Two security officers shot at Atlanta apartments www.privateofficer.com

Two security officers shot at Atlanta apartments http://www.privateofficer.com

DEKALB COUNTY,( Metro Atlanta) Ga. July 16 2008

BY: Rick McCann

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

www.privateofficer.com

Two security officers patrolling an apartment complex were shot outside the Stone Mountain complex Tuesday night.
Police said the unarmed security guards confronted a suspicious group of people at the complex in the 4700 block of Central Drive in DeKalb County.
Authorities said one man started fighting the officers, and then fled into a nearby wooded area. Authorities said when the security officers followed, the man turned and fired six or seven shots, striking each in the stomach.
The security officers were listed in critical condition Wednesday morning.
Authorities said that when police arrived they located the suspect and that the suspect’s mother later talked her son out of a vacant apartment, and he was arrested.
Police also recovered a gun.
Police said that he will be charged with two counts of attempted murder.
Neither the suspect nor the security officers were identified at this time.

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Cobb County deputy sheriff arrested for kidnapping, rape www.privateofficer.com

Cobb County deputy sheriff arrested for kidnapping, rape http://www.privateofficer.com

COBB COUNTY, Ga. (Metro Atlanta) July 16 2008 — A Cobb County sheriff’s deputy has been arrested and accused of rape, officials said Tuesday. The deputy was fired after the sheriff learned of his arrest.
According to investigators, 37-year-old Jason Anthony Bill of Marietta took a woman against her will from the Corona Bar and Grill on Pat Mell Road Monday night. Bill handcuffed and tied up the woman, police said. He then took her to an apartment on South Cobb Drive and sexually assaulted her at gunpoint, according to investigators.

She was later able to escape.
Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren released a statement Tuesday that said, “It was with a profound sense of outrage and betrayal that I learned of the actions and subsequent charges lodged against Deputy Jason Bill. This type of conduct is reprehensible under any circumstances but even more so when committed by a law enforcement officer. I have no tolerance for misconduct by anyone sworn to uphold the law and, as a result, have immediately terminated Jason Bill’s employment with the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office.”

Bill is being held at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center. He has been charged with rape, aggravated sodomy, aggravated assault, kidnapping, false imprisonment and battery.

Man travels around the world to have sex with teen www.privateofficer.com

Man travels around the world to have sex with teen http://www.privateofficer.com

Phoenix AZ July 16 2008

A 65-year-old Buckeye man faces a total 70 years in prison after admitting to police he molested a young girl.

David Middlemas, 65, faces two counts of sexual conduct with a minor.

Middlemas said he picked up the girl in the Phillipines, traveled with her through Asia, Central America and the United States.

Child Protective Services workers found out about the girl and called Buckeye police.

Detective Doug Dodge said he and an officer worked with CPS, the FBI and Phoenix Airport Bureau police.

CPS had contact information on Middlemas which allowed detectives to stay in touch with the suspect through e-mail.

He gave them information about his arrival back in Phoenix and offered to turn himself in.

Buckeye police, with Phoenix Airport police, arrested Middlemas at Sky Harbor Airport.

Middlemas reportedly admitted to FBI agents he had repeatedly molested the girl.

Detectives said Middlemas is a transient with no permanent address in Buckeye

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GA. supreme court rules man can be charged with murder of police officer www.privateofficer.com

Ga.Supreme Court rules defendant can be charged with murder of police officer http://www.privateofficer.co

Atlanta GA. July 16 2008
The Georgia Supreme Court on Monday ruled that a person found guilty of murdering a law enforcement officer is eligible for the death penalty, even if the killer did not know the victim was an officer at the time.
The 5-2 ruling was issued before the upcoming trials against Antron Dawayne Fair and Damon Antwon Jolly, who are accused of killing Bibb County Sheriff’s Deputy Joseph Whitehead in 2006.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against both men, who will be tried separately.
Whitehead, the lead officer in a drug investigation, entered the home using a “no-knock” warrant. Within seconds, Whitehead was shot and killed. Investigators found crack cocaine and marijuana while processing the scene.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Fair and Jolly on the grounds they committed the aggravating circumstance of killing a law enforcement officer in the performance of his duty. Defense lawyers contend their clients should not be eligible for the death penalty because they did not know Whitehead was an officer.
In Monday’s ruling, Justice George Carley wrote that the state’s death-penalty statute “is silent regarding the defendant’s knowledge of the officer’s status.

” If the Legislature, when enacting the law in 1973, had intended to require knowledge, it would have done so, Carley said.
Justice Carol Hunstein, joined by Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears, dissented on this issue.
“Clearly, a defendant who knowingly murders a peace officer … is more culpable than one who does not know the status of his victim,” the dissent said.

