http://www.911jobforums.com/ This is a discussion forum for police, fbi,federal, state trooper,emt,paramedic,firefighter and trainees to discuss all aspects of getting a job and a career within the law enforcement sector en Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:26:57 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.911jobforums.com/images/misc/rss.png http://www.911jobforums.com/ http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63185-FLEOA-Applauds-IRS-CID-S-Decision-to-Rescind-Mandatory-Fitness-Testing&goto=newpost Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:23:15 GMT NOTE BY DMC: This topic of mandatory fitness testing has come up time and again. I have cited OPM's decisions and wanted to put out what FLEOA's position is on mandatory fitness testing. I'm sure there are those (I among them) who disagree with this position, but here it is. Oh, and don't get any boo-boo's getting in shape to defend your life and the life of your partner. Now we have 1811 lite? Says so right below. ;)


by The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA)

As the lead federal law enforcement stakeholder organization opposing the imposition of mandatory fitness standards against incumbents, FLEOA commends the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CID) leadership for announcing it is rescinding its mandatory testing.

FLEOA has strongly opposed the implementation of absolute fitness testing standards against IRS-CID incumbents. While it is important all law enforcement officers maintain a functional level of fitness, it is entirely unfair for any agency to adopt testing categories and score thresholds that are not scientifically validated. As an example, FLEOA maintains that performing an absolute number of sit ups within a minute will only expose an agent to a high risk of injury, and it does not accurately measure an agent's ability to perform. The basic requirement is that law enforcement officers possess the minimum level of skill necessary to perform the job. This varies from agency to agency, and there is no "one-size-fits-all" test that can effectively measure the minimum skill needed for incumbents.

FLEOA is a strong proponent of agencies utilizing wellness programs to encourage its employees to stay healthy and physically fit. Additionally, FLEOA highly recommends that all law enforcement agencies consult with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) regarding the implementation of fitness and wellness programs. The instructors and supervisors in the Physical Techniques Divisions are the premiere fitness experts for federal law enforcement. The FLETC model recognizes different abilities based on age and gender norms and has the largest database to assist them with defining targeted score ranges. FLEOA urges agencies not to use millions of dollars contracting with outside fitness companies when they have free access to the true fitness experts at FLETC. ]]> Federal Questions dmclark http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63185-FLEOA-Applauds-IRS-CID-S-Decision-to-Rescind-Mandatory-Fitness-Testing http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63184-how-does-the-border-patrol-application-go&goto=newpost Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:44:20 GMT what is the order is it the test then medical, background then the polygraph or is it another way around? for the medical exam do they do their own or do they look at my medical records? *********** (if i get disqualified on any part of the process could i reapply the next year?) what is the order is it the test then medical, background then the polygraph or is it another way around?
for the medical exam do they do their own or do they look at my medical records?
***********
(if i get disqualified on any part of the process could i reapply the next year?) ]]> Federal Questions militarycapt http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63184-how-does-the-border-patrol-application-go http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63183-border-patrol-polygraph-test&goto=newpost Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:35:34 GMT if i failed the polygraph test can i reapply again another time. i have no disqualifying factors but i failed it for stress related issues at the time if i failed the polygraph test can i reapply again another time. i have no disqualifying factors but i failed it for stress related issues at the time ]]> Federal Questions militarycapt http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63183-border-patrol-polygraph-test http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63182-NYPD-hunts-mystery-cop-who-failed-to-help-Briana-Ojeda&goto=newpost Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:56:33 GMT I'm really hoping this turns out to be a traffic agent or aux cop in one of the new paint jobs that look like PD RMP's. Papi might be able to shed some light on that.


NYPD hunts mystery 'cop' who failed to help Briana Ojeda, Brooklyn girl dying of asthma

BY John Lauinger
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, August 31st 2010, 3:13 PM

The NYPD is widening its search for the mystery man in uniform who failed to assist a Brooklyn mom as she frantically drove her dying daughter to a hospital, the city's top cop said Tuesday.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the hunt is expanding within the NYPD and that investigators are looking at personnel from other law enforcement agencies and even private security companies.

