Friday afternoon, Judge Linda K. Davis formally installed Tom Perez as Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division.  Attorney General Holder, Deputy Attorney General Ogden, and Associate Attorney General Perrelli were all present to formally welcome back Tom Perez to the Civil Rights Division.

Special guests that participated in the program included Melody Barnes, the Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and a long-time friend of Assistant Attorney General Perez, Stephen H. Sachs, former Attorney General of Maryland and U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; and Ralph Rouse, the Regional Manager for Civil Rights for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

Members of the Perez family were also in attendance, joining Civil Rights Division leadership and staff, as well as representatives from Congress and many civil rights organizations. Attorney General Holder emphasized that the Civil Rights Division was a priority when he first started in February and continues to be a priority today. 

Attorney General Eric Holder:

We must commit ourselves to making the Division stronger and better than it has ever been before and ready to confront the 21st century issues that have already begun to present themselves. This will take time – but not too much time. The quest for justice must be an impatient thing – for we all know what happens when justice is delayed. So I am an impatient Attorney General.

During his remarks Assistant Attorney General Perez stated:

The Civil Rights Division is open for business. Our job is to enforce the civil rights laws – all the laws. Civil Rights Enforcement is not like the buffet line at the cafeteria. You can’t pick and choose which laws you like, and which ones you don’t. We will enforce all the laws in fair, aggressive and independent fashion, and we will use all the tools available to us.

This morning, at a press conference held at The Department of Justice, Attorney General Eric Holder, on behalf of The Departments of Justice and Defense, announced forum decisions for 10 Guantanamo Bay detainees.

Watch the video:

Transcript (PDF)

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This week’s announcement of charges against individuals from Eastern Europe and Russia for allegedly hacking into credit card processors in the United States shines a spotlight on the issue of cyber crime and security. 

The Department of Justice, through the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP), is working diligently with foreign nations all over the world to develop professional and transparent law enforcement institutions that protect human rights, combat terrorism and corruption, and reduce the threat of transnational crime, including cyber crimes.

One of the areas that ICITAP is focused on improving is cyber security.  In Eastern Europe, for example, Department of Justice officials are working with law enforcement agencies in nations that make up the U.S. – GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldova) Framework Program.  ICITAP helped develop a Virtual Law Enforcement Center, which links the four member countries through a secure video and criminal information network.

Increasing coordination and cyber security capabilities in these nations will help prevent fraud and allow for better communications to investigate crimes and catch criminals.  In December 2009, ICITAP will provide training in Moldova for cyber crime investigators, in partnership with other law enforcement partners.  ICITAP also provided training and equipment to the Ukrainian forensic laboratory for the examination of digital evidence seized in cyber crime investigations, including recent international investigations of child pornography and trafficking in persons.  In Serbia, ICITAP is working with the Organized Crime Directorate to develop a Cyber/High Tech Crimes Workshop and has facilitated communication between U.S. and Serbian law enforcement officials involved in joint cases.

Established in 1986, ICITAP’s first mission was to help train police officers in Latin America. Over the next two decades, ICITAP evolved into a full-service criminal justice development agency that plays an important role in fostering international stability and rule of law, which are vital to U.S. security.

During the past 20 years, ICITAP – part of the Department’s Criminal Division – has provided law enforcement development assistance around the world, including in Afghanistan, Iraq, Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Kenya, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan, Colombia, Paraguay and Peru.  ICITAP works in close partnership with its funders; the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Department of Defense.

The office has been particularly busy recently, with 17 field offices worldwide and three new offices opening soon. In FY 2009, ICITAP carried out more than 1,000 training events for approximately 40,000 foreign law enforcement professionals, and was involved in nearly 140 technical assistance and training partnership activities with U.S. government agencies.

In December, ICITAP personnel from the field offices will gather in Washington, D.C., for the annual managers’ conference where they will share best practices and lessons learned from their overseas programs, before heading back to the far reaches of the globe to continue their missions.

For more information on ICITAP, please visit their Web site: http://www.justice.gov/criminal/icitap

The following post appears courtesy of the National Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

You may have heard about problem-solving courts such as drug courts, which have been in use since the early 1990s and are intended to combine drug treatment and court monitoring to help offenders stay out of prison and avoid repeating their offenses.

Since the first drug court was launched in Dade County, Florida in 1989, at the height of the crack cocaine epidemic in Miami, drug courts have received enormous public attention and acclaim. This is for good reason: drug courts are viewed by many scholars as one of the most successful criminal justice innovations in the last 25 years, and have attracted bipartisan support, along with millions of dollars from Congress.

Their success has inspired other innovation which you may be less familiar with.   For example, another type of problem-solving court — community courts — are neighborhood-focused courts that attempt to harness the power of the justice system to address local problems, including drug possession, shoplifting, vandalism and assault.

