Archive for December, 2008
Posted by privateofficernews on December 31, 2008
Read, think, train for the unexpected www.privateofficer.com
Atlanta GA Dec 31 2008
BY: Rick McCann
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
www.privateofficer.com
I can still remember what it felt like to sit down and watch the evening news every night with my dad. First, we’d sit and watch the local news and then the world news with Walter Cronkite. In the mornings, we’d often race to the door to see who got the morning newspaper first.
Even at the age of 9 or 10, I loved reading and hearing about the news. Not just the sports, but the crime beat and stories of local interests and politics and news from all over the world. It was educational and actually served as a training tool for life. I would consume details of the different news articles and learn as much as I could about the topic or area and sometimes I would place myself in the story to see what I might have done differently had I been in their shoes. This was and still is especially true with crime stories. I’m still the same way today and I love to read the news and constantly flip between CNN, Fox News, NBC, CNBC, and the local Atlanta stations.
I have found that the news actually is a good resource for what I do everyday and I use the news often in my training, marketing , various writings and even security planning and procedure for companies that I consult for, own or speak to. I try to take away something from every piece of news that I watch or read.
News items are like watching reels of football footage before the big game or studying your opponent before the wrestling or chess match. The more information that you have on a subject, the better prepared that you’ll be by knowing their strengths and weakness, habits and traits and how they operate. It also allows you to use this information to set up various scenarios and “what ifs” so that you’ll be prepared for whatever comes your way. Reading about a situation can be informative and shows what types of things or crime are taking place locally and nationally. These news articles allow a person to study how the people involved in the incident were taken advantage of, accosted, robbed, assaulted etc, the methods that the bad guy used to perpetrate the crimes, how the victims reacted and it gives you the opportunity to look at it from the outside and figure out what happened, what you might have done differently, and to get a game plan together should the same thing happen to you, your business, your client or those around you.
I have been involved through-out my life in many emergency drills as a volunteer fireman, rescue responder, law enforcement officer, security and public safety chief, emergency management responder, chaplain, military officer and can easily remember all of the “what-ifs” mock disasters, fire scenes, plane crashes, kidnappings and negotiations, mass murders, riots, bomb explosions, and everything else that a mind can think up that we turned into training. Was it because we were under any particular threat, heightened risk or there was even a remote possibility that these huge disasters would happen? No, not really, but then again, we never know what the day will bring our way, do we?
Today, we call it “Situational Training” and it can make a difference between a prepared department, agency or officer and one that will be overwhelmed when a major situation or incident occurs in their jurisdiction or company. Without training, there is no way to know how you’ll respond to a particular problem or disaster, emergency or a major crime scene.
Long before the tragedies of Columbine and 9/11, emergency responders which includes all law enforcement, fire and medical personnel, civil defense agencies which are now called emergency management and others would coordinate and drill together so that they could know how well they would work together, if they could communicate, what their response times would be, did they have the right equipment to handle the particular disaster or crime scene, would there be enough personnel to manage the scene and so forth. This also allowed for mistakes and short comings to happen there, at the mock drill instead of during an actual emergency.
Now, most colleges, universities, shopping malls, large corporations, airports and many security departments including contract and proprietary have been included in or initiated their own training drills, operating procedures and they have used information from prior events to help guide them in their endeavors to strengthen their training, equipment and personnel.
As professional security personnel, we must step outside of the old mindset of observe and report and be ready to take a more proactive role in our duties and that includes being ready and able to respond correctly to the many different situations, incidents and scenarios that we could face in our daily job. While the frequency of these responses may be limited, depending on your assignment location and duties, the likelihood of you responding to medical emergencies, bomb threats, fires, armed robberies, shootings, muggings, fights, natural disasters and just about anything that your mind can imagine are high. As security officers, we are already primary responders in, on, and around the properties that we have been hired to protect, and incidents are bound to happen on your site.
Recently I read a comment on a forum from a loss prevention agent who was questioning several security supervisors who were role playing “what-if” scenarios and they were brainstorming how they would respond. He commented that it was stupid to plan for things that’ll never happen to them or on the properties where they worked. I was first sadden by the LP’s comments because it showed that he had not thought about all of the things that can go wrong even in his own work environment as a store security agent. Stopping shoplifters is highly dangerous and many different problems can and do arise from making an apprehension. Many LP’s are injured, run over, and stabbed, sometimes shot and in 2007, 4 were killed trying to stop a shoplifter. There was also a kidnapping of a store security agent and numerous other serious situations that all came about during a shoplifting stop. So, the LP misspoke and probably is in danger himself because he has not prepared himself mentally or physically and he has not trained for the possibilities that could occur on his job while trying to perform his duties.
