According to internal FBI reports and transcripts of wiretapped conversations, the FBI knowingly allowed paid informants inside the Mexican Mafia in Los Angeles to plot and commit a series of major crimes, including murder. United States West Texas residents charge that state troopers have followed them, searched their cars and subjected them to other harassment. The law has been used by police to stifle criticism of their conduct. A federal grand jury has begun hearing testimony about a 1996 shooting that may have been the first in a string of corrupt and murderous actions by the Los Angeles Police Department's Rampart Division police officers. Officials are considering ordering that the documents be purged.
Critics say that the law is used to muzzle legitimate complaints.
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed suit against a Nevada law that allows police departments to submit charges to district attorneys for prosecution of people who allegedly file false complaints against officers. The measure has been used to gag criticism of police conduct. Two Texas civil rights leaders said that they are unsure whether lawmakers would prohibit racial profiling if it were being debated now, after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Join the network for free. The Freedom Network is a service of The Henry Hazlitt Foundation .