Crime Doesn’t Pay – The Wasabi Zombie…And Other Stories

Things are getting weird out there!

This epicurean proto-Zombie decided to spice – up his girlfriend, perhaps in anticipation of the “main course”!

Using her jeans.

I mean… Dang! Most of us guys are pretty happy just getting our love interests, wives,  or girlfriends out of their jeans!

Man Arrested for Attacking Girlfriend With Wasabi

John McGuinness, 22, was arraigned Friday in Barnstable District Court on charges of domestic assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and intimidation of a witness after he allegedly attacked his girlfriend.

In the very early hours of Friday morning, Barnstable police responded to the intersection of Route 149 and Willimantic Drive for a report that a young woman had been assaulted, according to police reports.

At the scene, the victim told officers that she and McGuinness had been at the Fox Hole Bar in Osterville to watch the Boston Celtics game. On the way home, the victim received a text message from a male friend. This angered McGuinness and the couple argued until the victim dropped him off at his home, according to the report.

While she was driving home, the victim received a text message from McGuinness who said he was throwing a $200 pair of her jeans outside. The victim drove back to find McGuinness outside with her pants, which he had covered in wasabi sauce, according to the police report.

McGuinness then forced down the window of the victim’s car and took her cellphone, which spurred her to get out of the vehicle, according to the police report.

Once she was out, McGuinness hit the victim in the face with the jeans, getting wasabi sauce in her eyes.

Then, while the victim tried to clean her eyes and fled, he poured more sauce in her car, the report said.

Police arrested McGuinness at his home on Roseland Terrace.

In the “Crime Doesn’t Pay” category – there is the result of a recent study that Bank Robbery, in particular is a poor paying occupation, The average US Bank Robber only nets $4,330 – which, when you account fo an average 10 year jail stay if they are caught…

Is a measly $433/yr. I mean you can make that much or more – (a week!) Flipping Burgers for minimum wage. And not have to worry nights about the 6’4″ 350lb Bubba sharing a cell with you.

Robbing banks a bad idea for crooks from economic standpoint

Infamous Bank Robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow didn’t make much money robbing banks

Crime doesn’t pay, at least not very well, when it comes to robbing banks, a new study finds. With unprecedented access to financial data from British banks, economists have shown that bank robbers don’t make a lot of money, certainly not enough to justify the risks involved in such an armed robbery. “The return on an average bank robbery is, frankly, rubbish,” the researchers wrote in the statistics journal Significance. “It is not unimaginable wealth.” It is so low, in fact, that it is not financially worthwhile for banks to install screens that could further reduce robberies.

Economist Neil Rickman of the University of Surrey and his colleagues were given unusual access to financial data from the British Bankers’ Assn. Such data about robberies are not normally disclosed to the public because it is commercially sensitive and could potentially encourage copycat robbers. Treating bank robbery as a business like any other, they used normal statistical measures to calculate profitability.

In 2007, there were 106 bank robberies or attempted robberies at the 10,500 bank branches, compared with 7,500 robberies of other businesses. (In the U.S. in 2006, there were about 12,000 bank robberies.) Although bank robberies in Southern California tend to occur in higher numbers at branches near freeway entrances, the British team found no link to branch size, branch location, or how busy a particular branch is. Of all those robbed, only 13 were targeted twice and only one three times. About a third of attempted robberies were unsuccessful, and about 20% of the successful robbers were ultimately caught and convicted.

The average take in a British bank robbery is a modest 12,706.60 euros (about $15,887) per person, compared with an average of $4,330 in U.S. bank robberies. Given that the average U.K.wage for fully employed people in Britain is about 26,000 euros, a bank robbery “will give him a modest lifestyle for no more than 6 months.” If he robs two, he will still have only a modest lifestyle. Four robberies, and the odds are excellent that he will land in jail. “As a profitable occupation, bank robbery leaves a lot to be desired,” the authors wrote. (A similar analysis of drug dealing in the book “Freakonomics” explains why most low-level dealers live with their mothers: The activity is so unprofitable that they cannot afford a place of their own.) That may be why bank robberies are declining in the U.K. and the U.S…

The New Jim Crow – And Exoneration

The common depiction of Justice with a blindfold wasn’t meant as a cover for willful blindness to innocence. To date, 873 people convicted of crimes in our “Justice” system, and in at least one provable case executed have been exonerated. They just didn’t do the crime they were convicted of doing. Some interesting statistics about that -

50 Percent of Those Exonerated in National Registry are Black

The University of the Michigan Law School and the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law have partnered to launch a National Registry of Exonerations that keeps an up to date list of all known exonerations in the United States since 1989. The group’s inaugural report released this week reveals 50 percent of false convictions are of black defendants.

