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BBB ALERT- Security Company Scheme www.privateofficer.com
November 12, 2008
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BBB ALERT- Security Company Scheme http://www.privateofficer.com
Atlanta GA NOV 12 2008
BBB ALERT
More than a million jobs have been slashed in the United States this year. The unemployment rate now sits at a 14-year high of 6.5 percent.
With so many people looking for work the Better Business Bureau is getting complaints about one employment company that was operating out of Leander, Texas.
The Better Business Bureau says Antonio Silliano is accused of making thousands of dollars by tricking job applicants into paying fees for background checks with promises of security guard positions that didn’t exist. Now he’s behind bars.
According to the BBB hundreds of job applicants in Central Texas and across the country were asked to pay an up-front fee ranging from $89 to $150 for a background check.
Consumers reported to the BBB that after they paid the fee, they received letters saying this company’s Human Resources department would contact them, but that never happened and consumers say no offers of employment ever materialized.
Consumers also complained that their money was never refunded to them and that additional money was withdrawn from their accounts without their authorization.
The BBB first began investigating Antonio Silliano in February of 2007.
That’s when complaints started coming in about a company in Leander, Texas called Janovsky and Associates.
The complaints alleged the company marketed security guard jobs paying $18 to $28 per hour on several internet employment sites.
When the BBB updated the company’s reliability report with information about the complaints, someone claiming to be the owner of the company called to complain.
He said his name was Ryan Janovsky. BBB staff told him he had unanswered complaints and invited him to try and resolve them.
However, the complaints remained unanswered and unresolved. Members of the Memphis Police Department’s Economic Crimes Unit arrested Silliano after he started advertising jobs there.
He is charged with identity theft. Police say Silliano posted ads for jobs as window washers that paid $21 and required a $69 processing fee for a background check and drug test. Memphis police believe the names Ryan Janovsky and Michael Cioffi are two of several aliases Antonio Silliano used to perpetrate his crimes.
He also operated his scheme under other company names, including First American Scan, Nation Protection, Sendora Security, Silliano and Associates and National Commercial Cleaning. With the jobless rate so high some people have become desperate to find work. Websites like Monster, Hot Jobs and Career Builder receive lots of hits.
The BBB warns that while most job postings on these websites are legitimate, some fraudulent job postings can end up costing unsuspecting applicants.
“The crooks post jobs there and they also contact people who have posted their resumes there,” says Carrie A. Hurt, President and CEO of BBB serving Central, Coastal and Southwest Texas. “So you cannot assume just because it’s on one of these websites, that it’s a legitimate offer.
”The BBB advises when applying for a job, you should never have to pay any fees for things like drug tests or background checks. The employer should always foot the bill.
If you think you are a victim of a job scam, BBB encourages you to contact the three credit bureaus and your credit card companies so they can be on the lookout for fraud.
For more job searching tips, visit www.bbb.org.
BBB ALERT
More than a million jobs have been slashed in the United States this year. The unemployment rate now sits at a 14-year high of 6.5 percent.
With so many people looking for work the Better Business Bureau is getting complaints about one employment company that was operating out of Leander, Texas.
The Better Business Bureau says Antonio Silliano is accused of making thousands of dollars by tricking job applicants into paying fees for background checks with promises of security guard positions that didn’t exist. Now he’s behind bars.
According to the BBB hundreds of job applicants in Central Texas and across the country were asked to pay an up-front fee ranging from $89 to $150 for a background check.
Consumers reported to the BBB that after they paid the fee, they received letters saying this company’s Human Resources department would contact them, but that never happened and consumers say no offers of employment ever materialized.
Consumers also complained that their money was never refunded to them and that additional money was withdrawn from their accounts without their authorization.
The BBB first began investigating Antonio Silliano in February of 2007.
That’s when complaints started coming in about a company in Leander, Texas called Janovsky and Associates.
The complaints alleged the company marketed security guard jobs paying $18 to $28 per hour on several internet employment sites.
When the BBB updated the company’s reliability report with information about the complaints, someone claiming to be the owner of the company called to complain.
He said his name was Ryan Janovsky. BBB staff told him he had unanswered complaints and invited him to try and resolve them.
However, the complaints remained unanswered and unresolved. Members of the Memphis Police Department’s Economic Crimes Unit arrested Silliano after he started advertising jobs there.
He is charged with identity theft. Police say Silliano posted ads for jobs as window washers that paid $21 and required a $69 processing fee for a background check and drug test. Memphis police believe the names Ryan Janovsky and Michael Cioffi are two of several aliases Antonio Silliano used to perpetrate his crimes.
He also operated his scheme under other company names, including First American Scan, Nation Protection, Sendora Security, Silliano and Associates and National Commercial Cleaning. With the jobless rate so high some people have become desperate to find work. Websites like Monster, Hot Jobs and Career Builder receive lots of hits.
