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Atlanta Georgia May 10 2008

National Association of Private Officers

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Hi everyone!

I would like to encourage everyone who reads our blogs, news alerts, monthly magazine or visits our websites to take an active role in everything that we have to offer, especially if you’re employed in the private security industry.

If you are a business and you employ either “in-house” or contract security, please feel free to contact us for all of you training needs, security consultations or security management needs.

We are always looking for new ideas, suggestions and comments to make our websites, blogs and services better!!

So if you have a suggestion about a change in our website or training or if there’s something that you would like for us to add, please let me know! Email me at stephaniek@privateofficer.com

Thanks everyone and stay safe out there!

Stephanie Kay
Operations /Communications Manager
National Association of Private Officers

Florida business owners get terrorism alerts www.privateofficer.com

Florida business owners can get terrorism alerts www.privateofficer.com

TAMPA FLA. May 10 2008 The Florida Department of Law Enforcement unveiled a new system Wednesday to notify businesses of domestic security issues that affect them.
Dubbed BusinesSafe, the free Web-based counterterrorism program allows Florida businesses and individuals to register to receive electronic alerts.
The program, offered in conjunction with the state’s Regional Domestic Security Task Forces, is designed to help businesses protect themselves and their communities from potential threats, according to a news release from FDLE.
“BusinesSafe creates a two-way communication highway that can be accessed and traveled by every single business in Florida,” FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey said. “With the click of a mouse, we can directly connect with businesses ranging from restaurants to retailers to service industry providers.”
The program also offers safety tips on ways to identify suspicious activity and better protect assets. Businesses are encouraged to pass on information about unusual activity through BusinesSafe’s online reporting form.
Also participating in the program are the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the Department of State, which incorporate, license and regulate hundreds of thousands of Florida businesses.
Mark Wilson, president and chief executive of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber, which represents more than 139,000 businesses, encourages its members to participate in the system “to make our business community safer and smarter.”

To learn more about BusinesSafe or to sign up for the alerts, businesses are encouraged to visit FDLE’s Web site, http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/, and click on the “BusinesSafe” icon.
The creation of the Alert Messaging System was funded by a Department of Homeland Security Law Enforcement Terrorism Protection grant.

The system cost $6,100 to establish and will cost $4,500 annually to maintain, according to FDLE.

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Police charge shoplifter with felony theft www.privateofficer.com

ROCHESTER NY May 10 2008— A Biddeford, Maine, woman arrested Tuesday afternoon on allegations she tried to steal more than $500 worth of merchandise from the Route 11 Wal-Mart was released on $1,000 personal recognizance bail at her video arraignment in District Court Wednesday morning.

Sammantha Landers, 23, of 35 Main St. 207, is charged with a Class B felony of shoplifting for allegedly stuffing a backpack with stolen goods.

The charge rises to felony level because the value of the stolen items exceeded $500.

Assistant County Attorney Jennifer Chase requested Landers be released on $1,000 personal recognizance, and that she not go on the Route 11 Wal-Mart premises.

Additionally, Chase requested Landers’ bail stipulate she possess no weapons or partake in any illegal drug or excessive alcohol use.

Furthermore, as Landers is from Maine, she be required to sign a waiver of extradition.Judge Daniel Cappiello ordered the requested bail. No plea was taken, as District Court does not have jurisdiction to try felonies.

A probable cause hearing is scheduled for May 27 at 9 a.m. in District Court.

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Thieves steal $150,000 worth of glasses www.privateofficer.com

ATLANTA GA. May 10 2008

By: Bryan Hill

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

http://www.privateofficer.com/ A smash-and-grab burglary in the Buckhead section of the city early Friday morning netted thieves more than $150,000 worth of high-end prescription glasses and sunglasses according to police.

Investigators say that the thieves smashed the glass on the front door of the Pearle Vision store at 3425 Lenox Rd. and made entry.
Once inside the crooks went right for the designer glasses, leaving behind the lower priced merchandise, according to police.
After a previous, similar break-in the owners of the store replaced smashed windows with shatter proof glass, but the thieves found a section of the older glass and broke it out with ease.
Police investigators say that there is no security camera system at the store and there is no surveillance video of the burglars in action.

Police have also responded to numerous smash and grabs in the city where the thieves took high end jeans from the stores.
Investigators say that the thieves knew what they were looking for and may have committed similar burglaries at other eyeglass stores and they are investigating that possibility.
But without witnesses, video or much of anything else, catching these guys is gonna be tough an officer said.