The National Registry of Exoneration documents include 891 exonerations with summaries of the cases and searchable data on each. Their latest report focuses on the 873 exonerations that were entered in the Registry as of March 1, 2012.

Below are key findings from the Center’s study of the 873 exonerated defendants as printed in the report:

• 93% are men, 7% women;
• 50% are black, 38% white, 11% Hispanic and 2% Native American or Asian;
• 37% were exonerated with the help of DNA evidence; 63% without DNA; as a group, they spent more than 10,000 years in prison – an average of more than 11 years each.
• Since 2000, exonerations have averaged 52 a year – one a week – 40% of which include DNA evidence.
• The 873 exonerations are mostly rape and murder cases, but the data also include
  many more exonerations for other crimes than previously known.

For all exonerations, the most common causal factors that contributed to the underlying false convictions are perjury or false accusation (51%), mistaken eyewitness identification (43%) and official misconduct (42%) – followed by false or misleading forensic evidence (24%) and false confession (16%).

Of course, 873 is only a small portion of the convictions for crime we see in any year – much less over 30 years. And the fact that 50% of the folks who were exonerated in a system where 50% of the convicted are black, doesn’t necessarily prove racial bias when considered on its own. The vast majority of criminal convictions in the US are for minor drug offenses with major incarceration times. Those are not disprovable by DNA.

What it does mean is, considering the shoestring budget of groups seeking Justice meaning that only the most egregious cases of injustice are pursued, and the fact that States throw the legal kitchen sink at the legal teams seeking exoneration in order to avoid the exoneration and likely cost of a lawsuit for wrongful conviction… The number of wrongful convictions is probably much, much, much higher.

Florida Arrests Domestic Terrorists

The major risk of terrorist attack in the United States isn’t from Al Quaeda…

It’s from right wing whack jobs.

This is the second group caught trying to weaponize Ricin, a deadly poison made from the Castor bean which can be used as a poor man’s chemical weapon -

American Nazi Jeff Hall – whacked last year by his own 10 YO Son.

Florida nabs white supremacists planning “race war”

Ten alleged members of a white supremacist group training near Orlando and Disney World for a “race war” have been rounded up in a series of arrests in central Florida, authorities said on Tuesday.

The arrests were based on evidence from a confidential informant who infiltrated the neo-Nazi organization known as the American Front 17 months ago, according to an arrest affidavit.

“The American Front (AF) is a military-styled, anti-Semitic, white supremacist, skinhead organization and is known as a domestic terrorist organization,” the affidavit said.

It said the group’s alleged local ringleader, Marcus Faella, 39, had been “planning and preparing the AF for what he believes to be an inevitable race war” and had stated “his intent … to kill Jews, immigrants and other minorities.”

Faella operated a heavily fortified paramilitary training center for the AF on his isolated property in St. Cloud, Florida, 11 miles from the Walt Disney World theme parks, according to the affidavit.

It said he recently had been plotting a disturbance at Orlando City Hall and a confrontation against a rival skinhead group in coastal Melbourne in a bid to garner media attention, but had also been experimenting with the potential manufacture of the biological toxin ricin.

Seattle Superhero Loses His Day Job

Can you imagine the Daily Planet firing Clark Kent?

Well – that is just what happened to Seattle “Superhero” Phoenix Jones…

Phoenix Jones AKA Ben Fodor Has Been Cut From His Day Job Working With Autistic Children

Superhero Phoenix Jones out of work

Seattle’s self-proclaimed crime-fighting super hero is out of work Wednesday night.

He’s still fighting crime, but Phoenix Jones is no longer working for the state and he says kids are the ones who will be suffering.

Most of us know Phoenix Jones on the street, fighting crime and in the dark.  But his day job shows a much different character.

“I teach basic life skills to autistic children,” said Jones.  ”Stuff like balancing a checkbook, if you want to go shopping at the mall, how to figure out how much money to spend, how to balance money for the entire month, how to survive with your autism that you have.”

Phoenix Jones has worked for DSHS for the past five years, until last week, when he got a letter from the state.

