Syria activists meet, call for change to avert crisis (Reuters)

AMMAN (Reuters) – Syrian activists called on Monday for sweeping political changes that could end 41 years of Assad family rule in a rare meeting in Damascus allowed by the authorities under pressure from a three-month popular uprising.

"The solution to this crisis has to address its root causes. This regime must be toppled and replaced with a democratic system," said leading Syrian writer Michel Kilo, who spent three years as a political prisoner.

The meeting at a Damascus hotel includes noted critics of President Bashar al-Assad who are respected in opposition circles, as well as some supporters of Assad.

Organizers said the gathering had approval from a senior aide to Assad, who has sent troops to crush protests across the country while promising dialogue in an effort to contain an uprising for political freedoms that has posed the gravest threat to his rule since he succeeded his father 11 years ago.

Other speakers in the conference, attended by 150 people in a Damascus hotel, adopted a softer tone but said demands of street protesters after decades of autocratic rule must be met.

Syrian writer Louay Hussein, who was also a political prisoner, said repression in the last four decades have undermined Syria as a whole while emphasizing that peaceful means must be found to meet popular demands.

Hussein said the meeting would try to explore "ending the state of dictatorship, and a peaceful and safe transition into a desired country, one of freedom, justice and equality."

Monther Khaddam, an academic from the coastal city of Latakia, said a wider national dialogue is needed but that intellectuals were "behind street demands until the end."

Organizers of Monday's conference described it as a platform for independent figures searching for a way out of the violence

Main opposition figures had said the meeting could give political cover to Assad, with human rights groups saying that security forces have killed over 1,300 civilians and imprisoned 12,000 since the uprising began in southern Syria.

Economist Aref Dalila, a major figure behind the gathering, pulled out at the last minute, saying that he did not want to participate in a conference that could be used by the authorities while mass killing and arrests continue.

(Reporting by Khaled Yacoub Oweis)

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Saudi women to drive for change

Women2Drive is an initiative demanding the right for women to drive and travel freely in Saudi Arabia.Saudi Arabian women encouraged to drive FridayManal al Sharif is part of Women2Drive campaignShe claims woman are not breaking the law by driving in Saudi ArabiaReligious edicts limit activities of women

(CNN) -- Saudi women are being encouraged to challenge the status quo and get behind the wheel Friday.

Though there are no traffic laws that make it illegal for women to drive in Saudi Arabia, religious edicts are often interpreted as a ban against female drivers. One female motorist spent more than a week in custody in May, supporters said.

The day is expected to be a test of wills -- and authority -- between police and the campaign, which has been publicized by Facebook, Twitter and other social media. It was not clear late Thursday how many would participate.

A Saudi woman told CNN her mother drove her and her sisters down Riyadh's main street on Thursday.

The woman, who asked not to be named because she was worried about harassment and possible reprisals, said no one bothered them.

"I believe there will be women driving (Friday)," she said. "This is important for women here -- this is one of our rights."

Read Isobel Coleman's piece on the largest protest by Saudi women

This is important for women here -- this is one of our rights.
--Unnamed Saudi woman

Authorities stopped Manal al Sharif, 32, for driving a car May 21 and detained her the next day. She said she was forced to sign a form promising not to drive again and spent a week in jail.

Al Sharif has not been charged, but the case remains open and she may be called back, according to human rights activist Waleed Abu Alkhair.

Al Sharif is part of Women2Drive, an initiative demanding the right for women to drive and travel freely in Saudi Arabia.

In an interview with CNN before her detention, al Sharif said she was determined to speak out.

"We have a saying," she said. "The rain starts with a single drop. This is a symbolic thing."

Hundreds of women have joined the campaign to begin driving Friday. Some women with international licenses, such as al Sharif, began driving earlier.

Alkhair, speaking Thursday from London, said he encouraged his wife to drive in Jeddah on Friday.

"I think after what the police and the interior ministry did to Manal al Sharif, a lot of women became afraid," he said. "The Interior Ministry has put a lot of police on the street. They want to send a message to all women."

Strict segregation by sex means women in Saudi Arabia can't travel without a male relative or take public transportation. Many women hire expensive drivers or taxis to get around.

Since al Sharif's detention, several Saudi women have uploaded their videos onto the web.

Amnesty International said Saudi women should be allowed to seek more freedoms.

