The Detroit Crime Commission, a nonprofit organization that was put together less than a year ago, is coming together to reportedly assist law enforcement, without having the same power as the police. According to the Free Press, the Commission, headed by former FBI agent Ron Reddy and former Michigan State Police inspector Ellis Stafford, is there to assist, to do things that the police might not be able to, whether due to lack of funding or otherwise. [Read more…]
How Do You Get Legal Medical Marijuana if No One Can Sell It?
Medical marijuana is legal in Michigan. But the legislation is quiet on dispensaries. As a result, several have opened to test the waters, and now four men are being prosecuted for working in them, setting up a battle that may help clarify exactly how medical marijuana patients are supposed to actually get their approved marijuana. [Read more…]
Michigan Crime Labs Struggle for Accreditation
The Michigan State Police have seven different crime labs. They have been given three extensions to correct problems within those labs in order to gain accreditation. They are on their last extension, according to the Detroit News. [Read more…]
Michigan State Police Forensics Academy to Standardize Cop Evidence Training
Police sergeants from across the state will be the first ones to gain access to a new Forensic Evidence Academy from the Michigan State Police. The academy is designed to teach cops about evidence collection and forensic procedures in an effort to streamline the evidence process and speed up the state’s labs. They hope to send officers through the academy beginning in 2013, after the initial “test drive.” [Read more…]
Synthetic Marijuana and the Problems with Banning a Constantly-Changing Recipe
In 2010, lawmakers in Michigan passed a law banning several different ingredients used in the manufacture of synthetic marijuana, also called Spice and K2. But the products remain on store shelves. Why? Because manufacturers changed the ingredients to skirt the law. As more and more teens try the substance, lawmakers scramble to enact legislation that will stop the reportedly-dangerous substances in their tracks. [Read more…]
Michigan’s Crack-Down on Parole Violators Fills Prison Beds
Since January, corrections officials in Michigan have been cracking down on parole violators, sending them back to prison by the busload. But this sweep has contributed to filling prisons to capacity and now officials are looking for somewhere to put new inmates. [Read more…]