An expository article by Jonathan Stempel published in Yahoo!News on Tuesday, February 19, 2013, discusses the admissibility of police drug dog responses in court. The U.S. Supreme Court made a ruling Tuesday, February 13, in favor of the police dog's alert in a Florida illegal drug case.
"The question, similar to every inquiry into probably cause, is whether all the facts surrounding the dogs alert...would make a reasonably prudent person think that a search would reveal contraband..." stated Justice Elena Kagan. The Supreme Court unanimously decided that the dog's "sniff is up to snuff when it meets that test." This decision upheld the police dog, Aldo's, alert of a truck in Florida that uncovered methamphetamine ingredients inside. The Florida Supreme Court had ruled to suppress the evidence found in Clayton Harris' pickup truck at the original trial.
"Florida K-9 Officer William Wheetley allowed Aldo a 'free air sniff' outside Harris' pickup truck," reported Stempel, after a traffic stop in June 2006. Harris had appeared very nervous to the officer and refused to agree to a search, thus prompting Wheetley to use Aldo's training. Harris' attorney disagreed with the search, questioning whether Aldo's training and certification made him reliable. The Florida Supreme Court decided that the state did not prove how well trained Aldo was, therefore, the drug items could not be used against Harris.
Justice Kagan stated that,"Wheetley reasonably believed there was contraband inside the truck based on Aldo's training and that Harris failed to show that Aldo was unreliable." Kagan said is was enough that the dog's performance in training and certification gave the officer a reason to trust Aldo's alert, resulting in Officer Wheetley's discovery of the contraband. The Supreme Court decision and this case could make it easier for police to use drug dogs evidence without first having to show how well trained the dogs are.
I have had personal experience witnessing how drug dogs are trained with a K-9 trainer in Little Rock, AR. I learned how important the use of effective training and certification programs are to the Police Force. Only accurate drug detection dogs help officers to locate contraband without unnecessary risks or wasting valuable police time and man power. Considering the extensive training drug dogs complete, I believe that their response to contraband is as reliable as most human testimony in a court trial and should be admissible.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Raising Awareness about Wolf Protection
There are organizations in place who's objective, through research and education, is to strive to bring the wolf back to healthy populations in the wild. The goal of these efforts is to offer refuge for captive wolves and wolf hybrids, and to offer communities education about the part of the wolf on our environment's ecological systems, along with ways to co-exist with wolves and the wildlife that we share with them.
Wolves once populated all of North America with numbers ranging about two million. Today there are less than five thousand, with all subspecies facing extinction. This is because of destruction to their wild habitats and extermination by humans. Research shows that this extermination has definite effects on the ecological system. "In 1930, the last known wild wolf in Yellowstone National Park was shot." The absence of wolfs was seen even in the vegetation. Herd animal populations rose to unnatural levels and some plant species were brought to near extinction. Wolves were brought down from Canada to the park and shortly thereafter, scientists began to see the return of herd animals and endangered plant species return to healthy numbers.
"The decline in wolf population in the wild has also had an effect on the ecological system in cities, especially along rural boarders," stated research director Jean-Jacques Maleval for the Wolfgang Schlichting Research LLC. Coyote populations are drastically rising. Coyotes are not as shy as wolves and are scavengers, traveling into cities for food. Incidents have been recorded of coyotes attacking children in parks and eating neighborhood pets. The decline of the wolf has also effected deer populations, causing them to rise to levels that are out of control. The increase in deer activity is causing automobile accidents, destruction of vegetation surrounding homes, increased risk of rabies, even the occasional story of a deer being stuck inside of a shopping center. If there were more wolves alive in the wild, predation would allow nature to control these outstanding populations.
In 1980, a study was done by the Wolf Conservation Center (WWC) that declared the red wolf extinct in the wild. Re-introduction program was started by captive breeding of full blooded wolves and releasing them into the wild. Today there are still only about one hundred and thirty alive in the wild. WWC also reported that the Mexican Grey wolf once highly population the south western United States and Mexico. This species has also suffered in numbers with their re-introduction program being even less successful than the Red wolf. Both species of wolves are still critically endangered but were removed from the Endangered Species Act last April. Today, there are an estimated four thousand wolves alive in the United States and Alaska and they only live in four states in our country.
