Posts Tagged ‘police’

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Wrongfully Convicted Man Awarded $25 Million

By Dawn in Chicago, court cases, Crime, Illinois, Investigations, MSI Detective Services, murder, testimony, witness statement at January 25th, 2012 | No comments

T. Jimenez with Anita Alvarez - State's Attorney

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thaddeus “T.J.” Jimenez spent 16 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon occurrence. There are many people behind bars for crimes they did not commit. I just watched a program where a man could not get help through the regular channels. He hired a private investigator who eventually dug up the truth, the man was given another trial, and he was found not guilty. He had spent about 20 years in prison.

Most wrongfully convicted people are not fortunate enough to be exonerated, let alone receive the type of reward Mr. Jimenez received. Attorneys for the plaintiff say they believe the award made Tuesday is the largest ever by a U.S. jury in a wrongful conviction case. Of course, you can’t put a price tag on someone’s life. You can never give back what that person lost.

“Sometimes the criminal justice system makes a mistake,” said Jon Loevy, one of Jimenez’s attorneys. “In this case, we proved that’s exactly what happened.”

Jimenez sued the City of Chicago and his attorneys won his case. A federal jury awarded him $25 million.

After sitting through a two-week trial at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago, the jury deliberated for about a day. The evidence exonerating Mr. Jimenez must have been overwhelming for the jury to reach a decision so quickly. Read the full article »

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Bill Would Let People Record Audio of Cops

By Dawn in court cases, Debugging - Electronic Countermeasures, eavesdropping, Illinois, invasion of privacy, MSI Detective Services at January 16th, 2012 | No comments

 

St. Rep. Elaine Nekritz, D-Northbrook, IL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recent court case rulings in Illinois regarding the constitutionality of Illinois’ eavesdropping law have placed this topic at the agenda forefront of some Illinois legislators and the ACLU.

Illinois’ eavesdropping law is one of the strictest in the country. The law makes it illegal to audio-record police without their consent, even when they’re working in public. Illinois is one of a handful of states in which it is illegal to record audio of public conversations without the permission of everyone involved.

Breaking this law carries a harsh penalty. It is a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. This law has come under increased scrutiny in the last few years in courts throughout the state.

State Representative Elaine Nekritz, D-Northbrook has filed a bill that would allow people to audio-record a police officer working in public without the officer’s consent. In an interview last Thursday, Rep. Nekritz said, “I believe that the existing statute is a significant intrusion into First Amendment rights, so with the prosecutions and the court cases that have been reported about, it just seemed that this is a problem in need of a swift solution.”

Last August, a Cook County jury acquitted a woman who had recorded two Chicago police internal affairs investigators she believed were trying to dissuade her from filing a sexual harassment complaint against a patrol officer.

In another Cook County case, Chicago artist Chris Drew is facing trial for allegedly making an illegal audio recording of Chicago police during a 2009 arrest for selling art on a downtown street without a permit.

In September, a Crawford County judge ruled the law unconstitutional and dismissed eavesdropping charges against a man accused of recording police and court officials without their consent. Read the full article »

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Wikileaks Spy Files Target Forensic Companies

By Dawn in Debugging - Electronic Countermeasures, eavesdropping, Hacking, invasion of privacy, MSI Detective Services, Surveillance Services, Technology, Terrorism at January 4th, 2012 | No comments

 

 

 

 

 

In December, Wikileaks revealed what it has dubbed “the Spy Files,” a collection of 287 documents that include information about companies that provide different types of surveillance methods including cell phone forensics, spyware, and Wifi interceptions.

“Over a year or longer, SSL certificates have been penetrated by various organized crime groups and intelligence agencies. The entire SSL system, which is the mechanism that guarantees security and anonymity online, has been compromised. SSL is beyond repair,” says Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

The ACLU also has listed a very detailed account of what they consider illegal domestic spying in America. “The FBI, federal intelligence agencies, the military, state and local police, private companies, and even firemen and emergency medical technicians are gathering incredible amounts of personal information about ordinary Americans that can be used to construct vast dossiers that can be widely shared with a simple mouse-click through new institutions like Joint Terrorism Task Forces, fusion centers, and public-private partnerships. The fear of terrorism has led to a new era of overzealous police intelligence activity directed, as in the past, against political activists, racial and religious minorities, and immigrants.”

Read story@ dfinews

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Cops: Man Gouges Out Uncle’s Eyes Over TV Remote

By Dawn in Crime, Illinois, Investigations, MSI Detective Services, Violence at January 4th, 2012 | No comments

 

 

 

 

A northern Illinois man is accused of gouging his uncle’s eyes out during a fight over a remote control. The attacker, Exulam I. Holman, 32, is said to be a career criminal, according to police.

Will County Sheriff’s police were called shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday, New Year’s Eve, to a residence in the 1100 block of McKay Street in Joliet Township where a 62-year-old man reported he’d been attacked. A deputy found the 62-year-old victim with blood streaming from his eyes.

The victim, whose name was not released, had “blood streaming from both eyeballs, covering his face below his eyes. Both of his eyeballs were swollen, dislocated and were protruding approximately a quarter-inch from the eye sockets,” police said.

The victim told deputies his nephew tried to pry his eyes out with his thumbs. The man told police he and his nephew had been arguing over the TV’s remote control. Holman broke the remote on the ground, pushed his uncle to the kitchen floor and straddled him. Holman is 5′ 7″ tall and weighs 280 pounds. His uncle is five inches shorter and weighs 140 pounds less.

The victim said that Holman, “inserted his thumbs into his eyes … and attempted to pry the eyeballs out of the sockets.” Read the full article »

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