Ted S. Warren / AP

A Seattle Police officer with a baton tries to fend off protesters during a May Day anti-capitalism protest that ended with demonstrators clashing with police on Wednesday.

SEATTLE -- Protesters clashed with police in Seattle on Wednesday as a May Day rally that began peacefully turned violent after dark, with demonstrators hurling objects at officers who responded with flash-bang grenades and pepper spray.

One protester was seen using a skateboard to smash windows at a Walgreens drug store in the city's Capitol Hill neighborhood, and others overturned trash cans and lined up newspaper display racks to block police.

Matt Mills Mcknight / Reuters

A demonstrator attempts to break a window of a pharmacy in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood during May Day demonstrations Wednesday.

Officers in riot gear, some riding in armored SWAT vehicles, repeatedly used the flash-bang grenades and tried to disperse the crowd.

Seattle police said that as of 9 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET), 11 adults and two juveniles had been arrested for assaults and property damage. Several people were shown on local TV stations being taken into custody.

Seattle police said in a tweet that one officer was injured by a thrown object. His condition was not immediately clear.

The violence broke out as darkness fell in Seattle following a day of May Day rallies in cities across the U.S. West that were planned by a coalition of organized labor activists, students, civil rights advocates and members of the clergy to call for an overhaul of immigration laws.

In Los Angeles, thousands of protesters marched through downtown waving American flags and carrying signs with the slogan, "Stop deportations."

The demonstrators chanted in Spanish, "Obama! Escucha! Estamos en la lucha!" ("Obama! Listen! We are in the fight!"), as they marched down one of downtown's main thoroughfares.

The march spanned across more than two large city blocks, and one police officer told Reuters that unofficial estimates put the size of the crowd at roughly 3,500 people. No arrests were reported.

In Arizona, where a state crackdown against illegal immigration was signed into law three years ago, several hundred people joined a late-afternoon rally outside the state Capitol in Phoenix, ahead of a march through downtown.

The protests come about two weeks after a bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced an 844-page bill, backed by President Barack Obama, that would rewrite many U.S. immigration laws.

A centerpiece of the measure would create a path to legal status and ultimately citizenship for many of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.

It also aims to secure the U.S. border with Mexico against illegal entry and to make it easier for industry, particularly high-tech businesses and agriculture, to hire workers from abroad when needed.

Related:

Occupy LA sues city over mass detentions

NBC News in depth: Immigration Nation

A 5-year-old Kentucky boy who received a .22-caliber rifle as a gift accidentally shot and killed his 2-year-old sister on Tuesday, according to state police.

The toddler was shot at just after 1 p.m. local time on Lawson’s Bottom Road in Cumberland County, police said. The girl was taken to Cumberland County Hospital and later pronounced dead.

The mother of the two children was at home at the time of the shooting, Cumberland County Coroner Gary White told the local newspaper, the Lexington Herald-Leader. He said that the family did not realize that there was a shell inside the gun. The firearm was kept in a corner, he said.

“It’s a Crickett,” Cumberland County Coroner Gary White told the paper. “It’s a little rifle for a kid.”

“The little boy’s used to shooting the little gun,” White said.

The shooting occurred while the boy was playing with the rifle, police said. It was “just one of those crazy accidents,” White told the Herald-Leader.

Related:

• Gun vote stirs passion at Ayotte town hall meetings
• Pro-gun billboard featuring Native Americans causing controversy in Colorado
• NRA threatens to punish lawmakers on gun control vote despite deal

Mel Evans / AP

In this Wednesday, April 24, 2013 photo, Camden County police officers walk together near a mobile command post as they patrol in Camden, N.J.

The last remaining members of the 141-year-old police department in Camden, N.J., will retire their badges Tuesday as the city -- stricken by brutal murders and crippling poverty -- yields its streets to a new metro division of the county police force.

Gov. Chris Christie and other advocates hope that the transition to a county-run force will help drag the city of 77,000 out of a half century of post-industrial decline and decay, its annals pockmarked by open-air drug markets and sky-high murder rates. Union leaders called the new policing model, which was approved by local and state officials in August 2011, "untested" and said the move amounts to union busting.

