crime

Border Patrol breaking traffic rules? Is the law above the law? – VIDEO – UPDATE with BP response

UPDATE – BP response right above poll; original post directly below

We hate picking on law enforcement officers.

Behind Border Patrol vehicle on Interstate 10/submitted photo

Their jobs are difficult enough without some petty complaints from the people they are hired to protect. But sometimes the complaints are not so petty – and the concerns quite valid.

Like cruising down Interstate 10 at speeds nearing 100 mph, careening through traffic, with neither lights nor sirens activated.

One Tucson guy, who wants to remain anonymous for obvious reasons, said he witnessed such activity with not one, but three U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol vehicles just after noon June 21 on his way to Chandler. He said the Border Patrol trio was cruising on Interstate 10, not far from exit 203 near Toltec Road.

“While driving the speed limit (75 mph) a border patrol truck raced up to my vehicle and tailgated me for several miles,” the concerned motorist wrote in an e-mail. “I opted not to let road rage take over, and I changed lanes to let the vehicle pass safely by me. Turns out it was three border patrol vehicles. These officers were driving extremely aggressively, weaving around traffic at speeds in excess of 90 mph, blatantly disregarding traffic laws and personal safety. They did not have their lights or sirens on.”

Note the driver’s speedometer in the above photo and in the short but effective video he sent.

[tnivideo caption=”Border Patrol cruising down Interstate 10 ” credit=”Submitted by TC.com reader”]brightcove:106456288001[/tnivideo]

___

Perhaps there is a simple explanation for this. Maybe the caravan was on a secret mission. Perhaps an illegal alien, or 33, was in the back of each truck needing swift emergency treatment at the nearest hospital.

Maybe somebody had to pee.

Full shot of speedometer pic from above/submitted photo

Border Patrol has not yet responded to an inquiry sent June 30, but it will be added if received.

“I have a simple question,” the concerned motorist continued, “When is it acceptable for border patrol agents to blatantly disregard traffic laws, and speed in excess without lights or sirens? Lately it seems to be that some border patrol agents are oblivious to the rules of the road. Are they not bound by the same rules and regulations as the rest of us?”

Anybody?

Thankfully, local police and sheriff aren’t wont to be spotted speeding at nearly 100 mph in and around Tucson.

But they, too, may dabble in a few traffic infractions. Some have been seen changing lanes without their blinkers – gasp! – but we see that from many daily. We have actually come to wonder if there is a Tucson ordinance that makes blinkers optional.

There is one other traffic rule , however, that is even more of a detriment to Old Pueblo’s roads.

They have been spotted driving way below the speed limit.

When a police or sheriff vehicle decides to go 28 in a 40 mph zone, you bet all nearby traffic all of a sudden follows suit. No one wants to be noted passing a cop or sheriff car, after all. It’s much safer to stay behind them, creating a giant sea of barely mobile traffic, or “rolling roadblocks” as my friend likes to call them.

Guess that’s preferred over getting cut off by one at some 95 mph.

While some of these complaints may, in fact, be petty, they may also open the door for another concern. If nobody cares if law enforcement officers break traffic laws, will it only be a matter of time before bigger and better laws are equally disregarded by officers and met with the same nonchalance?

UPDATE – Response from U.S. Customs and Border Protection:

Border Patrol wants to know about such incidents, Rob Daniels of the Tucson Sector’s public affairs office said.

Daniels did not offer any theories on why the aforementioned trio of vehicles may have been speeding on July 21 – “Without knowing any specifics, it’s not a good idea to do that” – but he did encourage people to report such behavior.

“Border Patrol agents are required to comply with all traffic laws, no different than anyone else,” Daniels said. “In instances which anyone has identified and reports inappropriate driving behavior by our agents, those situations are investigated and appropriate action is taken.

“(I want to) reassure the public that this is the case and agents are no different than anyone else when it comes to obeying traffic laws.”

Daniels noted the Border Patrol helpline was set up for people to report everything from agents’ driving to suspected illegal border activity.

Reach the helpline at 1-877-USPB-HELP

People can also call the Tucson Sector at 748-3000

[tnipoll]

Border Patrol cruising down Interstate 10/submitted photo

What do you think?

Have you seen Border Patrol or other law enforcement breaking traffic laws?

Do such infractions concern you or do you look at it as just one of the perks of the jobs perhaps?

Do you ever report it?

Have you seen law enforcement breaking laws other than traffic rules?

A tale of two Tucsonans: One nice neighbor, one nasty stranger

Tucson is packed with some of the coolest folks. But like anywhere else, the cool folks are balanced out by some real pieces of work. We recently ran across two shining examples of both.

