Free Republic

A troubling bill (PDF) that passed the Mississippi legislature last month would give the state’s attorney general three paramilitary-style “strike forces” to use around the state at his discretion. The bill is being pushed by Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, who told the Associated Press, “These elite forces will respond to a specific high-crime area and hit gangs and drug dealers where they live. Give law enforcement the authority and the resources they need, and they will get the job done.” But it’s far from clear that the state really needs more strike forces with which to hit people. Mississippi already...

In a video posted Thursday to YouTube, Connecticut State Police Spokesman Lt. Paul Vance is heard telling a woman identified as "GMN Producer Guerilla Girl Ashley" that she sounded anti-American for questioning the state's new gun control law. ***** "I want to know, if it comes down to it, will the police go to my home if my husband refuses to give up a weapon that was formerly legal and now has been made illegal by a corrupt legislature?" she asked. "Will the police actually go to my home and threaten my family, 'cause I'm scared to death?" "We don't...

This purebreed is pure hero. A Doberman pinscher competing in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City next week is being credited with saving his Staten Island owner’s life nearly three years ago by detecting her breast cancer. Troy, then a 4-month-old puppy, alerted Diane Papazian, 56, to a dangerous lump in her breast while they were cuddling in bed, said her husband, Harry. Diane thought it was peculiar how persistent the pooch was in his nuzzling, leading her to conduct a self-examination and to discover the lump. She underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy to beat...

Zeus was on the living room couch when the fire broke out. That's where firefighters found the unconscious, adult male Doberman when they entered a home in the 600 block of Hartford Drive off Victoria Road in College Station Friday and immediately provided him with oxygen. He was taken to the Wellborn Road Veterinary Medical Center for treatment for smoke inhalation and will remain there for at least one night, said Dr. Brittany Frank, the veterinarian on his case. While Zeus has improved since arriving at the medical center and is able to walk on his own, Frank said he's...

A Cincinnati traffic reporter has gained national attention for his dramatic on-air parody of a Disney movie song. WKRC's Bob Herzog changed 'Let it Go,' sung by Princess Elsa in the animated movie 'Frozen,' to 'Just Don't Go' to reference the winter weather. As images of cars skidding on ice and traffic conditions play, Herzog dramatically sings lines like: 'I must share what dispatchers say, all the traction's gone. School's closed or at least they're on a delay.'

SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLORIDA - All Gilberto Powell, 22, a five foot tall man with Down Syndrome, wanted to do was walk a half block home from a friend's house, but this was enough time and distance for the police to intervene. Police "followed" Powell because they noticed a "bulge in his pants." He was not happy to see the cops; this was only his colostomy bag (which police ripped from his body). Powell was then beaten down in the street by police, leaving him bruised and battered from blows to the face. The beating officer insisted Powell ran, but Powell...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that police may search a home without a warrant when two occupants disagree about allowing officers to enter, and the resident who refuses access is then arrested. The justices declined to extend an earlier ruling denying entry to police when the occupants disagree and both are present. Justice Samuel Alito wrote the court's 6-3 decision holding that an occupant may not object to a search when he is not at home.

TORONTO – For women, smelling a newborn baby feels as good as drugs are to addicts or cheeseburgers to those just breaking a fast, new Montreal research suggests. A University of Montreal scientist says a newborn baby’s odour lights up the reward centres in our brain in a way other scents can’t. And for women – specifically moms – the experience, a rush of dopamine to the brain, is heightened. The reaction is so strong, it exists even if the baby isn’t in front of you. It’s chemistry between mom and baby. “What we’ve shown for the first time is...

As the New Mexico State Police and the Albuquerque Police Department have come under scrutiny in recent months for a rash of officer-involved shootings, the man who sets the tone for training police recruits in the state has instituted a curriculum that puts less restraint on officers in deciding when to use deadly force. “Evil has come to the state of New Mexico, evil has come to the Southwest, evil has come to the United States,” said Jack Jones, director of the Law Enforcement Academy, when asked about the new approach. The academy trains recruits for police departments across the...

Residents in some towns have begun standing up to the large armored vehicles that local police departments are receiving from the federal government. Six-figure grants from the Department of Homeland Security have been funding BearCats and other heavily fortified vehicles in towns and cities nationwide since soon after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Beginning last summer, the government also has handed out 200 surplus vehicles built to withstand mines and bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is considering requests from 750 more communities. Most police and citizens welcome the extra protection, saying recent mass shootings show any local force could find...

Updated: Monday, February 17 2014, 08:02 PM EST WEST COLUMBUS (James Jackson/Kelsey Mallahan) -- A family’s dog was fatally shot Sunday by police officers after they were called to the home because a moving truck was blocking traffic. Brittnay Bergman and Dustin Ramsey just moved into the house on South Wayne Ave. They said when officers came to their door, their three to four-year-old Boxer, Delilah, ran out of the house. "She jumped off the porch, growled at him. Put herself in the corner of our fence and greenhouse," Ramsey said. Ramsey said that's when the officer grabbed his weapon....