The BBB warns that while most job postings on these websites are legitimate, some fraudulent job postings can end up costing unsuspecting applicants.
“The crooks post jobs there and they also contact people who have posted their resumes there,” says Carrie A. Hurt, President and CEO of BBB serving Central, Coastal and Southwest Texas. “So you cannot assume just because it’s on one of these websites, that it’s a legitimate offer.
”The BBB advises when applying for a job, you should never have to pay any fees for things like drug tests or background checks. The employer should always foot the bill.
If you think you are a victim of a job scam, BBB encourages you to contact the three credit bureaus and your credit card companies so they can be on the lookout for fraud.
For more job searching tips, visit www.bbb.org.
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Categories: consumer alerts, security
bbb alert, better business bureau
Three charged in seperate shoplifting incidents www.privateofficer.com
November 12, 2008
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Three charged in seperate shoplifting incidents http://www.privateofficer.com
BRAINTREE MA NOV 12 2008
Three women have been arrested in two shoplifting incidents at South Shore Plaza, police said.
Eunice Innocent, 21, and Shaquel S. Thomas, 20, both of Dorchester, were arrested after stealing $382 worth of cologne from the Filene’s Basement store at South Shore Plaza shortly after 8:30 p.m. Saturday, police said.
The women had concealed the cologne in a baby carriage that Thomas was pushing, police said.
Both women were charged with larceny over $250, police said.
Innocent also was charged on an outstanding arrest warrant with driving after suspension, police said.
A short time later, a man sitting in his car in the parking lot while waiting for his wife called police to report a woman running from the Macy’s store with stolen merchandise.
The man told police that the woman, later identified as Suzanne B. Reed, 31, of South Boston, ducked behind a parked car when she saw a mall security vehicle approach her.
The man told officers that he could see coats hanging out of her shopping bags and that one of them still had the security tag attached.
He reported that the woman was walking toward Granite Street. Officer Brendan McLaughlin, who was working a traffic detail at Granite Street and Forbes Road, reported locating her at the Mobil on the Run gas station across from the mall.
Police said officers recovered coats stolen from Macy’s worth more than $500, along with $250 worth of merchandise stolen from Victoria’s Secret, Express and Gap Kids.
Police said Reed was charged with one count each of larceny over and larceny under $250.
Three women have been arrested in two shoplifting incidents at South Shore Plaza, police said.
Eunice Innocent, 21, and Shaquel S. Thomas, 20, both of Dorchester, were arrested after stealing $382 worth of cologne from the Filene’s Basement store at South Shore Plaza shortly after 8:30 p.m. Saturday, police said.
The women had concealed the cologne in a baby carriage that Thomas was pushing, police said.
Both women were charged with larceny over $250, police said.
Innocent also was charged on an outstanding arrest warrant with driving after suspension, police said.
A short time later, a man sitting in his car in the parking lot while waiting for his wife called police to report a woman running from the Macy’s store with stolen merchandise.
The man told police that the woman, later identified as Suzanne B. Reed, 31, of South Boston, ducked behind a parked car when she saw a mall security vehicle approach her.
The man told officers that he could see coats hanging out of her shopping bags and that one of them still had the security tag attached.
He reported that the woman was walking toward Granite Street. Officer Brendan McLaughlin, who was working a traffic detail at Granite Street and Forbes Road, reported locating her at the Mobil on the Run gas station across from the mall.
Police said officers recovered coats stolen from Macy’s worth more than $500, along with $250 worth of merchandise stolen from Victoria’s Secret, Express and Gap Kids.
Police said Reed was charged with one count each of larceny over and larceny under $250.
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Categories: loss prevention, security made app/arrest
Eunice Innocent, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, national association of private officers, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, Shaquel S. Thomas, Suzanne B. Reed, www.privateofficer.com
Atlanta area woman gets prison for mortgage fraud www.privateofficer.com
November 12, 2008
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Atlanta area woman gets prison for mortgage fraud http://www.privateofficer.com
ATLANTA GA. NOV 12 2008
By: Bryan Hill
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
www.privateofficer.com A 40-year-old suburban Atlanta woman has been sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison for her role in a multimillion dollar mortgage fraud scheme.
A federal jury in Atlanta found Adriene Newby-Allen of Alpharetta guilty in July of pocketing millions from fraudulently inflated mortgage loans to unqualified buyers from 2004 to 2006.
One of those buyers was her husband, Brinson Allen, who was found guilty of fraud in July.
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
www.privateofficer.com A 40-year-old suburban Atlanta woman has been sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison for her role in a multimillion dollar mortgage fraud scheme.
A federal jury in Atlanta found Adriene Newby-Allen of Alpharetta guilty in July of pocketing millions from fraudulently inflated mortgage loans to unqualified buyers from 2004 to 2006.
