SECURITY OFFICER MEMORIAL ON LINE www.privateofficer.com

Atlanta Ga. May 5 2008

REMINDER:

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS ANNOUNCED IN 2007 THAT THE MEMORIAL WALL DEDICATED TO THE REMEMBRANCE OF PRIVATE OFFICERS WHO HAVE BEEN KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY IS NOW ON LINE!

THE WALL WHICH IS UPDATED DAILY CAN BE SEEN AT http://www.privateofficer.com/.

IF YOU KNOW OF A PRIVATE SECURITY OFFICER WHO HAS EVER LOST THEIR LIFE WHILE WORKING IN A SECURITY POSITION, PLEASE EMAIL US THE INFO TO ADMINASSIST@PRIVATEOFFICER.COM AND WE’LL BE SURE TO INCLUDE THEIR NAME ON THE WALL.

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE REMEMBER THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN SO MUCH TO PROTECT AND SERVE THEIR EMPLOYER AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC, RICK MCCANN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF N.A.P.O. SAID.

PLEASE TELL OTHERS ABOUT THIS VERY IMPORTANT VIRTUAL MEMORIAL!

Teens sue over false shoplifting accusation www.privateofficer.com

Teens sue for falsely being accused of shoplifting www.privateofficer.com

Texas TX. May 5 2008

Four teenagers handcuffed and falsely accused of shoplifting are suing North Park Center. They say they were humiliated and publicly embarrassed. Now they want answers about why it happened and demand changes in security procedures.
Alex Castillo says his 17-year-old daughter can’t forget the day she was handcuffed and forced to stand in the middle of the mall for more than twenty minutes.
Castillo says, “She was really scared. She was actually shocked at what happened.”
Castillo’s daughter and 3 other friends were stopped by mall security after a clerk at a sunglass store accused them of stealing sunglasses but an in-store tape later showed the teenagers did nothing wrong.
Their attorney, Michael Hindman says,” They were left in handcuffs in the middle of the mall, subject to ridicule and embarrassment for about twenty minutes maybe a little bit more.”
The teenagers and their parents are now suing the mall and the store, Solstice for wrongful arrest. Castillo says, “I think the main thing is to make sure that there are changes. That this doesn’t happen to teenagers, Latinos, African Americans, whoever.”
Northpark or Solstice would not comment on the lawsuit. But the mall has said in the past it followed procedure.

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Plant gives new “legal” high www.privateofficer.com

NEW YORK MAY 5 2008

By: Rick McCann

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

http://www.privateofficer.com/

It’s widely available, growing in popularity and being used right here in Western New York. Salvia Divinorum is a drug. Like marijuana, users smoke it, but that is where the similarities end.
Within minutes of inhaling the drug, subjects become unaware of their surroundings and have trouble standing, seeing and even speaking.
And unlike pot, which is illegal, Salvia is perfectly legal to buy and use in New York State.

Salvia Divinorum is a house plant and can be purchased at department stores and some nurseries.
“It gives you the high of an LSD,” said Jodie Altman, a drug counselor at Renaissance House in West Seneca, a drug treatment program for teens.

“It’s a hallucinogen, but it’s short term.
“Users of Salvia often videotape the experience, so it can be watched later.
Such videos are popping up on Internet video-sharing sites like YouTube.Com. The images show young people smoking Salvia, who quickly become incoherent.
“I think it’s got huge potential to cause problems,” Altman said.

“And the fact that it causes such a high and puts them on a trip so quickly, that concerns me.”Altman said several inpatient residents at Renaissance House have admitted to using Salvia.
One reason why it is growing in popularity is because it can be used without any legal consequences, especially for people facing legal troubles.”They can get away with it, even when they’re in court, even when they’re on probation,” Altman said.
Six states and ten countries have banned the use of Salvia. New York is considering a law that would make the sale of the plant illegal.

We have reported on this plant before, but it seems that there is still some confusion over whether or not the plant that they call Salvia Divinorum has been outlawed or should be outlawed in every state.

Some law enforcement officials say yes while others say that more research needs to be done to determine if in fact the plant is a harmful drug.