“Without such knowledge, there is nothing to distinguish the defendant who murders a victim who by happenstance was such a public servant from a defendant who murders any other victim, and thus nothing to specifically justify imposition of the ultimate punishment.”
Fair and Jolly also contended that they were justified in opening fire on the officers because they thought they were being robbed, not the subject of a “no-knock” warrant.
The state’s high court said the trial judge erred during pretrial hearings by not ruling on the issue of whether the two men were entitled to immunity from prosecution for that reason.

The state Supreme Court directed the judge to decide that issue before the case goes to trial.

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Security guard sues Disney over gun policy www.privateofficer.com

Security guard sues Disney over gun policy http://www.privateofficer.com

Orlando Fla. July 16 2008
Former Walt Disney World security guard Edwin Sotomayor filed a lawsuit Friday in state Circuit Court in Orlando, challenging Disney’s ban on employees bringing guns to work and seeking to get his job back.

Sotomayor, 36, of Kissimmee was fired Monday from his job as an unarmed, uniformed security officer at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Disney said he refused to cooperate with investigators who wanted to know whether he had brought a gun to work with him last Friday, as he had suggested he would.

He did bring a gun — a .45-caliber Springfield, he said — but he would not talk with Disney officials about it because he thinks he has the right to bring the gun to work and not be subject to search.

The dispute arose from a new Florida law that allows people with concealed-weapons permits to keep guns locked in their vehicle trunks in employee parking lots. Disney World claims it is exempt from the law because of a provision that makes exceptions for companies holding certain federal permits for use of explosives. Disney holds such a permit for its fireworks shows.

Jon H. Gutmacher, Sotomayor’s lawyer, said the burden of proof will be on Disney to show that it is exempt from the law.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction that would force Disney to return Sotomayor to his job. Gutmacher said Sotomayor also wants Disney to say he has the right to bring his gun to work in his car, “or we’ll be right back here.

“Disney spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez responded: “We have no idea what this lawsuit is about. It doesn’t change our position that the exemption is clear.

We won’t compromise the safety of our guests and cast members at the Walt Disney World Resort.”

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Mother and daughter share shoplifting techniques and jail www.privateofficer.com

Mother and daughter share shoplifting techniques and jail cell http://www.privateofficer.com

SALEM NH July 16 2008

Kyle T. Greene

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

http://www.privateofficer.com/ – A mother and daughter were arrested Saturday after employees at a department store accused them of stealing $137 worth of merchandise.
Patrol officers were called to the store when security personnel detained Karen Nguyen, 46, of Lawrence, Mass., and her 15-year-old daughter for shoplifting.
Both were placed under arrest and transported to the Salem police headquarters following the allegations that they tried to steal assorted clothing from the Kohl’s Department store on Cluff Crossing Road.
According to police, employees saw the women leaving the store’s changing rooms with clothing hidden inside their purses. The two then exited the store.
Nguyen’s daughter was released to the custody of her father and will be issued a juvenile petition to appear in Salem District Court.
Police have charged Nguyen with one count of shoplifting and another of endangering the welfare of a child. She was released on $600 bail and is expected back in court for arraignment on July 21.

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FBI launches new bank robbery website in Georgia www.privateofficer.com

FBI launches new bank robbery website in Georgia http://www.privateofficer.com

ATLANTA GA July 16 2008 — The FBI announced this week that they have kicked off a newWeb site in the metro Atlanta area to help identify bank robbers in Georgia.
Gregory Jones, the special agent in charge of the FBI in Atlanta, announced the site Monday in conjunction with the Georgia Association of Bank Security.
GeorgiaBankRobbery.com is designed to assist law enforcement in the identification and apprehension of suspects throughout the state. It features images of people who may be involved in criminal activity or wanted for questioning.
Members of the public can click on an image to send comments or contact law enforcement.
The Georgia Association of Bank Security was formed in 1980 by security directors from major Atlanta financial institutions.

The members share information with each other as well as the FBI and local and state law enforcement agencies.