One of those buyers was her husband, Brinson Allen, who was found guilty of fraud in July.
His sentencing has not been set.
Newby-Allen was sentenced to 135 years in prison and five years of probation and must pay $5.3 million in restitution.
Authorities said that Allen preyed on the underqualified in her scheme and lured them into thinking that regardless of their poor credit rating that she would get them qualified for mortgages which she did but at inflated home prices and financing.
Authorities said that Allen preyed on the underqualified in her scheme and lured them into thinking that regardless of their poor credit rating that she would get them qualified for mortgages which she did but at inflated home prices and financing.
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Categories: courts
adriene newby-allen, atlanta georgia, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, mortgage fraud, national association of private officers, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, www.privateofficer.com
Shoplifting duo captured with thousands in stolen goods www.privateofficer.com
November 12, 2008
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Shoplifting duo captured with thousands in stolen goods http://www.privateofficer.com
Eau Claire WI NOV 12 2008(Kare11)
Authorities think a pair of retail theft suspects arrested in western Wisconsin could also be responsible for thefts in Minnesota.
On Friday, police arrested Gisella Mejias and Leonardo Rojas-Railen who were caught with thousands of dollars worth of goods from the Oakwood Mall in Eau Claire.
Besides finding stolen items in the couple’s car police say they also found a map showing what police think were potential targets from Indiana to Minnesota.
Authorities say the two used technology and distraction to get past security.
“They were also able to fashion secret compartments to hide merchandise in so that the clerks can’t tell they have anything inside the bags,” said Detective Sgt. Andrew Falk of the Eau Claire Police Department.
Police say the suspects sent their loot by Fed-Ex to an address in Los Angeles.
The two are charged with felony possession of stolen property.
Investigators are also looking into whether the couple may be behind a $1,500 theft from the Hollister store in the Eden Prairie Mall.
Eau Claire Police busted the retail theft scam on the evening of November 7th after responding to the Oakwood Mall to a report of retail theft.
The first store hit was a Hollister store where a male and female suspect stole a large number of clothing items. Mall security along with a Hollister clerk pointed out the suspects to police and the suspects fled.
The male suspect was apprehended outside the mall and the female suspect was found hiding inside the Scheels store.
Officers located a vehicle that was rented from Midway Airport in Indiana filled with “booster bags” destined for California. “Booster bags” are bags that bear store labels and have been modified with secret compartments and security deflating device linings used for “professional level retail theft” according to a news release by Eau Claire Police.
The merchandise, with store tags still attached, was worth more than $12,000. Ledgers were also found in the vehicle indicating that the suspects had been involved in retail theft for a long period of time.
Stores affected in Eau Claire were Hollister, Express and Aeropostale.
Authorities continue to investigate whether other stores throughout the midwest may have been victimized by these suspects.
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Categories: loss prevention, police, security made app/arrest
eau claire wi, felony, Gisella Mejias, Leonardo Rojas-Railen, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, national association of private officers, organized shoplifters, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, shoplifiting, www.privateofficer.com
Shoplifter dies in battle with police www.privateofficer.com
November 12, 2008
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Shoplifter dies in battle with police http://www.privateofficer.com
Sonoma County CA NOV 12 2008
valleynews.com
A Santa Rosa man suspected of shoplifting died Sunday after being arrested by Rohnert Park Police.
Sonoma County Sheriff’s officials investigated the death and said Monday that Guy James Fernandez, 42-years-old, was combative and resisted arrest when officers contacted him in the parking lot of Linens-N-Things in Rohnert Park at 8:12 p.m.
Officers unsuccesfully attempted to use a Taser on Fernandez but were able to restrain him, handcuff him and put leg restraints on him, officials said.
Fernandez appeared to have difficulty breathing and was unresponsive while restrained, officials said.
He died while en route to Memorial Hospital. An autopsy and toxicology is pending, officials said.
The Sheriff’s Department will continue to investigate the death as part of the county’s protocol when someone dies in custody.
A Santa Rosa man suspected of shoplifting died Sunday after being arrested by Rohnert Park Police.
Sonoma County Sheriff’s officials investigated the death and said Monday that Guy James Fernandez, 42-years-old, was combative and resisted arrest when officers contacted him in the parking lot of Linens-N-Things in Rohnert Park at 8:12 p.m.
Officers unsuccesfully attempted to use a Taser on Fernandez but were able to restrain him, handcuff him and put leg restraints on him, officials said.
Fernandez appeared to have difficulty breathing and was unresponsive while restrained, officials said.
He died while en route to Memorial Hospital. An autopsy and toxicology is pending, officials said.
The Sheriff’s Department will continue to investigate the death as part of the county’s protocol when someone dies in custody.
