures are based on data reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) by 20 States and the District of Columbia and released today by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). The report also includes data for three additional states provided by other sources. More

Operation Bait and Hook
from The Record
Seventy-five people with active arrest warrants have been arrested during a sting operation in which the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office offered prizes for participating in an imaginary Meadowlands seminar, authorities said today. The alleged fugitives were caught in Operation Bait and Hook when they registered for the seminar on a Web site set up by law-enforcement officials, called a special toll-free number or attended the seminar, Sheriff Leo P. McGuire said. More

DARE Explores Truth about Behavior
from the Portland Press Herald
The actual focus of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) has changed. It is more interactive than it used to be, and involves role-playing and studying different possible scenarios the students might one day confront. The program is popular throughout the country, with some 75 percent of school districts offering the DARE curriculum. More