In any case, many more states are now discovering the plant and looking into banning the sale of it. But for now, for amny states and users, it’s still a legal high.

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Police officer arrested for gas theft www.privateofficer.com

Minden LA. May 5 2008

By: Rick McCann

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

www.privateofficer.com
Gas prices are on the rise and with that comes increased gas thefts and creative and desperate ways of stealing the gas.
Police in this small town say that’s what has happened to one of their own police officers.
According to the police chief, he has caught one of his officers stealing gas from the city to put into his personal vehicle and have now arrested him for doing that.

Officer Craigburke Bunknor is accused now of using a department gasoline card for his own personal use.

According to the records he used a gas card that was assigned to the schools resource officer, and another officer’s PIN number to put $400 worth of gas into his personal vehicles and charged it to the city.

Officer Buchnor did this on 10 different occasions, and was recorded on security camera twice.

Minden Police Chief T.C. Bloxom said he noticed a discrepancy in the fuel usage for Bunknor fuel card when he was reviewing the departments expenses for the month.

Officer Bucknor was arrested by detectives when he arrived for duty at the police department at 10 p.m.

He was booked into Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center on a charge of felony theft.

Bucknor has been suspended without pay. It’s not known if the officer has made bond yet.

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Former police officer charged in robbery www.privateofficer.com

Former police officer charged with robbery www.privateofficer.com

Jackson MS. May 5 2008

Kyle T. Greene

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

www.privateofficer.com

The former Jackson police officer accused of robbing a downtown credit union gave authorities no indication Thursday of why he allegedly stole $8,000 last week.
Jackson Police Department spokesman Sgt. Jeffery Scott said Thursday afternoon suspect Lawrence Epps had refused to speak to authorities.
U.S. marshals and Jackson police cuffed Epps about 8 a.m. outside the downtown federal courthouse after security there spotted him nearby.
“We received word from some of our federal court security officers that a gentleman matching the description of Mr. Epps was seen in the downtown (Jackson) area,” said Richard Griffin, who heads the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force. “We contacted the Jackson Police Department and sent several of our units to the area. After a short search, Mr. Epps was discovered in the parking lot of the Edison Walthall Hotel next door to the courthouse.”
Epps is charged with bank robbery and is being held at the Madison County jail.
JPD had obtained an arrest warrant for Epps on April 25 just a few hours after the Mississippi Employees Credit Union on South West Street was robbed. Witnesses told police the robber walked into the bank, handed the teller a note demanding money and fled with $8,000. It was the fifth reported bank robbery in the metro area in a month.
Epps of Jackson eluded capture for a week while staying in the metro area, authorities said.
“There are places where you can go and disappear, and people help you probably,” Assistant Police Chief Lee Vance said. “It just took us about a week to find out exactly where he was.”
Vance said JPD is not looking for anyone who may have harbored or assisted Epps.
“But if it turns out that that was the case, then we will actively pursue those individuals, as well,” he said.
Attempts to contact Epps’ family Thursday were not successful.
Scott would not comment on whether investigators went to Epps’ home during their search for him or whether the money has been recovered.
Neither marshals nor JPD investigators said that they knew why Epps was downtown, but they said they believe Epps may have been flushed out of hiding by the attention he was getting.
“I do know that the Police Department, the FBI and the Marshals Task Force have placed a lot of pressure on Mr. Epps and some of his associates,” Griffin said. “And that possibly could have led to him seeking assistance somewhere else.”
Epps was a six-year burglary detective and former president of the police officers union before being fired in 1999 after he tested positive for cocaine use.
In a Civil Service Commission hearing in November 1999, Epps denied smoking crack in the presence of then-Internal Affairs Detective Deric Hearn.
Epps’ termination from JPD was upheld by the commission, and a Hinds County Circuit Court judge denied Epps’ appeal in 2001.
“It is always a slap in the face to those of us in law enforcement to see one of our own go bad,” Flowers said.
“It is a testament to the scourge of crack cocaine in our society. It is very sad,” Vance said. “Police officers are held to a higher standard and higher expectations, and he betrayed that. Even more than that, he betrayed himself and his family.”