Situational Training is extremely necessary in this day and age. If you work in law enforcement, private security, the fire or medical service or any area of private or public safety, training is essential for proper, safe, and speedy response when a crises or major incident does occur on your watch. Training is the key that unlocks the door into that situation and allows you to enter with a clear, confident, and tactful approach instead of a panicked, overwhelmed, and haphazard response.
If you’re department doesn’t train for crises and major incidents as often as you’d like or maybe not at all, talk with your superiors and see if you can set up mock drills. Work with other departments within your company and coordinate them with area responders like police and fire departments. They’ll be glad to be involved and it’ll strengthen your relationship with those agencies. And don’t be afraid to work out situations and what-ifs among your peers and co-workers. It will make a difference when that time comes!
==================================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
www.privateofficer.com/
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox!
Sign up;adminassist@privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! www.privateofficer.com
Posted in loss prevention, police, security | Tagged: loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, loss prevention training, national association of private officers, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security officer training, security police association, security training, www.privateofficer.com | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on December 31, 2008
Town fires police chief to avoid tax increase www.privateofficer.com
MILLERSBURG, Pa. Dec 31 2008 – The last day on the job for the police chief of this small central Pennsylvania town will be Wednesday after the Borough Council fired him to avoid a tax increase.
Mayor Brian Musa said he strongly disagreed with the decision, although some residents say the town of 2,700 people is safe with or without Chief Kurt Braun.
The other three full-time officers will stay. Musa said the council also cut funds for part-time police officers, leaving Millersburg more reliant on state troopers stationed farther away.
Braun said he was being penalized for doing a good job and keeping the town safe the last 6 1/2 years. Braun, who has been a police officer for 50 years, says he will begin looking for a new job.
=================================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
Posted in police | Tagged: chief kurt braun, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, millersburg pa, 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, town fires police chief to void taxes, www.privateofficer.com | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on December 31, 2008
Shoplifting suspect faces grand larceny charges www.privateofficer.com
SOUTHEAST NY Dec 31 2008 An Ulster County woman faces charges of grand larceny following her arrest for allegedly stealing more than $1,000 worth of merchandise from the Kohl’s Department Store in the Putnam County Town of Southeast.
Brewster State Police were dispatched to the store off Independence Way and I-84 late Saturday night where according to Sgt. Joseph Malorgio, store security had detained the alleged shoplifter.
Trooper Robert Lombardi arrested Zoe Ventrigilia, 33, of Highland, on charges of grand larceny for reportedly leaving the store with a shopping cart filled with merchandise totaling $1006.
During a search of the suspect, police reportedly found a quantity of assorted pills and controlled substances in the woman’s possession for which she did not have a valid prescription. Additional charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance were lodged.
Ventrigilia was arraigned and remanded to the Putnam Correctional Facility in lieu of $2,000 bail pending future court action.
District Attorney Adam Levy told the Putnam Courier the grand larceny charge was a Class E felony carrying a potential four year state prison term upon conviction.
=============================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
Posted in loss prevention, security made app/arrest | Tagged: kohl's, 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, shoplifting arrest, southeast ny, www.privateofficer.com, zoe ventrigilia | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on December 31, 2008
Son of KS. sheriff charged with rape, dad won’t help www.privateofficer.com
Wyandotte KS Dec 31 2008
BY: Rick McCann
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
http://www.privateofficer.com/
The Wyandotte County Sheriff Leroy Green Jr. says he’s deeply saddened that his 35-year-old son is charged with child sex crimes but that he will not involve himself or his agency in this matter.
In a written statement issued Tuesday, the sheriff said he “has disqualified himself from any involvement” in the 15-count case against Leroy Green III. The younger Green is charged with nine counts of rape and six counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.
According to his arrest report, Green is accused of engaging in lewd fondling or sexual intercourse with his victims, all of whom were under the age of 14. The charges allege that the acts began in 2001 and continued until August. The arrest came after a lengthy investigation by other law enforcement departments and is on going.
Bond for Green has been set at $1 million.
The sheriff’s statement said that as a father, he is “deeply saddened and disheartened by the charges that have been brought against” his son. However, the sheriff has vowed to let the justice system take its course of due process and said that he will in no way try to intervene or interfere on his son’s behalf.
