Criminal Search

Wonder if someone you know is a criminal? Well, you might be able to find out here. Criminal Searches beta is a website offering a free search of some criminal court records. It doesn't pull back all records, but it pulls back enough to make you feel a little bit uncomfortable. lol. It's interesting to see the people in my city that were arrested for underage drinking when we were kids.

The site insn't comprehensive, which will make many breathe a sigh of relief. I just don't like the idea of having your name on a list of criminals when all you did was not wear a seatbelt or have your proof of insurance with you.

Insurance Fraud?

I had someone covered on the insurance for my '93 Mustang convertable for about 10 months back in 2004-05. I called and removed them in 2005. Last year, I was informed by my insurance company that this person was still on my insurance. I informed them, in no uncertain terms, that I did NOT want that person on my insurance and that I was angry that person was still listed as a driver. They then told me the person was removed.

Today I received a renewal from my insurance company, ALFA, and guess what? That person's name was still on it. I was told that this person has received tickets, and my rates will be going up. Needless to say, I'm beside myself.

It's been 3 years, and as many requests to remove this person from my insurance. This person was NEVER on my truck insurance, anyway, and that's the policy I received today. What kind of idiocy is this?

Whether willfully or through neglegence, someone at the Tommy Henry ALFA on Broad Street didn't take this person off of my insurance. If through neglegence, there must be some incompetence involved, and I don't want someone who doesn't care enough about the details of my policy to change it when I ask, as they certainly aren't responsible enough to take care of me if I have a claim. If willfully, it's an outright attempt to defraud me out of my premium by making me pay more for someone I never attempted to insure.

I strongly doubt I'll ever do business with Tommy Henry, again. I personally asked him to take this person off of my insurance LAST YEAR and he failed to do so. I urge anyone contemplating doing business with this agency to beware. I've been overpaying my premium for 3 years, and they never cared. I feel robbed.

UPDATE:

I went by the Tommy Henry ALFA the afternoon of the day I posted this. They gave me a piece of paper, in writing, that stated they had taken this person off of my insurance. They apologized. I honestly believe that my request to take that person off of my insurance fell through the cracks, and that it wasn't a purposeful thing. They've always responded quickly when I have a question or a claim, so I suppose I might have been a little hard on Mr. Henry with this blog entry. I'm still getting quotes from other insurance companies, though.

Big Money Banker Plotted to Kill Aaron Russo?

According to this story from the New York Times, a big money banker testified, today in a Los Angeles court, under immunity, that he and a hitman discussed killing Aaron Russo after paying the hitman half a million dollars to spy on him. The reason for the immunity? The hitman is the one on trial, not the banker.

The banker, Adam Sender, who's company at one time held assets of over $1 billion, will not be charged in any way, despite having openly admitted to paying the man to illegally tap Mr. Russo's phones. Sender claimed Russo owed him a little over $1 million from an investment, and that he hired Pellicano to recover it. Anthony Pellicano, the alleged wiretapper and would-be hitman, is charged with racketeering, among other charges.

Sex, Government Spying and the Death Penalty

I saw on the news last night that Colorado is about to pass a bill that would institute the death penalty for sex-offenders who have committed 2 or more crimes against children under a certain age. My first instinct is to say, "Good for Colorado!" Children are the most vulnerable of our society, and therefore should be protected with the most harsh punishments for those who would harm them. But, as with other death penalty cases recently, I can see a reason to be worried about this kind of legislation.

As this article by John Stossel reports, sexual predator laws aren't always enforced with an eye towards justice. I was once a staunch proponent of the death penalty, because I believe society has no use for a person who will willingly destroy another human life. However, you want to be absolutely certain, beyond ANY doubt, that the person you execute is the person who did the crime. With over 123 people released from death row after they were exonerated, I don't think we've reached the level in our society where a trial can guarantee that. Too many totally innocent people have been executed.

One innocent person executed is unacceptable to me. Some would say, "To bake a cake, you gotta crack some eggs." That's a pretty common response. Of course, it's also the logic of despots and serial killers. The people who share these ideas are typically the same ones who think giving up a little privacy to feel safer is logical.

Privacy is the cornerstone of freedom. The right to privacy is guaranteed in the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the USA. If you violate this right, certainly more crimes will be solved, but many innocent people will have their rights violated, as well. The ability to suspend any one's rights gives government a tool that lends itself to misuse.

Proving my point, ironically, is the Democrat Governor of New York, Eliot Sptizer. He pushed hard for the kind of intelligence gathering abilities that would be used against him. Whether he committed crimes or not is something the state will have to decide. My point is that the types of laws that violate privacy are harmful to democracy because the propensity for misuse is too great.

