Crime News
The Daily Signal reports on crime news with analysis and commentary on policies, crime rates, and policing debates.
-
opinion
‘Bridgegate’ Was Stupid, Not Criminal: DOJ Indictment Oversteps
This week, the infamous “Bridgegate” scandal goes to trial, with former officials in New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s administration facing serious charges from the U.S. Department of Justice. Not since London Bridge came falling down in 1281 has an overpass caused such a stir. The backstory: In 2013, Christie was running for re-election. Like every… -
opinion
What the Media, Academics Get Wrong When They Blame Crime Rate on Poverty, Discrimination
Some are puzzled by the dishonesty, lack of character, and sheer stupidity of many people in the media. But seeing as most of them are college graduates, they don’t bear the full blame. They are taught by dishonest and irresponsible academics. Let’s look at it. “A Clash of Police Policies,” a column written by Thomas… -
news
Obama Attends Final Economic Summit Amid Concerns of Cronyism, Corruption
President Barack Obama heads to China on Friday to participate in his final G-20 leaders summit—marking a legacy critics say has left America weaker on the global economic front. While still the world’s largest economy, the United States has experienced weak growth since the Great Recession because of policies that make America less competitive, said… -
news
She Never Committed a Crime. But Albuquerque Seized Her Car, and Won’t Give It Back.
Arlene Harjo had let her son borrow her car time and time again, and never had any issues. But in April, Arlene’s son, Tino Harjo, was arrested for drunk driving, and police seized the car he was driving. The 2014 Nissan Versa belonged to Arlene, 56, and now she is forced to maneuver through the… -
news
Should Police Be Able to Take Property Without Charging Owners With a Crime? One Sheriff Race Shows Split on Issue
In a sheriff’s race in one Oklahoma county, the question of whether police can and should be able to seize people’s property without charging them with a crime emerged as a wedge issue, highlighting the split among law enforcement on a controversial tool known as civil asset forfeiture. In June, voters hit the polls and… -
news
After Crimea ‘Incursions,’ Russia and Ukraine Step Back From All-Out War
KYIV, Ukraine—In a familiar cycle of brinksmanship, Russia and Ukraine once again edged toward the brink of open war last week, only for the bellicose rhetoric and military posturing to dissipate rapidly, leaving the conflict in eastern Ukraine no closer to a long-term solution. Russia’s successor spy agency to the KGB, the Federal Security Service,… -
opinion
DEA Targets Innocent Americans, Accessing Travel Data to Seize Cash via Civil Asset Forfeiture Laws
Well-meaning laws designed to nab high-level criminals have been twisted to siphon off money from law-abiding American citizens. The latest abuse of civil asset forfeiture laws involves air and rail travelers being targeted and fleeced by a federal agency. The Drug Enforcement Administration is pulling Americans’ travel data en masse from airline and Amtrak records,… -
opinion
Texas Gets the Best Deal It Could With DOJ on Voter ID for the Election
It looks as if Texas, the Justice Department, and all of the other parties, including the NAACP, involved in the challenge to the state’s voter ID law have worked out an interim settlement—and the district court judge approved the deal today after a telephonic hearing Wednesday morning. That deal is probably about the best deal… -
news
These Gun Owners Are Least Likely Criminals, Report Finds
Concealed-carry permit holders are nearly the most law-abiding demographic of Americans, a new report by the Crime Prevention Research Center says—comparing the permit holders foremost with police. “Indeed, it is impossible to think of any other group in the U.S. that is anywhere near as law-abiding,” says the report, titled “Concealed Carry Permit Holders Across… -
opinion
Forget Zika, Urban Crime Is the Real Threat to Rio’s Olympic Games
Much has been said about the risks Zika virus presents to tourists and athletes visiting Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics. Several competitors decided to skip the games because of the epidemic. But the fact is, crime is a much bigger threat, and the numbers prove that. It is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and the… -
news
Justice Department Knew of IRS Scandal 2 Years Before Congress but Did Nothing
Recently unearthed documents reveal that the FBI knew the IRS was unfairly targeting groups because of their conservative politics two years before Congress even heard about the agency’s misconduct. The revelation has already added fodder to the conservative case to impeach the current IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. Almost 300 pages of documents released Thursday and… -
news
How Other Nations Stop US From Deporting Criminal Illegal Immigrants
Susanna Ruth Makinson can blame a lot of things for why her then-husband was shot dead eight years ago while patrolling the streets of Fort Myers, Florida, the first time since 1930 a police officer had been gunned down in the city. That’s because, in a distant way out of her—and his—control, Andrew Widman’s death… -
news
Journalist’s Murder, Kerry Trip to Moscow Among Events That Rattle Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine—Little more than two weeks ago, things were looking up for Ukraine. Fighting had tapered off in the ongoing war in eastern Ukraine and Kyiv had scored a series of diplomatic wins, including high-profile gestures of solidarity from NATO leaders at the Warsaw summit. But the good news quickly was overshadowed by events inside… -
opinion
Who Determines Computer Crimes? Court Says Congress. Congress Is Unclear.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has handed down its opinion in Facebook, Inc. v. Power Ventures, Inc., that seems to suggest, as George Washington University Law Prof. Orin Kerr writes, that “It’s a federal crime to visit a website after being told not to visit it.” Although this case arose in the civil context, violations… -
news
In Cleveland, GOP Governors Up Commitments to Criminal Justice Reform
CLEVELAND—Despite strong voices from conservative members of the Senate, a trio of Republican governors reaffirmed the Republican Party’s commitment to tackling criminal justice reform. On the second day of the Republican National Convention here, Govs. Matt Bevin of Kentucky, Nathan Deal of Georgia, and Mary Fallin of Oklahoma touted reforms passed in their states assisting… -
news
‘Bribery and Kickback Schemes’ Plague Syrian Relief Program Funded With Tax Dollars
U.S. tax dollars are going to relief agencies in Syria that are engaging in “bid-rigging and multiple bribery and kickback schemes” and the federal government has taken inadequate steps to prevent it, according to a recent audit. The fraud makes an already difficult task even tougher in getting needed aid to Syrians in a country… -
opinion
Is Sharing Netflix Passwords a Crime? Laws Are Unclear—and That’s a Problem
Sharing passwords from popular streaming services, like Netflix and HBO, could become a federal crime under a broad federal criminal statute. Last week, a divided panel of federal judges on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in an opinion written by Judge Margaret McKeown, affirmed the conviction of David Nosal under the Computer Fraud… -
news
House Conservatives Explain Latest IRS Chief Impeachment Push: ‘Leadership Has Been Too Timid to Go After Corruption’
The House Freedom Caucus has launched a pressure play against Republican leadership in an effort to force a vote on impeaching John Koskinen, commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service. Before Congress skipped town Thursday for a seven-week recess, Reps. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., and John Fleming, R-La., filed a parliamentary measure known as a privileged resolution… -
opinion
Moldova Whistleblower Exposes ‘Bank Robbery of the Century,’ Raises IMF Questions
As the West develops its strategy to deal with a resurgent Russia, more must be done to focus on the so-called gray areas lying between the Euro-Atlantic community and Russia: Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova. These countries, while not in NATO or the EU, strive to join these organizations someday. Russia is doing all it can… -
news
7 Key Takeaways From FBI Director’s Hearing on Clinton Email Use
FBI Director James Comey appeared before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Thursday to further detail the FBI’s yearlong investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server and handling of classified information while she was secretary of state. Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, hastily scheduled the hearing just…