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President-elect Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, says he is pitching the "fresh idea" of a hotline for people to report immigrants they believe are here illegally and have committed crimes. “I want a place where American citizens can call and report,” said Homan, the former head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, (ICE). Actually, ICE has had a tip line for more than 20 years that takes in15,000 calls a month, NBC says . ICE invites tips on illegal immigration along with a range of other legal violations such as drug smuggling and document fraud. "It is for reporting crimes, everything from child pornography, COVID-19 fraud, illegal immigration, human trafficking, money laundering, terrorism, worksite enforcement of immigration laws," said Alex Nowrasteh of the libertarian think tank Cato Institute. "It already exists. I don't know what Homan was talking about in terms of having a fresh, new idea." Nowrasteh said the tip line likely isn't a major part of immigration enforcement. "It probably wastes the time of a handful of employees at ICE to have to wade through these 15,000 calls a month and to take them and to write them down. Perhaps it leads to a few tips," Nowrasteh said. "But I have never heard of anything publicly that has come up related to a big operation started by a tip on the ICE hotline." Some analysts say that having a tip line focused more specifically on illegal immigration would be helpful at raising public awareness. "It seems like not only is it worth a try, but it's also an important message to send. Part of the point of it is to make it clear to illegal aliens that they're not untouchable, that the party's over," said Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for reduced immigration. "It's useful, if nothing else, to send a message, both to the public and to illegal immigrants, that just because you're here and not raping anybody doesn't mean that you're untouchable. I think that's an important message to send even if they only get a handful of actual usable leads."

Criminal charges against Hunter Biden “were the culmination of thorough, impartial investigations, not partisan politics,” his prosecutor said in a final report that criticized President Biden for maligning the Justice Department when he pardoned his son. “Other presidents have pardoned family members, but in doing so, none have taken the occasion as an opportunity to malign the public servants at the Department of Justice based solely on false accusations,” said special counsel David Weiss, who filed gun and tax charges against the younger Biden that resulted in felony convictions, the Associated Press reports. The report culminates a years-long investigations that predated Attorney General Merrick Garland and became among the most politically explosive inquiries of his tenure.. The document is notable for its steadfast defense of the team’s work and its criticism of the president over a statement he issued when pardoning his son last month. The president said the action was warranted because of a “miscarriage of justice” and a selective prosecution. He said he believed his son had been treated “differently” on account of his last name and that “raw politics” had infected DOJ's decision making. "Hunter was singled out only because he is my son — and that is wrong,” Biden said. Weiss, who served as U.S. attorney for Delaware during the Trump administration, said, “The president’s characterizations are incorrect based on the facts in this case, and, on a more fundamental level, they are wrong." He said the president's statement "erodes public confidence in an institution that is essential to preserving the rule of law.” Hunter Biden’s lawyer criticized the report, saying Weiss failed to explain why prosecutors “pursued wild — and debunked — conspiracies” about the president’s son that prolonged the investigation.

Within minutes of his inauguration Monday, new Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe is expected to issue a variety of orders targeting crime. The move reflects a national trend. After a period of relaxed sentencing laws, a tough-on-crime approach is back in political favor. Republicans and Democrats alike are promoting anti-crime initiatives as a new year of lawmaking gets underway in state capitols. That comes after voters in several states approved ballot imposing stricter penalties for crimes ranging from shoplifting to deadly drug dealing. Kehoe, a Republican who cruised to election, is set to take the oath of office at noon. He plans a “Day One Action Ceremony” shortly afterward, the Associated Press reports. “As soon as my hand comes off the Bible, the Kehoe administration will be relentless in our efforts to make Missouri safer,” Kehoe pledged. Some anti-crime measure are intertwined with efforts to crack down on those living in the U.S. illegally, mirroring an emphasis of President-elect Trump. Many also propose tougher penalties for trafficking fentanyl. Other measures go beyond that. Some seek stricter sentences for sexual offenses involving children, violent crimes or retail theft rings, which have gained attention from social media videos showing shoplifting crews rampaging through stores. In Maryland, Democratic state Sen. Ron Watson is sponsoring legislation he said would let prosecutors file felony charges against everyone involved in a group theft if the total value exceeds $1,500, even if each person stole less than that. Criminals “have become emboldened because they can get away with things and pretty much get a slap on the wrist,” Watson said. “Violent or nonviolent, a crime is a crime. And that crime needs to be punished.” Many types of crimes rose during the coronavirus pandemic. More recently, the rates of violent crime and many property crimes have trended back down, though shoplifting remains above pre-pandemic levels, according to the think tank Council on Criminal Justice. People’s sense of security isn’t necessarily tied to statistics. High-profile crimes such as the New Year’s Day attack in New Oorleans, the burning of a woman on the New York subway or the fatal shooting of a health insurance executive outside a New York City hotel can affect perceptions of public safety. “When you see randomness, brazenness, that makes people feel vulnerable and suggests there is a sense of lawlessness, a breakdown of behavioral norms,” said Adam Gelb of the Council on Criminal Justice. “Many people seem to think that the reforms over the past two decades overshot the mark and there needs to be a rebalancing.”

