SELL YOUR PRODUCTS ON OUR WEBSITES! www.privateofficer.com

SELL YOUR PRODUCTS ON OUR WEBSITES! http://www.privateofficer.com

Atlanta Ga. June 1 2008

Privateofficer.com is looking for good security and law enforcement books, (including fiction, non-fiction, training ) gear and equipment, training materials and other related items to sell in its two on line stores.

If you are a distributor, author or seller of these items, we will either purchase the items from you and resell them or take the items on consignment for a small fee upon sale.

We are getting thousands of hits and as we revamp our sites and stores, expect much more traffic!

Please contact Mike Matthews at mmatthews@privateofficer.com

K-Mart employees arrested in credit card scam www.privateofficer.com

K-Mart employees arrested in credit card scam http://www.privateofficer.com

Cullman Al June 1 2008

By: Rick McCann

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

http://www.privateofficer.com/

Cullman police say that they arrested two women Sunday after they allegedly stole gift cards from the local Kmart while they worked there as cashiers.
Cullman police responded to assist the loss prevention agents during an investigation of internal theft involving employees Kelly Michelle Walker, 25 of Cullman and Kristie Walker Hogeland, 35 of Hanceville.

Both were charged with theft of property in the first degree.

Capt. Max Bartlett of the Cullman Police Department said Walker and Hogeland both admitted to their involvement in the thefts, which occurred between April 16 and May 25 of this year.

According to police reports, the arrests stem from a Kmart internal investigation that the company’s loss prevention personnel conducted and then notified the sheriff department. “The system had flagged a problem and they (Kmart) became aware of it,” Bartlett said.

The investigation conducted by internal loss prevention agents revealed that Walker and Hogeland were allegedly applying for credit at Kmart with different social security numbers. “It appears at this time that they were random numbers that the two would insert into the system,” Bartlett said. “Through the credit, they would receive gift cards.”Bartlett said several of the gift cards and receipts for Kmart merchandise were recovered during the investigation. He did not know if any merchandise was recovered.

Bartlett noted that since different social security numbers were used during the crime, the credit of several individuals could have been hurt. “Kmart is probably going to rectify the situation and clear people’s credit,” he said.

Loss prevention agents confronted the two and obtained confessions from both about their involvement in the scheme.
Hogeland and Walker were transported to the Cullman County Detention Center. Both were later released on separate $10,000 bonds.Theft of property in the first degree is a Class B felony, punishable by as much as 20 years in prison.

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79 year old arrested for pie theft www.privateofficer.com

79 Year Old arrested for theft of pie http://www.privateofficer.com

LAKE WORTH FLA June 1 2008 An elderly Palm Beach County man says he forgot to pay for the pie that sent him to jail for 10 hours.

Authorities say 79-year-old George Schwartz didn’t pay for a $5.29 apple pie at a Publix near Lake Worth in April.

After the store pressed charges against him, he was taken to jail and charged with retail theft, a misdemeanor punishable by 60 days in jail.

His lawyer said Thursday that the cashier who bagged the groceries that day also didn’t notice the pie left in the basket.

Schwartz paid for the rest of his groceries and it’s all just a big mix up and mistake Scwartz said.

His attorney adds that they are trying to get the case dropped.

Otherwise, they could go to trial in June.

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Two arrested for felony theft after incident www.privateofficer.com

Two arrested for felony theft after incident http://www.privateofficer.com

Jensen Beach Fla June 1 2008

Kyle T. Greene

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

http://www.privateofficer.com/ Heather Holland said she was shopping Thursday at Wal-Mart Supercenter, but police described her actions in a different way — felony retail theft.
A loss prevention officer at the retail store on South U.S. 1 told police he saw the 34-year-old Jensen Beach woman select dozens of items from shelves along with Ericka Taylor, 25, of Port St. Lucie, according to a police report released Friday.
According to a police report, they took some clothes off their hangers before Holland folded them up and put them in bags. Holland’s 35-year-old fiancé, Alexander Lang, talked to Holland and looked at the stuff in the cart before Lang walked to a vehicle in the parking lot.
Holland and Taylor then brought two watches to the pets department.
Holland and Taylor put the watches on and walked out before being brought to the loss prevention office.
She said she had the cash to buy the goods but later said Lang would pay. Taylor ultimately admitted stealing the watch and apologized.
Holland faces a felony retail theft charge, a jail official said. Taylor was given a notice to appear. Lang said he didn’t know Holland was going to steal. All three were issued trespass warnings.
Holland was released Friday from the St. Lucie County jail on $5,000 bail, a jail official said

