Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Congressional Bill Watch Tool


Here is a handy tool for keeping track of legislation as it happens. GovTrack.us brings information together in one site on the status of pending US legislation, voting records, and information on members of both houses of Congress. GovTrack.us can be used as a research tool for bills and pending legislation, but even more cool is its customizable tracking feature. You can set up to track topics of interest or can track specific legislation. Your tracked events can be delivered by email as updates occur. So you too can be aware of each move Congress does (and doesn't) make!

Immigration Watch



On June 19th, 2008, activists spent the night outside this Illinois Detention Center to raise awareness to the growing populations at Immigration and Custom's Enforcement (ICE) detention centers throughout the country. According to the Department of Homeland Security 2006 "Yearbook", the United States detained more than 257,000 foreign nationals in 2006 and removed 272,389 from the United States. At least one point of light could be H.R. 5950, the Detainee Basic Medical Care Act of 2008, which would require the Department of Homeland Security to ensure adequate medical care for all detainees held by U.S. Immigration and Customs.

It will probably take more than just adequate medical care if this disturbing video, courtesy of the ACLU, regarding the detention of children at the T. Don Hutto Family Detention Center is any indication.



And lastly, here is some footage of this same "residential center" at the T. Don Hutto center in Texas available from Docubloggers.

Monday, July 28, 2008

How to be Invisible

How to Be Invisible by J.J. Luna is the antithesis of the Facebook and MySpace generation. It is a useful resource for anyone who is concerned about privacy; either from the government, a private investigator or the bunny boiler you broke up with last week that won’t leave you alone.

His recommendations are surprisingly simple and his instructions are easy to follow. Even if you feel you have nothing to hide, the author goes into detail on mistaken identity gone horribly wrong to a his days hiding his assets from Francisco Franco during his time in Spain.

Sprint / Nextel Subpoena Compliance

Sprint / Nextel Subpoena Compliance
6480 Sprint Parkway
Overland Park, Kansas 66251

Subpoenas can also be taken by fax at 816.600.3111.

Fetal Alcohol Expert

The Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit is a research unit dedicated to the prevention, intervention and treatment of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE). The focus is on research on fetal alcohol and drug effects across the life span, to disseminate information on fetal alcohol and drug effects, to provide consultation for persons of any age thought to be affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol, and to provide training in human behavioral teratology.

Contact:

Therese Grant, Ph.D.
180 Nickerson St., Suite 309
Seattle, WA 98109

(206) 543-7155 phone
(206) 685-2903 fax

http://depts.washington.edu/fadu/

Don't drink and drive, then post on Facebook

Something to keep in mind...

From MSNBC and the AP:

"Two weeks after Joshua Lipton was charged in a drunken driving crash that seriously injured a woman, the 20-year-old college junior attended a Halloween party dressed as a prisoner. Pictures from the party showed him in a black-and-white striped shirt and an orange jumpsuit labeled "Jail Bird."

In the age of the Internet, it might not be hard to guess what happened to those pictures: Someone posted them on the social networking site Facebook. And that offered remarkable evidence for Jay Sullivan, the prosecutor handling Lipton's drunken-driving case.

Sullivan used the pictures to paint Lipton as an unrepentant partier who lived it up while his victim recovered in the hospital. A judge agreed, calling the pictures depraved when sentencing Lipton to two years in prison."

Full Story Here.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Guantanamo Video Interrogation Released-Reid Method Squared

Released on July 15, 2008, this disturbing video shows the interrogation of fifteen year old Omar Khadr by Canadian officials at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Omar Khadr was detained by the US military in Afghanistan in 2002. He has been held in Guantanamo Bay since he was 16. He is now 21. Since the video's release, International Human Rights groups are demanding Omar Khadr's repatriation to Canada. This interrogation takes the Reid Method to the extreme.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Drug Interaction Checklist

This is a nifty site that allows a user to search for a specific prescription drug and find how it would interact with other drugs. If the user does not know the name of the drug, a search can be done on the imprint on the pill, by color and by shape.   A great pill identification resource.


http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/rxbrand.asp

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Amnesty International's Guantanamo Cell Tour



With jury selection beginning this week in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba case of Salim Hamdan, I thought it would be a good time to point out the Amnesty International cell tour. Amnesty International has toured the country with a replica of a Guantanamo Cell and created a vlog protest. You can watch videos like this one of people checking out the cell replica and leaving recorded messages of protest against the illegal US detentions in Guantanamo Bay.