"Saudi Arabian authorities must stop treating women as second-class citizens and open the kingdom's roads to women drivers," the organization said.

CNN's Atika Shubert contributed to this report.

CNN

Alleged 'Barefoot Bandit' to change not guilty plea

Colton Harris-Moore, also known as the "Barefoot Bandit," is expected to plead guilty to charges stemming from his 2-year run from authorities.Colton Harris-Moore pleaded not guilty to several federal charges last weekLawyer: A draft of plea agreement was being worked on last week Harris-Moore is accused of stealing boats, cars, and planes while eluding police A possible book and movie deals are in the works

(CNN) -- Colton Harris-Moore, whom authorities have dubbed the "Barefoot Bandit," will be in a Seattle courtroom Friday to change the not guilty plea he entered earlier.

The alleged "Barefoot Bandit" entered a not guilty plea during a federal court appearance June 9.

At the time, a lawyer representing him said attorneys were working on the details of a plea agreement.

Harris-Moore gained notoriety and earned his nickname for allegedly leading police on a two-year manhunt while eluding capture in stolen boats, cars and planes -- usually while barefoot.

In May, a federal judge added bank robbery to an indictment that contains several other federal charges stemming from Harris-Moore's capture in the Bahamas last year. Four of the charges are punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

His attorney, John Henry Browne, told reporters a draft of a plea agreement was close to being finished last week.

The negotiations included his client paying money for restitution, Browne said. The amount would likely be about $1.3 million, Browne said.

Browne stressed that his 20-year-old client wants any money generated from a likely book or movie deals to go to the victims.

"There's a lot of interest, there's active negotiations," Browne said. "He really doesn't want publicity, but regardless of whether Colton cooperates or not, there is going to be a movie made about (him), there will be other books written about him. That's going to happen no matter what."

As the "Barefoot Bandit," Harris-Moore garnered a loyal and outspoken fan base on Facebook -- at one point amassing more than 50,000 fans.

He was arrested in July 2010 after allegedly crashing a stolen plane in the Bahamas and then trying to escape on a stolen boat. He'd been on the run from police since escaping from a Washington group home in 2008.

His trial is scheduled to begin July 11.

CNN

DOT: Bus company involved in deadly wreck tried to change name

Four people were killed Tuesday when a Sky Express bus ran off I-95 near Fredericksburg, Virginia, and overturned.DOT says Sky Express attempted to use a new name to sell ticketsAgency issued a cease-and-desist order against the N.C.-based carrierIt had been placed out of service for violating multiple safety regulations

(CNN) -- The company that operated a commercial tour bus involved in a deadly crash this week has been issued a cease-and-desist order after the U.S. Department of Transportation said it tried to resume operations under a different name.

Four people were killed and 53 others injured Tuesday when the Sky Express bus ran off Interstate 95 near Fredericksburg, Virginia, and overturned.

Investigators have blamed the wreck on driver fatigue.

The 37-year-old driver of the bus, Kin Yiu Cheung of Flushing, New York, has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and reckless driving.

The Charlotte, North Carolina-based Sky Express Inc. had been placed out of service Tuesday by the transportation department's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for multiple federal safety violations, which prohibited it from operating interstate transportation services.

The department issued the cease-and-desist order Friday after it said it found the company trying to operate and sell tickets under two new names: 108 Tours and 108 Bus.

"We are relentlessly targeting unsafe and illegal bus companies," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. "This action sends a strong message that the U.S. Department of Transportation will utilize every legal and enforcement tool available to shut down unsafe bus companies and protect passengers and motorists."

The transportation department also subpoenaed Friday the records of three websites that have sold tickets for the company as the DOT seeks to crack down on "unsafe, reincarnated bus companies."

A call to Sky Express was not immediately returned Saturday, and its website had been taken offline.

CNN's affiliate in Charlotte, WCNC, tried to contact the business Friday, but its building was closed.

CNN

Libya rebels welcome Russia's change

A compound belonging to embattled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was hit by explosions on Saturday morning.NEW: National Transitional Council in "financial crisis," chairman saysA Libyan official says NATO strikes two compounds Libyan opposition says it sold $160 million of oil to ChinaNATO says it targeted a vehicle storage area at Bab bin Ghashir

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- The head of Libya's opposition government told reporters Saturday he welcomed a call Friday by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for Moammar Gadhafi to step down.