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Police shoot man in stolen car at mall www.privateofficer.com

Police shoot man in stolen truck at mall http://www.privateofficer.com

Macon Ga. June 1 2008
Police said they shot a man trying to run down officers with a stolen pickup truck Saturday at Macon Mall.
Brandon Stapleton, 22, had been arrested nearly two months before and accused of fighting police. He’s now listed in critical but stable condition at The Medical Center of Central Georgia, Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones said. He was shot four times, Jones said.
Macon police aren’t releasing the name of the officer who shot Stapleton, but a department spokesman said the officer was getting off his motorcycle and out of the way as Stapleton bore down on him in the stolen truck. The officer fired several times, striking Stapleton, Macon Police Department spokesman Sgt. Zac Self said.
“The motorcycle, we believe, was pushed about 10, 15 feet (by the truck), …” Self said. “TV type stuff.”
The motorcycle officer was the only Macon officer to fire his gun, Self said. Bibb County sheriff’s deputies fired several shots at the suspect’s tires, Self said, but it’s not clear how many shots were fired in total. Self and Bibb County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. George Meadows said Stapleton also tried to run down two deputies riding all-terrain vehicles.
The chase made several circuits around a mall parking lot outside Dillard’s, Self said. It began several miles away and shortly before 11:30 a.m., when a Macon police officer spotted a white Toyota Tundra truck that had been reported stolen from Lyons Street just minutes earlier. The chase ranged from Bloomfield and Rocky Creek roads, onto Chambers Road, into the Wal-Mart parking lot and, eventually, to Macon Mall, according to a Macon Police Department news release.
Several Bibb County deputies and a half-dozen Macon police officers took part in the chase, Self said.
An investigation is still under way, but Stapleton likely will be charged with four counts of aggravated assault against a peace officer, theft by taking auto, felon fleeing and eluding, as well as several traffic violations.

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Four arrested in ATM thefts www.privateofficer.com

Four arrested in ATM thefts http://www.privateofficer.com

Scottsdale AZ. June 1 2008

Scottsdale police arrested four people in connection with tricking automated teller machines at three luxury Scottsdale hotels into spitting out more than $100,000 to buy drugs and prostitutes.

Tinkering with computers’ complex innards is a “more sophisticated way” of robbing ATMs, said Jack Hudock, spokesman for the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions, which regulates banks.About a year ago, thieves were stealing backhoes to dig out ATMs and truck them to remote areas where they broke them open, Hudock said.
Since then, banks have put them at more secure sites.Video surveillance tapes helped nab the two men and two women suspected in the hotel ATM heists.”This was quite an extensive investigation,” said Sgt. Mark Clark, a police spokesman.

The three hotels identified by police were Scottsdale Marriott Suites, 7325 E. 3rd Ave.; Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas, 6333 N. Scottsdale Road; and Hyatt Regency Scottsdale, 7500 E. Doubletree Ranch Road. Over the past three months, the suspects inserted a device into card readers of the hotel ATMs, Clark said.

They then used computer-hacking skills to manipulate the ATMs’ internal programming, causing the machines to spit out more money than it should have, he said.The money was to be used for prostitutes and drugs, Clark said.ATM technicians who serviced the machines discovered that the amount of missing money didn’t square with receipts, he said.

Police identified those arrested and their pending charges:• Onik J. Darmandzhyan, 32, of Glendale; burglary, two counts of felony theft and dangerous drugs. • Michael J. DeMatteo, 32, of Scottsdale; two counts of felony theft. • Tiffany L. McGrath, 24, of Peoria; felony theft, computer tampering and identity theft. • Alissa M. Kerr, 30, of Scottsdale; dangerous drugs and drug paraphernalia.Darmandzhyan and DeMatteo visited the Hilton several times over two or three weeks, Clark said.About 3 a.m. May 18, when the hotel was all but deserted, thieves loaded the Hilton’s ATM onto a dolly and wheeled it into their truck.

