MONTPELIER – The American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont has filed suit against the Brattleboro police officers who arrested four individuals for silently holding signs during a speech given by Governor James Douglas at a public event last spring.
Posts Tagged ‘search and seizure’
ACLU-Vt Sues on Behalf of Arrested Protesters
Monday, January 18th, 2010Collecting DNA
Tuesday, August 25th, 2009Ground has been broken on a new $12-million state crime lab in Waterbury. One of the main reasons for its construction is to provide vastly larger space for DNA collection.
More space is urgently needed because of a provision in a sex offender bill passed this year. S. 13 mandates that DNA be collected from anyone arraigned on felony (and some misdemeanor) charges.
The provision was controversial, for two reasons. (more…)
Fighting Racial Profiling
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009Collection of racial data by four Chittenden County police departments is underway, and will be examined for signs of racial profiling.
The voluntary effort — which involves departments in Burlington, South Burlington, Winooski, and the University of Vermont — is the result of complaints by minority residents that police were stopping them more often than Caucasian drivers, simply because of their skin color. (more…)
ACLU Wins Student Strip Search Case
Thursday, June 25th, 2009The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled in an 8-1 decision that school officials violated the constitutional rights of a 13-year-old Arizona girl when they strip-searched her based on a classmate`s uncorroborated accusation that she previously possessed ibuprofen.
The case had drawn national attention. It arose from an incident six years ago at a rural eastern Arizona school, Safford Middle School. The target of the search, Savana Redding, along with her mother were represented by the ACLU.
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Laptop Searches At The Border
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009The ACLU has filed a Freedom of Information (FOIA) request with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to try to learn more about searches of laptop computers and other devices carried by travelers crossing into the U.S.
A year ago CBP issued a policy that permits officials to search laptops and similar devices without suspicion of wrongdoing. The ACLU wants to know how the searches square with the Fourth Amendment’s protections against unreasonable searches, and other constitutional protections.
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