Tag: police

Michigan law enforcement on alert in response to ‘plan to target and kill police’

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Michigan law enforcement is on high alert after the FBI revealed an alleged plot by extremist groups to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also involved a “plan to target and kill police.”

Vehicle protests at Michigan Capitol over Gov. Whitmer stay home order

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“We’re cautious. We’re absolutely more careful,” said First Lt. Mike Shaw of the Michigan State Police. “This is one of the tactics these anti-government, domestic terrorism groups use. Law enforcement is the face of the government. If you’re mad at the government, you’re mad at the police.”

The alleged plot was unveiled last Thursday when the U.S. Department of Justice charged six men with conspiracy to kidnap Whitmer, which authorities said they wanted to carry out before Election Day. On the same day, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel brought charges against seven other men that included supporting terrorism, gang membership, and possession of a firearm in commission of a felony. 



a group of people walking down the street: Michigan State Police look on during the a protest rally against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's order to stay home during COVID-19 pandemic in Lansing, Mich. on Thursday, May 14, 2020.

© Kimberly P Mitchell, Detroit Free Press
Michigan State Police look on during the a protest rally against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s order to stay home during COVID-19 pandemic in Lansing, Mich. on Thursday, May 14, 2020.

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Officials said the suspects were attempting to trigger “civil war” with a detailed plan to abduct the governor and attack other elected officials at the Statehouse. Part of the plot included plans to target police.

FBI Special Agent Richard J. Trask II cited the risk to law enforcement officers in a criminal complaint filed last Tuesday in U.S. District Court:

“The militia group had already been brought to the attention of the FBI by a local police department in March 2020 when members of the militia group were attempting to obtain the addresses of local law enforcement officers,” the filing says. “At the time, the FBI interviewed a member of the militia group who was concerned about the group’s plan to target and kill police officers and that person agreed to become a CHS (confidential human source).”



a group of people looking at a cell phone: Michigan State Police First Lt. Mike Shaw, seen here outside of the 22nd District Court on July 3, 2014, says that state troopers remain on high alert with news of an alleged plot to kidnap and possibly kill Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

© Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press
Michigan State Police First Lt. Mike Shaw, seen here outside of the 22nd District Court on July 3, 2014, says that state troopers remain on high alert with news of an alleged plot to kidnap and possibly kill Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Shaw and others said the police are on high alert as risk continues to evolve beyond traffic stops and sitting in police cars to getting fake calls for service and targeting police when they’re out of uniform. 

State Police are constantly evaluating the credibility of threats against troopers and facilities and taking measures to reduce potential for harm, Shaw said.

Michigan State Police are assigned to protect the governor. Whitmer thanked troopers for their commitment to public service after officials made the arrests in the federal case.

The Free Press interviewed current and former law enforcement officers who said the threat to Michigan police by extremist groups

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Nigerians pressure government over police brutality vow

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Nigerians protested Monday to pressure the government to follow through on disbanding a feared police unit after authorities made the rare concession in the face of widespread anger over abuses.

Around 2,000 people blocked one of the main highways in the country’s biggest city Lagos, demanding officials make good on an announcement on Sunday that the federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) was being scrapped.

The decision to dissolve the unit, which has been accused of unlawful arrests, torture and extra-judicial killings, followed a week of nationwide protests that saw police use tear gas and water cannons.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday insisted that the “disbanding of SARS is only the first step in our commitment to extensive police reforms”.

“The purpose of law enforcement and the purpose of policing is for the safety of lives and livelihood of Nigerians,” he said. 

But protesters in Lagos and the capital Abuja vowed they would keep up the pressure after previous pledges to disband the unit and punish officers responsible for abuses were not honoured. 

“We are not scared to take to the streets, we are tired,” protester Fareedah, 27, said, as traffic snarled up in Lagos. 

“They have said they would end SARS four times in four years, nothing came out.”

Ajebola Ayoade, 31, said that the younger generations were not scared after decades of intimidation and brutality from law enforcement.

“We are starting what our fathers couldn’t do — because they were intimidated, we are oppressed,” he said. 

“Look at our country, infrastructure zero, electricity, zero. They didn’t give us education, but we are not illiterate, and we know our rights.”

Rights group Amnesty International said the government needed to ensure any abusive officers were prosecuted promptly.  

“A clear and concise timeline for the implementation of the reforms to end police atrocities is key to safeguarding trust between Nigerians and the authorities,” Osai Ojigho, Amnesty’s Nigeria director, said in a statement. 

