California officials demand an end to the testing of rape kits outside of investigations. San Francisco’s district attorney said Monday that DNA collected from alleged rape victims—evidence known as a rape kit—has been used to check if they are also criminals. Chesa Boudin, the district attorney of San Francisco, said that the police crime laboratory searched a database with DNA from sexual assault cases in an “attempt to identify criminal suspects.”
Boudin stated, “It is disturbing that victims who are brave enough to have an invasive exam to identify their perpetrators” and was upset at the treatment of these victims. “We should encourage survivors to come forward—not collect evidence to use against them in the future. This treatment of victims is not like treating them as human beings, but evidence. This practice is both illegal and unethical.
According to Boudin, this practice led to at least one person—a woman whose DNA was collected years ago as part of a rape examination—being arrested for a property crime. Boudin indicated that the office of Boudin is looking into how frequently such types of arrests occur and also “demanding” that they stop this practice immediately. [and]Encourage local and state legislators in California to pass legislation that would end the practice.
Some legislators are taking on the responsibility already
“If survivors believe their DNA may end up being used against them in the future, they’ll have one more reason not to participate in the rape kit process,” said state Sen. Scott Wiener (D–District 11). “That is why I am working with the DA to resolve this issue through state legislation, if necessary.”
Hillary Ronen (San Francisco District 9 Supervisor) is also involved in the project. Ronen said that any DNA evidence from victims of sexual assault must be kept strictly confidential and used only for the purpose of investigating the crime. “I have asked to the City Attorney to draft legislation to prevent DNA evidence—or any sort of evidence from a victim’s rape kit—to be used for anything other than investigating that rape.”
San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott acknowledged that the practice is occurring, but he said that he was committed to ending it. Scott stated that he is committed to ending “disincentives” that discourage crime victims from cooperating with police. Scott also said that DNA taken from victims of rape and sexual assault has been used to determine and arrest suspects in other crimes by the SFPD.
Michael Risher of American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California suggested that the practice may be illegal under California’s constitution because it infringes on victim privacy.
Risher stated that federal law prohibits police officers from uploading such types of DNA samples to the national Combined DNA Index System. This system is used for matching DNA from crime scenes and those from individuals convicted or arrested for crimes. Local agencies should adhere to this rule in order for victims’ DNA not to be retained or used for non-related purposes. California law enforcement agencies such as SFPD should follow this rule, which is particularly important because unlike the federal Constitution it explicitly protects victims and privacy rights.
FREE MINDS
It appears that immigration policy preferences are disconnected from the reality.Unpublished polls reveal that perceptions, politics and media may have a greater impact on immigration sentiment than the reality. While immigration levels declined in 2021, those who desire less immigration from the U.S.A. were more optimistic. LessWith immigration levels higher than in recent years, Americans are more satisfied now with them. This jump was driven by Republican dissatisfaction. The findings suggest that people may simply believe—without evidence, or because of rhetoric coming from right-leaning press and politicians—that immigration is much higher under Joe Biden than it was under Donald Trump.
According to a new Census Bureau report, immigration into the United States plunged in 2021 due to a decrease in international travel and strict U.S. immigration policy. The InterceptThis report was published in January
The images of the migrants crossing the border were so consuming for the nation’s media and political classes that they didn’t see the reality. In fact, the country’s immigration level has collapsed since 2021.
According to a shocking Census Bureau report, net international migration in the United States rose by only 247,000 people between 2019 and 2020. This is the lowest level of any year since 2010. It’s almost half of those who came to the US between the Trump administration and 2019 (net international migration reached 477,000) It was far lower than the 1,049,000 people who arrived in the U.S. from 2015 to 2016, which is the highest number for any decade.
According to Gallup, nearly six of 10 Americans (58%) are not satisfied with U.S. immigration today. Only 34%, however, are satisfied. This marks an eight-percentage-point increase in dissatisfaction since last year and a return to the 2019-2020 range,” report the pollsters at Gallup. 35% want less immigration; 9% want more, while 14% said that they are dissatisfied at the current level but don’t wish to change.
Gallup reports that “the proportion of people who wish to see less immigration nearly doubled in 2021 from 19% and it is now well over where it was in 2019 (23%), and 2020 (25 %),”). Gallup also notes that Republicans have been dissatisfied with the Trump-Biden transition from last year to 87%. Three points more than 2015’s record high for Republicans in the White House, this current number is.
