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Viewing Category: Crime
Fresh funds spur state gang crackdownWhen there’s a spike in car thefts or a rise in drug deals, local police agencies depend on state investigators to gather information quickly to determine if street gangs are committing the crimes.Permalink [Filed under: Crime, Gangs, Law Enforcement]But Mesa and other police agencies are losing critical time because the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s gang squad is backed up with requests from across the state.
“In some cases, work doesn’t get done,” said DPS Cmdr. Dan Wells, who heads the Gang and Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission.
Posted by Editor at 07:53 AM
7.5 years for pot-stealing Border Patrol agentA Border Patrol agent who was caught on tape stealing marijuana while on duty was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison Wednesday and will have to pay a $30,000 fine.Permalink [Filed under: Border Patrol, Crime, Drugs, Security]Michael Carlos Gonzalez, 34, was found guilty of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense, according to a U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona news release.
The convictions, which came down in March, also resulted in Gonzalez having to serve three years of supervised release once he is out of prison.
Posted by Editor at 07:29 AM
Governor on hot seat over DNA-sample lawPHOENIX — Gov. Janet Napolitano defended her signing of legislation that allows, for the first time ever, the collection of DNA of people only accused of crimes and putting it into a statewide database.Permalink [Filed under: Crime, Governor, Judiciary, Law Enforcement, Legislature]Napolitano said Wednesday privacy concerns are over-blown. She said putting DNA on file is no more intrusive than the fingerprints already taken when people are arrested.
But that assessment is not shared by several legislators of both parties who said this is a major change in state policy, and one that should not have been pushed through as part of the $10.6 billion budget deal — but rather as separately debated legislation.
Posted by Editor at 07:24 AM
Border patrol agent accused of murder still waiting for day in courtA border patrol agent accused of murdering an illegal immigrant near the border will have to wait until August to hear what charges he will face.Permalink [Filed under: Border Patrol, Crime, Murder, Security]Authorities say Nicholas Corbett shot and killed 22-year-old Francisco Dominguez-Rivera back in January.
Corbett was allegedly trying to apprehend the man and his relatives who were trying to cross the border illegally.
Corbett says he felt threatened, but the county attorney says the evidence shows the shooting was unjustified.
Posted by Editor at 07:00 AM
FBI: Phoenix crime up, Tucson crime downPHOENIX - The overall number of violent crimes increased in Phoenix by 4.7 percent last year but decreased in Tucson by nearly 10 percent, according to preliminary FBI data released Monday.The biggest disparity between Arizona's two largest cities was in the number of forcible rapes reported. Rapes dropped by 22.2 percent in Tucson, but rose by 3.2 percent in Phoenix.
Phoenix had 14 more murders last year, 234 compared to 220 in 2005. Tucson saw a 5.5 percent drop in the number of murders in 2006, going to 52 from 55 in 2005, the FBI reported.
Permalink [Filed under: Crime, Phoenix, Tucson]
Posted by Editor at 01:28 AM
County starts Web site redactionsMaricopa County is spending about $5.4 million to black out Social Security numbers listed on the many millions of public records it keeps on the Internet.Complaints from county residents, and two known cases of people using the county site to steal Social Security numbers, prompted the redaction, officials said.
Arizona leads the country in identity-crime complaints to the Federal Trade Commission, and metro Phoenix ranks as the No. 1 urban area. Identity thieves victimized one in six adults in Arizona in the past five years, according to a private research company, Javelin Strategy & Research.
Permalink [Filed under: Business, Crime, Economy, Security, Technology, Theft]
Posted by Editor at 10:26 PM
State fails human-traffic testArizona scores poorly in efforts to reduce international trafficking in women and girls, a national advocacy group has concluded.Permalink [Filed under: Crime, State]The Center for Women Policy Studies this week gave the state a failing grade in four of five categories reviewed in a nationwide analysis of state legislatures' failure to clamp down on the illegal activity.
Arizona received a "C" thanks to passing a law in 2005 that made trafficking a felony and brought the state in line with the federal government's passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in 2000.
Posted by Editor at 10:12 AM
Prosecutor's e-mail lobbies Groe after arrestAn e-mail sent from La Paz County Attorney Martin Brannan to state Rep. Trish Groe just four days after her arrest on suspicion of drunken driving shows the possible source of his conflict-of-interest claim.Permalink [Filed under: Crime, DUI, Judiciary, Legislature]"I just wanted to let you know that my having to do my job where your case is concerned will not, on my part, impact my ability to work with you as my state representative," Brannan wrote in a March 26 e-mail.
"I voted for you in 2004 and 2006 and fully intend to vote for you in 2008. You are my state representative and I feel no discomfort in saying that and being proud of that."