The nice neighbor

A Sunday morning knock on the door is not something many of us are particularly raring to answer. But it’s OK when our neighbor at the door, one of the neighbors we like in the first place, who gives us reason to like him even more.

Nice neighbor greets Phoebe (left) and Sawyer/Illustration Ryn Gargulinski

Next door neighbor came to ask if it were OK for him to trim my mesquite tree that was heavily invading his yard. “Of course you can,” said I, “You didn’t even have to ask.”

“Well, it’s just common courtesy,” said he. If that wasn’t enough, he agreed to meet the dogs for the first time face to face. He did not even flinch when Sawyer went zooming at his, um, belly area. And he even petted the pooches, asking their names.

Nice neighbor showcasing mesquite efforts/Illustration Ryn Gargulinski

The neighbor got even better when, once he was done trimming the mesquite, he called me over to make sure I liked what he did with it. I don’t know about you, but I have the sudden urge to bake some neighborly cookies or something.

Anyone who thinks I am perhaps over-reacting by falling backwards with joy because of such a courteous chap has probably neither lived in New York City for 17 years nor worked in journalism for even a day. The nice neighbor has asked to remain anonymous.

The nasty stranger

The nasty stranger, for sure, gave us a dose of Big Apple respect, or lack thereof, right here in Tucson. Nasty stranger shall remain anonymous, too, mainly because we don’t know who he (or she) is.

One of my friends experienced the nasty stranger incident. She had been shopping at Home Depot, using the cane she’s been carrying after her hip replacement surgery. She’s well on the mend, but still travels with it for support. While shopping, she puts the cane in the shopping cart and uses the cart for support.

My friend realized she forgot her cane at Home Depot/Illustration Ryn Gargulinski

Alas, about 20 minutes after leaving Home Depot, my pal realized she no longer had her cane. She surmised she left it in the Home Depot cart, which I colored with orange wheels so you would know it’s from Home Depot.

She rushed back to the store, checking all the carts, inquiring at the counters and asking other employees if they had seen hide or hair of her cane.

"There's a hot spot in hell" for the cane thief/Illustration Ryn Gargulinski

Double alas, the cane was gone. “Someone stole my cane,” my friend lamented. “Do you believe that? That’s low. Do you honestly think it was someone who needed a cane and happened to run across it, knowing it could help them. I doubt it. Someone probably took it for a Halloween costume or something.

“There’s a hot spot in hell waiting for that inconsiderate S.O.B.”

[tnipoll]

What do you think?

What would you do if you found a cane in a shopping cart?

Have you ever taken something someone left in a shopping cart? What?

Did you steal a steak?

Would you ask your neighbor’s permission before you trimmed his or her tree hanging in your yard?

Tucson serial armed robber may prove mini mart crime does not pay – UPDATE with ID, arrest warrant

qmRobbery Suspect — Serial armed robbery suspect/submitted photo

Update near bottom of post, original post directly below.

A serial armed robber has been flitting around Tucson, hitting at least nine convenience stores since June 8, according to a news release from the Tucson Police Department.

The police’s main concern is for public safety – but we have another giant worry. We fret to think the man is simply wasting his time.

Robbery should be a one-time deal if folks pick the target right. Try for the Hope Diamond or at least a bank.

This man, who mainly targets Quik Marts, evidently is not making nearly enough cash at his chosen criminal trade or he would not have to go serial about it and keep robbing again and again.

His most recent robbery was around 10 a.m. on June 23, when he hit up the Quik Mart at 6301 S. Park Ave. Mr. Robber Man simply moseyed behind the counter, aimed his handgun at the employee stationed there, and demanded all of the cash. He then fled “with an undisclosed amount of money.”

Serial armed robbery suspect/submitted photo

His robberies have so far included:

Quik Mart at 1140 S. Fourth Ave – June 8 at 11:47 p.m.
Quik Mart at 4477 E. Fifth St – June 15 at 5:06 p.m.
Quik Mart at 5860 E. 22nd St – June 15 at 9:07 p.m.
Quik Mart at 7667 E. Escalante Rd – June 16 at 7:59 p.m.
Shell Station at 3901 E. 22nd St – June 17 at 8:42 p.m.
Quik Mart at 745 S. Tucson Blvd – June 21 at 9:34 p.m.
Circle K at 2701 N. Oracle Rd – June 19 at 10:33 a.m.
Quik Mart at 4477 E. Fifth St – June 22 at 5:32 a.m.
Quik Mart at 6301 S. Park Ave – June 23 at 9:59 a.m.

Let’s add it up. Say he makes about $200 per haul, using a totally random guess. That gives him $1,800 for nine days of work over a three-week period. Not too shabby, but not worth the hassle of being a wanted criminal.