What no one argues is that violent crime in Camden has been all too frequent and often chillingly desperate. The city recorded 67 homicides in 2012, blowing past the previous record of 58 set in 1995. In one case, a man killed a six-year-old boy. In another, a mother decapitated her 2-year-old son.

“First and foremost the number one goal of the department is to make the residents of Camden feel safer,” said Dan Keashen, a spokesman for the city. “We’re trying to ultimately stabilize the city and stabilize all the neighborhoods within the city.”

Officials have struggled for years to reduce crime in a city where more than 42 percent of people are thought to live below the poverty line. Budget cuts forced the city to lay off 168 officers in January 2011 -- 46 percent of the entire department. A spike in crime ensued

Even after some of the laid-off officers trickled back with the help of federal funds, crime rates never fully leveled off. Camden had about 270 cops to rely on as the streets turned into killing zones last year, with absentee rates reported as high as 30 percent, said Jose Cordero, a consultant with 21 years of New York City Police Department experience.

Police union contracts had gotten too expensive for the city, said Cordero, who helped design the new force. Officers could earn an 11 percent bump in their pay by working an anti-crime patrol, or 10 percent more for working a nighttime shift.

“The primary purpose of this was the city could not afford to staff up its police department to the number of officers required to have a fighting chance in what is one of the deadliest cities in America,” Cordero said.

Officers in what will be a 400-strong metro division, to be backed by 100 civilian employees, have trained on the streets of Camden alongside city police since March. About half of the regional force is expected to be comprised of members of the old Camden Police Department.

“I’m looking to see a partnership form between the metro division officers and the citizens of Camden; that partnership is crucial to prevent future crimes,” said Freeholder director Louis Capelli, Jr., who helped develop the new force.  “For the first time in decades they’ll have officers walking the beat and in their neighborhoods on bicycles.”

Camden is so far the only town or city to make use of the regional police department, which will be paid for by city property tax revenues and state municipal aid funds, Capelli said.

Camden Police Chief Scott Thomson will take control of the new force on Wednesday after retiring his city post. The force will cost Camden an estimated $62 million, the same amount the city use to pay for the smaller previous force.

Some city residents and business owners said they were pleased with the change as the new force began to roll out on streets in April.

“I’m glad they’re here. We used to have dope boys that were right there,” resident Alicia Mitchell told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Before, we were afraid to even let our kids outside.”

The teams of newly sworn officers on patrol should be one part of an effort to get Camden cleaned up and back on its feet, said resident Lawrence Perry.

“The kids don’t have nothing to do, so what else are they going to do? Stand out here, hang on the streets,” Perry told NBC Philadelphia. "They definitely got to change, because we can’t have all these killings. So something’s definitely got to change. So this is just a start.”

Related:

• Camden phasing out old police force this week
• What's the matter with Camden?
• America's 'invincible' city brought to its knees by poverty, violence

Richard W. Rodriguez/AP file

Boy Scouts hold signs at the "Save Our Scouts" prayer vigil and rally in front of the Boy Scouts of America' national headquarters in Irving, Texas, on Feb. 6, 2013.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has given tacit approval to the Boy Scouts’ proposal to allow gay youth to join, saying they “appreciate the positive things” included in the plan to end the organization's controversial ban on gay boys.

The Boy Scouts of America last week proposed allowing gay youth – but not adults – to participate in the private youth organization. That came two months after they floated the idea of allowing gays and lesbians of all ages to join, a proposal that was denounced by the conservative religious groups that make up a bulk of Scouting.

“We are grateful to BSA for their careful consideration of these issues. We appreciate the positive things contained in this current proposal that will help build and strengthen the moral character and leadership skills of youth as we work together in the future,” the LDS church said Thursday in a statement posted to their website.

“The current BSA proposal constructively addresses a number of important issues that have been part of the ongoing dialogue, including consistent standards for all BSA partners, recognition that Scouting exists to serve and benefit youth rather than Scout leaders, a single standard of moral purity for youth in the program, and a renewed emphasis for Scouts to honor their duty to God."

