1.
Mother said Josh Powell threatened her
PHOENIX, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Police in Phoenix, Ariz., say they are tackling the almost-daily occurrence of home invasions and kidnappings in the Arizona capital.
Officials said the high number of home invasions and kidnappings has earned the city the title of "kidnap-for-ransom capital" of the United States, The Arizona Republic reported Sunday.
In 2008, there were 369 reported kidnappings and 337 home invasions, which marked a 5 percent increase compared to the year before.
Phoenix police developed a task force in September to reduce the number of incidents.
Police Lt. Lauri Burgett, the lead investigator assigned to the Phoenix-led home invasion and kidnapping task force, said many of the extortion cases are linked to illegal drug trade.
"It's about profit," Burgett said. "It's been a secret society in a lot of ways because so much of it goes unreported."
She said since September, the task force has dismantled more than 20 extortion cells, the newspaper reported.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Additional Top News Stories | |
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 (UPI) --
A woman who says she had an affair with President John F. Kennedy wrote that she didn't feel at the time she was "invading the Kennedys' marriage."
|
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 10 (UPI) --
Pop icon Madonna says she "wasn't happy" after rapper M.I.A. flipped her middle finger at a camera during the Super Bowl halftime show in Indianapolis.
|
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 (UPI) --
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the construction of two new nuclear reactors, the first to be built in the United States since 1978.
|
BIRMINGHAM, England, Feb. 10 (UPI) --
A British company said it is opening salons across England dedicated to the tattooing the scalps of bald men to make it look like they have short hair.
|
| Stories | Photos | People | Comments |
View Caption