Besides, once we add in the all the guy’s expenses, his profit plummets dramatically.

First, there’s the cost of the handgun. A good one, even at a pawn shop, could cost him some $600. Throw in another $50 for the ammunition, assuming he bought it when prices were high during the alleged ammo shortage.

Then there’s the mileage. For the sake of argument, let’s place him in midtown, say around Grant Road and Stone Avenue. His total distance traveled to and from each robbery location tallies to about 122 miles. His car is likely something old and crummy that gets only about 10 miles per gallon. That’s about 12 gallons of gas at an estimated $2.75 per gallon, putting his gas money at $33.

Next comes clothing expenses. If a robber has any inkling of a brain, he is going to discard any clothing worn during a robbery. This includes that snazzy hat seen in one of the photos. Tally each outfit at about $50, with an additional $25 thrown in for the hat. Discarded clothing expenses come to $450.

Since it has to be increasingly stressful to keep up with the fast pace of serial armed robberies, add another $20 per day for booze and cigarettes during the three-week period, coming to $420.

A man’s gotta eat, especially to sustain enough strength to hold up a handgun. Put his food at another $20 per day for the three-week period, an additional $420.

Now that the guy’s photo and litany of robberies are plastered all over the news, include another $200 for medication to bring down his high blood pressure and soothe any heart conditions that may arise.

All told, a serial robber under such an example just spent a total of $2,173 ripping off some $1,800 at gas stations and mini marts. That puts the robber at $373 in the hole.

Heck, such a serial robber is definitely the poster child for the proverbial phrase that crime doesn’t pay. Not unless, of course, he switches targets, moving on from Quik Marts to something like the Hope Diamond.

From the TPD news release:

The suspect has been described as a black male, mid-30s to mid 50s, 5’5” to 5’09” tall, approximately 180 pounds, bald or very short hair, and some facial hair. He was last seen wearing a light colored dress shirt, dark pants or jeans, and sunglasses.

While no injuries have been reported in any of the incidents, detectives are concerned due to the suspect’s escalating aggression and propensity for violence. Anyone with information regarding the suspect’s identity is asked to call 911 or 88-CRIME.

UPDATE FROM TUCSON POLICE DEPT:

Police issued an arrest warrant for Michael Manning, 51, charging him with armed robbery in connection with the serial armed robber investigation. The warrant was issued June 24.

Know where he is? Call it in: 911 or 88-CRIME.

[tnipoll]

What do you think?

Have you seen this man at a Quik Mart near you?

Would you turn him in if you did or do you feel bad he most likely did not make a profit during his stream of robberies?

Piñata abuse ruins cheery reputation

Piñatas get no respect to begin with.

Pinatas are created only to be destoryed/Thinkstock image — Pinatas are created only to be destroyed/Thinkstock image

The cheerful, colorful beauties are meticulously created – only to be destroyed.

Their lot in life consists of getting battered, bruised and beaten by blindfolded folks with sticks.

If that’s not enough, people routinely abuse piñatas, forcing these papier-mâché masterpieces into illegal activities.

Such activities tarnish the piñatas perky image and wrongfully ruin their rosy reputation.

Smuggling drugs is one of the most common piñata abuses, but the cute little critters can also be stuffed with other stuff that’s illegal to take over the border.

Like people.

One of the infamous piñata abuses was the PowderPuff Girls piñata that had its own little girl inside.

This particular piñata was in the back seat of a car driven by two U.S. citizens with California plates back in 2004, according to an article at Sign On San Diego. The couple was hauling a whole load of piñatas from Mexico through the Tecate Port of Entry.

You'd be mad, too, if someone stuffed you with a toddler/Thinkstock image

“Officers began to take the piñatas out of the back seat, and one seemed to be much heavier than the others,” the article quotes Vince Bond, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “This one had a little girl of approximately 4 or 5 years of age inside it.”

Even the less creative piñata abuses can be just as illegal. Arizona’s very own Douglas Port of Entry U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers recently busted a whole tractor-trailer load of piñatas that were violating intellectual property rights, according to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The 108 piñatas were Disneyland character rip-offs – maybe about the same caliber as those faux Rolex watches or fake Gucci bags that say “Gulli.”

“The piñatas may have an appearance of innocence,” the release quotes Eli Villarreal, assistant port director and overseer of all commercial operations, “but the aggregate shipment of illegal merchandise on a national scale can undermine the stability of our nation’s economy; a vital element in national security.”

The economy could have gone further under, worse than it is, with that truckload of phony Plutos and counterfeit Mickey Mouses.

[tnipoll]

What do you think?