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Students arrested for sexually assaulting classmate www.privateofficer.com

Students arrested for sexually assaulting classmate on bus www.privateofficer.com

Petersburg Fla. May 10 2008

By: Bryan Hill

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

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Pinellas County authorities have confirmed today that they did respond to a sexual assault complaint that happened on a school bus and after and investigation they say three Florida teens were arrested Thursday on charges they sexually assaulted a female classmate aboard a school bus parked at the high school they attend.
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s office, they took an adult identified as Branden Allen, 18, of St. Petersburg, Florida and a 16-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy were into custody late Thursday on charges of sexual battery and false imprisonment.
Authorities say that on Tuesday at about 6:15 p.m., the three suspects and a female student at Dixie Hollins High School in St. Petersburg were aboard a bus that leaves the school late each day to transport students who play sports and take part in other after-school activities.
Allen boarded the bus, followed by the victim, who was taking a seat for a ride home, according to the sheriff’s office. Authorities say the two younger male teens then boarded the bus and acted as lookouts as Allen “sexually battered the victim despite her resistance and protestations.”
The attack stopped when other students arrived to ride the bus, the sheriff’s office said. Detectives said the bus driver had left the bus, with the door closed, to round up students who were running late.
Police did not release an age for the alleged victim.
Allen was taken Thursday to the Pinellas County Jail while the two younger teens were transported to a juvenile center, the sheriff’s office said.
The investigation is continuing, according to the sheriff’s investigators.

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Veteran Administration police accused of abusing patient www.privateofficer.com

TAMPA Fla. May 10 2008

By: Bryan Hill

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

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Three members of the James A. Haley VA Medical Center police force have been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into allegations they verbally abused a patient according to area media reports..
“There is no allegation and we have no evidence that there was any physical abuse,” said John Pickens, a regional spokesman for the Veterans Health Administration.
The incident under investigation occurred on April 14 as the patient was being transferred to Tampa police custody, he said.
The patient, whose identity was not released, was arrested by VA police, accused of disrupting patient care and disrupting the chief of staff’s office in the mental health clinic, Pickens said.

The patient first reported the mistreatment 15 days later, on April 29.
The State Attorney’s Office later dropped charges against the patient, Pickens said.
The names of the VA police officers who were involved were not released. Pickens said the investigation will review all evidence, which includes video.
“Veterans Affairs is treating this complaint with the utmost seriousness, and will act immediately and appropriately to discipline employees and to protect the rights and safety of our patients, should that become necessary,” a written statement released by the VA late Thursday said.
Veteran Administration police officers are fully sworn police officers who have completed the same training as area city and county police and have full authority to arrest.

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US Customs officer arrested for selling fake documents www.privateofficer.com

US Customs agent arrested for selling fake documents www.privateofficer.com

LAREDO Tx. May 10 2008 A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent arrested on charges alleging that he sold a fake travel permit to a Mexican national made his first court appearance on Monday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Ramiro Villareal Jr., 27, was arrested Thursday on a charge of accepting bribes for making and delivering fake travel documents, prosecutors said.
During a hearing Monday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Diana Saldana ordered that Villareal be held on $100,000 bail. It is unclear if the agent has a lawyer.
Prosecutors said Villareal’s alleged crime was discovered on April 30 when a Mexican national leaving the country was found to be traveling with a fake I-94 arrival-departure document. The fake document, prosecutors said, had Villareal’s stamp on it.
A real I-94 shows a legal stay in the U.S. by a foreign national who has shown a passport or border crossing card.
Prosecutors said Villareal had two other fake I-94s with him when he was arrested.
His next court appearance is scheduled for May 15.

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NYC security officers march for better pay www.privateofficer.com

New York City NY May 10 2008
Hundreds of unionized security guards marched through midtown Thursday afternoon, demanding new contracts with cost-of-living raises, improved health benefits and training.The workers are members of the Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ, which represents 4,000 security guards working in New York City offices and other commercial buildings.

Their old contracts are set to expire, starting next week.Calls for a new contract weren’t the only message coming out of the protest.

The union is using negotiations to highlight the low wages and lack of benefits facing the large majority of the city’s 60,000 security guards who are not unionized. Hundreds of those officers joined the demonstration. “For too long, security officers have been left behind,” says Hector Figueroa, the union’s secretary-treasurer.

“The time has come to significantly improve the wages, benefits and training for all security officers.” Local 32BJ is negotiating contracts with both the Realty Advisory Board, which represents owners and managers of commercial office buildings, and the national security contractors AlliedBarton and Securitas/Burns.

The RAB contract expires May 15 and the others run out at various points through August. The security guards work at commercial office buildings, universities and cultural institutions such as Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art.

The union’s bargaining committee rejected a late April offer by RAB that it contends included raises that would not have provided workers with cost-of-living increases. James Berg, president of RAB, was traveling and unavailable for comment. AlliedBarton declined to comment, and calls to Securitas/Burns were not immediately returned.

Further bargaining is scheduled for Tuesday, two days before the current RAB deal is set to expire. For the union, achieving new contracts for guards goes hand-in-hand with continuing the drive to organize non-union security officers, who earn as little as $8 an hour, without benefits. Many non-union guards work in buildings with union cleaners, often earning less than half as much as the cleaners.

The median hourly wage for private security guards in the city is $11.13, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local 32BJ guards earn a median of $13, with health care for full-time workers.