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High school melee injures police, security www.privateofficer.com

Pittsburg PA. May 5 2008

Police say that a large fight broke out an area school and that they have arrested five teenagers Friday in attacks on school officers and security officers during that melee at Oliver High School, authorities said.
The violence erupted despite an increased police presence on the North Side campus after authorities confiscated a handgun from a student earlier in the day.
A security officer who tried to stop the after-school brawl was beaten by students and hospitalized with undisclosed injuries, Pittsburgh Public Schools police Chief Robert Fadzen said.
Two school officers also were struck. They suffered black eyes and bruises, Fadzen said
They were really waling,” Fadzen said of the punches thrown by the teenagers. “It was one of the worst fights I’ve ever seen.”
Three of the teens arrested attend Oliver; one goes to Perry High School; and one is a student at Community Education Partners alternative school, also in the North Side.
They were lodged in Shuman Juvenile Detention Center in Lincoln-Lemington on “multiple felony charges,” Fadzen said. Ten students were cited and released to guardians.
Fadzen and witnesses said dozens of students were milling around a bus stop on Brighton Road near Island Avenue about 3 p.m. when a car approached and stopped on Island. Several males got out of the car and walked over to the students. Up to 20 other young men followed on foot from Island Avenue.
The group appeared to focus on one student, classmates said. They allegedly attacked him and beat him with their fists.
Several Oliver students jumped into the brawl. At one point, up to 40 people were fighting, witnesses said.
“It just clustered,” said an Oliver 11th-grader who would not give his name. “It was just a big ball of people.”
Dozens of school and city police officers responded. Allegheny County sheriffs deputies assisted.
Fadzen said he believes mounting tension in surrounding neighborhoods spilled onto school grounds, resulting in the violence.
“We’re going to be working this weekend with Pittsburgh police to see what’s going on,” he said. “There’s something going on in the neighborhood.”
This spring, police and prosecutors met with leaders of 11 gangs known to operate in the North Side after a retaliation shooting less than a quarter-mile from the school killed a 12-year-old girl.
Fadzen said he will assign extra patrols to the campus next week. Five patrols, rather than one, monitored the school grounds yesterday, he said.

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Bounty hunter disappears while under investigation www.privateofficer.com

Jersey City NJ May 5 2008

Rick Hepp

The Star-Ledger 

Jersey City bounty hunter Adel Mikhaeil, a flamboyant and cunning self-promoter, says he has nabbed 600 fugitives over the past six years.
Once, he followed a pet Chihuahua named Toto to where the dog’s drug-dealing owner was hiding under 3 feet of clothes in a Harrisburg apartment. He posed as a real estate appraiser ready to seize the house of a sex offender’s uncle — a ruse that prompted the fugitive, who had fled to Ecuador, to return to this country.

While he’s never been shot, Mikhaeil says he was stabbed in the back of the head and had his throat slashed.
“I’ve arrested a lot of people, and a lot of them aren’t too happy about it,” Mikhaeil once said.
Now the bounty hunter is the target of a criminal probe.
In January, the State Police charged Mikhaeil with paying an insurance company executive to steer work to him and two other bounty hunters. The three are charged with conspiracy and tampering with witnesses and evidence.
Last Monday, the investigation led authorities to the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, where sheriff’s officers were interviewed.
Mikhaeil, 43, who routinely called reporters after bringing in dangerous criminals, denied the charges in a telephone interview.
“I have been in the newspaper 50 times,” he said. “I have been on television. Why would I have to pay money to get more work?”
He promised more details after checking with his attorney, Elise DiNardo. But neither he nor DiNardo returned multiple calls for additional comment.