Posted by Editor at 05:58 AM
Arizona flunks sex-trafficking surveyArizona received poor grades in a new study examining how U.S. states deal with the international trafficking of women and girls, including for prostitution and forced labor and servitude.Permalink [Filed under: Crime, Legislature, Prostitution, Public Health]The poor marks come at the same time as a bill in the Arizona Legislature to toughen child prostitution penalties has been stalled by Republican lawmakers.
The Center for Women Policy Issues gives Arizona failing grades when it comes to protecting trafficking victims; regulating international marriage brokers (i.e. mail-order brides) and regulating travel agencies that promote or facilitate sexually oriented tourism.
Posted by Editor at 01:12 AM
Border crime getting more violentNapolitano said Wednesday that she's keeping a watchful eye on the escalating violence -- a sudden eruption of bloodshed in neighboring Sonora that many believe is the result of rivaling drug cartels fighting over the lucrative smuggling corridor along the border of Arizona.
"I've been in constant contact with the governor of Sonora," said Gov. Janet Napolitano. "He's been in touch with federal law enforcement."Permalink [Filed under: Border, Border Patrol, Crime, Governor, Security]Napolitano said Wednesday that she's keeping a watchful eye on the escalating violence -- a sudden eruption of bloodshed in neighboring Sonora that many believe is the result of rivaling drug cartels fighting over the lucrative smuggling corridor along the border of Arizona.
Posted by Editor at 01:11 AM
State officials look for fraudulent mail in YumaResidents are asked to bring junk mail to a representative from the attorney general's office in Yuma today. The representative will collect and sort the mail and take legal actions against companies or people who violate Arizona's consumer protection laws.The goal is to find con artists who target older residents through mail solicitations.
The Attorney General's Consumer Protection and Advocacy Section will be looking for fraudulent offers of lottery winnings, charity solicitations, magazine subscriptions and other attempts to mislead or defraud Arizona residents.
Permalink [Filed under: Business, Crime]
Posted by Editor at 07:10 AM
Execution 1st in Ariz. in yearsWhen Robert Comer is laid on a gurney in Florence today, he will be the first person executed in nearly seven years - and only because he went to court to earn the right to die.Permalink [Filed under: Crime, Judiciary, Legislature, Murder, State]Why have there been so few executions this decade and what takes so long?
A pair of U.S. Supreme Court cases shut down executions in Arizona for at least four years. And backlogs in the state and federal courts have slowed case movement to a trickle.
Posted by Editor at 03:36 AM
Senate OKs ignition locks for cars of all DUI convictsWith only two dissenting votes, the Senate on Tuesday approved legislation requiring anyone convicted of driving under the influence to install an ignition interlock in any vehicle they use and keep it there for a year.Permalink [Filed under: Crime, DUI, Law Enforcement, Legislature]The devices prevent a car from starting unless it records a "clean" breath sample, meaning a blood-alcohol content no higher than 0.03 percent. That's less than half the legal limit of 0.08 percent. The approximately $60-a-month cost for installation and leasing would be borne by the vehicle owner.
Posted by Editor at 07:04 AM
Ex-border agent guilty in theft of federal moneyA former Border Patrol agent who admitted to using an agency credit card for personal use and to selling agency property is facing a year in prison after pleading guilty to a theft charge Monday.Permalink [Filed under: Border Patrol, Crime, Security, Theft]Paul C. Smith III, 33, entered a guilty plea at the Tucson Federal Courthouse to one count of theft of federal money, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona.
Posted by Editor at 07:00 AM
Groe DUI spat growsA La Paz County supervisor says he won't support the hiring of outside counsel to prosecute a DUI case involving state Rep. Trish Groe.Permalink [Filed under: Crime, DUI, Legislature]The Lake Havasu City Republican was arrested March 22 on suspicion of drunken driving while she was traveling from Phoenix to her western Arizona home. Her blood-alcohol level ranged between 0.158 and 0.148 percent, and she was driving with a suspended license.
Posted by Editor at 02:48 AM
Napolitano signs cracking down on metal sales to combat theftsPHOENIX - A bill signed into law by Gov. Janet Napolitano Tuesday imposes new requirements on scrap metal dealers in an attempt to combat widespread metal thefts from construction sites, commercial buildings and other locations.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Crime, Economy, Governor, Legislature, Theft]The restrictions are intended to make it harder for thieves, motivated by high prices for scrap, to anonymously sell stolen wire, air conditioner parts and other material.
State law now requires scrap metal dealers to keep a record of each transaction exceeding $25, logging a description of the metal, the dollar amount paid and identifying information about the seller and the seller's vehicle. Sales of used drink containers are exempt.
