Crime News
The Daily Signal reports on crime news with analysis and commentary on policies, crime rates, and policing debates.
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- Opinion
How the Justice Department Is Getting Smarter on Corporate Crime
The Department of Justice recently issued a revamped policy for using and selecting corporate monitors to resolve criminal matters with corporations and businesses. Corporate monitors are private firms—such as law firms and consulting companies—selected by the government to act as an internal regulator within corporations and businesses that the Justice Department has accused of, or…Jonathan Zalewski -
- News
Hate Crimes Among Charges in Killing of 11 at Pittsburgh Synagogue
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Saturday that the Justice Department is filing federal hate crime charges that could lead to the death penalty for Robert Bowers, the 46-year-old man who allegedly murdered 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue. “These alleged crimes are reprehensible and utterly repugnant to the values of this nation. Accordingly, the Department…Chuck Ross -
- News
Suspect Charged With 5 Federal Crimes in Mail Bombs Sent to Trump Opponents
The Florida man arrested Friday in connection with 14 suspicious packages sent to Democrat politicians and other public figures has been charged with five federal crimes and faces up to 48 years in prison, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. Cesar Sayoc Jr., 56, from the Miami suburb of Aventura, was charged with threats against former…Tristan Justice -
- Opinion
Fabricating Hate Crimes Is a Byproduct of Victimhood Ideology on College Campuses
Anna Ayers, a student government leader at Ohio University, reported finding threatening messages in the drawer of her desk a few weeks ago. Ayers, an LGBT student, said the three notes were “hateful, harassing,” according to The Post Athens, a student-run news outlet, and made specific attacks on her sexual identity. “Senate will never be…Jarrett Stepman -
- Opinion
Unsealed Choke Point Documents Show Obama Was Far From Scandal-Free
In February 2018, Barack Obama infamously claimed his presidential administration was scandal-free. “We didn’t have a scandal that embarrassed us,” Obama said about a year after leaving office, during closed-door remarks leaked to the press. Conservatives, however, often point to Operation Fast and Furious, the Benghazi terrorist attacks, the IRS tea party scandal, and many…Kelsey Bolar -
- News
FBI Director Christopher Wray: Terrorists Likely to Use Drones to Attack ‘Mass Gatherings’
FBI Director Christopher Wray warned Wednesday that the odds of terrorists using civilian drones in the U.S. to attack “mass gatherings” is “steadily increasing.” Wray offered the dire warning in testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. “The FBI assesses that, given their retail availability, lack of verified identification requirement to procure,…Chuck Ross -
- Opinion
I Was a Crime Reporter in Maryland in the Early ’80s. I Never Heard of Teen Gang-Rape Parties
“Oh, I think everyone in the county remembers these parties,” Julie Swetnick says with a smile during her nationally televised interview. Um, not me, Julie. I had my first job as a reporter in Montgomery County, Maryland, at the time Swetnick claims Brett Kavanaugh and other teenage boys routinely were drugging and gang-raping girls at…Ken McIntyre -
- Opinion
Why a Florida Man’s 20-Year Sentence for Stealing Cigarettes Isn’t a Case for Criminal Justice Reform
Robert Spellman Jr. last week received a 20-year prison sentence after a jury convicted him on burglary and grand theft charges for stealing $600 worth of cigarettes from a Florida convenience store. It’s a sentence Spellman, of Pensacola, Florida, well deserves. Spellman’s sentence has become a national (and international) story in part because of robust…Jonathan Zalewski -
- Opinion
Twitter’s Initial Classification of ‘Illegal Alien,’ ‘Criminal Alien’ as Hateful Shows Social Media’s Censorship Potential
Twitter made headlines recently when it denied the Center for Immigration Studies, a nonpartisan group, the ability to promote four tweets that—according to Twitter—contained “hateful content.” What was that hateful content? The legally correct phrases “illegal alien” and “criminal alien.” To be clear, those who follow the Center for Immigration Studies on Twitter were able…Hans von Spakovsky -
- News
New Batch of Strzok-Page Emails Suggests FBI Use of Unsecure Devices
Email messages between two FBI officials suggest widespread use of unsecure communications by the bureau, according to records obtained in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. Judicial Watch, a Washington-based nonpartisan government watchdog organization, announced Thursday that it received 47 pages of records from the Justice Department that show FBI officials used “unsecure devices” while…Kevin Mooney -
