Writing Quote: Bob Hope's Influence on Modern Humor

Comedian Bob Hope's heir at NBC, Johnny Carson, not to mention Carson's legion of successors, proves that Hope's flippant, topical monologue has never left us. There's also Hope's obvious influence on comedians in the 1970s who played versions of themselves as show-business boors, like Albert Brooks and Steve Martin.

Ben Schwartz, Bookforum, Dec/Jan, 2015 

Criminal Justice Quote: The Cost of Identity Theft

While identify theft is certainly a global problem, experts say it's difficult to measure worldwide losses. However, a Department of Justice study estimates identify theft of all kinds was responsible for U.S. financial losses of $24,7 billion in 2012--nearly double the $14 billion lost from all other property crimes such as burglary and theft.

"Identity Theft Costs U.S. Billions," Associated Press, December 21, 2014 

Camera Shy Cops

     An Orlando, Florida man jailed for filming a police officer got more than his money back. Alberto Troche, who sued Orlando police for wrongfully jailing him and taking his phone, received $15,000 in an out of court settlement. According to the lawsuit, Troche saw police arresting a man late one night in December 2013. Based on cries of pain from the man being arrested, Troche thought police were using excessive force and pulled out his cellphone to record the incident. Several others did the same.

     Police arrested Troche for recording the officers. Troche claimed he stood 10-15 feet away from the arrest and never interfered. He spent 15 hours in custody and didn't get his phone back for three weeks.

     In a video of the incident, police can be heard yelling at an indignant crowd. Police threatened to take their cell phones because they were recording the arrest. The officers claimed the phones were needed for evidence. In the video, a police officer can be heard shouting, "We need the camera now!" Someone in the crowd responded, "They can't take your camera," followed by "Aw hell no! They cannot do that!"…

Casey Harper, "Man Jailed For Filming Cops," The Daily Caller, December 26, 2014

Criminal Justice Quote: Teacher's Aide Burglarized Homes Of Fellow Employees

     A teacher's aide in Park City, Utah has admitted breaking into the homes of several of her Park City School District co-workers in order to steal money and prescription pills. On October 20, 2014, Summit County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to an attempted burglary at a Park City home. The homeowner, an employee with the Park City School District, recognized the woman trying to break in as 27-year-old Kayla Goodrich.

     After the teacher's aide's arrest, the chief prosecutor for the Summit County Attorneys Office told reporters that, "From what we can tell, Goodrich may have used some school records to determine where people lived. She entered their homes when they weren't around to steal controlled substances."…

     After police seized the burglary suspect's cellphone, they found photographs of documents with emergency contact information regarding the suspect's fellow school employees. The officers also found loose pills and more than $3,000 in cash in Goodrich's car. The principal of the McPolin Elementary School fired the teacher's aide following her police confession.

     The prosecutor charged Goodrich with burglary, attempted burglary, and possession of a controlled substance.

"Teacher's Aide Faces Felonies After Allegedly Using School Records in Burglaries," Fox News, November 6, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: The Vulnerability of Fingerprint Scanner Systems

     Jim Krissler, a member of Europe's oldest hacker collective, the Chaos Computer Club, said he has developed the ability to copy fingerprints using a common digital camera. He made the announcement at the Chaos Computer Conference on December 27, 2014. His demonstration included creating a digital copy of a fingerprint of Germany's federal minister of defense, Ursula von der Leyen, using commercially available software called VeriFinger.

     Krissler said he had a photographer snap high-resolution photos of von der Leyen's fingers while she was giving a presentation in October 2014. The photographs were taken from nine feet away from the subject. Krissler said he wasn't able to verify von der Leyen's fingerprint was accurate, but was confident it was a workable copy…

     Krissler's presentation potentially calls into question the efficacy of fingerprint scanners as a security measure. While they have been around since the 1990s in consumer technology, it was Apple's move to include a fingerprint reader, which it calls Touch ID, into the iPhone 5S that revitalized the idea of using biometric readers. Samsung and HTC quickly followed by adding fingerprint readers in select smartphones. The reader replaces the need to enter a code to unlock a device or, in the case of mobile-payments system Apple Pay, verify a purchase…

     This isn't Krissler's first tangle with fingerprints. He was one of the first to demonstrate how to fake a fingerprint with wood glue to fool the IPhone 5S. "We hope that this finally puts to rest the illusions people have about fingerprint biometrics," Chaos Computer Club spokesperson Frank Rieger said in a statement. "It is plain stupid to use something that you can't change and that you leave everywhere every day as a security token."…

Seth Rosenblatt, "Hacker Claims You Can Steal Fingerprints With Only a Camera," cnet.com, December 30, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Marine Accused of Murdering Transgender Woman

     A U.S. Marine has been charged with murder in the death of a transgender woman who was found strangled in a Philippines hotel room…Pfc. Scott Pemberton is accused of killing Jeffrey Laude, who was also known as Jennifer…Laude's naked body was found with her head in a toilet in an Olongapo hotel room shortly after midnight on October 12, 2014…

     Witnesses told police that Pemberton was with Laude at a local disco before the two checked into the hotel on the night of October 11…

     Pimberton was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina…The Marine Corps said it was "working closely and cooperating fully with the Philippine National Police to ensure that a thorough investigation is completed and due process of law is followed."

