Quiet New Hampshire Experiences 'Unprecedented' Spate of Violence

The Boston Globe says 10 days of bloodshed in New Hampshire during April have left residents on edge in a state that prides itself on its low homicide rate. Ten violent deaths spanned the state geographically and occurred without discernible pattern. Jane Young, the senior assistant state attorney general, called the violence "unprecedented." The most prominent killing was that of Greenland Police Chief Michael Maloney, shot to death April 12 while serving a search warrant in a drug case.

Four other officers serving the warrant were wounded. Inside the home, the shooter, Cullen Mutrie, apparently killed his former girlfriend, Brittany Tibbetts, before killing himself. The first violent death occurred on April 7, when one man ran over another in Claremont. Five days later, on the same day as the Greenland tragedy, a shooting in Dalton left two dead and one wounded. On April 14, a man was fatally shot on a rural road in Chesterfield and on April 17 officials opened another homicide investigation into three more deaths in Lancaster. The deaths have left residents wondering what has happened to their quiet state.

Cincinnati Chief Urges Youth, Re-entry Programs to Cut Violence

Cincinnati Police Chief James Craig told the City Council that if it is serious about reducing violent crime, and particularly black-on-black violence, the city should invest in youth programs and re-entry programs that help ex-offenders get and keep jobs. “And not just putting up a basketball hoop,” Craig said during a special session called by members Christopher Smitherman and Charles Winburn, reports the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Winburn and Smitherman called the meeting after Smitherman and council member Cecil Thomas, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, exchanged  emails about the Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV). Craig said violent crime in the city was down 11 percent in 2011 compared with 2010. There has been a 6 percent reduction in violent crime and 24 percent decline in homicides so far this year compared to 2011. Thomas wants to restore $548,000 in city funding to CIRV that was cut during a 2010 budget crisis. The program has several components, including multi-agency law enforcement collaboration, community intervention with criminals and gang members, and access to social services through street outreach workers – all of them ex-offenders.

Philadelphia’s Killing Spree

By David S. Barry

The city has launched a new initiative to combat one of the nation’s highest murder rates. The key to success: tougher prosecution of illegal gun possession.

Chicago Ramping Up Antigang Strategy After Outbreak of Violence

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he’s outraged by the bloodbath of violence that claimed the life of a 6-year-old playing on her porch in front of her...

S.F. Mayor Suspends Sheriff Over Domestic Violence Incident

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee is suspending Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi from his post, the first step toward removing him from office permanently for official...

2 Should Jail Be Required For Repeat Domestic Violence Offenders?

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam is seeking mandatory minimum jail sentences for repeat domestic violence offenders. Experts worry that mandatory jail time without treatment isn’t enough, reports The Tennessean. “In many other states, batterers programs are mandated for varying lengths at least for the first offense,” said Ed Gondolf, retired research director for the Mid-Atlantic Addiction Research and Training Institute and sociology professor emeritus at Indiana University of Pennsylvania “Putting people in jail, in and of itself, is not a cure-all. It sounds like it’s a simplistic answer to a harder problem and one that appeals to the public — the law and order toughness — but isn’t necessarily practical in the long run.”

State officials counter that it is an important step toward making repeat offenders accountable for actions that sometimes don’t earn any significant punishment. “This bill focuses on repeat offenders who have not changed their behavior despite previous interventions, including arrest, counseling, probation and court injunctions,” said Bill Gibbons, head of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. “Battering is a crime. We believe the best way to deter future violence is to increase perpetrator accountability.” One victim, Ashlee McGrann said that, based on her experiences, the state should require both.

Bias Intimidation Verdict in NJ Webcam Suicide Case

Dharun Ravi was found guilty in New Jersey of bias intimidation by using a webcam to spy remotely on an intimate tryst between Rutgers University roommate...

VAWA Extension Debate, Dems Paint GOP as Antiwoman

In the ongoing drama over extension of the 1994 federal Violence Against Women Act, Senate Democratic women plan to march to the Senate floor today to demand quick action on its extension, the New York Times reports. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) may push for a vote this month. Democrats, confident they have the political upper hand with women, insist that Republican opposition falls into a larger picture of insensitivity toward women that has progressed from abortion fights to contraception to preventive health care coverage — and now to domestic violence.

“I am furious,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA). “We’re mad, and we’re tired of it.” Republicans are bracing for a battle where substantive arguments could be swamped by political optics and the intensity of the clash over women’s issues. At a closed-door lunch yesterday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)  warned her colleagues that the party was at risk of being successfully painted as antiwoman. Some conservatives are feeling trapped. “I favor the Violence Against Women Act and have supported it at various points over the years, but there are matters put on that bill that almost seem to invite opposition,” said Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL). “You think that’s possible? You think they might have put things in there we couldn’t support that maybe then they could accuse you of not being supportive of fighting violence against women

S.F. Sheriff Admits Domestic Violence Charge; Mayor to Decide on Future

The criminal case against San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi is winding down, but the political case against him may be only beginning, says the San...

The Role of Victims in Plea Bargaining

By Robin L. Barton

On Dec. 3, 2008, Laura Garza, a 25-year-old aspiring dancer, left a Manhattan night club with Michael Mele, a 26-year-old registered sex offender, and disappeared...

Two Dead in OH School; Suspect's Father Had Arrests for Violence

T.J. Lane, accused shooter at Ohio's Chardon High School had violence in his life from the beginning, says the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Court records show his father  had been arrested many times for violent crimes against women in his life, including Lane's mother. More than once, police or courts warned him to stay away from the boy and his mother. Authorities said the teen walked into the high school cafeteria yesterday and aimed it at several boys. In the end, three students were seriously wounded and two were killed.

T.J. Lane is to appear in Geauga County Juvenile Court today. A statement from his family said, "This is something that could never have been predicted. TJ's family has asked for some privacy while they try to understand how such a tragedy could have occurred and while they mourn this terrible loss for their community." Fellow students said the 17-year-old was quiet. Some said he was sweet; others said he had a simmering temper. His Facebook page, now deleted, had a photo that showed him bare-chested, glaring down toward the camera. In another picture, dated 11 days ago, he is sitting on a bed peering out from behind a giant teddy bear with a heart that says, "Be Mine." He listed his interests as anime and primitive hunting.

School Crimes: 17 Student Homicides, 359,000 Violent Cases in Year

A new federal edition of school crime indicators says that of the 33 violent deaths in schools in the year ending June 30, 2010, there were 25 homicides...

Teen Dating Violence Often Part of a Pattern of Victimization: Report

Teen victims of dating violence are overwhelmingly more likely to have been victims of other forms of violence, such as sexual violence and child abuse, according to new research from the University of New Hampshire Crimes Against Children Research Center.

VAWA Expansion Endangered by Split Senate Vote

By Ted Gest

A proposed expansion of the federal Violence Against Women Act to aid “underserved” populations is in jeopardy after solid Republican opposition at a Senate markup yesterday.

S.F. Mayor May Ask Sheriff To Take Leave In Domestic Abuse Case

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee may ask Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi to take a leave of absence while fighting misdemeanor charges stemming from an alleged domestic...