Security officer shot driving home www.privateofficer.com

Kansas City KS. Dec. 4, 2007 Police are trying to determine why someone opened fire on a security guard as he drove home.
The guard drove himself to the hospital after being shot in the head Thursday night. He is expected to recover as police search for the shooter and continue their investigation.
Police say the shooting started at a gas station around 9:30 p.m. They say it is not clear whether the guard had stopped at the station or was just driving by.
Police Captain Mark Terman says the victim drove away and tried to get help from police, but was shot at again. Terman says the guard is believed to have fired back at some point.
Police don’t yet know if the guard knows who shot at him.
Officers are trying to determine if this was a random act involving possible road rage or if the victim knew his attacker and it was an going dispute. Police are chasing down numerous leads in this case.
The guard’s name had not been released.

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OFFICER DOWN VIRTUAL MEMORIAL WALL

Officer arrested for faking car theft www.privateofficer.com

Officer arrested for faking vehicle theft www.privateofficer.com

ATLANTA GA. Dec. 4, 2007 — An Atlanta police officer has been suspended after he was arrested, accused of receiving stolen property and falsely reporting a crime. Donnell Willcott reported a man stole his motorcycle at gunpoint. Investigators now say Willcott staged the whole ordeal.
Investigators said Willcott told them a gunman forced him to give up his motorcycle and left him with a stolen SUV. Detectives started investigating the incident as a robbery, then they checked the surveillance cameras at a storage facility.
“The whole storage facility is covered, including the office, so you’re being taped,” said Kathy Whitcomb with Max Value Self Storage.
Little did Atlanta Police officer Donnell Willcott know, he was also being taped. What Rockdale County detectives said they saw Willcott doing on Max Value Self Storage’s surveillance cameras led to Willcott’s arrest.
Willcott initially told deputies a gunman forced him to give up his motorcycle in a nearby parking lot and left him with a stolen, black SUV. Looking for clues and the gunman, investigators looked at the storage facility cameras.
Whitcomb said the video shows Willcott following the driver of the stolen SUV into her business in his personal car. They then go into Willcott’s storage unit.
“The other gentleman is bringing the motorcycle out and then he follows,” said Whitcomb. Whitcomb said Willcott left in the SUV. Soon after, the owner of the stolen SUV calls his cell phone, which was left in the car. He said Willcott answered.
“I said, ‘Did you steal my car?’ And he said, ‘No, I didn’t,” said Jim Salimi, the owner of the stolen SUV.
Salimi said Willcott told him the tale about the gunman. Then Channel 2 told Salimi that Willcott had been arrested in connection with the theft of his car.
“Oh boy! This is ridiculous,” Salimi said. He said he planned to thank the officer for helping recover his stolen car. “I was going to send this police officer a gift card because he recovered my car.”
Willcott told Channel 2 by phone he couldn’t talk about the charges right now. He faces receiving stolen property, making false statements and filing a false report charges.
Atlanta police have suspended Willcott with pay pending administrative and any criminal hearings.

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Security officer attacked by armed robbers By; Rick McCann www.privateofficer.com

ORLANDO, Fla. Dec. 4, 2007– An Orlando restaurant was robbed for the second time in less than a week early Monday morning. Three robbers held up the Oh Que Bueno restaurant on Semoran Boulevard and pointed a gun right in a security guard’s face.

The guy came from behind, grabbed me from the neck, pointed a gun,” said security guard Narey Perez.
Perez thought his life was going to end. The 19-year-old security guard was working at the Columbian restaurant on South Semoran Boulevard when three men shattered a glass door and broke in.
Perez confronted them as he was hired to do, but he quickly found himself on the ground with a .45 pointed at his face.
“He said in Spanish, ‘If you move, I’ll blow your head,’” Perez said.
It was the second time in five days the restaurant was targeted. Last Tuesday, someone broke in and stole computers, surveillance cameras and other electronics.
The owner hired Perez to patrol the property and prevent another robbery, but he was overpowered by two men with bandanas over their face and a guy with a mask like the one seen in the movie Friday the 13th.
“At that time, I thought I was gonna die, so I didn’t move. I stayed on the ground. I didn’t move for nothing,” Perez said.
Whoever committed the crime placed two flat screen TVs in a van and drove away. They also took Perez’s handcuffs, his jewelry and the few dollars he had in his pocket.
“What’s so alarming about this is that the security guard actually believed he was going to be killed. He thought the suspects were acting in a manner as though he was going to get killed,” said Lt. Laura Houston of the Orlando Police Department.
Police were still searching for the suspects late Monday morning.

