Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Monday that a 17 percent drop in Border Patrol arrests this year shows that heightened enforcement is slowing illegal immigration. The Border Patrol made about 463,000 arrests during the federal government's fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, down from 556,032 the previous 12 months. It marks the fifth straight year of declines. Dallas Morning News
Officials Push to Bolster Law on Wiretapping
Law enforcement and counterterrorism officials, citing lapses in compliance with surveillance orders, are pushing to overhaul a federal law that requires phone and broadband carriers to ensure that their networks can be wiretapped, federal officials say. The officials say tougher legislation is needed because some telecommunications companies in recent years have begun new services and made system upgrades that caused technical problems for surveillance. They want to increase legal incentives and penalties aimed at pushing carriers like Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast to ensure that any network changes will not disrupt their ability to conduct wiretaps. New York Times
Fire Dept. Investigates Charging for Services
"DNA Loopholes" Under Fire
As a growing number of states move to strengthen their DNA databanks, many investigators and crime victims in Texas say dangerous criminals may escape justice here because the state fails to require DNA sampling of most arrestees. Opponents say mandatory DNA sampling of arrestees violates the individual's right to privacy and freedom of unreasonable searches. Complaining that the government is becoming "big brother," civil libertarians predict innocent people will wind up in the nation's DNA databanks. Houston Chronicle
DNA Mist Tags Robbers
The new system involved an employee-activated device that sprays a fine, barely visible mist laced with synthetic DNA to cover anyone in its path, including criminals, and simultaneously alerts the police to a crime in progress. The mist -- visible only under ultraviolet light -- carries DNA markers particular to the location, enabling the police to match the burglar with the place burgled. Denver Post