Son of woman killed by deputy speaks by ASHLEY GOUDEAU and HEATHER KOVAR / KVUE News Bio | Email | Follow: @HeatherK_KVUE kvue.com Posted on February 17, 2014 at 5:20 PM Updated today at 10:12 AM Still unknown if woman killed by Bastrop deputy was armed Sheriff's office won't release 911 calls, video in officer-involved shooting BASTROP COUNTY, Texas -- A modest house in Bastrop is now missing the person who made it home, Yvette Smith. "She was strong hearted, you know," said Anthony Bell, speaking of his mother. "Loving and caring, would do anything for her children. She worked...

The Euharlee Police Department plans to release a statement today about the officer-involved shooting that left a 17-year-old Bartow County boy dead. Sherry Lang, spokesman for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, identified the dead teen as Christopher Roupe on Sunday. Lang said Roupe was shot when he opened the door with a handgun pointing at two officers who had gone to his residence to serve two probation violation arrest warrants. “The officer fired one shot, striking Roupe,” she said in an emailed statement. Euharlee Police Chief Terry Harget declined to name the officers Sunday, but said he expected to provide...

An Open Letter to the Men and Women of the Connecticut State Police: You are NOT the enemy (UNLESS YOU CHOOSE TO BE.) The following letter was sent via email to members of the Connecticut State Police, Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. There are 1,212 email addresses on the list. There were 62 bounce-backs. 15 February 2014 To the men and women of the Connecticut State Police and the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection: My name is Mike Vanderboegh. Few of you will know who I am, or even will have heard of the Three Percent...

MOORE, Oklahoma - Three Moore Police officers were put on administrative leave while detective investigate an in-custody death from overnight. The family of the man who died said police beat him badly and they recorded it with a cell phone camera. Nair Rodriguez and her daughter Lunahi told News 9 they got into an argument at the Warren Theater around midnight. Nair said she slapped her daughter then stormed away. Her husband, Luis, chased after her. That was when the family said officers confronted Luis Rodriguez and asked to see his identification. According to Lunahi and Nair, he tried to...

One of the police officers who infamously murdered Kelly Thomas, was recently spotted at a Southern California Denny’s restaurant. Customers instantly recognized the killer cop as Manuel Ramos, who was recorded on surveillance video beating unarmed Kelly Thomas to death, as he screamed for help. As Ramos tried to chug his drink before leaving the restaurant, customers yelled. “Killer cops aren’t welcome here.” . Last month, Ramos and his partner Jay Cicinelli were found “not guilty” of murder, even though the homeless, mentally ill man offered no resistance to their brutal assault. Ramos showed no mercy to Kelly Thomas when...

WINNEMUCCA, Nev. (MyNews4.com & KRNV) -- Imagine getting pulled over for a traffic stop, and instead of getting a ticket, the officer takes your money. All of it. It happened to one man recently, who was driving on Interstate 80 through Northern Nevada. Now, he is fighting back. It's a case that focuses on our rights: Can law enforcement take your money or property, even if you are not charged with a crime? The driver was Tan Nguyen of California. He has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office and District Attorney. His attorney, John...

When a soldier is shot on the battlefield, the emergency treatment can seem as brutal as the injury itself. A medic must pack gauze directly into the wound cavity, sometimes as deep as 5 inches into the body, to stop bleeding from an artery. It’s an agonizing process that doesn't always work--if bleeding hasn't stopped after three minutes of applying direct pressure, the medic must pull out all the gauze and start over again. It’s so painful, “you take the guy’s gun away first,” says former U.S. Army Special Operations medic John Steinbaugh. Even with this emergency treatment, many soldiers...

A 6-year-old girl who was kidnapped outside of her Houston, Texas home was rescued after she asked for help in a store bathroom. Authorities say 23-year-old Joaquin Ramos abducted Kelly Tellez while her mother was unloading groceries, then took her to Target because he had to use the restroom. He told her to go use the bathroom as well. Once inside the restroom, she asked a woman for help.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- A Fort Worth police officer will not face charges for fatally shooting a 72-year-old Texas homeowner while investigating a burglary alarm at the wrong house, a Tarrant County jury decided Wednesday. The decision to "no-bill" R.A. "Alex" Hoeppner in the death of Jerry Waller came a week after prosecutors began presenting the case to the grand jury. Waller died May 28 after being shot multiple times by Hoeppner as the officer and a partner searched for a possible burglary suspect after being dispatched to a burglary alarm call across the street. Family members have said Waller,...