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COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa --

Officers were looking for the driver of a pickup truck that rammed into a Council Bluffs police cruiser Wednesday morning.

Police were searching an area near Turley Avenue and Clark Street after someone stole the pickup and then hit the cruiser while driving away around 4:15 a.m.

An officer was treated for minor injuries, investigators said.

Police found the truck at a nearby apartment complex and were searching the vehicle for evidence.

Copyright 2010 by KCCI.com. All rights reserved. This material may not bepublished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --

A out-of-town police officer doing target practice at the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office gun range Wednesday morning was injured by flying debris.

According to JSO Chief W. Michael Williams, an officer from the Washington D.C. area was participating in a training class at the facility just before 9 a.m. when something ricocheted and hit his hand.

"This is actually a training that we're hosting that invites officers in from around the country to come train," Williams said.

A Jacksonville Fire-Rescue spokesman said they got a call at the firing range in the 16000 block of Ethel Road -- not far from the prison farm and the new National Cemetery -- but units were canceled before they arrived.

Jacksonville Beach police Sgt. Tom Bingham said one of his agency's officers drove the man to Shands Jacksonville Medical Center to receive medical attention. His name and the extent of his injuries were not released.

Copyright 2010 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

NEW ORLEANS --

A former New Orleans police officer pleaded guilty Wednesday to an animal cruelty charge in connection with the death of Primo, his police dog.

Officer Jason Lewis admitted leaving his K-9 partner, a 6-year-old Belgian Malnois, in his locked police car last summer, according to the Humane Society of Louisiana.

Necropsy reports showed that Primo suffered from heat exhaustion, experienced at least three seizures after his temperature reached more than 108 degrees, and died while receiving treatment at the Southeast Veterinary Clinic in Metairie on the same day, the group said.

Images released by the Metropolitan Crime Commission showed how the dog shredded the seats inside the cruiser in an attempt to escape.

Lewis was sentenced to a six-month suspended jail sentence, six months of probation and restitution of $12,000, the cost to replace a trained police dog.

"We see this case as a result of a good team effort between multiple agencies and departments cooperating to see justice served for Primo," said HSL Director Jeff Dorson. "We also thank the Orleans District Attorney's Office for aggressively pursuing this matter to its rightful conclusion."

Copyright 2010 by WDSU.com. All rights reserved. This material may not bepublished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

LAS VEGAS --

Two Las Vegas Metro police officers are facing criminal charges following a pursuit in May that resulted in a man's death.

Officer Aron Carpenter has been charged with felony reckless driving and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter.

Officer Andrew Ubbens has been charged with misdemeanor reckless driving.

Both men were in pursuit of 27-year-old Ivan Carrillo on the night of May 19.

Investigators ruled that both officers disregarded multiple orders to stop the chase and even lied about their actions in full view of another officer.

Carpenter's police cruiser collided with Carillo's vehicle near the intersection of Lone Mountain Road and Lamb Boulevard in North Las Vegas. Carrillo suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at University Medical Center.

Ubbens will remain on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Carpenter has been placed on unpaid leave.

Copyright 2010 by KVVU.com. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

McKEESPORT, Pa. --

A K-9 bit a woman and her 6-year-old child after a police officer in McKeesport offered to drive the girl to school after she missed her bus.

McKeesport police said officer Fran Angert was related to the family and stopped to offer the girl a ride to school near 30th Street.

A witness said the mother, Sherry Floris, opened the back door and the K-9, named Nero, lunged out and attacked the girl.

"She was fighting the dog," said the witness. "She was trying to get the dog off of her."

Floris said she didn't want the officer to lose his job. "In the back of my mind I don't know what I was thinking. I walked over to the car, opened the car door, Nero ran out and he jumped on top of Maria," said Floris.

She suffered a bite wound to her stomach. She is expected to be OK.

McKeesport police said that Angert was also bit when he was trying to help the mother and daughter.

The mother was hospitalized with a finger wound. The officer also injured his arm.

Sharon Bianconi said the incident happened in her driveway.

"I was scared," said Bianconi. "Everything just happened so fast."

