Woman fights off carjacker with frozen turkey www.privateofficer.com

Woman fights off carjacker with frozen turkey http://www.privateofficer.com

Raleigh NC Nov 28 2008
North Carolina authorities say a shopper halted a carjacking by attacking the alleged suspect with a frozen turkey as he tried to steal a woman’s car in a grocery store parking lot.

Police say the man stole money from a gas station before heading to the grocery store across the street in a town near Raleigh.

Police say the man began beating a woman while stealing her car.

Other shoppers came to help and that’s when one hit the man with a frozen turkey.

The suspect did get away despite serious head injuries but police arrested him a short time later.

The man faces several charges including assault inflicting serious injury.

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Wal-Mart employee trampled to death www.privateofficer.com

Wal-Mart employee trampled to death http://www.privateofficer.com

Nassau County NY Nov 28 2008 – A worker was killed in the crush Friday after a throng of shoppers eager for post-Thanksgiving bargains burst through the doors at a suburban Wal-Mart, authorities said.

At least four other people were injured, and the store in Valley Stream on Long Island was closed.Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in Bentonville, Ark., called the incident a “tragic situation” and said the employee came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store.

“He was bum-rushed by 200 people,” co-worker Jimmy Overby, 43, told the Daily News.

“They took the doors off the hinges. He was trampled and killed in front of me. They took me down too. … I literally had to fight people off my back.”Nassau County police said the 34-year-old worker was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at about 6 a.m. The man’s name was not released and the cause of death was not immediately known.A police statement said shortly after the store’s 5 a.m. opening time, shoppers “physically broke down the doors, knocking (the worker) to the ground.”

A metal portion of the door was crumpled like an accordion.Shoppers around the country lined up early outside stores in the annual bargain hunting ritual known as Black Friday. Many stores open early and stay open late, and some of the most dramatic bargains are available in limited quantities.Among the bargains offered by Wal-Mart for Friday were Samsung 50-inch high definition Plasma TVs for less than $800.Witnesses told the Daily News that before the store was closed, eager shoppers streamed past emergency crews as they worked furiously to save the worker’s life.”They were working on him, but you could see he was dead,” said Halcyon Alexander, 29. “People were still coming through.”

A 28-year-old pregnant woman was taken to a hospital for observation, and she and the unborn baby were both reported to be OK, said Sgt. Anthony Repalone, a Nassau County police spokesman. Four or five other people suffered minor injuries, he said.Ellen Davis, a spokeswoman at National Retail Federation, said the group knew of no other incident where a retail employee has died working on the day after Thanksgiving.Wal-Mart is working closely with police, company spokesman Dan Fogleman said.

“The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority,” Fogleman said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families at this difficult time.”
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High school students nabbed in bank robbery www.privateofficer.com

High school students nabbed in bank robbery http://www.privateofficer.com

AUSTELL, Ga.(Atlanta metro) Nov 27 2008

BY: Rick McCann
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
http://www.privateofficer.com/ — Police responded to a local bank and say that their prime suspects are several area high school students.
Investigators have several teenagers in custody after the robbery and are questioning them in connection with the violent robbery Wednesday of the Cobb County bank.
Police in Austell Georgia, a small community just outside of Atlanta say that the robbery that was committed by these teenagers showed no regard for life.
One of the two robbers fired a shot into the ceiling of the Wachovia Bank at 5010 Floyd Road in Austell just after 9 a.m. Police said that the bank was full of employees and customers during the robbery but the brazen teens barged in anyways and held the bank up like it was a video game plot.

“I thought I was going to die; it was that close to me,” said one customer.
The suspects got away with two bags of cash, but a dye pack hidden in one of the bags by bank employees went off as the robbers ran through some nearby woods.
Police responding to the area picked up the suspects walking in a neighborhood next to those woods. Police said they found the cash and a mask in the wooded area.
At least one of the suspects is a student at South Cobb High School, according to police.
The teenagers face state charges of armed bank robbery and one of the teens will face felony charges for shooting his gun during the hold-up.

Investigators are also looking into whether or not anyone else was involved in the robbery plan and where the gun came from.
Police are not releasing the suspect’s names until they are formally charged.

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TN. Deputy Shoots Deer Poacher www.privateofficer.com

TN. Deputy Shoots Deer Poacher http://www.privateofficer.com

HOHENWALD, Tenn. Nov 27 2008 — Two brothers are facing a variety of charges after an alleged deer poaching incident in Lewis County that resulted in the shooting of one of the suspects by a deputy.
Tennessee Wildlife resource officer Brandon Gessling said he tried to pull over two brothers, Robert and Thoms Szostek, who he believed were poaching deer using a spotlight on Buffalo Road around 8:30 p.m.
Gessling called the Lewis County Sheriff’s Department for assistance. The sheriff of Lewis County said three of his deputies followed the men onto the Natchez Trace Parkway. The brothers then ran one deputy off the road before finally stopping when their truck’s motor died, said the sheriff.
At that point, the sheriff said, Robert Szostek got out of the truck with his hands up, but Thomas Szostek jumped out of the truck with a rifle, ran up an embankment and pointed the gun at the officers
A deputy then shot Thomas Szostek, who was later taken by Life Flight helicopter to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville.
The sheriff would not release the names of the three deputies involved, but said that the officer who fired the shots is a supervisor who has been with the department for more than 10 years.
The deputy who fired the shots and Gessling are both on paid administrative leave until the investigation is complete.
Robert Szostek is facing charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and four counts of reckless endangerment for allegedly trying to run the officers off the road.
Thomas Szostek is facing two counts of attempted murder. TBI investigators are now analyzing the suspect’s rifle and the officer’s gun as evidence.
Both Robert and Thomas Szostek are also charged with hunting from a motor vehicle and spotlighting, which can result in stiff fines and having firearms confiscated.