“It basically just said that effectively immediately, I was no longer able to work with disabled or autistic children,” said Jones.  ’The reason is because I was put on a list of people who interject themselves into dangerous situations and some government agency put me on that list.”

It all stemmed from this incident last month when the masked superhero tried to break up a fight by dispersing a can of pepper spray on a crowd.  He was arrested for assault.  But no charges have been filed against him and Phoenix Jones says losing his job isn’t fair.

“I feel like it’s an unjust characterization of me. In five years I haven’t had one complaint from any of the people I’ve worked with,” said Jones.

Phoenix Jones says he’ll be patrolling the streets as a superhero during the day, until he can find a new job.  And he hopes that will be soon because he says he has a family to support.

 

First Convictions in Philly Abortion Clinic Crimes

The case of the Philadelphia abortion butcher made national news. Operating out of a filthy facility in the city, the Gosnell was responsible for the deaths of at least 7 children, and an unknown number of mothers. This guy escaped scrutiny by medical and regulatory authorities for years. The cases are finally coming to court, with the first guilty pleas by “nurses” who assisted Gosnell in his scam.

Two plead guilty in deaths at Philadelphia abortion clinic

Two women accused of participating in the deadly activities inside a filthy West Philadelphia abortion clinic calmly told a judge Thursday that they were guilty.

The guilty pleas by Adrienne Moton, 34, and Sherry West, 52, leave seven defendants to be tried in the case that grabbed national headlines due to the shocking nature of the crimes that took place inside Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s Women’s Medical Society.

Gosnell, 70, could face the death penalty if convicted. He is accused cutting the spinal cords of seven babies born alive at his clinic. He is also charged with the third-degree murder of Karnamaya Mongar, 41, a clinic patient who died in November 2009 from an overdose of drugs prescribed by Gosnell.

Moton, of Upper Darby, Pa., was an unlicensed clinic worker. She pleaded guilty to third-degree murder for the death of “Baby D,” one of the seven babies.

She also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit third-degree murder, participating in a corrupt organization and conspiracy to participate in a corrupt organization.

She entered her plea via a video link because she is incarcerated outside of the city. Tasha Jamerson, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office, declined to say why Moton is being held elsewhere and for what reason.

Common Pleas Judge Benjamin Lerner told Moton that he could sentence her to as much as 120 years in state prison and fine her up to $125,000.

The plea came with no agreements with the prosecution, which leaves the sentence up to him, Lerner said.

West, of Newark, Del., was an unlicensed clinic worker who routinely performed illegal operations and administered anesthesia, according to a 281-page grand jury report released in January.

She pleaded guilty to the third-degree murder of Mongar, conspiracy to commit third-degree murder, drug delivery resulting in death, participating in a corrupt organization and conspiracy to participate in a corrupt organization.

Lerner told West that she faced the possibility of being sentenced to 140 years in prison and fined up to $175,000.

Lerner set Dec. 2 as a tentative sentencing date for both women.

Phoenix Jones – Seattle “Superhero”?

There is a guy in Seattle who dresses up in a comic book superhero costume, and patrols the streets at night to “fight crime”.

A few days ago he was arrested by Seattle Police for pepper spraying some combatants in a street brawl.

He’s been doing this for a few years, and of course is controversial. This clip from a while ago…

Phoenix does not carry a gun, although he does carry pepper spray and a taser.

Let’s hope this guy doesn’t get himself shot.

Hispanics Now Majority of Felony Convictions

Looks like Immigration “Enforcement” is doing for Hispanic communities what Drug “Enforcement” did to black communities.

Anything some folks can do to keep ‘em from voting.

More bad news for black conservatives, as how are they going to sell that black dysfunction pimp driving white fear, and assuaging white conservative guilt…

If black folks aren’t public enemy “number one”?

Looks like there will be a lot of job openings in the conservative “think tank” and “talking head” sphere for “Tio Thomas” lawn ornaments…

And some of the black stalwarts of the right…

Better start looking for honest jobs.

File this one under “Domestic Terrorism”.

Prisons - Now a Cheaper Labor source than in either China or India

Feds: Hispanics comprise majority of all people sent to federal prison for committing felonies

More than half of all people sent to federal prison for committing felony crimes so far this year were Hispanic, a major demographic shift swollen by immigration offenses, according to a new government report released Tuesday.

