Investigators from the Colombian attorney general’s office have talked with employees of the hotel where the Secret Service agents were staying and have also questioned the taxi driver who drove home the woman whose complaint about not being adequately paid triggered the scandal, the official said. The official was not authorized to discuss the investigation and asked not to be indentified by name.

Police also went to at least one of the adult entertainment clubs linked to the scandal to verify the ages of the women who worked there, a club employee said.

Two Secret Service supervisors have been forced to retire since the scandal broke and a third is expected to be fired. The 10 members of the military face disciplinary action. The men were in Cartagena as an advance team preparing for President Barack Obama’s attendance at a summit of Western Hemisphere leaders last week.

Neither the club employee nor the attorney general’s office would comment on the record about the investigation or the police operation at the Pleyclub, one of the late-night clubs linked to the scandal.

“Prostitution that involves adults is not a crime in Colombia, but inducing minors to engage in prostitution is a crime and this is the reason why the government is trying to verify whether underage women participated in this,” the official said.

So far, she added, officials have not found any evidence of any minors involved in the incident. One of the ways investigators have verified the women’s ages was by examining information the hotel gathered from their identification cards, which women staying overnight at the hotel are required to leave at the reception desk.

The scandal began in the early morning of Thursday, April 12, when a woman, identified as Dania Suarez, complained loudly in a hallway of the Caribe Hotel that the man who had hired her for sex had not paid her the agreed price of $800.

In Washington, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney rejected criticism from Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin that the scandal showed poor management. The two Republicans had said the prostitution scandal was part of a pattern that included other recent scandals, including the recent controversy over a General Services Administration conference in Las Vegas and loans to the now-bankrupt company Solyndra. In responding to the question, Carney also mentioned photographs of American soldiers abusing corpses in Afghanistan.

“It is preposterous to politicize the Secret Service; to politicize the terrible conduct of some soldiers in Afghanistan in a war that’s been going on for 10 years,” Carney said. “It’s a ridiculous assertion that trivializes both the very serious nature of the endeavor that our military is engaged in in Afghanistan and the very serious nature … of the work that the Secret Service does.”

Carney has said the White House has confidence in Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan to conduct the investigation and said Friday that Obama “wants the investigation that the Secret Service is leading to come to a completion. Once that completion is reached, if _ if the result is that the allegations that have been broadly reported turn out to be true, he will be angry about it.”

But all this has changed over the course of the years, and only left us one more story of violence, a violence that seems never ending and Colombian society which got used, but if you have to say is that after the abduction of the military for more than 15 years in the jungle rot, waiting for more than a decade, has an agreement or negotiation, or are not expected not too long, I think is the longest sentence for any crime you can know, but the prison would be better, it would have more comfortable and could see your family at each visit, but they only live in the jungle chained to a tree, like animals, living in the worst conditions, without food, health, some will be free to dream and see their families again, but that for many of them it was not possible and many have died in captivity, hoping someday to be released.

But if you have achieved something besides the usual speeches and in Colombia, there are a lot of armed groups to fight the guerrillas as well as hundreds of political parties is no longer see the soldier, or police as the enemy the people, that he had a gun in his possession and the law into their hand and committed atrocities, today there are hundreds of justifying their fight, kill kill whole villages whole families, orphaned children left without until We have not killed his parents in their own eyes, that this war without mercy does not end and continues to have children of war.

We are all children of a conflict that has not improved but worsened the social condition of thousands of Colombians who had to leave their land and leave only with the clothes, to go do some of that new class called displaced, a conflict that if I can expropriate the land, and generate wealth but only those who can pay for your monitor and you can pay to kill others and have more land.

During this time we have seen the news have the best novel, with the respect that many of the hostages they deserve, but it was the best novel in ratings, but selling not only entertainment, but if the pain of others, that feeling that when these outside and free, without the shackles of abduction can not imagine the horrors of war, and why not respect the dignity of people, because the world allows prisoners of war are protected life, and only see Nazi period films, and think as it could be possible, as could happen for so many years, and nobody did anything.

We always hope the story and see them off, hope to see with his family, then change the channel with a sigh, but nothing more. But many still being held hostage until another chapter begins and is the front-page news, without having an end. But how much longer I take it.

