Murder

Half of Chicago Homicides Linked to Gangs

August 11, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Barack Obama (D-IL) today applauded the Department of Justice (DOJ)'s decision to include Chicago - where half of all homicides are gang-related - in the Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative, a move that the Senators requested in April. Through this initiative, $2 million will be made available for Chicago area law enforcement agencies to assist in developing plans to combat gang violence and implementing anti-gang strategies using three components of prevention, enforcement, and prisoner reentry.    » read more »

Mayor Bloomberg And Police Commissioner Kelly Announce New York City Remains The Safest Big City In America According To FBI Uniform Crime Report; New York City's Drop in Violent Crime Was Twice as Large as the Nation's

June 9, 2008 -- New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly today announced that New York City remains the safest big city in America, according to the FBI's preliminary Uniform Crime Report for 2007. The report shows that, compared to 2006, the City experienced a 2.7 percent drop in overall crime last year.    » read more »

June 9, 2008 -- Washington, DC — U.S. Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, reiterated his call for the Congress and the Administration to fully support state and local law enforcement in wake of new data detailing nationwide decreases in murders, robberies and other felonies.    » read more »

April 15, 2008 -- Tomorrow, April 16, 2008, marks the first anniversary of the horrific incident at Virginia Tech that resulted in the tragic deaths of 32 students and faculty members, and serious injuries to many other innocent victims. Our hearts go out to the victims’ families as they mourn their loved ones who tragically lost their lives before their time.

Virginia Tech candlelight vigil, April 17, 2007: Photo by Ashley Dinges (CC)    » read more »

“Solutions For Safe & Secure Communities Now” Plan Will Provide 100,000 New Cops And Invest $1 Billion To Reduce Number Of Repeat Offenders

4/11/2008 -- At a speech in Philadelphia today, Hillary Clinton unveiled an ambitious new anti-crime agenda that would cut the murder rate in big cities in half and put 100,000 new police officers on America’s streets.

Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton: Photo by Daniella Zalcman (CC)    » read more »

March 27, 2008 -- New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte announces that recent DNA test results have provided additional confirmation that Robert Breest is guilty of the 1971 homicide of Susan Randall. Susan Randall’s badly beaten and partially naked body was found on the ice of the Merrimack River in 1971. Robert Breest was eventually arrested for the murder and brought to trial.

The evidence at trial included substantial forensic evidence that tied Breest to the murder including hairs and paint chips. He was convicted by a jury of First Degree Murder and sentenced as a psych-sexual murderer in 1973. Breest was sentenced to life in prison. Under the laws in place at the time of his sentencing, he was not eligible for parole for 40 years.    » read more »

03/27/2008 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued six rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction in a California court of the person or persons responsible for each of the following unsolved murder cases in California.

The following is a brief description of each crime and the reward amount offered:

* On January 26, 2005, 65-year-old James Booth was shot to death on the porch of his Hayward home. The Governor is offering a reward in the amount of $50,000. It was requested by Hayward Police Chief Lloyd Lowe.

* On April 29, 2007, 19-year-old Aaron Anthony Breaux was shot to death in Fremont. The Governor is offering a reward in the amount of $50,000. It was requested by Fremont Police Chief Craig T. Steckler.    » read more »