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Archive for April 21, 2008

NOPD prepares for possible problems at Summit www.privateofficer.com

NOPD prepares for possible problems durinig Summit http://www.privateofficer.com

NEW ORLEANS LA. April 21 2008
Kyle T. Greene
Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers
www.privateofficer.com — Police expect protests but few problems when the two-day North American Leaders Summit gets under way today, Monday in New Orleans.
It’s VIP duty as President Bush, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper get together to talk trade. But for the New Orleans Police Department, it’s more of the same in a a string of high-profile, crowd-generating events early in 2008.
Police Superintendent Warren Riley said he expects “some protesters, but not a mass.”
“We handle these situations better than anyone in the country,” Riley said.
A number of law enforcement agencies including local, county, state and feferal will be on hand during this event. Preplanning has been done and a security net is in place an officer said. For the summit, they’ll get help from state police, National Guard and the Coast Guard, though Riley wouldn’t say how many additional security forces will be deployed.
New Orleans police are among the world’s most skilled at crowd control. Their methods in handling the up to 1 million people who turn out each year at Mardi Gras have been studied by law enforcement agencies around the world.
Still, there are local tensions that officers will be on watch for _ among them simmering unhappiness about the City Council’s decision last December to approve demolition of many large public housing complexes. A small group of protesters clashed with police as the council was debating on the issue. Police deployed chemical spray and Tasers and some arrests were made.
The North American summit in Quebec last August drew several hundred protesters vocal on the war in Iraq and what they claimed was a gradual merging of the three countries. There also were marches in New Orleans in 2003, when the city hosted negotiations for the Central American Free Trade Agreement.
The summit’s scheduled events take place in the Central Business District, not far from the French Quarter but distant from neighborhoods hard hit by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. It was unclear Friday whether the visiting leaders would meet with hurricane victims still rebuilding their homes and lives.
For Calderon, a visit to recovering neighborhoods would present an opportunity to meet some of New Orleans’ newcomers _ Hispanic craftsmen attracted to the region by the promise of jobs in the massive effort to rebuild homes and businesses.
After a string of events in early 2007 _ the BCS championship and Sugar Bowl college football games, Mardi Gras and the NBA All-Star Game among them _ the summit will turn the international spotlight on the city.
City leaders and tourism interests want to continue sending a message that New Orleans is open for business, said Mary Beth Romig, spokeswoman for the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Bush announced the summit would be held in New Orleans during his State of the Union speech in January. The president was criticized in 2007 for not including the city, or its struggles, in the speech. Despite billions of dollars of federal investment in rebuilding levees, homes and public infrastructure, the initial response to the flooding that swamped the city left a bad taste for many residents. They think the federal government has failed to do enough to bring the city back.
Not everyone believes New Orleans is the proper venue for the summit.
One target of protesters is expected to be the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. They say the pact, which aims to share information between the three governments and smooth out regulatory differences, is a threat to national sovereignty and an attempt to create a military partnership to enforce the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Jessica Walker Beaumont, an organizer of a People’s Summit on North American issues, also wants to focus on concerns such as increased privatization of hospitals and schools _ “a lot of what NAFTA is about,” she said.
Class distinctions, too, will be in the spotlight.
By coming to impoverished New Orleans, Bush is “having the arrogance to say, This is what prosperity looks like,” said Kathleen Chandler, of Buffalo, N.Y., an organizer for the U.S. Marxist-Leninist Organization. The group plans a demonstration Sunday.
Mayor Ray Nagin, in January said he will meet with the president during the summit.