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Weak Georgia gun laws put them in wrong hands www.privateofficer.com

Weak Georgia gun laws put guns in wrong hands www.privateofficer.com

Drivers passing through Georgia often go home with their trunks filled with pecans, peaches, peanuts or other souvenirs.
Unfortunately, some also head home with guns, giving rise to the term “iron pipeline” to describe the illegal flow of firearms from Georgia to the Northeast.
The state’s weak gun laws make it easier for criminals to buy a firearm here than in New York or New Jersey, where tighter controls govern firearm sales. Those states, for example, require background checks for purchases at gun shows, and permits and waiting periods to buy handguns. None of those precautions is in place in Georgia, which not coincidentally has a 25 percent higher murder rate than New York and New Jersey.
Not surprisingly, Northern states are getting tired of watching their residents gunned down by weapons imported from the South. That’s why New York City sued 27 gun shops, including some in Georgia, whose weapons showed up in crimes 800 miles away. Last year, four Georgia shops and 11 in other states settled the case and agreed to court-appointed monitoring of their sale practices.
Some shops argued that they could not be sued in New York City because they don’t do business there, but U.S. District Judge Jack Weinstein ruled in August that the lawsuits could proceed because the city had offered strong evidence that the shops were “responsible for the funneling into New York of large quantities of handguns used by local criminals to terrorize significant portions of the city’s population.”
Among the allegations in the lawsuits: Adventure Outdoors of Smyrna was the source of at least 21 handguns recovered at New York crime scenes between 1994 and 2001. The suits also contend that at least 126 weapons first sold by the Gun Store in Doraville were recovered in New York crime investigations between 1996 and 2000.
The lawsuits charge that the guns are often obtained through straw purchases, in which buyers legally barred from owning a gun, such as a convicted felon, recruit a stand-in to come with them and fill out the federal forms to pass the background check.
“Georgia is one of the leading states for out-of-state guns … you’ve got a number of [gun shop] defendants who are notorious for their guns ending up at crime scenes, ” says John Feinblatt, the criminal justice coordinator for New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Federal data show that 9,500 guns originally sold by Georgia dealers were recovered at crime scenes in 2006, including 2,800 found in New York and other states.
The state’s reputation as the crime gun capital of the country ought to embarrass Georgia legislators into passing some common-sense legislation that would help police combat gun trafficking.
Georgia does little now to protect residents from gun violence or to assist police in solving gun crimes. For instance, Georgia doesn’t limit buyers to one handgun per month. It does not mandate that handguns be ballistic fingerprinted, a step that would greatly aid law enforcement in tracking crime guns. Nor does the state restrict sales of the weapon of choice for gangs, the cheap Saturday night special. The state even forbids police to maintain gun sales records, which would assist criminal investigations.
Despite all those glaring omissions, the only gun law likely to get attention in the 2008 General Assembly is the guns-in-parking lot bill, which would force private employers to allow employees to bring guns onto their property.
The bill tramples private property rights by denying companies the right to set their own policies for their company-owned parking lots. Many employers oppose the bill, saying they must be able to set the rules to protect their workplaces.
Complaints by the business community killed the bill last session, and this time around opponents have even more ammunition to defeat the bill. In October, a federal court blocked an Oklahoma law permitting firearms in parking lots, ruling that it conflicted with the demands of the federal Occupational Health and Safety Act that workplaces safeguard workers from guns.
The parking-lot bill is a priority for the National Rifle Association, which is in annual need of a manufactured controversy with which to rouse its membership and keep its dues flowing. But the bill — like many other gun issues — doesn’t resonate with a great many gun owners, who understand and even applaud the call for reasonable regulations on gun ownership.
No one wants a society where gun laws are so lax that a hotheaded 16-year-old seeking to settle a score can buy a gun on the street. That’s what Georgia has now, and it pays for it with its high rate of gun violence. Other states are paying as well.

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Teenagers kill off duty police officer www.privateofficer.com

HOUSTON TX. DEC. 4, 2007 — Four Texas high school students have been arrested in connection with the shooting death of a Houston reserve police officer during a robbery attempt. Three of the suspects arrested Saturday — Alan Michal Nickerson, 17, Deamion Delwon Edwards, 18, and Wallace Henry Hightower III, 17 — will be charged with capital murder in district court, The Houston Chronicle reported Sunday. The fourth, a 16-year-old, has been transferred to juvenile authorities and will also be charged with capital murder, police said. Reserve Deputy Constable Carltrell Lewayne Odom was off duty when the youths allegedly approached him and two friends with guns, ordered them to the ground, and demanded their valuables, the newspaper said. After Odom struggled with one of the assailants and tried to get away, one of the attackers allegedly shot and killed him.
Police do not believe that the robbers were aware that Odom was a law enforcement officer and this looks like a random act of violence.
This was the fifth robbery and shooting in the same apartment complex.

