In Facebook, Angela Valles says that "on Sept 6th @ 7 PM at VV City Hall Capt. Yoder will give a presentation on crime and the possible need for more police. Be there and be heard. http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/victorville-29808-house-party.html
Two teens stabbed at Victorville house party www.vvdailypress.com".
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Blogger Bob: Angela: First, we need more responsible parents. Second, unless we put a cop in every home that may have a potential gathering of kids with the potential for violence (sounds like profiling me thinks), this problem will not end (so knowing that will never happen) we have to consider another approach that we don't do--we need to do less drive by "law enforcement" and put officers on the street walking beats. Try redeploying existing resources and using more trained volunteer reserve officers (many of which are underutilized)...adding more cops increases union membership and political campaign war chests, but does not guarantee better community policing. The presence of law enforcement is a deterrent. Increasing the numbers of people that will take too long to respond will not help. Maybe an idea with potential except for the nasty four letter word, SEBA, the union folks that will have to sign off on changing the use of existing force levels. Third, what are you going to do about the Victorville Station's complaints about the DA's office not taking complaints being submitted and filing charges? Has that been resolved?
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Charter School Cases Delayed...Again...Ramos Just Now Turning Over 4 year old evidence? Wow!
Interesting article [Press Enterprise piece on August 21, 2011 @ /www.pe.com/columns/cassiemacduff/stories/PE_News_Local_D_cass20.3e6d82a.html]--keep in mind that when these guys got arrested, the assets were seized and none of them could hire outside lawyers. Were the charter school funds distributed as campaign funds as rumor had it? Where was the school district? Why wasn't the school district board auditing the use of the money? Why wasn't the County Superintendent of Schools (Fisher?) keeping an eye on the money? Why wasn't the State Superintendent keeping an eye on the money? How could you miss an almost exponential growth of a charter school campus system? Hard to miss and not ask what is happening to the State funds? Also there were rumors that a group supposedly met in the upstairs conference room of the Desert Community Bank in Victorville and campaign plans and funding decisions were often discussed. Does anyone really think that a charter school bought jet skiis for personal use? Was the price above list? Were the products returned for refunds and paper trails lost? Were the items traded out for cash which went into campaign activity? Or good ole fashion graft? Mismanagement of this case is at many levels. Why outside conflict counsel was not appointed and fees paid by the county to get to the information, prepare the case and find the assets before they dissipated is a question that will not get answered, but is at the core of the delay. That the defense in just now getting access to 2007 grand jury reports/evidence is a shocking and inexcusable delay. The prosecution should have given that discovery to the defense nearly 4 years ago. I remember Mike Ramos one time saying we are never going to "prosecute ourselves out of this corruption"--I agree that with such egregious delays, nothing will get done any time soon.
Brad Mitzelfelt Stoned? Sick?
At the Barstow Harvey House 100th Anniversary Celebration yesterday, it was reported by an informed source that 1st District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt while making a speech at the Harvey House Celebration, was wearing dark sunglasses, was shaking and nervously reading his speech from note cards [just another bad day in the 1st District?].
Friday, August 19, 2011
Overcharging Practices in San Bernardino County DA's Office Exposed by Jeff Burum's Lawyer!!
Jeff Burum of the Colonies Group still stands charged with conspiracy to commit a crime (I guess someone will figure out what that is and report on it) and a conflict of interest count (the latter of which appears to pertains to public officials,which Burum wasn't unless he was given some Board of Supervisor "appointment" or "deputized"). The remarkable part of all this is gracefully dodged by the press. The DA's office burdened the system with the overcharging of a defendant. Burum had the money to fight it. Most don't. Overcharging has to stop. Its bad policy and a waste of resources.
Read more: http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_18716779#ixzz1VWl0YY2a
Read more: http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_18716779#ixzz1VWl0YY2a
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Decision Fatigue...a New Study that attempts to explain certain types of legal decision-making....
An essay in the New York Times by John Tierney (tierneylab@nytimes.com), a science columnist for The Times (who based his essay on a book he wrote with Roy F. Baumeister, “Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength”] talks about a clinical phenomenon called "Decision Fatigue" [http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/magazine/do-you-suffer-from-decision-fatigue.html?]