The eruption of long-standing anger over police brutality has been fuelled by an online campaign that has drawn support from some of Africa’s biggest stars. 

Afrobeats icon Davido said he was set to meet the inspector general of police after giving the campaign his high-profile backing. 

“Sars ending is a great start but the task is far from completed!”, the musician tweeted on Sunday.

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Extremist group’s plot to kidnap governor included plan to kill police

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‘Operation Gridlock’ aims to jam the roads around the Michigan Capitol in Lansing to object to restrictions in the stay-home order.

Detroit Free Press

Michigan law enforcement is on high alert after the FBI revealed an alleged plot by extremist groups to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also involved a “plan to target and kill police.”

“We’re cautious. We’re absolutely more careful,” said First Lt. Mike Shaw of the Michigan State Police. “This is one of the tactics these anti-government, domestic terrorism groups use. Law enforcement is the face of the government. if you’re mad at the government, you’re mad at the police.”

The alleged plot was unveiled last Thursday when the U.S. Department of Justice charged six men with conspiracy to kidnap Whitmer, which authorities said they wanted to carry out before Election Day. On the same day, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel brought charges against seven other men that included supporting terrorism, gang membership, and possession of a firearm in commission of a felony. 

Officials said the suspects were attempting to trigger “civil war” with a detailed plan to abduct the governor and attack other elected officials at the Statehouse. Part of the plot included plans to target police.

FBI Special Agent Richard J. Trask II cited the risk to law enforcement officers in a criminal complaint filed last Tuesday in U.S. District Court:

“The militia group had already been brought to the attention of the FBI by a local police department in March 2020 when members of the militia group were attempting to obtain the addresses of local law enforcement officers,” the filing says. “At the time, the FBI interviewed a member of the militia group who was concerned about the group’s plan to target and kill police officers and that person agreed to become a CHS (confidential human source).”

Michigan State Police First Lt. Mike Shaw, seen here outside of the 22nd District Court on July 3, 2014, says that state troopers remain on high alert with news of an alleged plot to kidnap and possibly kill Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. (Photo: Ryan Garza, Detroit Free Press)

Shaw and others said the police are on high alert as risk continues to evolve beyond traffic stops and sitting in police cars to getting fake calls for service and targeting police when they’re out of uniform. 

State Police are constantly evaluating the credibility of threats against troopers and facilities and taking measures to reduce potential for harm, Shaw said.

Michigan State Police are assigned to protect the governor. Whitmer thanked troopers for their commitment to public service after officials made the arrests in the federal case.

The Free Press interviewed current and former law enforcement officers who said the threat to Michigan police by extremist groups from both ends of the political spectrum are taken seriously and reconnaissance is provided to protect public officials, as well as those guarding them, at home and at work. 

Police told the Free Press that family members are rarely informed when individual officers

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ICE responds to reports officer wore NYPD jacket, says the word police is a law enforcement symbol

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is looking into reports that one of its officers wore an NYPD jacket that caused alarm for New York City residents, according to a report.

The agency said “police” is a “universally recognized symbol of law enforcement in most cultures.”

ICE PLANNING IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS IN SANCTUARY CITIES

“ICE officers are sworn federal law enforcement officers who enforce U.S. immigration laws created by Congress to keep this country safe. The word ‘POLICE’ is a universally recognized symbol of law enforcement in most cultures, an important distinction given that many of the individuals with whom ICE interacts are not native English speakers. Given the inherently dangerous nature of ICE officers’ work, their ability to quickly establish their identity as sworn law enforcement personnel could potentially mean the difference between life and death.”

Brooklyn residents in Fort Greene protested in front of the 88th police precinct Sunday after they claimed an immigration officer was caught wearing NYPD gear while knocking on doors in a building and climbing a fire escape.

“They were yelling ‘ICE, police, open up or we’ll knock your door down,’” an unidentified resident told PIX11 News in Spanish.

A similar incident happened in Upper Manhattan.

“They were saying, ‘Hey, can you open the door. We are just NYPD, we come from precinct 34. We’re not ICE,’” said a young woman whose father who has lived in New York for 30 years was detained.

ICE OPERATIONS NAB MORE THAN 2,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, MANY WITH CRIMINAL CHARGES, CONVICTIONS 

NYPD told PIX11 they have no record of the incidents.

“We’re seeing it happen in Fort Greene. We’re seeing it happen in northern Manhattan. We want answers,” said Jorge Muniz Reyes, an organizer with Sunset Park ICE Watch.