What's to stop the government from watching you work to set up a business, through your transactions, only to have the government agent steal your idea and set up his own business? He could find some arcane reason to put you out of business, while his business takes the niche you would have filled. Privacy needs to be protected, even if it means some crimes will go unseen. Democracy demands it.

'tuck there pants in there boots'

The above is taken from the http://www.angelfire.com/un/selma website, without permission. If true, it's very shameful. Shameful that there is so much derision in the police ranks, shameful that the wedge of race is being driven deeper into our already divided city, and shameful that this person didn't get a better education, or at least, shameful that we had to hire someone as an officer of the law with such a dismal grasp of grammar. The title of my blog entry is a direct quote from this letter.

Jack-Boots on my Tail

I got pulled over yesterday by a completely unmarked black SUV with tinted windows. The only thing letting me know it was anything official was the two little blue strobes by the rear view mirror. At first, I didn't even notice him. He was in the right lane, about 2 or 3 car lengths behind me. I was in the left lane. Then, he sort of moved to the middle of the road. I pulled over to let him by, and he swooped in behind me. I pulled over in a turnaround.

We just sat there for a few minutes. I strained to hear if he was telling me to get out of the vehicle. He wasn't. A few minutes later, he emerged from the SUV. It was a state trooper. He crept up the side of my truck, with his right hand touching his gun. I got nervous. He peeked in, and asked for my driver's license and proof of insurance. I said, "No problem," and handed them to him. Then, he started asking me questions like, "Where do you work?" "What's your phone number?" "What's your social security number?" He was very short with me, and seemed angry. I began to wonder if he really was a trooper at all. I looked at his name badge. It was all rusty looking. "Tubbs" it read. He was a corporal.

After telling me he pulled me over because I wasn't wearing a seatbelt (something there's NO WAY he could tell from where he was on the highway) he went back to his vehicle. By this point, in the 100+ degree heat, I'm burning up. I turned my truck off when he first pulled me over, so I have no AC or any kind of air circulating in the truck. It seemed like I sat there forever, roasting. I didn't think to time it, because I was too nervous. After what seemed like an infinity of sweating, he returned with my ticket.

When he handed it to me to sign, I told him about my truck. He put it off on Selma law enforcement, like the other trooper did. I told him that they should work together, instead of being in competition. I told him why I didn't believe the seatbelt law was right, that I used to wear my seatbelt religiously, until the illegal fine was imposed. He wouldn't go as far as to agree with me, but he did say he wasn't arguing it was right. He said he was 'just doing his job'. I told him I appreciated them keeping crazy drivers off the street, but that I wasn't hurting anyone by not wearing a seatbelt.

He then started scaring me... he implied they were 'watching me'. He disparaged social activism. I told him if it weren't for people standing up against unjust laws, people like him wouldn't be free right now. To which he replied, "I'm just doing what they tell me... If they tell you to do something at WSI, you do it, don't you?" "Not if it's breaking the law, I don't," I replied. He laughed and implied I was being watched again. Even if he was just being a jerk about it, that kinda thing is disconcerting to hear come from an authority figure. The thought of being shot or hurt by law-enforcement because I didn't wear a seatbelt never entered my mind until that moment.

Hazmat, Big Brother and Freedom

I just got back last night from 3 days in Atlanta doing Hazmat training. Learned a few interesting things and a butt-load of not-so-interesting things. I learned that the DOT pretty much throws these regulations together without too much thought. A lot of them are very illogical, as our instructor pointed out numerous times, usually when a student would ask, "Why?" Some of the nonsense comes from international compliance, such as the thousands of UN codes, named UN because they are United Nations code numbers for hazardous materials. I have a feeling Ron Paul would like to get a hold of the DOT. Our instructor, Marc Kleinman, showed us examples of code referring back to itself in an endless loop of bureaucracy. If that's not an example of the inefficiency of big government, nothing is.

On my way home, I got another seatbelt ticket. I lectured the officer for 45 minutes on civil liberties. I told him I once wore my seatbelt, but I don't anymore, because of the unconstitutional law forcing me to wear it. When he asked me why I didn't just wear it for my own safety, I said "Live Free or Die". I told him the story of my truck being stolen, and how making officers peek into people's private vehicles to see if they are wearing seatbelts keeps real crime from being stopped. He told me he smoked, and he said he agreed that something you do to your own body should be your business. By the end, he was agreeing with me and even shook my hand as he left. I still got the ticket, though. lol.

