Pennsylania police place crack cocaine in their 'Lost and Found'

Police in Wilkes-Barre Township, Pennsylvania just made a very unusual Facebook post.

The police department added a rather controversial item to their “lost and found box,” in the form of a great big wad of crack cocaine. The drugs, estimated at a street value of around $1,600, were found in the parking lot of a local shopping center.

The presumably tongue-in-cheek post was made to the police department’s Facebook page on Monday, offering to return the crack cocaine to its rightful owner. You can read the full post below.




The police notice didn’t mention who found the crack cocaine, or whether they actually expect someone to come and claim it.

While on the subject of drugs, Blasting News reported today on the story of two counselors at a facility for drug addicts who recently died from a combined heroin and fentanyl overdose.

Source

Police investigate horrific screams in Oslo, find frustrated chess player

Police in Oslo were swift in responding to an emergency call, after horrific screams were heard coming from an apartment in the city.  Neighbors were sure someone was being murdered.

On arrival, police found one lone chess player, frustrated by his performance at the game and howling his head off.Apparently the chess player doesn't have much luck playing against his computer.

The Oslo police tweeted about the situation after the incident saying, “We’re at the place. Just a chess-player frustrated by constantly losing against his own PC.”

Norwegian source: Osloby
Animated gif: CC-by-SA Haabet

Confidential confetti drops in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

In a case of possible recycling gone horribly wrong, shredded confidential police documents were used as confetti in the recent Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

While normally the parade organizers, Macy's, uses "commercially manufactured, multicolor confetti, not shredded paper," a New York police department is now in trouble after its badly shredded, confidential documents were used as confetti in the parade.

As crowds were watching the floats and balloons go by in one of America's biggest annual spectacles, some people were rather surprised at the confetti that landed on their clothing. Many documents, imprinted with the letterhead of the Nassau Police Department, were seen amongst the paper. Some contained addresses, license numbers and even social security numbers.

Even worse, some of the recovered scraps seem to be fragments of police reports and also private staff records, including records of undercover officers. One scrap even detailed the route used by Mitt Romney during a presidential debate last month.

 

According to the New York Post, some of the material remained scattered near Central Park West and West 65th Street on Saturday - even as the department vowed a thorough investigation.

 

Ethan Finkelstein, 18-year-old Tufts University freshman of Manhattan was one of the first to notice the unexpected paper shower and told reporters, "I'm just completely in shock."

 

“A friend of a friend was standing in front of me, and she had a big piece of confetti on her coat. She saw it had something on it, and we read it said SSN, like Social Security number,” he said.

 

“We started picking all the confetti up, and it had all kinds of stuff - birth dates, addresses, account information.“

 

"I don’t know where it came from. All of a sudden it was everywhere!”

 

"At first I thought it might be documents from Macy’s employees until I saw that there were detectives’ names and information about crimes in there. This is really shocking!” he added. 

 

Nassau County Police have apparently admitted that the documents do belong to them, but say they have no idea how they found their way to the crowd.Inspector 

 

Kenneth Lack said, "The Nassau County Police Department is very concerned about this situation. We will be conducting an investigation into this matter as well as reviewing our procedures for the disposing of sensitive documents."

Read more and watch video: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/337692#ixzz2DJubtP6t

In a case of possible recycling gone horribly wrong, shredded confidential police documents were used as confetti in the recent Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

While normally the parade organizers, Macy's, uses "commercially manufactured, multicolor confetti, not shredded paper," a New York police department is now in trouble after its badly shredded, confidential documents were used as confetti in the parade. As crowds were watching the floats and balloons go by in one of America's biggest annual spectacles, some people were rather surprised at the confetti that landed on their clothing. Many documents, imprinted with the letterhead of the Nassau Police Department, were seen amongst the paper. Some contained addresses, license numbers and even social security numbers.

Video screen capture

Part of a Nassau County Police Department letterhead in the Macy's Day Thanksgiving Parade confetti.

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Even worse, some of the recovered scraps seem to be fragments of police reports and also private staff records, including records of undercover officers. One scrap even detailed the route used by Mitt Romney during a presidential debate last month. According to the New York Post, some of the material remained scattered near Central Park West and West 65th Street on Saturday - even as the department vowed a thorough investigation. Ethan Finkelstein, 18-year-old Tufts University freshman of Manhattan was one of the first to notice the unexpected paper shower and told reporters, "I'm just completely in shock." “A friend of a friend was standing in front of me, and she had a big piece of confetti on her coat. She saw it had something on it, and we read it said SSN, like Social Security number,” he said “We started picking all the confetti up, and it had all kinds of stuff - birth dates, addresses, account information. “I don’t know where it came from. All of a sudden it was everywhere!” “At first I thought it might be documents from Macy’s employees until I saw that there were detectives’ names and information about crimes in there. This is really shocking!” he added. Nassau County Police have apparently admitted that the documents do belong to them, but say they have no idea how they found their way to the crowd. Inspector Kenneth Lack said, "The Nassau County Police Department is very concerned about this situation. We will be conducting an investigation into this matter as well as reviewing our procedures for the disposing of sensitive documents."