================================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
Posted in police | Tagged: 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, www.privateofficer.com | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on December 31, 2008
Cleveland man charged with a dozen bank robberies www.privateofficer.com
CLEVELAND OH Dec 31 2008
clevelandnewssource —- Kenneth Gibson, 33, of Cleveland, was arrested Monday, minutes after he robbed the National City Bank branch at 10900 Lorain Road, the FBI said.
Gibson faces 12 charges of federal bank robbery. Each carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
He’s also accused of robbing
• PNC Bank in Erie, Pa., Oct. 27• Key Bank in Akron
Oct. 29;• First Merit Bank in Bath Township
Oct. 29;• National City Bank in Austintown, Oh.,
Nov. 3;• National City Bank in Montville
Nov. 10• National City Bank in Oregon, Oh.,
Nov. 14;• PNC Bank in Erie
Nov. 21;• Fifth Third Bank in Westerville
Dec. 1;• Fifth Third Bank in Sheffield
Dec. 3;• First Merit Bank in Amherst
Dec. 5; and • Key Bank in Jackson Township Dec. 22.
Agents said he entered the bank branches with notes demanding money.
The FBI does not reveal how much money is taken in bank robberies.
==============================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
Posted in police | Tagged: bak robberies, cleveland ohio, kenneth gibson, 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, www.privateofficer.com | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on December 31, 2008
Security guard shoots boyfriend of ex-wife www.privateofficer.com
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. Dec 31 2008
By: Bryan Hill
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
http://www.privateofficer.com/– An armed man wearing a security guard uniform shot the boyfriend of his estranged wife at a West Palm Beach shopping center Tuesday night, according to sheriff’s investigators.
Investigators said the assailant shot the man, later identified as 30-year-old Juan C. Gil of Miami. at about 8:30 p.m. at a Polo Grounds Shopping Plaza parking lot at Military Trail and Summit Boulevard.
Police said that Gil was shot several times in the stomach and was rushed to an area hospital where he was last listed in serious condition, according to the sheriff’s office.
A nearby Florida Highway Patrol trooper who was working private duty for the shopping plaza arrested the suspected assailant without incident with charges pending.
Police have identified the suspect as security guard Nelson Monzon, 39, who they say was in uniform and but was not working as security there, Sheriff’s officials report.
Monzon, a West Palm Beach resident, confronted Gil and argued and then shot him in the stomach numerous times, according to updated information released this morning.
Gil, who was described as the boyfriend of Monzon’s estranged wife, was flown by helicopter to Delray Medical Center where he underwent surgery. Sheriff’s officials this morning report Gil is expected to survive his wounds.
================================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
Posted in police, security, security guard arrested | Tagged: juan gil, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, national association of private officers, nelson monzon, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard shoots boyfriend of ex wife, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, west palm beach florida, www.privateofficer.com | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on December 31, 2008
Credit union robberies were inside job www.privateofficer.com
Houston TX Dec 31 2008
chron.com A recent armed robbery at a Spring-area credit union was an inside job a former employee planned with accomplices, federal investigators said Tuesday.
Authorities said the worker also admitted planning and robbing the same credit union a few months earlier.
Houston residents Dorcell Devon Johnson, Dominique Sherrard Ervin, both 19, and Carl Edward Preston Jr., 18, are accused of bank robbery in a criminal complaint.
Investigators say they stole about $200,000 on Nov. 5 from Investex Credit Union in the 200 block of Cypresswood.
In a hearing Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Calvin Botley ordered the trio held without bail while they await trial because he said they pose a danger to the community.
No trial date has been set.
Johnson’s, Ervin’s and Preston’s defense attorneys said they could not comment because they have not had time to review all of the evidence.
According to authorities, Johnson was a customer service worker at the credit union when it was robbed. He was on duty when Preston and Ervin, wearing masks, stormed the bank brandishing shotguns, officials said.
Preston, investigators said, pointed his gun at the credit union’s security guard and took his pistol and cell phone.
He and Ervin then allegedly marched the guard and Johnson to the bank vault, where another employee was working. The gunmen ordered the employees to stuff money into a bag, authorities said.
Then Ervin shot the screen of a security camera television monitor in the vault, and he and Preston fled in a white four-door car that they had parked nearby, officials said.
Kevin Katz, an FBI special agent, testified Tuesday that police became suspicious of Johnson when they watched surveillance tapes of the heist because he appeared to be unafraid during the robbery.
“This is an inside-job bank robbery,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney David Searle.
Investigators said Johnson had worked at the credit union about two years. He no longer is employed at the institution, they said.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office alerted investigators Dec. 18, authorities said, after a deputy found three shotguns and money bundled in stacks with straps marked with the credit union’s name in Johnson’s apartment.
