Tag: Legal

Richard Rosario has spent two decades behind bars, insisting for every one of those years that 13 alibi witnesses could prove he was innocent of a 1996 New York City murder.

On Tuesday, the Bronx District Attorney’s Office told NBC News it intends to ask a judge to throw out Rosario’s conviction.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark confirmed that the DA will move to vacate the conviction and ask that Rosario be released from prison “after a review by her office determined that he did not receive a fair trial.”

But, the statement added, “The charges against Mr. Rosario remain open pending further investigation.”

For years, former Bronx DA Robert Johnson stood by the conviction and appellate courts have consistently upheld it. But when Clark took office on January 1st of this year, she vowed that potential wrongful convictions would be a focus for her office, and began to look into the Rosario case.

The news comes just two days before the launch of “Conviction,” a streaming documentary series produced by Dateline NBC that is set to be released on NBCNews.com on Thursday. It documents a producer’s two-year investigation into the long and twisted history of Rosario’s case.

“We are very happy that Richard is going to be free, that he’s going to get a measure of justice after 20 years,” said Rosario’s attorneys, Rebecca Freedman and Glenn Garber of The Exoneration Initiative, a not-for-profit organization that investigates claims of innocence.

The Bronx DA’s office says it has begun the process of bringing Rosario from Eastern Correctional Facility in upstate New York, where he was housed, to the Bronx to appear in court. A law enforcement source tells NBC News that could happen by Wednesday.

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Kingston Jamaica March 28 2016 Security guards will soon receive training which will enable them to seek employment in the Caribbean and Europe.

Evening and week-end classes for a 12-week training programme are scheduled to begin in May 2016 at the Excelsior Community College (ECC) main campus, 137 Mountain View Avenue, Kingston 3.

The school is collaborating with Security Administrators Limited (SAL) to start the programme.

Principal of ECC Philmore McCarthy and Managing Director of SAL, Captain George Reynolds, recently formalized the partnership with the signing of a memorandum of understanding at the main campus of EEC.

Marketing Manager of ECC, Trudy-Anne Riley told JIS News that the idea to start the training course came about, because of a need to give accredited certification to guards and persons with an interest in a security career.

She said the Private Security Regulation Authority (PSRA) Act 1992 has mandated that all security guards be certified and to submit evidence of their training and certification in the form of a certificate from an approved PSRA Trainer, effective January 1, 2016.

“They had given them a timeframe in which to get the certification. So based on the fact that we are a community college that responds to the needs of the community, we saw it fit to partner with Security Administrators Limited to offer a certification course for security guards,” she said.

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The ongoing back-and-forth between the FBI and Apple over the encryption on the work iPhone of one of the alleged San Bernardino killers continues – with experts and the American public divided on the concepts of safety and privacy when it comes to their mobile data.

Apple opposes a court order issued earlier this month by a federal judge which compels them to help the FBI hack around the encryption on the iPhone 5C of San Bernardino mass killer Syed Farook, which remains locked in the FBI’s possession. Apple says creating the workaround will create a “back door” that will allow almost anyone to hack almost any Apple device.

But the FBI argues it’s not trying to compromise security – and the family members of the San Bernardino victims are reportedly going to file court papers to back their push for the access to the phone.

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“This week, the Arizona State Legislature has scheduled hearings for several important pro-gun bills. Bills scheduled for hearings include:

Senate Bill 1266, sponsored by state Senator Steve Smith (R-11), would improve the state firearms preemption law to ensure consistency throughout the Grand Canyon State. This would be done by providing a mechanism to declare unlawful regulations null and void in addition to providing penalties for knowing and willful violations by localities. SB 1266 is a much-needed protection that will help law-abiding gun owners ensure they are in compliance with the law. SB 1266 is scheduled for two hearings on Wednesday, February 3. The first hearing is at 9:00am in the Senate Public Safety, Military and Technology Committee and the second at 2:00pm in the Senate Government Committee.

Senate Bill 1257, sponsored by state Senator John Kavanagh (R-23), makes changes to existing law and expands the list of places where law-abiding gun owners can exercise their fundamental right to self-defense to include some additional public areas where certain security measures are not in place. SB 1257 is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Government Committee at 2:00pm on February 3.

House Bill 2446, sponsored by state Representative David Livingston (R-22), makes necessary revisions to Arizona’s current definition of a “prohibited weapon” to exclude all firearms or devices that are legally possessed in compliance with the National Firearms Act (NFA). The technical correction made by HB 2446 changes the registration of NFA items from the Treasury Department to the appropriate Federal Agency in order to be compliant with current federal law. HB 2446 is scheduled for a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee at 9:00am on Wednesday, February 3.

House Bill 2494, sponsored by state Representative Steve Montenegro (R-13), would offer a tax credit for the costs incurred during the taxable year for training courses taken by the taxpayer, a spouse or a dependent, in order to apply and qualify for a permit to carry a concealed weapon in Arizona. HB 2494 was scheduled for a hearing in the House Ways and Means Committee​ yesterday, and is now being held in committee for further consideration.”

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Private K-12 schools and higher education institutions in Tennessee would have the ability to create policy that would permit qualified people to carry handguns in all buildings and on all campuses owned and operated by the private school, according to a newly filed bill by Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville.

The legislation, which was filed on Monday, would require the chief administrative officers of private K-12 schools and higher education institutions to set a policy on carrying handguns on the property and buildings of each school and institution.

According to the legislation, qualified persons include anyone not prohibited from possessing a handgun and who also has a valid Tennessee handgun carry permit.