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Indonesian Police Nab Thousands Protesting New Law, Antara Says

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(Bloomberg) — Indonesia’s police detained thousands of protesters against the newly passed omnibus law, according to state news agency Antara, amid concern the gatherings could worsen the virus outbreak.

Students and workers held strikes and demonstrations across the country this week to reject the new law aimed at cutting red tape to boost investments, saying the bill would erode labor rights and environmental protection. President Joko Widodo defended the bill, saying the protests were fueled by “disinformation.”



a group of people standing around a fire: Indonesians Strike And Protest New Job Creation Law

© Photographer: Ed Wray/Getty Images AsiaPac
Indonesians Strike And Protest New Job Creation Law

Protestors throw rocks at a burning bus station in the city center in Jakarta, Indonesia on Oct. 8.

Photographer: Ed Wray/Getty Images

Here’s What to Know About Indonesia’s Investment Law Overhaul

Of the 3,862 people detained, 145 tested positive for the coronavirus, Antara reported, citing police spokesman Argo Yuwono.

The world’s fourth-most populous country is still struggling to contain the pandemic, adding more than 4,000 cases daily, with a record of 4,850 on Thursday. The total number of confirmed infections has tripled from the end of July to more than 320,000 and there have been 11,677 deaths.

The virus’s spread could be aided by poor understanding of the disease, with 17 out of 100 Indonesians saying it’s unlikely they would catch the virus, according to a September survey by the statistics bureau.

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Protesters torch police posts as opposition mounts to new Indonesia law

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Thousands of protesters set fire to barricades and police posts in the Indonesian capital Thursday as opposition mounted to a controversial new investment law critics say will harm labour rights and the environment.

Tens of thousands of people have protested in cities across the archipelago since Monday’s passing of the bill, which seeks to attract foreign investment by cutting red tape around taxation, labour and environment regulations.

Labour activists and green groups have slammed the legislation, however, with Amnesty International saying it is “catastrophic” for workers.

Nearly 13,000 police deployed Thursday to block access to government buildings in central Jakarta failed to stop protesters from making their way to the heart of the capital.

The protesters set fire to barricades and torched several bus stops and police traffic posts.

Police had banned the protests on the grounds it could spread the coronavirus. At least 300,000 people have been infected in the world’s fourth most-populous nation so far, and more than 11,000 have died.

Experts believe the true figures are much higher, however, but hidden by a lack of testing.

– Protesters with coronavirus –

Jakarta police spokesman Yusri Yunus said around 1,000 protesters had been tested since being detained by Thursday.

Some “34 of them are reactive for Covid-19”, he said, adding they would be isolated and tested again.

Workers and students also clashed with police in Makassar, Medan, Malang and Yogyakarta.

“We want the law to be cancelled,” Muhammad Sidharta told AFP in Bandung, West Java, adding the regulation “hurts Indonesian people, not only workers like me”.

Although enforcement is sometimes patchy, Indonesia has tough labour laws — particularly involving foreign companies.

Edi, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, said he joined protests in Makassar on Sulawesi island because the law affected him as a worker.

“Earlier, we already had regulations on minimum wage but still many companies did not comply with it,” he said.

“The new law scraps the regulations on that and companies will determine wages arbitrarily.”

Indonesians also expressed their anger online, with hackers blocking access to parliament’s website and changing its name to “Council of Traitors”.

They also created an account on the Indonesia e-commerce platform Tokopedia and put parliament “on sale” for a pittance, according to media reports.

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Miami company gets jail threat over police ‘challenge coin’

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As the nation grapples with tensions over cases of police brutality, a small Miami company says its found a successful niche selling pro-law-enforcement “challenge coins” and pins online.

The company, LEO Challenge Coins, hawks collector-type coins that depict police badges and emblems from agencies from around the country, plus body armor, rifles, American flags, President Donald Trump in heroic poses and even Baby Yoda wearing a coronavirus mask.

But one coin depicting a Virginia trooper — who earned online notoriety for cursing and preening to the camera during a video-recorded traffic stop — is drawing heat, including from the state itself. Virginia’s Secretary of the Commonwealth this week issued a cease-and-desist order to the Miami company, threatening fines and even jail time because the coin displays the state seal.

“As keeper of the Seals, I request that you cease such usage and remove any representation of the seal of the commonwealth of Virginia,” Secretary Kelly Thomasson wrote in a letter, which threatened a fine of up to $100 or up to 30 days in jail.

