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Officer Stopped Suspect on Day of Ariz. Shooting Investigators paint picture of frenzied morning for Arizona shooting suspect before attack

The obvious villain in the Gabrielle Giffords tragedy is the man who caused it, the very disturbed Jared Lee Loughner. Sadly, though, there have been villains in the response to it, too—many villains. And while it’s hard to make a pick for this Black Hat Award, one man who has certainly distinguished himself is Pima County, Arizona, Sheriff Clarence Dupnik. As you may know, Dupnik has been busy warning of how speech has consequences while in the same breath blaming conservatives for the actions of Loughner. Now, I don’t blame the sheriff for asking why. It is fine to look...

The Arizona sheriff investigating the Tucson shooting that left U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords critically wounded had harsh words today for those engaging in political rhetoric, calling conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh "irresponsible" for continuing the vitriol. "The kind of rhetoric that flows from people like Rush Limbaugh, in my judgment he is irresponsible, uses partial information, sometimes wrong information," Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik said today. "[Limbaugh] attacks people, angers them against government, angers them against elected officials and that kind of behavior in my opinion is not without consequences." Limbaugh today railed against the media and Dupnik for trying...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Three police officers and two other men have been indicted in federal court in Little Rock for conspiring to commit an armored car robbery. 1 of the civilians is also charged with robbing an armored car of $400,000 in 2007. Little Rock police officer Jason Gilbert, UAMS police officer Sterling Platt and Veterans Affairs police officer Allen Clark are charged with conspiring with two others since 2005 to carry out a robbery. Antonio Torel Person is charged with the officers and is also accused of carrying out the 2007 armored car robbery in North Little...

According to the Cincinnatti Enquirer, motorist John Harmon was on his way home from work when his blood-sugar got too low. As a diabetic, this meant trouble, and Harmon's vehicle veered into another lane. A nearby Hamilton, Ohio sheriff's deputy spotted the unintentional maneuver and pulled him over. The officer then approached the car with his gun drawn and screamed at Harmon before smashing his window open. Harmon, 52, was then cut out of his seatbelt and dragged him to the ground. On the way down, his elbow was severely dislocated but the pain didn't end there. During this process...

A rookie police officer responding to a domestic violence call in suburban Dallas was shot to death trying to protect an 11-year-old girl from her mother's gun-wielding ex-boyfriend, a department spokeswoman said Wednesday.Tiara Ellis Richard said Arlington officer Jillian Michelle Smith, 24, was shot by Barnes Samuel Nettles on Tuesday night as she sought to shield the girl from the 38-year-old man after he entered the apartment of Kimberly Deshay Carter, 29. After shooting Smith, Nettles shot Carter to death in a back bedroom, then returned to the living room, where he killed himself, Richard said."It appears (Smith) was moving...

This year, Floridians learned that burials at sea don't work if the body doesn't sink, giant snail mucus can make you sick and that an underwire bra can stop a lawyer from visiting her client in prison. Florida lived up to its reputation for being an odd state in 2010, with residents committing stupid crimes, making poor decisions and exhibiting general weirdness. There was the man pulled over in Manatee County who claimed the crack in his crack wasn't his. Officers found bags of marijuana and crack cocaine stuffed between the man's butt cheeks. He said the pot was his...

The Middlesex County District Attorney's office this morning says an officer responding to an attempted robbery at a Kohl's Department Store last night was shot and killed, as was one of the suspects in the holdup. A second suspect has been taken into custody. Investigators say the incident started when of the suspects tried to steal some jewelry. They have not released the name of the officer or the suspects. Meanwhile, Middlesex County District Attorney Gerry Leone issued a statement saying, "This is a horribly tragic incident in which an officer was fatally shot in the line of duty. We...

TAMPA - Three women heard gunshots. What they did next made them heroes to many people but outcasts to others – including some of their neighbors. Rose Dodson was awakened by gunfire and tires squealing that night, June 29. Moments later, her roommate, Delores Keen, watched a man leap over a fence near her apartment. In the distance, at 50th Street and 23rd Avenue in east Tampa, she saw the emergency lights of a police cruiser twirling in the dark, but no officer was in sight. Both knew something was wrong and stepped outside the safety of the apartment to...

Stedman, N.C. — An off-duty Cumberland County deputy saved Christmas for a Stedman family Thursday when he rushed into their burning home to rescue their pets and salvage some of their holiday presents.