Bianconi said the child's mother opened the car door without waiting for the officer.

"As she opened the door, the dog jumped out and jumped on the girl and the officer immediately got out and started pulling the dog off of the girl," said Bianconi. "I don't blame the dog or the officer. I do not."

The McKeesport police chief said Nero the dog is a Belgium Malinois and has been with the force since 2005. The chief said the dog has no prior history of acting without a command.

Police said early indications show that Nero was performing exactly as he was trained to do; to protect the patrol car and the officer.

Angert and Nero are both on administrative leave pending investigation. Police have not said what will happen to the dog.

Copyright 2010 by WPXI.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CHICAGO --

The idea seemed simple though bold: Call reputed gang leaders to a meeting with top police and federal prosecutors and deliver an ultimatum to end killings in the third-largest U.S. city.

But Chicago police Superintendent Jody Weis is facing mounting criticism for holding a so-called "gang summit" last month, even though several police departments across the country have relied on that approach for decades to help reduce crime.

Among the chief complaints: that Weis himself was at the meeting, that the department should instead be adding more officers on the streets and that gangs won't take the message seriously.

"What are we doing negotiating or having a sit-down with urban terrorists who are killing with guns and drugs on the streets?" Chicago Alderman Bob Fioretti said. "Gangs are not to be coddled."

The issue resonates deeply in Chicago, where the number of brazen shootings has escalated this year, even though the overall homicide rate is down. Earlier this year, two state lawmakers asked to send in the National Guard to patrol streets. On Wednesday, two cops were shot and injured while serving a warrant.

The Chicago Gang Violence Reduction Initiative launched at an unpublicized Aug. 17 meeting, when Weis met with parolees and reputed gang members from Chicago's west side. The meeting, which was also attended by family members of victims, was first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Some reputed members of gangs like the Four Corner Hustlers and the Traveling Vice Lords said they were surprised to see Weis there after being told by their parole officers to show up. Many were visibly angry and some left during the meeting.

But Weis has defended the initiative with the support of Mayor Richard M. Daley and U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who likened the tactic to his office holding parolee forums to warn people leaving prison that they'll be watched.

Weis said the message was simple: "If you should resort to violence, we'll sharpen our focus on you and really really make your lives uncomfortable. You have the ability to influence people within your sphere. You guys are in the position to stop the killing."

Some gang leaders called a news conference Thursday to respond to Weis, saying his comments amount to unfair harassment. Weis tricked gang members into attending the meeting, Jim Allen, who identified himself as a member of the Vice Lords, told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Weis said prosecutors at the meeting threatened attendees that they could be charged under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act if killings were traced back to gangs with members attending the meeting. The federal law, commonly known as RICO, provides stiffer penalties for acts performed as part of a criminal organization such as the Mafia.

Experts say the tactic of meeting with gang leaders - whether formally with top administrators or at the neighborhood level - is just part of good police work.

"It's become almost standard practice in police departments around the country," said David Kennedy, director of the Center for Crime Prevention and Control at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. "It's simply saying to people that violence is going to get special attention from law enforcement and that a whole lot of violence, especially in places like Chicago, is driven by gangs."

At least 50 jurisdictions across the country use the approach. In Cincinnati, Chief Tom Streicher Jr. attends similar meetings, and the Los Angeles Police Department has started using the approach.

Among the pioneers was the Boston Police Department. In the early 1990s when the city's murder rate hovered around 150 a year, the department launched Operation Ceasefire, which continues today.

Parolees and other alleged criminals attend meetings with prosecutors where they're warned of consequences and given jobs information. Police say it has helped cut Boston's homicide rate. Last year the department reported 49.

Still, criticism in Chicago has continued.

"I don't think that's the way to go," Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said. He suggested going after guns on the streets.

Chicago Alderman Joe Moore has called it "a desperation tactic," while others have suggested younger and active gang members may not listen to the word of parolees.

Some of the scrutiny could simply be because it was Weis' idea. Since he took over in 2008, the department has been wary of Weis, a career FBI agent who continues to be seen as an outsider by many rank and file officers.