A security officer spotted them, described the truck and people to police, leading to their arrest. They were also caught on a surveillance tape.The ATM was worth $4,650 and contained $7,840, according to a court document.Police found a shattered ATM at DeMatteo’s home, with a few thousand dollars still in it, Clark said.

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Teacher and student caught fighting in class www.privateofficer.com

Teacher and student caught fighting in classroom http://www.privateofficer.com

STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga.June 1 2008 (Atlanta Suburb) A Stephenson High School substitute teacher and a tenth-grade student have been charged for fighting each other on the last day of school. A cell phone camera captured the entire incident.
The fight happened Friday, May 23 on the last day of school. According to an incident report, the two had been having conflicts all day. The teacher, listed as Carolyn Jones, said she overheard the student saying she was going to pull Jones’ wig off. The 53-year-old said she took the wig off herself and told the student that she would have to protect herself if the student messed with her.
The brawl was caught on another student’s cell phone camera. Police are still reviewing the video to see if Jones acted in self-defense and who started the fight. But the incident report states that it was the teacher who kicked the student in the leg as she was heading out the door, possibly starting the altercation.
At one point on the tape it appears the teacher takes off a shoe and begins hitting the student with it.
The report also indicated both the teacher and student walked away with scratches on their faces.
DeKalb County school police have charged Jones and the student with disorderly conduct. The school said the tenth-grader may also face further disciplinary action.
The DeKalb County School System issued this statement on Friday:
“The DeKalb County School System does not condone the behavior recently displayed by the substitute teacher and student at Stephenson High School. This was an unfortunate and isolated incident that does not depict the standard of learning environment that we expect and maintain at each of our schools.
This matter is currently under investigation. Upon completion of the investigation, we will make an administrative decision in accordance with policies and procedures governing student and personnel conduct.”

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Police charge shoplifter with grand larceny www.privateofficer.com

Police charge shoplifter with grand larceny http://www.privateofficer.com

EDMOND OKLA June 1 2008

By: Bryan Hill

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

http://www.privateofficer.com/

A Mustang Oklahoma man has been arrested for felony shoplifting at an Edmond Wal-Mart, according to a police report.

On May 23, Edmond Police responded to the Wal-Mart at 1225 W. I-35 Frontage Road where they were told that store security personnel were chasing a suspect through the parking lot, police said.

Edmond Police joined in the foot chase and were able to detain the suspect on the east side of I-35 south of 15th Street, police said.
Wal-Mart security told police that Jason James Stegman, 30, of Mustang, concealed nine memory sticks in his pockets, police said.

Store security also advised police that the man allegedly left other merchandise he had collected in his shopping cart behind as fled the store without paying for the items that he had concealed, according to a police report.

Stegman was booked into the Edmond City Jail on a complaint of grand larceny and was held pending transport to the Oklahoma County Jail.

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SECURITY NOTICE: INTERSTATE REST AREA SECURITY www.privateofficer.com

SECURITY NOTICE: INTERSTATE REST AREA SECURITY http://www.privateofficer.com

Atlanta GA. June 1 2008

By: Rick McCann

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

http://www.privateofficer.com/

WARNING: If you are traveling by car this summer, stay alert when stopping at highway rest areas.

Meant to serve as safe grounds for a nap, snack or bathroom break, highway rest stops throughout Florida and across the country sometimes become the settings for drug deals, murders and other violent crimes.

Authorities say rest areas are generally safe and regularly patrolled, but vulnerable to crime because of their location.”If you’re going to stay there for any length of time, say, for a nap, you certainly want to lock your doors,” said Lt. William Leeper, a trooper spokesman based in the

Jacksonville region, home to three rest stops.

State lawmakers beefed up security at highway rest stops after the 1993 slaying of a British tourist at an Interstate 10 stopover near Tallahassee, but two years later approved cutbacks.

