Feds arrest more than 1,700 in 89-city, six-month investigation of gangs, criminal activity

September 30th, 2009 Swiss arrest Polanski on US request in sex caseOK, can you do some more probing? New York will want to know frank's out today. i checked already, and so did zurich.

September 22nd, 2009 Feds issue security bulletins on stadiums, hotelsWASHINGTON — Counterterrorism officials have issued security bulletins about terrorist interest in attacking sports stadiums, entertainment complexes and hotels. The FBI and Homeland Security Department sent two bulletins Monday to police around the country, saying they know of no specific plots against such sites.

September 22nd, 2009 LA-area street gang targeted by massive raidsLOS ANGELES — More than 1,000 federal and local law enforcement officials are carrying out raids around the Los Angeles area Tuesday, targeting a street gang accused of everything from drug dealing to murder. About 1,300 officers and agents began going door to door before dawn.

September 20th, 2009 LONDON - Pakistani, Afghan and Bangladeshi criminal gangs in Britain are staging deliberate car accidents in order to claim their victims' car insurance money, police say. In what has been dubbed a "cash for crash" scam, the organised gangs, operating primarily in Yorkshire, Lancashire and the suburbs of London, are said to be costing the British insurance industry about 350 million pounds a year.

August 21st, 2009 Police investigated in China gang bustBEIJING — At least six district police chiefs are being investigated on suspicion of protecting local gangs in a major crackdown on crime in the southwest city of Chongqing, state media said Friday. The six are suspected of being "protective umbrellas" for gangs, the official China Daily reported.

August 12th, 2009 No loitering rule applies to police in MexicoMONTERREY, Mexico — Police in the northern Mexico city of Monterrey have been told not to sit in parked patrol cars observing traffic, because officials suspect they could be spying for criminal gangs or drug cartels. The measure marks a new low for Monterrey's municipal police.

August 7th, 2009 Colonial BancGroup faces federal investigationMONTGOMERY, Ala. — Colonial BancGroup said Friday it is under criminal investigation by the Department of Justice over alleged accounting irregularities at its mortgage warehouse lending unit.

July 30th, 2009 Feds: Wash. man used stolen identity for decadesSEATTLE — Federal authorities say they've arrested a Seattle man who used the identity of an Oregon resident for 35 years to avoid arrest warrants and to file for bankruptcy after running up $100,000 in debt. The suspect, 58-year-old Clark Mower, made his initial appearance in U.S.

July 30th, 2009 Tribal leaders seek help with Indian gang activityWASHINGTON — American Indian communities are being overwhelmed by gang violence and drug trafficking, tribal leaders told lawmakers Thursday, appealing for help with problems more commonly found in big cities. Tribal law enforcement officials, testifying before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, described severely undermanned police departments that must patrol reservations the size of small states, allowing gangs to thrive and turning reservations into hubs for drug distribution.

July 29th, 2009 LA city attorney seeks documents in Jackson probeLOS ANGELES — A spokesman says the Los Angeles city attorney has been requesting documents and conducting interviews as part of an investigation into the city's role in Michael Jackson's lavish memorial. Spokesman John Franklin said Wednesday there is no timetable to conclude the probe examining civil and criminal issues.

July 20th, 2009 Minneapolis struggles with rise of Somali gangsMINNEAPOLIS — Ahmednur Ali's family fled the chaos and violence of their East African homeland Somalia in the 1990s, eventually making their way to Minnesota like thousands of their compatriots. While many of the estimated 32,000 Somalis who settled in the state have struggled to adapt, Ali flourished.

July 13th, 2009 Gunmen kill policeman, wound 3 more in TijuanaTIJUANA, Mexico — Gunmen opened fire on a patrol car in the drug-plagued border city of Tijuana, killing one police officer and wounding three more, authorities said Monday. Tijuana police said in a statement that Sunday's attack brings to 18 the number of officers that have been killed this year in the city across from San Diego.

July 10th, 2009 Mexican feds probe killing of crime activistMEXICO CITY — Mexico's Attorney General's Office said Thursday it is launching a federal investigation into the killing of a Mormon anti-crime activist, calling it a high-impact crime that appears related to the arrest of a gang of gunmen. The U.S. Embassy said the FBI has offered to assist Mexican authorities in the investigation.

June 24th, 2009 Feds arrest members of MS-13 gang in LA areaLOS ANGELES — Federal and local authorities in the Los Angeles area have arrested the head of a high-profile anti-gang organization as part of an action against the notorious Mara Salvatrucha street gang. FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said Alex Sanchez, executive director of the nonprofit Homies Unidos, was arrested at his home in the Los Angeles suburb of Bellflower early Wednesday on federal racketeering charges.

June 19th, 2009 Feds: Unclear policies on force in NY police dept.YONKERS, N.Y. — The Justice Department says a New York police department has a skittish relationship with residents and confusing policies on the use of force.