The company’s owner, Louis Gregory, a music producer and former high-ranking South Florida U.S. Department of Homeland Security official, says he has no intention of stopping sales.

“This is hand painted pop art,” Gregory, 43, wrote back in an email to the secretary. “This coin is a parody and by no means conveyed in any other means.”

In an interview, Gregory said he now plans to donate all the proceeds from sales of the coin to a charity benefiting children of slain officers.

“We’re in the middle of a pandemic and they have nothing better to do?” said Gregory, who retired last year as the director of planning and programming at Miami’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

There has been intense scrutiny on law-enforcement tactics — and the portrayal of police officers in media, TV and movies — since the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in May. Unprecedented protests against police brutality and racism took place across the country, leading to some civil unrest, clashes with pro-police groups in the streets and political furor fueled by President Trump.

The coin depicts Virginia State Trooper Charles Hewitt, who went viral after video surfaced him of cursing and playing to the camera while pulling a Black motorist from his car during a traffic stop in 2019.

The video showed Hewitt, who is white, ordering motorist Derrick Thompson to get out of the car, smiling to the camera and saying “watch the show,folks.” This month, a Virginia prosecutor said while Hewitt “could have used a more appropriate demeanor,” the trooper did not break the law in arresting the man.

The challenge coin features phrases from the video — including “How do you like that motherf***er?” and “I’m a f***ing specimen right here buddy” — as well as a stylized image of Hewitt pointing at the driver.

The creation of the coin flabbergasted Thompson’s attorney, who called it “outrageous” and said it celebrates a

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Indonesian police fire water cannons at protesters rallying against jobs law

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Indonesian police used water cannons and tear gas on Tuesday to disperse protesters rallying against a new jobs law in two cities on the island of Java, according to a police spokesman and media reports.



a group of people standing in front of a crowd: Workers block a road during a strike against a government omnibus bill on job creation which they believe will deprive workers of their rights, in Bandung on October 6, 2020.

© TIMUR MATAHARI/AFP/Getty Images
Workers block a road during a strike against a government omnibus bill on job creation which they believe will deprive workers of their rights, in Bandung on October 6, 2020.

Earlier, thousands of workers and students had protested peacefully across the archipelago at the start of a three-day national strike against President Joko Widodo’s “omnibus” Job Creation bill, which was passed into law on Monday.

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Elshinta radio posted a video on its official Twitter account showing police late in the evening using water cannons against hundreds of protesters in the city of Serang in Banten province, about 70 km (43.5 miles) to the west of Jakarta.

Banten police spokesman Edy Sumardi Priadinata said via text message that the situation was under control by 9:15 pm local time and that two police officers had been injured by rocks thrown at them, but did not respond to further queries.

In Bandung, the capital of West Java province, police used tear gas against protesters who hurled rocks and fire crackers and damaged a police car, according to news website Detik.com.

The website also reported police had arrested 10 protesters.

The spokesman of West Java police could not immediately be reached for comment.

There was no significant demonstration in Jakarta. Police blocked workers from protesting in front of the national parliament, citing the need to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Critics of the omnibus law, which revises more than 70 existing laws to accelerate reform of Southeast Asia’s largest economy, say it is too pro-business with its removal of labor protections and relaxation of environmental rules.

Government officials say the law relaxes rigid labor rules and streamlines environmental rules in order to improve the investment climate and create jobs.

Markets welcome law

Indonesian markets cheered the passage of the bill, with the main stock index up as much as 1.31% and the rupiah reaching as high as 1.28%, before paring some gains.

The Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board, a government agency, said it would lead to better welfare for workers by facilitating more foreign investment.

Citibank, in a research note, said the law simplifies business licensing and addresses restrictive trade and labor policies, but added that immediate foreign investment was unlikely in the currently depressed global economic climate.

Trimegah Securities economist Fakhrul Fulvian said banks and export-oriented industries should benefit from the law, while consumer and retail sectors may be pressured as workers may increase savings to compensate for changes in labor rules.

However, many Indonesians criticized the law on Twitter, with one trending hashtag incorporating an expletive against parliament and another calling lawmakers traitors.

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Indonesia police arrest more than 20 as thousands protest against new jobs law

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By Agustinus Beo Da Costa

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesian police arrested 23 protesters in two industrial areas of Java island, using tear gas and water cannon as thousands across the country demonstrated against a new jobs law that critics say weakens worker rights and environmental regulation.

