A change would likely represent another reversal by Attorney General Sessions of Obama-era Justice Department policies July 17, 2017 The Justice Department will soon make it easier for local law enforcement to seize cash and property from crime suspects and reap the proceeds, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Monday. Sessions said a shift will be...

Prosecutors used DNA evidence found on both victims as the keystone of their case against 51-year-old John Bittrolff. July 5, 2017 RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — A carpenter was convicted on Wednesday of murdering two prostitutes found beaten to death in the 1990s and faces 50 years to life in prison. Prosecutors used DNA evidence found on both victims as the k...

They were also the only two departments that said they would need to charge a fee for the information. July 12, 2017 Most police departments questioned by MassLive about the number of untested rape kits among items in the evidence room shelves were able to produce an answer quickly and free of cost, but two departments said it would take hours of w...

The Middlesex District  Attorney is now providing every person with an active criminal case out of the Dracut Police Department a copy of a private audit showing that years of neglect and mismanagement led to a litany of mistakes in the department's evidence control practices. July 9, 2017 DA notifies defense attorneys on Dracut police evidenc...

An autopsy revealed the victim, not identified by authorities, overdosed on drugs including fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. Enter Article DATE HERE When a Hamden man texted his dealer for four 30-milligram oxycodone in March, he may not have known what he was actually buying. It wasn't until after ...

June 30, 201 MILFORD - A former veteran Fairfield Police detective pleaded not guilty Friday to stealing thousands of dollars in heroin and OxyContin pills from the police department. Stephen Rilling, the 40-year-old son of Norwalk's Mayor Harry Rilling, whose investigations put dozens of drug dealers behind bars, stood before Superior Court Judge ...

The Attorney General's office is now in charge of the evidence room investigation. June 26, 2017 WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The Massachusetts Attorney General's office is investigating a possible money issue in the West Springfield Police evidence room. Police Chief Ronald Campurciani told 22News that during an internal audit there were some ...

A Medford Police Officer from Stoneham pled guilty Monday to two counts of witness intimidation in connection with taking evidence Enter Article DATE HERE STONEHAM, MA — A Medford Police Officer from Stoneham pled guilty Monday to two counts of witness intimidation in connection with taking evidence and lying to investigators during the invest...

Delaware County is hitting the road with what is reported to be the first drug takeback vehicle in the state. June 23, 2017 MEDIA COURTHOUSE >> Delaware County is hitting the road with what is reported to be the first drug takeback vehicle in the state. County leaders on Friday afternoon unveiled their new drug collection van, a mobile unit t...

A drug 40 to 50 times more potent than pure heroin may be the future of the state's opiate problem Enter Article DATE HERE June 14, 2017 Fentanyl, which is about 40 times more potent than pure heroin, has prompted the Vermont State Police to create special labs to protect officers while testing possible drugs. A drug 40 to 50 times more potent...

A local man was charged Wednesday with breaking into the prescription drug disposal box at the Police Department while on duty, officials said. June 15, 2017 VINELAND — A local man was charged Wednesday with breaking into the prescription drug disposal box at the Police Department while on duty, officials said. Richard Janasiak, 30, was accused of ...

DNA analysis of hairs on the girl's body in 2009 excluded Wagstaffe and Connor. June 13, 2017 The city must pay out $19 million to end the wrongful conviction suits of two men who spent decades in prison because of police misconduct. Everton Wagstaffe, 48, and Reginald Connor, 49, said their 1993 kidnapping convictions were the product of a shoddy ...

Of the 26,000 pieces of evidence in the room, Lombardi said 200 pieces still need to be logged. June 12, 2015 NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The mayor's deadline for the completion of an audit of the evidence came and went. And more than two weeks after that May 26 deadline passed - there's still "quite a bit of work to do," Mayor Charles Lombardi said i...

It is believed that this represents the DEA's largest seizure of a fentanyl precursor in the New England Region in recent years,'' according to a statement by the US attorney's office. June 9, 2017 About 50 kilograms of a fentanyl precursor with a potential street value of $570 million was seized by federal and local law enforcement in Northborough...

inhaling powerful opioids can be deadly, so officers have a new tool to protect their four-legged partners: naloxone, a drug that has already been used for years to reverse overdoses in humans. June 7, 2017 BOSTON — Police dogs simply follow their noses to sniff out narcotics. But inhaling powerful opioids can be deadly, so officers have a new tool...

The dispatcher will spend the next six months on house arrest after letting her boyfriend and another man into restricted areas of the sheriff's department. June 7, 2017 White River Junction — A former Orange County dispatcher will spend the next six months on house arrest after letting her boyfriend and another man into restricted areas of the she...

Burnham allegedly stole $400,000 from evidence room June 6, 2017 SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – It was a tragic ending to the life of a retired Springfield Police Officer, who had been accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the police department's evidence room. Kevin Burnham allegedly stole nearly $400,000, between 2009 and 2014. H...