- News
Evidence of Crimes Irrelevant to Impeaching Trump, a Texas Democrat Insists
High crimes and misdemeanors are irrelevant to whether President Donald Trump should be impeached by the House, despite the Constitution, a Texas lawmaker said. “The people who say, ‘What law did he break? What rule did he break?,’ they are perpetrating upon you a belief that is totally inaccurate,” Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, said Thursday…Rachel del Guidice -
- News
Twitter Rejects Ads Using the Words ‘Illegal Alien’ and ‘Criminal Alien,’ Calling That ‘Hate Speech’
Twitter rejected four tweets from a Washington-based immigration research center’s advertising campaign as “hate speech” Tuesday because they used the legal terms “illegal alien” and “criminal alien.” The rejected tweets by the Center for Immigration Studies, proposed for its Twitter Ads campaign to attract more followers, generally provided a statistic or factual statement and pressed…Troy Worden -
- Opinion
Newly Disclosed Strzok-Page Texts Shed New Light on ‘Media Leak Strategy’ at FBI, Justice
Peter Strzok has been fired from his job at the FBI, but the hits from his text messages to his former mistress, former FBI lawyer Lisa Page, just keep on coming. In the latest development, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., has written a letter to Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, disclosing that the latest documents…Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
Bolton Is Right to Repudiate International Criminal Court’s Jurisdiction Over US Military, Government Officials
National security adviser John Bolton didn’t mince words in a speech on Monday as he outlined U.S. policy toward the International Criminal Court. In that speech, before the Federalist Society, Bolton said: The United States will use any means necessary to protect our citizens, and those of our allies, from unjust prosecution by this illegitimate…Brett Schaefer -
- Opinion
More on Criminal Justice Reform: A Response to Paul Mirengoff
Opposition to the criminal justice reform proposals that the Senate is now considering, which promise significant public safety gains, continues to miss the mark. Last week, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wrote an editorial in The Wall Street Journal expressing his strong opposition to some modest sentencing reform proposals that have been offered by Sen. Chuck…John G. Malcolm -
- News
University System Plans ‘Full Criminal Investigation’ After Confederate Statue Toppled
The University of North Carolina System is taking action after protesters toppled the statue of a Confederate soldier at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Monday night. “Campus leadership is in collaboration with campus police, who are pulling together a timeline of the events, reviewing video evidence, and conducting interviews that will…Rachel del Guidice -
- News
Illegal Immigrant Charged in Mollie Tibbetts’ Murder
The man charged with killing missing University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts is an illegal immigrant, police said Tuesday. Police charged Cristhian Bahena Rivera, 24, with first-degree murder. The Los Angeles Times reported: “Rick Rahn, special agent in charge with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, said … Rivera had been living in the area…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Why It’s Not ‘Soft On Crime’ to Support Criminal Justice Reform
In a Wall Street Journal editorial last week, Sen. Tom Cotton offered tepid support for prison reform measures in the FIRST STEP Act, which the House passed in late May with overwhelming bipartisan support. The Arkansas Republican said the bill contains “some flaws,” but has “worthy goals.” The FIRST STEP Act is designed to enhance public safety…John G. Malcolm -
- Opinion
With Criminal Justice Bills Pending, Sen. Warren Wrongly Calls System ‘Racist’
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., was right to backpedal from her speech last week at Dillard University in New Orleans in which she said, “Our criminal justice system” is “racist … front to back.” But her clarifying remarks at a town hall meeting, following criticism from law enforcement officials in her home state and the U.S….John-Michael Seibler -
- News
4 Unanswered Questions About the FBI and Justice Department After Peter Strzok’s Firing
The controversies surrounding the Justice Department and FBI won’t end with the firing of veteran agent Peter Strzok, known for his bombastic text messages targeting Donald Trump during the presidential campaign and the Hillary Clinton email scandal. Trump weighed in Monday on Twitter, noting Strzok was one of those on “a list of bad players”…Fred Lucas