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Chicago police officer fired over theft of trail mix www.privateofficer.com

Chicago police officer fired over theft of trail mix http://www.privateofficer.com

CHICAGO, IL Nov 27 2008 – A 22-year veteran Chicago police officer was fired last month over charges he stole a $1 bag of trail mix from Walgreens.

Aaron Pena was known as the “mayor of 26th Street” by residents in the Ogden District for his helpfulness in the community, according to testimony before the Chicago Police Board released Wednesday.

City attorneys alleged that Pena went to the Walgreens in the 1900 block of West Cermak Road in August 2007, bought two bags of trail mix and then took a third from the store without paying. Pena was recorded on store security cameras.

Pena testified that he had opened one bag and thought it was so good he wanted a third. But he said that as he walked to the front of the store to pay, he became concerned that he couldn’t hear his radio. He said he forgot about the extra bag when he went outside.
It had slipped my mind . . . what had occurred,” Pena testified.

Pena told the board he had a stroke in 2005 that occasionally left him “unfocused.” He was criminally charged with misdemeanor retail theft but acquitted.
The city’s attorney, however, alluded to two prior incidents at the same Walgreens in which Pena allegedly walked out without paying for merchandise.

But Pena was not charged in any other incident, and the board wouldn’t allow testimony on them.
The board also found he failed to follow an order because he did not tell a dispatcher he had left a burglary call and was at the Walgreens when he took the trail mix.

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Two charged in laptop thefts www.privateofficer.com

Two charged in laptop thefts http://www.privateofficer.com

LAS CRUCES, N.M.Nov 27 2008

Kyle T. Greene
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
http://www.privateofficer.com/– A Las Cruces couple were arrested Monday evening after they allegedly shoplifted two laptop computers from an Office Max store, Las Cruces police said.
Police said witnesses saw 20-year-old Amanda Flowers hold open the store’s door as 26-year-old Joseph Aberle walked out with two laptop computers he didn’t pay for.

Witnesses in the parking lot said they saw the couple run to a Chevrolet Silverado pickup and drive off.
The witnesses, who were shoppers at the Office Max at 2561 East Lohman Ave., wrote down the truck’s license plate and called authorities, officials said.
Police then located Aberle and Flowers and the stolen goods at the couple’s home in the 700 block of Del Monte Street.
Police said a woman who was with the couple during the incident was not involved in the theft and not charged in a crime.
Aberle and Flowers are each charged with one fourth-degree felony count of shoplifting and one count of conspiracy to commit a fourth-degree felony.

Both are being held at the Dona Ana County Detention Center, each on a $10,000 bond.

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Questions linger in security guard’s death www.privateofficer.com

Questions linger in security guard’s death http://www.privateofficer.com

Santa Ynez Ca. Nov 27 2008
santa ynez valley journal
A Santa Maria family who lost a husband, father and grandfather in May is speaking out about their concerns over how Manny Jones died and why they haven’t been able to receive more information about the circumstances from his employer, the Chumash Casino of Santa Ynez.
Jones, 66, hopped on the casino bus to work his usual night shift as a casino security guard on May 2 and was never heard from by his family again.
He never clocked in for his shift, according to a county sheriff-coroner’s investigation of the incident, but images of him walking around the casino “in a confused state,” were seen on security cameras, according to the coroner’s report.
After his body was found near the intersection of Highway 246 and Edison Street in Santa Ynez, his family has spent months trying to get information about what happened to him, said his son Mark Jones and widow Kathleen Jones. They can’t understand why he would have walked 13 minutes from the casino, or why his body was found with holes in his pants.
“I don’t want anything out of this except for (the casino) to be held accountable,” Kathleen said.
The casino has not been forthcoming regarding their requests, family members say. A call to casino and tribal spokeswoman Frances Snyder about the incident for this story was not returned.
A letter from Tribal First, a claims company that handled the incident on behalf of the Chumash Casino, said that it was denying a death benefit claim to the family.
“We are denying this claim because in order to be compensable, an injury must both arise out of and occur within the course and scope of your employment. There is no medical evidence to support that your husband’s death was caused by anything industrially related. There is no evidence of any precipitating event attributable to his employment that caused his death,” the letter from claims examiner Erica Brown states. “Please accept our sincere condolences; however, we cannot pay any benefits at this time.”
Mark, a teacher, ultimately took the story of his dad’s death to the US-Observer, an Oregon-based newspaper with the motto “demanding accountability” and also a professional investigation service.
After the Observer article, titled: “Wrongful Death at the Chumash Casino?” was published, Mark took the newspapers to the Chumash Casino, hotel and spa and distributed them. He was confronted by security guards and told never to come back on reservation land.
“We just felt robbed,” Mark said of the family’s reaction to Manny’s death. “Something’s not right.” The family has not been offered any settlement or funeral cost funds by the casino, Mark said.
An autopsy performed on Manny’s body concluded that he had died of natural causes. He had some history of atrial fibrillation and mitral valve disease and had smoked cigarettes. But the family says medical professionals told them the cause of Manny’s death was inconclusive and wasn’t related to a heart attack, aneurysm or stroke.
The family wants to know why, if Manny was disoriented or having trouble clocking in to work as shown on a casino security camera, no one attempted to help him or check his welfare.
After more than 30 years in farming in Santa Maria, Manny was working for the casino for the second time. He had retired from a four-year stint in 2004 and came back to work for the casino again in 2007.
“He had a great reputation,” Mark said. The family has heard from many of his former coworkers from the casino expressing their sorrow and concern. However, those friends were not able to speak to the US-Observer or the Journal for fear of losing their jobs. Casino employees were required to sign a confidentiality agreement about his death.
The reporter who wrote the US-Observer story, Joe Snook, said that his newspaper plans to keep on pushing for information on behalf of the Jones family. “He was a good man, very well loved, a church-going guy,” Snook said of Manny.
You can read the US-Observer story online at http://www.usobserver.com/.