Looking at the comments people are always the division of opinion between the government should negotiate and not redeemed, if you were in the jungle with them beyond would think so, or my question why those who have been released, only decided to continue with their lives and do nothing for their classmates who were there, return to freedom. until when? Until when? They live in Colombia with the idea of ​​the government does not act, it does nothing, when the people who one day felt it was his guerrilla army of liberation, act and demand that violence must end that although we have no weapons and hundreds of armed groups, are more and have ideas and want a new country, that that one day get that poverty is not an incurable disease and work together to get something better.

The slain officer notebook to let her daughter

“As a tribute of love I’ll hopefully keep this book as a treasure of love that makes you remember every time you see your father distant and diffuse, confined to a jungle serving a whim that men invented but not yet distance and time can make me forget the little angel of love begotten. “

That first paragraph on page 91 Viviana Duarte helped him to meet his father, who was fired after 2 years and never seen alive again. He had to settle for survival tests in which he always saw a being without libertad.Hoy, the object came in a package with everything that one of the world’s oldest abducted saved as their treasure, through letters of love, portraits and a chess

He was one of the 4 officers who were killed by shots in the head, by the guerrillas to be near the army. They were killed in captivity after waiting many years for his release.

Today, all eyes have shifted from Iraq’s unnecessary war to Afghanistan, the war that 9/11 begat a decade ago. Canada sat out the Iraq invasion, but answered the call for help in Afghanistan, a war that Obama has made his own. Canadian troops, like American soldiers, have paid a heavy price in the Kandahar region. The U.S. President stressed that Afghanistan is a war America and its allies, including Canada, cannot win alone. Outside forces can help rebuild and stabilize, but they cannot determine the outcome.

The lesson of Iraq, if there is any to be learned, is that Iraqis must ultimately determine their own future, solve their own squabbles, and fight their own battles.

It is little different in Afghanistan. Now, Obama’s exit strategy in Iraq is being applied to Afghanistan, but with a difference. One trillion dollars and 4,400 soldiers combat deaths later in Iraq, the U.S. has learned again the limits to military power and the importance of diplomatic influence, economic strength and collective action. America and the world cannot do for Iraqis, or for Afghans, what they alone must do for themselves.

“They are not weak or ineffective forces. Now they are there both to serve as a deterrent to any kind of outside interference in Iraq and serve as a potential reinforcement to an Iraqi government if it needs it.”

The brigades’ advisory-and-assistance role means they will help provide both Iraq’s civilian and military agencies with intelligence and equipment support for counterinsurgency operations. In fact, that continues a role they already switched to months ago, well before Obama’s formal August 31 deadline.

“What we have seen since really June is that it is Iraqi forces which basically lead and take over virtually all of the missions,” Cordesman says. “That was when U.S. forces left the cities and populated areas in Iraq and that in many ways was a de facto withdrawal from active combat that occurred months ago, not in terms of this formal deadline.”

]]> http://my-complaint.com/live-after-left-irak/feed/ 0 http://my-complaint.com/g20-related-police-complaints-on-the-rise/ http://my-complaint.com/g20-related-police-complaints-on-the-rise/#comments Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:56:26 +0000 admin http://my-complaint.com/?p=15672 Continue reading →]]> Complaints filed against police for their actions during the G20 summit are mounting — but the number is still not as high as expected after a weekend in which more than 1,000 people were arrested.

Between June 27 and July 3, the provincial Office of the Independent Police Review Director received 164 complaints, compared with an average 80 per week, said spokeswoman Rosemary Parker.

The arm’s-length agency created last year to deal with complaints against police doesn’t have “enough resources” to determine what portion of those are related to the G20, Parker said.

However, some people who may be intimidated by the process of lodging a complaint with the provincial office are turning to the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. It has received more than 75 complaints from people caught up in mass arrests.

“We are finding that people may be intimidated by the process, by the amount of information they need to provide to make a complaint, and some are worried that if they file a complaint the police will get mad at them,” said Des Rosiers. The group helps individuals file a complaint or get legal advice, she said.