Rampant sexual abuse by guards at women’s prisons in California. An inmate suicide that went unnoticed for 18 hours in Washington state. Multiple jail breaks in Pennsylvania. Prisons and jails across are overcrowded and understaffed, jeopardizing the safety of inmates, correctional officers and surrounding communities. As state legislatures convene, many lawmakers are focusing on a key criminal justice issue for prisons and jails: more oversight. Accountability for correctional facilities is decentralized and inconsistent. While some states, counties and municipalities have independent oversight bodies, many rely on internal mechanisms or lack formal systems altogether, says Michele Deitch of the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab at the University of Texas at Austin, which runs the National Resource Center for Correctional Oversight. Experts predict that correctional oversight will take center stage in this year’s legislative sessions, driven by mounting scrutiny of worsening prison and jail conditions and the growing adoption of independent oversight bodies. President Biden last year signed a law creating an independent ombudsman to investigate complaints from the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ 122 facilities. The law mandates inspections of all federal facilities. “Legislators have become much more aware of what they don’t know and how much of a closed system this is,” Deitch said. “They’re totally reliant on the corrections officials to tell them what’s going on inside." Some correctional officials argue that adding another layer of oversight won’t solve their fundamental problem. “We know the root causes of our current conditions: We have too many inmates and too few correctional officers,” said Michael Resnick, the prisons commissioner for Philadelphia. At least 16 states — both red and blue — considered 31 correctional oversight bills during last year’s legislative sessions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures . Only Maryland and Virginia approved legislation to create ombudsman offices to monitor their state prisons.

The key to identifying the cause of the still-raging Palisades Fire lies on a brush-covered hilltop where the blaze broke out just after 10:30 a.m. last Tuesday. Investigators are working to determine what sparked the inferno . Experts say it’s easy to rule out one common cause of wildfires: lightning. The area also appears to be free of power lines or transformers, which rules out another potential cause. That leaves the source of most wildfires: people. Four experts interviewed by NBC News said arson was a possibility, but they thought the fires were likely not set on purpose. “This is what we call inaccessible, rugged terrain,” said Rick Crawford, former battalion chief for the Los Angeles Fire Department. “Arsonists usually aren’t going to go 500 feet off a trailhead through trees and brush, set a fire and then run away.” Fires break out in the wooded areas on the edges of Los Angeles all the time, caused unintentionally by homeless people . The fires almost never grow into a destructive blaze due to the lack of high winds. The combination of ferocious winds and a parched landscape created ideal conditions for the fast-moving fires that have consumed large swaths of Los Angeles. “You don’t need a gang of arsonists to go out there and be starting fires because nature is taking care of that for you,” said Scott Fischer, a retired federal law enforcement arson investigator. Copycat arson is a known phenomenon, however. The experts said they wouldn’t be surprised if one of the smaller fires that broke out after the Palisades blaze was intentionally set. “When you get a large fire event like this being experienced in Los Angeles, you sometimes trigger people to go out and light a fire,” said Terry Taylor, a retired wildland fire investigator. “It’s a copycat thing. ... It happens from time to time.” It’s unlikely those answers will come anytime soon, as determining arson tends to require a lengthy investigation. Identifying the cause of a fire is a highly specialized and painstaking endeavor, experts say. Things like burn patterns and charred debris can provide crucial clues. The investigators will lay out a grid at the scene, typically with string, and literally crawl around on their hands and knees in search of footprints or other clues. “They’ll go inch by inch by inch, and it will take hours,” said one investigator. “It’s not fun.” The prospect of arsonists torching Los Angeles gained traction on social media when a group of people detained a man they suspected of setting a trash fire. The man was arrested, but there was not enough probable cause to charge him with arson.