The deputy had gone to the apartment because the landlord called police about a gunshot fired in the unit. No one appeared to be injured.
No one was at the apartment when the deputy arrived, but the landlord unlocked the door and the deputy went inside to check if anyone was hurt.
When investigators spoke with Johnson about the money and guns, he admitted that he had helped plan the theft and that Ervin and Preston were the gunmen, authorities said.
Investigators said that he told Ervin and Preston details about the bank and that they split the stolen money.
Investigators said Ervin and Preston also admitted their roles in the heist.
Johnson further said that he had planned a robbery at the same credit union Aug. 27 with another accomplice.
In that robbery, investigators said, a masked gunman netted about $126,000. Investigators said they have yet to determine the robber’s identity in that bank job.
About $6,000 of the money stolen in the two heists has been recovered.
Investigators said they also received a tip that Johnson, Preston and others had planned to rob another Spring-area bank.
If convicted of bank robbery, Johnson, Ervin and Preston each face up to 20 years in prison, Searle said. Their sentences could be increased because guns were used.
================================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
Posted in police | Tagged: Carl Edward Preston Jr, credit union robberies, Dominique Sherrard Ervin, Dorcell Devon Johnson, houston texas, Investex credit union, 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, www.privateofficer.com | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on December 31, 2008
Newport News police lieutenant charged in abuduction, sex crimes www.privateofficer.com
YORK COUNTY, Va. Dec 31 2008
wave10.com – Newport News Police Lieutenant Ronald Hendrickson was arrested by the York-Porquoson Sheriff’s Office Tuesday.
Sgt. Dennis Ivey of the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office tells WAVY.com that Hendrickson was arrested in the early morning hours on December 26. Ivey says another individual called the Sheriff’s office to report the crime.
“It’s difficult for victims to come forward a lot of times. She did cooperate with the investigation, but it is difficult and it’s not uncommon for a victim to report third party. That’s something that’s not uncommon at all,” says Ivey.
Deputies began to investigate and after interviewing the alleged victim and Hendrickson, Ivey says detectives determined a crime occurred.
“Several of the charges are sexual in nature. There’s two abduction charges, one sexual battery charge, and a sexual object penetration charge,” says Ivey.
The alleged victim is an 18-year-old, who according to Ivey, was not physically hurt.
Hendrickson is currently on administrative leave, according to Newport News Police Spokesperson Lou Thurston. Thurston added that an internal investigation is ongoing.
Hendrickson is a 23-year veteran of the Newport News Police Department. He was assigned to the South Precinct. Ivey tells WAVY.com the investigation is challenging.
“It’s extremely difficult,” says Ivey. “I was involved in the investigation, as well as my Lieutenant, as well as one other investigator and I actually knew this person, not well, but had known him over the years. Even though he does wear the same badge that we do, I have to set that aside because the victim is our first concern and to make sure that justice is served. I mean it doesn’t matter that he wears a badge. We’re going to investigate it and we did investigate it vigorously…We want to make sure that first and foremost that justice is served for the victim and second of all, a person that does this type of crime does not need to be wearing a badge.”
Hendrickson is currently being held without bond at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail.
“He has to be in isolation protective custody due to his status, which we made sure that we communicated very well with the regional jail and they’ve been very accommodating to make sure, we want to make sure that he’s protected,” says Ivey.
=================================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
Posted in police | Tagged: lieutenant ronald hendrickson arrested, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, lt ronald hendrickson, national association of private officers, newport virginia police, ron hendrickson, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, www.privateofficer.com | 1 Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on December 30, 2008
Lexington KY Dec 30 2008
By: Rick McCann
Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers
www.privateofficer.com
Authorities in Kentucky said that an Ohio Police Chief was killed in an accident at the I-75/I-64 Interchange in Lexington Tuesday.
Owensville Police Chief Paul Sturgill was hit by a car after he got out of his wrecked vehicle. Lexington police and investigators believe that the 55-year-old was heading north on I-75 when his car went out of control, and he hit a barrier. Investigators say that Sturgill then got out of his vehicle.
As Sturgill checked the damage on his car, he was hit by a vehicle driven by Steven Fitchelman of Kennesaw, Georgia.
Sturgill was rushed to the University of Kentucky Medical Center but police said that he died there of his injuries. Fitchelman was also injured d not report to what extent.
The chief was among four people killed when rain, freezing rain and sleet iced over roadways across Kentucky and snarled holiday traffic.
