As we have discussed several times on this blog, the federal government, and to a lesser extent the state government, focuses on different types of crimes depending on the prevailing attitudes and issues of the moment. We have seen the government shift its focus from terrorism to mortgage fraud to…
Clay County police raided the Total Medical Express clinic off of Blanding Boulevard in Orange Park, Florida and made several arrests of some of its patients and an office manager, according to an article on FirstCoastnews.com. The police allege that the pain clinic was unlicensed and was giving out narcotic…
The definition of “child abuse”, whether used as a legal term or in regular conversation, is not exactly clear. What passed for good, appropriate discipline in the old days could subject someone to serious felony charges and prison time today. Under Florida law, there are different levels of child abuse…
As of March 1, a new federal law made the possession or sale of the chemicals that comprise what is known as fake pot or synthetic marijuana illegal, according to an article on Firstcoastnews.com. The product, which often goes by the names K2, spice or blaze, simulates the effects of…
Any person in Florida has a right to be free from illegal searches and seizures. This applies not only to the person him/herself but also a residence, a vehicle and just about anything else belonging to the person that is not out in the open for anyone to see. However,…
In Florida, police may seize money or other property from a suspect if they believe the money or property represents proceeds from drug or other illegal activity or is otherwise related to drug or other illegal activity. Many times, the seizure results from a routine traffic stop. For instance, in…
The United States and Florida Constitutions protect citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures by police. One example where the police will stop and search someone is when they receive an anonymous tip of criminal activity. However, anonymous tips alone are not enough to justify a search and seizure of a…
Most people who are familiar with medical privacy laws know that a person’s medical records are confidential and can only be disclosed with the patient’s permission or under other limited circumstances. However, records of prescriptions for controlled substances (such as Oxycodone and Oxycontin) do not share the same privacy protections.…
In Florida, particularly northeast Florida, methamphetamine possession, sale, manufacturing and trafficking cases are on the rise. Local police and federal agents are looking out for various meth labs and making many arrests of those who are involved, either directly by participating in the manufacture of methamphetamine or indirectly by merely…
According to the Florida governor’s newly proposed budget, significant cuts will be made across many state agencies, including law enforcement. One of the departments that may be eliminated is the state’s cyber-crime unit, according to an article on News4jax.com. This would apparently include 19 cyber-crime detective jobs and 15 internet…