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Retail Security/Loss Prevention News www.privateofficer.com

RETAIL SECURITY/LOSS PREVENTION NEWS http://www.privateofficer.com

Atlanta Ga. April 21 2008
Compiled by Stephanie Kay
privateofficer.com
Denver CO. An officer went to Kohl’s at 16700 W. Colfax Ave. on March 29 at 1:40 p.m. and spoke to the loss prevention specialist, who said he observed a 20-year-old woman select several items and place them in a shopping cart. She took the cart into a fitting room. When she exited the room, she did not have all the merchandise. He watched her place a shoe box and two fragrance boxes back on a shelf then leave the store. The store agent checked the boxes, which were empty. He contacted the woman outside the store. She admitted to the theft and was given a summons for shoplifting and told not to return to the store or she would be cited for trespassing. The estimated value of the items she tried to steal was $453.
Elgin Il. An Elgin woman was accused of shoplifting jewelry worth $182.40 Wednesday at Kohl’s in Spring Hill Mall, police said. Leila Cintron, 33, of 350 Grace St., was charged with felony retail theft, police said. Cintron posted $1,000 bond and was given an April 25 court date at the Kane County Judicial Center.

West Dundee Il. A Carpentersville woman was arrested at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday after attempting to steal from Sears at Spring Hill Mall, according to reports. Tiffany B. Profit, 20, 11 Oxford Drive, was charged with felony retail theft and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Profit put $180 worth of children’s clothing into her shopping cart and put her and her fellow shoppers’ coats over the merchandise, reports said. Profit then gave the shopping cart to her nephew, who walked out of the store with it. Profit was stopped outside the store by mall security, reports said. Profit’s bail was set at $45,000.

Chandler AZ. Police arrested a man on suspicion of stealing $225 wrth of cologne from a Kohl’s department store in Chandler Friday night, authorities said.
A loss prevention officer at the Kohl’s near Arizona Avenue and the Santan Freeway alerted police when he saw Benjamin Nunez pocket a bottle of Michael Jordan 23 cologne on a security camera, leave the store and get into a waiting vehicle, according to a report.
Officers stopped the vehicle as it was leaving the parking lot and found the bottle of cologne in his pocket, officials said. He was arrested on one count of theft.

Kosciusko MS. Two women were arrested for shoplifting in separate incidents Monday by the Kosciusko Police Department. Lambania Irene Hodges, 61, of Kosciusko was charged with shoplifting first offense at Sunflower #11 for taking $1.49 in merchandise by Officer Huey Curry and Tanette Chanelle Higginbottom, 24, of Kosciusko, was arrested for shoplifting first offense at Wal-Mart for taking $30.20 in merchandise by Officer Joe Fulton.


Lakeside AZ.

Ricardo R. Childs, 18, of Whiteriver was arrested on a shoplifting charge after Safeway employees reportedly saw him trying to steal $20 worth of alcohol. He was later cited and released

April 4 – Danielson L. Moody, 21, of Fort Apache was arrested on a charge of shoplifting after he reportedly took $40 worth of alcohol and a camera from Safeway. He was later cited and released.

A 16-year-old from Fort Apache was arrested on a shoplifting charge after she reportedly tried to take $52 worth of alcohol from Safeway. She was turned over to her parents.

Boston MA. Around 9:21pm on Tuesday, April 15, 2008, officers from District B-3 (Mattapan and Dorchester) were on patrol in the area of Morton St. and Woolson St. when they observed an individual know to them to have an active warrant.
Officers exited their cruiser to initiate an investigation by speaking with the suspect when they observed an individual running from the direction of Morton St. towards their location being chased by a Walgreen’s employee. Officers stopped this individual and learned that he had just shoplifted a number of items from the Walgreen’s Pharmacy located at Morton and Norfolk Streets. Officers learned that the suspect had asked store employees to open a glass case to look at some video players, and when they did, he grabbed two items from the case and fled from the store.
Suspect, Dennis R. Willis, 40, of Mattapan was arrested and charged with Shoplifting over $200.00.

West Windsor NY Adriana Thomas, 42, of Lawrence was charged with shoplifting after she allegedly placed $22 worth of candy bars in her purse and attempted to leave the Sam’s Club store in the Nassau Park shopping center at 5:30 p.m. April 11. Adolph Jordan, 53, of Trenton was charged with shoplifting after he attempted to steal two drills worth $149 from Home Depot in the Nassau Park shopping center at 11:30 a.m. April 11.