The Mormon church tops the list of membership enrollment numbers, with 431,000 youths participating in LDS-sponsored units as of Dec. 31, 2012. That was followed by the United Methodist Church at 364,000 and the Catholic Church at 274,000. More than 70 percent of Scouting units are chartered to faith-based groups.

The Boy Scouts said Thursday in a statement that it was pleased the LDS church was “satisfied that the BSA has made a thoughtful, good-faith effort to address this issue.”

“For nearly 100 years we have worked together with the mutual goal of building the moral character and leadership skills of youth. We believe kids are better off when they are in Scouting, and the program is successful because of its relationships with valued chartered organizations like the Church,” the statement said.

The Boy Scouts’ policy has increasingly been a sore spot for the organization over the last year, following the dismissal of a den leader because she is a lesbian and the denial of the Eagle Scout rank to a California teen because he is gay.

The BSA’s National Council will vote on changing the membership policy on May 23. Its biannual “The Voice of the Scout Survey,” conducted earlier this year, for the first time included questions on gay membership.

Among the 280 administrative local councils, half recommended no change, 38 percent recommended a change and 14 percent took a neutral position, the Scouts said.

"While perspectives and opinions vary significantly, parents, adults in the Scouting community and teens alike tend to agree that youth should not be denied the benefits of Scouting," the organization said last week in a statement.

If you are a current or former member of the Boy Scouts and would like to share your thoughts on how your troop, pack or council is handling the BSA's proposed change to the membership policy, you can email the reporter at miranda.leitsinger@msnbc.com. We may use some comments for a follow-up story, so please specify if your remarks can be used and provide your name, hometown, age, Boy Scout affiliation and a phone number.

For 14 years, Lt. Bill Schwartz was the face of the Miami Police Department.

As one of the most outspoken public information officers in the country, Schwartz left a lasting impact in South Florida.

Then, after retiring from the force in 2008, his life took a dramatic turn. For the past three years, Schwartz has been starring in a new role – as a nude model.

“After leaving the police department I was in a show where I had a nude scene, and the show and even my performance got mediocre reviews, but my body got raves,” said Schwartz, 60.

Now he travels to art classes around South Florida a few times a week.

“I find this is a real privilege because I’m in a partnership with the artist to create something special, and nothing gives me a bigger thrill than to walk around during a break and see just how beautiful their work is,” Schwartz said.

Jan Johnson, an art professor at Broward College, said Schwartz is a natural at nude modeling.

“He immediately knows what I’m talking about when I say I need a certain type of pose,” she said.

Johnson teaches her students to capture the proportion, scale and energy of the model.

“Bill’s interesting because he’ll strike some interesting poses, I guess,” said Michael Valverde, a student at Broward College.

As a lieutenant, Schwartz was a tough, compassionate and sincere character, but it wasn’t until he started doing his current body of work that he realized how confident he is in his own skin.

“In theatre we always talk about being in the moment on stage. It’s very difficult, because in life being in the moment is very difficult. And I think that this job has helped me learn how to be in the moment,” he said.

It’s a moment some of his former colleagues get a good laugh out of – but also respect him for.

“I’ve always wanted to recreate myself from the time I was young, do different things, never repeat myself much, and I think the police department was great because there was a lot of variety there and I loved it, it was a great career,” Schwartz said. “Acting is great in that way – you play different roles. And this has been great. I guess I can’t wait to see what’s gonna happen next.”

LONDON -- British authorities ordered more police on the streets for Sunday's London Marathon in the wake of the Boston bombings, but experts warned it was "virtually impossible" to guarantee the safety of the hundreds of thousands who will attend the event. 

A police source said additional patrols by uniformed officers were planned to reassure the public in the wake of deadly attack.

While British security officials have been in contact with their counterparts in the U.S. following Monday's blasts, the U.K.'s threat level for international terrorism hasn't been changed from "substantial" -- the third of five categories on the scale.