Like drug courts, community courts link addicted offenders to judicially-monitored drug treatment. But they typically handle a broader caseload (for example, all misdemeanors in a given set of neighborhoods) and make use of a broader array of mandates, including job training and community restitution. Community courts strive to create new relationships with diverse stakeholders such as residents, merchants, churches and schools. They also test new and aggressive approaches to public safety rather than merely responding to crime after it has occurred.

The first community court in the U.S. was the Midtown Community Court, launched in 1993 in New York City by the Center for Court Innovation. Some three dozen community courts, inspired by the Midtown model Red Hook Community Justice Center, are currently in operation around the U.S. and a number of others are being planned.

Some evidence suggests community courts can achieve significant results with drug-addicted defendants. For example, in a research study conducted at the Midtown Community Court, re-arrest rates dropped sharply among individuals who completed more than 90 days of court-ordered drug treatment. Additionally, Midtown saw street prostitution drop 56 percent within 18 months of the court’s opening and unlicensed vending was down 24 percent. At the end of 2007, Red Hook’s police precinct was recognized as #1 in New York City for the largest reduction in major crime over the previous two-year period. The New York Police Department credited three things: their own tactics, the community, and the Justice Center.

Another positive result of the court is reflected in the opinion of the court by defendants and citizens. In a recent survey, 85 percent of Red Hook defendants felt that their case was handled fairly, and 93 percent felt that the judge treated them fairly. In Red Hook, approval ratings of courts increased from 13 percent just prior to opening to a 78 percent approval rating for the Justice Center in a recent community survey.

The Department of Justice will continue to support and pursue innovative methods to effectively fight crime and keep our neighborhoods safe. Community courts have proven a remarkably effective way to do just that, and are a perfect example of the successes possible when law enforcement agencies and community leaders work together.

More information about problem solving courts is available  here and here.

On a day meant to honor the service and sacrifice of America’s veterans, we wanted to highlight a handful of service member-specific initiatives at the Justice Department.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division works to protect the rights of those who have protected us – America’s veterans – by enforcing laws that defend their employment, voting and financial security rights. The Uniformed Services Emplovment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), the Uniformed and Overseas Citizen Absentee Voting Act of 1986 (UOCAVA), and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) are three laws, enacted by Congress, to protect the rights of service members.

Employment Rights

The Uniformed Services Emplovment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) is a federal statute that protects servicemembers’ and veterans’ civilian employment rights. Among other things, under certain conditions, USERRA requires employers to put individuals back to work in their civilian jobs after military service. The law also protects servicemembers from discrimination in the workplace based on their military service or affiliation.

The Civil Rights Division has filed 20 lawsuits under USERRA in 2009. Enforcement of this law is a top priority of the Division and the Department. For a catalog of USERRA cases, as well as other actions the Department has undertaken on behalf of veterans, visit: http://www.servicemembers.gov/cases.htm

Voting Rights

The Uniformed and Overseas Citizen Absentee Voting Act of 1986 (UOCAVA) was enacted by Congress in 1986. It requires that states and territories allow certain groups of citizens to register and vote absentee in elections for Federal offices. U.S. citizens covered by UOCAVA include members of the U.S. Uniformed Services and merchant marine; their family members; and U.S. citizens residing outside the country.

In October, U.S. District Court Judge Richard L. Williams ruled in favor of a Department complaint that Virginia violated the voting rights of American military personnel and other overseas citizens by failing to mail absentee ballots in sufficient time for them to be counted in the Nov. 4, 2008, general election. Williams declared that Virginia’s failure to mail more than 2,000 absentee ballots at least 30 days prior to the election violated UOCAVA and wrote in his ruling: “The right to vote means a right to cast a ballot that will be counted.”

Financial Security

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act of 2003 (SCRA) is a federal law that provides protections for military members as they enter active duty. It covers issues such as rental agreements, security deposits, pre-paid rent, eviction, credit card interest rates, mortgage foreclosure, insurance and tax payments.

In September, the Department announced the settlement of its first landlord-tenant case under SCRA. The Department filed a lawsuit on behalf of Colonel Debra Bean, a highly decorated member of the Armed Forces, who currently serves as Vice Commander for the 78th Air Base Wing at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. The lawsuit alleged that Bean’s former landlord failed to return prepaid rent and security deposits after she terminated her lease early in order to comply with military orders to relocate.

The Department of Justice is committed to the vigorous enforcement of these statutes and all others, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act, which allow us to serve and protect the brave men and women who serve our Nation in uniform.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) works to support and enhance the Nation’s criminal justice system through strong partnerships with key stakeholders.

Employing Returning Combat Veterans as Law Enforcement Officers

Department of Defense military personnel are committed on a large scale to support the Nation’s war on terrorism, specifically the ongoing military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Law enforcement professionals and their families bear a significant burden in meeting these challenges as Reserve and National Guard units are activated and deployed. Law enforcement officers, like other public servants, share this responsibility as citizen soldiers.