Mandy Marie Johnson, 19, of Princeton was charged with shoplifting after she tried to steal $410 worth of DVDs from the Target store at the Nassau Park shopping center at 7:35 p.m. Wednesday. Ms. Johnson put the DVDs in her purse and tried to walk out of the store, police said.

Wilmington DE State police have charged two Wilmington women with theft after tips from citizens helped identify images on published security videotapes from an April 14 shoplifting at Happy Harry’s at 3301 Lancaster Ave. Two women and two young children were videotaped using empty handbags to conceal merchandise. Police charged Volante Boyd, 23, of Cedar Street, and Markeda Hollingsworth, 23, of Thompson Place, with possession of shoplifting tools, shoplifting, conspiracy and endangering the welfare of a child. The two children have not been identified. Boyd was released on $3,000 unsecured bond and Hollingsworth on $1,500 unsecured bond.


Shreveport LA. April 21 2008
A tip has helped Shreveport police arrest a man wanted for shoplifting and threatening a store employee who saw him do it, police said.
Police said David Hubbard is the man shown in the surveillance video stealing a DVD from the Wal-Mart on Shreveport-Barksdale Highway last month.
Police said a store employee approached the shoplifter when he tried to leave with the DVD. The shoplifter pulled a knife and fled the store.

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Police pursuit of shoplifters end with felony arrests www.privateofficer.com

Police pursuit of shoplifters end in felony arrests http://www.privateofficer.com

Plainfield IL. April 21 2008
Kyle T. Greene
Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers
www.privateofficer.com
After a chase through Plainfield and Romeoville early April 12, police officers arrested three people charged with stealing nearly 270 DVDs and other items from a Meijer store.
While en route to the call of a retail theft at the Meijer store at 13521 Route 59 about 1:25 a.m. April 12, a Plainfield police officer saw the vehicle the suspects were thought to be in southbound on Route 59 at Main Street, a release from Plainfield police said.
The officer attempted a traffic stop but the vehicle did not stop and a chase began. The pursuit led onto I-55 northbound, then Weber Road southbound, when Plainfield police received assistance from Romeoville police, who deployed stop sticks at Weber and Airport roads, bringing the pursuit to an end.
Two women and a man were taken into custody and transported to the Will County Adult Detention facility. Police identified them as Brenda Curtis, 26, of Calumet City; Tomiko M. Ursa, 26, of Calumet City; and Timothy L. Bell, 23, of Chicago.
Police recovered 268 DVDs and 19 pieces of clothing with a value of more than $5,000 from the vehicle. The suspects were able to take so many DVDs by loading a storage tote into their shopping cart and dumping the DVDs into the tote, Plainfield Police officer Jim Caliendo said.
All three were charged with felony retail theft and Bell received numerous traffic citations, the release said.
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Shoplifter nabbed after theft of goods www.privateofficer.com

Shoplifter nabbed after theft of goods http://www.privateofficer.com

PALESTINE TX. April 21 2008— A Palestine man was arrested Tuesday afternoon for allegedly attempting to walk out of the front door of Wal-Mart with over $300 worth of unpurchased merchandise.
According to Sgt. Larry Boyer, Palestine police officer Michael Gray responded to a call from the store at 2221 S. Loop 256 at 3:44 p.m. Tuesday regarding an alleged shoplifter in custody with the store’s asset protection employee.According to the police report, the suspect, Michael David Allen, 53, of Palestine, had entered the store and gathered meat and other items in a grey tote bag and a shopping cart, then attempted to leave the store without paying.“
Asset protection observed Allen in the clothing area with a large amount of meat and a grey tote,” Boyer said. “
As Allen moved through the clothing area, he took some meat out of the cart and placed it in the tote. He was followed to the shoe department where he selected a pair of boots, placed them in the cart and put more meat in the tote.”The man also got a broom from the hardware department in the cart and made his way to the front of the store, Boyer said.“
He walked past the registers without stopping and past the last point of sale and exited the general merchandise side of the store,” Boyer said. “He was stopped by asset protection, requested to return inside the store and escorted to the manager’s office where he was asked to show proof of purchase.
He could not.”Gray arrested Allen on a charge of theft over $50 and under $500 for the merchandise, which was valued at $367.67, Boyer said.
Allen was transported to the Anderson County Jail, where he remained as of 11:45 a.m. Wednesday with a $1,500 bond.