Most complaints lodged with CCLA came after a meeting last Tuesday at Christie Pits Park, where people were urged to take action through legal avenues.

Natalie Logan, 21, was among those attending. She said she was arrested while taking photos at The Esplanade on Saturday evening and detained for 14 hours.

Logan plans to send her complaint to both the complaints office and the civil liberties group. She delayed doing so, she said, because she wanted to ensure her account was as neutral and accurate as possible. “I want to keep this issue upfront and not let it fizzle away with time.”

In the mean time, she urges people to speak out: “It’s important for people to stand up and denounce police misconduct, and filing a complaint is the best way to do so. It’s a service to your community to do so.”

At a wake on Wednesday, grieving relatives wept over the body of Sergio Hernandez, shot on the Mexican side of the border in the frontier city of Ciudad Juarez as he and other youths were running from US border patrol agents.

The death of the teenager has sparked outrage in Mexico, where many already bristle at the way Mexican immigrants doing menial jobs are treated in the United States.

“I would just caution on this particular incident … Any law enforcement officer has the right of self-defence if people are taking up arms or (throwing) rocks against them,” Crowley told reporters in Washington.

Espinosa said it was not clear if the youths, who were under a bridge border crossing a few meters into Mexican territory, had attacked the agents.

Tensions between the major trading partners have been fanned by the state of Arizona’s decision to crack down on illegal immigrants.

First we have to get control of the human rights problem. We need better training of the agents so they won’t abuse the migrants. Several of them have been indicted recently for rape, beatings and so on. Fortunately, we haven’t had any shootings here since the early nineties.

Secondly, once we get the human rights issue under control we need to revisit our immigration laws. We have three to five million undocumented migrants in the U.S. and we have to look at the whole amnesty issue all over again. We have to find ways that people can cross to the U.S. and work legally. That’s something that has to be agreed on by immigrants rights groups as well as by Congressional leaders and immigration authorities. Sooner or later they are going to have to revisit the whole amnesty issue.

Right now it’s estimated between six and seven thousand. Five thousand on the border at least. Here in San Diego alone we have 2,200. In San Diego we are boxed in. That’s part of the problem. But the real big problem is these troops were not trained for immigration or interacting with civilians. They were trained for battle. For combat. For search and destroy. The boy is an example. They left that boy out there, after they shot him. He laid out there for 20 to 30 minutes bleeding to death. They didn’t have any first-aid on them. They didn’t have any medics with them like they do in combat. They had to wait for the Border Patrol to call the paramedics. By then the boy had bled to death. That’s the kind of people they are going to have out there on the border.

When tragedies like this happen, the mental state of those involved is always of concern. Mental problems can occur for days, months or even years after such an event. Here are some key points to consider if you were or know someone related to the Fort Hood tragedy
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. PTSD can happen if you are in a dire situation of helplessness or inability to help where severe trauma or imminent death can take place. This shooting took place in a processing center where soldiers prepare for deployment. A vast majority was not armed, and many had probably been on combat tours before. To witness a massacre at home and feel helpless despite all the training and combat experience can be traumatic. Many who died were also fellow soldiers and comrades of the witnesses. These experiences and feelings can lead to PTSD symptoms such as restlessness, recurring nightmares, hypervigilance and even substance abuse as a form of self-medication.

Anxiety. The surrounding community members to include military family and civilians working on base might feel a smaller sense of security on base. The reality is that this attack was a very isolated incident and that military installations are generally safe and secure. However, the Fort Hood community could still experience anxiety and fear. This leads to hyper-vigilance and anxiety over anticipating the next attack. These feelings are normal after a tragedy and are warranted. If anxiety symptoms such as extreme worry or panic attacks persist for several weeks after, counseling may be needed to help alleviate symptoms.

How To Help. If you know someone who was related to the Fort Hood tragedy, offer support where possible to help restore a sense of normalcy. However, do not try to force them to talk about what happened; if they are suffering from PTSD, recalling the moment could seem very real in their minds. Encourage them to seek counseling and offer to be an ear for them to express their feelings. Sometimes listening is the best support you can give. If they had children, offer child care to help them get some time alone and away from “crisis mode”. Prepare dinner meals to give them more time to reconnect with their remaining family members. You may noThe new survey on Afghanistan found instances of depression, anxiety and other psychological problems are about the same as they were in 2007. But it also said there is a shortage of mental health workers to help soldiers who need it, partly because of the buildup Obama already started this year with the dispatch of more than 20,000 extra troops.

