Man Who Killed Retired Cop Serves One Year: A man who drunkenly ran down and killed a retired Stockton police officer nearly two years ago will be released next month after serving barely one year of his four-year sentence, the officer's family learned last week. Rowena Shaddox of Fox 40 reports that Officer Jimmy Pendergrass, a 46-year veteran of the force, was fatally struck by Sergio Chavira in December 2014, two days before Christmas. Chavira, who has a history of drunken driving convictions, drove off, leaving Pendergrass to die. He was convicted of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter after he claimed the killing was an accident and that he panicked when he drove off. Rather than serving his four-year sentence in prison, Chavira's classification placed him at a fire camp, where he served just 190 days, receiving credit for double that time. Next month, he will be a free man.
After Dallas, U.S. Police Forces Rethink Tactics: Following the deadly rampage in Dallas last week that claimed the lives of five police officers, 13 of the country's 30 largest cities have ordered their police officers to work in pairs in an effort to boost safety, which is just one of several tactics to be implemented by U.S. police departments. Nick Carey of Reuters reports that although most police departments are not publicly divulging specific tactics, citing safety reasons, a few have shared some strategies that are being considered; Indianapolis' police department said it would consider using robots to deliver lethal force, a tactic unheard of until it was used last week on the Dallas shooter, and Denver's police union wants officers to wear riot gear for local protests and be armed with AR-15 assault rifles while on patrol at the Denver International Airport. Last Thursday's attack in Dallas came during protests over the police shootings of two black men, Alton Sterling, 37, of Baton Rouge and Philando Castile, 32, of St. Paul, Minn, who were killed in the days before the Dallas massacre. In addition to the five fallen officers, seven others were injured, making it the deadliest assault on U.S. law enforcement since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Two Gitmo Detainees with al Qaeda Links Released: The Obama administration released two more Guantanamo Bay detainees affiliated with Islamic terrorist groups over the weekend, announcing Monday that they will now be detained in the Republic of Serbia instead of the facility in Cuba. Diana Stancy of the Washington Examiner reports that Muhammadi Davlatov of Tajikistan and Mansur Ahmad Saad al-Dayfi of Yemen were transferred Sunday after unanimous approval by the Guantanamo Review Task Force, made up of six federal departments and agencies. Davlatov, an admitted member of the Islamic Movement of Tajikistan, has ties to senior al Qaeda members, received training from al Qaeda training camps and was in possession of documents on how to make explosives, chemical agents and poison when he was captured. Al-Dayfi, an admitted member of al Qaeda, had prior knowledge of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, was aware of other attacks against U.S. interests and received training at an al Qaeda camp. Several officials, including members of Congress, are concerned with the process of transferring detainees, noting that once transferred, they can no longer be tracked; just last month, a prisoner was released to Uruguay and disappeared. Since 2009, the Obama administration has resettled over 100 Guantanamo detainees in 30 countries with the objective of closing the facility, which now holds only 76 prisoners.
After Dallas, U.S. Police Forces Rethink Tactics: Following the deadly rampage in Dallas last week that claimed the lives of five police officers, 13 of the country's 30 largest cities have ordered their police officers to work in pairs in an effort to boost safety, which is just one of several tactics to be implemented by U.S. police departments. Nick Carey of Reuters reports that although most police departments are not publicly divulging specific tactics, citing safety reasons, a few have shared some strategies that are being considered; Indianapolis' police department said it would consider using robots to deliver lethal force, a tactic unheard of until it was used last week on the Dallas shooter, and Denver's police union wants officers to wear riot gear for local protests and be armed with AR-15 assault rifles while on patrol at the Denver International Airport. Last Thursday's attack in Dallas came during protests over the police shootings of two black men, Alton Sterling, 37, of Baton Rouge and Philando Castile, 32, of St. Paul, Minn, who were killed in the days before the Dallas massacre. In addition to the five fallen officers, seven others were injured, making it the deadliest assault on U.S. law enforcement since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Two Gitmo Detainees with al Qaeda Links Released: The Obama administration released two more Guantanamo Bay detainees affiliated with Islamic terrorist groups over the weekend, announcing Monday that they will now be detained in the Republic of Serbia instead of the facility in Cuba. Diana Stancy of the Washington Examiner reports that Muhammadi Davlatov of Tajikistan and Mansur Ahmad Saad al-Dayfi of Yemen were transferred Sunday after unanimous approval by the Guantanamo Review Task Force, made up of six federal departments and agencies. Davlatov, an admitted member of the Islamic Movement of Tajikistan, has ties to senior al Qaeda members, received training from al Qaeda training camps and was in possession of documents on how to make explosives, chemical agents and poison when he was captured. Al-Dayfi, an admitted member of al Qaeda, had prior knowledge of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, was aware of other attacks against U.S. interests and received training at an al Qaeda camp. Several officials, including members of Congress, are concerned with the process of transferring detainees, noting that once transferred, they can no longer be tracked; just last month, a prisoner was released to Uruguay and disappeared. Since 2009, the Obama administration has resettled over 100 Guantanamo detainees in 30 countries with the objective of closing the facility, which now holds only 76 prisoners.
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