“We protect buildings worth millions of dollars, but are paid peanuts for our hard work,” says Ivan Shelley, a non-union officer who works in a Park Avenue commercial office building. “After nearly 15 years doing security work, I still don’t have health care.” Over the past six months, security officers in Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco and Minneapolis have won new contracts that raise wages and improve benefits. I

n April, Local 32BJ signed the first-ever union contracts for security officers in Washington D.C., raising wages to a minimum of $12.40 an hour and winning employer-paid family health care for full-time workers. “New York City’s security officers deserve what officers in Washington D.C. just won,” says Michael Fishman, president of Local 32BJ.

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Securityofficers in trouble over security breech www.privateofficer.com

St. Louis MO. May 10 2008

By: Bryan Hill

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

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Two security officers at the airport are suspended after a homeless man was able to walk through a vehicle checkpoint at Lambert Airport and make his way onto a regional jet.
According to the report, the security officers didn’t notice the intrusion and never detected the man.
An aviation expert is issuing a warning about areas like where this breach happened.
Authorities from the Transportation Security Administration are calling what happened Wednesday morning a breakdown but wouldn’t discuss the details of the incident.

A report stated that the security officers were employed by a private security company who was responsible for exterior patrols of the airport.
In addition to the suspensions, the homeless man who slipped past security is free.
Few other details were made available by TSA or the airport authority.

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Shoplifting News Round-Up www.privateofficer.com

Atlanta Ga. May 10, 2008

NEPTUNE BEACH FLA
Two boys, ages 13 and 16, were arrested Friday afternoon in the 500 block of Atlantic Boulevard and charged with petit theft. A Kmart security officer said he caught the boys on a surveillance camera stealing food from the store and putting it in a bookbag. Police also found marijuana and four unopened beers in the bag.

Denver CO.
A Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputy was sent to Safeway on 7500 S. Pierce St. at 7:21 p.m. April 16 on a report of shoplifting. The deputy spoke to a loss prevention officer who told him he saw a suspicious man who he later described as “grungy” enter the store and leave without paying for a large amount of groceries. The suspect jogged to a black Nissan Pathfinder in the parking lot and the loss prevention officer confronted him at the side of the truck. The man dropped the groceries, got into the truck and drove away. The employee was able to recover the groceries, which included Advil, microwave popcorn, soap, beer, lotion, hair gel, a 12-pack of Coke and two rib-eye steaks. The deputy ran the license plate on the truck, however no record was found.
Butte MT.
A shoplifter’s attempts at stealing goods at one store and a hot pocket sandwich at another turned sour after video surveillance caught him in the act.Butte police say Lennis Langley, 25, and three accomplices were chased out of Albertson’s Monday afternoon as they tried to take off with some items.Then two of the suspects, including Langley, went to the Thriftway Store on Front Street. Video footage showed Langley hiding a hot pocket in his jacket as he proceeded into the bathroom.Langley became suspicious, and threw the hot pocket the bathroom trash can.Butte police later arrested Langley. He was taken to jail and charged with shoplifting

Fairbanks AK Fairbanks police are investigating a Home Depot employee who allegedly stole a gift card worth more than some homes.A manager contacted police Wednesday to report that the employee took a gift card valued at $153,000, but had only spent $20,000 on materials so far.Sgt. Eric Jewkes said the employee has been identified and is cooperating with police to return the materials. Charges will be forwarded to the district attorney’s office at a later date

Humble TX.

On April 18, Officer M. Bascus was dispatched to Wal-Mart in Humble in reference to two shoplifters in custody. Amanda Allen, 20, and James Shane III, 18, both of Splendora, were arrested for theft.

On April 19, Officer B. Kay was dispatched to Wal-Mart in Humble in reference to two shoplifters in custody. Erica Doresy, 22, and Mirl Ann Mathes, 21, both of Humble, were arrested for theft.

On April 21, Officer G. Wisenbaker was dispatched to Wal-Mart in Humble in reference to a shoplifter. Nykesha Akua Opong-Duah, 27, of Humble, was arrested for theft.

On April 21, Officer J. Martinez was dispatched to Wal-Mart in reference to a shoplifter in custody. Patrick Jessip, 26, of New Caney, was arrested for theft.

*On April 21, Officer J. Culp was dispatched to Toys R Us in reference to an employee theft. Priscilla Chavez, 18, of Humble, was arrested for theft.

*On April 21, Officer J. Martinez was dispatched to Wal-Mart in Humble in reference to a shoplifter in custody. Joshua Byrd, 20, of Humble, was arrested for theft.

*On April 21, Officer W. Purcell was dispatched to JC Penney in reference to a shoplifter in custody. Reina Heredia, 21, of Houston, was arrested for theft.

On April 23, Officer m. Bascus was dispatched to Macy’s at Deerbrook Mall in reference to a shoplifter in custody. Sahar Hamed, 26, of Humble, was arrested for theft.

Grand Junction CO.

Pedro Quintanilla, 27, was issued a summons on suspicion of shoplifting from a business at 2535 Rimrock Ave

Anthony Conrad Wolfe, 18, and a boy were issued a summons on suspicion of shoplifting and third-degree assault. Wolfe was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.

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