The Post-Tribune reports that suspects were alerted that warrants had been issued when they received letters from attorneys who had been alerted by CourtView to existence of a new criminal cases. It is a common practice for Lake County attorneys to send out letters to potential clients to advise of their services when a new case is filed in court.

Writes Chelsea Schneider Kirk in Procedural blunder may have hampered sting:

As the Lake County Sheriff’s Department lauded a nine-month auto theft sting leading to charges against at least 20 people, a Gary Police Department official close to the investigation said warrants left unsealed for the suspects created problems for officers.

“They were already getting letters from attorneys,” Gary Police Cpl. William Clouse said. “You know what, we’ve never had an issue like this where … the information was out.”

The upshot is that police arrested at least 20 suspects, according to news reports.

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Technorati Tags: car theft, chop shop, courts, CourtView, crime, Gary Police, Lake County Sheriff, Sting, warrants

Local Twitter user Gioperation asks the local newspaper about reports that were circulating on Facebook and Twitter that eight children were shot at a Gary, Indiana skating rink about 10 a.m. Saturday morning:

@nwi any truth to the 8 kids shot last night at the Gary skating rink- couldn’t find it in your newspaper online.

A search of the local newspapers in Northwest Indiana and Chicago Breaking News on Saturday morning showed no reports of the Friday evening shooting. 

Writes Gioperation about not finding the news of the skating rink shooting this morning:

@Chris_Hedges do you know why there is not reports of the shooting last night at the skate rink in Gary last night- buzzing on FB!

Gioperation in a response to one of my questions said that he had first heard of the Gary skating rink shootings via Facebook:

@Chris_Hedges Here is the one that started it all – http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?v=feed&story_fbid=361015320488&id=1207179871

About 5 p.m. this evening, the Northwest Indiana Times reports the Gary, Indiana skating rink shooting incident via the Associated Press.

Authorities say eight teenage boys were shot while leaving a Gary skating rink where they were attending a concert.

The AP report about the 8 teens shot at the skating rink originated at the Post-Tribune sometime today:

Gary Police Cpl. Gabrielle King said Saturday “all chaos broke loose” when a fight broke out during the event and security advised attendees to leave Skate World, 4415 W. 5th Ave. in the Commons shopping center.

King said no arrests have been made. …

Police identified the wounded as: Shaquille Hughes, 15, shot in right side; Marcus Ratliff,14, shot in right wrist; Justin Bodley, 16, shot in the leg; Junan Washington, 18, shot in left ankle; DaVonte Biddings, 16, shot once in back; Marquel Croock, 16, shot in stomach; Kesean Philon, 14, shot in left leg; Stephan Danzy, 17, shot in left leg.

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Technorati Tags: crime, Facebook, Gary, Indiana, Northwest Indiana, police, social media, Twitter

It could happen in Northwest Indiana.

A vigilante group forms to combat drunk driving.

The group gathers online — coordinating using Craigslist, Facebook, Twitter or blogs – then takes position in various bars around Lake and Porter counties waiting for drivers to leave the bar intoxicated so they can call the police.

Would this practice be good citizenship?  Or, it would it be vigilantism?

Video: DUI Busters use Craigslist to catch DUI drivers

It’s already happening in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with a group called DUI Busters who have set up shop on Craigslist.

Writes FOX6 about the DUI Busters:

Some people on the popular website Craigslist have decided they’ve had enough, and they want to put a stop to it. They call themselves the DUI Busters, but some are questioning their controversial tactics. …

The DUI Busters say they hang out in bars looking for people who’ve had too much to drink, trail the unknowing person to their car, then follow them down the road, and call 9-1-1.

What do you think?

If a group such as DUI Busters set up shop online in your neighborhood and started patrolling local bars and taverns, would you support the group?

Would you be opposed?

Personally, I don’t support taking the law into ones own hands and wouldn’t support people doing this type of activity because of the risks involved in any type of “police” work.

There’s something creepy about people watching and waiting for someone to have a little too much to drink in a bar so that they can call the police with a report.  What happens if you’ve only had a beer or two and aren’t close to the legal limit, but get pulled over because someone calls the police to report your car?

The First Amendment allows people to gather and express themselves.  As long as the DUI Busters aren’t pulling drunk drivers over themselves and are only calling the police with their truthful observations of someone’s driving, I don’t see that they are doing anything illegal themselves.  And, I can see the point of not wanting DUI drivers on the roads crashing into innocent victims, potentially causing death, devastation and property damage.

Milwaukee police and MADD representatives have come out against the group, according to the news report.

Some lawyers are also opposed, including The Wilson Law Firm’s Katy Moore:

While some do not have a problem with these methods, others raise the important question-why not stop them before they get into the car to avoid any possible injury to innocent drivers? The MADD organization agrees with the Sheriff’s department that the methods of the DUI Busters are dangerous. MADD also says making up stories to have drivers arrested for DUI “helps no one”.

Another lawyer opposing DUI Busters is Lawrence Taylor in a blog post about the Milwaukee group:

So where do we go next in MADD’s hysterical War on Drunk Driving?

What say you?

Would you want to see a DUI Busters group set up shop where you live?

Or, is it a little too Big Brotherish for your tastes?

If a DUI Busters came to Valparaiso, Crown Point or another Northwest Indiana city, would you join?

Photo credit: llimllib

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Technorati Tags: crime, dui, DUI Busters, police, vigilantes

Video: DUI technology combats crime in California

Video: DUI braclets could be coming to Missouri

The devices aren’t without problems, however.

A 2008 news report from Indianapolis detailed problems with a DUI bracelet program at a community corrections program in Marion County.  Many offenders were not paying user fees for the devices and more than 180 devices were missing – leaving a loss of $3.4 million for the community corrections department, reported The Indy Channel.

The offenders wearing the SCRAMs are supposed to pay the agency a $12 daily fee. The agency said 53 percent of SCRAM wearers didn’t pay the fee last year (2007) – a record for the county.

More than 690 people in Marion County were wearing SCRAMs this week.

Missing devices also are hurting the agency. One hundred eighty-six SCRAMs are missing or damaged, the agency said.

“People abscond, they leave, they cut their bracelets,” (Director Brian) Barton said.

Despite past difficulties, a Marion County judge praises the program, according to a testimonial on a vender’s web page.

In Marion County, Indiana, home of Indianapolis, Judge William Nelson has become a strong proponent of SCRAM. … “At the time we implemented SCRAM, drunk driving in Marion County was no longer just a problem. It had reached epidemic proportions … . We saw SCRAM as a highly effective way to monitor these repeat offenders 24×7.”

To date, over 1200 alcohol offenders have been monitored by SCRAM in Marion County and the program has been “a huge success,” says Judge Nelson … .  Nelson adds that he sees very few repeat offenses by those who have successfully completed SCRAM monitoring.

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Technorati Tags: community corrections, courts, crime, dui, dui bracelet, SCRAM