FederalDaily - August 31, 2006

Screenings Urged for Returning Vets

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., called on the Department of Defense to provide comprehensive mental health screenings to more soldiers returning from Iraq and other combat hot zones. Cantwell said on Aug. 29 that she sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld highlighting as a model a program used in Fort Lewis, Wash. The Fort Lewis Soldier’s Wellness Assessment Pilot Program (SWAPP) helps identify the susceptibility of returning service members to mental health ailments through questionnaires and face-to-face on-site interviews with medical professionals. Soldiers identified as at risk of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or other mental health ailments are immediately scheduled for follow-up appointments. The SWAPP program, however, is not paid for by DOD, but is funded instead by a limited grant from the U.S. Surgeon General, she said. More than 9,575 soldier assessments have been processed under SWAPP. For more info, see: http://cantwell.senate.gov/news/record.cfm?id=262201&&days=30& .

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Two Indicted in Puerto Rico Extortion Plot

Two Puerto Rico Police Department agents have been indicted for allegedly impersonating federal law enforcement officers in order to conduct a bogus federal money-laundering investigation and “seize” $40,000, authorities said on Aug. 28. A federal grand jury in Puerto Rico returned extortion and impersonation indictments against Eddie Torres and Noel Rosario Colon, both Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD) agents, said Rosa Emilia Rodriguez Velez, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. The two are charged with obtaining $40,000 from a citizen by pretending to be federal law enforcement agents and saying the monies were being seized as part of a federal money-laundering investigation. There was no such investigation, officials said. The two each face a maximum of 23 years in prison if convicted. The arrests were the result of a combined investigation by the Department of Justice, PRPD internal affairs officers and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Professional Responsibility (ICE/OPR). For more, see: www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/060828sanjuan.htm.

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Attorney General Gonzales Travels to Baghdad

U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales arrived in Baghdad Aug. 29 to meet with Department of Justice (DOJ) officials working in Iraq to rebuild the country’s legal and law enforcement infrastructure. Gonzales also met with high-ranking Iraqi officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih and Chief Justice of the Higher Juridical Council Medhat Al-Mahmoud, as well as U.S. military personnel. DOJ has a significant presence in Iraq with more than 200 employee and contractor personnel in the country. The DOJ is attempting to assist Iraqis in reestablishing essential law enforcement and security functions. To see more, go to: www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2006/August/06_ag_575.html.

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