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Categories: loss prevention, police, security made app/arrest
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Security company, hotel sued after sexual assault www.privateofficer.com
November 12, 2008
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Security company, hotel sued after sexual assault http://www.privateofficer.com
Nashville TN. Nov 12 2007
A security officer, and a security company and a local Nashville hotel has been named in a new lawsuit filed this week in Davidson County Tennessee.
In the lawsuit, Liberty Inn Motel, private security officer Jason Tucker and his employer Omega Security have been sued by a mother and her minor daughter alledging that the security officer on or about Nov 10 2007 knocked on the door of the room where the minor girl was staying while her mother was gone.
The “officer” later identified as Jason Tucker, told the girl that she was in the room illegally and that she had to go “downtown” with him because as he put it, she was under arrest.
In the lawsuit, Liberty Inn Motel, private security officer Jason Tucker and his employer Omega Security have been sued by a mother and her minor daughter alledging that the security officer on or about Nov 10 2007 knocked on the door of the room where the minor girl was staying while her mother was gone.
The “officer” later identified as Jason Tucker, told the girl that she was in the room illegally and that she had to go “downtown” with him because as he put it, she was under arrest.
According to the lawsuit document, after telling her this several times, he stated that he was going to transport her to the “station” but instead took her to an office nearby, possible the office of the security company.
It was there that he alledgedly sexually assaulted her while she was handcuffed.
Tucker also, according to the lawsuit, assaulted the minor female with a Taser gun.
After Tucker wwas done with the assault, he drove her to a neighborhood near the hotel and kicked out of his vehicle and left the area according to the lawsuit document.
The document said that it is seeking several hundred thousand dollars judgement against the three defendents.
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Categories: courts, lawsuit, security
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Wackenhut Security billing questioned in Florida www.privateofficer.com
November 12, 2008
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Wackenhut Security billing questioned in Florida http://www.privateofficer.com
Broward County Fla. NOV 12 2008
Broward County auditors are raising red flags over how county agencies kept tabs on nearly $6 million in billings by Wackenhut Corp. for security services last year.
In a report to be presented to county commissioners on Wednesday, county auditors noted several problems with the way Wackenhut invoices have been processed.
Specifically, the report noted that county personnel were not reviewing and validating daily entries on security logs that document hours worked by guards. The audit also found that there was no evidence that hours billed were hours actually worked.
County Auditor Evan A. Lukic said the decision to review the county’s oversight of Wackenhut grew out of news reports earlier this year that alleged the Palm Beach Gardens-based security company was overbilling Miami-Dade County for services that were not performed.
“We were concerned about the allegations we heard and whether we were possibly experiencing the same thing here,” he said. “We wanted to look at it from how are we controlling the contract and administering it.”
At this point in the auditing process, Lukic said, there was no evidence Wackenhut engaged in any wrongdoing. However, based on the audit’s findings Lukic said his department will take a closer look at payments to “make sure that guards who we are paying for are present.”
In June 2005, Broward County entered into a three-year agreement with Wackenhut to provide security services. Payments for fiscal years 2005, 2006 and 2007 totaled more than $14.8 million.
In fiscal 2007, Broward County’s Aviation Department topped the list with $2.1 million in security services billings by Wackenhut. The county’s facilities maintenance division paid out $1.66 million to Wackenhut, and the county’s library division was billed nearly $633,000.
The report found that during a one-week period, the libraries division paid 233 hours of overtime for security guards and found no evidence that Wackenhut provided the required written notification and payroll documentation to substantiate the overtime payments.
When queried by the South Florida Business Journal about the auditor’s findings, Wackenhut issued the following statement: “We’ve worked closely with facilities management through the audit department to insure compliance and to improve our processes.”
Questions also have been raised about matching guard qualifications to pay rates. In some instances, the audit raised concerns about guards with lesser qualifications billing at a higher rate, resulting in overcharges.
In an Aug. 22 letter, Broward’s director of the facilities maintenance division advised Wackenhut President Drew Levine that he would now require the company to provide documentation that links guards’ qualifications with their job classifications.
In the meantime, Lukic is asking the Broward County Commission to direct the county administrator to come up with procedures to ensure that billings are validated, that the guards’ qualifications match their job descriptions and that overtime charges are substantiated.
In May, a Miami-Dade County audit found that Wackenhut overbilled the county by as much as $6 million over three years for services it did not provide to Miami-Dade Transit, and then falsified records to cover up the over charges.
In its response to that audit, which Wackenhut published on its Web site, the company said it has cooperated with the county’s investigation, but “continues to question the audit methodology.”
Wackenhut said a lawsuit by a former guard, who accused the company of padding its bills, has caused the increased scrutiny.
“It is Wackenhut’s belief that county entities … have been placed under undue pressure and influence by unsubstantiated allegations in this ongoing disputed litigation,” it stated.