Medvedev's statement, echoing the stance of American and European leaders, appeared to indicate a closing diplomatic window for the longtime Libyan strongman.

The chairman of the National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, said he has offered amnesty to Gadhafi loyalists who defect before the demise of the regime, but reiterated that there will be "no negotiation for any solution until Gadhafi's departure."

Once that happens, elections and a constitutional referendum will be held within a year, Jailil said in the opposition stronghold of Benghazi.

In an interview with CNN, Jalil said the council had sold a shipment of oil to China for $160 million. The confirmation of the sale is expected to buttress the political and economic credibility of the fledgling rebel power.

The leader said the movement has a "financial crisis" and is seeking loans from outside the country.

The council is happy for political support, but will not ask Russia for arms or economic aid, Jalil said.

The unrest in Libya has persisted for months as opposition members demand an end to Gadhafi's nearly 42-year rule.

Jalil marked the 100th day of the nation's civil war.

"We see victories emerging at both national and international levels," he said. "We should celebrate what our heroic sons have accomplished in Misrata and the Nafusa mountains, as well as applaud the wide international support for our revolution."

Meanwhile, a series of morning explosions rocked the capital of Tripoli on Saturday, including blasts at a compound belonging to Gadhafi and one at a nearby tribal compound, a government official said.

The official said one morning strike occurred on Bab bin Ghashir, a tribal compound near Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound, where the other strikes occurred. The official believed the strikes were NATO attacks.

No casualties were reported.

Morning strikes in Tripoli are rare. NATO confirmed one of the attacks -- a press officer said the strike on Bab bin Ghashir was timed to minimize civilian casualties.

NATO said it targeted a vehicle storage area at Bab bin Ghashir.

The tribal compound is used by people who volunteer as support forces for Libyan authorities. A decade ago, the site was used as a military station.

NATO is operating under a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing the use of any means -- with the exception of foreign occupation -- to protect civilians from attack or the threat of attack. It has been conducting airstrikes targeting Gadhafi's military resources.

CNN's Amir Ahmed, Raja Razek, Nima Elbagir and Ben Wedeman contributed to this report.

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PSN update now live across the U.S., go change your password now (Digital Trends)

In case you missed it — and you very well might have considering what time this ball got rolling — Sony has officially flipped the switch on the PlayStation Network, restoring service in a limited capacity as a gradually filling map of the United States. charted the progress of the rollout through the night. The map is now fully green, which means firmware update version 3.61 is now available for download to all U.S. users. In addition to online gameplay, the update brings back video rental playback, Music Unlimited on Qriocity, Netflix/Hulu access, Friends Lists, chat, Trophy comparison and PlayStation Home.

The update is a zippy download and installation as of 9:30 a.m. eastern time today, taking no more than 10 minutes to load into your console and do its thing. We’ll see if that changes as more of the country wakes up and tries to bring PS3s back online. In order to complete the update installation, you’ll need to change your password. Not that you wouldn’t want to, since… you know… your private information was compromised and stuff. That said, the real safeguards built into 3.61 are presumably under the hood, since even the most complex password won’t do you a lick of good if all of your info is stolen from the network servers again.

Sony no doubt wants to put this whole unfortunate affair behind it, but there will very likely need to be an extended healing period before consumer confidence can be restored. “Welcome Back” promotions and the like are all well and good, but only time is going to make this mess go away. Look at Microsoft and the whole “Red Ring of Death” circus; slightly different situation but with a similar reach. Both companies made mistakes before stepping up and doing what needed to be done; like Microsoft, Sony’s got a large enough user base that a return to business as usual is a certainty, even if it does take some time.

After all, that new Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack is going to come to PSN at SOME point.

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Obama Administration, Environmentalists Face Off in Court Over Climate Change

Associated Press

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WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration and environmental interests generally agree that global warming is a threat that must be dealt with. 

But they're on opposite sides of a Supreme Court case over the ability of states and groups such as the Audubon Society that want to sue large electric utilities and force power plants in 20 states to cut their emissions. 

The administration is siding with American Electric Power Co. and three other companies in urging the high court to throw out the lawsuit on grounds the Environmental Protection Agency, not a federal court, is the proper authority to make rules about climate change. The justices will hear arguments in the case Tuesday. 

The court is taking up a climate change case for the second time in four years. In 2007, the court declared that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. By a 5-4 vote, the justices said the EPA has the authority to regulate those emissions from new cars and trucks under that landmark law. The same reasoning applies to power plants. 