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Kinda interesting. In a study of parole board hearings & awards, the article noted:
..."There was a pattern to the parole board’s decisions, but it wasn’t related to the men’s ethnic backgrounds, crimes or sentences. It was all about timing, as researchers discovered by analyzing more than 1,100 decisions over the course of a year. Judges, who would hear the prisoners’ appeals and then get advice from the other members of the board, approved parole in about a third of the cases, but the probability of being paroled fluctuated wildly throughout the day. Prisoners who appeared early in the morning received parole about 70 percent of the time, while those who appeared late in the day were paroled less than 10 percent of the time".
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In discussing ruling from judges, John Tierney's essay went on to in part say:
..."There was nothing malicious or even unusual about the judges’ behavior, which was reported earlier this year by Jonathan Levav of Stanford and Shai Danziger of Ben-Gurion University. The judges’ erratic judgment was due to the occupational hazard of being, as George W. Bush once put it, “the decider.” The mental work of ruling on case after case, whatever the individual merits, wore them down. This sort of decision fatigue can make quarterbacks prone to dubious choices late in the game and C.F.O.’s prone to disastrous dalliances late in the evening. It routinely warps the judgment of everyone, executive and nonexecutive, rich and poor — in fact, it can take a special toll on the poor. Yet few people are even aware of it, and researchers are only beginning to understand why it happens and how to counteract it".
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I think I'll buy the book. Maybe every judge, parole board member and attorney (or other high volume decision-maker) should get a copy to better understand the toll heavy calenders, staff shortages and long days create.
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Kinda interesting. In a study of parole board hearings & awards, the article noted:
..."There was a pattern to the parole board’s decisions, but it wasn’t related to the men’s ethnic backgrounds, crimes or sentences. It was all about timing, as researchers discovered by analyzing more than 1,100 decisions over the course of a year. Judges, who would hear the prisoners’ appeals and then get advice from the other members of the board, approved parole in about a third of the cases, but the probability of being paroled fluctuated wildly throughout the day. Prisoners who appeared early in the morning received parole about 70 percent of the time, while those who appeared late in the day were paroled less than 10 percent of the time".
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In discussing ruling from judges, John Tierney's essay went on to in part say:
..."There was nothing malicious or even unusual about the judges’ behavior, which was reported earlier this year by Jonathan Levav of Stanford and Shai Danziger of Ben-Gurion University. The judges’ erratic judgment was due to the occupational hazard of being, as George W. Bush once put it, “the decider.” The mental work of ruling on case after case, whatever the individual merits, wore them down. This sort of decision fatigue can make quarterbacks prone to dubious choices late in the game and C.F.O.’s prone to disastrous dalliances late in the evening. It routinely warps the judgment of everyone, executive and nonexecutive, rich and poor — in fact, it can take a special toll on the poor. Yet few people are even aware of it, and researchers are only beginning to understand why it happens and how to counteract it".
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I think I'll buy the book. Maybe every judge, parole board member and attorney (or other high volume decision-maker) should get a copy to better understand the toll heavy calenders, staff shortages and long days create.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Cocaine on almost all our money & drug sniffing poochies
90% of cash has cocaine residue? See:
(1) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090816211843.htm
(2) http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/14/cocaine.traces.money/index.html
(3) http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_ARTICLEMAIN&node_id=222&content_id=CNBP_022755&use_sec=true&sec_url_var=region1&__uuid=a84edc7b-7522-4ce8-a5b3-fb1a5005cbad.
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I guess bank tellers or other cash handlers should be aware. Drug sniffing doggies have a lot of distractions it would seem. New cases coming out on K-9 "evidence". Stay tuned.
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(1) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090816211843.htm
(2) http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/14/cocaine.traces.money/index.html
(3) http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_ARTICLEMAIN&node_id=222&content_id=CNBP_022755&use_sec=true&sec_url_var=region1&__uuid=a84edc7b-7522-4ce8-a5b3-fb1a5005cbad.
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I guess bank tellers or other cash handlers should be aware. Drug sniffing doggies have a lot of distractions it would seem. New cases coming out on K-9 "evidence". Stay tuned.
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Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Recent DNA Testing Proves 10 Teens Tried & Incarcerated as Adults were Innocent!! You Can Help Work for their Release!!!
Recent DNA testing has proven the innocence of 10 Black men who were were only children when they were forced by Illinois police to confess to murders they didn't commit. One wonders how many in State Prison today would be proven innocent with current DNA testing done in their cases?
Some were imprisoned for nearly 20 years, but despite the overwhelming evidence, which has even linked the crimes to the real killers, Illinois refuses to recognize their innocence.