     Three other Marines from the same unit have been identified as potential witnesses….

"U.S. Marine Charged With Murder in Death of Transgender Woman in Philippines," CNN, December 15, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Former Pro Wrestler Kevin Nash and Son Arrested

     Former WWE star Kevin Nash and his 18-year-old son, Tristen Nash, were arrested on December 24, 2014 after getting into a scuffle at their Florida home. Kevin Nash, known as Diesel in the ring, was arrested after police say he got into a physical altercation with his son after the boy came home drunk. Father and son gave the police different accounts of the incident, each blaming the other.

     Tristen Nash claims he and his father got into an argument about the boy's girlfriend and the fact he came home drunk. The 6-foot-10 former wrestler pinned his son to the ground. Kevin Nash told officers that his son had been the aggressor and that he only pinned him to protect his wife…

     Police arrested the father at the scene, but deputies later returned and arrested Tristen after his mother and uncle said he tried to fight with them as well…The family lawyer told reporters that the son was "out of control."

     Kevin Nash and his son were released from the Volusia County Jail without bond.

"Former Wrestling Star Arrested on Battery Charge," CNN, December 25, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Over-The-Hill Sitcom Actor Stabs Man in Bar

     Dustin Diamond, who played Screech on the 1990s TV show "Saved by the Bell," was charged on Friday December 26, 2014 with stabbing a man during a fight on Christmas day. He faces charges of endangering safety, disorderly conduct, and carrying a concealed weapon…According to the criminal complaint, Diamond told police that he and his fiancee went out to several bars on Thursday night in Port Washington, a town thirty miles north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The couple got into a tussle with two men and another woman at the Grand Avenue Saloon…

     Port Washington police say they responded at 11:15 PM to a report of a stabbing. When officers caught up with the couple in their SUV down the road from the bar, Diamond said he had held a pen in his hand during the fight. In the vehicle, however, officers found a bloody switchblade knife. At this point Diamond admitted that he had accidentally stabbed the man while trying to defend his fiancee…The victim had been stabbed under the arm and was not seriously injured.

     Diamond appeared in Ozaukee County court where the judge set his bail at $10,000….His fiancee, 27-year-old Amanda Schutz, faces a disorderly conduct charge…

     Since his decade-long run on the TV show, Diamond has been sued several times for delinquent taxes and in foreclosure proceedings for missing mortgage payments. He has appeared on reality TV [the graveyard for career-dead celebrities] and most recently produced a tell-all documentary on Lifetime TV called "The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story."

"Saved by the Bell Star Arrested After Stabbing," Associated Press, December 27, 2014

Criminal Justice Quote: Police Officers Killed in the Line of Duty in 2014

     The number of law enforcement officers killed by firearms jumped by 56 percent in 2014 and included 15 ambush deaths. But gun-related police deaths still remain far below historic highs and lower that the average annual figures in the past decade, according to a report released Tuesday December 30, 2014.

     The annual report by the nonprofit National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund found that 50 officers were killed by guns this year. That's higher than the 32 such deaths in 2013 but the same as 2012 figures. In 2011, 73 officers were killed in gunfire, the most of any year in the past decade. The average since 2004 is 55 police deaths annually,

     The report found that 126 federal, local, tribal and territorial officers where killed--from all causes--in the line of duty in 2014. That's a 24 percent jump from last year's 102 on-duty deaths and below the average annual figures since 2004 and the all-time high of 156 in 1973. Of the 126 officer deaths this year, shootings were the leading cause, followed by traffic-related fatalities at 49…

     The states that saw the most officer deaths were California, at 14, Texas, at 11, and New York, at nine. Florida followed with six deaths, and Georgia had five, according to the report. The 15 ambush assaults on police officers this year compares to just five in 2013, but matched 2012 for the highest since 1995….

"Report: Police Gun Deaths Up, Still Below Average," Associated Press, December 30, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Flagstaff Man Kills Police Officer

     A police officer in Flagstaff, Arizona was killed Saturday afternoon December 27, 2014 while investigating a domestic violence case…The gunman then fatally shot himself…The officer, Tyler Jacob Stewart, 24, was the first Flagstaff officer to die in the line of duty in 13 years and only the second fatality in the history of the department…

     Officer Stewart was investigating the case on the west side of Flagstaff when a man opened fire. Officer Steward was struck several times…The gunman was identified as Robert W. Smith of Prescott, an Arizona town 90 miles southwest of Flagstaff.

     Officer Stewart was taken to Flagstaff Medical Center where he died shortly upon arrival…Officials reported that the officer had not been able to return fire…Investigators do not know why Mr. Smith killed the police officer. Officer Stewart had been on the force less than a year…

     The last Flagstaff police killing occurred in 2001….

"Man Fatally Shoots Arizona Officer, Then Kills Himself, Police Say," The New York Times, December 27, 2014