Virginia has agreed to pay nearly $1.6 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought on behalf of more than 50 people who were held in prison beyond their release dates, in some cases for more than a year . The proposed settlement, filed in federal court in Richmond, must be approved by a judge, who is scheduled to hear the case this week, reports the Washington Post. All of those affected were released as of November 2023. The sides agreed to a payment of $118 for every day people were held beyond their original release dates. The nine held for nearly a year or more past their release date will each receive more than $42,000 if the settlement is approved. The dispute arose after the Virginia General Assembly passed a law in 2020, changing the way certain prisoners received credit for good behavior and enabling some to shave years off their sentences. The law was part of the movement to overhaul criminal justice after the murder of George Floyd. Even after the Virginia Supreme Court ordered one man released in July 2023, the state Department of Corrections continued to hold some people beyond their release dates. The proposed settlement indicates that 53 people were held an extra 9,646 days. The data show 21 were held for at least six months beyond their proper release date. Seven were held for more than 400 days past their release date, with the longest 441 days. The issue turned on the interpretation of “earned sentence credits,” in which people may reduce their sentences by completing classes or not having any rules violations. Previously, no more than 15 percent of a sentence could be reduced through the credits, but the 2020 law changed that figure to 33 percent. It also enabled certain offenders to get up to 15 days reduced from their sentence for every 30 days served, or six months for every year served. Some crimes, such as murder and robbery, were not included. Prisoners convicted of attempting rather than completing a crime were eligible to receive expanded credits. The recalculated sentences were to take effect in July 2022. Gov. Glenn Youngkin, as part of his promise to get tougher on crime, managed to insert language into the state budget and then took administrative action to block the change. An attorney general's opinion said that attempted crimes shouldn’t be treated differently. The corrections department revised its calculations accordingly, and prisoners saw their release dates pushed back.

First responders in fire-ravaged Los Angeles areas have had to fend off looters as well as flames, with the number of arrests jumping to nearly 30 by Sunday. National Guard personnel, along with city and county law enforcement, have stepped up patrols in the Pacific Palisades, Altadena and Pasadena neighborhoods as firefighting continues. One suspected looter dressed like a firefighter, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said, the Wall Street Journal reports.  Two people were detained at Vice President Harris' home Saturday after the Los Angeles Police Department received a call regarding a potential burglary The two were arrested for breaking curfew. Some 25 people have been arrested around the Eaton fire area that includes Altadena and Pasadena. Some have included narcotics charges and carrying a concealed weapon. Any area under a mandatory evacuation order is off-limits to non-first responders. In other areas, a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew is in place.  There is concern about businesses and homes that kept valuables or cash in safes that might be intact among the rubble, police told residents. Homeowner Averie Maddox wasn’t worried about the threat of looting when she herded her daughter, dog and two cats into the car on Tuesday and fled the approaching fire.  “I really thought I’d come home the next day to a smoky and ashy house,” she said. Instead, her home went up in flames. Some items might have been spared, she said, but looters had already dug through the debris, her neighbors told her. “It’s like picking the pockets of the dead. Don’t you have any respect for people’s loss?” Maddox said.

FBI Director Christopher Wray tells CBS News "60 Minutes" he's retiring early because he didn't want to thrust the bureau "deeper into the fray" after facing intense criticism from President-elect Trump . Trump nominated Wray in 2017 for what is supposed to be a 10-year term, but the FBI chief has been criticized by the Republican leader and his allies over issues related to Trump and President Biden . Wray addressed being criticized over FBI investigations by both a Republican and a Democratic president, Axios reports. " This is a hard job. You're inevitably going to make different people angry, often very powerful people," Wray said. "But part of the essence of the rule of law is to make sure that facts, and the law, and proper predication drive investigations, not who's in power, not who wants it to be so or not so,." Wray said an investigator's job was to "follow the facts wherever they lead, no matter who likes it." Trump has criticized the FBI for searching his Mar-a-Lago home in 2022 in an investigation into the storage of classified documents . A search warrant is "not anybody's first choice" and investigators always try less intrusive means, like receiving information voluntarily or via a subpoena, said Wray, who described himself as a "conservative Republican." "Only if, after all that, we learn that the agents haven't been given all of the classified material and in fact those efforts have been frustrated, even obstructed, then our agents are left with no choice but to go to a federal judge, make a probable cause showing, and get a search warrant," he said. "That's what happened here." Wray said China's targeting U.S. civilian critical infrastructure was the biggest threat the incoming Trump administration faced. The most challenging terrorism threat is online radicalization from extremist groups, Wray said. He noted that the FBI's investigation into the New Orleans New Year's Day terrorist attack indicated the suspect was "radicalized online" and he "appears to have been inspired — from afar — by ISIS."