Miami-Dade continues to review Wackenhut’s response to determine what actions should be taken, county spokeswoman Suzy Trutie said.
Broward County auditors are raising red flags over how county agencies kept tabs on nearly $6 million in billings by Wackenhut Corp. for security services last year.
In a report to be presented to county commissioners on Wednesday, county auditors noted several problems with the way Wackenhut invoices have been processed.
Specifically, the report noted that county personnel were not reviewing and validating daily entries on security logs that document hours worked by guards. The audit also found that there was no evidence that hours billed were hours actually worked.
County Auditor Evan A. Lukic said the decision to review the county’s oversight of Wackenhut grew out of news reports earlier this year that alleged the Palm Beach Gardens-based security company was overbilling Miami-Dade County for services that were not performed.
“We were concerned about the allegations we heard and whether we were possibly experiencing the same thing here,” he said. “We wanted to look at it from how are we controlling the contract and administering it.”
At this point in the auditing process, Lukic said, there was no evidence Wackenhut engaged in any wrongdoing. However, based on the audit’s findings Lukic said his department will take a closer look at payments to “make sure that guards who we are paying for are present.”
In June 2005, Broward County entered into a three-year agreement with Wackenhut to provide security services. Payments for fiscal years 2005, 2006 and 2007 totaled more than $14.8 million.
In fiscal 2007, Broward County’s Aviation Department topped the list with $2.1 million in security services billings by Wackenhut. The county’s facilities maintenance division paid out $1.66 million to Wackenhut, and the county’s library division was billed nearly $633,000.
The report found that during a one-week period, the libraries division paid 233 hours of overtime for security guards and found no evidence that Wackenhut provided the required written notification and payroll documentation to substantiate the overtime payments.
When queried by the South Florida Business Journal about the auditor’s findings, Wackenhut issued the following statement: “We’ve worked closely with facilities management through the audit department to insure compliance and to improve our processes.”
Questions also have been raised about matching guard qualifications to pay rates. In some instances, the audit raised concerns about guards with lesser qualifications billing at a higher rate, resulting in overcharges.
In an Aug. 22 letter, Broward’s director of the facilities maintenance division advised Wackenhut President Drew Levine that he would now require the company to provide documentation that links guards’ qualifications with their job classifications.
In the meantime, Lukic is asking the Broward County Commission to direct the county administrator to come up with procedures to ensure that billings are validated, that the guards’ qualifications match their job descriptions and that overtime charges are substantiated.
In May, a Miami-Dade County audit found that Wackenhut overbilled the county by as much as $6 million over three years for services it did not provide to Miami-Dade Transit, and then falsified records to cover up the over charges.
In its response to that audit, which Wackenhut published on its Web site, the company said it has cooperated with the county’s investigation, but “continues to question the audit methodology.”
Wackenhut said a lawsuit by a former guard, who accused the company of padding its bills, has caused the increased scrutiny.
“It is Wackenhut’s belief that county entities … have been placed under undue pressure and influence by unsubstantiated allegations in this ongoing disputed litigation,” it stated.
Miami-Dade continues to review Wackenhut’s response to determine what actions should be taken, county spokeswoman Suzy Trutie said.
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Categories: security
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Wild night for fleeing shoplifter www.privateofficer.com
November 12, 2008
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Wild night for fleeing shoplifter http://www.privateofficer.com
Statesville NC NOV 12 2008
By: Bryan Hill
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
www.privateofficer.com
A man trying to flee from Wal-Mart security attempted to jump into a vehicle and was hit in the face by the driver and then struck by the vehicle.
Kevin Michael Coletti Duckworth was treated for a broken jaw and laceration to the chin, said Statesville Police Department Interim Assistant Chief Bill Halliburton.
Halliburton said police officers were called Saturday to the Wal-Mart on Glenway Drive Saturday at around 1:20a.m. and officers met with security officers and tried to talk with Duckworth, who was already in custody in the security office.
Halliburton said that loss prevention officers told police Duckworth and three others, two women and one man, were in the store earlier.
They said the four ran while a receipt was being checked at the door, and Duckworth tried to jump into a black Ford Bronco in the parking lot.
Halliburton said the driver of the Bronco hit Duckworth in the face and knocked him out of the vehicle. The Bronco then ran over Duckworth.
Halliburton said Duckworth was intoxicated and couldn’t offer much information.
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
www.privateofficer.com
A man trying to flee from Wal-Mart security attempted to jump into a vehicle and was hit in the face by the driver and then struck by the vehicle.
Kevin Michael Coletti Duckworth was treated for a broken jaw and laceration to the chin, said Statesville Police Department Interim Assistant Chief Bill Halliburton.