Weis noted the program hasn't incurred big costs and that if it doesn't work, the department will drop it. He said he thinks his presence at the meeting made it more meaningful and that attendees were chosen because of their influence.

Overall, Chicago's homicide rate has mirrored national trends and dropped significantly since the 1990s. It fell from a high of 943 in 1992 to 460 last year and has held steady in recent years.

But if residents and police need evidence that the city remains a dangerous place for officers - four officers were killed in the line of duty this year - they found it Wednesday morning. Two plainclothes officers were shot and wounded while serving a warrant on the city's South Side.

Weis said the next step is to determine if recent crimes can be traced to gangs at the meting.

"I don't view it as the panacea to stop all crimes," he said. "It certainly seemed like a worthwhile effort, even to try."

SEATTLE --

A prosecutor says he'll seek the death penalty against the man accused of killing a Seattle police officer on Halloween.

Christopher Monfort has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the shooting death of Officer Timothy Brenton.

King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg filed notice Thursday that he would seek the death penalty if Monfort is convicted.

Investigators say Monfort drove alongside Brenton's cruiser as it was parked and opened fire, killing Brenton instantly and grazing the neck of his partner, Brit Sweeney.

Monfort also is charged with arson and attempted murder for the firebombing of several police vehicles in a maintenance yard on Oct. 22 - the first step in what prosecutors called Monfort's "one-man war" against Seattle police.

PHOENIX --

The U.S. Justice Department sued Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Thursday, saying the Arizona lawman refused for more than a year to turn over records in an investigation into allegations his department discriminates against Hispanics.

The lawsuit calls Arpaio and his office's defiance "unprecedented," and said the federal government has been trying since March 2009 to get officials to comply with its probe of alleged discrimination, unconstitutional searches and seizures, and having English-only policies in his jails that discriminate against people with limited English skills.

Arpaio had been given until Aug. 17 to hand over documents it first asked for 15 months ago.

Arpaio's attorney, Robert Driscoll, declined immediate comment on the lawsuit, saying he had just received it and hadn't yet conferred with his client.

Arpaio's office had said it has fully cooperated in the jail inquiry but won't hand over additional documents into the examination of the alleged unconstitutional searches because federal authorities haven't said exactly what they were investigating.

It's the latest action against Arizona by the federal government, which earlier sued the state to stop its strict new immigration law that requires police officers to question people about their immigration status.

"The actions of the sheriff's office are unprecedented," said Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for the department's civil rights division. "It is unfortunate that the department was forced to resort to litigation to gain access to public documents and facilities."

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Phoenix and names Arpaio, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and the county.

Arizona's new law - most of which a federal judge has put on hold - mirrors many of the policies Arpaio has put into place in the greater Phoenix area, where he set up a hot line for the public to report immigration violations, conducts crime and immigration sweeps in heavily Latino neighborhoods and frequently raids workplaces for people in the U.S. illegally.

Arpaio believes the inquiry is focused on his immigration sweeps, patrols where deputies flood an area of a city - in some cases heavily Latino areas - to seek out traffic violators and arrest other offenders.

Critics say his deputies pull people over for minor traffic infractions because of the color of their skin so they can ask them for their proof of citizenship.

Arpaio denies allegations of racial profiling, saying people are stopped if deputies have probable cause to believe they've committed crimes and that it's only afterward that deputies find many of them are illegal immigrants.

The sheriff's office has said half of the 1,032 people arrested in the sweeps have been illegal immigrants.

Last year, the federal government stripped Arpaio of his special power to enforce federal immigration law. The sheriff continued his sweeps through the enforcement of state immigration laws.

Last year, the nearly $113 million that the county received from the federal government accounted for about 5 percent of the county's $2 billion budget. Arpaio's office said it receives $3 million to $4 million each year in federal funds.

In a separate investigation, a federal grand jury in Phoenix is examining allegations that Arpaio has abused his powers with actions such as intimidating county workers by showing up at their homes at nights and on weekends.

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Associated Press writer Paul Davenport contributed to this report.