At least 500,000 spectators are expected to watch Sunday’s race and Prince Harry is due to hand medals to the winners.

The course takes the 36,000 runners right past major sites - including Tower Bridge, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace – as well as through Canary Wharf, the giant riverside financial district targeted twice by the Irish militants in the 1990s.

Even in a city that has spent recent decades under the threat of bombs – first from Irish Republicans, more recently jihadists – such a public event poses a security headache.

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police, said that the force was "taking more more precautions than we might have done otherwise."

"We will make sure we've got more officers on the street looking after people, making sure they're kept safe, but we've no reason to think they'd be any less safe than before the terrible events in Boston,." he said. "We'd be professionally irresponsible if we didn't take some reasonable steps."

Sang Tan / AP

Backdropped by Buckingham Palace, a jogger crosses the Mall in London on Tuesday. It will be transformed into the finishing area for Sunday's London Marathon.

Metropolitan Police Commander Christine Jones declined to give details of what changes might be made, if any, to the event's security plan. She said officers would “continue to review all the intelligence” available.

London Marathon chief executive Nick Bitel insisted the event would go ahead. “We will be reviewing our security in the coming days, in the light of what has happened in Boston," Bitel told ITV News.

"I don't want to talk about specifics of what security we have had in the past, or will have on Sunday. All I can say is that it will be of an appropriate level to meet whatever threat assessment is made, in conjunction with the police," he added.

Hugh Robertson, a British government minister, called for crowds and runners to attend in London as normal.

“The very best way to show solidarity with Boston is to get out there on the streets of London to cheer the runners on and to show that we won’t be defeated by this sort of activity,” he told the London Evening Standard newspaper.

Runners will be encouraged to wear a black ribbon at the start of the race to honor victims of the Boston bombing, and a 30-second silence will be observed, organizers said Wednesday. 

NBC News national security analyst Michael Leiter said it was “virtually impossible” to make a marathon completely secure because of its 26.2-mile long route.

“You just have to do the best you can to keep people safe and maintain resilience," he said. “It’s important we don’t alter our lives because that provides the terrorist – domestic, international, whoever it may be – with a huge victory.”

Helmut Spahn, executive director of the International Centre for Sport Security, told Reuters: "There has to be a clear analysis of the situation and certainly no over-reaction. More police, more military is not always the best solution. To have a 100 percent security is very, very difficult if not near impossible.”

Sang Tan / AP

A sign warns of road closures linked to the forthcoming London Marathon.

This story was originally published on Wed Apr 17, 2013 2:29 AM EDT

WESTBROOK, Conn. -- A state trooper was shot on Monday afternoon in Westbrook, Conn., while trying to apprehend two suspects in a robbery, and one of the suspects is dead, according to state police.

Old Saybrook police were pursuing suspects in an armed robbery and and asked Troop F for help.

During the pursuit, a state trooper's cruiser and vehicle the suspected robbers were in collided on Route 153 in the area of Docs Hill on the Essex, Westbrook line, police said.

The trooper exchanged gunfire with the suspects and was shot while trying to take the two men into custody.

The chase began with Old Saybrook police near a Days Inn at 1430 Boston Post Road in Old Saybrook just before 3 p.m., according to a witness. The suspects checked into a room at the Days Inn, the witness said.

More from NBCConnecticut.com

There was also another crime scene located at the Heritage Motor Inn, 1500 Boston Post Road. The owner of the inn said that the victims of the armed robbery live at the hotel. Police would not confirm this information.

The trooper suffered severe injuries, though the injuries were described as non-life-threatening, according to state police.

Officials said he was alert and conscious and taken to the Shoreline Medical Center in Essex by another state trooper.

Route 153 was closed in the area for hours.

Lifestar, a helicopter rescue service, sent one aircraft to the medical center and left with one of the injured suspects onboard, according to state police. The suspect was taken to Hartford Hospital, police said.

NBCConnecticut.com

Authorities have a video from a police interrogation room that shows a murder suspect shooting a detective to death before killing himself with the officer's gun, a person with knowledge of the investigation said Saturday.