An ex-cop fired as an investigator at the U.S. Center for SafeSport for allegedly stealing money seized at a drug bust has been arrested again, this time charged with rape and sex trafficking. Jason Krasley, a former police officer in Allentown, Pa., was charged with felony rape and involuntary sexual servitude for crimes allegedly committed while he was on the force between 2011 and 2015, the Associated Press reports. Krasley left the department in 2021 and went to work for the SafeSport Center, which fired him last year shortly after learning he’d been arrested for allegedly stealing $5,500 from a drug bust he helped conduct while on the force. The new arrest raises the question of how Krasley was able to maneuver through what officials at the center say is a robust vetting process it uses to hire people tasked with uncovering sensitive information regarding sex-abuse cases. The Denver-based center was established in 2017 to deal with sex-abuse cases in Olympic sports from the elite level down to the grassroots. As of late last year, it had 36 people on its investigation team; it has tapped into police forces, where some detectives deal with similar cases, to fill some of those positions. “I am appalled that a former staff member has been accused of such heinous acts in his previous role as a police officer,” said SafeSport CEO Ju’Riese Colon. “We hold all staff to the highest standard because safeguarding athletes is our utmost priority.” The AP has learned of two cases Krasley handled — one of which was assigned to another investigator after his arrest on the theft charges. In the other, the claimant asked if her case could be reopened in view of the arrest and was told in an email from a SafeSport employee that “those matters were already being reviewed prior to the requests and media attention.”

After four people were shot and killed at Georgia's Apalachee High School in September, many people believe officials failed to see warning signs that the 14-year-old accused of the shooting was displaying. That conclusion could drive Georgia lawmakers, who convene for their annual legislative session Monday under intense pressure to show they are acting to prevent future shootings, to order agencies to broadly share education, child welfare and juvenile court records, the Associated Press reports. The hope would be that such data will help officials better assess threats that students will hurt themselves or others. State House Speaker Jon Burns and state schools Superintendent Richard Woods, both elected Republicans, are among those backing more information sharing. “How do we share that with our sister agencies so we can have a red flag system, that for kids or situations that we need to know about, that needs to be looked at?” Woods asked at a forum on school safety. Privacy advocates warn that such a data repository could be invasive, and point to findings by federal law enforcement agencies that it’s impossible to use such records to profile students likely to commit violence. Amelia Vance of the Public Interest Privacy Center says prevention has to be based on what students are actually doing, like making threats or taking action to acquire a weapon. “You will overwhelmingly get false flags if you seek to profile students,” Vance said. “And those false flags will often be based on discriminatory information -- students with disabilities. students who have disproportionate or any interactions with social services.” In addition to information sharing, there are calls in Georgia for more money for police officers in schools, more money for school counselors, social workers and mental health counseling, and for mobile panic buttons and technology to detect guns. Georgia Democrats are pushing efforts to limit children's access to guns, but Republicans refuse to limit gun rights.

An immigration bill pending in Congress would cost more than $3.2 billion to implement, according to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency memo reported by Politico. said it would require more than $3.2 billion in additional funding to implement the Laken Riley Act, according to a memo obtained by POLITICO that the agency prepared last year. The memo said the legislation as written would require an additional 60,000 to 70,000 detention beds and would need an additional 61 federal employees, which officials estimated would cost about $15 million is fiscal year 2025. ICE said the legislation would impede federal government operations by requiring state attorneys general to sign off on immigration decisions. The memo was sent in response to questions posed by Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), the lead sponsor of the House bill. The House passed the legislation last year, but it stalled in the Democratic-controlled Senate. The bill, which would mandate the detention of undocumented immigrants who are charged with lower-level crimes like theft or burglary, has been passed by the House again and has advanced in the Senate with bipartisan support, though Democrats want to amend it. One Republican was not turned off by the price tag. “We’re prepared to give ICE the resources it needs to properly enforce federal law and protect American families, both through the appropriations and reconciliation processes," said Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), who introduced the Senate version of the legislation. ICE said the bill would need additional funding for support staff, removal flights and additional immigration attorneys.