Online Medical Library

"Merck is committed to bringing out the best in medicine. As part of that effort, Merck has created The Merck Manuals, a series of healthcare books for medical professionals and consumers. As a service to the community, the content of The Manuals is now available in enhanced online versions as part of The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. The Online Medical Library is updated periodically with new information, and contains photographs, and audio and video material not present in the print versions."


http://www.merck.com/mmpe/index.html

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Monday, July 21, 2008

Cool Accident Reconstruction Software




Check out this cool product available for all your accident reconstruction needs. Visual Statement's Vista FX-3 does everything from diagramming, importing total station data, momentum analysis, calculations, SMAC simulations to animations (2D or 3D). You can use real photos as backgrounds for your accident animations, use crash math to get calculations, simulate collisions and alter the outcomes. It uses RealMotion 3D animation and uses Visual Earth to provide to scale satellite imagery. Visual Statement has a number of different software options, and you can try a free download. They also offer pocket PC applications that can be used in investigations of accidents.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

9 Easy Steps to a Confession


Many criminal investigators and defense attorneys are already familiar with the Reid method for interrogations and confessions. For those new to the topic, the Reid Method is explained in the invaluable "Criminal Interrogations and Confessions" published by the Reid Group. This classic manual used by law enforcement nationwide is a must read for anyone involved in evaluating a confession or statement.

There are essentially nine steps to getting a confession according to the folks at the Reid Institute: (1)confront the suspect; (2) theme development; (3) stopping the suspect's denials; (4) overcomming objections from the suspect; (5) getting the suspect's attention; (6) the suspect loses resolve; (7) alternatives; (8) bringing the suspect into the conversation; and voila (9) the confession.

When investigating a client's confession to determine the accuracy and voluntariness of the confession, it is essential to understand the Reid Method. The Reid Institute Website is a wealth of information and includes publications, case law,trainings into the Reid method and even a critic's corner! The critic's corner focuses on the work of Dr. Richard Ofshe, a social psychologist at the University of California at Berkley. Dr. Ofshe and other experts have extensively studied the Reid Method and its connection to false and coerced confessions. The critic's corner contains transcripts of testimony of Dr. Ofshe and other experts in their studies of false and coerced confessions as well as their opinions regarding the Reid Method. For an entertaining breakdown of the Reid Method (complete with diagrams) check out "How Police Interrogation Works" by Julia Layton at How Stuff Works.

If you have a case with a confession, it is imperative to look very closely at the interrogation for signs of coercion or falsity. Consider contacting Dr. Ofshe or other experts in this field if you believe you might have a false or coerced confession.

Sex Offender Search

"The Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website, coordinated by the Department of Justice, is a cooperative effort between the state agencies hosting public sexual offender registries and the federal government. This web site is a search tool allowing a user to submit a single national query to obtain information about sex offenders through a number of search options:

By Name

By ZIP Code

By County (if provided by state)

By City/Town (if provided by state)

By State (one or multiple)

National

The criteria for searching are limited to what each individual state may provide. Also, because information is hosted by each state and not by the federal government, search results should be verified by the user in the state where the information is posted. Users are advised to log on to pertinent state web sites for further information and/or guidance, as appropriate."

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Reverse Cell Phone Number Search

Run a reverse cell phone number search to find out the owner, carrier, and other details. Works for reverse cell phone lookups and unlisted numbers with area code coverage for the entire United States.

http://www.freecellphonelookups.com/

Saturday, July 12, 2008

National Victim Notification Network

"VINELink is the online version of VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday), the National Victim Notification Network. This service allows crime victims to obtain timely and reliable information about criminal cases and the custody status of offenders 24 hours a day. Victims and other concerned citizens can also register to be notified by phone, email or TTY device when an offender's custody status changes. Users can also register through their participating state or county toll-free number."

Friday, July 11, 2008

Crime Scene Response & Physical Evidence

The South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy has an tutorial on the basics of crime scene and retrieving forensic evidence. The tutorial emphasizes physical evidence, crime scene management, mainly on the duties and responsibilities of the responding investigator, and a brief overview of the properties of physical evidence.

http://www.sccja.org/csr.htm

Coast Guard Boat Searches

“The Port State Information eXchange (PSIX) system contains vessel specific information derived from the United States Coast Guard's Marine Information Safety and Law Enforcement System (MISLE). The information contained in PSIX represents a weekly snapshot of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) data on U.S. flag vessels, foreign vessels operating in U.S. waters, and Coast Guard contacts with those vessels. Information on unclosed cases or cases pending further action is considered privileged information and is precluded from the PSIX system.”


http://cgmix.uscg.mil/PSIX/PSIXSearch.aspx

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Paraben Cell Phone Forensics

Paraben was founded in 1999. Paraben quickly established itself as a leader in specialized computer forensic software with its release of PDA Seizure in early 2002. Paraben then released Cell Seizure, the first commercial tool for performing cell phone forensics. The handheld forensics line has culminated with the combination of these two tools into Device Seizure which supports more cell phones & PDAs than ever before.