Edy Sumardi, a police spokesman in Banten on Java island, said on Wednesday that 14 demonstrators had been arrested in the province west of Jakarta during protests on Tuesday that continued into the evening.

Another police spokesman, Erdi Adrimulan Chaniago, said a further nine had been arrested in the city of Bandung, West Java. He said authorities would monitor factories and university campuses in case of further demonstrations.

The sweeping new legislation, passed into law by parliament on Monday, has been championed by the government of President Joko Widodo as key to boosting the competitiveness of Southeast Asia’s largest economy, hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, by cutting red tape and attracting foreign investment.

But amid a social media outcry, critics say the legislation, which revises more than 70 existing laws and regulations, comes at the expense of weakened labour protection and relaxed environmental rules. [nL4N2GW1HU]

The earlier-than-expected passage of the bill, at a time when police had restricted demonstrations in the capital Jakarta on public health grounds, has also raised concern among academics and activists of a lack of consultation.

Tuesday’s largely peaceful street protests in more than six Indonesian cities were accompanied by a backlash on social media, with Indonesians criticising the law using expletive hashtags that went viral.

An online petition calling for the law to be repealed has garnered more than 1.3 million signatures.

On Wednesday, the Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions said in a statement it would continue a planned three-day strike after claiming hundreds of thousands had left their factories on Tuesday.

(Writing by Kate Lamb; Editing by Ed Davies and Kenneth Maxwell)

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Indonesia police use water cannon and teargas to disperse labour law protests | World news

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Indonesian police have used water cannon and teargas to disperse protesters rallying against a new jobs law in two cities on the island of Java, according to a police spokesman and media reports.

Thousands of workers and students had protested peacefully across the archipelago on Tuesday at the start of a three-day national strike against president Joko Widodo’s “omnibus” job creation bill, which was passed into law on Monday.

Elshinta radio posted a video on its official Twitter account showing police late in the evening using water cannon against hundreds of protesters in the city of Serang in Banten province, about 70km (43.5 miles) to the west of Jakarta.

Radio Elshinta
(@RadioElshinta)

Kondisi terkini pukul 20:00 WIB – Ratusan massa dari berbagai elemen mahasiswa di Provinsi Banten berdemonstrasi menolak pengesahan UU Omnibus Law Cipta Kerja di depan Kampus UIN Banten, Ciceri, Kota Serang, Selasa (6/10/2020) ricuh. pic.twitter.com/8pRAw8zVbL@fesbukbanten


October 6, 2020

Other posts on social media also appeared to show water cannon being used on students in Serang.

Bukan Golongan Kalian
(@wordvar_)

📍UIN Serang, Banten.

Stay safe guys✨ pic.twitter.com/LZTd5Mo3vq


October 6, 2020

Banten police spokesman, Edy Sumardi Priadinata, said via text message that the situation was under control by 9:15 pm local time on Tuesday and that two police officers had been injured by rocks thrown at them, but did not respond to further queries.

In Bandung, the capital of West Java province, police used tear gas against protesters who hurled rocks and fire crackers and damaged a police car, according to news website Detik.com.

A group of workers demonstrate in Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia.


A group of workers demonstrate in Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia. Photograph: Barcroft Media/Getty Images

The website also reported police had arrested 10 protesters.

The spokesman of West Java police could not immediately be reached for comment.

There was no significant demonstration in Jakarta. Police blocked workers from protesting in front of the national parliament, citing the need to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Critics of the omnibus law, which revises more than 70 existing laws to accelerate reform of south-east Asia’s largest economy, say it is too pro-business with its removal of labour protections and relaxation of environmental rules.

Government officials say the law relaxes rigid labour rules and streamlines environmental rules in order to improve the investment climate and create jobs.

Indonesian markets cheered the passage of the bill, with the main stock index up as much as 1.31% and the rupiah also gaining. lifting 1.28%, before paring some gains.

The government’s investment board said it would lead to better welfare for workers by facilitating more foreign investment.

Citibank, in a research note, said the law simplifies business licensing and addresses restrictive trade and labour policies, but added that immediate foreign investment was unlikely in the currently depressed global economic climate.

Trimegah Securities economist, Fakhrul Fulvian, said banks and export-oriented industries should benefit from the law, while consumer and retail sectors may be pressured as workers may increase savings to compensate for changes in labour rules.

However, many Indonesians criticised the law on Twitter,

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