Although Bell’s legislation would not require a private school to allow all qualified people the ability to bring their guns into a building, it would mandate the school’s chief officer to create a policy.

The private institutions are given the ability to decide who is allowed to carry a weapon on the premises.

Bell told The Tennessean the bill is not a direct reaction to state Attorney General Herbert Slatery’s opinion that was issued last September in which the attorney general said people can’t bring guns to a church, religious entity or private school if the property is being used for a school event.

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VSP promotion makes gender history

The Virginia State Police is marking a milestone with the promotion of a woman to lieutenant colonel.

That makes Maj. Tracy S. Russillo the department’s highest ranking female. She’s succeeding Lt. Col. Robert G. Kemmler as director of the Bureau of Support Services in Richmond — also a first in the department’s 83-year history. Kemmler is retiring.

Bureau operations include communications, information technology and training divisions, among others.

Russillo is a native of Fredericksburg. She joined the state police in May 1989. Her first patrol assignment was in Spotsylvania County, followed by two years in Culpeper County.

Her promotion to lieutenant colonel is effective Christmas Day.

The promotion was announced by Col. W. Steven Flaherty, commander of the VSP.

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Corrections officer awarded Medal of Valor

A corrections officer at the South Central Correctional Center received the state’s highest public safety award for his actions in a 2014 inmate attack.

Nathan F. Box was one of nine officers from across the state who received the Missouri Medal of Valor honor from Gov. Jay Nixon during a ceremony last Wednesday in Jefferson City.

Officers who responded to deadly threats in 2014 represented Missouri police and EMS and fire departments, as well as the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Missouri Department of Corrections and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Box sprung into action on May 30, 2014, when a prisoner attacked a corrections officer with an 8-inch-long steel improvised weapon.

The offender had stabbed the officer multiple times, including in the jaw, back of the head and left torso when Box came to the officer’s aid.

He first deployed pepper spray at the attacker, but it had no effect.

Because corrections officers do not carry guns, Tasers or other weapons, Box physically engaged the attacker, attempting to pull him away from the injured officer. The attacker remained violent and began attacking Box.

In subduing the attacker to protect his wounded colleague, Box suffered a stab wound and a fractured jaw. Despite his injuries, Box was able to subdue the attacker and recover the improvised weapon.

The wounded officer who was originally attacked was treated at a hospital and released. Box was also treated, including requiring surgery on his jaw.

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FBI Seeking Special Agent Applicants

Do you have what it takes to be a special agent? The FBI is now accepting applications from talented and motivated individuals who want to embrace this challenging and rewarding opportunity to serve their country and communities.

Special agents bring with them a variety of experience and skills, from computer science and engineering to law and accounting. The FBI is looking for diversity of perspective to effectively achieve its mission.

Applicants must successfully complete the Special Agent Selection System (SASS), a mentally and physically challenging process designed to identify the most capable candidates. The SASS includes an online application to screen for eligibility and willingness, followed by a number of exams, interviews, and background evaluations. Applicants are rated on their individual competitiveness and the professional needs of the FBI. The process can take six months to a year.

Becoming a special agent isn’t easy. In fiscal year 2014, the Bureau received more than 20,000 applications for approximately 700 special agent vacancies.

Before you apply, make sure you meet the preliminary standards (with some exceptions):

Be a U.S. citizen
Be between 23 and 36 years of age
Possess a bachelor’s degree
Have at least three years of full-time work experience
Have lived in the United States or its territories for three of the last five years.

For more information, visit https://www.fbijobs.gov/special-agents

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Gun Control Not Associated With Reducing Suicides

Throwing all manner of mud at the wall to see what might stick, Michael Bloomberg’s number-crunchers and whoever produces “reports” for the Brady Campaign nowadays have decided, as gun control supporters do, to try promoting gun control as the solution to suicide.

From their perspective, it makes sense to give it a try, since firearm murder and firearm accident death rates are at historic lows, the American people increasingly say that firearms help protect people from crime, and each of the anti-gunners’ attempts to promote gun control in knee-jerk reaction to high-profile crimes has motivated Americans to buy more guns.

A new study by researchers at Bloomberg’s Center for Gun Policy at Johns Hopkins University contends that if you juggle the numbers a certain way, suicide rates might hinge on whether a state requires a permit to purchase a handgun, while the Brady Campaign tries to link suicide rates to gun availability in general.

Dealing with the subject of suicide requires the anti-gunners to get creative, however. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, which cover years 1981 through 2013—incidentally, a period in which Americans acquired an additional 195 million firearms—the firearm suicide rate (the number of suicides per 100,000 population) decreased five percent, while the non-firearm suicide rate increased 27 percent.

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ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —A Disney security officer won her civil lawsuit against Disney Friday in Orange County.

A jury ruled that the company discriminated against Camelia Joseph based on her national origin, which is Haitian.

Disney issued the following statement:

“We have a longstanding policy against workplace discrimination and believe none occurred here. We are pleased the jury awarded no damages.”

Joseph became emotional Wednesday as she testified that she repeatedly tried to earn a promotion in the security department at Walt Disney World and has worked there roughly 20 years.

She said she applied for promotions within the company at least seven times and was denied those advancements because of her Haitian background.

Joseph also testified that she saw workers who were less qualified than she earning promotions and higher salaries.

Disney officials vehemently deny that there was any discrimination, despite the fact that Joseph is one of six security department workers to bring legal actions against Disney in the past few years.

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