But Kelly told reporters at a press briefing that not enough information is known to determine whether the person being blamed in the death of Briana Ojeda, 11, was in fact an NYPD officer.

"We are looking at the entire sort of universe of law enforcement in that area," Kelly said.
"It is a terrible tragedy … our hearts go out to the family," he added.

Briana, whose funeral is tomorrow, had an asthma attack while playing at a Carroll Gardens park Friday. Her mother, Carmen Delgado, called 911, but decided to drive her daughter to Long Island College Hospital in Cobble Hill.

The mother was just blocks from the hospital when she turned the wrong way down a one-way street and sideswiped a car, prompting the mystery officer to stop her car.

Delgado has said the officer, whom she is certain was an NYPD cop, did not know cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, though all NYPD officers are provided such training. She said he followed her car to the hospital, where Briana died.

Kelly said witnesses have been shown photographs of officers from the 76th Precinct - where the incident took place - but could not identify the alleged culprit.

Kelly said the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau is expanding its search to neighboring commands. He speculated the mystery officer could have been a police officer from outside of the 76th Precinct visiting a courthouse in nearby downtown Brooklyn.

The commissioner said it's also possible the officer could have been an NYPD Traffic agent, auxiliary cop or even someone from a different law enforcement agency or a private security company.

"Quite frankly, there's an effort on the part of many agencies to have their vehicles look like police cars," he said.

Kelly said investigators have obtained security-camera footage of the incident, but it's not clear enough to identify the officer's vehicle. ]]> News Forum BPA2FAM2ICESA http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63182-NYPD-hunts-mystery-cop-who-failed-to-help-Briana-Ojeda http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63181-can-you-join-border-patrol-with-asthma&goto=newpost Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:47:44 GMT if you are a us customs officer with very mild asthma that is unsports induced never been hospitalized for and have passed a methcohline test a pulmonary function test and a stress test then can you join the border patrol. is their anything that a federal agent can go from one job to the next with... if you are a us customs officer with very mild asthma that is unsports induced never been hospitalized for and have passed a methcohline test a pulmonary function test and a stress test then can you join the border patrol. is their anything that a federal agent can go from one job to the next with out being medically dq ]]> Federal Questions militarycapt http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63181-can-you-join-border-patrol-with-asthma http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63180-A-touch-of-humor&goto=newpost Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:30:56 GMT For a little taste of in house humor, with some truth to it - Youtube "NYPD arrest processing" - There are numerous related videos - oh how someone has alot of free time. ]]> papimike http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63180-A-touch-of-humor http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63179-FBI-agents-behaving-badly-in-Texas&goto=newpost Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:28:53 GMT FBI Agents Behaving Badly in Texas

Allan Lengel
Contributor

(Aug. 31) -- FBI agents deal with trouble. That's what they do for a living.

But lately, down in Texas, for some inexplicable reason, FBI agents have found themselves on the wrong side of the law. In fact, in the past nine months, four agents -- who are all now ex-agents -- from Dallas to Waco have been grabbing headlines for their indiscretions.

One was busted for hiring illegal immigrants to work at her suburban Dallas deli. Another illegally sold guns, then lied to investigators. One agent killed a neighbor's Chihuahua with a pellet rifle. And one is accused of making death threats against folks at the FBI.

"It's obviously critically important those in law enforcement follow the law and when they don't, it significantly hurts public trust," James Alan Fox, a professor of criminology at Northeastern University in Boston, told AOL News.

The FBI did not return a call for comment.

The latest embarrassment for the FBI in the Lone Star State involves Carlos Ortiz, 48, a Dallas agent. He was fired Wednesday -- the same day he was arrested on charges of threatening to kill his wife and the head of the Dallas FBI, Robert Casey Jr.

The following day, U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma Ramirez ruled Ortiz was a danger to the community and should remain behind bars pending trial.

"It's a very sad day for law enforcement," she commented in court.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Ortiz last week received a dismissal letter that chronicled allegations of spousal abuse and mentioned a 1992 incident in which SWAT officers were called in to deal with Ortiz, who had barricaded himself in his home over job stress and personal issues.

His father and girlfriend told the paper that Ortiz is not a violent person. They blamed the matter on the estranged wife.