A study by the WWC that started in 2004 has stated that because of the merciless extermination of the wolf, "DNA reveals a severe decline in the genetic diversity of Grey wolves." This is important because it means that with less separate blood lines in the wild there is more inbreeding. This results in lower immune system health, skeletal deformities along with a multitude of other defects that will effect the survival of the species. An example is the necessity for the wolves elevated immune system to perform their role as disease control. Wolves control disease by eating weaker or sick animals, because of this, their bodies are exposed to contamination. Their immune systems have to be strong enough to fight off any threats and keep the individuals healthy. This is just one of the many problems that may result from lower genetic diversity.
WWC reports an alarming increase of breeding wolves in captivity. Here they are hybridized and sold in the pet trade. "Today there are over a quarter of a million wolves in captivity, most living under less than optimal conditions." People buy them and realize they cannot take care of them, leading to the possible death of that animal. Wolves and hybrids are illegal in several states, yet people disregard the laws and buy them anyway. Owners of wolves often do not even know about the regulations of having a wolf or knowing how to keep them healthy in a domesticated environment.
It is obvious to me that there is a great need for wolf preservation and conservation. Research and scientific study could lead to a better way for humans and wolves to co-exist. Sadly, these facilities are limited at best. The need for education on these issues is clear and appears to be the only way for people to be enlightened about the wolves plight.
(This is a picture of a full blooded Timber wolf named Shadow; A hybrid named Bailey, and myself at a wolf conservation meeting at UACCB)
Wolves once populated all of North America with numbers ranging about two million. Today there are less than five thousand, with all subspecies facing extinction. This is because of destruction to their wild habitats and extermination by humans. Research shows that this extermination has definite effects on the ecological system. "In 1930, the last known wild wolf in Yellowstone National Park was shot." The absence of wolfs was seen even in the vegetation. Herd animal populations rose to unnatural levels and some plant species were brought to near extinction. Wolves were brought down from Canada to the park and shortly thereafter, scientists began to see the return of herd animals and endangered plant species return to healthy numbers.
"The decline in wolf population in the wild has also had an effect on the ecological system in cities, especially along rural boarders," stated research director Jean-Jacques Maleval for the Wolfgang Schlichting Research LLC. Coyote populations are drastically rising. Coyotes are not as shy as wolves and are scavengers, traveling into cities for food. Incidents have been recorded of coyotes attacking children in parks and eating neighborhood pets. The decline of the wolf has also effected deer populations, causing them to rise to levels that are out of control. The increase in deer activity is causing automobile accidents, destruction of vegetation surrounding homes, increased risk of rabies, even the occasional story of a deer being stuck inside of a shopping center. If there were more wolves alive in the wild, predation would allow nature to control these outstanding populations.
In 1980, a study was done by the Wolf Conservation Center (WWC) that declared the red wolf extinct in the wild. Re-introduction program was started by captive breeding of full blooded wolves and releasing them into the wild. Today there are still only about one hundred and thirty alive in the wild. WWC also reported that the Mexican Grey wolf once highly population the south western United States and Mexico. This species has also suffered in numbers with their re-introduction program being even less successful than the Red wolf. Both species of wolves are still critically endangered but were removed from the Endangered Species Act last April. Today, there are an estimated four thousand wolves alive in the United States and Alaska and they only live in four states in our country.
A study by the WWC that started in 2004 has stated that because of the merciless extermination of the wolf, "DNA reveals a severe decline in the genetic diversity of Grey wolves." This is important because it means that with less separate blood lines in the wild there is more inbreeding. This results in lower immune system health, skeletal deformities along with a multitude of other defects that will effect the survival of the species. An example is the necessity for the wolves elevated immune system to perform their role as disease control. Wolves control disease by eating weaker or sick animals, because of this, their bodies are exposed to contamination. Their immune systems have to be strong enough to fight off any threats and keep the individuals healthy. This is just one of the many problems that may result from lower genetic diversity.