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Security officers face increased liability www.privateofficer.com

Security officers face increased liability http://www.privateofficer.com

Atlanta Georgia April 21 2008
By: Rick McCann
Executive Director
The National Association of
Private Officers

In the past thirty days, nine lawsuits have been filed against security personnel or their employers. Some of the businesses being sued are department stores, shopping malls and contract security companies whose security officers are the focus of the complaint.
Of the nine lawsuits filed, four alledged that the property owner, three were shopping malls and the other a hotel, did not provide adequate security of the property which resulted in three homicides and a rape. Two of the homicides have been high profile with a lot of media coverage and repeat spots on America’s Most Wanted.

Property management companies, property owners and security providers are easy targets for people looking for deep pockets to sue. It used to be just the old “slip and fall” suits that nickel and dimed companies but that has all changed in the past few years. Now, even if the person who filed the lawsuit is at fault, they try to play the blame game in hopes that the company will quickly settle out of court and unfortunately many do. Not because they feel that the company or the security personnel were in the wrong, but to avoid costly legal fees, possible bad publicity and because that’s why they carry big insurance policies. Basically, they just want to get back to business and get the complaint, regardless of how frevilous it is, behind them.

We personally reveiwed six of the nine lawsuits and their complaints. Two of the lawsuits involved the same mall in south Florida managed by the Simon Properties Group. Here, a murder of two people occurred during the same incident and the family members alledge that the mall, although it has uniform security, provided a lack of security for it’s customers and that allowed crimes continued on the property. They seek millions of dollars against the security personnel and mall owners, agents and management because as they alledge, the lack of quality security lead up to the murder of their family members.
Another lawsuit against the same property involved a woman who was kidnapped and sexually assault while she shopped at this upscale mall.

Another lawsuit involved a high end brand hotel in New York where a guest was raped. She alledges in her complaint that the hotel provided no uniform security and that doors to the hotel were left unlocked twenty four hours a day allowing access to the hotel and their guests with no controls. In the complaint, she points out that even though the hotel had cameras on each floor and in their parking garage, there was no one in charge of monitoring those cameras on a continual basis and they were not recorded. Her attorney stated that it was like putting a uniform and a gun on a manaquin in the middle of Time Square. It may get a few looks but it won’t stop crime.

In the fourth lawsuit that we reveiwed, a shoplifter who resisted the loss prevention agent’s efforts to detain her, and punched and kicked him causing injury, has sued the store and the security officer for using too much force to apprehend her. The complaintant, who was arrested and found guilty of shoplifting and assault claims that the security agent pounced on her and beat her to the ground. The police officer’s report clarily stated that it was the loss prevention agent who had the injuries not the shoplifter. The case is pending.

The final lawsuit also involved retail security and a well known retailer. The shoplifter was detained and brought back to the security office even though a check of her property showed no stolen items. The security agent, for whatever reason decided to prosecute the woman saying that she had concealed the merchandise and dropped it prior to apprehension. Her criminal case was dismissed in court and she immediately filed a false arrest lawsuit against the retailer.

As we reveiwed all of the facts in all six cases, we found that the last case was probably going to be difficult for the defendant to sway the court in their favor. The fact that the security agent proceeded with prosecution was a poor decision and opened himself and his employer to immediate and probably severe liabilities.
In the case of the hotel, it will also have an uphill battle should they proceed with the case because the guest definitely has a certain expectation of security and safety and leaving doors unlocked giving anyone and everyone access to the property without control probably is going to hurt them in a trial situation.