Relying on bank records and recorded telephone conversations, the State Police unraveled a scheme in which Mikhaeil is alleged to have paid Sirius America Insurance Co. Vice President John Sullivan more than $75,000 “to steer fugitive recovery work” to Mikhaeil and bounty hunters George Formoe of Ridgefield Park and Trevor Williams of Jersey City, according to an arrest affidavit filed by Detective Sgt. Myles Cappiello.
Insurance companies write policies for bail bondsmen that guarantee full bail will be paid if a defendant skips out. To avoid these payments, some hire bounty hunters to bring fugitives back

Once they caught wind of the probe, Mikhaeil, Formoe and Williams tried to persuade Sullivan to mislead investigators and created and backdated documents to cover their tracks, the affidavit said.
Sullivan, who has not been charged, confirmed it all in a formal statement, the trooper noted. Sullivan, who was fired from Sirius, now Delos Insurance Co., could not be reached for comment.
The three bounty hunters were arrested in January and released on $50,000 bail. Williams’ attorney, Dennis McAlevy, said his client is not guilty but declined further comment. Formoe, who has not obtained an attorney, could not be reached. No trial date has been set.
Authorities, meanwhile, continue to investigate the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office and whether officers there may have been involved in the scheme, according to two officials with knowledge of the case who requested anonymity because of its sensitive nature.
Investigators suspect some officers may have issued Mikhaeil receipts to make it look as if he had turned over fugitives when they were in fact arrested by local police or were already in jail, the officials said. Those receipts would then be submitted by Mikhaeil to the insurance company for payment. At least two sheriff’s officers suspected of being involved in the scheme have left the department since the probe began, they said.
The state subpoenaed the office early this year seeking all files on fugitives, said Capt. John Bartucci, chief of operations for the department. He said Sheriff Juan Perez, who took over in January, is cooperating fully and changed how officers accept fugitives from bounty hunters.
“They used to just note it on the bottom of the arrest report,” Bartucci said. “Now, we do a separate investigation report of the subject, with the names of the bounty hunter and their full information, and that is forwarded on to the prosecutor’s office. This gives us a little better picture of what transpired.”
The State Police returned to the sheriff’s office last Monday to interview officers, said department spokesman Robert Knapp. Knapp and Criminal Justice spokesman Peter Aseltine declined to comment on the questions.
As for Mikhaeil, he has not brought a fugitive to justice since his arrest, said Bartucci. “Nobody has seen him — nothing,” he said.

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Handcuffed shoplifter leads police on chase www.privateofficer.com

Handcuffed shoplifter leads police on pursuit www.privateofficer.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C.May 5 2008

By: Rick McCann

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

www.privateofficer.com It started as a normal day for several loss prevention agents at a local SuperTarget store and a small town cop patrolling the city of Kannapolis just outside of Charlotte metro.

As the loss prevention agents surveyed their cameras they spotted a shoplifter who was taking DVDs and as he fled the store the agents were on him quickly and took him into custody.

They then called the local police and the patrol officer arrived, questioned and handcuffed the suspect, all routine normal business for security and police in these type of situations. But that’s where the normal and routine ends.
It seems at this point the suspect, hands cuffed behind his back fled from the officers, hopped into a VW bug that he had stolen earlier in Charlotte, cranked it up and fled the scene, jumped up onto Interstate 85 and wheeled his way through traffic at speeds up to 100 miles per hour.
Police continued hot pursuit of him calling in numerous other law enforcement departments and a police helicopter as the chase went through two counties and thick traffic as their suspect continued to flee at a high rate of speed, steering his car with his hands still handcuffed behind his back.

But as in most police chases, it came to an abrupt end when the suspect, later identified as Ricky Allen Giles crashed into guardrails bouncing off them as he spun across the width of the interstate and smacked a concrete Jersey barrier .
Giles, who amazingly suffered only minor injuries in the crash was taken into custody again on the interstate and was then taken to Carolinas Medical Center to be treated for his injuries.
Officials say that Giles does have a lengthy police record and once he’s released from the hospital, the record will get even longer as they charge him with a laundry list of felonies, traffic offenses and whatever fits the crimes that he now stands accused of.