Posted by Editor at 01:36 AM
Ariz. task force recommends 3-prong plan to attack meth useTUCSON, Ariz. - A state task force has recommended an expansive three-prong enforcement, treatment and prevention approach to address Arizona's methamphetamine crisis, which Gov. Janet Napolitano called the state's "No. 1 drug problem."Permalink [Filed under: Crime, Drugs, Governor, Law Enforcement]"Marijuana is out there, we've got it. Coke (cocaine) is out there; it's bad. Prescription drug abuse _ bad. All these things are bad," the governor said. "But you can add them all together and they probably wouldn't equal the social damage that is being caused in Arizona by methamphetamines."
Posted by Editor at 01:54 AM
'Shadow Wolves' use old ways in drug huntIn an age when securing the border increasingly means big-budget, high-tech measures, an elite unit of Native American trackers employs ancient methods to track pot smugglers through the desert. Called the Shadow Wolves, these Immigration and Customs Enforcement patrol officers painstakingly probe the dust and vegetation for the slightest sign that a "mule" has passed. Inch by inch, they cover the Tohono O'odham Nation, a desolate stretch of land the size of Connecticut that straddles the international border.Permalink [Filed under: Crime, Drugs, Law Enforcement, Security]
Posted by Editor at 04:05 PM
Lawmaker Groe's plea deal in DUI case is terminatedA proposed plea deal for a state lawmaker who was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and driving with a suspended license fell apart Friday.Permalink [Filed under: Crime, DUI, Legislature]Rep. Trish Groe, a Lake Havasu City Republican, would have faced a misdemeanor charge and a single day in jail under the agreement with Yuma County prosecutors. They had also agreed to waive charges for driving on a suspended license.
Posted by Editor at 03:40 PM
Plea agreement: One day in jailMany Arizonans go to prison for months after a second drunken driving conviction under the state's tough DUI laws.Permalink [Filed under: Crime, DUI, Legislature]State Rep. Trish Groe faces one day in jail under a plea agreement disclosed today by Republic reporter Matthew Benson.
Posted by Editor at 10:24 AM
Legislator likely faces 1 day in jail in DUI dealA state lawmaker arrested six weeks ago on suspicion of drunken driving will be charged with a misdemeanor and serve one day in jail under a tentative plea agreement with Yuma County prosecutors.Permalink [Filed under: Crime, DUI, Legislature]She also probably will face $1,600 in fines, but an additional charge of driving with a suspended license won't be filed.
Rep. Trish Groe, a Lake Havasu City Republican, could have faced felony charges for her March 22 arrest in La Paz County while driving from Phoenix to her western Arizona home. It was her second arrest in eight years for driving under the influence of alcohol and with a suspended license. A felony conviction would have forced her to resign her District 3 seat.
Posted by Editor at 10:12 AM
Underage drinking targeted in first statewide meetingAttorney General Terry Goddard is attacking underage drinking this week at Arizona’s first statewide meeting to address the problem.Permalink [Filed under: Crime, Judiciary, Underage drinking]Today, Goddard will open the second day of the conference, “Partnerships to Prevent Underage Drinking Through Policy, Education & Enforcement” at the Wyndham Phoenix Hotel.
Posted by Editor at 02:16 PM
Lawmakers OK bill to crack down on metal sales to combat theftsThe state Legislature approved a bill intended to combat widespread metal thefts due to high prices for scrap by making it harder for thieves to anonymously sell stolen wire, air conditioner parts and other material stripped from buildings, farm equipment and other locations.Permalink [Filed under: Business, Crime, Economy, Legislature, Theft]The Senate approved the final version of the bill (HB2314) 26-3 on Thursday, two days after the House passed it on a 55-0 vote. It now goes to Gov. Janet Napolitano.
Posted by Editor at 02:04 PM
Tough questions for CPS deserve real answersThe deaths of three Tucson children who police said were killed by their parents have reignited a debate in the Arizona Legislature over government's role in protecting children.Permalink [Filed under: Child Care, Crime, Domestic Violence, Families]The focus inevitably turns to the performance of Child Protective Services, the state agency charged with doing what its name plainly states: protecting Arizona's children. We all want to know what CPS workers did to protect these children, what they didn't do and why. We want to know if the authorities, who were aware of these children, missed opportunities to save 5-year-old Brandon Williams, 4-year-old Ariana Payne and her 5-year-old brother, Tyler.
Posted by Editor at 01:46 PM
Teen sex offender bill goes to governor’s deskSB1628 requires that juveniles prosecuted as adults receive treatment with similar offenders and allows teens prosecuted as adults to have their cases sent back to juvenile court and their lifetime probation lifted.Permalink [Filed under: Crime, Governor, Legislature, Sex Offenders]“I think this is going to save a lot of kids’ lives,” said Sen. Karen Johnson, R-Mesa, who sponsored the bills and headed an interim committee on the issue. “There will be hope once more for these youthful sex offenders.”
Posted by Editor at 07:29 AM
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