Efforts already under way to get more health workers to the Afghan war could be hampered somewhat by last week’s shooting. The psychiatrist charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder was slated to go to Afghanistan. Some of the dead and wounded also were to deploy there to bolster psychological services for soldiers.

The new Afghanistan survey found that individual soldier morale was about the same as previous studies, but that “unit morale rates … were significantly lower than in 2005 or 2007,” said an executive summary of the report that was to be explained in a news conference Friday. The units referred to were mostly platoons of roughly a couple dozen people each.
t have been part of the tragedy, but you can help those who were recover from it.

Department Director Laura Thielen said it appeared the complaints were generated by people caught violating the law or who disagreed with state laws.

The investigations found the complaints unsubstantiated or that the accusations were contradicted by records or people at the scene.

According to the Department of Land and Natural Resources, nine complaints about the officer were received in November. The department opened an investigation and asked the attorney general to open a separate criminal investigation. During the investigations, the officer was placed on administrative leave.
In another complaint a mother accused the officer of pointing his gun at her child, who was hunting. Investigators found the officer took out his weapon after he was confronted by a pack of hunting dogs and holstered his weapon after the hunting dogs were secured.

The exact nature of the complaints is unclear. But UT-Dallas, along with the UT System, has been investigating possible misuse of state resources at its police department. So far, two employees – including the former police chief – have resigned, and two others, including the assistant police chief, have been fired. A fifth employee remains on administrative leave, according to UT-Dallas officials.

“The investigation is ongoing in cooperation with all the relevant authorities,” campus spokeswoman Susan Rogers said Monday. She declined to elaborate.The letter also indicates that various complaints about the police department concern “ethical questions, standards of conduct, financial reporting and/or the internal accounting practices used.” It is not clear which concerns were forwarded to the district attorney.

Colleen Ridge, the longtime chief of the UT-Dallas police department, was placed on leave in April, and she resigned in May.

In June, four more employees were put on leave: Assistant Police Chief Debra Marable; Officer Ryan Ballard; Tammy Grigg, a noncommissioned guard; and administrative assistant Mary Spradlin.

This month, Marable and Ballard were fired, and Grigg resigned, UT-Dallas officials said. Spradlin remains on leave.

If you are a regular at the airport, these incidents may not surprise you as you may have your own little story of an altercation with the CISF personnel at the airport.

According to airport officials, the facilities department — where all the complaints and passenger feedback are addressed to — receives an average of 10 to 15 complaints on misbehaviour of CISF personnel every month. “Most of these complaints are against rude behaviour,” an official said.

“At times, they behave arrogantly and there is no courtesy shown whatsoever,” said Jeetendra Sharma, 28, a businessman from Pune. Some fliers said they faced such issues in other airports as well.

The Mumbai airport is the busiest in the country and long queues outside the terminal building are a common sight during peak hours. “The passengers do face a lot of trouble owing to enhanced security pressure upon us,” said a CISF personnel who monitors the gate to international terminal.

CISF spokesperson Rohi Katyar said while there could be complaints, the force has been appreciated for its alertness. “While I cannot totally deny isolated cases (of CISF misbehaviour), I can surely say that we do receive a lot of appreciation for our work.”

But there are sections of passengers and even airport staff who swear by the agency’s arrogant behaviour. “They do not listen to anything and do whatever they want to,” said an airport official on condition of anonymity.

your name and contact details;
a detailed description of the matter being reported;
date, time and location of the incident;
the names of people involved, or who could otherwise assist us to resolve your complaint;
the names (if known) of the police officers involved;
details of any documents, records, witnesses etc, that may assist in the resolution of your complaint;
what you expect the Police Force to do about your concern; and
any other information you consider relevant.

How will we respond to your complaint?
Complaints will usually be managed at your local police station.