Trooper claims sleeping pills caused her to fail sobriety testIf the Florida Highway Patrol has an IQ test as part of qualifying, how did Lisa Orshowitz ever earn a badge and a uniform? The 36-year-old state trooper was arrested after she showed up to a South Florida courthouse drunk while still in uniform, authorities allege. Orshowitz was driving her patrol car Tuesday morning when she struck a curb and blew out a tire. She stopped at the courthouse in Delray Beach and used a radio to call for help. Apparently, she never heard of Triple A. According to her arrest...

ELIZABETHTOWN — John B. Elliott is lodged in the Hardin County Detention Center after causing a traffic collision near the Hardin County Justice Center. Elliott was hit by an SUV on Monday afternoon after fleeing from the Justice Center after learning there was a bench warrant issued for him. The warrant was issued when Elliott failed to attend a pre-trial conference Friday related to charges of alcohol intoxication, disorderly conduct and menacing. Chased by a sheriff’s deputy, Elliott ran into traffic on Dixie Avenue and was struck by a Suburban. Elliott had a court date Tuesday in Circuit Court relating...

McDonnell says the officers believed the man had a gun and were awaiting the arrival of backup when the man pointed the object in a two-handed posture that looked like what a person would do when they are about to fire a weapon.

The median salary for the state’s 20,525 municipal officers was $90,672 last year, the highest in the country. The figure, which did not include overtime or health care, was $33,205 higher than the median pay of teachers, or 58 percent. THE DEAL that the new mayor of Paterson worked out with the city police chief to hasten his departure was mind-boggling. It called for the chief, James Wittig, to get a $48,000 going-away raise. That would be an increase equal to nearly a third of the chief’s salary of $152,942. In addition, Wittig would collect $152,735 in unused leave time....

A Pierce County jury Monday acquitted Rickey Hinton of helping his half brother Maurice Clemmons escape capture after Clemmons gunned down four Lakewood police officers last year. The jury also found an associate of Clemmons, Douglas Davis, not guilty of helping the killer in the hours after the massacre at a Parkland coffee shop.Jurors convicted Davis, 23, of illegally possessing a gun and possessing a stolen firearm in the case. They also found 21-year-old Eddie Davis, no relation to Douglas Davis, and Letrecia Nelson, 53, guilty of rendering criminal assistance for helping Clemmons. Eddie Davis and Nelson also were...

Camden will lay off nearly half of its police officers and a third of its firefighters while eliminating positions in every city office, according to a layoff plan approved Tuesday by the state. The 383 total layoffs represent about a quarter of the city's work force, and touch all corners of city government, from 15 positions in the municipal court to 20 police dispatchers.

WELLS, Maine -- Middlesex County Sheriff James DiPaola has committed suicide in Maine, according to police. DiPaola was found dead of a single gunshot wound around 12:30 p.m. Saturday. DiPaola, who served as sheriff of Middlesex County for the past 14 years, recently announced he would resign after having second thoughts about receiving his pension while still in office. DiPaola had found a loophole that would have allowed him to get his retirement pension while still working. He'd filed his retirement papers. The scheme was perfectly legal on paper, but he had a crisis of conscience. He said he didn't...

YAKIMA, Wash. -- A Yakima County sheriff's sergeant could be disciplined for allegedly refusing to help a Selah police officer who was involved in the rape arrest of Deputy Sean Moore. Sheriff Ken Irwin confirmed Monday that he ordered an internal investigation into the actions of veteran Sgt. George Town after receiving a complaint about Town from Selah police Chief Stacy Dwarshuis earlier this month. According to a memo obtained by the Yakima Herald-Republic, Dwarshuis complained that Town had refused to assist Selah police Officer Rich Brumley on a minor theft case. Brumley was part of the arrest last month...

A city police officer assigned to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's security detail has been charged for allegedly shooting a man while off-duty. The New York City Police Department says Leopold McLean, 46, has been charged with attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and criminal use of a firearm. He was held on $10,000 bail. Investigators say McLean shot his girlfriend's former boyfriend, Lepaul Gammons, on November 15th when Gammons showed up at her Queens home in violation of a restraining order. Court papers say McLean pointed a handgun at Gammons, who asked if McLean was going to shoot him. McLean reportedly lowered...