If enough of us speak out, we can expose these injustices and force the state of Illinois to do right by these men. Please join us in demanding that State Attorney Anita Alvarez immediately agree to overturn their convictions. It takes just a moment:
http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/Cook_County/
The Dixmoor Five
In the first case, which occurred in October 1992, five Black teenagers, later called the Dixmoor Five, were arrested in Cook County, IL for the sexual assault and murder of 14-year-old Cateresa Matthews. Three of the five boys confessed to the crime in exchange for lighter sentences and testified against the others. They've since recanted their testimony, with one man claiming that he was tricked into signing a confession by local police. [“DNA evidence links man to 1991 murder, may clear 5 convicted in case,” Chicago Tribune,04-15-11,http://act.colorofchange.org/go/929?akid=2099.107577.QHCRHr&t=7]
A few months ago, DNA samples taken from the victim were tested using modern techniques. The DNA didn't belong to any of the men accused of her rape and murder — instead it was linked to a convicted rapist and armed robber who was 32 years old at the time. ["State's response to petition for relief from judgement,"Circuit Ct. Cook County,04-29-11 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/931?akid=2099.107577.QHCRHr&t=9]
In the face of this overwhelming evidence, the State's Attorney's office stubbornly downplayed the significance of the DNA evidence and opposed the release of the men which makes you wonder about what some prosecutors are made of. Isn't Cook County the Prez's home county? Maybe a pardon should be given?
The Englewood Five
Two-and-a-half years later, five more Black Cook County teenagers, known as the Englewood Five, were taken into custody for the sexual assault and murder of a 30-year-old woman named Nina Glover. In this case, five juvenile confessions resulted in the convictions of four teenagers (aged 14-18 at the time). While one teenager wasn't convicted, the other four received lengthy prison sentences. Recently, DNA extracted from the victim was matched to a now deceased serial rapist and murderer — a man who has a history of preying on women and strangling them.
[“Man convicted in 1994 rape, murder pins hopes on advanced DNA test,” Chicago Tribune,03-25-11,http://act.colorofchange.org/go/930?akid=2099.107577.QHCRHr&t=11]
The State has argued that any DNA match in this case would be inconclusive due to the lifestyle of the victim, who was known to engage in prostitution. However, the semen found in the strangled body of Ms. Glover is from a man that the Cook County State's Attorney's office has long believed was responsible for two strangulation-murders of prostitutes and violent assaults of at least five others.["State's motion to dismiss request for post-conviction DNA testing," Circuit Court of Cook County, 01-19-2011,http://act.colorofchange.org/go/932?akid=2099.107577.QHCRHr&t=134]. Isn't Cook County the Prez's home county? Maybe a pardon should be given?
The Common Thread
The thread that connects both these cases? The teenagers were incarcerated as a result of confessions we now know were forced by police. Eight of the 10 teenagers confessed to police during intense and coercive interrogations, and six of the now grown men are still in custody.
Coerced confessions play a part in almost a quarter of all wrongful convictions nationwide. ["Understand the Causes," Innocence Projecthttp://act.colorofchange.org/go/934?akid=2099.107577.QHCRHr&t=15]. Even the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized that teenagers are particularly susceptible to falsely incriminating themselves during questioning from police and should not be subjected to harsh interrogation tactics. [“Supreme Court case J.D.B. v. North Carolina,” Supreme Court opinion, October, 2010, “http://act.colorofchange.org/go/928?akid=2099.107577.QHCRHr&t=171]
Coercive interrogation practices must come to an end. Ensuring the release of these men wouldn't just help correct a gross injustice — it would send a message to law enforcement that they can't get away with forcing teenagers to confess to crimes they didn't commit, and that this practice compromises the entire public's safety.
Please join us in demanding that Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez agree to vacate the convictions of these young Black men, and when you do, ask your friends and family to do the same:
http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/Cook_County/ [or call President Obama and urge him to pardon these young men while they have a life to live)
Some were imprisoned for nearly 20 years, but despite the overwhelming evidence, which has even linked the crimes to the real killers, Illinois refuses to recognize their innocence.
