beside the point

In "41 guards arrested over prison break in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico" we learn:

• Forty-one guards at the prison have been arrested in connection with the escape December 17th of 151 inmates.
• Prison officials broke the law and will be prosecuted. "We are confident that in the next few days we will clear up what (happened), who is guilty and we can move ahead with their punishment."~ Tamaulipas Gov. Eugenio Hernandez
• "Authorities have not been able to capture any of the escaped inmates so far."
• The whereabouts of warden Efrain Hernandez are unknown. "It is clear that the warden, who is missing at this time, is involved or was threatened or extorted." Gov. Eugenio Hernandez
• According to Gov. Hernandez, the identities of all the escaped inmates have been provided to the federal government, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the FBI.

Nuevo Laredo is across the border from Laredo, TX. (map source)

The identities of ALL the escaped inmates have been provided to the appropriate authorities in the US, which makes sense, since Nuevo Laredo is just over the border. Good thing they at least know the identities of ALL the escaped inmates.

REGRETTABLY, NOT ONE inmate has been captured yet. 

^^^^^^^

Here's an idea:

Perhaps the US authorities should use some of their databases to find these escaped inmates? Such as their Fusion Centers, etc.?

Dozens of the fusion centers were created after 9/11 to identify potential threats and “improve the way information is shared”. The centers use law enforcement analysts and sophisticated computer systems to compile, or fuse, disparate tips and clues and pass along the refined information to other agencies.

The centers have received billions in funding from the Department of Homeland Security and also work in conjunction with the military arm of the DHS, NORTHCOM.

They also have subscriptions to private information-broker services that keep records about Americans’ locations, employment history, financial holdings, associates, relatives, firearms licenses and the like. Some of these data-brokers, such as one in Maryland called Entersect, claim to hold records about 98 percent of Americans.

Problem: 151 escaped inmates just over the border.... Solution: amazing & sophisticated database funded with billions of dollars from DHS with access to records of 98% of Americans...?

Was this not the point of setting up all these elaborate databases? Wasn't that the point? To catch bad guys?

NO. The point, apparently, is to spy on Americans. These criminals are not Americans. The fact that they escaped just over the border is probably beside the point. The fact that they may be associated with drug lords -- also probably beside the point. These regrettable details make the war on terror go forth and multiply.

Win win win.

And it's regrettable for sure, since the authorities have a lot of data on Americans,

In Maryland, authorities rely on a little-known data broker called Entersect, which claims it maintains 12 billion records about 98 percent of Americans.
In its online promotional material, Entersect calls itself "the silent partner to municipal, county, state, and federal justice agencies who access our databases every day to locate subjects, develop background information, secure information from a cellular or unlisted number, and much more."
Police officials said fusion center analysts are trained to use the information responsibly, legally and only on authorized criminal and counterterrorism cases. They stressed the importance of secret and public data in rooting out obscure threats.

What a lucky contract. Do you ever wonder about these quiet little companies that no one has ever heard of, and yet they have these amazing contracts with the federal government? The not-Raytheons?

Entersect is headquartered in Santa Ana, California and is a subsidiary of Certifion Corporation, which is, in turn, a wholly-owned subsidiary of LocatePlus Holdings Corporation. LocatePlus' other subsidiaries are LocatePlus Corp., Dataphant, Inc. (which acquired Voice Power Technology, Inc.), and Metrigenics, Inc., a biometrics firm.

Looks like LocatePlus has had some problems, however. It appears to be all straightened out now. New management has been installed.

February 26, 2009: "Beverly-based LocatePlus Holdings Corp. has removed James Fields from the role of president, CEO, acting CFO and treasurer, effective immediately. The company gave no reason for Fields’ dismissal." (http://www.masshightech.com/stories/2009/02/23/daily39-LocatePlus-removes-Fields-as-CEO-CFO-president.html)

November 11, 2010: Former LocatePlus execs charged with securities fraud "Two former high-ranking executives of North Shore technology company LocatePlus Holdings Corp. were charged Wednesday with securities fraud and other allegations including using the identity of a man who drowned in Marblehead Harbor in 1985 to bolster their business. Jon Latorella, 47, of Marblehead, and James Fields, 43, of Brookline, were charged in connection with their alleged operation of LocatePlus of Beverly."

..."Barry S. Pollack, a Sullivan & Worcester lawyer representing Fields, issued a statement questioning aspects of the government’s handling of the case. “A thorough exploration into the unusual delays in the investigation and relationships between LocatePlus and the government is expected to paint a far different picture than what appears in the new claims,” he said in the statement."

..."The indictment was announced by Ortiz; William Offord, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston; and Richard DesLauriers, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation — Boston Field Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling. In January, LocatePlus agreed to swap 72,000 shares of Series A preferred stock in LocatePlus in exchange for the $1.8 million in debt held by Dutchess Private Equities Fund Ltd. Founded in 1996 as Worldwide Information Inc., LocatePlus changed its name in 1999." (http://www.masshightech.com/stories/2010/11/08/daily37-Former-LocatePlus-execs-charged-with-securities-fraud.html)

We find it interesting that the SEC decides to go after some people but not others. 




You never can tell who the authorities will decide is a threat. Sometimes the most obvious things escape them, and they go after innocent people guns a-blazing.

Must be that Human Error again.

Yeah that's it.