FREE MARKETS
How aggressive gun control can’t stop violent crime Philadelphia’s new report examines more than 2000 shootings in the period 1999-2019 and proposed policies to prevent them. The report notes that focusing so much on gun violence prevention when there is a steady supply of guns available makes it unlikely that we will stop the shootings.
To SlateJon Pfaff analyzes the results of the report and compares them with the New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ gun policy proposals.
Adams demanded a 9-11-style response to gun violence during Biden’s trip to New York City. The thrust of his plan—besides exhorting the state legislature to roll back recent reforms on bail and discovery—is to aggressively go after guns by increasing detection efforts at state entry points, expanding funding for the New York Police Department’s Gun Violence Suppression Division, working more closely with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to trace guns, and investing in new surveillance technology to detect illegal firearms. Most consequentially, Adams promises to revive the NYPD’s undercover “anti-crime units”—disbanded in 2020 amid concerns about unconstitutional stops and excessive violence—and rechristen them “Neighborhood Safety Teams,” deploying 400 to 500 officers on the streets to focus on “gun removals.”
The Philadelphia report—written by a wide range of sometimes contentious stakeholders, including the Philadelphia Police Department, the district attorney’s office under reformer Larry Krasner, the Department of Public Health, and the Defender Association of Philadelphia—suggests that such interdiction is likely futile. These authors offered policy suggestions and analyses for the city that will suffer from 559 homicides by 2021. Although the Philadelphia Police’s proposals are in line with Adams’ plan, other stakeholders including the district attorney caution against a gun-interdiction approach. …
Krasner is also concerned that gun enforcement will not solve gun violence. He notes that law enforcement personnel support the use of gun possession cases to combat gun violence, “despite little evidence supporting it.”
FOLLOWUPS
After comments about ice fishing, mayor resigns. National mockery was directed at Hudson’s mayor for prostitution and ice fishing comments. Craig Shubert claims it was dry humor, which the rest of us couldn’t grasp. However, Shubert resigned. Shubert wrote in resignation that he tried to use a little humor in order to point out the issue in February.
Sarah Palin case dismissed We reported earlier in the month on Sarah Palin’s defamation lawsuit against former Alaska Governor and Republican vice presidential candidate. The New York Times, noting that she faced an uphill battle in proving her defamation claims since—as a public figure—she had to show the TimesPalin was acting in malice when he published an editorial suggesting a connection between Palin’s political action committee (and a mass shooting). The case was dismissed by a judge, who ruled that Palin’s team had failed to prove that Palin is the victim. TimesHad been reckless or knowingly shared false information.
U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff said they did not believe that there was evidence of actual malice by the paper. Judge Jed Rakoff stated that this standard is meant to permit robust public discussion about issues of public interest. But, he stated that it wasn’t his job to revisit the rule.” Politico. “Rakoff indicated that he would allow the jury verdict to stand, saying that appeals in this case seem inevitable and that the verdict might be helpful to the appeals courts.
Canada uses emergency power to end the crisis Protest by truckers“Prime minister Justin Trudeau claims he invokes the Emergencies Act, for the first-time in Canada’s historical history, to grant the federal government temporary powers in order to manage ongoing blockades. Trudeau declared Monday that the “it’s no longer an illegal protest over a disagreement about government policy.” It’s now illegal occupation. People need to return home.
Trudeau has frighteningly wide latitude to attack individual protesters through the act. According to the Associated Press, the prime minister stated that he would not send the military in but instead threatened to “tow away vehicles to maintain essential services; freeze truckers personal and corporate bank accounts; suspend insurance on their rigs.”
QUICK HITS
I’m not sure, but it is okay. https://t.co/8zJulBAoLy
— Gregory Conley (@GregTHR) February 14, 2022
• Why does America make it so hard to become a doctor?
• Airlines are pushing for a national no-fly list.
• “Elon Musk donated roughly $5.7 billion worth of Tesla Inc. shares to charity last year,” reports the Wall Street Journal. This revelation is based on a security filing that “does not name the recipients of the 5,044,000 Tesla Shares Mr. Musk reported giving over the span of more than one week in November.”
• “There’s growing consensus among policing leaders that the risks of [no-knock warrants]CNN notes that the potential benefits of a slang term, which was popularized during drug wars’ peak in the 1990s and 2000s, outweigh the risks.
• Is Republican centrism a fantasy?