The Attorney General found evidence that Burnham tainted 170 different drug cases June 6, 2017 SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Former Springfield police officer Kevin Burnham died an innocent man in the eyes of the law. The Attorney General's office told the I-Team, the larceny charges against Burnham will be dropped. It's unclear whether Burnham signe...

Federal officials issued an urgent warning Tuesday to local police across the country to take added precautions in their contacts with addicts and dealers suspected of carrying the quick acting, deadly drug fentanyl. June 6, 2017 WASHINGTON – Federal officials issued an urgent warning Tuesday to local police across the country to take added precaut...

She also gave Sadler the keys to the drug take-back drop box and the evidence room, the affidavit states. June 7, 2017 White River Junction — A former Orange County dispatcher will spend the next six months on house arrest after letting her boyfriend and another man into restricted areas of the sheriff's department, where the pair allegedly took pr...

Retired Officer Kevin Burnham was supposed to have change-of-plea hearing June 5, 2017 SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – A warrant has been issued for the arrest of former Springfield police officer charged with stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars, after he failed to show up in court for a change-of-plea hearing Monday. The hearing for Kevin Burnha...

The lead detective who kept police files in his attic related to the investigation of Anthony H. Sanborn Jr. has turned over additional documents that include more information on that murder case as well as other cases, a new court filing reveals. June 5, 2017 The lead detective who kept police files in his attic related to the investigation of Ant...

"Like too many other families in Connecticut, my son and our family are facing the effects of the opioid epidemic that is sweeping our state," the mayor said." June 2, 2017 BRIDGEPORT - Investigators were preparing to arrest Fairfield Police Detective Stephen Rilling for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars in heroin and OxyContin pills from the...

Police said between June 2016 and February 2017, Rilling signed out more than 225 folds of heroin, more than 800 OxyContin pills and a few packets of cocaine from the department's evidence room on the false pretext of needing to have the drugs tested and "ultimately converted these narcotics for his personal use, and consumed them as a result of an...

Ex-Springfield cop accused of stealing nearly $400K from evidence room May 31 ,2017 SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – A judge has denied an attorney's request for a re-continuance in the case of an ex-Springfield police officer accused of stealing nearly $400,000 from the police department's evidence room. Retired Springfield Police Officer Kevin Burnham...

Fairfield police said they have reviewed their policy and have implemented stricter guidelines regarding evidence. March 27, 2017 A police detective has been arrested after an investigation into missing drug evidence, police said. Detective Stephen Rilling, 40, was charged with possession of narcotics, forgery and tampering with evidence, among oth...

The department also destroyed evidence that might have linked one of its sergeants to the cases because it wasn't identified as homicide evidence March 24, 2017 The Suffolk County Police Department destroyed evidence in two murders because of a paperwork error, an officer testified Wednesday at the trial of the man charged in both cases. The depart...

A 31-year veteran Framingham Police officer accused of stealing more than $20,000 in cash from the department's evidence room May 23, 2017 FRAMINGHAM, MA - A 31-year veteran Framingham Police officer accused of stealing more than $20,000 in cash from the department's evidence room nearly two years ago is scheduled for a September trial. In Middlese...

Framingham Police Department's former evidence room officer and the discovery of a "hidden key'' to the evidence room was raised in court on Tuesday by the defense attorney for a Framingham man charged with drug trafficking. Enter Article DATE HERE WOBURN, MA -- The fallout from the scandal created by the alleged theft of money by the Framingh...

found that at least 100 items, including a handgun, six green pills, crack cocaine, a ring, two necklaces, and a computer laptop are missing or misplace May 9, 2017 North Providence Acting Police Chief Christopher Pelagio has led a charmed life. He leap-frogged over three captains and was appointed by Mayor Charles Lombardi as acting deputy chief i...

The Police Department's failure to follow numerous evidence policy requirements, leading to the mishandling of property and evidence, illuminates "years of neglect" and are part of systemic issues within the agency May 6, 2017 DRACUT -- The Police Department's failure to follow numerous evidence policy requirements, leading to the mishandling of pr...

They obtained a match in January when Dixon pleaded guilty to raping the 12-year-old girl in the Bronx in November 2016 and his DNA profile was entered into a nationwide FBI database. May 5, 2017 Published May 05, 2017 Fox News Facebook Twitter livefyre Email Print Mugshot for William Dixon, 58, that was taken this week. (NYS Department of Correcti...

The boxes of material held exculpatory evidence and show that a detective lied at the trial, the defense team says. May 2, 2017 One of the now-retired Portland police detectives who investigated the 1989 murder of Jessica L. Briggs has turned over two boxes of case files he has kept in his attic, including material never before disclosed to Anthony...

A chemist with the Allegheny County crime lab has been charged with stealing and using drugs from an evidence locker in February. May 3, 2017 A chemist with the Allegheny County crime lab has been charged with stealing and using drugs from an evidence locker in February. Matthew Ieraci, 28, of Baldwin Borough was placed on leave from the lab Feb. 2...

