WASHINGTON — On a pleasant spring night, thousands of police officers from every corner of the nation gathered here Thursday for the 22nd annual candle light vigil  to pay respect to their fallen brethren who died in the line of duty and to hear speakers including Atty. Gen. Eric Holder Jr. and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

“This year in particular we are reminded of the gravity of this mission. As you know well, a few days after Thanksgiving last year, four police officers sat together at a coffee shop in Lakewood, Washington preparing for a work day they would not live to see,” said Holder, the keynote speaker, before the crowd at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

“Shortly before 8:30 that morning these officers were ambushed by a gunman and all four were killed in cold blood. It is believed they were targeted, shot at and murdered simply because of the uniforms that they wore and the public service that they provided . These victims of course were members of Lakewood’s 100 member police department, but they were also part of something larger, they were part of a community that stretches from Tallahassee to Anchorage from Sacramento to Augusta. They were part of a community that spans every level of our government, federal, state, local and tribal.”

He went on to talk about officers who have lost their lives, saying: “While we can never repay the debt of gratitude we owe these courageous public servants we will never forget their stories. Our candles tonight may burn only briefly, but we will forever carry forward the spirits of those they represent in our work, in our hearts and in our ongoing commitment to justice.”

Janet Napolitano delivered a speech before Holder, concluding: “As we light candles, let us honors their memories and renew our commitment to all of our law enforcement officers who so proudly serve our nation, our communities and the American people.”

The failed Times Square car bomb incident has led the FBI to the Northeast sector of the country where agents have executed search warrants,  CNN reported, saying  cash couriers seemed to be the target.  The raids took place in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

By afternoon the Justice Department had confirmed that three people had been arrested.

“Three individuals encountered during the searches were taken into federal custody for alleged immigration violations.” said Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd in a statement. “At this time we can provide no further details as the investigation is ongoing. These searches are the product of evidence that has been gathered in the investigation subsequent to the attempted Times Square bombing and do not relate to any known immediate threat to the public or active plot against the United States.”

An FBI spokeswoman told AP that there was “no known immediate threat to the public or any active plot against the United States.”

The AP reported that authorities had cordoned off a small house in Watertown, a Boston suburb.

FBI's Andy Arena/ticklethewire.com photo

The speculation has begun as to who will get the top spot in the New York FBI office vacated by Joseph Demarest, who was officially named assistant director of the International  Operations Division at headquarters in Washington on Wednesday.

Some names that have surfaced so far include Andrew Arena, head of the FBI Detroit office, Janice Fedarcyk, head of the Philadelphia FBI and George Venizelos, a special agent in charge of the New York office, who has been named the interim head.

Arena, who formerly served as a special agent in charge in the New York office, has been with the bureau since 1988.

Fedarcyk took over the Philadelphia office in 2008 and has been with the bureau since 1987. And Venizelos became a special agent in charge in the New York office in 2006. He has been with the bureau since 1991.

Janice Fedarcyk/fbi photo

Speculation as to whether Demarest would return to New York from Washington ended Wednesday when headquarters officially announced he was staying in Washington.

Joseph Demarest/ fbi photo

He was sent to Washington on a temporary assignment while an internal investigation looked into whether he had been truthful about an affair he had with one of his supervisors.

Demarest was considered a strong personality that could deal with New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, known as a person of strong will.

The FBI is likely to look for someone who can deal with Kelly as well.

Jerry Martin

Jerry E. Martin was confirmed as the U.S. Attorney of Nashville on Wednesday night, the website Main Justice reported.

Martin will replace U.S. Attorney Ed Yarbrough, a Bush appointee, who announced that he has accepted a position with the law firm Walker Tipps and Malone in Nashville.

Main Justice, which closely tracks appointments of U.S. Attorneys, said the Senate has now confirmed 48 U.S. Attorney appointments under the new administration.

Yarbrough told he Nashville Post:

“There is no greater job in the American system of justice than United States Attorney, with its myriad responsibilities and potential for public service. I have been proud to lead the office in Nashville for two and a half years and see firsthand the amazing capabilities of the dedicated lawyers and staff here. The people of Middle Tennessee can be secure in the knowledge that federal prosecutors are looking out for them and doing everything in their power to make our city and state a safer place to live and work.”

FBI's Andy Arena/ticklethewire.com photo

The speculation has begun as to who will get the top spot in the New York FBI office vacated by Joseph Demarest, who was officially named assistant director of the International  Operations Division at headquarters in Washington on Wednesday.

Some names that have surfaced so far include Andrew Arena, head of the FBI Detroit office, Janice Fedarcyk, head of the Philadelphia FBI and George Venizelos, a special agent in charge of the New York office, who has been named the interim head.

Arena, who formerly served as a special agent in charge in the New York office, has been with the bureau since 1988.

Janice Fedarcyk/fbi photo

Fedarcyk took over the Philadelphia office in 2008 and has been with the bureau since 1987. And Venizelos became a special agent in charge in the New York office in 2006. He has been with the bureau since 1991.

Speculation as to whether Demarest would return to New York from Washington ended Wednesday when headquarters officially announced he was staying in Washington.

He was sent to Washington on a temporary assignment while an internal investigation looked into whether he had been truthful about an affair he had with one of his supervisors.

Joseph Demarest/ fbi photo

Demarest was considered a strong personality that could deal with New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, known as a person of strong will.

The FBI is likely to look for someone who can deal with Kelly as well.

By Allan Lengel

For some people stuck in a certain era, public acts of hate never go out of style.

Enter Joshua  James Moro, 23, who has been indicted in connection with a 2008 cross-burning in Louisiana near the home of an interracial couple, the Justice Department said.

Moro faces a  charge of conspiring to interfere with another person’s civil rights in the incident that took place in Athens, La. He was arrested Wednesday on an indictment that was issued April 28. Authorities said his co-conspirator and cousin Daniel Earl Danforth was convicted in the incident in January.

Authorities said that at Danforth’s trial evidence surfaced that Danforth and others “built a cross out of small pine trees and transported the cross to an area adjacent to the victims’ homes, where they set it on fire in order to intimidate the interracial couple.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said This case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary J. Mudrick for the Western District of Louisiana and Trial Attorney Erin Aslan from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

OTHER STORIES OF INTEREST

• 9 Indicted for Accessing Obama’s Records (AP)
• Portland Police Chief Fired (AP)
• Arizona Couple Allegedly Planned to Sell Child (AP)
• Chinese Man Smuggled Military Goods (Courthouse News Service)

dea photo

Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. and the White House are floating the idea of legislation that would create a new exception to the Miranda rule for suspected terrorists. It’s not as outrageous as Sen. Joe Lieberman’s proposal that accused terrorists be stripped of their U.S. citizenship, but it’s still a bad idea.

In a television interview this week, Holder said only that he wanted to work with Congress on legislation to provide investigators with “necessary flexibility.”

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