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Security guard sent to jail for shooting dog www.privateofficer.com

Fredericksburg VA. May 5 2008
The security guard convicted of shooting a boxer at a Fredericksburg apartment complex in 2006 was released from jail today—the same day he was formally sentenced for his crimes.
Mathias A. Acholi, 41, of Maryland, was sentenced in Fredericksburg Circuit Court to 90 days in jail, the same sentence a jury recommended back in March.
But because Acholi has already served 45 days, he was released shortly after being sentenced. Defendants convicted of misdemeanors in Virginia are often released after serving half their time.
According to the evidence, Acholi was working at the Wellington Woods apartment complex on Oct. 28, 2006, when he shot and killed a popular boxer named “Socks.”
The case received national attention from animal rights activists, who were outraged by the shooting.
Acholi testified that the dog was charging at him and he feared for his safety.
But Commonwealth Attorney Charles Sharp’s evidence showed that the dog was urinating about 25 feet from Acholi when the guard shot the dog for no apparent reason.
A trail of blood leading from a rose bush to the apartment of the dog’s owner, Barbara Krech, contradicted Acholi’s claim.
A witness said the dog was urinating and had made no aggressive move when it was gunned down.
The 7-year-old dog had lived at the complex since it was a puppy and was popular among many of the residents.
Krech said the rose bush ritual was one Socks followed just about every night.
Acholi had been ordered to serve four months in jail last year being found guilty in Fredericksburg General District Court.
But his attorney, John O. Iweanoge, appealed the convictions and took the case to a jury.
Acholi ended up with less time to serve but the jury fined him $2,500. He didn’t have the fine before filing an appeal.

Phoenix police officer arrested on porn charges www.privateofficer.com

Phoenix officer arrested on porn charges www.privateofficer.com

PHOENIX AZ. May 5 2008

By: Rick McCann

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

www.privateofficer.com Right now the Phoenix Police are investigating one of their own for crimes that they say are hard to fathom.
A press release identified their officer as Detective Richard Polk, a father of two, is now charged with the sexual exploitation of a minor. This came after a search of his home and computer.
Police are using words like accused criminal, sexual exploitation and child pornography when describing their comrade. This is a harsh reality for the department.
Phoenix Police were tipped off by the feds last September, eight months ago, that ICE, as part of its “Operation Predator” program, was investigating Polk.
Polk is accused of purchasing and sharing child pornography using an online banking service. Police searched the detective’s home in Surprise where they reportedly found numerous “thumb drives” with approximately 20 videos, one depicting a 15-year-old girl naked. Another video showed an 8-year-old-girl naked and blindfolded and tied up with yellow ropes.
Phoenix Police recently took over the case and Wednesday confronted Polk while on the job at police headquarters before arresting him. He now faces 10 counts.
Detective Mike Polk is a 27-year veteran of the force. He was arrested late Wednesday afternoon.
Polk has been involved in some high-profile murder investigations. He has also been on television featured on the A&E reality show, “The First 48″. The show follows murder investigations in major cities around the country.
Polk was featured in at least two episodes the press release said.
Polk, who lives in Surprise, has been with the Phoenix Police Department for more than 25 years.
Bond for the Phoenix homicide detective has been set at $25,000.

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Birmingham police officer arrested for attempted murder www.privateofficer.com

Birmingham police officer charged with attempted murder www.privateofficer.com

Birmingham Al May 5 2008

By: Rick McCann

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

www.privateofficer.com

The Birmingham Police Department reported Wednesday that they have identified one of their own as a suspect in a case where shots were fired at a person that he was arguing with.

Police say that officer was identified as the suspect in connection with the attempted murder of a 28-year-old male victim, which occurred on Monday, April 28, 2008, at approximately 3:30 p.m., at Denmark Avenue and Quebec Drive.

The suspect, Birmingham Police Officer Alvin Bland, 29, of Birmingham, Alabama has been employed with the Birmingham Police Department for 5 years and is assigned to the South Precinct.

Officers responded to Oregon Street and 7th Avenue Wylam to investigate a report of shots fired. Upon arrival, officers were met by the victim who stated that he and a male suspect were reportedly involved in a verbal altercation that led to the suspect firing a rifle at him. The victim was not injured during the shooting.

Investigators were able to obtain an Attempted Murder warrant for Bland and did locate him to serve the arrest warrant.

