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Janet Napolitano’s Leadership at Homeland Security Expires at End of Today
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who served longer than either of her two predecessors, will step down at the end of today to become the first female president of the University of California. “It’s challenging; it’s very rewarding. Because the things you do really impact human lives,” she said in an interview…
Parker: Congress’s Brutal Sequester of Federal Defenders Offices Harms Law Enforcement
Ross Parker was chief of the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Detroit for 8 years and worked as an AUSA for 28 in that office. He is the author of the book “Carving Out the Rule of Law: The History of the United States Attorney’s Office in Eastern Michigan. By Ross…
Brothers, Father Accused of Running Small Texas Town with Retaliation, Intimidation
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com When it comes to politics in the small Texas town of Progreso, it’s safe to say the Vela family flexed some muscle. Omar Vela, 35, is the town’s mayor. His brother, Michael Vela, 28 (pictured), is the president of the school board. And their father, Jose Guadalupe Vela, 64, works in management…
Man Gets 15 Years in Prison for Pulling Gun on FBI Agent
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Here’s a little unsolicited advice: Don’t pull a gun on an FBI agent. That’s what a Mississippi man learned after he was sentenced to 15 years in prison late last month, the Associated Press reports. Eugene Bernardini, 38, bumped into a car in Olive Branch and then pulled a gun on the…
Ex-Secret Service Gets 5 Years for Plot of Kidnap Judge
Correction: The original story said that James Bartee pleaded guilty. He was actually convicted by a Oconee County jury in 2013. Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com James Bartee, a former Secret Service agent, wanted so much to be sheriff that he was allegedly was willing to pay an informant to kidnap a former judge who was going…
Coalition of Civil Rights Groups Calls for Congressional Hearings on DEA Surveillance
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Revelations that the DEA uses NSA data to investigate non-terrorism cases against Americans has prompted a coalition of two dozen civil rights groups to call for congressional hearings, Reuters reports. The call for hearings comes after Reuters revealed that the DEA uses telephone surveillance from the NSA to build criminal cases against…
Federal Agents Help Phoenix Police Make 17 Gang-Related Arrests
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A Phoenix apartment complex was rife with gang activity. So says federal agents and local police after arresting 17 people on gang-related charges following a yearlong investigation, the Arizona Republic reports. Authorities said they found drugs, weapons and two top gang leaders. “These individuals sought to take over the neighborhood,” Phoenix Assistant…
It’s Official: James B. Comey Becomes the 7th FBI Director
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Wednesday marked the start of a new era for the FBI. After 12 years at the helm, FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III was replaced by James B Comey. As noted on the FBI website, Attorney General Eric Holder administered the oath of office at 4:32 p.m., making Comey the…