If enough of us speak out, we can expose these injustices and force the state of Illinois to do right by these men. Please join us in demanding that State Attorney Anita Alvarez immediately agree to overturn their convictions. It takes just a moment:
http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/Cook_County/
The Dixmoor Five
In the first case, which occurred in October 1992, five Black teenagers, later called the Dixmoor Five, were arrested in Cook County, IL for the sexual assault and murder of 14-year-old Cateresa Matthews. Three of the five boys confessed to the crime in exchange for lighter sentences and testified against the others. They've since recanted their testimony, with one man claiming that he was tricked into signing a confession by local police. [“DNA evidence links man to 1991 murder, may clear 5 convicted in case,” Chicago Tribune,04-15-11,http://act.colorofchange.org/go/929?akid=2099.107577.QHCRHr&t=7]
A few months ago, DNA samples taken from the victim were tested using modern techniques. The DNA didn't belong to any of the men accused of her rape and murder — instead it was linked to a convicted rapist and armed robber who was 32 years old at the time. ["State's response to petition for relief from judgement,"Circuit Ct. Cook County,04-29-11 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/931?akid=2099.107577.QHCRHr&t=9]
In the face of this overwhelming evidence, the State's Attorney's office stubbornly downplayed the significance of the DNA evidence and opposed the release of the men which makes you wonder about what some prosecutors are made of. Isn't Cook County the Prez's home county? Maybe a pardon should be given?
The Englewood Five
Two-and-a-half years later, five more Black Cook County teenagers, known as the Englewood Five, were taken into custody for the sexual assault and murder of a 30-year-old woman named Nina Glover. In this case, five juvenile confessions resulted in the convictions of four teenagers (aged 14-18 at the time). While one teenager wasn't convicted, the other four received lengthy prison sentences. Recently, DNA extracted from the victim was matched to a now deceased serial rapist and murderer — a man who has a history of preying on women and strangling them.
[“Man convicted in 1994 rape, murder pins hopes on advanced DNA test,” Chicago Tribune,03-25-11,http://act.colorofchange.org/go/930?akid=2099.107577.QHCRHr&t=11]
The State has argued that any DNA match in this case would be inconclusive due to the lifestyle of the victim, who was known to engage in prostitution. However, the semen found in the strangled body of Ms. Glover is from a man that the Cook County State's Attorney's office has long believed was responsible for two strangulation-murders of prostitutes and violent assaults of at least five others.["State's motion to dismiss request for post-conviction DNA testing," Circuit Court of Cook County, 01-19-2011,http://act.colorofchange.org/go/932?akid=2099.107577.QHCRHr&t=134]. Isn't Cook County the Prez's home county? Maybe a pardon should be given?
The Common Thread
The thread that connects both these cases? The teenagers were incarcerated as a result of confessions we now know were forced by police. Eight of the 10 teenagers confessed to police during intense and coercive interrogations, and six of the now grown men are still in custody.
Coerced confessions play a part in almost a quarter of all wrongful convictions nationwide. ["Understand the Causes," Innocence Projecthttp://act.colorofchange.org/go/934?akid=2099.107577.QHCRHr&t=15]. Even the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized that teenagers are particularly susceptible to falsely incriminating themselves during questioning from police and should not be subjected to harsh interrogation tactics. [“Supreme Court case J.D.B. v. North Carolina,” Supreme Court opinion, October, 2010, “http://act.colorofchange.org/go/928?akid=2099.107577.QHCRHr&t=171]
Coercive interrogation practices must come to an end. Ensuring the release of these men wouldn't just help correct a gross injustice — it would send a message to law enforcement that they can't get away with forcing teenagers to confess to crimes they didn't commit, and that this practice compromises the entire public's safety.
Please join us in demanding that Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez agree to vacate the convictions of these young Black men, and when you do, ask your friends and family to do the same:
http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/Cook_County/ [or call President Obama and urge him to pardon these young men while they have a life to live)
Why is the San Bernardin County DA's Office Trying to Stall Recovery in the Flood Control Case?
In the San Bernardino Sun July 29, 2011 article entitled Judge to continue review of stay in SB County lawsuit [by Sandra Emerson Staff Writer] posted: 07/29/2011 04:37:30 PM PDT [See http://www.sbsun.com/sbcountywatch/ci_18579654] the County DA's office is recommending the San Bernardino County Flood Control District lawsuit be stayed ["Both cases (the civil recovery & criminal)have received a significant amount of publicity in San Bernardino County and it could be highly prejudicial to the prosecution or the defense if such finding were made in advance of the trial in the criminal case," Hackleman said. Hackleman said there is also concern that findings in the civil case could become the subject of the criminal proceedings. Discovery in the civil case will overlap with the criminal case, including but not limited to the depositions of some or all of the criminal defendants and material witnesses"]
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Blogger Bob's comments:
(1) Why should the indemnity case be stayed? Are the criminal defendants charged but not convicted asking for a stay? Nope.
