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
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… -
opinion
The Explanation Americans Deserve From FBI on Clinton’s Server Use
“I am confident that I never sent or received any information that was classified at the time it was sent and received.” That is what former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters last July. At least we now know that was not true. In announcing that the FBI would be recommending to the higher-ups… -
news
FBI Flagged This Congressman as a Terrorist. Here’s Why He Opposes a New Gun Ban.
Waiting on a routine flight from Sacramento back to Santa Barbara, Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., discovered he was a terrorist. Or at least that’s what the FBI thought. McClintock was clearly more of a frequent flyer than radical extremist. But a classic case of mistaken identity, not ties to terrorism, landed him on the FBI’s… -
opinion
Number of Victims Rescued From Human Trafficking Almost Doubled in 2016
According to the newly released Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, the number of human trafficking victims rescued and traffickers prosecuted nearly doubled in 2016. The statistics offer hope that greater emphasis is being placed on rule of law solutions to fight human trafficking. The report, conducted by the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in… -
opinion
Why the Supreme Court’s Decision on a Governor’s Corruption Conviction Matters
On Monday, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its ruling in the case involving former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who—with his wife Maureen—had been convicted of public corruption charges. Whether the government chooses to retry the McDonnells remains to be seen, but it seems doubtful. The Supreme Court, in a unanimous opinion written… -
opinion
Supreme Court Federalizes ‘Any Robbery,’ Shows Old Statute Is Ready for Change
Robbery is a crime in every state, and no one argues that it should not be. But should any local robbery also be a federal crime? Although the Supreme Court’s opinion in Taylor v. United States says that now it is, significant constitutional and policy considerations beg to differ. Taylor v. United States David Taylor… -
news
FBI Terrorist Watch List Can Have Little Impact, Experts Say
Being on the FBI’s terrorist watch list doesn’t necessarily have a direct impact on an individual, experts say. This is why the Islamist-inspired gunman who murdered 49 people in Orlando was still able to purchase a firearm and work for one of the nation’s largest security firms. The FBI twice investigated Omar Mateen, the Orlando…