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http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-marshals-service-personnel-dressed-as-mexican-marines-pursue-drug-cartel-bosses-1416595305 U.S. Marshals Service Personnel Dressed as Mexican Marines Pursue Cartel Bosses By Devlin Barrett Updated Nov. 21, 2014 1:42 p.m. ET U.S. Justice Department personnel are disguising themselves as Mexican Marines to take part in armed raids against drug suspects in Mexico, according to people familiar with the matter, an escalation of American involvement in battling drug cartels that carries significant risk to U.S. personnel. Both the U.S. and Mexican governments have acknowledged in the past that American law-enforcement agencies operate in Mexico providing intelligence support to Mexican military units battling the cartels. The countries have described the U.S. role as a supporting one only. In reality, said the people familiar with the work, about four times a year the U.S. Marshals Service sends a handful of specialists into Mexico who take up local uniforms and weapons to hide their role hunting suspects, including some who aren’t on a U.S. wanted list. They said agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration play a supporting role, in similarly small numbers. The risks became clear on July 11, when Mexican Marines and a handful of U.S. Marshals personnel dressed as Mexican Marines were fired on as they walked through a remote field in Sinaloa state. One American was shot and wounded, and in the gunfight that followed, more than a half-dozen suspected cartel soldiers were killed, according to people familiar with the incident. It is unclear whether U.S. Marshals personnel shot anyone. The secret missions are approved by senior U.S. Marshals executives and by leaders within the Mexican Marines, the people familiar with them said. It isn’t clear who else in either government may have given authorization. ENLARGE The Marshals Service referred questions to the Justice Department, of which it is a part. A Justice Department spokeswoman said, “The U.S. Marshals have an important—and sometimes dangerous—mission of capturing fugitives and facilitating extraditions in the United States and around the world.” One U.S. official said the missions are approved at a high level of the Mexican government. The Mexican embassy in Washington denied that Mexico’s government gave U.S. agencies permission to go on armed raids. “Members of foreign law enforcement agencies or foreign military, including those from the U.S., are not authorized to carry weapons within the Mexican territory, and none of them are authorized either to participate in any raids or other armed law enforcement operations,’’ said a spokesman, Ariel Moutsatsos-Morales. The missions represent a new example of risks the Justice Department is taking in pursuing Mexican cartels. A 2010 program called Fast & Furious, in which the U.S. allowed the purchase of weapons by suspected “straw” buyers in an effort to track them to cartel figures, led to a scandal when one of the guns was linked to the killing of a U.S. Border Patrol agent. In the aftermath, the head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was forced out and others were punished or resigned. Attorney General Eric Holder has said he wasn’t aware of the plan until later. The new disclosures are likely to strike a raw nerve in Mexico, where the presence of armed U.S. agents on its soil has long been a contentious issue. In Washington, the shootout in July sent shock waves through the select circle of law-enforcement officials aware of the operation, people familiar with the matter said. Generally, U.S. law-enforcement agents overseas are prohibited by local laws from carrying weapons, and they have no arrest powers outside the U.S. The State Department declined to discuss law-enforcement cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico. The Marshals Service operations in Mexico are carried out by a small group sent for short, specific missions. The goal is to help Mexico find and capture high-value cartel targets. One operation yielded a great success: The capture of cartel boss Joaquin Guzman Loera, known as “ El Chapo, ” earlier this year. It is unclear whether U.S. Marshals personnel were disguised as Mexican military men on the day he was caught. Sometimes the Marshals Service targets a person Mexico would like to apprehend but who isn’t wanted by U.S. authorities, the people familiar with the work said. Marshals personnel on the ground dress in local military garb to avoid standing out and are given weapons to defend themselves. When a mission goes badly, as on July 11, one of the people familiar with the work added, “it can turn into a flat-out kill mission.” Some of them worry that U.S. personnel could be charged with a crime and jailed in Mexico if a mission went particularly badly or if they ran afoul of the wrong local official. The Marshals Service works closely with the Mexican Marines because the U.S. agency has expertise at finding fugitives, in part through technology that detects cellphone signals and other digital signatures. That includes airplane flights operated by the agency carrying sophisticated devices that mimic cellphone towers, as reported last week by The Wall Street Journal. That technology works better with a ground presence. Responding to the Journal article last week, a Justice Department official said that “any investigative techniques which the Marshals Service uses are deployed…only in furtherance of ordinary law enforcement operations, such as the apprehension of wanted individuals.” The people familiar with the matter described the Marshals Service as a police agency affected by mission creep. More than five years ago, the Service flew small planes along the border to detect cell signals and locate suspects inside Mexico. About four years ago the flights crossed deep into Mexican airspace, the people said. They added that, more recently, some flights have been conducted in Guatemala. U.S. Marshals Service director Stacia Hylton, shown in 2012, emailed colleagues after a