WWC reports an alarming increase of breeding wolves in captivity. Here they are hybridized and sold in the pet trade. "Today there are over a quarter of a million wolves in captivity, most living under less than optimal conditions." People buy them and realize they cannot take care of them, leading to the possible death of that animal. Wolves and hybrids are illegal in several states, yet people disregard the laws and buy them anyway. Owners of wolves often do not even know about the regulations of having a wolf or knowing how to keep them healthy in a domesticated environment.
It is obvious to me that there is a great need for wolf preservation and conservation. Research and scientific study could lead to a better way for humans and wolves to co-exist. Sadly, these facilities are limited at best. The need for education on these issues is clear and appears to be the only way for people to be enlightened about the wolves plight.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Diet Soda: Helpful or Harmful? CC#3
An expository article published on Friday, February 8, 2013, by Lylah M. Alphonse, Senior Editor, Yahoo! Shine/Healthy Living, confirmed results from a study done by French researchers, linking diet soda to increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes. This article by Alphonse was written as part of a series over the past year stating claims by various research groups about the ill effects of consuming diet soda.
Dr. Honglei Chen, a study author from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, stated that artificially "sweetened beverages...have important physical and mental health consequences." Dr. Chen's study, along with another study, performed by the Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, have stated that consumption of artificially sweetened beverages is contributory to conditions such as depression and weight gain rather than weight loss.
The current French study to be published in the American Journal of clinical nutrition was done by France's National Institute of Health and Medical Research. The study covered "66,118 middle aged women whose dietary habits were tracked from 1993-2007." The study showed that people who drank light or diet soda's were at higher risk for Type 2 Diabetes than those who drank regular soda's. Epidemiologists Francoise Clavel-Chapelon and Guy Fagherzzi, stated that "Women who drank about 12 ounces of artificially sweetened beverages per week were 33 percent more likely to develop the disease..." Although these drinks have no calories or sugar, they are found to increase sugar cravings in consumers, causing them to eat more sugar containing foods. Also, Aspartame, among other artificial sweeteners, causes a rise in blood sugar just like regular sugar.
The American Diabetes Association states that "About 25.8 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes...about 8.3 percent of our population." Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people 20 and older; and causes heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and nerve damage. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes in the United States.
In conclusion, I have learned that this disease is highly controllable by each individual. If we are careful about what we consume, our weight and our overall health, we can completely avoid this type of diabetes. Education regarding this disease is essential to the population of the United States as well as the world itself.
Dr. Honglei Chen, a study author from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, stated that artificially "sweetened beverages...have important physical and mental health consequences." Dr. Chen's study, along with another study, performed by the Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, have stated that consumption of artificially sweetened beverages is contributory to conditions such as depression and weight gain rather than weight loss.
The current French study to be published in the American Journal of clinical nutrition was done by France's National Institute of Health and Medical Research. The study covered "66,118 middle aged women whose dietary habits were tracked from 1993-2007." The study showed that people who drank light or diet soda's were at higher risk for Type 2 Diabetes than those who drank regular soda's. Epidemiologists Francoise Clavel-Chapelon and Guy Fagherzzi, stated that "Women who drank about 12 ounces of artificially sweetened beverages per week were 33 percent more likely to develop the disease..." Although these drinks have no calories or sugar, they are found to increase sugar cravings in consumers, causing them to eat more sugar containing foods. Also, Aspartame, among other artificial sweeteners, causes a rise in blood sugar just like regular sugar.
The American Diabetes Association states that "About 25.8 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes...about 8.3 percent of our population." Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people 20 and older; and causes heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and nerve damage. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes in the United States.
In conclusion, I have learned that this disease is highly controllable by each individual. If we are careful about what we consume, our weight and our overall health, we can completely avoid this type of diabetes. Education regarding this disease is essential to the population of the United States as well as the world itself.
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