Hispanics already outnumber all other ethnic groups sentenced to serve time in prison for federal felonies.

Hispanics reached a new milestone for the first time this year, making up the majority of all federal felony offenders sentenced in the first nine months of fiscal year 2011, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

Hispanics comprised 50.3 percent of all people sentenced in that time period, blacks 19.7 percent and whites 26.4 percent.

In comparison, last year Hispanics made up just 16 percent of the whole U.S. population.

The commission’s statistics also reveal that sentences for felony immigration crimes _ which include illegal crossing and other crimes such as alien smuggling _ were responsible for most of the increase in the number of Hispanics sent to prison over the last decade.

The demographic change in who is being sent to federal prison has already prompted debate among commissioners and experts studying the impact of expedited court hearings along the border.

“Statistics like this have to start drawing attention to this country’s immigration policies and what we’re doing, if this is one of the results,” said Fordham University Law School professor Deborah Denno, an expert on racial disparities in the criminal justice system. “The implications for Hispanics are huge when you think of the number of families affected by having their breadwinners put away for what in some cases would be considered a non-violent offense.”

Atty. General Holder Suggests Retroactive Reduction of Crack Sentences

BTX3 thinks that if you want to raise the consciousness of existing Rethugly office holders, what you need to do is to tie white collar crime sentences to crack cocaine sentences.I’m sure if old Tom Delay were sentenced like a common criminal down there in Texas, clowns like Lamar Smith would discover a whole new attitude.

Indeed – Bankers steal hundreds of millions from the poor and middle class – and get nothing more than a wrist slap. You are going to tell me the damage to society is greater from one black inner city crackhead than millions of folks losing their homes due to nefarious banking schemes?

And no, Bernie Maddow doesn’t count. He went to jail for who he stole from – not the fact that he stole. The old “Stealing from the wrong folks” Felony.

Atty. Gen. Holder Proposes Retroactive Breaks in Crack Cocaine Convictions

Atty. Gen. Eric Holder Jr.  on Wednesday  revisited a controversial subject Congress remedied last year by changing the disproportionate sentences between powdered cocaine and crack cocaine. Lawmakers stopped short of making the law retroactive.

Enter Holder.

Holder appeared before the U.S. Sentencing Commission and urged that the law be made retroactive. He did not advocate retroactivity for those whose crimes involved guns or who have long rap sheets.

The Los Angeles Timesreported that thousands of federal prisoners could have an average of three years shaved off their prison terms under Holder’s proposal.

Congress last year changed the law , which critics say unfairly targeted African Americans. Under the 1986 law, a person selling crack got the same sentence as someone selling 100 times the amount of powdered cocaine. The ratio was changed to 18 to 1.

The LA Times reported that Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said he was “disappointed by the Obama administration’s position” on early releases for drug offenders and might move for Congressional action if the U.S. Sentencing Commission makes the change.

“It shows they are more concerned with the well-being of criminals than with the safety of our communities.”

Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) called it a “bad idea.”

“There is simply no just or logical reason why their punishments should be dramatically more severe than those of other cocaine offenders,” Holder testified.

Clarence Thomas Financial Flim-Flam… A Felony

If The Legal System in the US Isn't Corrupt... This is What Should Be In Thomas' Future

This (below) from a Legal Blog. Turns out there are other people currently under indictment who did the exact same thing as Thomas did in not reporting his wife’s income.

Why should Thomas be the beneficiary of “Special Justice”? One of the cornerstones of the Justice system is that the Judges obey the laws that they are trying and sentencing people for. If a Judge walked into a bank with a gun and held it up, I think most people would recognize the problem with the impartiality of the  same Judge sitting on a case trying bank robbers. That is exactly the problem Thomas’ misconduct presents.

Back when Hoover was in charge of the early FBI, one of the rules he established was that the behavior and conduct of his FBI Agents had to be beyond reproach. Urban Legend has it he refused to hire FBI Agents with so much as Parking Tickets – because that showed a disregard for the law.

I think it is time that the Justice Department indict Mr. Thomas, for what is clearly a crime – and for Mr. Thomas to step down from the Court.

Clarence Thomas Is Trying To Get Away With A Felony

News reports on the Thomas case generally have referenced 5 U.S. Code app. section 104, which calls for a misdemeanor punishment of up to $50,000 and one year imprisonment, or both, for each violation. Given that Thomas apparently violated the statute for roughly 20 years, he could wind up with a substantial penalty under that law.