In order to lessen liability and the possibility of lawsuits, you must act prudently and professionally and not in haste, over zelousness or out of anger.
If you are a loss prevention agent, be sure to record each shoplifting incident. You have a world of technology at your fingertips in most cases, use it. When you detain someone, always have a witness present and get a written statement from that person. You’ll have it in the event that you’re called to court and that employee is no longer with the company. Do not detain any person longer than 30 minutes without calling the police. If it’s not a case where you’re going to prosecute, quickly do your paperwork and release the shoplifter. Any longer than thirty minutes and you could be looking at an unlawful arrest lawsuit.
Remember that a civil definition of an arrest is when the freedom of movement is restricted or hampered by a second person, that person being you.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a loss prevention agent or a uniform security officer, you’re going to face liabilty issues. In fact, the private security industry faces more liabilty than sworn officers. This stems from the limited powers and scope of duties that a private officer has. A police officer can detain, question and handcuff a suspect without arrest. If a security officer did this it would be a felony, unlawful restraint or even kidnapping. with the increased duties and expectations of the private security officer comes a lot more liability.

It is for this reason, that you, the private officer must practice good habits to avoid these legal pitfalls. You should file a report and document everything including the who, what, where, when and now in each situation. Get witness statements, names of everyone involved or who may have witnessed it and use video or audio as much as possible.
Tape record investigations, shoplifting apprehensions, interrogations and set up a system to store that info either on tape or on a hard drive.
If you’re not sure whether you should do something or not, don’t do it. Get the police involved as much as possible and have them document the incident with a police report. These documents are legal evidence in a court of law and will go a long way should you be summoned to court.

As a professional security officer, you can no longer shoot first and ask questions later .You must think things out and react as any professional public safety person would. Every action will have a reaction and everything that we do and say can come back to haunt you as well as be used as evidence against you. Treat people fairly but do your job and handle each case as circumstances dictate. If you do this and document everything and act professionally and be a skilled practionor of the security industry, you’ll be in good shape should you ever be sued.

If you have any question about liability issues or other legal or security related areas, you may contact me at rick@privateofficer.com

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Shoplifter plans foiled by alert security www.privateofficer.com

Shoplifter plans foiled by alert security http://www.privateofficer.com

Bayonne NJ April 21 2008
By: Bryan Hill-Editor
Security News Magazine
www.privateofficer.com

A shoplifter’s plan to elude an alarm system at Rite-Aid in Bayonne was “foiled” Tuesday, according to reports.
Melanie Reddick, 34, of Wegman Parkway in Jersey City, had lined the inside of her tote bag with aluminum foil in attempt to avoid tripping the Broadway pharmacy’s theft alarm, police said.

A store security officer had been watching her as she went around the store dropping items into her bag. The officer stopped her as she left at 5:45 p.m. and found 15 boxes of TheraFlu, four 8-packs of Gillette razors, two boxes of Visine and two packs of children’s Tylenol – valued at $232, reports said.
Reddick was taken to the Hudson County jail on $7,500 bail with a 10 percent cash option.

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Shoplifters swipe designer shirts www.privateofficer.com

Shoplifters swipe designer shirts http://www.privateofficer.com

JENSEN BEACH FLA April 21 2008— A team of shoplifters grabbed thousands of dollars worth of designer shirts and ran out the door of Dillards at the Treasure Coast Square mall late Thursday afternoon, according to a Martin sheriff’s report.
The thieves snatched stacks of Ralph Lauren polo shirts and got away with 84 of them, according to the report.
Store officials said they were worth $6,678.
A security officer told deputies he saw the suspects, a man and woman, near the shirt displays and tried to approach them, but they ran to the parking lot and got away in a silver Chrysler.
The security officer told the deputy he recognized the couple as one that has targeted the store twice before.
Categories: loss prevention

Security officer killed during gunbattle www.privateofficer.com

Security officer killed during gunbattle http://www.privateofficer.com

Los Angeles Ca. April 21 2008
By: Rick McCann
Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers
www.privateofficer.com

A security officer and father of seven who exchanged gunfire with two men outside an Arlington Heights auto parts store was killed when he went to the aid of a bystander wounded in the gun battle, his family and police said.

