DEA Agent Joseph Piersante, who was shot and wounded by enemy gun fire while on a counter-terrorism and narcotics mission in Afghanistan in 2011, became the first DEA agent to receive the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom.

The The Defense of Freedom Medal is the civilian equivalent of the military’s Purple Heart, according to a DEA press release issued Thursday, on the day of the award.

The press release said:

 Piersante’s recovery from this life-threatening event has been nothing short of miraculous. Through hard work and determination, as well as incredible doctors, EMTs, team members, therapists, trainers, family, and friends along the way, he has returned to his Special Agent duties at DEA FAST headquarters in Virginia. In addition, Piersante has inspired many in and out of law enforcement, participating in speaking engagements, motivational opportunities, and training in areas such as overcoming adversity, never giving up, and putting your life on the line for the good of our great nation. His inspirational story will continue forever to be told not just by him, but by many in and out of DEA.

By Steve Neavling

Emergency responders rescued a Border Patrol agent whose car plunged into the St. Clair River in Michigan early Wednesday morning.

The Detroit Free Press reports that that agent was in the water for about 50 minutes, hanging onto the seawall near a water treatment plant in Algonac before he was rescued.

It wasn’t immediately clear how the unidentified agent and the Border Patrol vehicle ended up in the water.

The agent, who is assigned to the Marysville station, was patrolling when the accident happened.

The agent was treated and released from the hospital.

The song “Louie Louie,” was an obsession of the FBI’s in the 1960s.

In trying to determine whether the song violated the Federal Interstate Transportation Obscene Matter statues, the FBI spent two years analyzing the song and lyrics, resulting in a 455-page obscenity investigation.

The singer and songwriter, Jack Ely died Tuesday at the age of 71, WTOP.com reports.

Ely’s son told WTOP that his father got “quite a kick” out of the lengthy investigation, which helped make the song even more popular than it already was.

Check out the entire file here. http://vault.fbi.gov/louie-louie-the-song

The FBI helped facilitate ransom payments to al Qaeda from the family of Warren Weinstein, an American who was kidnapped at gunpoint and held hostage for four years before being killed in a U.S. drone strike, CNN reports.

“Over the three and a half year period of Warren’s captivity, the family made every effort to engage with those holding him or those with the power to find and rescue him,” a spokesman for the family said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to source in a Wall Street Journal report, the agency “vetted a Pakistani middleman used by the family to transport the money and provided other intelligence to enable an exchange.”

Problem was, the money likely went into the wrong hands, the family said.

By Steve Neavling

A judge has ruled that the DEA is not required to compensate a Texas trucking company for damaging a tractor trailer that the agency used during a wild 2011 sting without permission.

The Washington Post reports that the tractor trailer was riddled with bullets after the sting ended in the execution-style murder of the truck’s driver, an informant.

The ruling essentially prevents more information from being disclosed about the incident.

The owner of the trucking company also is worried that his business is in danger of being retaliated against by the drug cartel that encountered the truck.

Other Stories of Interest

• Tsarnaev’s Path to Extremism Coincides with FBI Contacts
• FBI Helps Rutgers Investigate Disruptive Cyber Attack
• Justice Department Charges Quicken Loans Work with Bank Fraud
• City’s Only Unsolved Murder Highlighted by FBI Reward
• DEA Agent Expresses Outrage over Drug Overdoses in Alabama

It’s one of the most difficult parts of the job – telling family members they’ve lost a loved one.

To better train law enforcement and first responders on handling the notification of family members of a death, the FBI joined up with Penn State University to create a no-cost website.

The idea was “to better equip law enforcement personnel, victim advocates, coroners, medical examiners, chaplains, hospital staff, and others who find themselves delivering death notifications to do so with professionalism, dignity, and compassion. Not only because it’s the right thing to do, but also because the way a death notification is made can have a significant impact on a family’s grieving process and on potential future prosecutions,” the FBI wrote in a press release.

The training, called “We Regret to Inform You …” is available at www.deathnotification.psu.edu.

By Steve Neavling

Less than two years after prosecutors discovered a pattern of racial discrimination, the nation’s largest sheriff’s department reached a sweeping agreement Tuesday with the Justice Department to restore civil rights.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved the deal 4-1 after patterns of abuse were found, including unlawful stops and seizures and excessive force, The Christian Science Monitor reports.

In addition, the Justice Department claims that Los Angeles sheriff’ deputies harassed and intimidated minorities in public housing.

The agreement means the sheriff’s department admitted no wrongdoing but will be overseen by three outside experts.

Loretta Lynch

New Attorney General Loretta Lynch received her first big test after riots broke out in Baltimore this week.

Lynch, the first black female attorney general, released a statement soon after violence broke out, examining what happened and “going beyond the criminal civil right investigations” launched last week by her predecessor Eric Holder into the death of Freddie Gray, The National Journal reports.

Read Lynch’s statement:

“I condemn the senseless acts of violence by some individuals in Baltimore that have resulted in harm to law enforcement officers, destruction of property and a shattering of the peace in the city of Baltimore.  Those who commit violent actions, ostensibly in protest of the death of Freddie Gray, do a disservice to his family, to his loved ones, and to legitimate peaceful protestors who are working to improve their community for all its residents.

“The Department of Justice stands ready to provide any assistance that might be helpful.  The Civil Rights Division and the FBI have an ongoing, independent criminal civil rights investigation into the tragic death of Mr. Gray.  We will continue our careful and deliberate examination of the facts in the coming days and weeks.  The department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services has also been fully engaged in a collaborative review of the Baltimore City Police Department.  The department’s Community Relations Service has already been on the ground, and they are sending additional resources as they continue to work with all parties to reduce tensions and promote the safety of the community.  And in the coming days, Vanita Gupta, head of the Civil Rights Division, and Ronald Davis, Director of Community Oriented Policing Services, will be traveling to Baltimore to meet with faith and community leaders, as well as city officials.

“As our investigative process continues, I strongly urge every member of the Baltimore community to adhere to the principles of nonviolence.  In the days ahead, I intend to work with leaders throughout Baltimore to ensure that we can protect the security and civil rights of all residents.  And I will bring the full resources of the Department of Justice to bear in protecting those under threat, investigating wrongdoing, and securing an end to violence.”