Meanwhile, court records indicate Dallas FBI Agent Ann Cox has signed a guilty plea agreement to charges that she hired six illegal immigrants in 1997 to 2008 to work at the Schlotzsky's deli she owned in Rockwall, Texas.

Cox, who is no longer with the bureau, is expected to enter the plea Friday. She sold the deli at the end of 2008, according to a manager at the restaurant.

So far, El Paso FBI agent John Shipley, 40, has taken the hardest hit among the troubled Texas agents. Last week, he was sentenced to two years in prison for illegally selling more than $118,000 worth of guns without a license and lying to agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives about the sales while he was still with the FBI.

A federal jury convicted him in April after less than three hours of deliberation.

ATF agents had arrested Shipley last year after tracing back to him a .50-caliber rifle that was used in a drug cartel shootout in Chihuahua, Mexico. Court records show that between 2005 and 2008, he posted at least 280 firearms for sale on just one site alone, GunBroker.com.

And speaking of Chihuahuas, FBI agent Lovett Leslie Ledger Jr., who was detailed to the Waco FBI, was dismissed from his job near the end of 2009 after he shot and killed a neighbor's 3-pound Chihuahua dog with a pellet rifle in 2008. The dog, named Sassy, belonged to a girl down the street.

He pleaded no contest last summer to felony animal cruelty and was placed on two years' probation and ordered to serve 300 hours of community service. ]]> News Forum papimike http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63179-FBI-agents-behaving-badly-in-Texas http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63178-DS-2501-Lateral-to-ICE-1811&goto=newpost Sat, 28 Aug 2010 15:31:47 GMT I've seen some old posts on here about DS 2501s trying to lateral over to ICE and am hoping for some insights from any members who have actually gone all the way with the process. It seems like the current announcement and those from the past are worded very specifically so as to exclude DS 2501s or at least make it an uphill battle to make the leap.

The wording of the following parts of the announcement appear to be the big sticking points:

Current and former Federal employees in the 1811 series


I have read prior threads on here where applicants were deemed unqualified due to the 2501 series vs. 1811 series, despite the CFR which states that GS2501 and GS1811 are both classified as Criminal Investigators. Has there been any precedent with any previous DS to ICE laterals who overcame this?

Current Federal employees in the 1811 series who meet the established criteria in an Office of Personnel Management Interchange Agreement.

There is also no interchange agreement between DoS and OPM, however, according to OPM, Foreign Service employees may be appointed to competitive service positions based on several executive orders, so this seems like the literal wording of the announcement can cause issues.

GS-12: You qualify at the GS-12 level if you possess one (1) year of specialized experience that has equipped you with the skills needed to perform the job duties. This experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level

Is there somewhere in the FAM, the CFR, or in some guidance by OPM that gives official guidance on equivalence of FS to GS payscales? The only official document I could find was from a USAID directive (ADS 470.3.8.5).


Based on the wording, it seems like an impossibility, but I have heard of guys making the jump so I am looking for any pointers in dealing with HR/ what to put in the application packet. Any insight as to how to make my application less likely to be tossed automatically by whoever the first person looking at it who sees 2501, excepted service, and an FS paygrade on my SF-50 would be appreciated. ]]> Federal Questions ussen http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63178-DS-2501-Lateral-to-ICE-1811 http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63177-FBI-ATF-Turf-Battle-Hurts-Bomb-Probes-Official-Says&goto=newpost Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:34:27 GMT Washington Post (08/27/10) P. A03; Markon, Jerry Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary G. Grindler issued an internal memo on Aug. 3 as part of an attempt to end the long-running dispute between the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives over who has jurisdiction in... Washington Post (08/27/10) P. A03; Markon, Jerry

Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary G. Grindler issued an internal memo on Aug. 3 as part of an attempt to end the long-running dispute between the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives over who has jurisdiction in bombing investigations. According to Grindler, the FBI will act as the lead investigators in bombings that are believed to be linked to terrorism, including bombings of courthouses, schools, shopping malls, and tourist attractions. ATF will have jurisdiction over all other types of bombings, Grindler said. Grindler added that clarifying which agency has jurisdiction in bombing investigations will help prevent an incident in which actionable intelligence does not get sent to the right people because of concerns about who will be the lead investigator. Experts agreed that the clarification was necessary, saying that the FBI and the ATF need to cooperate with one another to ensure that there is not another large-scale terrorist attack on U.S. soil. However, the memo is being criticized by some ATF agents who fear that it will allow the FBI to claim jurisdiction in high-profile bombing cases and prevent the ATF from bringing its expertise in explosives to the investigation. Other agents said that there could be delays in bombing investigations while the FBI decides whether the attacks are terrorism related. However, experts say that the ATF will continue to retain jurisdiction over most bombings, since the overwhelming majority are not linked to terrorism.

Hasn't this been going on long enough? :( ]]> News Forum dmclark http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63177-FBI-ATF-Turf-Battle-Hurts-Bomb-Probes-Official-Says http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63176-Immigrant-Who-Voted-Illegally-on-Road-to-Becoming-a-U.S.-Citizen&goto=newpost Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:57:18 GMT Full article with link to the CIS letter is available here: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/08/26...est=latestnews

I can't decide if I'm amused by CIS' letter to the alien, because I have seen CIS' do similar things with aliens who lie on applications, or if I'm angry and sickened, but I'm certainly not shocked. CIS simply won't charge GMC. Their rational (at least from adjudicators I've dealt with) is "it's only a five year ban from citizenship, and then they can apply again. Why make them wait?" Well, for one, they broke the law! I've seen 911 prosecutions for less than this. This IS a big deal, 18 USC 611 outlines aliens voting. We don't know the individual circumstances that led the alien to vote, he may fit the loophole outlined in 611c, but there are undoubtedly many other copies of this letter mailed to many other aliens.

Immigrant Who Voted Illegally on Road to Becoming a U.S. Citizen

Can an immigrant who resides legally in the U.S. on a work visa but who voted illegally in a presidential election year still become a naturalized U.S. citizen?

Yes, actually. Especially if the Department of Homeland Security sends a letter instructing him to request removal from the voter rolls.

That happened this summer in Putnam County, Tenn., where County Administrator of Elections Debbie Steidl says an immigrant who illegally registered to vote – and then voted – in 2004 is now seeking to become a U.S. citizen.

Steidl says the man gave her a form letter from the DHS instructing him to:

"Submit … evidence that you have been removed from the roll of registered voters. This can be accomplished by contacting your local election commission where you registered and voted. Submit a letter of explanation of why you registered to vote, and where you registered to vote, when you discovered that you were not a United States Citizen."

Steidl provided FoxNews.com with a copy of the letter, with the man's name and address redacted. Click here to see the letter.

She told FoxNews.com that, were the immigrant to be removed from the voter roll, as the DHS suggested, all traces of his illegal voting record would normally be shredded within two years.

"I went to my election commission and I said: ‘this frightens me for my country,'" she said. "They agreed with me. Why would you let someone who committed voter fraud become a citizen? That's what they're doing."

But immigration advocates say voting illegally can be an honest mistake, and the DHS is correct not to turn down immigrants who apply for citizenship solely because of it.

"I think a lot of people are truly very unaware about not being eligible to vote, and some election officials are maybe not clear enough on what's required," said Natalie Sullivan, director of the Immigration Advocates Network. "So immigration has a process in place to consider what the circumstances were, and decide on a case-by-case basis."

Sullivan said that, even if the records were shredded, the immigrant’s apparent admission to DHS could still provide evidence.

"If he has already admitted on the naturalization application that he previously voted, that is also a form of evidence… DHS is ultimately going to make the decision about what has allegedly occurred," she said.

The DHS did not respond to calls for comment. "Good moral character" is a requirement to obtain citizenship, and a memo issued by the Immigration and Naturalization Service in 2002 says immigration officers have discretion about whether to allow someone to become a citizen after admitting to voting illegally.

"Officers must balance the facts regarding the applicant’s unlawful voting or false representation as a U.S. citizen against other factors such as family ties and background," the memo reads.

A felony conviction of voter fraud from a court would bar someone from receiving citizenship, according to the memo. But in the Putnam County case, the time for prosecution is over.