Hernan Cardona, 60, of South Gate was standing outside the Auto Zone store he patrolled when he and two men wearing dark hooded sweat shirts fired on each other late Friday night.
Cardona’s son, who watched a security camera video of the shooting, said Saturday that his father was shot several times as he bent over to help a man who had been hit.
Police have not identified the bystander. Cardona died at the scene, said LAPD Officer April Harding. The motive for the shooting in the 1900 block of South Western Avenue remains unclear, she said.
Wilfredo Cardona, 34, said the video showed two gunmen shooting his father from behind about three times. The security officer also was struck in the head at least once, his son said
LAPD investigators say that it looks like the gunmen may have targeted Cardona.
“He was really a great guy,” said co-worker Alex Bjork. “He had a big family, and (he was) just a hard worker, never complained, and just a super guy. This is really sad.”
The motive for the fatal shooting was unknown and police say robbery is unlikely. Police also believe Cardona may have been targeted but aren’t sure of that yet.. .
The security officer was ambushed when he went to aid a person who was shot during the shootout an officer said. We can see that on the security video..
Cardona was an immigrant from El Salvador who served in the Salvadorean army. He was working as a security officer for four years to support his family. Cardona leaves behind seven children and six grandchildren. Officers and investigators have some leads and are working this case around the clock.
Anyone with information about the shooting can contact Wilshire Homicide Detectives Kurt Wong and Javier Hernandez as (213) 473-0446 or (877) LAWFULL
“My dad and my best friend is gone now,” said the son, weeping. “I feel lonely.”

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Beale Street will no longer use private security www.privateofficer.com

Beale Street no longer will use private security http://www.privateofficer.com

Memphis TN April 21 2008 News Channel 3′s Brian Kuebler has learned Performa, the company that manages Beale Street, will no longer use private security.
Performa will now use off-duty officers to patrol Beale and those officers will be overseen by an off-duty commander.
In a letter to News Channel 3, John Elkington, CEO of Performa said, “This will not reduce, in anyway, the number of police officers that have been assigned for major events on Beale Street, but we believe the uniqueness of Beale Street requires more than a private security company to handle our security and safety concerns. We are also working with the police department to tie our camera system into their new camera center.”
The change comes in the wake of an altercation last October on Beale Street between then security officer Dray Davis and David Hamilton who was with friends.
Seen on the publicized video from a security camera August 3rd, 2007, police say Hamilton was assaulted. Doctors say he is literally lucky to see 2008.
“Its been an uphill climb the whole time. Not knowing what the future holds because everyday you just don’t know. The doctors say they’re trying and I have to try but they can’t tell you what the outcome is going to be,” said Hamilton.
The prognosis months later is still largely unknown. Hamilton suffered a critical head injury that night on Beale. He complains of constant pain, memory loss and continues to re-learn routine motor skills.
Five months and countless prescriptions later Hamilton has made progress, but says he still can’t work or drive. It is all so surreal he says, all because of a senseless assault.
Dray Davis has said all along that he was just acting in self defense. Beale Street leaders say they have made changes to the streets security and improved the security company. All sides will have 30 days to respond to the civil lawsuit.

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Categories: security

Attorney charges cop with parking violations www.privateofficer.com

Attorney charges cop with parking violations http://www.privateofficer.com

from the crimewire
PORTLAND, Ore. April 21 2008
An attorney who watched a police officer park illegally in front of a restaurant, then wait around while his meal was prepared, issued the officer a series of citizen-initiated violations.
Eric Bryant said he was sitting at the restaurant March 7 when Officer Chad Stensgaard parked his patrol car next to a no-parking sign and walked inside to wait for his food, the Portland Mercury reported Thursday.
Bryant told the weekly paper that when he asked Stensgaard about his car, the officer asked Bryant, “If someone broke into your house, would you rather have the police be able to park in front of your house or have to park three blocks away and walk there?”
Bryant filed a complaint as a private citizen alleging several violations, including illegal parking and illegal operation of an emergency vehicle.
Stensgaard was issued a summons to appear in traffic court in May. The fines could total $540.
“Citizens should be concerned that he used his status as an officer of the law as justification for breaking the law,” Bryant said.
Cathe Kent, a spokeswoman for the Portland Police Bureau, said Stensgaard would fight the complaint in court, “as he rightfully should.”
Parking is limited on city streets, especially with many construction projects downtown, she said, and officers remain on duty even when they are picking up food.
“We are emergency responders and need to be ready to take an emergency call,” Kent said Saturday.