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Alabama has new National Cemetary www.privateofficer.com

Alabama has new National Veterans Cemetary http://www.privateofficer.com

MONTEVALLO AL July 16 2008 The new veterans cemetery was dedicated Sunday with complete military fanfare.
The Alabama National Cemetery will soon serve as a final place for thousands of local veterans.
“This cemetery will give veterans the opportunity to be buried with honor and dignity in a national shrine,” said Quincy Whitehead, cemetery director. “Today is a new milestone in the service to veterans in Alabama.”
William F. Tuerk gave the keynote address. He is the Department of Veteran’s Affairs undersecretary for memorial affairs.
Tuerk talked about caring for the country’s men and women in uniform — both past and present.
“Wars begin and end, but caring for the nation’s warriors is a perpetual obligation,” Tuerk said. “It is a promise that’s being kept today.”
During the ceremony Sunday, officials unveiled a dedication plaque. Full military honors followed, including a rifle salute and the playing of “Taps.”
The cemetery will be built next door to the American Village on Alabama 119.
The first burials are planned for late 2008. The site’s 480 acres should provide enough land for burials for at least 40 years.
Construction started back in January on an initial 45 acres. When finished, the first phase will house 7,400 gravesites, 999 in-ground cremation sites and a 2,700-unit columbarium.
Plans also call for a public information center and administration office. The cemetery will also feature electronic gravesite locators and a memorial walkway.
American Village Director Tom Walker said he looks forward to working with his new neighbor.
“We teach young people the cost of liberty,” said Walker. “Soon students won’t have to go far to see that first hand.”

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DVD caper lands man in jail www.privateofficer.com

DVD caper lands man in jail http://www.privateofficer.com

St. Lucie Fla. July 16 2008

By: Bryan Hill

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

http://www.privateofficer.com/ Security agents at one local department store reported that a man thinking that he was clever, took 33 DVDs from the electronics department out of the store and slid them under a fence at the garden center.
His plan was to eventually go over to the other side and retrieve them and abscond with the merchandise.
What he didn’t know was that agents of the Wal-Mart loss prevention department had him under surveillance the whole time and as he left the store, Peter Athanasatos, 30 of 100 block of Southwest Sava Avenue was apprehended and arrested for felony theft. The value of the DVDs was reported to be approximately $700.00
He was taken to the county jail and detained until he made bail.

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Two teens charged with shoplifting spree www.privateofficer.com

Two teens charged with shoplifting spree http://www.privateofficer.com

Sacramento Ca July 16 2008

BY: Rick McCann

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

http://www.privateofficer.com/
Two 13-year-old girls went on a wild shoplifting spree and got away with a considerable amount of merchandise until they were spotted by a secuirty agent at one of the stores they attempted to steal from.
The two were arrested during the weekend for allegedly shoplifting clothing and accessory items from at least eight stores at the Galleria at Roseville, police reported.
The crime spree came ended at 4:25 p.m. Saturday when security officers at one of the stores apprehended and held them for police, who booked them on suspicion of burglary and conspiracy at the Placer County Juvenile Detection Center in Auburn, said Roseville Police Department spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther.
One of the girls is from Roseville and the other is from Citrus Heights, she said
Often, teenagers think that shoplifting is easy, that they are not likely to get caught and that there are no serious consequences,” Gunther said. “In fact, shoplifting is a serious crime. Stores certainly take it seriously and have sophisticated security systems in place to detect and apprehend shoplifters.”
Gunther said Roseville police arrested 689 shoplifters in 2007 and that many were prosecuted on charges of petty theft, burglary or robbery.
She noted that if someone enters a business with the intent to steal, a misdemeanor petty theft could be upgraded to burglary, which is a felony. If shoplifters resist or fight with store personnel or anyone trying to detain them, the crime is upgraded to robbery, a serious violent felony, she said.

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Community uses electronic Neighborhood Watch to stay informed www.privateofficer.com

Community uses electronic Neighborhood Watch to stay informed http://www.privateofficer.com

MT LAUREL (Metro Birmingham )AL.July 16 2008

By: Rick McCAnn

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

http://www.privateofficer.com/ One community in the up scale area of Shelby County just outside of Birmingham has decided to employ a very sophisicated form of alert the families of their community in the event if trouble or emergency. It’s the technological version of the Neighborhood Watch program.
The town of Mt Laurel recently debuted the RapidCast system, in which participants receive important information by home telephone, e-mails and text messages.
“RapidCast has a database with all the residents’ names in Mt Laurel and their information, and if there’s an emergency or an event that affects all the residents, they can be notified in a few minutes,” he said.
Auburn University uses a similar system, said Jim Summers, Neighborhood Watch committee chairman for Mt Laurel.
Mt Laurel is the first Neighborhood Watch group in Birmingham to use the system, Summers said.
The system is necessary because there’s a need for simultaneous information to go out, he said.
“With the terrorist attacks and similar situations, there’s a need to notify everybody in time so they have time to prepare for the incident,” he said. “It also notifies the schools.”
The system also notifies Mt Laurel businesses in the event of a theft from another business.
RapidCast is providing the service at no cost, Summers said.
The town has already tested the system, using it in a few different situations.
Residents have been very positive about the system, he said.
“It’s a way of disseminating information and letting people know what’s going on,” he said. “This way everybody knows about it at the same time.”