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Hospital worker shoots supervisor after being fired www.privateofficer.com

Hospital worker shoots supervisor after being fired http://www.privateofficer.com

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)Nov 27 2008 — A worker returned to an Alaska hospital a day after being fired and unleashed a shooting spree that left one of his ex-supervisors dead and another critically wounded before he was fatally shot by state police.
Joseph Marchetti, armed with a rifle and handgun, fired multiple shots just before 10 a.m. Wednesday inside Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna, a small community southwest of Anchorage, authorities said.
The gunfire sent people scattering, hospital spokeswoman Bonnie Nichols said.
“People were running for their lives,” she said.
The two hospital employees shot by Marchetti had been his former supervisors.
Mike Webb, 55, died two hours after the shooting, Nichols said. Margaret Stroup, 57, shot multiple times in the chest, was listed in critical condition and was to be flown to a hospital in Anchorage, she said.
Webb was the hospital’s information services director and Stroup is the imaging services director.
Marchetti, 48, had worked in the hospital’s imaging department until he was fired Tuesday, Nichols said. She had no information on why he was fired.
Nichols said Marchetti was shooting randomly through the main corridor before he left the hospital.
The hospital’s chief financial officer, Jason Paret, heard the first shot and went around a corner to see what was going on, encountering the gunman, Nichols said.
“Marchetti started running after him, but he managed to get away,” she said. “As he ran, he was yelling at co-workers that a gunman was on the loose.”
Marchetti was shot in the hospital’s parking lot in a standoff with troopers who had set up a perimeter outside the facility.
Three troopers fired their weapons, Alaska State Police spokeswoman Megan Peters said. Under department policy, the officers will be placed on administrative leave for three days.
Marchetti moved to Alaska a year ago. He previously worked at Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nichols said.

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Security guard shoots at dog, strikes owner www.privateofficer.com

Security guard shoots at dog, strikes owner http://www.privateofficer.com

Fort Worth TX Nov 27 2008

BY: Rick McCann
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
http://www.privateofficer.com/
Police are questioning an armed security officer who shot at a dog while on patrol at an area apartment complex. The bullet accidentally struck a person who police said was taken to a local hospital.
Police said that the person, who they did not identify, is in the hospital with a bullet wound in the leg and Fort Worth police are questioning why the security guard pulled the trigger.
According to the police report, just before midnight, the security officer was on patrol at the Bentley Village apartments on Brentwood Stair Road near I-30 and Eastchase Parkway.
For reasons that are not yet clear, he says he fired a shot at a dog but the bullet apparently ricocheted and struck the dog’s owner in the leg. The owner was rushed to the hospital where doctors say the wound is not life-threatening.
Now police investigators are trying to determine why the security officer chose to shoot at the dog in the first place. They are questioning whether he was under attack by the dog or if he was in fear of being attacked or if there was some other reason that he used his weapon.
Under Texas law as in most states, a person can use deadly force to protect their life or that of another when they are in immediate danger. Right now it’s questionable if this was the case with the dog and the security officer could face serious charges including assault with a deadly weapon or reckless endangerment.
Right now, police are not releasing the security officer’s name.

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Off-duty trooper helps to nab armored car robbers www.privateofficer.com

Off-duty trooper helps to nab armored car robbers http://www.privateofficer.com

Indianapolis IN. Non 27 2008
indystar.com
An off-duty state trooper was in the right place this afternoon, not far from an armored car driver who was robbed at a Far Eastside restaurant.
That trooper let other police know about the robbery, and the swarms of officers arrested the two suspected robbers. Even though two cars were wrecked in the pursuit of the suspects, no one was hurt in the wrecks and no shots were fired
The only apparent injury in the case happened to one of the suspects, who apparently was bitten by a police dog that chased him through an apartment complex.

“There couldn’t have been a better end to this if this was scripted for a movie,” said First Sgt. David R. Bursten, information officer for Indiana State Police. “If people wonder why we let troopers drive their squad cars home, this gives them an answer.”

Around 1 p.m. today, Trooper Bryce Filson, who has been with state police for barely a year and a half, was in the area of the Washington Square shopping center at Washington Street and Mitthoefer Road.At the same time, a driver of a Brinks armored car was making a routine cash pickup at the White Castle restaurant, 10053 E. Washington St., when two men robbed him.Filson was in a neighboring car wash parking lot, heard the armored car driver’s shouts for help, and responded by getting on his radio and letting his dispatchers know there was trouble. The robbers jumped into a Chrysler Sebring and speed away, and the armored car driver pointed at the Sebring as it escaped.

Police chased the car north across the street into the Washington Square parking lot, where it crashed into a utility truck that was working on a sign at Dick’s Sporting Goods, 10202 E. Washington St.The two men in the Sebring jumped from the wrecked car and ran.

One dashed into the shopping mall, where he was arrested by Indianapolis Metropolitan police and security guards.

That man gave a false name to police, and his true identity was not immediately known, Bursten said.The second man ran northeast and into the Washington Pointe Apartments, where he was arrested by an IMPD officer — the same officer who Filson had planned to meet for lunch and the reason Filson was on the Far Eastside when trouble broke out.

State Police identified the second man as Justin T. Veal, 19. Court records showed that Veal was on probation after being convicted of robbery last year.

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TSA nabs man with gun at Chattanooga airport www.privateofficer.com

TSA nabs man with gun at Chattanooga airport http://www.privateofficer.com

Chattanooga TN Nov 27 2008
By: Bryan Hill
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
http://www.privateofficer.com/
Authorities say that TSA security agents searching luggage at the Chattanooga Metropolitan airport discovered a handgun and ammunition in a carry on bag and police have arrested a Florida man.
Joseph Ronald Webster, 34, of Sanford, Fla., was taken into custody and is charged with violating airport security.
The arrest report says a female airport security officer found what appeared to be a gun in Webster’s carry on bag and notified Airport police for assistance.

