A little over a year ago, LA’s Inspector General Nicole Bershon was, reportedly, a very obvious first choice to succeed well-liked former IG Andre Birotte, when Birotte left the post to become the US Attorney for the region of which Los Angeles is a part.
Since then, Bershon has, if anything, surpassed expectations. In addition to her day-to-day investigations and audits, she blew through a a backlog of use of force cases and made news with a large report on how the LAPD was handling it’s racial profiling complaints.
On Tuesday, however, Bershon announced that she would be leaving to take a new position as a commissioner for the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
It’s a great opportunity for Bershon as it could position her for a judgeship, but it caused howls of unhappiness from Police Commission members. Police Commission President John Mack told the LA Times that Berson’s exit is “a huge loss.”
Indeed, Nicole Bershon has been excellent, and we are very, very sorry to lose her as the civilian watchdog over the LAPD.
Still, it’s a great new step, and we wish Bershon the very best in her new post.
WIDESPREAD CHEATING DISCOVERED AT ATLANTA SCHOOLS
First a cheating scandal at Washington DC schools, and now reportedly in Atlanta. You draw your own conclusions about what all this cheating suggests about the No Child testing mandates.
The AP has the story. Here’s the opening.
Educators at nearly four dozen Atlanta elementary and middle schools cheated on standardized tests by either helping students or changing the answers once exams were handed in, according to the results of a yearlong state investigation released Tuesday.
The report said that 178 teachers and principals cheated, though only 82 educators actually confessed to misconduct dating as far back as 2001, according to a synopsis handed out by Gov. Nathan Deal’s office. More than half of the district’s 100 schools were examined, and 44 of those had cheating, the synopsis said.
The investigators also found a “culture of fear, intimidation and retaliation” in the school district over the cheating allegations, which lead to educators lying about the cheating or destroying documents to cover it up, according to the synopsis. School officials had “warnings” as early as 2005 that there was cheating on standardized tests, but those signals “were ignored,” according to the synopsis….
Lovely.
By the way, the D.C. cheating scandal, triggered by an investigation released in March of this year by USA Today, appears to be far from over.
CASEY ANTHONY & THE DIFFICULTY IN FINDING JUSTICE WHEN CHILDREN DIE
Last month a joint report by ProPublica and NPR aired on Frontline and All Things Considered that showed how shoddy forensics may have put a number of innocent people in prison for the death of children.
ProPublica turned their same investigative spotlight on the case of Casey Anthony after Tuesday’s not-guilty verdict.
(By the way, I’ve not been obsessed with this case, so had not formed an opinion about Casey Anthony’s guilt or innocence. In listening to the aftermath, though, it seems to me that the prosecution did not prove its thesis, and in certain ways, had no clear thesis. However, whatever the truth of the matter, the reaction among Those-Who-Are-Sure-They-Know has been chilling.)
THE PELICAN BAY HUNGER STRIKE IS EXPANDING
Over the weekend, the CDCR stated that the hunger strike that began on Friday, July 1, in the Pelican Bay SHU (specialized housing unit) only had around two dozen participants.
Yeah, well that’s changed. Here’s a clip from what Sam Quinones just reported:
“There are inmates in at least a third of our prisons who are refusing state-issued meals,” said Terry Thornton, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Read the rest. (And thanks to Sam Q for staying on top of this story.)
NOTE: Light blogging tomorrow while I pack for a road trip to West Glacier, MT, leaving Thursday, back July 25.
While away, I’ll be doing…. micro-blogging.
More on that what I mean by that when it happens.
Going to West Glacier? No one likes a braggart, Celeste. Just sayin’.
Two words. Bear repellent. Oh, wait, lots and lots of Deet 🙂
And you really should get the new Hot Tuna cd. A Little Faster is the perfect road song.
A great road song is the big band version of McCoy Tyner’s Fly With the Wind from the album The Turning Point.
Say hi to Flathead Lake for me, Celeste.
Ooooh, this is great! Bring on the road song ideas! Two good ones! I’m open for more!
Will definitely say hi to the Flathead Valley in general for you, Randy.
And, Jim, yes, LOTS of Deet. It tends to eat things like jewelry and certain watch bands. But a small price to pay for the necessary protection. Mosquitoes the size of B-52s up there.
I’ll let you know how it goes with the bears. I’m bringing a wolf, after all. (Hoping she avoids griz encounters. My old wolf-dog Loup-Loup had a very distinctive “OMG! It’s a bear!” bark.)