Sally Yates, New Deputy Attorney General, States “We’re not the Department of Prosecutions”

Washington Post.  Sally Yates operates the DOJ and oversees the FBI; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; and the Bureau of Prisons.  She has voiced her commitment to follow through on the Criminal Justice Reforms started by Eric Holder.  In the article, Sally Yates is quoted stating ““Certainly, I don’t think I can ever be accused of being soft on crime,” Yates said. “But we need to be using the limited resources we have to ensure that we are truly doing justice and that the sentences we’re meting out are just and proportional to the crimes that we’re charging…We’re not the Department of Prosecutions or even the Department of Public Safety,” Yates said. “We are the Department of Justice.” To read the article, click here:  New deputy attorney general: ‘We’re not the Department of Prosecutions

President Obama To Limit Police Force’s Access To Military-Style Equipment

The President has announced that – as part of his push to ease tensions between communities and law enforcement – he will ban police departments from using federal funding to acquire items that include tracked armored vehicles, the highest-caliber firearms and ammunition, and camouflage uniforms.  This follows the release of a 116 page DOJ report arising out of the incident in Ferguson, calling for law enforcement agencies to “embrace a guardian — rather than a warrior — mind-set to build trust and legitimacy both within agencies and with the public.”  The NY Times Article is here:  Obama to Limit Military-Style Equipment for Police Forces

Boston Citizens Troubled By Death Penalty Finding In Boston Bomber Case

In the NY Times article “Death Sentence for Boston Bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Unsettles City He Tore Apart”, people share confused sentiments in response to the death penalty finding.  “But since a federal jury on Friday sentenced the convicted bomber to death, the finish line suddenly seems to be a place of ambivalence. Fresh flowers are accumulating. A sense of sorrow lingers in the air. Sightseers who come to snap a photo feel a little self-conscious. Residents train their gaze on the line, and the conversations turn to death — and disappointment.  ‘I was shocked,’ said Scott Larson, 47, a records manager who works near the finish line. ‘The death penalty — for Boston.’”  To read the full article, click here:  http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/17/us/death-sentence-for-boston-bomber-dzhokhar-tsarnaev-unsettles-city-he-tore-apart.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0