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/337692#ixzz2DJuWuZAA

Thousands of police protest in Madrid, Spain against the cuts

Between 5,000-8,000 police officers from all over Spain marched through Madrid on Saturday, protesting austerity measures and cuts. They even apologized to the public for arresting the wrong people. 

Protesting against the government's austerity measures, which includes frozen pensions and the elimination of Christmas bonuses, the demonstration was called by the nation's main policing union.

 

Numbers are estimated at between 5,000 and 8,000 officers (depending on the media) from all branches of the Spanish police.The Spanish government has imposed harsh spending cuts, which are aimed at saving around 150 billion euros between 2012 and 2014. 

 

The cuts have been met with anger and protests by thousands of Spanish citizens, and now the police are joining them in their anger. 

 

Blowing whistles and chanting slogans, they marched through the city center to the Ministry of the Interior. One of the banners they carried read: "Citizens! Forgive us for not arresting those truly responsible for this crisis: bankers and politicians."

Citizens! Forgive us for not arresting those truly responsible for this crisis: bankers and politicians.

33-year-old police officer Antonio Perez told AP, "The problem is they take from us to give to others, like the autonomous regions and the banks."

 

But it's not just about money. Jose Maria Benito, a spokesman for Spain's Unified Police Union, said that the cuts will affect the security of the country. He said that working conditions have become more precarious and equipment used was no longer up to standard.

 

Benito told AP, “We are here to tell the government that security has to be its priority…in socially convulsive times, we need an adequate police response,” adding that 15,000 workers who have left the force were not going to be replaced.

 

On that point, in a speech, the Union's general secretary, Jose Maria Sanchez Fornet said that "Each year, between 1,500 and 2,000 police officers retire and 125 are recruited, which means in three or four years, there will be more insecurity and crime in Spain."

 

General Secretary of the Trade Union SIPE, Alfredo Perdiguero, said that never before in the history of Spain had the police suffered "so many cuts and setbacks".

 

"The police have a difficult job and the government mistreats us with lack of legal support, low wages and contempt," he said.

 

President of the European Organization Eurocop, Ana Nellberg, shares the demands of the Spanish officers and has assured them that police officers from all over Europe are suffering the same situation. "A disillusioned cop who is not properly funded and paid cannot offer to the people or the government the protection they need and are entitled to. The alternative is chaos." Nellberg warned.

 

The protest by the police officers comes in the wake of the general strike against austerity in Spain and other countries in Europe.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/337116#ixzz2CWdBu53C

Between 5,000-8,000 police officers from all over Spain marched through Madrid on Saturday, protesting austerity measures and cuts. They even apologized to the public for arresting the wrong people.

Protesting against the government's austerity measures, which includes frozen pensions and the elimination of Christmas bonuses, the demonstration was called by the nation's main policing union. Numbers are estimated at between 5,000 and 8,000 officers (depending on the media) from all branches of the Spanish police. The Spanish government has imposed harsh spending cuts, which are aimed at saving around 150 billion euros between 2012 and 2014. The cuts have been met with anger and protests by thousands of Spanish citizens, and now the police are joining them in their anger. Blowing whistles and chanting slogans, they marched through the city center to the Ministry of the Interior. One of the banners they carried read: "Citizens! Forgive us for not arresting those truly responsible for this crisis: bankers and politicians."

Youtube

Citizens! Forgive us for not arresting those truly responsible for this crisis: bankers and politicians.

Likes

33-year-old police officer Antonio Perez told AP, "The problem is they take from us to give to others, like the autonomous regions and the banks." But it's not just about money. Jose Maria Benito, a spokesman for Spain's Unified Police Union, said that the cuts will affect the security of the country. He said that working conditions have become more precarious and equipment used was no longer up to standard. Benito told AP, “We are here to tell the government that security has to be its priority…in socially convulsive times, we need an adequate police response,” adding that 15,000 workers who have left the force were not going to be replaced. On that point, in a speech, the Union's general secretary, Jose Maria Sanchez Fornet said that "Each year, between 1,500 and 2,000 police officers retire and 125 are recruited, which means in three or four years, there will be more insecurity and crime in Spain." General Secretary of the Trade Union SIPE, Alfredo Perdiguero, said that never before in the history of Spain had the police suffered "so many cuts and setbacks". "The police have a difficult job and the government mistreats us with lack of legal support, low wages and contempt," he said. President of the European Organization Eurocop, Ana Nellberg, shares the demands of the Spanish officers and has assured them that police officers from all over Europe are suffering the same situation. "A disillusioned cop who is not properly funded and paid cannot offer to the people or the government the protection they need and are entitled to. The alternative is chaos." Nellberg warned. The protest by the police officers comes in the wake of the general strike against austerity in Spain and other countries in Europe.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/337116#ixzz2CWd4levf

Now it's the cops' turn to protest in Madrid, Spain

Madrid - 3,000 off-duty national police officers rallied outside the Ministry of the Interior in Madrid on Saturday, protesting austerity measures and budget cuts, including the loss of their Christmas bonuses. 