"I went to the local DA, but the statute of limitations has run out," Steidl said. "He said, 'I can't do anything. You can write a letter, but it's just going to go in a file.' Maddening."

Putnam County District Attorney Randall York confirmed that the statute of limitations for vote fraud is two years. He declined to comment on the case.

Steidl said that as the administrator of elections, she is not allowed to question registrants about their citizenship when they apply. Everyone has to sign a form saying they are citizens. Asking for further evidence "would be considered discrimination,” she said.

Sullivan called Steidl's response to the letter an overreaction.

"She says the Department of Homeland Security is enabling this person -- I disagree," she said. "Their letter is meant to prevent any further acts of voting."

She said there were many benign reasons immigrants might vote, not knowing they are barred from doing so.

Indeed, many states now make it very easy to register to vote. Some will automatically register people applying for driver's licenses if they check off a box on their form and sign that they are a U.S. citizen.

Sullivan said immigrants who are not citizens may feel that voting is their civic duty and not realize that they are ineligible to vote.

"One reason might be enthusiasm for integrating, and for civic participation. A desire to see the laws change might be another… all that can be coupled with a lack of knowledge that the person is not qualified to do so."

But Steidl sees it differently.

"He signed a piece of paper that said he was a citizen of the U.S., just so he could vote. What else could he be willing to do?" ]]> News Forum bk31 http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63176-Immigrant-Who-Voted-Illegally-on-Road-to-Becoming-a-U.S.-Citizen http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63175-Memo-urges-deputies-to-weigh-arrests&goto=newpost Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:07:53 GMT Memo urges deputies to weigh arrests
Internal memo by lieutenant at Norwalk station stresses discretion in felony cases, raising debate on the challenges faced by law enforcement.

By Robert Faturechi, Los Angeles Times
August 14, 2010

A Los Angeles County sheriff's lieutenant recently sent an internal memo to deputies in Norwalk encouraging them to consider an individual's past and career potential before making a felony arrest.

In the memo, Lt. Bill Evans offers the hypothetical example of a student "who seems like a decent kid" from Biola, a nearby Christian university, being caught with an illegal folding pocket knife.

"Are you really going to put a felony on this guy…" reads the e-mail. "Here is a kid that could have been planning on going into the military, being a cop or fireman, and/or just being a guy with a career."

The memo, obtained by The Times, offers an inside look at the challenges deputies face in balancing the need for efficient policing while avoiding bias in arrests, law enforcement experts said.

Merrick Bobb, an attorney who monitors the Sheriff's Department and reviewed a copy of the memo, said he agreed with its general message that police do not have to cite every lawbreaker they come across. But he described discretion in police work as a "two-edged sword."

"What if the same kid was a black student with long dreadlocks at Dorsey High? What if the same kid was a Latino and undocumented? A single-parent with a young child at home?" Bobb said. "I would hope the same ability to empathize and exercise compassionate discretion would be triggered in those instances also."

Evans said he intended the memo to spur discussion on the issue.

"The main message was to reinforce the practice of using common sense and good judgment in enforcing/applying the law," Evans wrote in an e-mail to The Times. "The use of the terms 'common sense' and 'good judgment' preclude the use of bias or discrimination in the enforcement decision making process."

Carlos Ramos, director of public safety for the city of Norwalk, which contracts with the Sheriff's Department for police services, declined to comment specifically on the memo — but said the city's stance on policing is one of objective enforcement.

"We believe in following the rules and objectivity," Ramos said. "It's not a personal matter. There's a violation that exists or there isn't."

Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said the memo is in line with department training.

"We would take issue with anyone saying it puts deputies in a gray area," Whitmore said. "If the law can only be interpreted by attorneys, where would the justice system be? When you stop somebody you take into consideration the whole situation."

The Norwalk lieutenant's internal e-mail stands in contrast to a 2007 incident in which another lieutenant encouraged sheriff's deputies patrolling various southeast Los Angeles County cities to participate in competitions for arrest counts and other law enforcement statistics. In one of the competitions detailed by The Times, deputies were challenged to seize as many cars as possible in a one-day event called Operation Vehicle Impound.