The administration says one reason to end the current suit is that the EPA is considering rules that would reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. But the administration also acknowledges that it is not certain that limits will be imposed. 

At the same time, Republicans in Congress are leading an effort to strip the EPA of its power to regulate greenhouse gases. 

The uncertainty about legislation and regulation is the best reason for allowing the case to proceed, said David Doniger, a lawyer for the Natural Resources Defense Council, which represents Audubon and other private groups dedicated to land conservation. 

"This case was always the ultimate backstop," Doniger said, even as he noted that the council would prefer legislation or EPA regulation to court decisions. The suit would end if the EPA does set emission standards for greenhouse gases, he said. 

The legal claims advanced by six states, New York City and the land trusts would be pressed only "if all else failed," he said. 

When the suit was filed in 2004, it looked like the only way to force action on global warming. 

The Bush administration and the Republicans in charge of Congress doubted the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gases. 

Federal courts long have been active in disputes over pollution. But those cases typically have involved a power plant or sewage treatment plant that was causing some identifiable harm to people, and property downwind or downstream of the polluting plant. 

Global warming, by its very name, suggests a more complex problem. The power companies argue that any solution must be comprehensive. No court-ordered change alone would have any effect on climate change, the companies say. 

"This is an issue that is of worldwide nature and causation. It's the result of hundreds of years of emissions all over the world," said Ed Comer, vice president and general counsel of the Edison Electric Institute, an industry trade group. 

The other defendants in the suit are Cinergy Co., now part of Duke Energy Corp. of North Carolina; Southern Co. Inc. of Georgia; Xcel Energy Inc. of Minnesota; and the federal Tennessee Valley Authority. The TVA is represented by the government and its views do not precisely align with those of other companies. 

Eight states initially banded together to sue. They were California, Connecticut, Iowa, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. But in a sign of the enduring role of partisan politics in this issue, New Jersey and Wisconsin withdrew this year after Republican replaced Democrats in their governor's offices. 

Another complication is that the administration and the companies may be on the same side at the Supreme Court, but the power industry is strongly opposing climate change regulation. The Southern Co. is a vocal supporter of GOP legislation to block the EPA from acting. 

"It's two-faced for them (the companies) to come into court and say everything is well in hand because EPA is going to act," said Doniger, the NRDC lawyer. 

Comer said the key point is that judges should not make environmental policy. "This has important implications for jobs. If you raise energy costs in the U.S., does that lead industry jobs to go elsewhere and if it does, do you get the same emissions, just from another country?" Comer said. "These judgments are properly made by elected officials." 

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who was on the federal appeals court panel that heard the case, is not taking part in the Supreme Court's consideration of the issue. 

The case is American Electric Power Co. v. Connecticut, 10-174.

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Dems Furious After Vote Change Gives Lead to Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice

AP

April 5: Supporters for Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg cheer while watch election results in Madison, Wis.

Democrats in Wisconsin were crying foul Friday after a significant vote-count change in the hotly contested Supreme Court election gave the conservative incumbent the lead in a race that could decide the fate of the state's new divisive collective bargaining law.

Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus said it was "human error" that resulted in more than 14,000 votes from her predominantly GOP county not being reported on Tuesday. The corrected totals gave conservative Justice David Prosser a 7,500-vote lead, according to unofficial tallies, and undid the earlier likelihood of a recount. 

Rep. Peter Barca, Democratic Assembly minority leader, said Nickolaus' revelation "raises disturbing questions, particularly in light of her partisan history."

"The new Supreme Court race vote totals she 'discovered' during canvassing not only swung the election but also put the race just barely past the amount needed to trigger a state-financed recount," he said in a statement.

"It doesn't instill confidence in her competence or integrity," he said, adding that the mistake could warrant an investigation.

Liberal groups also howled in protest.

"There is a history of secrecy and partisanship surrounding the Waukesha county clerk and there remain unanswered questions," Scot Ross, director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now, said in a statement.

But Republican state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald told Fox News he believes Nickolaus made a mistake. 

"The canvas process in Wisconsin is pretty routine after an election happens," he said, "and, in the many that I have been involved in over the years, certainly there are changes to the vote totals that come in on election night."

Fitzgerald noted that Grant County had added more than 100 votes for challenger JoAnne Kloppenberg after the initial count.