Upon a physical search, officers found a Springfield Armory XD semi-automatic pistol in his bag.The weapon was seized along with clips and 13 rounds of ammunition.

Webster is being held at the Hamilton County Jail.

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OFFICER DOWN FLORIDA www.privateofficer.com

OFFICER DOWN FLORIDA http://www.privateofficer.com

OFFICER DOWN

Deputy Sheriff Nick Pham

Monroe County Sheriff’s Office

Florida

End of Watch: Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Biographical Info-Age: 38

Tour of Duty: 4 years

Incident Details-Cause of Death: Automobile accident

Date of Incident: Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Deputy Nick Pham was killed when his patrol car was struck by a tractor trailer in the Florida Keys.Deputy Pham had served with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office for 4 years. He is survived by his wife and children.

Agency Contact Information;

Monroe County Sheriff’s Office

5525 College Road

Key West, FL 33040

Phone: (305) 292-7000

Please contact the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office for funeral arrangements or for survivor benefit fund information.

Teenaged prisoner escapes private security at airport www.privateofficer.com

Teenaged prisoner escapes private security at airport http://www.privateofficer.com

San Jose CA. Nov 26 2008
17-year-old boy who was being extradited to Wyoming on burglary and probation violation charges escaped Tuesday morning at Mineta San Jose International Airport, according to police.
The boy was in the custody of U.S. Extradition Services, a private company that transports prisoners and has a Stockton office, when he broke free and fled on foot, San Jose police officer Enrique Garcia said.
Around 5:30 a.m., San Jose police were asked to join in the search for the boy, and along with Santa Clara police, set up a perimeter near the airport and Guadalupe Creek Trail, Garcia said.
The search was later called off, according to Garcia. Authorities believe the teen had slipped through the perimeter established by police.
Airport spokesman David Vossbrink said the escape happened in an airport parking lot.
“What I’ve heard is that he got loose in our short-term parking lot next to Terminal C,” Vossbrink said.
He said the boy likely ran across Airport Boulevard and headed toward the nearby Guadalupe River. “The agent was escorting the juvenile to do an air transport to a destination and he bolted at the airport,” said Bill Brees, U.S. Extradition Service’s director of marketing and operations support.

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Armored truck robbed in Miami www.privateofficer.com

Armored truck robbed in Miami http://www.privateofficer.com

Miami FL Nov 26 2008

By: Bryan Hill
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
www.privateofficer.com

Authorities in Metro- Dade said that they received a report Tuesday afternoon of a robbery of an armored truck in Miami.
According to the police report, the lone robber approached a guard in a TransValue armored truck outside General Financial Center, 3012 NW Second Ave., about 10:30 a.m.
As the man approached the security officer he pulled out a gun and was able to take the guard’s weapon and a moneybag containing an undisclosed amount of cash, Miami police spokesman Napier Velazquez said.

The guard was completing a drop-off at the check-cashing store.
Miami and Miami-Dade officers responded and conducted a search of the area but were not able to locate the suspect. Police also notified Miami-Dade public schools in the area of the robbery and robbery investigators responded to the scene.
Police are working on the description and other information to release a composite officers said.

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Man charged with assault on security officer www.privateofficer.com

Man charged with assault on security officer http://www.privateofficer.com

Longview TX. Nov 26 2008

By: Bryan Hill
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
http://www.privateofficer.com/

The sheriff’s department was called to assist a private security officer who said that he was assaulted while checking on a suspicious person.
Deputies said that Jacinto Botello Reyes, 42, of Longview remained jailed Monday afternoon on a $5,000 bond, charged with assault on a security officer.
According to an arrest report, a deputy responded at about 2 a.m. Sunday to the 1800 block of FM 1845 in reference to the assault.
A security officer told the officer that he was on patrol of the area and was attempting to perform a security check inside Reo Palm Isle when he saw Reyes possibly selling narcotics, the report said. When the security officer attempted to stop Reyes, he resisted and Reyes punched the security officer in the face, the report said.
The security officer was able to subdue Reyes and deputies transported him to the county detention center where he was booked.

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Shoplifter charged after several battles with security www.privateofficer.com

Shoplifter charged after several battles with security http://www.privateofficer.com

ASHTABULA TOWNSHIP OH Nov 26 2008 — An Ashtabula man who tussled with security personnel in two different Ashtabula Township stores Saturday after he reportedly tried to shoplift items was later arrested in a third store, Ashtabula County sheriff’s deputies said.
The incidents at the Wal-Mart and Super Kmart stores were separated by just a couple hours, deputies said.
Deputies charged Hector Claudio, 20, 1701 Blue Jay Circle, with robbery and theft after he reportedly took two compact discs from the Super Kmart store at the Ashtabula Mall. When confronted by store security, Claudio tossed a shopping basket at the employee and ran away.
Deputies followed the man’s tracks in the snow for a distance, then apprehended him a short time later inside the Lowe’s home improvement store on Dillon Drive. Authorities were called at 6:48 p.m.
Deputies believe Claudio is the shoplifter who fought with a security worker at Wal-Mart some two hours earlier. The worker saw a man who matches Claudio’s description remove hair clippers from its packaging, deputies said. When the employee caught up with the man outside the store and tried to escort back into the building, the suspect pushed the employee to the ground and fled the scene on foot, deputies said.