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Shoplifting team busted for robbery www.privateofficer.com

Shoplifting team busted for robbery http://www.privateofficer.com

JACKSON NJ April 21 2008
Kyle T. Greene
Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers
http://www.privateofficer.com/— Four people were arrested after police said they failed to execute a shoplifting scam at the Stop & Shop supermarket on Thursday night.
Police were called to the West County Line Road supermarket about 8:30 p.m. and found a store security officer detaining Christina Jerger, 26, of South Main Street in Barnegat. The security officer told police that earlier in the day Jerger had stolen meat from the store and returned it for a cash refund.
Police said a second suspect, later identified as George Rivera, 37, of Governors Road in Lakewood, had fled before they arrived.
The security officer said he initially approached Jerger and Rivera as they attempted to shoplift two bags of frozen shrimp. Rivera then allegedly threw the guard into a store display and fled.
Officers Francisco Mendez and William Simon developed a description of Rivera and launched an immediate search that culminated in Mendez arresting him after he was seen walking near Pine Lake Park, police said.
Walking with Rivera, according to police, was Nicole Denny, 24, of Brookwood Drive in Freehold. Upon questioning Denny and Rivera, police learned Denny had been waiting in a car with a fourth suspect — later identified as Islam Arafa — as Jerger and Rivera were trying to shoplift the shrimp, police said.
Arafa was then apprehended by Simon while driving the same vehicle in the Woodmere apartment complex on West County Line Road, police said.
Rivera was charged with robbery and hindering apprehension because he initially provided officers with a false identity, police said. Bail was set at $75,000 with no 10 percent option, and he was taken to Ocean County Jail in Toms River.
Jerger, Denny and Arafa were released after being issued summonses for shoplifting, police said.
Officers Mendez and Simon were assisted in the investigation by detectives Howard Bogan and Robert Reiff and Officer Craig Lindenberg.