Are such illegal activities ruining piñatas good name?

Do you even like piñatas?

Do you have any fun piñata tales or piñata horror stories? Do tell.

Illegal alien fun keeps coming: Proposal denies automatic citizenship to kids

Illegal alien fun just keeps on coming – this time targeting the illegals’ kids.

A proposal by Arizona Sen. Russell Pearce aims to deny automatic citizenship from kids of undocumented immigrants. And why not?

Since the illegal immigrant* issue has been disregarded for so long, the floodgates may as well burst open with a deluge of measures meant to drown all angles at once.

See what happens when things are perpetually ignored?

Pearce, a Mesa-area Republican, is the same guy who sponsored the controversial SB 1070, which was signed into law in April and goes into effect July 29. The measure gives local law enforcement the authority to question immigration status with “reasonable suspicion” if a person is stopped for another infraction.

Denying automatic citizenship to the offspring of two undocumented immigrants – or anyone born here – goes against the U.S. Constitution, some cry.

And perhaps it does.

The 14th Amendment says “All persons, born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.”

But isn’t such stuff passé? After all, as a Time magazine article points out, the 14th Amendment was adopted back in 1868 and meant to help freed slaves. It took the citizenship decision-making away from the states and put in the hands of the federal government.

Yet today’s federal government has pretty much proved through longtime lack of action that its hands are incredibly too busy working on things other than some silly border woes.

Pearce wants to give back some power to the state, by only doling out birth certificates to offspring who have at least one documented parent, according to Associated Press.

“Citizenship as a birthright is rare elsewhere in the world,” AP says. “Many countries require at least one parent to be a citizen or legal resident.”

Homeland Security says nearly 11 million illegal aliens were in the United States as of January 2009, AP reports. As of 2008, AP says the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington estimates the number of illegal aliens with U.S. citizen children at 3.8 million.

Even if the 14th Amendment may seem passé, perhaps it’s just not right to change a longstanding measure. C’mon, it’s not like we redesign the flag every year. Some things should stay the same just because.

Besides, if immigrants have the wherewithal to sneak into the country illegally and stay long enough to have a kid – or several – it only makes sense their children should be privileged with U.S. citizenship status and reap all the benefits that come with it.

Kind of like a door prize.

[tnipoll]

Please note: This piece was written with sarcasm and I remain undecided on Pearce’s proposal to deny automatic citizenship.

*Please also note: The terms illegal immigrant, illegal alien and all variations thereof are not the issue here. We already went through that debate on a previous post.

What do you think?

Is the measure to deny citizenship to children born of illegal/undocumented immigrants right or wrong? Why?

Is it unconstitutional?

Is it about time?

Illegals fleeing AZ in fear of new SB 1070 law

Adios, illegals – and don’t let the puerta hit you on the way out.

A number of Hispanic folks are running scared, hightailing it out Arizona even before the controversial SB 1070 law goes into effect July 29, according to a recent report in the Detroit Free Press.

We surmise those who are fleeing are here illegally, as American citizens and others who are here legally have nothing to worry about.

That means the measure is working already.

For the two or three people who have not yet heard about Arizona’s new law, SB 1070 requires local police to ask about a person’s immigration status, provided the person is stopped, detained or arrested for other reasons and the officer has “reasonable suspicion” that the individual may be here illegally.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed the measure into law April 23.

“Though no one has precise figures, reports from school officials, businesses and individuals indicate worried Hispanics are leaving Arizona in anticipation of the law,” the Free Press says.

Hispanic-area schools report an “unusual drop in enrollment,” the article notes, and businesses that cater to the Hispanic community say business is down “signaling that illegal immigrants are holding on to cash in anticipation of a move.”

As mentioned in a previous post, I’m on the fence about the law. It has its potential problems – all of which have been discussed ad nauseam for the past few months.

But if SB 1070 is already getting rid of illegals before it even goes into effect – saving local police the extra workload such a measure would surely incur – the thing has to have some merit.

OK, we don’t know for sure if the threat of SB 1070 is behind the mini-exodus. Perhaps there are other reasons and the timing is just a huge coincidence.

Another such coincidence went down in 2007, the Free Press reminds us, when the Department of Homeland Security says as many as 100,000 illegal entrants fled Arizona around the time a law increased penalties for businesses that hired illegals.

Some may argue that illegal entrants leaving Arizona is a bad thing.

But those folks probably live in New Mexico, Texas or California.

[tnipoll]

What do you think?

Even if you don’t agree with the new law, are you pleased with the mini-exodus?

Is there any reason illegal entrants leaving Arizona would be detrimental? Please explain.

crime

Footer

Stay in the loop