Cinema File: It'd be a crime to miss these at Christmas

Editorial: Lawmakers move too fast on crime scene photos
The rush to get House Bill 1322, the Meredith Emerson Privacy Act, through the Georgia General Assembly is completely understandable. It's difficult to criticize state Rep. Jill Chambers, R-Atlanta, House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, and other lawmakers for quickly bringing their power as elected officials to bear to keep crime scene photos of the lifeless, decapitated body of murdered 24-year-old hiker Meredith Emerson out of the hands of a reporter working for a pornographic magazine.

FBI: Crime rates down for third year
WASHINGTON - Crime in the United States dropped dramatically in 2009, bucking a historical trend that links rising crime rates to economic woes. Property crimes and violent offenses each declined about 5 percent, the FBI said Monday, citing reports from law enforcement coast to coast.

Yarbrough: Mexican border is entry point for terrorists
The next time the illegal immigration advocates start whining about the poor Mexican workers coming into the United States to "do jobs we won't do" and to "make a better life for their families," please inform them that the porous borders between lawless Mexico and the United States are also letting in drugs at a scale almost beyond description, and that Atlanta is a major distribution hub.

The consequences of politicizing crime
It's over for Mike Huckabee. His presidential hopes will not survive revelations that as governor of Arkansas he had commuted the long prison term of the now-dead Maurice Clemmons, suspected of gruesomely murdering four police officers in Lakewood, Wash.

Cinema File: It'd be a crime to miss these at Christmas
It was almost a Norman Rockwell scene in my house this past Sunday night. My wife stood on a chair putting ornaments on our tree as I fastened multicolored lights around our windows. We had a nice, warm fire going. Our two dogs cuddled up close to one another on their pillow. And blaring from our television set were the sounds of gunshots, police sirens and enough loudly spoken profanities to make a sailor blush. Why on Earth would anyone ruin such an otherwise idyllic holiday scene this way? Because our favorite Christmas movies just happen to be R-rated comedies about criminals.

Editorial: Amended crime scene bill creates problem
It was in the finest tradition of representative government that state Sen. Donzella James, D-Atlanta, proposed an amendment to a House bill restricting public access to some crime scene photos. Her amendment would extend that restriction to recordings of some 911 calls and some police dashboard video camera footage. And given the sensitive nature of such material, it's hardly surprising the Senate would vote 50-0 in favor of amending the House bill.

Trying to piece it all together - somehow: The Crime
The weather was perfect for theater friends to get together for a picnic and visit. "We were sitting on benches and chairs, telling stories, singing songs - things we do when we're having a nice day," recalled Leara Rhodes, a University of Georgia journalism professor and Town & Gown member.

Regional crime lab plan faces some resistance
HOUSTON (AP) - A proposal to create a regional crime lab to serve 13 counties from the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office is meeting some resistance from some of the smaller counties in the area.