The competitions at the Lakewood station were condemned by Sheriff Lee Baca, police accountability experts, civil libertarians and defense attorneys.

Hubert Williams, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Police Foundation, which promotes innovative policing strategies, agreed that officers have to exercise discretion when making arrests. Resources have to be focused, he said, on major offenses and issues — like violent crime — that have been prioritized by department leaders.

But when making arrests, he said, police should consider the behavior, not the individual.

"The moment you start saying 'take the individual into account,' you've opened the door to allow bias into the decision-making process," Williams said.

Earlier this week, Baca alluded to the issue of selective policing in connection with the discovery of the skeletal remains of Mitrice Richardson, a Cal State Fullerton graduate who disappeared after being released from sheriff's custody last year. At a news conference, Baca questioned the grounds on which she was initially jailed — an unpaid restaurant bill.

"Is an $89 bill enough to take someone into the jail?" he said. "There is more than one way to handle a problem."

Capt. Patrick Maxwell, a supervisor at the Norwalk station where Evan's memo was distributed, said the message would have been better communicated in a staff meeting, where follow-up questions and dialogue on its subtleties would have been possible. But he said he supported the advice of his lieutenant.

"There's spirit of the law and letter of the law," Maxwell said.

Maxwell said there was no incident that prompted the e-mail. Evans, he said, is simply a legal buff.

The lieutenant ended the internal e-mail emphasizing the effects an arrest could have had on the station's own deputies.

"We've all done stupid stuff in our lives and, if you're reading this, I guess we have to be thankful that we didn't have the misfortune of running into some hard-line cop when we were doing it," he wrote.

"Some people need to come to jail and some don't," he wrote. ]]> News Forum Big Sexy http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63175-Memo-urges-deputies-to-weigh-arrests http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63174-DHS-Reviewing-Thousands-of-Immigration-Cases-for-Dismissal.&goto=newpost Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:33:42 GMT Feds moving to dismiss some deportation cases

Critics assail the plan as a bid to create a kind of backdoor 'amnesty'


The Department of Homeland Security is systematically reviewing thousands of pending immigration cases and moving to dismiss those filed against suspected illegal immigrants who have no serious criminal records, according to several sources familiar with the efforts.

Culling the immigration court system dockets of noncriminals started in earnest in Houston about a month ago and has stunned local immigration attorneys, who have reported coming to court anticipating clients' deportations only to learn that the government was dismissing their cases.
Richard Rocha, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman, said Tuesday that the review is part of the agency's broader, nationwide strategy to prioritize the deportations of illegal immigrants who pose a threat to national security and public safety. Rocha declined to provide further details. Critics assailed the plan as another sign that the Obama administration is trying to create a kind of backdoor "amnesty" program.

Raed Gonzalez, an immigration attorney who was briefed on the effort by Homeland Security's deputy chief counsel in Houston, said DHS confirmed that it's reviewing cases nationwide, though not yet to the pace of the local office. He said the others are expected to follow suit soon.
Gonzalez, the liaison between the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which administers the immigration court system, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said DHS now has five attorneys assigned full time to reviewing all active cases in Houston's immigration court.
Gonzalez said DHS attorneys are conducting the reviews on a case-by-case basis. However, he said they are following general guidelines that allow for the dismissal of cases for defendants who have been in the country for two or more years and have no felony convictions.
In some instances, defendants can have one misdemeanor conviction, but it cannot involve a DWI, family violence or sexual crime, Gonzalez said.

Massive backlog of cases

Opponents of illegal immigration were critical of the dismissals.
"They've made clear that they have no interest in enforcing immigration laws against people who are not convicted criminals," said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for strict controls.
"This situation is just another side effect of President Obama's failure to deliver on his campaign promise to make immigration reform a priority in his first year," said U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. "Until he does, state and local authorities are left with no choice but to pick up the slack for prosecuting and detaining criminal aliens."
Gonzalez called the dismissals a necessary step in unclogging a massive backlog in the immigration court system. In June, there were more than 248,000 cases pending in immigration courts across the country, including about 23,000 in Texas, according to data compiled by researchers at Syracuse University.