Prosser had faced a surprisingly strong challenge from Kloppenburg, a little-known assistant state attorney general who drew last-minute support -- and significant get-out-the-vote efforts -- from opponents of Gov. Scott Walker's push to limit union power as part of a budget-balancing plan.

"I like to think that I have survived a nuclear firestorm of criticism and attack and smear," Prosser told Fox News Thursday night. "As far as I'm concerned, if these results hold up, I will be the winner."

Prosser added that he is waiting out the process.

"I'm not conceding, and I'm not congratulating. And I'm not claiming victory," he said.

Prosser said the race should not be considered a referendum on Walker or any legislation that may end up at the court.

The fate of that law, which is facing legal challenges, could end up before the state Supreme Court, where Prosser or Kloppenberg could tip the balance. On Thursday, the state attorney general sought expedited review from the state's high court.

Opponents of the law had hoped a Kloppenburg victory would set the stage for the high court to strike it down.

Fitzgerald said he didn't want to predict the outcome of  the law regardless of who's in the justice's seat, but he would be pleased if Prosser held the post.

"I wouldn't want to make any presumptions on what the Supreme Court might do. But, certainly, I think, you know, having Justice Prosser there, I think he has been a strong voice for the law, and a strong voice for Wisconsin for many, many years, and, I obviously, I'm certainly hopeful that the vote totals hold up for Justice Prosser, after the canvas is completed," he said.

Nickolaus apologized Thursday for the error, saying the most significant error occurred when she entered but did not save totals from the city of Brookfield, a suburb of Milwaukee.

"This is not a case of extra votes or extra ballots being found," Nickolaus said. "This is human error, which I apologize for."

Kloppenburg's campaign manager, Melissa Mulliken, demanded a full explanation of how the error occurred and said an open records request for all relevant documents would be filed.

Ramona Kitzinger, the vice chair of Waukesha County Democratic party who observed the canvass, said she is satisfied the numbers are now correct.

"We went over everything and made sure all the numbers jibed up and they did," she said.

The Government Accountability Board, which is in charge of overseeing Wisconsin's elections, will review Waukesha County's numbers to verify the totals, said agency director Kevin Kennedy.

Kennedy said it was unfortunate the clerk didn't double-check the data before releasing it to the media. Kennedy also said such mistakes are known to happen but that "we just don't see them of this magnitude."

Nickolaus has faced criticism before for her handling of elections and previously worked 13 years for a state GOP caucus that was controlled by Prosser when he was Assembly speaker in 1995 and 1996. She was given immunity from prosecution in a 2002 criminal investigation into illegal activity by members of the caucus where she worked as a data analyst and computer specialist.

The corruption probe took down five legislative leaders, all of whom reached plea deals. Nickolaus resigned from her state job in 2002 just before launching her county clerk campaign.

Nickolaus also has been criticized by the Waukesha County Board for her handling of past elections and lack of oversight in her operations.

An audit of Nickolaus' handling of the 2010 election found she needed to take steps to improve security and backup procedures, including not sharing passwords. The audit was requested after the county's director of administration said Nickolaus had been uncooperative with attempts to have county experts review her systems and confirm backups were in place.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Minorities get worse health care, but government aims for change

or steps that federal health officials can take.

"It's also a product of where people live, labor, learn, play and pray," Dr. Howard Koh, assistant secretary of Health and Human Services, told The Associated Press. "We really need a full commitment from the country to achieve these goals."

HHS wouldn't put a dollar figure on its own pending projects, but said it plans to pay for them with money already in hand and not subject to Congress' ongoing budget battle.

The tight economy casts doubt on how much states and other groups may be able to chip in, said Dr. Paul Jarris, executive director of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

But "we'll never be a healthy nation unless we address these inequities," Jarris said. "There's a lot of momentum finally building" to do so.

Recent years have brought some improvements in health disparities, although racial and ethnic minorities still lag in many areas

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Minorities get worse health care, but government aims for change

or steps that federal health officials can take.

"It's also a product of where people live, labor, learn, play and pray," Dr. Howard Koh, assistant secretary of Health and Human Services, told The Associated Press. "We really need a full commitment from the country to achieve these goals."

HHS wouldn't put a dollar figure on its own pending projects, but said it plans to pay for them with money already in hand and not subject to Congress' ongoing budget battle.