Call Back Next Week

I called the Montgomery Municipal Court yesterday morning shortly after 8am, when it opens. I spoke to the 'mail-lady'. She found my letter, but said she couldn't tell me if it was enough to clear the ticket or not. I asked her when she'd know. She told me I had until August 8th (the court date) and insinuated I shouldn't keep bothering her about it. I tried to make her understand that I didn't want to wait until that late to find out, because it would be too late to do anything about it by then.

Unless you've had your license suspended, you don't understand the anxiety having an outstanding traffic violation causes. I had my license suspended once before, although it was later ruled a clerical error because I submitted my payment before the court date. I had to talk to high-ranking officials to get my record cleared. It was very nerve-wracking. I don't want to have to do that again.

She couldn't get my point though, and ended the call by asking me to 'call back next week'. Grrrr.

The Saga Continues...

I finally got in touch with the person at the Montgomery Municpal Court who supposedly 'gets the mail'. After calling repeatedly for over 20 minutes of busy signal, I finally heard a human voice. They forwarded me to the mail-lady. She said she 'was working the window today' and I would have to 'call her back tomorrow'.

Here's the backstory to this one: When I got my seatbelt ticket 2 weeks ago, I didn't produce my proof of insurance fast enough for the officer. They made me pull back out into traffic before I had time to find it. I immediately pulled off into a parking lot. I called the number on the ticket to tell them I found the card and I was instructed to mail it to the the municipal court. Again, that was 2 weeks ago, today. They took payment for the seatbelt ticket the same week.

2 weeks ago, when they told me to mail in my proof of insurance, they said to call and check back in a couple days to make sure it arrived. I mailed the proof of insurance card to them 2 weeks ago tomorrow. I waited a day or two and called. They didn't have it yet. Last week when I called, they said the lady who 'gets the mail' was out all week. I guess the mail just piles up when she's not there, huh?

Bottom Line: If you're guilty, they'll take your money quick. If you're innocent, you'll have to wait to prove it.

Moral: Don't go to Montgomery. Ever. The police are inept... They've already had 23 murders this year and it's only July!

Tickets and No Justice

I was pulled over by the police in Montgomery, yesterday. It took two police vehicles to give me a seatbelt ticket. Maybe I'm missing something, but are seatbelt violators considered armed-and-dangerous now? He informed me, sounding as proud as a child who finally learned to sing the alphabet song, that 'click it or ticket' was now a nationwide law. Meanwhile, across town, a pastor was murdered in his home. What a joke the MPD is. They're almost as bad as the SPD.

I now have been ticketed twice for no-seatbelt. Although I used to wear one religiously, when it became a law, I decided I wouldn't wear one. I don't think it's the job of government to be our parents. It's a dumb law that needs to be repealed.

Still no word from the police on the theft of my truck, even though I gave them all the evidence they need to arrest the suspects. Oh, but they're keeping the streets safe from seatbelt violators. Good job, police!

Killed in County Jail

Someone was beaten choked to death in the Dallas County jail over the weekend.

addendum:
His name was Michael Stallworth. Here is a quote from his sister:
"They said they didn't have a Michael Stallworth, so we went out to the jail. When we got to the jail, the hearse was there," said Ashley Stallworth...
...She said she called paramedics on Wednesday, May 23 because Michael told her he was not feeling well. She said the ambulance came, along with "six police cars."

Apparently, the only time the police will do anything is when the arrestee is sick and in need of immediate medical attention. Then, he mysteriously gets choked to death.

Rebel Government...

Further evidence of the blatant recalcitrance of the Selma City government... City Council members are removing the request for Martial Law in Selma from the agenda of the next council meeting for being 'frivolous'.

Link HERE: http://www.selmatimesjournal.com/articles/2007
/05/14/news/local/news%201090.txt

Text below, for archival purposes:


Officials may cut agenda

BY VICTOR INGE


THE SELMA TIMES-JOURNAL

The Selma City Council is scheduled to meet today at 5 p.m., and according to the agenda the meeting should adjourn by 8 p.m.


Council President George Evans has attempted to keep meetings moving by placing time constraints on agenda items, however, the last council meeting was a more than five-and-a-half-hour marathon. Ward 1 Councilman Cecil Williamson predicted Monday's meeting “will be a long one.”

Ward 6 Councilman Johnnie Leashore said he plans to try and shorten the length of time the council takes to conduct the city's business by voting to remove some of the “frivolous items” outlined in the proposed agenda, which contains 27 items, some of which he said have already been “asked and answered.”

“Such as asking the Governor to declare martial law in Selma,” Leashore said. “The meeting shouldn't be a long one. I plan to have that item removed. ”

Two members of the Hollman family, who allege several officers in the Selma Police Department brutally arrested their son and beat their 64-year-old father several weeks ago, are on the agenda for Monday's meeting. The incident is under investigation by the Alabama Bureau of Investigations, city officials told family members during its April 30 meeting.