Mayor Lombardi: 'Get it done. I don't want to hear it anymore May 2, 2017 NORTH PROVIDENCE – Police officials say they believe more than half of 100 or more items that have gone missing from the North Providence Police Department's evidence rooms will eventually be found in the department. Items still unaccounted for include two "crack cocaine buys...

The issue came to light after a 2015 USA Today investigation estimated that more than 100,000 rape kits - evidence collected after reported sexual assaults - were untested nationwide. Enter Article DATE HERE A new state report shows a one-time embarrassment for Pennsylvania law enforcement agencies is getting significant correction. In li...

He was convicted of a single charge of withholding evidence in a criminal proceeding for attempting to have a cellphone he hid at the courthouse destroyed after his March 2015 arrest. April 26, 2017 LAWRENCE -- A former Lawrence District Court officer convicted of evidence tampering will avoid serving a year in jail while his appeal is pending, a j...

Dookhan's prolific fakery resulted in a list of 40,000 cases possibly tainted by her work. Enter Article DATE HERE Back in 2012, it was discovered that a Massachusetts state drug lab technician had falsified thousands of tests submitted as evidence in criminal cases. Technician Annie Dookhan was able to "produce" three times as many test resul...

Beyond the over 21,000 cases likely to be dismissed, another 500 to 700 convictions would most likely not be vacated April 21, 2017 JURIST] The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court  on Thursday formally approved the dismissal [press release] of over 21,000 drug convictions that were deemed [order, PDF] to be "tainted" by a former state chemist...

The cases handled by Sonja Farak—a former drug lab chemist in Amherst, Mass, who in 2014 was convicted of stealing and using drugs from the state laboratory where she worked for years—are still pending. The next wave of dismissals could include 18K or more tainted cases. April 20, 2017 This morning, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Cour...

A retired Springfield police officer accused of stealing nearly $400,000 from the department's evidence locker was in court again April 15, 2017 SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – A retired Springfield police officer accused of stealing nearly $400,000 from the department's evidence locker was in court again on Monday. Kevin Burnham was only briefly in th...

"Right now, we're concerned about the integrity of these approximately 600 cases to ensure these people got a fair trial," he said. "We have an ethical obligation to look at all of these and notify the [defense.] "Even if we don't think there's a problem, we still have to work the files." March 29, 2017 Allegheny County crime lab employee on leave ...

Upon discovery of the ring, and the name engraved upon it, Jenny Metz, a PropertyRoom.com employee, notified her supervisor, who reached out to the Wichita Police Department. April 4, 2017 Recently, an employee at PropertyRoom.com, an online police auction website, was sorting through items received from the Wichita Police Department in Kansas to p...

Medical issues postpone trial date for retired Springfield police officer Kevin Burnham March 20, 2017 Springfield-Kevin Burnham, retired Springfield police officer, appears in Hampden County Superior Court where his case was continued until March.  Burnham is facing charges with stealing nearly $385,000 in cash from the police department's ev...

Any and all documents regarding the surrender and disposition of weapons to the Lloyd Harbor Police Department" from Jan. 1, 1987 to present. March 17, 2017 The Suffolk County district attorney's office has issued subpoenas to the Village of Lloyd Harbor for police records, the village's mayor said Friday. One of the subpoenas requested payroll rec...

Monday is the trial date for retired Springfield Detective Kevin Burnham, accused of stealing nearly $400,000 from the Police Department's evidence room over four and a half years March 17, 2017 SPRINGFIELD -- Monday is the trial date for retired Springfield Detective Kevin Burnham, accused of stealing nearly $400,000 from the Police Department's e...

Enter Headline here Enter Article DATE HERE PORTSMOUTH — Police plan to upgrade charges to felonies against a city man accused of growing 51 marijuana plants in his basement, which were seized and stunk up the Police Department and adjacent City Hall. Plans to upgrade charges against Christian Lydon, 47, of 1156 Woodbury Ave., are cited in a m...

Abington Police Department disposed of 185 guns that had accumulated in their evidence locker since 1998. February 22, 2017 ABINGTON, PA -- In January, the Abington Police Department disposed of 185 guns that had accumulated in their evidence locker since 1998. The guns had been surrendered to police over the last 19 years and ultimately could not ...

Enter Headline here Enter Article DATE HERE He was a well-respected police detective, a marathoner, a youth sports coach, and a dedicated dad to four children. Colleagues knew him as someone they could depend on. But Michael W. Gommer, an 18-year veteran of the Upper Dublin Township Police Department, kept a secret for years: He was a drug add...

Vance's office committed $38 million in grants to 32 jurisdictions in 20 states across the U.S. starting in 2015 to eliminate backlogs of untested sexual assault evidence kits. March 2, 2017 Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. said Wednesday that efforts to eliminate national rape kit backlogs have led to 70 arrests in cold cases. Vance's offi...