The tight economy casts doubt on how much states and other groups may be able to chip in, said Dr. Paul Jarris, executive director of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

But "we'll never be a healthy nation unless we address these inequities," Jarris said. "There's a lot of momentum finally building" to do so.

Recent years have brought some improvements in health disparities, although racial and ethnic minorities still lag in many areas

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Vote Count Likely to Change in Closely Watched Wisconsin Judge Race

Associated Press

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Wisconsin's election chief says he expects the unofficial vote totals in the state Supreme Court race to change when local election officials verify the counts, as opponents of Republican Gov. Scott Walker say the results send a clear message about their unhappiness with his controversial limits on union power.

Kevin Kennedy, head of the state's Government Accountability Board, said Wednesday that there will be changes in the totals because "this is a very human-driven process. We expect mistakes."

Little-known attorney JoAnne Kloppenburg declared victory over incumbent state Supreme Court Justice David Prosser with just a 204-vote margin out of nearly 1.5 million cast.

Kennedy says the earliest he would expect a recount request to be able to be made would be late next week. As long as there is no court challenge along the way, Kennedy says he expects the recount would be completed by May 15.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Kloppenburg had 740,090 votes, or 50.01 percent. Prosser had 739,886 votes, or 49.99 percent.

Kloppenburg issued a statement thanking Prosser for his service and vowing to be an impartial judge. Prosser's campaign didn't immediately return a message seeking comment on whether he would seek a recount. The latest such a request could be made is April 20.

Counties must start to canvas the vote on Thursday and they have until April 15 to turn in the results. Once the county's last report is filed, a recount can be requested within three business days.

That makes April 20 the latest such a request could be made. If the county reports come in sooner, the deadline to ask for the recount would be pushed up as well.

The winner will serve a 10-year term.

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2001 riots led to top-down change for Cincinnati police

By Glenn Hartong/The Cincinnati Enquirer

Sheryl L. Brown with the New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church prays as she stands in front of a line of mounted police officers at Central Parkway and Race Street in Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 11, 2001.

EnlargeCloseBy Glenn Hartong/The Cincinnati Enquirer

Sheryl L. Brown with the New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church prays as she stands in front of a line of mounted police officers at Central Parkway and Race Street in Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 11, 2001.

Today, they would know that the warrants were for minor infractions, things such as failure to wear a seatbelt.

Also today, they could call for help from an officer specially trained in handling people with mental health problems. They carry Tasers to use as an alternative option to their guns. And they're reminded of a new police department culture that stresses customer service as much as it does catching bad guys.

In the rioting that followed Thomas' death, fires were set around Over-the-Rhine, a police officer was shot but unhurt when the bullet hit his belt buckle, and a citywide curfew was imposed — the first in more than 30 years.

The changes since Thomas' death and the ensuing riots are many. The results have been dramatic.

In the six years before the riots, 15 men — all African-American — died in confrontations with police. In the last 10 years? Eight, six of them black.

Cincinnati officers have been involved in fewer police shootings since 2004 than their counterparts in the larger cities of Cleveland and Columbus as well as Dayton, Toledo and Akron.

The reasons for that decline include everything from technology and training to luck.

Cops are still cops, as Chief Tom Streicher said just before he retired in March. They're adrenaline junkies who have to think fast in dangerous situations.

But the 1,068 working in Cincinnati now, he said, are better trained, more carefully watched and more mindful of the power they wield and the effect it can have on people.

"There's no one single thing you can point to," Streicher said. "There's an improved approach to how we conduct business and it starts with training. We've continued to ask ourselves: Even if an action is right, is there a better way to do business?"

Christopher Smitherman, president of the Cincinnati branch of the NAACP, said the department's foremost change was that it began to understand that "cultural competency" —the ability to interact with people of different cultures — is key.

"You have to start there," he said. "They acknowledged that it's important, that it's not just political correctness."

Tension pre-dated riots

The April 2001 riots often are viewed by many as the beginning of the poor relationship between Cincinnati's black community and the police department. But the tension pre-dated the riots by years, as did a call for police reform.

Harvey Price was the first in a list of what would grow to 15 black men — some of them unarmed — killed in confrontations with police in six years leading up to the riots.

He was shot to death in February 1995 after he killed a 15-year-old girl with an ax and held police at bay for hours. Two months later, the arrest of Pharon Crosby, 18, would exacerbate tensions. Caught on video, it prompted complaints that officers used excessive force.