Currently, private security officers watch over some rest stops at night in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and many other states while troopers try to make regular rounds at others.

For the most part, travelers have an area where they can stop, refresh themselves, use restroom facilities and buy a cold soft drink or snack without fear of harm. But as with any location that draws people, there will always be a certain level of crime to be expected said state trooper Dan Howard.

And with the vacation season in full swing, people have taken to the highways even with the high gas prices and families need to think safety and security in any situation Howard said.

In the past three months, at least five travelers have been shot in North Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama, all victims of robbery attempts according to police. And that doesn’t take into account the other robberies, thefts or assaults where there were no injuries reported.

Among the crimes linked to the Florida rest areas in recent years:

A Kentucky man was found murdered Jan. 4 at the Alligator Alley rest area near mile marker 40, on the western edge of Broward. Sheriff’s investigators say the man was killed during a botched cocaine sale. Authorities charged a Miramar man in the death.

Six months earlier, authorities discovered a woman’s head floating in the water near a boat ramp at the rest area near mile marker 35 and eventually arrested two New York men in her killing.

One man stabbed another during an argument at an I-95 rest stop in St. Lucie County in September 2006. The wounded man survived.

In April 2001, a Missouri fugitive shot his girlfriend to death and then turned the gun on himself at a rest area along U. S. 41, near Naples. The couple had been traveling with an Oregon woman and her two young daughters. Weeks later, the woman was found shot to death in Nevada. The girls 2 years old, the other 4 months — remain missing.

Other cases from across the country include the January 2005 death of an Ocala man, 70, who suffered a fatal heart attack immediately after a robbery attempt at an I-95 rest stop in

Florence, S.C.In May 2003, someone beat a Pensacola woman inside a rest stop bathroom along

Interstate 65, near Montgomery, Ala., leaving her critically injured.

More commonly, authorities find stolen vehicles and fugitives at rest stops.

The potential dangers at the stopovers are enough for some travel experts to recommend an alternative for road trippers who need a nap: campgrounds.

“The safety in campgrounds is just not an issue,” said Lance Wilson, executive director of the Florida RV Trade Association.More advice from authorities and RV travel experts, who know a thing or two about safe places to park while on the road:

Be alert.
As you pull into the rest area, take notice of its name or the closest mile marker, in case there is an emergency and you need to tell authorities where you are.

As you pull into the rest area, take notice of its name or the closest mile marker, in case there is an emergency and you need to tell authorities where you are.

Avoid parking close to tractor-trailers, which need a lot of space to maneuver and which could also block other people from seeing your car, providing the kind of cover that criminals often seek

Parents traveling with young children should use family restrooms, when available, that allow adults to accompany children. At the same time, older children and adults should have someone go with them to the rest room or wait outside.

Travelers who find themselves at a quiet rest stop at night should try to flag down a security guard or a state trooper and ask them to keep an eye out as you use the facilities, especially if traveling alone.

If the rest stop is particularly isolated and empty, try to avoid stopping there at night. If possible, opt to use the indoor facilities at a fast food restaurant or convenience store.

RV travelers should never open their camper door to strangers. Keep the door locked, and when someone comes knocking, talk to them through a window or from behind the camper door.
It’s illegal to sleep overnight at rest stops in Florida, not that authorities would recommend doing so.

In other nearby states, it may not necessarily be illegal to park overnight at a rest area, but many have signs warning against it. Instead, drivers should map out campgrounds or state parks along their route where they’d be able to enter for a small fee and get some shuteye in the car.

The bottom line police say is that you are responsible for your own safety and security and you need to be aware of your surroundings at all times.

Be alert, be wary and be proactive. Don’t take chances. If you feel uncomfortable about the area, or people who might be loitering or you just have a “gut feeling”, it may be safer to drive on to the next rest area, campground, or get a hotel room for a good night’s rest.

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Retail Security/Loss Prevention News Round-Up www.privateofficer.com

Retail Security News/Loss Prevention Round-Up http://www.privateofficer.com

Atlanta Ga June 1 2008

AVENTURA FLA
Police arrested a 20-year-old woman on a charge of theft at JCPenney, 19525 Biscayne Blvd., after store security saw her hide clothes and accessories valued at $144 in her handbag at 3:30 p.m. May 16.
A thief stole a wallet, an organizer, gift cards, credit cards and $15 from a woman’s purse after she left it on top of her desk at an office at 20801 Biscayne Blvd. between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. May 16.