Federal Convictions Reversed

"The following is a publication of the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of New York. The cases are from United States Courts of Appeal and the United States Supreme Court. The opinions contain at least one point favorable to criminal defendants.

The purpose is to give CJA Panel Attorneys a shortcut to case law favoring their clients. All cases should be researched to see if they are still viable. A precedent in one jurisdiction is not necessarily the law elsewhere. None of the cases should be cited without first reviewing the entire opinion. This warning is especially for prisoners and defendants who wish to rely on the cases herein. A one-line summary cannot possibly be sufficient to cite these cases without first reading each."

Facebook

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Legal Resource Guide to the Federal Bureau of Prisons

"This publication is intended to serve as a guide to legal resources, including relevant statutes, regulations, policy documents, and current case law concerning issues the BOP faces today. It provides a general overview of the BOP, its services, and its programs. Statutes, regulations, agency policies (Program Statements), and case law referred to in this Guide may have been updated since publication. Thus, readers are advised to review the website and confirm cited legal references when exploring BOP matters. BOP legal staff are located in Regional Counsel’s offices, and in Consolidated Legal Centers (CLCs) servicing individual institutions (see Appendix B). Further inquiries may be directed to the appropriate CLC."

War On Drugs? Incarcerex!


The link comes courtesy of Defending Those People. It reminds us of what we (hopefully) know and are working for, that Incarcerex doesn't work. Video from Adbusters, a social activist movement.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Forensic Science in a Nutshell


The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death by Corinne May Botz is a must read for the budding forensic scientist. The book is a study into the dollhouse crime scenes made by Frances Glessner Lee to train investigators to better assess visual evidence. An excerpt from the Amazon.com review:

Bizarre and utterly fascinating, The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death is a dark and disturbing photographic journey through criminal cases and the mind of Frances Glessner Lee--grandmother, dollhouse-maker, and master criminal investigator. Photographer Corinne May Botz stumbled across the "Nutshell Studies" while making a video about women who collect dollhouses. On the suggestion of a collector, she visited the Baltmore Medical Examiner's Office, where Lee's miniature reconstructions of crime scenes were on display. The macabre dioramas fascinated and repulsed her: "I was entranced by the details: the porcelain doll with a broken arm in the attic, the grains of sugar on the kitchen floor...I was also riveted by the miniature corpses. Shot in bed, collapsed in the bathtub, hung in the attic and stabbed in the closet; all were eternally frozen in miniature rooms that had become their tombs."

Monday, July 7, 2008

Spokeo

“As a Stanford student, Harrison liked to jump around different social networks. Sure, he had friends on MySpace, but his more literary friends preferred Xanga, his picture-happy buddies used Flickr, and his dormmates were always forwarding YouTube videos. Harrison was having trouble keeping up.

Spokeo began as a tool to update Harrison across these websites. It was originally created by a few Stanford classmates in 2006 working out of Harrison’s basement. Today, Spokeo finds and tracks all your friends’ blogs, pics, and videos.”

www.spokeo.com

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Addiction Expert

G.A. Marlatt, PhD., Director
marlatt@u.washington.edu
Department of Psychology
Box 351629
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington 98195-1629

(206) 685-1395
Fax: (206) 685-1310

Research and analysis of problems in the following areas: addictive behaviors, cognitive-behavioral therapy, relapse prevention and harm reduction, health psychology; mindfulness meditation.


http://web.psych.washington.edu/directory/people.php?person_id=28

Yakima Indian Nation High School

Record requests can be sent to:

Yakima Indian Nation High School
PO Box 151
Toppinish, Washington 98948

FAX: 509.865.6092

ATTN: Betty

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Facebook Article

"I despise Facebook. This enormously successful American business describes itself as "a social utility that connects you with the people around you". But hang on. Why on God's earth would I need a computer to connect with the people around me? Why should my relationships be mediated through the imagination of a bunch of supergeeks in California? What was wrong with the pub..."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/14/facebook/print