But the punishment becomes much more severe under 18 U.S.C. 1001, which also appears to apply in the Thomas case. It is a felony statute carrying at least five years in prison, and a former official with the U.S. House of Representatives currently is under indictment for actions that almost mirror those in the Thomas case. Reports POE:

While 5 USC app section 104 makes this conduct a misdemeanor punishable for up to a year in prison, 18 USC section 1001 is a felony statute carrying at least five years in prison. In fact, Fraser Verrusio, former Policy Director for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, is awaiting trial under section 1001 for not reporting income on his “United States House of Representatives Financial Disclosure Statement for Calendar Year 2003.”

You can read more about the charges against Fraser Verrusio at the link below. It appears that he was given no opportunity to amend his filings:

Indictment in U.S. v. Fraser C. Verrusio

Verrusio once worked for U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-AK), and the casehas received extensive coverage in the Alaska press. The prosecution reportedly grew out of the Jack Abramoff affair.

The U.S. Supreme Court, the very court upon which Thomas now sits, has a history of treating such violations as felonies. Reports POE:

Moreover, in UNITED STATES v. WOODWARD, 469 U.S. 105 (1985), in a case decided by the Supreme Court, the defendant, after checking the “no” box on a U.S. Customs form, was punished for both the false statement (18 USC section 1001) violation and the misdemeanor charge of failing to report the currency itself — all as a result of checking the “no” box.

You can check out the Woodward case at the following link:

U.S. v. Woodward, 469 U.S. 105 (1985)

As we reported in a recent post, domestic icon Martha Stewart and sports stars Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Marion Jones are among those who have run afoul of 18 U.S.C. 1001. Stewart and Jones already have served prison terms, while the Clemens and Bonds cases are pending.

Yet Another Policeman Killed By Gunfire

Just last week 11 Policemen were shot, and several were killed in shootouts with criminals, or in the case of Detroit, an attack.

Looks like things are not getting better, with this report of a Florida Corrections Officer shot and killed while attempting to apprehend a murderer.

Police: Fla. officer, murder suspect die in shootout

A Florida corrections officer and a man wanted for killing his parents were killed in a gunbattle on Wednesday, authorities said.

Jackson County Sheriff’s officials said a homeowner confronted Wade Andrew Williams in the woods Wednesday morning. Williams, 35, tried to shoot the homeowner, but missed. Williams fled, setting off a massive manhunt that ended in the shootout.

Department of Corrections spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger says the corrections officer killed was from Holmes County. Local media reported that he worked on the Holmes Correctional Institution canine team. His name was not immediately released.

It was unclear how Williams was killed. Police earlier had reported that he was arrested, the Jackson County Floridan reported.

Williams’ parents, Bruce and Sharon Williams, were found dead in their two-story home in Cottondale last Wednesday.

Wouldn’t be surprised if Williams was killed “escaping”…

Also -

Police searching for man who shot at Ceres officer - A Ceres (near Modesto, California) police officer was shot at twice this morning and authorities are conducting a search for the suspect.

Tucker Carlson Wants to Kill Michael Vick

While filling in for Sean Hannity last night, Carlson said that while he’s a Christian and “all for forgiveness,” Michael Vick killed dogs—and Carlson believes “he should have been executed for that.”

Now this is one of the guys who supported rendition and torture …of humans.

On CNN’s Crossfire (10/27/01), conservative Tucker Carlson was succinct: “Torture is bad. Keep in mind, some things are worse. And under certain circumstances, it may be the lesser of two evils. Because some evils are pretty evil.”

Once again, Carlson’s sense of justice is skewed by his racism.

Proof That Crime, Besides Costing You Time… Will Make You Ugly

The 3 deadly “C’s” that are death on looks… Crime, Cocaine, and Conservatism…

Don’t believe me? Check out the before and after…

Before...and After

Kumari Fulbright, former Arizona beauty queen, gets years in prison for role in kidnap-torture of ex

Maybe there’s a jumpsuit competition in prison.

Former Miss Arizona contestant Kumari Fulbright was sentenced Thursday to two years in prison for her role in the twisted kidnap and torture of her ex-boyfriend.

The troubled 28-year-old beauty queen and former law school student also got six years probation after pleading guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and aggravated assault charges.