(2) If the case has merit, pursue it and get the money back. What is Janice Rutherford worried about (a competent prosecution team in the civil case finding her out)?
(3) If it doesn't have merit dismiss it.
(4) I think an OSC re dismissal is what some federal judges might do (I know this is a state court case, but San Diego has been progressive in case calender management).
(5) Frankly with a different burden of proof in civil cases, the County might get some money back now and not have to wait for the ever foot-dragging persona of the DA's public integrity unit to get out of its own way.
(6)I think the DA is maybe worried that their star witnesses, when vetted in front of a San Diego County jury, will not be credible (heck many are felons, some with histories of drug addiction and some with public statements denying any wrongdoing--some might call that uncharged perjury), which may weaken their chances on any of the remaining criminal prosecutions.
(7) Shouldn't the $20 million in taxpayer's money for legal fees come to some fruition now? Given the obvious problem the DA's office is getting these cases to disposition (the State AG's office has brought people in to help), you'd think, if the cases against the charged defendants had merit, they'd welcome the help of the lawyers prosecuting the civil case.
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Blogger Bob's comments:
(1) Why should the indemnity case be stayed? Are the criminal defendants charged but not convicted asking for a stay? Nope.
(2) If the case has merit, pursue it and get the money back. What is Janice Rutherford worried about (a competent prosecution team in the civil case finding her out)?
(3) If it doesn't have merit dismiss it.
(4) I think an OSC re dismissal is what some federal judges might do (I know this is a state court case, but San Diego has been progressive in case calender management).
(5) Frankly with a different burden of proof in civil cases, the County might get some money back now and not have to wait for the ever foot-dragging persona of the DA's public integrity unit to get out of its own way.
(6)I think the DA is maybe worried that their star witnesses, when vetted in front of a San Diego County jury, will not be credible (heck many are felons, some with histories of drug addiction and some with public statements denying any wrongdoing--some might call that uncharged perjury), which may weaken their chances on any of the remaining criminal prosecutions.
(7) Shouldn't the $20 million in taxpayer's money for legal fees come to some fruition now? Given the obvious problem the DA's office is getting these cases to disposition (the State AG's office has brought people in to help), you'd think, if the cases against the charged defendants had merit, they'd welcome the help of the lawyers prosecuting the civil case.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Prosecutions for Criticizing Ramos or Hoops Next??
Here's an article---nothing like criminalizing dissent----this kinda reminds me of the politically-motivated prosecutions that the DA's office has been accused of in San Bernardno County to make examples of those that dare criticize power figures in the DA's political party [week long prosecutions of a political opponent of a powerful republican mayor over an alleged taking of $2.00 campaign sign on election day or the alleged sexual groping by an hispanic that beat that same powerful entrenched republican mayor]. Maybe this is something to watch. Heck gang injunctions (another one was sought in the Colton area) at their core criminalize another first amendment right, the freedom of association on the presumed likelihood of criminal conduct resulting per se from gang members talking in public. If we are going to start down this road of censorship, we should prosecute to try and ban all the cop shows on TV that show cops having sex with their partners , drinking etc [e.g. Southland; Rookie Blue, etc-- how are these shows any different?]
Blogger Bob
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Article: [link location: http://www.kirotv.com/news/28758502/detail.html or
http://www.kirotv.com/investigations/28758502/detail.html]:
"Cartoonist Targeted With Criminal Probe For Mocking Police
Chris Halsne
KIRO 7 Eyewitness News Investigative Reporter
Posted: 4:46 pm PDT August 3, 2011Updated: 7:55 am PDT August 5, 2011
RENTON, Wash. -- The Renton City Prosecutor wants to send a cartoonist to jail for mocking the police department in a series of animated Internet videos.
The "South-Park"-style animations parody everything from officers having sex on duty to certain personnel getting promoted without necessary qualifications. While the city wants to criminalize the cartoons, First Amendment rights advocates say the move is an "extreme abuse of power."