At the outset of each meeting, council members can have items removed by simply agreeing, or voting whether they remain for consideration or not.

Sanders Attacks Perkins!

Looks like Williamson might be able to get Sanders' blessing on the Martial Law thing. It's obvious from this video that Sen. Sanders sees the local government as completely recalcitrant:

(Warning: Opens in 2 popup windows of WSFA 12 website)

Sanders Attacking Perkins
	Sanders Attorney Sanders on Trial

Here's the Story

http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=6522122&nav=menu33_3


The LINK to the story my last blog entry was about.

I guess I'm not alone with my police inaction complaint. So far, I've heard MANY stories. I may start a new blog to record and document them.

Calhoun foods was robbed, but when the call went out, there were no police responders. Selma Jewelery was robbed with no police response, even though they had the names and addresses of the criminals. My TRUCK was stolen, with no police action taken against the criminals, although I have their names and photos. A man was robbed at gunpoint in BROAD DAYLIGHT at Wal-Mart with no police response. Another man's car was stolen and CRUSHED before he could get it back, with no response from law enforcement. A restaurant downtown was burglarized, again with no response from the police. A furniture store had over $3000 lost when a criminal wrote a bad check. The police did nothing, although the store had the person's name, address, and got the person to come to police headquarters! It's no wonder Selma is the worst city in the state for crime per capita! The criminals know they can get away with it!

I think this says it all, "...to the mayor and police chief, it's all just talk."

I'm FOR martial law in Selma. Either that, or hold emergency Constable elections to fill all the vacant precinct positions in the county.

Here's the text from the WSFA web page, for archival purposes, just in case the link goes dead:


Is it real or just perception? The idea that crime is out of control is a popular notion in Selma, especially to victims.

One city councilman says it's bad enough, He's taking drastic measures. Councilman Cecil Williams says he'll request the governor to declare marshal law in Selma.

But to the mayor and police chief, it's all just talk.

Selma residents who believe crime is more of a problem point to recent robberies and burglaries at private homes, in parking lots, and at businesses.

"I'm quite frustrated," said business owner Dianne Smitherman.

Smitherman owns Grumble's Alley restaurant, which was burglarized over the weekend for the fourth time in six months.

"They brought some bolt cutters and cut through my iron bars," Smitherman said.

The daughter of Selma's former mayor, Joe Smitherman, Dianne says the police have yet to follow up on any of her cases -- even after she handed over names of potential suspects.

"In January, I provided them with names of people who might have been involved with the burglaries and they have yet to be interviewed, interrogated, or investigated," Smitherman claims.

When we went to talk to police about residents' concerns, the chief wasn't available. He told us by phone that crime statistics are actually down.

Mayor James Perkins, who was also unavailable, released a statement in which he said the Selma murder rate is down and drug collections are up over the last three years.

In regard to the request for marshal law, Perkins told WSFA 12 News, "I feel sorry for Councilman Williamson and I am embarrassed for the people he is supposed to represent."

Williamson said he would mail a letter to the governor Wednesday to officially request a marshal law declaration.

Martial Law in Selma!

I just heard that this was on the news last night:

City councilman Cecil Williamson is going to request from Governor Bob Riley that he declare the City of Selma under a state of martial law, due to the lack of local law enforcement, and corruption thereof.

Now, if he does, that will mean Bob Riley will have to approve it before anything happens. I don't see that happening. It would be VERY bad for Riley. For one, he has a very precarious 'relationship' with Senator Sanders. Declaring martial law in a city in Sanders' district without his approval would be a slap in the senator's face. National Guard troops haven't been in Selma since the riots of 90-91.

Basically, it probably won't happen because of politics. Riley needs the minority vote, and he would damage that with a declaration of martial law in the civil rights icon of Selma. IF he could somehow make it seem as though minorities were being victimized by NOT declaring martial law, AND if he could get Hank Sanders to go along with it, it might happen. But I doubt it. Riley is probably profiteering, albeit not directly, from the crime around here, anyway. That's the way republican/democratic politics work.

Something needs to be done about the rampant victimization of honest, law-abiding citizens of Selma. Forget 'click-it or ticket', how about 'commit a crime, do the time'. I don't understand the public relations slant. The seat-belt law is of questionable constitutionality, anyway. Stealing someone's vehicle in BROAD DAYLIGHT is unquestionably ILLEGAL, but they do nothing about THAT!

