Ryan Foley | ChicagoTribune.com

Wisconsin police can attach GPS to cars to secretly track anybody’s movements without obtaining search warrants, an appeals court ruled Thursday.

However, the District 4 Court of Appeals said it was “more than a little troubled” by that conclusion and asked Wisconsin lawmakers to regulate GPS use to protect against abuse by police and private individuals.

As the law currently stands, the court said police can mount GPS on cars to track people without violating their constitutional rights — even if the drivers aren’t suspects.

Officers do not need to get warrants beforehand because GPS tracking does not involve a search or a seizure, Judge Paul Lundsten wrote for the unanimous three-judge panel based in Madison.

That means “police are seemingly free to secretly track anyone’s public movements with a GPS device,” he wrote.
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The Carroll National Guard will conduct Gun Confiscation Drills from April 2-5, 2009 in the 10 mile stretch between Carroll, IA to Arcadia, IA. According to Sgt. Mike Kots, readiness NCO for Alpha Company the drill will culminate in the apprehension of a suspected arms dealer. However, Sgt. Kots then goes on to explain “One of the techniques we use in today’s political environment is cordon and knock. We ask for the head of the household, get permission to search, then have them open doors and cupboards. The homeowner maintains control. We peer over their shoulder, and the soldier uses the homeowner’s body language and position to protect him.” The question must be asked if the purpose of the drill is to apprehend a suspected weapons dealer why are they searching in cupboards? Is the dealer hiding in a pantry or a breadbox? Or is it really about searching for those nasty guns and firearms that will be a bane during times of martial law.

According to Daily Times Herald from Carroll, IA the primary phase of the operation will be completed Saturday, April 4, when convoys will be deployed from Carroll to Arcadia. Pictures of the arms dealer will be shown in Arcadia, and soldiers will go door to door asking if residents have seen the suspect. “Once credible intelligence has been gathered,” said Kots, “portions of the town will be road-blocked and more in-depth searches of homes and vehicles will be conducted in accordance with the residents’ wishes.” The unit will use a Blackhawk helicopter for overhead command and control, and to simulate medevacs. If this isn’t a military psychological operation, I’m not sure what is. “We have a lot of extended drills this coming year,” Kots added. So this isn’t the end but rather just the beginning of martial law indoctrination of the public. Watch the Video Here.
Alex Jones discusses the martial law event in Iowa

Jennifer Sullivan | SeattleTimes.com

Call your represenative and oppose this bill, DNA upon “suspicion”.

uspects arrested in cases as minor as shoplifting would have to give a DNA sample before they are even charged with a crime if a controversial proposal is approved by the Legislature.

State criminal defense groups and the American Civil Liberties Union say the House bill is unconstitutional. It would mandate that police or jail staff collect DNA from all adults and juveniles arrested on suspicion of a felony or gross misdemeanor.

More than a dozen states already allow law enforcement to collect DNA from suspects before they are convicted. Three more states, including Washington, are considering such proposals this year.

“It is good technology. It solves crimes,” said Don Pierce, executive director of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, which has long pushed for DNA tests at the time of arrest. “We take fingerprints at the time of arrest, which in many ways is a lot more intrusive.”

Currently, police in Washington state collect DNA from people convicted of a felony and many misdemeanor sex-related crimes after they are sentenced. Police must get a search warrant or permission from the suspect to obtain DNA before a conviction.

The sample usually is taken by swabbing the inside of a person’s cheek.

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On December 11, 2008, WeAreChangeLAs Jeremy Rothe-Kushel and Bruno Bruhwiler were on hand to cover an event with William Bratton, the Chief of the LAPD. Bratton was at a Townhall LA event in West Los Angeles to drum up support for using funds promised to hire more LAPD officers.
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METimes.com

A unit of Canadian soldiers is at a multinational training facility conducting exercises to prepare for evolving risks in an urban combat zone.

The 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment is at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Germany as part of the Cooperative Spirit 2008 training initiative along with troops from the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand, the Canadian National Defense Force reported.

The monthlong urban combat training initiative is part of an effort to test the allied countries’ communication interoperability and whether they can work together effectively. Officials say the exercises include shoot-house scenarios and other live-fire training in an urban combat environment.

“ABCA (America, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) countries have experience in many different areas; a lot of useful knowledge that Canada can use,” Cpl. Scott Preeper said in a statement.

“We are getting some very high-speed training. The instructors have been very helpful.”

Felisa Cardona | DenverPost.com 

When a Jefferson County deputy unleashed pepper spray at unruly protesters on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, he did not know that his targets were undercover Denver police officers.

Now the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado is questioning whether that staged confrontation by police pretending to be violent inflamed other protesters or officers during the most intense night of the four-day event.

The protest occurred Aug. 25 at 15th Street and Court Place near Civic Center. Police ultimately arrested 106 people, the highest number of arrests in a single day during the convention.

According to a use-of-force police report obtained by the ACLU, undercover Denver detectives staged a struggle with a police commander to get pulled out of the crowd without blowing their cover. The commander knew they were working undercover, and the plan was to pull them out of the crowd and pretend they were under arrest so protesters would be none the wiser.

A Jefferson County deputy, unaware of the presence of undercover police, thought that the commander was being attacked and used pepper spray on the undercover officers.

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