The suspect is in the custody of the Jefferson County Jail. A photo of the suspect may be obtained at the B.P.D. Headquarters, located at 1710 1st Avenue North.

Police did not say what the argument was over or if the victim in this case was armed at the time of the shooting.

Police also did not release any other details about officer Bland’s personnel file or if he had ever been involved in any disciplinary actions within the police department.

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Fleeing shoplifters crash, cause chaos www.privateofficer.com

CHEYENNE WY May 5 2008

Kyle T. Greene

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officer

www.privateofficer.com A simple Saturday trip to the mall ended in a journey to the emergency room for a local woman and her two small children Saturday night.

But it could have been worse, a city police officer said.Sgt. Rick Wood said around 7:50 p.m., Krystle Breton, 19, allegedly took about $200 worth of shirts and pants from Dillard’s inside Frontier Mall.She and Hollie Diamond, 21, left the mall and got into a Ford Focus.

Following closely behind them on foot was an unidentified Dillard’s security officer.He stopped behind the Focus and was trying to take down the license plate number when Breton started to back out of the parking spot.Wood said the security officer told police he had to jump out of the way to avoid being struck by the car.Although it’s not clear when she saw the security officer, Breton sped westbound through the mall’s north parking lot at high speed.

Her subcompact then T-boned a four-door Chevrolet Cobalt sedan driven by Andrea Gonzales, 28, causing it to flip onto its passenger side near the Sears loading docks.Gonzales’ unidentified children, ages 4 and 10 months, were belted in child safety seats in the back seat.”Had that been pedestrian traffic walking across there, it certainly could have been a lot worse,” Wood said.

“I’m certainly not downsizing what happened across there though.”Gonzales was able to stand up inside the tipped car and hand her children through the driver’s side window.

When police arrived, a bystander had one child, and a Sears security guard was holding the other.

Wood said Cheyenne Fire and Rescue firefighters had to break the front windshield to get Gonzales out of her car.Gonzales, her children and Breton were taken by ambulance to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, where they were treated and released.

Diamond refused treatment at the crash scene, Wood said.Wood said Breton was arrested for shoplifting and reckless driving. But an investigation was ongoing Saturday night.”If we can prove she intentionally did any of this, the charges could be higher,” Wood said.He added that aggravated assault requires proof that the defendant intentionally tried to do serious bodily harm to someone.

Wood said it seemed obvious the crash was an accident, but it wasn’t clear whether Breton saw the Dillard’s security guard before backing out of the parking space.

Either way, there’s a lesson to be learned from the crash, Wood said.”It’s bad enough that people go out there and shoplift. But to get in a car in a crowded parking lot and take off at a high rate of speed is just insane.”

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Teenager steals $42,000 watch www.privateofficer.com

PARAMUS NJ May 5 2008

By: Rick McCann

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

www.privateofficer.com Authorities have reported that a 17-year-old from Newark was charged Thursday with stealing a $42,000 watch from a store at the Westfield Garden State Plaza mall on Tuesday, authorities said.
It was the first of two watch thefts reported from the same store on consecutive nights according to area police.
Investigators say that officers were called to a mall regarding a theft of an expensive watch and given a description of a possible suspect.
Police were working on the case when the teenager, who was not identified because of his age, accompanied by his parents came to to the Paramus police station around 11 a.m. Thursday, Deputy Chief Richard Cary said. Cary said the teen’s parents decided their son should turn himself in after they recognized him in surveillance footage that was broadcast during television news segments about the theft.
The watch, manufactured by Techno-Master, was not recovered, Cary said. Employees at Michael Matthews Jewelers on the mall’s lower level told police that a man asked to see the watch at 7:43 p.m. Tuesday and ran off with it after a clerk removed it from a display case.
On Wednesday night, a man ran off with a $7,800 watch in what police say may have been a copycat incident. Authorities are reviewing surveillance footage and are pursuing other leads in an effort to track down the suspect in the second theft, Cary said.
The 17-year-old was charged with theft and was released to the custody of his parents, Cary said.

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