Halliburton said police officers were called Saturday to the Wal-Mart on Glenway Drive Saturday at around 1:20a.m. and officers met with security officers and tried to talk with Duckworth, who was already in custody in the security office.
Halliburton said that loss prevention officers told police Duckworth and three others, two women and one man, were in the store earlier.
They said the four ran while a receipt was being checked at the door, and Duckworth tried to jump into a black Ford Bronco in the parking lot.
Halliburton said the driver of the Bronco hit Duckworth in the face and knocked him out of the vehicle. The Bronco then ran over Duckworth.
Halliburton said Duckworth was intoxicated and couldn’t offer much information.
The driver of the Bronco left the scene before police arrived.
Duckworth was taken into custody and treated for his injuries.
Duckworth was taken into custody and treated for his injuries.
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Categories: loss prevention, security made app/arrest
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Police arrest shoplifter after chase www.privateofficer.com
November 12, 2008
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Police arrest shoplifter after chase http://www.privateofficer.com
WAITE PARK MN NOV 12 2008 — Waite Park and St. Joseph police officers arrested a Sauk Rapids woman Sunday afternoon after a report of a person shoplifting from Mills Fleet Farm.
The woman led police on a short chase that ended near Anton’s restaurant, Waite Park Police Chief Dave Bentrud said.
The woman also drove her vehicle at a St. Joseph officer who was trying to stop her in the Mills Fleet Farm parking lot, Bentrud said.
Arrested was Jeanette Spiczka, 57. She was taken to Stearns County Jail. She could be charged with shoplifting, second-degree assault and fleeing in a motor vehicle, Bentrud said.
The St. Joseph officer went to Mills Fleet Farm at about 2:45 p.m. to assist store security with a shoplifter, Bentrud said.
Spiczka put her vehicle in reverse, then accelerated toward the St. Joseph officer, Bentrud said.
She drove from the lot and was stopped near Anton’s. There were no injuries in the incident, Bentrud said.
The woman led police on a short chase that ended near Anton’s restaurant, Waite Park Police Chief Dave Bentrud said.
The woman also drove her vehicle at a St. Joseph officer who was trying to stop her in the Mills Fleet Farm parking lot, Bentrud said.
Arrested was Jeanette Spiczka, 57. She was taken to Stearns County Jail. She could be charged with shoplifting, second-degree assault and fleeing in a motor vehicle, Bentrud said.
The St. Joseph officer went to Mills Fleet Farm at about 2:45 p.m. to assist store security with a shoplifter, Bentrud said.
Spiczka put her vehicle in reverse, then accelerated toward the St. Joseph officer, Bentrud said.
She drove from the lot and was stopped near Anton’s. There were no injuries in the incident, Bentrud said.
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K-Mart employee, family charged in theft scheme www.privateofficer.com
November 12, 2008
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K-Mart employee, family charged in theft scheme http://www.privateofficer.com
Naples FL NOV 12 2008
Kyle T. Greene
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
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An 18-year-old store cashier, his mother and an aunt were arrested Sunday after Collier County sheriff’s deputies say they stole merchandise from the Kmart store in Golden Gate.
Michael P. Hernandez and Maria Rodriguez, 41,both of 1798 55th St. S.W., were each charged with grand theft. Maria Lastenia-Cruz, 41, also of the same address, was charged with petty theft.
Hernandez is charged with “passing” items to his mother, Rodriguez, and his aunt, Cruz, on two separate occasions over the weekend while he was working as a cashier at the store, 4955 Golden Gate Parkway, arrest reports said.
A store security officer told deputies that on Saturday she watched Hernandez scan $184 worth of merchandise, void the transaction and then allow Rodriguez to leave the store with the items as if they were paid in full, reports said.
The security officer told deputies that on Sunday she once again watched Hernandez scan items for his family, reports said.
He passed $21.19 worth of items for Lastenia-Cruz and $175.30 for Rodriguez. After both transactions were complete, his aunt and mother left the store without paying for the merchandise, reports said.
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
www.privateofficer.com
An 18-year-old store cashier, his mother and an aunt were arrested Sunday after Collier County sheriff’s deputies say they stole merchandise from the Kmart store in Golden Gate.
Michael P. Hernandez and Maria Rodriguez, 41,both of 1798 55th St. S.W., were each charged with grand theft. Maria Lastenia-Cruz, 41, also of the same address, was charged with petty theft.
Hernandez is charged with “passing” items to his mother, Rodriguez, and his aunt, Cruz, on two separate occasions over the weekend while he was working as a cashier at the store, 4955 Golden Gate Parkway, arrest reports said.
A store security officer told deputies that on Saturday she watched Hernandez scan $184 worth of merchandise, void the transaction and then allow Rodriguez to leave the store with the items as if they were paid in full, reports said.