The suspect, Jeremy Powell, was not handcuffed during questioning at the Jackson Police Department on Thursday, the person said on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about the ongoing investigation.

Powell overpowered Det. Eric Smith and took his gun, shooting the veteran detective four times before shooting himself in the head inside a third-floor room of the department's headquarters, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said. Other officers heard the shots ring out and rushed to the interview room, but both men were dead.

The AP has asked for the video to be released under open records laws, but authorities have not responded to the request.

Powell, 23, was being questioned about the stabbing death of a man whose body was found Monday near a Jackson street.

Ken Winter, executive director of the Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police, said it's not unusual for a suspect to be unrestrained during questioning.

"It depends on the demeanor of the individual at the time. I would assume that the detective had no reason to believe this guy was aggressive or he wouldn't have been interviewing him in the first place," said Winter, who spent 36 years in law enforcement as a police chief, a detective and as director of the state crime lab.

Winter also said it's not uncommon for an officer to be armed during an interrogation.

"I don't think this detective was doing anything out of the ordinary. Sometimes you can do everything right and it still turn out bad," Winter said.

Smith, 40, is survived by his wife, Eneke, a sergeant with the Jackson Police Department, and two sons.

Related:

• Suspect shot officer, then himself, investigators say
• Miss. cop, suspect shot, killed inside police HQ
• Investigators: Miss. suspect used detective's gun

David Seastrand, 50, police chief of New London, near the state capital Concord, quit his job effective immediately under a deal with the office of state Attorney General Michael Delaney, prosecutors said.

Seastrand, who had been chief since 1995, also agreed to permanently give up his police officer's certification.

No charges will be brought against him in connection with the case, Associate Attorney General Jane Young told Reuters.

A call to an attorney for Seastrand was not immediately returned.

Delaney's office opened an investigation last month after the young woman accused Seastrand of telling her the charges would be dropped if she agreed to let him shoot nude photos of her.

The unnamed woman, a student at the private Colby-Sawyer College in New London, had been arrested on suspicion of underage drinking and giving a false name, according to her lawyer, Richard Lehmann.

Lehmann said the student would have liked to see Seastrand criminally prosecuted but respects the prosecutors' decision.

He said the "relatively minor charges" still stand.

"The ability for him to leave office and never be a police officer again was a very significant consideration," Young said.

A man who admitted faking his own drowning at a New York beach pleaded not guilty on new charges that he posed as a police officer and has been placed on suicide watch, his lawyer said Thursday.

Raymond Roth tried to "hurt himself" in custody and his family considered having him committed before he was arrested again for impersonating a police officer, Roth's lawyer, Brian Davis, said.

Roth last week admitted faking his death at Jones Beach in exchange for a 90-day jail sentence, but had not started serving that time when he allegedly impersonated a cop just hours after appearing in court.

That plea deal could be in jeopardy and Roth could now face as many as four years in jail for faking his own death to collect an insurance policy.

In this latest case, he faces more than 20 years in prison on attempted kidnapping, attempted burglary and criminal impersonation charges. He pleaded not guilty and is due back in court on April 24.

Roth is accused of following a woman in van in a Freeport, saying "Get in the van or I will arrest you. I am a police officer," according to court papers.

Surveillance video released by investigators allegedly shows a man following a woman into a check-cashing store. According to police, after the woman went to a back office area, the man tried to convince her to come out by claiming to be a cop.

"Open the door." Roth allegedly said, according to court papers. "I'm the police. Open the door, I'm a detective in the county."

Read more news from NBCNewYork.com

He did not show a badge or phony identification, one police official said, but, according to court papers, patted his waist to create the impression he had a gun.

Authorities said they also are investigating his connection to two other similar impersonation incidents in Freeport.

Last July, Roth's son told authorities that his father went for a swim at Jones Beach and never came back. After the fruitless search, Roth turned up in Florida and South Carolina.

Prosecutors said father and son had conspired to collect on about $400,000 in life insurance.

Davis has said his client pleaded guilty to ensure his son won't go to jail. The case against his 22-year-old son is pending.