Police arrested a 22-year-old man on a charge of theft at Walgreens, 18665 Collins Ave., after he was seen hiding items valued at $24 in his pocket at 4:30 p.m. May 16.

Police arrested a 37-year-old man on a charge of grand theft at the Macy’s men’s store, 19545 Biscayne Blvd., after store security saw him hide 18 Polo shirts valued at $1,350 inside a bag at

3:15 p.m. May 17.
Police arrested a 43-year-old woman on a charge of theft at Macy’s, 19535 Biscayne Blvd., after she hid two dresses valued at $117.25 in her purse at 6 p.m. May 17.

WILKES-BARRE TWP. A 15-year-old teenage girl from Wyoming was arrested for allegedly shoplifting at Sears in Wyoming Valley Mall on Friday, police said.
According to the store security, the teen apparently concealed $31 worth of clothing and left the store where she was apprehended. The teen, whose name was not released, will be charged with a summary count of retail theft, police said
Township police arrested a 15-year-old teenage girl from Hudson for allegedly shoplifting at JC Penney in the Wyoming Valley Mall.
The teen will be charged with a summary count of retail theft, police said. The female juvenile, whose name was not released, is accused of concealing jewelry valued at $10 and leaving the store before being apprehended by store security, police said.

VINELAND NJ A shoplifter ditched her merchandise before she ever got a chance to use it.
The woman stole two pairs of pajama tops and bottoms, valued at $11, from Dollar General in the 100 block of West Landis Avenue about 7 a.m. Monday.
The clothes were found nearby at a bus stop at West and Landis avenues and returned to the store.
Police described the suspect as a black woman, who is about 40 years old and wore a brown, hooded sweatshirt.

NORTHBOROUGH MA On Sunday at 4:14 p.m., police arrested a 20-year-old Gardner man on Otis Street on a shoplifting charge, police said.
Steven Lapoint, of 108 Sherman St., was arrested on a charge of larceny over $250, police said.

Hanover Ma.
Washington St., shoplifting. Arrest: Keri L. Hanson, 29, 148 Union St., Rockland. Charges: Shoplifting more than $100 worth

Springdale Ark
Brandon A. Dunham, 19, of 2102 Cottonwood Place in Springdale was arrested May 26 on a felony charge of shoplifting.

Moultrie GA.
Patricia Bailey, 49, of 1221 Elliot Brown St., Apt. 4, was charged Friday with theft by shoplifting.

Millville NJ
John M. Bruell, 42, of Vineland, was charged Monday with possession of a syringe and shoplifting. He was later released.

Elizabeth A. King, 45, of Cedarville, was charged Saturday with shoplifting. She was released on a summons.

Frederick J. Klawitter, 27, of Port Elizabeth, was charged Friday with shoplifting. He was later released.

James W. Sutton, 18, of Clayton, was charged Monday with shoplifting. He was later released.

Collier PA.
Mafalda Redshaw, 59, of Beechview, was charged last Thursday with retail theft after she was caught trying to steal $65 worth of clothing from Kmart, Chartiers Valley Shopping Center

Burton Mi.
A 34-year old Flint woman was arrested May 17 from an East Court Street retailer, after personnel observed her slipping children’s shirts and shorts into a bag in her shopping cart.
The store counted $286.95 in merchandise the woman allegedly tried to steal, including the clothing and two bottles of Unforgivable cologne.
The woman was cited for retail fraud and released with a court date of June 9. According to a second police report, the suspect had been banned at least three times from the establishment but was cited for trespassing when she returned May 18.

Jupiter Fla.
Shoplifting: Police arrested Whitney Gauss of the 1100 block of Avenue G, Riviera Beach, and charged her with retail theft.
Shoplifting: Police arrested Michelle Hutchins of the 3000 block of Windsor Avenue, West Palm Beach, and charged her with retail theft.

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