Truck Update

I talked to Det. Neely again yesterday. I called him to find out what was going on with the case against the criminals who stole my truck. This is the first time I've been able to get in touch with him in 2 weeks! He said they had 8 cases going on, and it would probably take a while, but that they're working on it. I don't know if that means they have multiple cases against the suspects, multiple diverse cases against several suspects for different crimes, or exactly what that means. I didn't think to ask at the time. I told him to call me if he thought I could help in any way.

Still Waiting...

I left another message for Det. Neely. No returned call. I haven't heard anything since last Thursday when I called the ABI.

It's not like I'm not trying to give anyone any more work. Nor am I trying to make anyone look bad. I'm on the side of law enforcement. All I'm trying to do is make sure these bad guys don't take any more vehicles. I would think the police would, too.

Every day, on my way home from work when I ride down Jeff Davis Ave., I see another vehicle hooked on the back of some different truck, and parked exactly where my truck was when I found it. I wish I had connections that could look up tag numbers. If I did, I'd call the people to whom those cars are registered, and tell them where their vehicle was taken by the thieves, so they could get theirs before the criminals damage, strip or crush it.

I don't know. I can't figure out why a law enforcement agency wouldn't want to act, or at least let the public know when something like this is taking place!

Truck Update and VT Shootings

I tried calling Det. Neely yesterday. I got his voicemail. I know the wheels of justice sometimes spin slowly, but in this case, I think they could have spun a little more quickly. It's practically open and shut.

I can't assume that nothing is happening, though. I know evidence has to be gathered, and they want the case airtight before an arrest is made... especially in light of the current public opinion of the SPD.

A friend of mine told me he'd have the ABI look into taking prints from the items the thieves moved in my truck. If they decide to do so, I really hope they can lift some. There was a handheld CB in my truck that I KNOW had to have some prints on it.

In other news, the events that occurred at Virginia Tech yesterday both frighten and dismay me. So many young lives cut short. And the people attempting to assign blame... Some saying the police didn't respond quickly enough. Others saying the school should have warned the students sooner. It's terrible enough, what happened, without blaming the people who tried to HELP you. NO one would have been able to stop this guy from doing the damage he did. Even if a text message was sent to all of the students to stay in their class/dorm rooms. He forced his way into the classes, and it was like shooting fish in a barrel. I don't see how staying indoors would have prevented it. He was a crazy man on a mission. The only thing that could have stopped him was a bullet, which he eventually had to administer to himself.

There was a rule passed on the VT campus recently that no student could carry a firearm for protection, even with a concealed carry permit. All students were ordered to give up their weapons, or leave them off campus. If there is any blame, it should be assigned to that rule, which breaks the 2nd amendment. Rules like that only harm the law abiding people... the bad guys are going to sneak them and hide them, anyway.

Maybe it's just the view from where I am, but it really seems our civilization is in a state of digression. In ways, we're technically superior to any humans ever living before. It just seems we don't look out for one another like we once did. It's a very self-centered world, now. I'm not talking about socialism. I'm talking about taking an extra second or two to follow the golden rule.

Update: Suspects Identified!

I finally got in touch with an SPD detective, yesterday! I had begun to give up hope that the Selma PD was going to give me any help, so I called the ABI yesterday afternoon. After all, the first officer I talked to about my truck theft was a State Trooper. The agent was very helpful, although skeptical at first. He told me the SPD was the correct agency, and had jurisdiction, so he would forward my info to them. Within 2 minutes of hanging up the phone with him, Det. Neely, the detective I've been trying to call for a week, called me. In two minutes I had what visits to Police HQ, and numerous phone calls couldn't achieve.

The detective met me within a few minutes, in person, and asked me some questions. I tried to give him a folder I had prepared with all the info, including names. I was hoping he'd take it, because it answered a lot of the repetitive questions he was asking, but he just took the picture of the suspects out of it. He recognized them both. He didn't tell me their names, but I've learned that they are Monroe Lawrence(sp?) and Bo Smith (sp?). I informed him that when I took the picture, they were both intoxicated in public, drinking and driving, had open containers in public, and were identified by eye-witnesses as having stolen and rec'd stolen property. He said he will follow up on it in the morning (which is this morning). Hopefully, I'll hear from him.

If I don't, I've been advised to take my info directly to the circuit clerk, get a warrant signed, and then take my info directly to the DA.

Violent Little Selma

Selma is the second worst city in which to live, in the whole state of Alabama. Little old Selma, A-L. According to the FBI Uniform Crime Rate, there are 1761 violent crimes in Selma per 100,000. The national average is only 596. There are almost 3 times as many violent crimes in Selma as there are in other cities around the country. That's depressing.