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Famalies get millions because of lack of security www.privateofficer.com

Famalies get millions because of lack of security http://www.privateofficer.com

MIAMI FLA Nov 27 2008

nbc6.net
Two North Miami Beach families lost loved ones to gunfire one day apart and within several hundred yards of each other, NBC 6 reported.
Since then, both families have secured a settlement or a jury award after it was determined public businesses failed to provide protection for customers or tenants.
Starsky Garcia, 27, was gunned down in the parking lot of the Arbors Apartment Complex in North Miami Beach on Dec. 9, 2006

On Dec. 10, 2006, Brad Tempf was killed at a restaurant across the street from the Arbor Grove Apartments.
“My first question is, how can this happen?” Gloria Nader, Garcia’s mother, said.
That’s what Nader’s lawyers asked a jury to consider. They quickly decided that her son’s death warranted an $8 million judgment against the complex’s owners.
According to Douglas McCarron, the perimeter fence of the apartment complex was completely down, the security gates did not function, and there were no security cameras or guards.
The Tempf family’s attorneys made the same allegation — no security guards in a high crime area. The Tempfs also reached a settlement in the case.

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S.C. armored car robbed by heavily armed men www.privateofficer.com

S.C. armored car robbed by heavily armed men http://www.privateofficer.com

Blufton SC Nov 26 2008

BY: Rick McCann
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
http://www.privateofficer.com/
A brazen armored car robbery took place Tuesday as security officers were about to make a delivery of cash to an area bank.
Police said the robbers overtook a guard making a delivery to Bank of America in Bluffton near the Publix shopping center.

The guard was held at gunpoint and was robbed by three heavily armed men, according to Bluffton Police Chief David McAllister.
McAllister said the robbers were carrying automatic weapons.
Police said the robbery was quick and that the men drove off in a white or light-colored four-door car, possibly a Chevrolet Impala or a Ford Focus, traveling east on U.S. 278. Witnesses gave a partial license tag number of “3005,” unknown state.

They made off with an undisclosed amount of money.
Police are currently questioning witnesses. If you have any information about the crime, call the Police Department at 706-4550.

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! www.privateofficer.com

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! http://www.privateofficer.com

Atlanta GA. Nov 25 2008

From the Offices of

PrivateOfficer.com

&

The National Association of

Private Officers

During this time of year we reflect on our many blessings and although things may look a little bleak, we realize how blessed we our.

We still live in the greatest country in the world and we’re free!

May you and your family be blessed on this day of thanksgivings and throughout the coming years.

God bless you!

The Team at PrivateOfficer.com

Stephanie Kay -Operations Manager

Bryan Hill-Director Special Operations Unit

Kyle T. Greene -Membership Director
David Allen Jr.-Marketing Manager

Mike Matthews-Sr. VP.-Operations

Rick McCann-Executive Director

and the rest of our crew!

Scottsdale armored car robbery investigated www.privateofficer.com

Scottsdale armored car robbery investigated http://www.privateofficer.com

SCOTTSDALE AZ NOV 25 2008

By: Bryan Hill
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
http://www.privateofficer.com/– Police responded to a hold up of an armored car at a local store and say that the robber was able to flee unapprehended.
Police said that they are looking for just one suspect in the early morning robbery.
The alleged robbery took place at about 9:30 on Monday morning at a Fry’s store located in the 6000 block of E. Thomas Road.
Police say a suspect armed with a black handgun approached a Loomis Armored employee who had just exited the store, where there is a Bank of America branch.

The suspect reportedly demanded money before the driver was able to get in the armored truck.
The possible description of the lone robber was given as a thin White or Hispanic man, between 27 and 29 years old, 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall, and was wearing a green knit hat and blue jeans.If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact police.
The robber left the scene on foot through a parking lot into a neighboring apartment complex, taking an undisclosed amount of cash with him.
Scottsdale Police officers searched the area but could not locate the suspect.

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Students nab teacher on MySpace sex sting www.privateofficer.com

Students nab teacher on MySpace sex sting http://www.privateofficer.com

Petaluma CA. Nov 25 2008
A Petaluma high school teacher was arrested Saturday morning after allegedly setting up an illicit date with a person he believed was a 15-year-old girl, police and prosecutors said.
Scott Eugene Dietlin, 34, a teacher at Casa Grande High School, was arrested in San Mateo on Saturday after allegedly showing up for a date with “Jackie,” a teenage persona created on MySpace by two teen boys, San Mateo County Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.
The 15-year-old San Mateo County boys posted the online profile as a joke, Wagstaffe said. When Dietlin allegedly contacted “Jackie” in April, the boys initially played along, he said.
“They were playing a joke with their friends and suddenly they’ve got a sexual predator,” Wagstaffe said.
Over time, the communication included sexually explicit e-mails and text messages, police said. At one point, Dietlin allegedly sent “Jackie” a naked photo of himself, Wagstaffe said.
Contact faded but resumed in recent weeks and the boys finally decided to call police, Wagstaffe said.
Burlingame police began posing as “Jackie” and set up a date at a location in San Mateo on Saturday, Wagstaffe said.
Dietlin showed up that morning and was taken into custody, police said. His bail has been set at $550,000.
Burlingame police searched Dietlin’s car and Petaluma home, seizing items including condoms, a computer and a cell phone, police said.
Dietlin, who teaches world history and economics, has worked at Casa Grande High School for nine years, Superintendent Greta Viguie said.
A substitute teacher has taken over his classes and counselors are on hand at the school to speak with any students distressed by the allegations, Viguie said.
“We recognize that this is a difficult time … and our focus is on the students and educational programs and ensuring that we continue to provide a high-quality educational experience for our students,” Viguie said.
A letter is being sent home to parents today, she said.

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Security officer stabs attacker to death www.privateofficer.com

Security officer stabs attacker to death http://www.privateofficer.com

(WOFL FOX 35) Orlando FLA Nov 25 2008 — Orange County Sheriff’s detectives said a security guard stabbed and killed a man who threatened and fought him.On Friday, deputies arrived to Dorscher Road/Woodhill Park Drive for a stabbing.

When they arrived, they met with Nathaniel Snow, a security guard at the apartment complex. Snow said he had been stabbed by a man in a fight that began when he attempted to escort the person from the apartment complex.