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Police officer’s house burnt down www.privateofficer.com

MARSHALLVILLE, Ga. –
Authorities are investigating an arson fire that destroyed the home of a Marshallville police officer.
Glenn Allen, spokesman for Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John Oxendine, says Officer David Nichols had gotten into an argument with a resident in traffic court over the number of tickets he had written just a few hours before his house was set ablaze Monday evening. Allen says no one was home at the time of the fire.
It’s the second time an arsonist has burned down the house of a law enforcement official in the small town southwest of Macon. An arsonist looted and torched Police Chief Stephen Stewart’s home in April 2006 a few months after a man died in the custody of police.
Police and state arson investigators are following up on numerous leads and may have a susppect in this arson case.

Railroad security help capture burglars www.privateofficer.com

Railroad security helps capture burglars www.privateofficer.com

Atlanta GA. Dec. 4, 2007

Two people are in jail and one is in the hospital after the Atlanta Police Department and railroad security broke up a crew of burglars stealing from rail cars in southeast Atlanta. Police said they recovered thousands of dollars in toys and computers after CSX security saw nine people moving in and out of railroad tracks opening boxes. As the security agents monitored the movement they notified police. According to Atlanta police, the suspects unloaded as many as 20 boxes of Dell flat panel monitors and other merchandise off a rail car. Police said the total value of the monitors was approximately $10,000. Twenty-four monitors were found at a nearby construction site. Steve Ross, a construction worker said “somebody made a haul for Christmas, but apparently Atlanta Police got ‘em.”Police said they also found toys scattered around the scene that they say the suspects apparently left behind when they stole the monitors. We also learned from Atlanta police that thefts from rail cars have been occurring for years, but this incident is the first time they caught the crime in action.
The private security officers in the area did exactly as they should have officers said. They stayed back and observed the crime and were abble to give police details and location of those involved resulting in the speedy arrests of the suspects.
Police said the suspects will be charged with trespassing, burglary, and theft.

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Police officer arrested for car theft www.privateofficer.com

Carmel Ind. Dec. 4, 2007

A Carmel police officer whose job already was on the line was arrested Monday on four felony charges, including stealing a luxury vehicle from the Carmel dealership he worked part time.
During a news conference late Monday, Carmel Police Chief Michael Fogarty said that 8-year Carmel officer Michael B. Flynn, 33, was charged with forgery, a Class C felony, and auto theft, official misconduct and obstruction of justice, all Class D felonies.
The charges are the result of a two-month investigation conducted by the Carmel Police Department. The investigation began Sept. 18 with a report of a stolen white 1995 Lexus.The case originally was reported to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, but was forwarded to Carmel when investigators realized the theft occurred at the Penske Chevrolet dealership in Carmel, according to a news release by Lt. Jeff Horner.Detectives discovered the stolen vehicle was recently registered to Flynn. He has been employed as an off-duty security officer for the Penske dealership since mid-2006, and was employed there when the vehicle was stolen. Police have not determined if Flynn was working security on the date the Lexus disappeared, Fogarty said.Police first approached Flynn about the car Sept. 19, and Flynn gave them several versions of how he came to possess the vehicle, according to a police document. First, Flynn said he had been asked by someone at Penske to tag the vehicle as an abandoned car, the affidavit said. Then, he said he bought it for $1,200 cash from a man, who he knew only as James.Fogarty said Flynn was not “all that cooperative” with the investigation. To Fogarty’s knowledge, Flynn did not drive the stolen car to work. Detectives continued the investigation and found additional crimes related to the stolen vehicle.After the investigation was completed, the case was submitted to the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office. Prosecutors formally charged Flynn with the four felony counts Monday.Flynn turned himself in to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department late Monday and was released on $10,000 bond, Fogarty said.Flynn has worked for the Carmel Police Department since September 1999. He was placed on administrative leave with pay Sept. 28, pending the criminal investigation. Monday, Flynn was placed on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of the criminal case. Last month, Fogarty recommended to the merit board that Flynn be terminated because the department has had several non-criminal issues with him. An arraignment date had not been set by late Monday, Fogarty said.

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Dog tied to train track killed www.privateofficer.com

Dog tied to train tracks killed www.privateofficer.com

RUSSELLVILLE, Ala. Dec. 4, 2007– The owner of a bird dog that was tied by a rope to a railroad track and run over by a train is offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who can help find the person responsible.
Russellville resident Robert Morrow said he hopes the reward will help law enforcement officials make an arrest.
Another dog owner who was walking near railroad tracks and found the English Setter named Doc. Morrow said Doc went missing four weeks ago after he escaped from his pen. He said the dog was tied underneath the rail, which was on a bridge, and the perpetrator didn’t give him enough slack to escape.
This is the second case of severe animal abuse in northern Alabama in the past week.
In Vinemont a family beagle was skinned alive and Cullman Sheriff investigators are trying to follow up on the few leads that they have on this animal abuse case.