July firefight in Mexico's Sinaloa state saying that a Marshals inspector injured in the incident was in stable condition and recovering. ENLARGE U.S. Marshals Service director Stacia Hylton, shown in 2012, emailed colleagues after a July firefight in Mexico's Sinaloa state saying that a Marshals inspector injured in the incident was in stable condition and recovering. Getty Images A spokeswoman for the Guatemalan embassy in Washington had no immediate comment. The plan for the July mission in Sinaloa, hundreds of miles from the U.S. border, was typical, said those familiar with it—but quickly went wrong. Members of the FBI, DEA and Marshals Service met with a group of Mexican Marines in preparation for a Friday raid. The goal was to apprehend a senior member of Los Mazatlecos, a gang of enforcers with ties to the Beltran Leyva drug cartel. A handful of Marshals specialists dressed themselves as Mexican Marines and took Marines weapons. As they and the Mexican Marines set off on foot, a small plane flown by a U.S. Marshals employee kept an eye on the target site, advising colleagues on the ground who in turn guided those on foot. DEA and FBI personnel remained a mile or so away in an armored vehicle, observing and advising. The men walked through a field toward the site. As they approached a line of bushes, hidden gunmen opened fire. A U.S. Marshals employee with the rank of inspector was shot in the arm and fell. A Mexican Marine rushed to carry him to safety and was also hit. Then another shot struck the American in the torso. After the firefight, the wounded American was airlifted to a hospital in Culiacán, where he was kept under guard until he could be moved to a hospital in San Antonio. U.S. officials scrambled to keep the incident quiet, people familiar with the operation said. One senior U.S. official in Mexico told the other law-enforcement personnel to “forget they were here,” those familiar with the matter said. The official was told that would be difficult because one person had already notified superiors in Washington of the shooting. The U.S. Marshals pilot who provided reconnaissance was told by superiors to leave Mexico in the middle of the night, people familiar with the operation said. Stacia Hylton, director of the Marshals Service, sent colleagues an email days after the firefight saying the inspector “is in stable condition and recovering at a hospital with his family in the United States,” according to a copy reviewed by the Journal. She added: “The laser-focus in which you accomplish the mission in your area of expertise is valued tremendously from our law enforcement partners, just as it is throughout our investigative programs domestically.” The Marshals Service hasn’t said anything publicly about the inspector’s shooting. Spokesmen for the FBI and DEA declined to comment. The July clash hasn’t altered the agency’s position on such raids, according to the people familiar with it. In recent weeks, the Marshals Service has been planning another covert mission in Mexico, they said. Write to Devlin Barrett at devlin.barrett@wsj.com
Kyrsten Sinema wants to involved Federal cops in local prostitution crimes.Kyrsten Sinema wants to involved Federal cops in local prostitution crimes. Arizona Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema seems to be a big fan of giving the police money to put people in prison for victimless crimes that hurt no one. First she tried to help her police buddies flush Arizona's Medical Marijuana Act down the toilet by attempting to pass a 300% tax on medical marijuana. That was when she was a member of the Arizona Legislator, not the US Congress. Now she is trying to create a jobs program for her Federal police buddies by letting Federal cops help local cops make arrests for victimless prostitution crimes. Last time I checked prostitution was NOT a federal crime, but rather a state crime and Federal police have no authority to arrest people for it. Kyrsten Sinema is a lawyer and I am sure she knows this is UNCONSTITUTIONAL. "Sinema's goal to involve the DOJ and DHS is in the hope of uniting agencies from the state, local and federal level to combat prostitution, she said."Of course if I had my way I would legalize ALL victimless crimes, which includes prostitution and of course victimless drug war crimes. Sinema calls for federal help in combating human trafficking during Super Bowl By Mark Remillard, | November 24, 2014 @ 6:11 am PHOENIX -- Arizona Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema is calling for federal help in combating human trafficking when the Super Bowl comes to Arizona next year. Sinema sent letters to the departments of Justice and Homeland Security last week asking for support in combating a prevalent and serious crime that often sees a surge during the big game. "We know that human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar a year industry in the United States of America and that is often intensified around major international events like the Super Bowl," Sinema said. Sinema's goal to involve the DOJ and DHS is in the hope of uniting agencies from the state, local and federal level to combat prostitution, she said. "While we do have a robust task force established by the governor and we do have a good state a local coordination effort, we'd like to see expanded coordination by DHS and the DOJ to put more boots on the ground and more eyes here in Arizona to seek out, identified and aggressively prosecute these human trafficking rings that exist in Arizona," she said. Sinema said the federal agencies will be able to provide additional resources that might not otherwise be available at the state and local level. "The real significance really comes with resources, expertise and knowledge," she said. "With their ability to communicate back and forth across agencies, their ability to share information and their ability to seek out and utilize information at a level that may be different than, although complimentary with, the state and local levels." Sinema said it could take a few weeks to learn whether the DHS or DOJ will decide to provide additional help.