'Absolutely fantastic'

Gonzalez said he went into immigration court downtown on Monday and was given a court date in October 2011 for one client. But, he said, the government's attorney requested the dismissal of that case and those of two more of his clients, and the cases were dispatched by the judge.
The court "was terminating all of the cases that came up," Gonzalez said. "It was absolutely fantastic."
"We're all calling each other saying, 'Can you believe this?' " said John Nechman, another Houston immigration attorney, who had two cases dismissed.
Attorney Elizabeth Mendoza Macias, who has practiced in Houston for 17 years, said she had cases for several clients dismissed during the past month and eventually called DHS to find out what was going on. She said she was told by a DHS trial attorney that 2,500 cases were under review in Houston.
"I had five (dismissed) in one week, and two more that I just received," Mendoza said. "And I am expecting many more, many more, in the next month."
Her clients, all previously charged with being in the country illegally, included:
An El Salvadoran man married to a U.S. citizen who has two U.S.-born children. The client had a pending asylum case in the court system, but the case was not particularly strong. Now that his case is terminated, he will be eligible to obtain permanent residency through his wife, Mendoza said.
A woman from Cameroon, who was in removal proceedings after being caught by the U.S. Border Patrol, had her case terminated by the government. She meets the criteria of a trafficking victim, Mendoza said, and can now apply for a visa.

Memo outlines priorities

Immigrants who have had their cases terminated are frequently left in limbo, immigration attorneys said, and are not granted any form of legal status.
"It's very, very key to understand that these aliens are not being granted anything in court. They are still here illegally. They don't have work permits. They don't have Social Security numbers," Mendoza said. "ICE is just saying, 'At this particular moment, we are not going to proceed with trying to remove you from the United States.' "
In a June 30 memo, ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton outlined the agency's priorities, saying it had the capacity to remove about 400,000 illegal immigrants annually — about 4 percent of the estimated illegal immigrant population in the country. The memo outlines priorities for the detention and removal system, putting criminals and threats to national security at the top of the list.

Up to 17,000 cases

On Tuesday, ICE officials provided a copy of a new policy memo from Morton dated Aug. 20 that instructs government attorneys to review the court cases of people with pending applications to adjust status based on their relation to a U.S. citizen. Morton estimates in the memo that the effort could affect up to 17,000 cases.
Tre Rebsock, the ICE union representative in Houston, said even if the efforts involve only a fraction of the pending immigration cases, "that's going to make our officers feel even more powerless to enforce the laws." ]]> News Forum Big Sexy http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63174-DHS-Reviewing-Thousands-of-Immigration-Cases-for-Dismissal. http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63173-HBO-Real-Sports-Police-shooting-of-Robbie-Tolan&goto=newpost Thu, 26 Aug 2010 02:43:48 GMT Did anybody see the two parts of this story? It seemed to me that Bryant Gumble and his team were very quick to decide that this was a racially motivated incident, and that the police were the evil doers and the family did nothing wrong. I'm not going to Monday morning QB what I thought of the officer's actions, but it seemed that there was room for improvement on his part. The family's actions seemed to escalate things. Had they just cooperated with the police, their son would not be injured for life, and they could have sued or filed complaints after the fact. Any thoughts?