The security officer told deputies that on Sunday she once again watched Hernandez scan items for his family, reports said.
He passed $21.19 worth of items for Lastenia-Cruz and $175.30 for Rodriguez. After both transactions were complete, his aunt and mother left the store without paying for the merchandise, reports said.
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Categories: loss prevention, security made app/arrest
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Security officers detain murder suspect www.privateofficer.com
November 12, 2008
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Security officers detain murder suspect http://www.privateofficer.com
Memphis TN NOV 12 2008
BY: Rick McCann
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
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A shooting over the week-end at a Memphis bar has resulted in murder charges against a local man.
Memphis police have charged Hector Bonilla, 28, in the shooting death of Christopher Baldwin, 21, on Sunday.
According to police, Baldwin was shot and killed around 3:40 a.m. inside Club Stampedo at 754 N. White Station.
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
www.privateofficer.com
A shooting over the week-end at a Memphis bar has resulted in murder charges against a local man.
Memphis police have charged Hector Bonilla, 28, in the shooting death of Christopher Baldwin, 21, on Sunday.
According to police, Baldwin was shot and killed around 3:40 a.m. inside Club Stampedo at 754 N. White Station.
Police said the two got into some type of confrontation and Bonilla pulled a handgun and shot and killed Baldwin.
Two security officers who were working at the club, which is just north of Sam Cooper Boulevard at Interstate 240, were able to subdue Bonilla and detained the suspect until police arrived.
Investigators said Bonilla, who was charged with second-degree murder, had argued with Baldwin but did not release further details of the argument.
Two security officers who were working at the club, which is just north of Sam Cooper Boulevard at Interstate 240, were able to subdue Bonilla and detained the suspect until police arrived.
Investigators said Bonilla, who was charged with second-degree murder, had argued with Baldwin but did not release further details of the argument.
Bonilla is being held at the Shelby County Detention Center without bond pending his arraignment.
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Baltimore changes off-duty rules for officers www.privateofficer.com
November 12, 2008
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Baltimore changes off-duty rules for officers http://www.privateofficer.com
By Justin Fenton, Sam Sessa
Baltimore Sun
BALTIMORE MD NOV 12 2008 — Concerned that officers are being drawn into an escalating number of violent incidents, Baltimore plans to prohibit police from working off-duty jobs outside bars, clubs and other businesses with liquor licenses, a move that has frustrated the officers’ union, business owners and some city officials.
The change comes as Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III and Mayor Sheila Dixon have challenged troubled businesses to provide better security, and it will take effect just weeks after police launched a significant crackdown on overtime amid budget constraints.
Many officers work such jobs to supplement their incomes by thousands of dollars, and the security details add numerous officers to the streets at peak hours, paid entirely out of business owners’ pockets.But Bealefeld says the business owners rely too much on the officers and not enough on private security. Long-standing rules prohibit police from working inside businesses where alcohol is served, and Bealefeld worries the current arrangement leaves the off-duty officers to handle situations that have already gotten out of control.
“We got into this notion that it made more sense to hire off-duty cops because you’d have more cops all over the city, and ostensibly the city would be safer,” Bealefeld said. “It’s just not so. What’s happened is that the businesses have transferred their responsibility onto the Police Department … and that’s not a responsibility or a liability I’m willing to assume.
“Last year, off-duty officers working overtime security details killed armed men outside the South Baltimore hot spot Club Mate and inside a downtown parking garage. Last week, the city approved a $50,000 payout to an Edgewater man who accused six off-duty officers of beating him outside the Power Plant Live area.And in late September, a 21-year-old Towson University student was beaten into a coma at the Iguana Cantina, which typically employs a half-dozen officers outside on busy nights.
“When people wind up in a coma in a club that I have cops working secondary at and no one knows anything, or cops are throwing unruly, drunken, disorderly, combative, violent patrons out on the street, only for them to shoot and stab and kill each other, is unacceptable,” Bealefeld said. “I have a simple answer: My cops won’t work at businesses that sell alcohol.”City officials say they are experimenting over the next several weekends with different deployment options in the Market Place area, a high concentration of bars located in the Central District.
The new plan, borrowing elements from Washington and Boston, would likely involve asking business owners to pool money to pay for extra police that would not be tethered to a specific club.The program could potentially expand to Fells Point, Canton and Federal Hill, officials say. But until then, union President Robert Cherry worries that the added burden of regulating hoards of bar patrons will create an “enormous strain on already depleted” patrols in the department’s Southern and Southeastern districts.Across the country, police departments have varying views on the issue. Officers are banned from such details in cities such as New York and Los Angeles, but it’s allowed in some form in many others.