When emergency officials arrived, they found the suspect, Marcus Ballard, has been stabbed five times and had a collapsed lung.

He was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center in critical condition and later died.

The security guard told officers that when he asked Ballard his name, he became argumentative. When the guard tried to restrain Ballard, he began to fight.

Snow told officers that just before loosing consciousness, he reached for his knife he carried on his utility belt and as a last resort, stabbed the suspect who was allegedly on top of him with a knee in his chest.

Orange County deputies said no arrests were made after the incident and that the guard’s account of what happened matches with evidence collected and witness statements.

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K-Mart employee charged in felony theft scam www.privateofficer.com

K-Mart employee charged in felony theft scam http://www.privateofficer.com

WOODBRIDGE NJ Nov 25 2008

BY: Rick McCann
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
http://www.privateofficer.com/ Authorities say that they were notified by a local loss prevention manager that an employee had scammed the store out of a large amount of merchandise and cash.
Police investigators assisted security agents at the K-Mart store where they found that an electronics department employee had been stealing both mass amounts of merchandise and cash from her employer. The Rahway woman was arrested Friday for allegedly having stolen $130,000 in cash and merchandise from the K-Mart store she worked at for about a year, police said Monday
According to the investigation by internal loss prevention agents, employee Alexandria Dozier, 21, had carried electronics out of the St. Georges Avenue store in K-Mart bags for several months, a police report said.

She also allegedly rang up items on the register without actually paying for them, then returned them and took the money, a security manager told police.

According to police, officers arrived at the K-Mart and met with store security personnel and took dozier into custody just before 7 p.m. and charged her with a series of felony theft charges.
She was booked into and then later released from the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick on Saturday after posting $25,000 bail, according to officials there.

But this investigation is not over said K-Mart loss prevention officials who say that they are still conducting an ongoing investigation and that more arrests may occur, the police report said.

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Mall uses billboards to flash shoplifter mugshots www.privateofficer.com

Mall uses billboards to flash shoplifter mugshots http://www.privateofficer.com

Staten Island NY NOV. 25 2008
Staten Island shoplifters, beware: ‘Tis definitely better to give than deceive this holiday season.
Shoppers caught filling their stockings (or anything else) with stolen merchandise could find their faces flashing every six minutes on electronic billboards in the Staten Island Mall. The first-of-its-kind program – initially to feature five convicted Staten Island shoplifters – will run through Christmas.
“I wanted to do something just to warn people who might have ideas about shoplifting,” said Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan, whose office created the program. “With economic times hard, more people might consider doing this. We just want people to be forewarned.”

The digital mug shots in the 15-second ad are of five Staten Islanders already convicted of shoplifting. This rogues’ gallery could grow to include anyone arrested and convicted in the upcoming weeks, Donovan said.
“We can put more people up, take more people down,” he said. “If you shoplift in this mall, your picture may end up here, too.”
Donovan says the intent is not to stigmatize the thieves, but to remind the estimated 1.3 million shoppers who will visit the mall between now and the end of the holidays of the crime’s consequences. The cost of the ads was covered with assets forfeited by local criminals, and the DA’s office got a discounted ad rate.

The DA worked with Adspace Digital Mall Network to create the ad, which will run between sales pitches for stores around the two-story mall.
Statistics indicated shoplifting was on the rise even before the current economic crisis. A survey of 24 top retailers showed 626,000 shoplifting arrests last year, up more than 9% from the previous year. The two dozen retailers reported nearly $7 billion in losses.
Donovan’s plan was hailed by several mall managers, including one from the Gap and another from Macy’s. Christa Conte, a spokeswoman for Adspace, said the goal of the electronic billboards is to target shoppers at the point of purchase – and the mug shots are simply a new twist on the concept.
It was a twist Donovan didn’t expect. The DA said he’s no computer maven and initially conceived of hanging posters around the mall before the idea for a high-tech alternative came up.
“This is not a victimless crime,” Donovan said. “Merchants are losing money every day. This is going to capture people’s eyes and attention.”

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Bubble gum thief gets jail time www.privateofficer.com

Bubble gum thief gets jail time http://www.privateofficer.com

Queens NYC NY Nov 25 2008 — A New York man will serve four months in jail after pleading guilty to grand larceny charges related to the theft of 54 packs of bubble gum, a judge says.
Judge Robert Raciti of Queens Criminal Court handed down the sentence to William Rouse, 47, who was allegedly seen on a surveillance camera attempting to steal the bubble gum from an area Kmart last week, the New York Post said Monday.
Sources said before Rouse could leave the scene of the crime with his chewable booty, a security guard stopped him and allegedly found the bubble gum in a bag Rouse was carrying.
The Post said the four-month jail sentence was given to Rouse for the estimated $172 theft due to a prior alleged bubble gum theft.
Court documents indicate that on July 31 a Wholesale Club manager caught Rouse allegedly attempting to steal 25 packs of gum from the store.

It wasn’t reported whether Rouse was convicted in that case.

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Knoxville school employee, daughter charged in theft sting www.privateofficer.com

Knoxville school employee, daughter charged in theft sting http://www.privateofficer.com

Knoxville TN. Nov 25 2008
knoxnews
A schools employee, arrested in the same shoplifting sting that benched 8 Austin-East football players, is on paid administrative leave as the schools investigate.
Bobbie Lou Pickering was arrested, along with her 17-year-old daughter, on Saturday.
The Ritta Elementary bookkeeper was charged, along with her daughter, with shoplifting at the same Marshall’s location on Washington Pike.
Pickering, 37, is a bookkeeper at Ritta Elementary. She is now charged with shoplifting and contributing to the delinquency of a child.
The school district plans to audit the financial records at Ritta Elementary, following Pickering’s arrest.
During the investigation, she could receive a reassignment of duties, if the superintendent chooses.
The arrest report says Pickering took almost $30 worth of merchandise. Her teenaged daughter allegedly stole almost $10 worth of merchandise at Marshall’s and about $9 worth of products at Ross.
Pickering was previously investigated for shoplifting in 1997, but the charges were dismissed.
The schools are notified by law enforcement whenever an employee is arrested.
Wednesday afternoon, Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre told the Austin-East players personally that they would not be allowed to play Friday. Wednesday night, he told the school board.
A student at Gibbs High School has also received a one-week suspension from any extra-curricular activities in connection with the shoplifting arrests, but the schools did not identify that student by name.