Vegas casino security want to unionize www.privateofficer.com

Vegas security want to unionize http://www.privateofficer.com

from the Las Vegas Sun
Las Vegas NV April 21 2008

Security guards are trying to organize a union on the Strip, and the move has brought a strong response from casino giant MGM Mirage.
The guards are seeking representation by the International Union of Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America. They complain of inadequate training and unsafe staffing levels, low pay and other ills.
The casinos are fighting back, claiming that guards will get a better deal if they don’t organize. That argument worked 13 years ago, the last time guards mounted a serious organizing effort.
The first test this time will be at the Luxor, where a representation election is scheduled for Friday. Elections at other properties will follow, said Steve Maritas, the union’s director of organizing.
The national union is targeting MGM Mirage, which has a five-year bargaining agreement with the union at the company’s MGM Grand in Detroit. The company agreed not to campaign against the union in Detroit but is taking a tougher stand in Las Vegas.
Management is holding one-on-one meetings with guards at the Luxor. The company is trying to prevent a domino effect at other casinos by conducting mandatory meetings at Mandalay Bay, whose 300 officers compose the company’s single largest security force, Maritas said. (The union filed an election petition for Mandalay Bay guards with the National Labor Relations Board on Thursday.)
Under U.S. labor law, an employer has the right to hold so-called captive audiences during an organizing drive, provided that employees are paid for their time. Employers are precluded from making promises or leveling threats though, and the union says the Luxor is playing dirty. The union filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB on Friday, alleging that casino management has threatened to withhold previously scheduled pay raises and other benefits if workers vote for the union.
The complaint also alleges that management offered benefits and promotions to guards who vote against the union and is now soliciting and granting grievances from officers.
An MGM Mirage spokesman said the company, though preferring that guards remain nonunion, respects the right of employees to seek union representation and has conducted itself within the limits of federal labor law.
“Those same laws also allow the company to express its viewpoint and, if necessary, aggressively promote management’s belief that our best relationship with our employees is always face-to-face, without a third party intermediary,” spokesman Gordon Abscher said.
The labor board will investigate the union’s claims and set a formal hearing if it finds the charge has merit.
Guards say changes at the properties have been dramatic.
Before the organizing drive, officers say, hiring and overtime freezes left properties understaffed and on-duty guards vulnerable. Cuts were so deep, they say, that a lone guard was sometimes posted on the Luxor casino floor.
Some guards, who have little more than a 6-inch wooden “power stick” with which to fend off attacks and subdue troublemakers, say they felt unsafe. (Guards lost their guns in 2005 because of insurance liability concerns, the union says.) Backup often came from inexperienced, part-time guards.
Since the election filing, however, MGM Mirage has reinstated overtime and boosted staffing levels, and is now offering officer-training classes, Maritas said. Battered patrol vehicles were replaced last week, and security booths are being cleaned, he said.
Indeed, security guards say corporate executives are paying unprecedented attention. Luxor management held a focus group meeting last month to gauge the concerns of officers.
The meeting prompted memo from Luxor President Felix Rappaport, who praised the officers for their dedication and apologized for overlooking their concerns.
Rappaport, however, said that most of the issues were not of a kind that a union can negotiate.
He urged guards to give the company another chance.
Maritas, a feisty, chain-smoking organizer who grew up in the South Bronx, reveled in the response. On Tuesday he was holding court with about two-dozen guards at the Laughing Jackalope Bar & Grill, a no-frills joint attached to a low-rise motel across from Mandalay Bay, while an Elvis impersonator and a few ironworkers partook of the pizza he ordered for the security crew.
“These guys are coming off their thrones because we are now a threat to their empire,” Maritas said.
Guards interviewed by the Sun said they were shaken by MGM Mirage’s announcement last week that it was cutting 400 manager positions companywide. (Officers were granted anonymity so they could speak freely. A confidentiality agreement bars guards from speaking about security matters publicly.)
Job protection was at the top of their wish list. Guards also hope to win seniority rights, a better internal promotion policy, a grievance and arbitration process and a company pension plan. They also want wage uniformity across properties.
“Everything else is gravy,” Maritas said.

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Colts player arrested during disturbance www.privateofficer.com

Colts player arrested during disturbance http://www.privateofficer.com

INDIANAPOLIS IND. April 21 2008
Kyle T Greene
Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers
www.privateofficer.com Indianapolis Colts running back Kenton Keith was arrested early Sunday morning outside a nightclub on Indianapolis’ west side.
Police said Keith, 27, was arrested outside the Cloud 9 nightclub after 3 a.m. on preliminary charges of public intoxication, disorderly conduct, resisting law enforcement and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
According to a police report, Keith was part of a large group of people gathered in the parking lot outside Cloud 9 after the club.

An off-duty officer working security at the club said Keith and several others continued to lean in cars, dance in the parking lot and yell and scream despite several warnings to leave the area.
The officer went on to say in the report that, when threatened with arrest for not leaving, Keith responded repeatedly he “would not be quiet. He kept hollering he was a Colts player, that he wasn’t doing nothing wrong, that he would leave when he got ready.”
The officer also claimed Keith smelled of alcohol and had glassy eyes.
Police also said Keith admitted helping a 19-year-old enter the nightclub to attend a party there Saturday night, resulting in the contributing to the delinquency of a minor charge.
Keith was released from custody Sunday afternoon. An initial court hearing in the case was set for Wednesday morning.
Keith played his first season with the Colts in 2007, starting one game. He gained 533 yards rushing for the season, and scored a total of four touchdowns.
There was no immediate response from the Colts Sunday night.

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