 

The officers, wearing blue caps, some wrapped in Spanish flags, blocked the central Paseo de la Castellana Boulevard in Madrid, while their on-duty colleagues looked on. 

 

The protesters charged and threw fireworks into the air. One banner said "Police officers can no longer take it." One protester apparently required medical treatment, when a firework he intended to throw, went off in his hand.  

 

The demonstrators are members of the Confederación Española de Policía (CEP), the Unión Federal de Policía (UFP) and the Sindicato Profesional de Policía (SPP). 

 

As with all Spanish civil service workers, police are being hit by the country's attempt to get the debt crisis under control. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy revealed a 2013 austerity budget earlier this month, as the country continues into its second recession in three years. As part of the latest cuts, starting January 1, police will lose three of the six days of supplementary holidays that they are allowed every year, in addition to their regular vacation, wage cuts when on sick leave, along with the loss of their Christmas bonus. 

 

Fran Estacio, a 33-year-old officer from Valencia, told AFP, "We came to express our anger at the way the government treats us, not only because they have removed Christmas bonuses, but also because they are eliminating our rights." 

 

Unemployment in Spain hit a record twenty-five per cent this week, which is the highest since the Franco dictatorship ended almost 40 years ago.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335638#ixzz2AX5NDbXX

Op-Ed: Spain to ban photos or videos of police in action

Allegedly to protect the lives of law enforcement officers, but more likely a crack-down on freedom of expression, Spain's government is drafting a law to ban citizens from photographing or filming police officers at their work.

The drafting of this legislation comes amidst waves of protests throughout Spain over the austerity cuts to public healthcare and education. With the Interior Minister, Jorge Fernandez Diaz, stating that they are not cracking down on freedom of expression, the new "Citizen Safety Law" will prohibit “the capture, reproduction and editing of images, sounds or information of members of the security or armed forces in the line of duty,” according to Ignacio Cosidó, the Director General of the police. 

Cosidó added that the new legislation seeks to “find a balance between the protection of citizens’ rights and those of security forces.” Under this new legislation, it will also be punishable by law to disseminate photos and videos over social networks, like Facebook.

Cebo

Police brutality - 29 March 2012 - Madrid, Spain

The new law will cover all images that could pose a risk to the physical safety of police officers, or could impede them from executing their duty.

However, the Interior Ministry stresses that it will not encroach on freedom of expression. Cosido stressed, “We are trying to avoid images of police being uploaded onto social networks with threats to them and their families.” 

According to the United Police Syndicate in Spain, implementation of this new legislation would be “very complicated”, as it does not establish any guidelines over the types of image that would violate the rights of a police officer. The syndicate says that the ministry will encounter "legal problems" should it not specify clearly the "ins and outs of the law." 

Despite this Cosidó argued that the measures are necessary, given the “elevated levels of violence against officers” in the economic crisis that is “undermining the basis of a democratic society.”

There have been many anti-austerity protests in Spain over the past year, with many reports and much footage of police brutality against protesters. It is clear from this footage that many Spanish police officers do not wear their identification badges during the protests, despite the fact that the law requires this. 

 

Legislation that prevents citizens, and for that matter, journalists from taking photos or videos of the police in action during the protests is a clear breach of freedom of expression. 

 

In the US, there have been several incidences where video taken by citizen journalists, has cleared defendants in Occupy-related arrests. A good example of this was reported on Digital Journal in the NYPD case against Alexander Arbuckle, arrested for disorderly conduct in the OWS protest early on New Year's Day, but cleared due to the video footage of a citizen journalist, Tim Pool. Ironically, Arbuckle was not even part of the protest, and up until that time actually supported the police. Obviously he changed his tune once arrested by the NYPD.

 

With more and more stories of police brutality doing the rounds in the media, it is a worrying precedent when the right to take photos or videos of police officers is taken away from concerned citizens and citizen journalists. 

 

It pretty much gives the police the edge to do whatever they want, and leaves you unable to prove a thing. With recent violence between police and protesters, especially near Parliament in Madrid on September 25, many Spaniards have been shocked by images of protesters, bloodied and in need of medical attention, appearing on the television. Of course it is essential that people know about this kind of violence and what is happening in the streets around them. 

 

The video above shows the events in Madrid on September 25, including the brutal attack by the police. Presumably, this type of video would not be allowed under the new legislation?  (Apologies unable to embed video here, please click to view.)

 

Fernandez Diaz did, however, tell the media, "We do not intend to stop the press from doing its job of taking pictures of police charges and other proceedings. But we understand that in anti-terrorist operations or against mafias you have to have a more careful approach when it comes to disseminating images."

This leaves things a little unclear. Does that mean that the media are allowed to take images of police action, but a simple citizen journalist, such as the writer of this article, is not? Lead writer for the Spanish national newspaper, El Mundo, Angel Casaña, published an online editorial saying that photography has changed the course of history. 

 

He states that the government's proposed measure could have a negative impact on journalism in Spain. "If this proposal goes ahead, it is going to be impossible to know about events as they occur on the streets just at a time when streets are at boiling point due to the dire economic situation of many families," said Casaña.

Read more and view video of police brutality in Madrid: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335133