Under Baltimore’s current rules, businesses can apply to the police commissioner for uniformed details outside their establishments. The department receives the money from the businesses and selects the officers who will work the details, keeping the staffing random and the pay at arm’s length. Officers can also work plainclothes security outside businesses if approved by the commissioner.”It’s not coming out of the city budget – it’s private funding for something that benefits taxpayers,” Cherry said.Though officers are working for private businesses, the Police Department often faces liability issues and lawsuits when things go awry. Millennium Security Consulting Group, a security company run by Lt. John Paradise that hires off-duty police, has been sued several times, with the city often named as a co-defendant.
Paradise declined to comment while the city rule change is pending.The department has maintained that officers face a conflict of interest when asked to police an establishment whose owner is paying them. Bealefeld said he is worried about the potential for “an enormous amount of corruptibility, from something as simple as letting an 18-year-old young lady go in a club who shouldn’t be there, to turning a blind eye and not taking aggressive action on criminal activity.”The Towson student’s beating at the Iguana Cantina might have been one of the final straws. On Sept. 26, about 1 a.m., the man was found unconscious on the floor in the club. He was taken outside and put in an ambulance, at which point witnesses told police he had been hit in the face, fallen to the ground inside the club and then was beaten again.
He has emerged from a coma but “has a long road ahead of him,” according to police spokesman Sterling Clifford. Detectives have several leads but have not made any arrests, Clifford said.Iguana Cantina hires four to six uniformed police officers each night it is open – which costs about $15,000 per month, said Dave Adams, who oversees security at the club. Adams previously ran security at the now-defunct rock club Hammerjack’s in South Baltimore, which often employed up to a dozen officers. He calls uniformed officers a “must-have.”Venues with crowd-control problems routinely rely on uniformed police officers to help keep the peace, said local concert organizer Evan Weinstein.”I wouldn’t do it without the police there,” he said. “When you see two cop cars and cops sitting around outside, you’re less likely to start something. It absolutely creates a safer environment.”Businesses will still be allowed to hire retired city officers and police officers from other jurisdictions, though the number of regional departments that allow it is thinning. Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Howard counties now prohibit police officers from moonlighting at establishments that serve alcohol.
Departments including Prince George’s County and the Maryland State Police allow their officers to do such work after hours.In Anne Arundel County, officers are not allowed to work in bars and taverns, but the police union, joined by Police Chief Col. James P. Teare Sr. and County Executive John R. Leopold, is fighting the county ethics commission to allow officers to work at restaurants with liquor licenses.Before becoming a police officer, Anne Arundel County police union President O’Brien Atkinson said he worked at a Greenbelt restaurant that hired off-duty police to work security.”When they saw a police officer out front, it dramatically changed the behavior of the people at the bar,” Atkinson said. “People weren’t crawling out to their cars, they weren’t fighting. They were much more civil when there was an officer on the premises, for fear of being arrested.”Police recently padlocked a liquor store on North Avenue whose owners had been urged to take security measures after several violent incidents.
City Councilman Bill Henry told Bealefeld that he has encouraged owners of other package liquor stores to hire off-duty police as security and wonders what options they would have if the policy changes.City Council Vice President Edward L. Reisinger also expressed reservations about the new plan’s funding. He said he worries that bars and clubs in his district would not be covered in the new zone and that a pool of money for additional on-duty police officers might not amount to extra security for all of the establishments that need it.Bealefeld said the change is needed to make sure businesses take responsibility for security.”Some of these locations have become enormously violent and a threat to public safety, and the refrain I hear from some of the club owners is, ‘Well, your cops are working security.
So if the patrons aren’t safe, who’s responsible?’ ” Bealefeld said.But Weinstein wondered if the reverse could also be true.”If a club has had some [promotional] night going on for who knows how long and they haven’t had any incidents … then the police are pulled off and the first night somebody gets killed, whose fault is that?” he said.
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Categories: police
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Security officer shot during robbery www.privateofficer.com
November 12, 2008
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Security officer shot during robbery http://www.privateofficer.com
Oakland CA. NOV 12 2008
oaklandtribune.com A security guard was shot in the foot after police say he grabbed a robber and the cash he was carrying during a robbery of an Oakland market.
Police say the guard grabbed one of three suspects who had just robbed the Koreana Plaza Market on Telegraph Ave. around 10 p.m. Tuesday.
One of the other robbers turned and shot the guard, who was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Despite being shot, the guard and other store employees managed to hold on to the suspect. Police have not released the name of security guard or the suspect.
oaklandtribune.com A security guard was shot in the foot after police say he grabbed a robber and the cash he was carrying during a robbery of an Oakland market.
Police say the guard grabbed one of three suspects who had just robbed the Koreana Plaza Market on Telegraph Ave. around 10 p.m. Tuesday.
One of the other robbers turned and shot the guard, who was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Despite being shot, the guard and other store employees managed to hold on to the suspect. Police have not released the name of security guard or the suspect.
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