Only KIRO Team 7 Investigative Reporter Chris Halsne holds a key document that really lays bare the city’s intent. The document was quietly filed in King County Superior Court last week. It’s a search warrant accusing an anonymous cartoon creator, going by the name of Mr. Fiddlesticks, of cyberstalking (RCW 9.61.260). The Renton Police Department and the local prosecutor got a judge to sign off as a way to uncover the name of whoever is behind the parodies. Halsne talked with three nationally respected legal experts who believe the use of the cyberstalking statute is likely stomping on the constitution.
Email Your Tip To Chris Halsne
The series of web-based short cartoons feature a mustachioed street cop and a short-haired female bureaucrat. The dry, at times, witty banter between the two touches on some embarrassing insider secrets, some of which seem to match up with internal affairs investigations on file within Renton PD.
UNCUT: Job Tips Parody [Warning: Profanity]
UNCUT: Promotion Parody
UNCUT: Reprimand Parody
UNCUT: Lawyer Parody
UNCUT: Locker Room Parody
UNCUT: Jail Parody
Cartoon Character of Officer: "Is there any reason why an anonymous video, with no identifying information that ties it to the department or city is being taken more seriously than officers having sex on duty, arguing with outside agencies while in a drunken stupor off duty, sleeping while on duty, throwing someone off a bridge, and having inappropriate relationships with coworkers and committing adultery?"
Cartoon Character of Bureaucrat: "The reason is that internal dirt is internal. The department will crucify certain people and take care of others."
A criminal court document, uncovered by Team 7 Investigators, not only shows how badly the city of Renton wants to "out" the cartoonist (who goes by the name MrFiddlesticks), but states some of the fake character's lines discuss real life incidents.
For example, the search warrant says one cartoon statement "discussed a past incident that has already been investigated…..regarding a dating relationship (a female detective) had with a suspect." An embarrassing revelation; yes, but criminal?
We asked attorney Venkat Balasubramani to review several parody videos and the court documents. He's an expert in cyber-law and constitutional issues.
“The cyberstalking angle doesn't pass the laugh test," Balasubramani told KIRO-TV. "It's a serious stretch and I'd be surprised if somebody looked at it and realistically thought these acts actually fit the statute and we could make somebody criminally liable."
When we asked about the more likely scenario, Balasubramani said, "I think they were trying to get at the speaker and they looked around for a statute that shoehorned their conduct into and sent that to Google and said ‘turn over the information.”
Historically, Google and You-Tube are far more likely to cough up an anonymous animator's real name when there's a criminal case, as opposed to just an internal affairs investigation into some personnel issues.
KIRO Team 7 Investigators went to the City Attorney's office to ask the chief prosecutor, Shawn Arthur, his motivations to criminalize cartoon creators. Halsne was told to leave a handwritten note. We did not hear back from Arthur. A similar thing happened at the Renton police department. A spokesperson told Halsne that Chief Kevin Milosevich was unavailable.
Team 7 Investigators, however, did track down Penny Bartley. She’s a former Renton Police Public Information Officer and current jail administrator, which court records say is the female bureaucrat in some of the cartoons.
The mystery animator makes fun of her ankles and questions her resume, yet Bartley wouldn’t talk about the parodies, except to say the city prosecutor never contacted her regarding the filing of a criminal warrant.
Halsne: "The video is insulting to you. Can't you at least step out and talk about how that makes you feel?"
Bartley: "I'm not going to talk about that."
Halsne: "So you're not offended?"
Bartley: "I'm not going to comment on this Chris, I've said that."
KIRO-TV found two of the full parodies still hanging around the web (which are now posted on our site), but police said there were 6 or 7 additional cartoons created with animation software at www.xtranorma.com and posted under a pseudonyms. KIRO-TV has since obtained four more videos.
When KIRO 7 Eyewitness News asked for comment from the city, we were told that there is a point person in charge of comments, and that person is on vacation in Canada."
[end of article]
Blogger Bob
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Article: [link location: http://www.kirotv.com/news/28758502/detail.html or
http://www.kirotv.com/investigations/28758502/detail.html]:
"Cartoonist Targeted With Criminal Probe For Mocking Police
Chris Halsne
KIRO 7 Eyewitness News Investigative Reporter
Posted: 4:46 pm PDT August 3, 2011Updated: 7:55 am PDT August 5, 2011
RENTON, Wash. -- The Renton City Prosecutor wants to send a cartoonist to jail for mocking the police department in a series of animated Internet videos.
The "South-Park"-style animations parody everything from officers having sex on duty to certain personnel getting promoted without necessary qualifications. While the city wants to criminalize the cartoons, First Amendment rights advocates say the move is an "extreme abuse of power."