The Department of Justice and law enforcement leaders across the country recognize that many combat veterans returning from deployment face many challenges as they enter new positions or return to positions held as federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies.

As a result, the Office of Justice Programs’ (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has partnered with the International Association of Chiefs of Police to support research and best-practices on the integration and reintegration of military personnel into federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies.

In early 2010, BJA will release guidebooks for law enforcement agency leaders and veterans who are returning to their positions or who are seeking to enter the law enforcement career field.

Veterans’ Treatment Courts

Veterans’ Treatment Courts are hybrid Drug and Mental Health Courts that use the Drug Court model to serve veterans struggling with addiction, serious mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders. They promote sobriety, recovery, and stability through a coordinated response that involves cooperation and collaboration with the traditional partners found in Drug and Mental Health Courts, with the addition of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care networks, the Veterans’ Benefits Administration, volunteer veteran mentors, and veterans and veterans’ family support organizations.

In Fiscal Year 2010, in partnership with the Veterans Administration, BJA is launching a pilot Veterans’ Court Planning Initiative which will be run by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals.  This initiative will create a curriculum for existing drug courts who want to enhance their operational drug court by adding a veteran’s component.  The curriculum will be piloted with 10 drug court teams, consisting of eight team members from each jurisdiction to be trained. Factors which will be considered in curriculum development and delivery will include: issues unique to veterans’ experiences, identifying and addressing co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders, incorporating a mentor component. To follow the progress of the Pilot Veterans Court Planning Initiative, check out this BJA website: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/drugcourts.html.

To further these efforts, our partners at the National Association of Drug Court Professionals are launching a new Veterans’ Treatment Court Clearinghouse, a comprehensive web site for Veterans’ Treatment Court news and resources. For more information, go to: http://www.nadcp.org/node/430.

The Department of Justice is proud to serve our Nation’s service men and women. Through enforcement of veteran-specific statutes as well as state and local support offered in conjunction with our partners, we salute these Americans

Combating mortgage fraud – one of the fastest growing white collar crimes – is an important element in the Justice Department’s mission to protect the public. The Department is partnering with state, local and tribal law enforcement to share information and provide the resources needed to successfully fight this type of crime, which can bring hardship to individual citizens and financial organizations alike. Attorney General Holder has personally met with various officials to directly address the problem, and in April announced a multi-agency crackdown targeting foreclosure rescue scams and loan modification fraud.

Last week, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced the results of a nine-month-long “Mortgage Fraud Surge” investigation that has resulted in charges against more than 100 defendants and involves allegations concerning more than $400 million in loans procured by fraud, on more than 700 properties.

This announcement is just the latest of many such cases. At this time, there are federal mortgage fraud-related charges pending against approximately 500 defendants around the nation. The cases range from mortgage schemes designed to defraud mortgage lenders to “foreclosure rescue schemes,” which prey on distressed homeowners.

The Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has also been working on a multi – faceted approach to combating this problem. In January 2009, BJA convened a roundtable of local officials and private sector experts to learn about policies and operations to prevent, investigate, and prosecute mortgage fraud, as well as the local crime problems generated from the associated increase in foreclosures and vacant properties.

Based on information gleaned from the roundtable and using Recovery Act funds, BJA developed a grant program specific to mortgage fraud. To further state and local efforts, BJA awarded Recovery Act funds to increase the number of state and local investigators, prosecutors, and crime prevention practitioners. More than $10.75 million in Recovery Act funds will support regional mortgage fraud task forces, which are central to coordinating local, state and federal investigations and prosecutions. The list of grant recipients can be found here: http://www.ojp.gov/recovery/pdfs/byrnemortfraud.pdf

BJA also continues to work to address mortgage fraud through its Community Prosecution Initiative, which brings together local prosecutors, code enforcement and city government officials to tear down — or clean up and find owners for — vacant and abandoned houses that are often left to deteriorate after a mortgage fraud scheme has been carried out. Vacant properties invite disorder and criminal activity into communities, so decreasing the number of these properties, or restoring them to productive use can play a significant role in preventing and reducing neighborhood crime.

Additionally, BJA is working with federal partners in the FBI and the U.S. Attorneys Offices around the nation to coordinate state and local fraud training opportunities. The collaboration among federal, state and local law enforcement will facilitate a cohesive response on behalf of the affected communities. To learn more about BJA’s mortgage fraud initiative and other programs, visit the BJA Web site at www.ojp.gov/BJA.

Through these various efforts, the Department of Justice along with our federal, state, local and tribal partners, is working tirelessly to combat mortgage fraud. At a meeting with federal partner agencies and state Attorneys General in September, Attorney General Holder summed it up best when he said:

“Our efforts to attack mortgage fraud must be, and are, concerted and coordinated. Working together, we can send a clear and straightforward message: Those who prey on vulnerable American homeowners cannot hide from the hand of the law. If you perpetrate mortgage fraud, we will find you and we will bring you to justice.”