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New twist on identity theft hits Utah mall www.privateofficer.com

New twist in identity theft hits Utah mall www.privateofficer.com

Salt Lake Utah Dec. 4, 2007

A new twist on identity theft has police issuing a warning to retailers to make sure all the I’s are dotted and T’s crossed when hiring new employees.
On Nov. 29, two women showed up at the side door of JC Penny at the Valley Fair Mall claiming they were sent there by a temporary employment agency, said West Valley police Capt. Tom McLachlan.
The store did not double check the women’s claims and put them to work.
About an hour later, employees noticed the women were acting suspicious. When managers questioned the women, one ran out the door carrying a black brief case while the other was detained, McLachlan said.
The brief case was found abandoned in the parking lot. Inside was paperwork stolen from the cashier counter that contained personal information that could be used for identity theft, he said. All the missing documents were recovered. A check of the store surveillance camera showed the woman that was removing those items from the cash register, he said.
A call placed later by store managers to the temporary employment agency also confirmed the company had not sent either woman to JC Penny.
One woman was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of burglary and theft. Detectives continued looking Monday for the second suspect.

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Mall security quells protestors of Paula Deen www.privateofficer.com

Mall security called to quell protest against Paula Deen

Bloomington Mn. Dec. 4, 2007

On Thursday evening Food Channel celebri-chef Paula Deen appeared at the Mall of America to promote her new memoir, It Ain’t All About the Cookin’. The book reveals, among other things, the Southern culinary diva’s “reluctant addiction to smoking” and “weakness for salty language.”
Deen had some unwelcome visitors at the MOA gathering, however. A group of labor activists from United Food and Commercial Workers Local 789 showed up to pass out flyers regarding Smithfield Foods. The company operates the world’s largest pork processing plant in Tar Heel, North Carolina, and Deen endorses its line of products.
The flyer accused Smithfield of violating federal labor laws by assaulting, harassing and threatening workers. It also pointed out that Human Rights Watch had issued a report criticizing working conditions at the plant. The UFCW has unsuccessfully been trying to organize workers at the Tar Heel plant for more than a decade. The union is targeting Deen as part of its Smithfield Justice campaign.
As the crowd became louder and more disorderly mall security officers move dinto disperse the crowd.
“As fans of Paula Deen, and advocates for human decency, we ask that Paula Deen have a heart and stop promoting products that are packaged with abuse,” the flyer concluded.
Apparently the literature drop was not welcome. Three of the labor activists, including Local 789 president Don Seaquist, were removed from the mall by security officers but there were no arrests and the show went on.

Security officer assaulted by crowd www.privateofficer.com

Security officer assaulted by unruly store crowd www.privateofficer.com

Milwaukee Wi. Dec. 4, 2007

A 22-year-old Milwaukee man was charged Friday with misdemeanor battery in connection with a melee last weekend in a Wauwatosa Kmart store where dozens of people had gathered after word spread that the store was offering instant credit, and lots of it, to anyone who applied.
Quincy Echols is accused of assaulting a Kmart security officer, who suffered cuts and a broken nose when he was thrown into a glass jewelry case in the store. The officer was injured trying to keep a fight between two women, at least one of whom had come in search of a credit card, from spilling farther into the store, according to a police report.
Police were called to the store at 3201 N. Mayfair Road last Saturday on a report that a crowd of shoppers there for the credit card offer had become unruly. Two store managers told police that a glitch in the computer system that approves credit card applications for Kmart’s parent company, Sears, was causing it to approve cards for everyone who applied and offering lines of credit of $850 to $4,000.
Witnesses said word began circulating as early as Nov. 23 that the store was approving all comers because of a computer problem. At least one woman said she was encouraged by an employee to bring her application to the Wauwatosa store, regardless of where she picked it up, because it would be approved. At one point, she said, customers were hawking the applications in the parking lot for $10 because the store had run out.
Illinois-based Sears Holdings Corp. said the problem was isolated to the Wauwatosa store.
A spokesman for Citigroup, the New York-based company that issues Sears credit cards, said the underwriting system that supports the Wauwatosa Kmart store temporarily lost connectivity on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and was restored at some point after last Saturday. He said a backup was in place and no applications were erroneously approved.
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The big razor caper at KMart www.privateofficer.com

The Razor Caper at KMart www.privateofficer.com

Albuquerque NM Dec. 4, 2007

Two men stuffed more than $700 worth of razor refills in their pants before they were caught by a Kmart security guard, police say.
Jesse James Martinez, 36, was caught with 17 packages of Gillete Fusion refills in his baggy jeans, according to a Metro Court Criminal Complaint. He was charged with shoplifting over $500, a fourth degree felony.
The man police describe as his accomplice escaped after tossing $525 worth of razor refills, the complaint states.
The Kmart, located at 2100 Carlisle Blvd. N.E., had a security camera trained on the razor aisle because they are popular items for shoplifters, Albuquerque police say.

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