http://www.hbo.com/real-sports-with-...GyMQIAWCcXOA== ]]> brassstar http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63173-HBO-Real-Sports-Police-shooting-of-Robbie-Tolan http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63172-Drug-Cartel-suspected-in-Deaths-of-72-migrants&goto=newpost Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:28:34 GMT MEXICO CITY (AP) - A Mexican drug cartel massacred 72 Central and South American migrants within 100 miles of the U.S. border that they were trying to reach, according to an Ecuadorian survivor who escaped and stumbled wounded to a highway checkpoint where he alerted marines, official said... MEXICO CITY (AP) - A Mexican drug cartel massacred 72 Central and South American migrants within 100 miles of the U.S. border that they were trying to reach, according to an Ecuadorian survivor who escaped and stumbled wounded to a highway checkpoint where he alerted marines, official said Wednesday. The marines fought the cartel gunmen at a ranch in the northern state of Tamaulipas on Tuesday, a battle that left one marine and three suspects dead. They found the bodies of 58 men and 14 women in a room, some piled on top of each other. The Ecuadorian migrant told investigators that his captors identified themselves as members of the Zetas drug gang, said Vice Adm. Jose Luis Vergara, a spokesman for the Mexican Navy. Authorities believe the migrants were from Honduras, El Salvador, Brazil and Ecuador. It is the biggest massacre to date in Mexico's drug war and the most horrifying example yet of the dangers faced by immigrants trying to get to the U.S. "It's absolutely terrible and it demands the condemnation of all of our society," said Alejandro Poire, the government's security spokesman. Authorities did not say why the gang killed the migrants. Mexico's drug cartels frequently kidnap migrants and threaten to kill them unless they pay fees for crossing their territory. Sometimes, gangs contact relatives of the migrants in the U.S. and demand they pay a ransom. ]]> News Forum Big Sexy http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63172-Drug-Cartel-suspected-in-Deaths-of-72-migrants http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63171-ICE-gang-surge-nets-102-arrests-in-Phoenix-Yuma&goto=newpost Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:31:07 GMT ICE gang surge nets 102 arrests in Phoenix, Yuma PHOENIX - A total of 102 individuals with ties to 19 different street gangs are facing criminal charges or deportation following a six-day, multi-agency enforcement action in Phoenix and Yuma, Ariz. spearheaded by the U.S. Immigration and Customs... ICE gang surge nets 102 arrests in Phoenix, Yuma

PHOENIX - A total of 102 individuals with ties to 19 different street gangs are facing criminal charges or deportation following a six-day, multi-agency enforcement action in Phoenix and Yuma, Ariz. spearheaded by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The arrests were made as part of Operation Community Shield, an ongoing initiative by ICE-HSI's National Gang Unit in which the agency uses its powerful immigration and customs authorities in a coordinated strategy to attack and dismantle criminal street gangs across the country. As part of the initiative, ICE partners with other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to target the significant public safety threat posed by transnational gangs.

Of the gang members and gang associates arrested during the enforcement action that concluded late Saturday, 29 are currently facing prosecution on state criminal charges, including outstanding warrants for gang-related violations. Three of the subjects arrested will also be presented to the U.S. Attorney's Office for prosecution for felony re-entry after deportation, a federal violation that carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

"Gang activity poses one of the greatest threats to public safety in Arizona communities," said Matt Allen, special agent in charge for ICE-HSI in Arizona. "ICE is successfully targeting these gangs, arresting their leaders, disrupting their operations, and putting their members and associates behind bars."

Among those arrested during the enforcement action in Phoenix was a 33-year-old Mexican gang member in Mesa whose criminal history includes a conviction for aggravated assault in 2007. Another of the individuals taken into custody was a 27-year-old member of a Chandler gang wanted for burglary in California. The California Department of Corrections agreed to extradite Miguel Angel Lopez-Zuniga, who was booked into the Maricopa County Jail to await transfer to California.

In Yuma, ICE agents arrested gang member Fernando Ulloa, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen, on Arizona state charges related to a conspiracy to distribute marijuana and money laundering. Agents also arrested gang member Claudio Garcia, a 25-year-old U.S. citizen, for contempt of court.

Twenty-six of the gang members and gang associates arrested during the operation are U.S. citizens. The remaining 76 individuals are foreign nationals. The majority of the foreign nationals are from Mexico (58), but the group also includes citizens from Guatemala and Honduras. Those foreign nationals who are not being prosecuted on criminal charges are being processed for removal from the United States.

Since Operation Community Shield began in February 2005, ICE agents nationwide have arrested more than 18,000 gang members and gang associates. As part of the effort, HSI's National Gang Unit identifies violent street gangs and develops intelligence on their membership, associates, criminal activities and international movements to deter, disrupt and dismantle gang operations. Transnational street gangs have significant numbers of foreign-born members and are frequently involved in human and contraband smuggling, immigration violations and other crimes with a connection to the border. ]]> News Forum SIU http://www.911jobforums.com/showthread.php?63171-ICE-gang-surge-nets-102-arrests-in-Phoenix-Yuma