Only KIRO Team 7 Investigative Reporter Chris Halsne holds a key document that really lays bare the city’s intent. The document was quietly filed in King County Superior Court last week. It’s a search warrant accusing an anonymous cartoon creator, going by the name of Mr. Fiddlesticks, of cyberstalking (RCW 9.61.260). The Renton Police Department and the local prosecutor got a judge to sign off as a way to uncover the name of whoever is behind the parodies. Halsne talked with three nationally respected legal experts who believe the use of the cyberstalking statute is likely stomping on the constitution.
Email Your Tip To Chris Halsne
The series of web-based short cartoons feature a mustachioed street cop and a short-haired female bureaucrat. The dry, at times, witty banter between the two touches on some embarrassing insider secrets, some of which seem to match up with internal affairs investigations on file within Renton PD.
UNCUT: Job Tips Parody [Warning: Profanity]
UNCUT: Promotion Parody
UNCUT: Reprimand Parody
UNCUT: Lawyer Parody
UNCUT: Locker Room Parody
UNCUT: Jail Parody
Cartoon Character of Officer: "Is there any reason why an anonymous video, with no identifying information that ties it to the department or city is being taken more seriously than officers having sex on duty, arguing with outside agencies while in a drunken stupor off duty, sleeping while on duty, throwing someone off a bridge, and having inappropriate relationships with coworkers and committing adultery?"
Cartoon Character of Bureaucrat: "The reason is that internal dirt is internal. The department will crucify certain people and take care of others."
A criminal court document, uncovered by Team 7 Investigators, not only shows how badly the city of Renton wants to "out" the cartoonist (who goes by the name MrFiddlesticks), but states some of the fake character's lines discuss real life incidents.
For example, the search warrant says one cartoon statement "discussed a past incident that has already been investigated…..regarding a dating relationship (a female detective) had with a suspect." An embarrassing revelation; yes, but criminal?
We asked attorney Venkat Balasubramani to review several parody videos and the court documents. He's an expert in cyber-law and constitutional issues.
“The cyberstalking angle doesn't pass the laugh test," Balasubramani told KIRO-TV. "It's a serious stretch and I'd be surprised if somebody looked at it and realistically thought these acts actually fit the statute and we could make somebody criminally liable."
When we asked about the more likely scenario, Balasubramani said, "I think they were trying to get at the speaker and they looked around for a statute that shoehorned their conduct into and sent that to Google and said ‘turn over the information.”
Historically, Google and You-Tube are far more likely to cough up an anonymous animator's real name when there's a criminal case, as opposed to just an internal affairs investigation into some personnel issues.
KIRO Team 7 Investigators went to the City Attorney's office to ask the chief prosecutor, Shawn Arthur, his motivations to criminalize cartoon creators. Halsne was told to leave a handwritten note. We did not hear back from Arthur. A similar thing happened at the Renton police department. A spokesperson told Halsne that Chief Kevin Milosevich was unavailable.
Team 7 Investigators, however, did track down Penny Bartley. She’s a former Renton Police Public Information Officer and current jail administrator, which court records say is the female bureaucrat in some of the cartoons.
The mystery animator makes fun of her ankles and questions her resume, yet Bartley wouldn’t talk about the parodies, except to say the city prosecutor never contacted her regarding the filing of a criminal warrant.
Halsne: "The video is insulting to you. Can't you at least step out and talk about how that makes you feel?"
Bartley: "I'm not going to talk about that."
Halsne: "So you're not offended?"
Bartley: "I'm not going to comment on this Chris, I've said that."
KIRO-TV found two of the full parodies still hanging around the web (which are now posted on our site), but police said there were 6 or 7 additional cartoons created with animation software at www.xtranorma.com and posted under a pseudonyms. KIRO-TV has since obtained four more videos.
When KIRO 7 Eyewitness News asked for comment from the city, we were told that there is a point person in charge of comments, and that person is on vacation in Canada."
[end of article]
Friday, August 5, 2011
MUST SEE! Ex-CIA Agent Explains How Bloggers Can "Dump Congress On Its Ass"
This was something I listened to today. Its off theme to this blog, but maybe not depending on where we go in the next few months. Parts of it harmonize with what I have read elsewhere. Its food for thought and to the extent it recognizes the self empowerment we as citizens can have with blogging, I share it:
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