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Steelcase security officer pleads guilty www.privateofficer.com

Steelcase security officer pleads guilty http://www.privateofficer.com

GRAND RAPIDS MI NOV 25 2008

Kyle T. Greene
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
http://www.privateofficer.com/– A 46-year-old Grant man police say secretly recorded a woman using a breast pump at Steelcase Corporation has pleaded guilty to a felony.
Gregory Mannino pleaded guilty Monday in Kent County Circuit Court to capturing or distributing the image of an unclothed person.

He could face up to five years in prison when sentenced Jan. 22.
Mannino was employed at Steelcase in corporate security when he used a camera and recorder in a room another employee used to pump breast milk for her infant.

Mannino, charged Sept. 5, no longer is employed at Steelcase.
Mannino sought to have the charge dismissed before Kent County Circuit Court Judge Mark Trusock, but ended up pleading guilty, court officials said.

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20 Prisoners impersonate police in phone scam from jail www.privateofficer.com

20 Prisoners impersonate police in phone scam from jail http://www.privateofficer.com

CHICAGO IL NOV 25 2008
chicagosun Twenty Cook County Jail inmates are charged with impersonating a police officer for taking part in fraudulent phone calls, a scam that charged a total of more than $50,000 in illegal calls and prompted installation of a new phone system at the jail.

Most of the offenders, charged over several days late last week, face one count of impersonation of a police officer, a felony that could add up to three years on their sentences, according to a release from the Cook County Sheriff’s office.

The scam was conducted by inmates housed in various areas of the jail, from minimum security dorms to maximum security wings, who, because they were pre-trial detainees not yet been convicted of crimes, were entitled to use pay phones in jail day rooms, the release said.

The inmates were able to “hijack” victims’ phone numbers and charge subsequent collect calls to victims’ home accounts. Inmates would place collect calls to random numbers and pose as a police officer, telling the individual who answered that a loved one was in an auto accident and in order to get more information, they should dial a series of numbers to reach an officer at the scene, the release said.

The inmate instructs the person to call a number beginning with “*72″ or “1172.” Dialing the number opens the victim’s phone line for use by the inmate, allowing the phone at the jail to continue to be used until the victim contacts their phone company.

The investigation began in early June and concluded with the charges brought last week, the release said.

Offenders placed calls to random numbers in Chicago, Maywood, Gary, Ind.; Las Vegas, Jefferson, Texas; London, Ky.; Willowville, Ohio and Berwick, Nova Scotia.

“The old phone system allowed inmates to reach out from behind bars to victimize people in their own homes,” Sheriff Tom Dart said the release. “Listening to these calls is heartbreaking, especially when you hear the fear in the voices of the victims.”

In one case, offender Antoine Simmons allegedly called a Las Vegas home on July 17 and speaks with an 11-year-old boy, the release said. Simmons, linked to nearly 80 scam jailhouse calls, got the boy to copy the fraudulent number and dial it, opening the phone line for two days and racking up $115 in fraudulent charges.

In a second case, inmate Marquez Ellis called a Texas home on Oct. 30 and spoke to a woman with a heart condition who was so upset by the call, she handed the phone to another relative who tearfully took down the umber and begged the inmate “officer” to tell her that her loved ones were not dead.

Ultimately, the women followed the inmate’s instructions, resulting in about $60 in fraudulent charges.

To stop the scam, a new phone system was installed throughout the jail campus in late OCtober. New features include a longer introduction that specifically states, “This is a collect call from an inmate at the Cook County Department of Corrections in Chicago, Illinois.

Be aware of unlawful solicitation or deceptive practices.” It also warns those answering the phone not to dial “*72″ or “1172.” It also allows citizens to call the jail and have their phone number blocked from being dialed by inmates. Anyone wishing to do so should call (773) 869-6838 .

The system also features voice biometrics, which go into effect next year. It records an inmate’s voice when he is processed into the jail and is retained as a “vocal fingerprint” enabling officers to track an inmate to fraudulent calls.

Offenders from Chicago charged with felonies include: — Anthony Alexander, 24, of 1432 N. Maplewood; — Nicholas Akerele, 27, of 175 N. Harbor Dr.; — Christopher Baggett, 27, of 730 N. Lockwood Ave.; — Bruce Booker, 26, of 7007 S. Elizabeth; — Deonte Clayborn, 20, of 935 E. 45th St.; — Kentrell Culbreath, 28, of 9139 S. Commercial; — Javon Dockery, 23, of 5246 S. Morgan; — Markez Ellis, 26, of 4057 W. Cullerton; — Kazeen Kareem, 27, of 3726 W. 84th St.; — Antonio Mathis, 24, of 3536 W. 12th St.; — Correail Nash, 21, of 5614 S. Troop; — Frank Thomas, 27, of 6914 Elizabeth; — Donnell Turman, 18, of 5525 S. Everett; — Kenyhatta Williams, 26 of 711 S. Western Ave.; and — Jaber Wilson, 22, of 7526 S. Eberhart.

Also charged with felonies were Ronnie Gordon, 26, of 1010 S. 11th Ave. in Maywood; and Timothy Simmons, 30, of 14528 Vail in Dixmoor.

Charged with misdemeanors were Albert Collins, 23, of 6611 S. Paulina, Chicago; and Simmons, 30.