Police commanders knew distrust was brewing. They started talking about some problems, including racial profiling. In March 2001, Streicher acknowledged that some officers did practice biased policing.

That admission was momentous, a signal that department leadership was willing to listen, said ACLU attorney Scott Greenwood.

The department in 2002 lifted its requirement that recruits be under 35, with officials saying they wanted to diversify the force and boost its maturity.

The riots neither initiated the racial tension nor the police reforms, but accelerated both.

There were several incidents after the riots, too, that fanned the flames, including the 2002 forced retirement of the department's highest-ranking black officer, after he lied about an accident in his city-owned car.

About 30% of Cincinnati officers are African-American now, just slightly more than in 2001. The force's makeup has changed in other ways, though: New hires are encouraged to have college degrees. The 2004 recruit class of 50 included 25 with some post-high school education. In the 2006 class of 50 recruits, 42 had attended college. There have been no recruits since 2008 because of budget cuts.

Change didn't come easily

In March 2001, a month before the riots, the ACLU and local groups joined a 1999 lawsuit filed by Bomani Tyehimba, claiming police had discriminated against black people in Cincinnati for decades.

That lawsuit led to the Collaborative Agreement in 2002 between the ACLU, Cincinnati Black United Front, city and police union, which required police to adopt community-oriented policing as a strategy. A Memorandum of Understanding, a deal signed with the U.S. Department of Justice, required many more concrete reforms, including in the way uses of force are recorded and tracked. U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott appointed a federal monitor who oversaw compliance for the next six years.

Though lauded now, the reforms got off to a rough start.

Police leadership felt federal officials were cramming reforms down their throats.

But changes came anyway. Among them:

• Training officers in low-light situations, like the alley where Thomas died, and in dealing with suspects with mental health issues

• Training in how to recognize possible mental health issues in suspects and to better handle mentally ill people.

• Computers in officers' cruisers to give them access to a person's detailed criminal record, complete .

• Foot pursuit policy changed to require that officers assess whether a pursuit is appropriate, taking into consideration the seriousness of the offense, whether the suspect is armed and their ability to apprehend at a later date.

• In late 2003 the city bought updated Tasers for all officers after the death of Nathaniel Jones, an African-American man with drugs in his system. Officers hit him repeatedly with their batons.

• Officers are now required to fill out "contact cards" when they stop vehicles. The cards include details about those in the car, including their race. The cards grew out of allegations that Cincinnati officers stopped more minority drivers than whites.

• The Citizens Complaint Authority was created in 2002 to do independent reviews of all serious uses of force by police officers.

Officers balked at the CCA, insisting the department's internal reviews were enough and that the agency would be just another way their actions could be misunderstood and used against them.

But it seems to have had the opposite effect. CCA data show improvement in the number of investigations against officers and a reduction in the number of complaints sustained against officers. In 2004, the first year the CCA started keeping data, it investigated 193 complaints, some with multiple allegations of misconduct. The CCA sustained 92 allegations, or almost half, exonerating officers in 119 allegations. Last year, 83 were investigated, with 17% sustained and 51% exonerated.

With a new police chief coming in and continuing budget deficits, maintaining the reforms might be a challenge.

Saul Green, the court-ordered federal monitor who oversaw Cincinnati's police reforms for six years, was "greatly impressed" with the Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence, started in 2007 to identify groups committing crimes and target them. But City Council cut CIRV's budget for this year, and the streetworkers — who walked neighborhoods talking to people after incidents to promote calm — were cut. The complaint authority was merged last year with the city's internal audit department to save money on support staff. Despite the cuts, city officials say they remain committed to reform.

The advertisement for a new chief to replace Streicher who retired on March 26, written by City Manager Milton Dohoney's office, specifies that the city is seeking someone who will keep the improvements and strive for more.

"They're clearly a lot better," the Rev. Damon Lynch III said of Cincinnati officers. He was former president of the Black United Front and led calls for a boycott of downtown Cincinnati after the riots.

"I think they've given it a good try," Lynch said. "I think they've made a good faith effort. It's important that the new chief buys into the collaborative and moves it even further down the road."

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2001 riots led to top-down change for Cincinnati police

"Sheryl L. Brown with the New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church prays as she stands in front of a line of mounted police officers at Central Parkway and Race Street in Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 11, 2001."

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