Don't these pigs have any REAL criminals to hunt down??? I am not sure exactly what is going on in this article, but it looks like the CHP wants to arrest these 200 people simply for watching an illegal event. http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_27030348/chp-sideshow-drivers-even-onlookers-will-face-charges CHP: Nearly 200 motorists at car sideshow likely facing charges By David DeBolt ddebolt@bayareanewsgroup.com Posted: 11/28/2014 03:07:46 PM PST OAKLAND -- The California Highway Patrol plans to pursue charges against some 200 motorists caught at a sideshow Wednesday night at the Port of Oakland, officials said Friday. Highway police, at a morning news conference, announced they are reviewing surveillance footage from a police airplane to file charges against people involved in the sideshow, even those watching the car stunts. Onlookers could face charges of aiding and abetting. Already, two guns and one BB gun were seized during Wednesday's 11 p.m. bust at Seventh and Maritime streets, and 23 people were cited, CHP Officer Sean Wilkenfeld said. There were reports of shots fired at the sideshow, but no gunshot victims were found. Aerial video from ABC7 News showed some 150 vehicles obstructing the roadway at the port. One motorist in a van who had small children in the car rammed a fence and got stuck on train tracks trying to speed away from the event, authorities said. All 200 motorists stopped were questioned, Wilkenfeld said. "We are looking at everyone that was present," Wilkenfeld said. "We happened to be at the right place at the right time." Dozens of CHP officers were in Oakland on Wednesday to help police patrolling the protests of a Missouri grand jury's decision on Monday not to indict Darren Wilson, a Ferguson, Missouri police officer who shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown on Aug. 9. Many CHP patrol cars were parked at freeway ramps to stop protesters from entering the highways, as they did Monday and Tuesday evening. David DeBolt covers breaking news. Contact him in Richmond at 510-262-2728. Follow him at Twitter.com/daviddebolt.
San Jose cop has history of breaking suspects' bones, court documents show If you are a sadistic *sshole that enjoys abusing people a police officer is the perfect job for you. You can abuse anybody you want and if you get caught the most you will get is a slap on the wrist!!!! Folks the Founders gave us the Second Amendment for *ssholes like San Jose police officer Jonathan Byers San Jose police officer Jonathan Byers reminds me of Scottsdale Police Officer James Peters who has shot and killed 6 people, and tried to murder a 7th person. And no Scottsdale pig James Peters was not fired. He has retired and is collecting a $50,000+ a year pension for the rest of his life. Paid for by us taxpayers whom he has not murdered. http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_27030296/san-jose-cop-has-history-breaking-suspects-bones San Jose cop has history of breaking suspects' bones, court documents show By Tracey Kaplan tkaplan@mercurynews.com Posted: 11/28/2014 03:02:00 PM PST SAN JOSE -- Exactly what happenedin the summer of 2013 when San Jose police officer Jonathan Byers confronted two young men he suspected of helping tag a freeway wall with graffiti in the middle of the night is still in dispute. But there's no question that the officer wound up breaking a 16-year-old suspect's left elbow, right arm and five teeth with his night stick. It wasn't the first time Byers has broken bones since he joined the force in about 2009. About nine months earlier, Byers kicked a suspect in the face, fracturing his nose. In another previous incident, he broke a suspect's hand while holding him down for an involuntary blood draw. Altogether, 10 complaints alleging excessive force have been filed against Byers in the four years ending in November 2013, according to court documents. Normally, such allegations would be shrouded in secrecy, since the officer reported he was acting to protect himself or the public in all cases and was cleared by Internal Affairs. But Byers' history of violent interactions with suspects is now playing a central role in two Santa Clara County court cases currently unfolding against some of the men he arrested. The extremely rare exposure of the cop's record comes as national attention remains focused on the use-of-force issue in the wake of the fatal officer-involved shooting in Ferguson, Missouri. Byers did not respond to a request for comment and the San Jose Police Department said it doesn't comment on personnel matters. To city attorneys and others, Byers is a courageous, hardworking cop just doing what's necessary to protect public safety and himself from gang members and other violent offenders. "Violence goes with the territory," said Eugene O'Donnell, a former cop and prosecutor in New York City who teaches at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. "The ability of ordinary people to grasp what police do is limited." But to defense attorneys and critics, Byers is an overly aggressive officer with a worrisome penchant for violence who could someday cause even worse injuries, potentially forcing the city to spend tax dollars on costly legal settlements. Byers already faces a lawsuit filed by the juvenile in the graffiti case. "There is a pattern of behavior," defense attorney Stuart Kirchick argued in a court document, further alleging that "the officer does use excessive force against persons of color and then crafts a story to justify his actions." San Jose spent about $4 million to settle excessive-force lawsuits against police in the four years from 2010 through 2013 without admitting guilt -- even though the Police Department during roughly the same period found only one out of 463 excessive-force complaints filed by the public valid. Complaints about individual officers and their disciplinary history are typically shrouded in secrecy because of privacy laws aimed at preventing vindictive criminals from ruining a cop's career. Few details have been released publicly about complaints against Byers. Seeking information that could help their clients by undermining Byers' credibility, Kirchick and deputy public defender Malorie Street persuaded judges Hector Ramon and Teresa Guerrero-Daley to release names of others who complained the officer used undue force. But the attorneys so far have only been able to find people involved in three of those cases and are trying to get more information from the courts. Meanwhile, the City Attorney's Office continues to strongly oppose the release of information in Byers' confidential personnel record and recently succeeded in getting a judge to retroactively seal some of the information already in court documents, invoking the officer's "right to privacy" under California law. Prosecutors also have insisted that the officer's history is irrelevant, given other incriminating evidence against the defendants in at least one of the two cases. However, some experts find the degree of injuries in the cases suspicious. "Breaking bones goes beyond what anybody considers reasonable force," said Lawrence Kobilinsky, chairman of the department of science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. In the graffiti incident on Aug. 1, 2013, Byers arrested two people -- the 16-year-old, and an adult, Mario Gonzalez Silva, now 21, whom he also struck but did not injure. Silva faces more than eight years behind bars if he is convicted of three felonies -- vandalism, resisting or delaying an officer and battery on a peace officer -- and three gang enhancements. Information about the juvenile's case is confidential under state law. Kirchick represents both defendants. In his police report, Byers describes a harrowing encounter that began when he saw two other men tagging the wall with graffiti, including the initials of a Norteño gang. The two fled on foot when he pulled up in a patrol car, leaving Silva and the juvenile sitting in a black 2004 BMW nearby. Byers said Silva complied with his order to display his hands, but the juvenile began fumbling with his waistband, then jumped out of the car and tried to run away. Byers was eventually able to handcuff Silva but was forced to use his baton to subdue the teen after the officer saw him pull a black round object that turned out to be a bicycle light from the front pocket of his jeans. Silva then attacked him from behind while he was trying to gain control of the youth, Byers wrote. But Kirchick contends in court documents that Byers exited his car with his gun drawn and immediately became "extremely upset" when the other two men fled. According to the lawyer, Silva and the teen both put up their hands, got out of the car and lay down on the ground as he ordered. Byers handcuffed Silva, but after the teen reached down to pull up his pants, the officer began a "vicious and brutal attack" on the boy. Despite his handcuffs, Silva "courageously" got up and rammed the officer from behind to get Byers to stop pummeling his friend. Byers also reported having to kick Street's client, Jose Santa Cruz, in the face about nine months earlier. According to his police report, the assault suspect "reached again for his waistband" in defiance of Byers' order to lie face down on the pavement in downtown San Jose. In contrast, Street claims Santa Cruz was already compliant when the officer broke his nose. Street originally tried to obtain information about Byers' record more than a year ago, but retired Judge Randall C. Schneider denied her request. A jury then convicted Santa Cruz and several other men of assaulting a man downtown without hearing anything about Byers' alleged pattern of concocting stories to justify his use of force. Street subsequently learned from Kirchick's investigator about Byers' 10 excessive-force complaints and filed a motion for a new trial, which is still pending. Street then obtained information about nine of the incidents from Guerrero-Daley, the judge, after arguing that the excessive-force reports merit examination since they may undermine Byer's credibility and bolster Santa Cruz's claim that the officer needlessly kicked him. Contact Tracey Kaplan at 408-278-3482. Follow her at Twitter.com/tkaplanreport.
So why are we trying to prevent Global Warming??? Did MAN cause this Global Warming??? When you talk to meteorologists who have studied the weather history for millions of years they will tell you Global Warming has been here before, and will be back again. I view Global Warming as mostly a money thing. Scientists want the government to give them money to study and prevent Global Warming. And it's mostly about the MONEY, not the warming. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/colorado-mastodon-bones-show-ancient-warmer-earth/2014/11/28/eb476a72-7715-11e4-9d9b-86d397daad27_story.html?hpid=z12 Colorado mastodon bones show ancient warmer Earth By Dan Elliott November 28 at 7:22 PM DENVER — A “spectacular” trove of ancient bones from giant animals discovered in the Colorado mountains is providing scientists with a look at what happened about 120,000 years ago |