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Security agent nabs store employee for theft www.privateofficer.com

Security agent nabs store employee for theft http://www.privateofficer.com

Horsham PA. July 16 2008

By: Rick McCann

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

http://www.privateofficer.com/
A security officer on duty at the A.J. Wright store on Blair Mill Road notified police of a theft by a store employee on Friday.

The store security officer saw the employee, Rachel Marquez, 20, of the 2300 block of Byberry Road in Hatboro, take money from a cash register by performing a fake merchandise return on two occasions, police said.
Marquez was questioned by loss prevention agents and was taken into police custody and charged with theft.
He was transported to the city jail and was being held on an unknown amount of bond.
Three hours after they were initially called out to the A.J. Wright store, police received a second report of theft, this time by a customer
At 3:13 p.m. Friday, the store’s security officer reported that a 16-year-old Horsham girl hid a cordless phone in her pocket and tried to leave the store with it.

The girl, whose name was not released because she is a minor, was cited for retail theft and released to her parents.

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University officers make arrest after shots are fired www.privateofficer.com

University officers make arrest after shots are fired http://www.privateofficer.com

EDMOND OKLA. July 16 2008 Oklahoma Christian University security officers arrested an individual who allegedly fired a parting gunshot after a fight broke out Monday evening during a basketball game at the Memorial Road Church of Christ.

Sgt. Gary Knight, Oklahoma City Police Department spokesman, said Cameron J. Curry, 3612 N. Jordan, Oklahoma City, has been arrested on a complaint of pointing a firearm, a felony offense, and possession of marijuana.

Knight said Grant Curry, 3612 N. Jordan, Oklahoma City, has been arrested on a complaint of possession of marijuana. The case has been turned over to an OKC PD investigator who will follow its progress through the system, Knight said.

The Oklahoma County District Attorney has not yet decided if the charges will be accepted.Mark Taylor, preaching minister at the Memorial Road Church of Christ, said the church is reviewing its security policies and procedures and will decide if the event connected to the incident will be continued.Taylor said the church is determined to continue to reach out to the surrounding community, but only in a safe-as-possible environment.

“This will not stop us from serving the community,” Taylor said.Two Mondays a month, the Memorial Road Church of Christ offers open supervised basketball play from 8-10 p.m., Taylor said. Before each game, ground rules are given to participants, primarily young adults from Edmond and Oklahoma City. Taylor said it is believed the fight arose over a standing dispute largely among newcomers, that it did not involve regular participants.Oklahoma Christian University officials said one of the players went to a car in the church’s parking lot, retrieved a firearm and fired it before fleeing toward OC’s maintenance facility.

Knight said OC security officers spotted the suspect’s vehicle a fourth of a mile away from the game site. The suspects were stopped and arrested by OC security officers Sgt. Brian Newlin, Kenneth Wise and Carol McHuin, according to a news release posted on the university’s Web site.

No one was injured, OC officials said. Knight praised the OC officers for their actions.“I’m extremely proud of our officers for the very professional manner in which they handled this potentially dangerous situation,” Larry Fields, OC’s security director, said in the news release. “We have been undergoing intensive training for these types of situations and it definitely paid off.”Taylor also praised the OC security officers and the OKC PD officers for their professionalism. Taylor said church adult volunteer supervisors were at the event and that the church has a good working relationship with the university.

It was the first time for this type of incident to happen at the church, Taylor said.

The basketball games have not been canceled, but no final decision has been made as to their future, he said.

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Police uncover plot to kill officers and witness www.privateofficer.com

Police uncover plot to kill officers and witness http://www.privateofficer.com

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., July 16 2008

By: Bryan Hill

Ntl. Assoc. Private officers

http://www.privateofficer.com/ Authorities have released information that a Virginia prisoner and two alleged co-conspirators are suspected of planning the deaths of two police investigators and a witness, officials said on tuesday.
Ronald Mayfield Jr., 27, a prisoner at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center, has been served with arrest warrants and faces three counts of solicitation for murder and three counts of conspiracy to commit murder, according to state reports.
Mayfield is accused of communicating with Alexander Morris, 31, of Virginia Beach, through his girlfriend, Vernita Johnson, 25, officials said. Police said the two men are suspected of plotting for Morris to carry out the killings of the police investigators and the witness, a civilian.
Morris faces two counts of solicitation for murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit murder, while Johnson faces one count of each charge, the newspaper said.
Officials suspect Mayfield wanted to kill an investigator as payback for his arrest on weapons and narcotics charges.
Police arrested Johnson and Mayfield in April as part of an investigation into the alleged death plots that began in February.

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