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New program tracks down Iraqi bad boys Tim Tran THE ASSOCIATED PRESS KIRKUK, IRAQ — Shattered glass, body parts, a blood splattered blue sedan: the grainy video pans over the scene as Iraqi officers comb the site of a drive-by assassination. It’s “Cops” Iraqi-style, minus the “Bad Boys”' soundtrack but otherwise roughly modeled after the American TV show. Created to make government more transparent, “The . Cops Show” featuring Kirkuk officers in action is the first of its kind in the country and is breaking new ground in Iraqi television. A live call-in portion gives the public the chance to praise the security forces or gripe about them. Screened weekly on Kirkuk Television, which broadcasts in this northern city of nearly 1 million people, “The Cops Show” has opened the floodgates in a community long suppressed. . “During Saddam Hussein’s time, it was very different,” station manager Nasser Hassan Mohammed said. “You were unable to ask questions. You couldn’t say • anything bad about police. “Now people can call in directly. Anyone has the right to do this. This is the difference now. This is freedom.” 1 he call-in portion, initially a novelty, has become a staple of the show, and panelists field up to 30 calls per segment, Mohammed said. And because' Kirkuk is ethnically mixed, the show switches among the languages spoken by Kurds, Arabs, Turkomen or Assyrians. It took Iraqis a while to master the art of the phone-in. “But after more than a year, they understand very well,” Mohammed said. Col. Gordon Petrie, the show’s American military adviser, said it marks a new era for community service television. “There has been a sea change in media,” said Petrie, who heads public affairs for the 116th Brigade Combat Team. “Before 2003, it was all-Saddam, all-the-time. “Kirkuk, which was one of the largest TV stations, basically was robotic. They’d get the Baghdad feed and send it out again. Now they are in charge here.” Until January’s landmark elections, the Americans “ran the shows, booked the guests, and tried to show them what community service programming was about. ON THE WES © www.DAILYGAMECOCK.COM Coming soon: Read The Gamecock online five days a week. Weather Forecast TODAY High 93 Low 16 TUES. High 88 low 14 High 86 Low 10 THURS. High 81 Loui 66 High 86 Low 61 Ticket to ride rnBii mi■■iwi—^mrnwmmm Trisha Shadwell/TWQ GAMECOCK Carol Schultz, a second-year economics student, pays the Bull Street Garage fee. The garage changed its hours and fees for the fall. POLICE REPORT THURSDAY, AUG. 18 Lost property Strom Thurmond Wellness & Fitness Center, 1000 Blossom St. Amber Guyton said she misplaced a wallet containing a debit card and six keys, including a West Quad master key. Reporting officer: C. Knoche. Information report 1600 Enoree Ave. The Columbia Police Department reported that while Elizabeth Jenkins was driving a black Nissan Pathfinder, she collided with a Nissan Altima belonging to Austin Julian. Jenkins then drove approximately 100 yards down the street and was found by a witness, who said Jenkins was attempting to dispose of alcohol found in her car. Jenkins was arrested. Reporting officer: J.M. Simmons. Malicious injury to personal property 1200 Catawba St. Jerry Smalls said someone broke out the driver’s-side taillight of his vehicle. Estimated damage: $250. Reporting officer: J.M. Simmons. Dostproperty Russell House, 1400 Greene Street The victim said he lost his wallet, which contained a Social Security card, driver a license and debit card. These reports are taken directly from the USC . Police Department. More gay groups donating to politicians The Associated Press Gay and lesbian activists in South Carolina have begun contributing more money to politicians who support them, signaling a growth among gay and lesbian groups. Since January, nine prominent gay and lesbian activists have contributed more than $3,000 to state Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, and state Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, according to lawmakers’ campaign finance records. Cobb-Hunter was one of three House members to vote against a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage and civil unions in South Carolina. Ford was the only senator to vote against the amendment, which will be on the November 2006 general election ballot. The lawmakers were “very, very supportive of us in a very difficult situation,” said Linda Ketner, chairwoman of the South Carolina Equality Coalition. In addition to Ketners group, Cobb-Hunter and Ford received donations from the Alliance for Full Acceptance and the South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement. Cobb-Hunter said she is seeing an evolution among gay and lesbian groups. “This is the first time I’ve gotten contributions in a significant way from the gay communities, and I’ve championed their views for 13 years in the General Assembly,” Cobb-Hunter said. But, she added, “It’s not because of the contributions that I stand up for them.” Ford also supports the organization’s point of view. “An issue like (gay marriage) should never have been discussed,” Ford said. “It shouldn’t have come up in any political body in this country. What someone does with their lives should be their business. We can’t regulate morality.” Contributing to campaigns is a natural progression for gay and lesbian activists, said Warren Redman-Gress, executive director of the Alliance for Full Acceptance. “Gay and lesbian people are certainly becoming more aware that the people in the Statehouse who are supporting us need our support as well,” Redman-Gress said. This is how most interest groups created around a set of values or ideals grow, said University of South Carolina political scientist Blease Graham. State Sanford critics object to fundraising tactics Gov. Mark Sanford says he’s not running for president, but his fundraising is bringing up questions from political insiders. Sanford has raised more than $3.5 million toward his 2006 re election campaign. More than 40 percent of his money this year has come from out of state. Sheriffs to look into pepper spray incident The Richland County sheriff’s office will conduct an internal investigation after two deputies used pepper spray when a melee broke out between groups of teenagers during a football jamboree at Spring Valley High. Nation Interned Japanese receive diplomas LOS ANGELES — Amid tears and their grandchildren’s shouts of glee, 58 Japanese-Americans sent to internment camps during World War II received diplomas Sunday, finally earning recognition from the communities they were forced to leave more than half a century ago. Armstrong presses Bush for cancer funds CRAWFORD, TEXAS — During their two-hour ride on Bush’s ranch Saturday, Lance Armstrong pushed the president to spend more federal money on cancer research. Armstrong added that the Iraq war never came up during the ride. World Pope celebrates mass, ends trip to Germany COLOGNE, GERMANY — Pope Benedict XVI ended his four-day trip to Germany on Sunday, celebrating an open-air Mass for a million people and warning Europe against growing secularism and “do-it-yourself” religion. A synagogue visit, in which he won applause for his warning about rising anti-Semitism, and a frank talk with Muslims about terrorism, underlined interfaith relations as a key theme of his first foreign travel as pope. Sunnis appeal to U.S. to stop hasty draft BAGHDAD, IRAQ — A day before the deadline for the new constitution, Sunni Arabs appealed Sunday to the United States to prevent Shiites and Kurds from pushing a draft through parliament without their consent, warning it would only worsen the crisis in Iraq. If you are interested in radio production, announcing, music reviewing or promotion etc.... 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