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Nashville Plane Crash Kills 3 www.privateofficer.com

 

Nashville TN. Nov 24 2008

Metro police have tentatively identified the three victims of this morning’s twin-engine plane crash in Whites Creek as pilot Greg Secrest, 67; Rodney “Nick” Tillman, 49; and his wife, Rebecca Ann Tillman, 42.

All three victims were from Hot Springs, Ark., where the airplane took off this morning on its way to Nashville International Airport.

Nick Tillman was a co-owner of Earthbound Trading Company and was on his way to Nashville for a business trip.

The cause of the crash is still being investigated, and positive identification of the victims through dental records is pending.

Witnesses say the small twin-engine plane was spinning as it dropped into a treeline in north Nashville and burst into flames.

Three people were killed in the crash, reported at 10:45 a.m. in Whites Creek. Metro police have not yet released the names of the victims, but the plane’s flight plan indicates they were traveling from Arkansas to Nashville International Airport.
It’s not yet known whether there was a distress call from the small plane before the crash.

Mark Clayton was sitting in his Laws Road home when he heard, then saw, the plane coming down.

“It sounded like a tractor-trailer with a bad clutch,” said Clayton. “It was flat and spinning for a few seconds, but it seemed longer.”

Clayton was one of several people in the neighborhood who heard the crash and ran up a hill toward the wooded area where the plane landed. The heat was intense and there was no help to offer.

He saw the tail and the cone, and everything else was on fire.

Joey Dixon also ran up the hill after he and his 13-year-old son saw the plane come down. He called 911 and ran, hoping there was some help he could give.
“We were hoping to find somebody okay,” Dixon said. “We didn’t find anybody.”

The Federal Aviation Administration was expected to be on the scene this afternoon to investigate. Metro investigators found the bodies outside of the wreckage, which burned off fuel for about an hour and a half.

Wildlife police officers protect, educate and risk their lives www.privateofficer.com

Wildlife police officers protect, educate and risk their lives http://www.privateofficer.com

Atlanta GA. Nov 24 2008

BY: Rick McCann
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
http://www.privateofficer.com/
Perched high above the ground in what looked like a camouflaged tent, he peered through the screened opening with his binoculars as he quietly chewed spearmint gum. He had come prepared for the long haul with snacks, binoculars, water, and his weapon. He knew that on this humid late August day that his wait would not be in vain because he had scoped out the area weeks earlier and spotted a bed of clover and sweet grass that someone had planted to lure the deer to the open fields of this state forest. He waits in silence for his prey. But it wasn’t the deer that he was looking to spot.

Two men glide into the back waters of the Louisiana countryside maneuvering their aluminum boat through the murky waters early one Saturday morning in June. The sun is shining brightly as the temperatures hover around 80. Indeed a beautiful day for fishing or bagging a load of mudbugs AKA crawfish and plenty of people are already staking out their spots in these waters as the two men nod and wave as their eyes scan inside the fisherman’s boats as they make their way deeper into this sportsman’s paradise but they won’t be doing any fishing today.

An eight point buck lowers his head as if to feed on the thick grass still heavy with dew near a rural road as a brown pick up truck slowly and quietly rolls to a stop as the passenger pops of two rounds. Both he and the driver are in disbelief as the deer continues to stand and wavers not. He’s sure he struck the deer straight on he tells his buddy as a dark SUV creeps out of a heavy underbrush area with blue lights flashing. They have been busted by a decoy metal deer and a team of wildlife officers fighting illegal poaching.

Some are called fish and game law enforcement officers, others game wardens, conservation police or fish and game officers and rangers but whatever they’re called and wherever they work, they are the men and woman who stand between our natural resources being monitored and policed or the extinction of certain species of fish and game. These officers are not well liked by many avid hunters and fishermen especially those who do it commercially because they feel that the officers limit their ability to make a living by enforcing certain fish and game limits. But officers do much more than check a few fishing licenses or look for the occasional poacher or over the limit hunter. Investigators of these state and federal agencies are spending more of their time and resources in deep undercover operations as they fight the increasing international demands of animal parts for food, medicine and selfishness of having animals hanging from their walls or in glassed cases.

While many might see a conservation officer’s job as boring, mundane, or routine, officers can tell you differently. Wildlife officers are in a dangerous and diversified position that is changing rapidly. Officers are often faced with armed violators just as part of who they deal with frequently. Fishermen armed with knives for filleting and occasional guns for personal protection and of course hunters armed with high-powered deadly cross bows, rifles, shotguns, and sidearms. Back up for these officers can easily be thirty to sixty minutes away as they stare down or try to defuse a situation. Besides the daily violations of hunting and fishing laws, officers are finding more criminals living in our woodlands as they find the areas to be secluded and far enough away from most law enforcement that they can operate openly. Meth labs and large grow marijuana farms are also popping up more frequently in our state and federal forests as city and county drug raids are driving people to areas of seclusion, privacy and everything that a survivalist could want, fresh air, plenty of food, water, shelter and most of all anonymity.

One such encounter turned deadly on September 20 2008 when Kristine Fairbanks, a 22 year veteran of the U.S. Department of Agriculture police got out to check a van that wasn’t displaying a license plate. Officer Fairbanks was shot and killed in a wooded area and authorities never learned why because her killer was shot and killed in a gun battle with police later that day. Others officers have been stabbed beat and shot while protecting our waters, woodlands and our country yet those incidents don’t always garner the headlines like a police shout-out in a major city. Yet, the dangers are just as real as these officers enforce the laws everyday and put their lives on the line just as frequent.

As Americans are finding their way back to the beauty of our lakes, rivers, lush forests and beautiful mountains to hike, fish, hunt, and enjoy time with family and friends, these men and woman will be waiting there to welcome you, guide you, educate you and protect you and all that they ask in return is for you to respect the land, the quantity limits, your fellow man and the job that they have and are honored to do.

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