Fulbright’s fall from grace occurred in 2007 when she was arrested with three other men for the brutal attack on then-boyfriend Joshua Conway, who was slashed with a knife, beaten and held at gunpoint for hours before escaping.

Prior to the crime, the former pinup clerked for a federal judge, The Associated Press reported.

As part of her plea agreement, Fulbright said she would testify against another former flame, Robert Ergonis, the accused ringleader of the robbery.

However, the prosecutor in the case, Michael Jette, says Fulbright has not been cooperative and has done “anything and everything” to shield Ergonis, the Arizona Daily Star reported.

This is the Guy She Threw It All Away For - Robert Ergonis

The Whispers…

 

 

 

Sherrod to Sue Brietbart

Even if the DOJ won’t do it’s job and pursue criminal charges, at least, like the OJ case there may be some justice in the Civil Court…

Let’s hope she doesn’t get an all-Republican jury.

Sherrod to Sue Brietbart, posted with vodpod

Sherrod plans to sue Breitbart

Former Agriculture Department employee Shirley Sherrod said Thursday she will pursue a lawsuit against conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart.

Breitbart posted an edited video clip of Sherrod appearing to say she discriminated against a white farmer looking for assistance. The clip showed her addressing a chapter of the NAACP.

“I will definitely do it,” she said when asked whether she was considering legal action. Sherrod made her remarks during an appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in San Diego, California.

Breitbart “had to know that he was targeting me,” Sherrod said. “At this point, he hasn’t apologized. I don’t want it at this point, and he’ll definitely hear from me.”

Brietbart NAACP Shirley Sherrod Story Explodes!

Brietbart and Faux News’ lies have cost this poor woman her job. The tape of Shirley Sherrod speaking before the NAACP was manipulated. Here, in this CNN interview a few hours ago, the wife of the white farmer who supposedly was mistreated by Mrs. Sherrod calls her a dear friend without whose help, they would have lost their farm.

Breitbart’s Sherrod/NAACP story disintegrates |…, posted with vodpod

I repeat my call for the DOJ to criminally charge Mr. Brietbart, and anyone participating in this criminal conspiracy,defamation, and  assault such as Faux News against Mrs. Sherrod, and prosecute them to the fullest extent of Federal law.

Illegal Immigration Spawning Criminal Activty? Not According to the Numbers.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has characterized a massive rise in  “murder, terror and mayhem” and used it as justification for the state’s controversial new immigration law . Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said in a televised interview last weekend: “We are out here on the battlefield getting the impact of all this illegal immigration, and all the crime that comes with it.”

So if you took a look at the crime statistics along the border, you would expect it to be as dangerous as any city…

U.S.-Mexico border isn’t so dangerous – Border Patrol agents face less danger than street cops in cities, data show

The top four big cities in America with the lowest rates of violent crime are all in border states: San Diego, Phoenix, El Paso and Austin, according to a new FBI report. And an in-house Customs and Border Protection report shows that Border Patrol agents face far less danger than street cops in most U.S. cities.

Story continues below ↓

---

advertisement | your ad here

//

---

The Customs and Border Protection study, obtained with a Freedom of Information Act request, shows 3 percent of Border Patrol agents and officers were assaulted last year, mostly when assailants threw rocks at them. That compares with 11 percent of police officers and sheriff’s deputies assaulted during the same period, usually with guns or knives.

In addition, violent attacks against agents declined in 2009 along most of the border for the first time in seven years. So far this year assaults are slightly up, but data is incomplete.

“The border is safer now than it’s ever been,” said U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Lloyd Easterling.

Border ‘Mayhem’? An Illegal Immigration Fact Check Shows Violence Declining

In many of the U.S. border communities themselves, local law enforcement officials report violent- and property-crime rates that have fallen over the past year, and, in several cases, are among the lowest in the country.

Cities like Tucson; Chula Vista, California ; and Lardeo, Texas , have all seen year-over-year drops in violent crime, murder, and rape. El Paso, Texas, continues to have one of the lowest rates of violent crime of all U.S. cities, just behind Honolulu, according to the latest FBI Uniform Crime Report.

So how about crime in Arizona?

But FBI crime reports for 2009 says violent crime in Arizona declined. And violent crimes in southwest border counties are among the lowest in the nation per capita — they’ve dropped by more than 30 percent in the last two decades. Of America’s 25 largest cities, San Diego — with one out of four residents an immigrant — has the lowest number of violent crimes per capita.