The 55-year-old Sturgill was returning from Tennessee after picking up his mother to bring her to the Tri-state for the holidays.
Sturgill’s mother, 73-year-old Alma Sturgill, was in serious condition at a hospital in Lexington.
Sturgill is survived by his wife and an adult daughter.
Owensville is a small town twenty miles from downtown Cincinnati.
adminassist@privateofficer.com
visit us at myspace.com/privateofficernews
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: owensville ohio police chief, paul sturgill killed in wreck, police chief paul sturgill, police chief paul sturgill killed | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on December 30, 2008
Security officer charged with posing as police officer www.privateofficer.com
Crofton, Md. Dec 30 2008 – Late Sunday night, Anne Arundel police arrested a gym security guard posing as a police officer. Around 10:43 p.m. Sunday, police noticed two vehicles stopped in the left turn lane from southbound Route 3 onto southbound Route 424.
Stopping at the scene, they saw a man in a black t-shirt with “POLICE” written on it, a black hat with “POLICE” on it, a gold badge hanging around his neck and a police duty belt with a handgun, handcuffs and a baton hanging from it.
The man in police gear, later identified as 19-year-old Justin White of Baltimore, claimed to be an off-duty Baltimore County police officer and told the officers that he made a traffic stop when the other driver cut him off while speeding. When he was asked to produce police identification, he only had a security guard ID card from a gym.
It was determined that White was not a police officer and that the handgun he wore was a starter pistol. He was arrested and charged with impersonating a police officer.
============================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
Posted in security guard arrested | Tagged: crofton maryland, justin white, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, national association of private officers, police officer imposter, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, www.privateofficer.com | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on December 30, 2008
School security, janitor’s efforts stop fire from spreading
Pocono PA Dec 30 2008
A fire broke out in the ceiling of a small classroom at Pleasant Valley Middle School at 11:45 a.m. on Sunday. The fire was contained to that room.
A custodian who tried to put out the fire was treated for smoke inhalation. The man, whose name was not released, was taken to the hospital as a precaution, Superintendent Doug Arnold said.
There were no other injuries.
Arnold said he expects the school to be ready to open on Monday, Jan. 5.
The fire broke out in the ceiling of an in-school suspension room at the school. Arnold said the only things burned were the ceiling light fixtures and part of the teacher’s desk where the light fixtures fell.
The fire marshal was called to the scene to investigate the specific origin of the fire.
The custodian was working his regular shift when he heard the smoke alarm. He called 911 to report the fire and radioed the security officer on duty. They tried to put out the fire, but weren’t successful.
West End Fire Chief Brian Snyder classified the small fire as “light” with smoke to the room. “There’s some cleaning up to do,” Snyder said.
“Thank God the kids weren’t here,” Snyder said.
Arnold said custodial and maintenance workers are being called to clean up the area.
“It was fortunate that there’s no school today and it was a minimal disruption,” Arnold said.
“Firefighters who responded to the fire did an excellent job of containing it and making sure the building is safe,” Arnold said.
In addition to West End, fire companies responding were Polk Township, Sun Valley, Kunkletown and Pocono Township.
==============================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
Posted in recognition, security | Tagged: 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, www.privateofficer.com | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on December 30, 2008
Violent shoplifter arrested www.privateofficer.com
ALBUQUERQUE NM Dec 30 2008
By: Bryan Hill
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
http://www.privateofficer.com/- Police said that a shoplifting suspect got violent with a loss prevention agent when she tried to leave the store with merchandise that had not been paid for and she was confronted by security.
According to police, the shoplifter tried to attack the JC Penny loss prevention officer with a knife, after he allegedly tried to steal from the Cottonwood Mall store back in September and he was able to flee at that time.
Now police have arrested Adrian Herrera, 41, who appeared before a judge on Saturday.
Police said that Herrera was arrested Friday evening on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Herrera’s teenage daughter was with him during the alleged incident.
Herrera is being held on a bond release at this time.
===============================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
Posted in loss prevention, police, security made app/arrest, security officer injured | Tagged: Adrian Herrera, albuquerque nm, jc penney, 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, shoplifter arrest, www.privateofficer.com | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on December 30, 2008
San Diego officer dies serving in Afghanistan
SAN DIEGO CA Dec 30 2008
los angeles times — Shortly after Army Reserve Sgt. Federico G. Borjas arrived in Afghanistan in late September, he called his father to tell him what he saw.
“He said, ‘This place is just like back home,’ ” said Raimundo “Mundo” Borjas, his older brother. ” ‘This is the same moon; these are the same stars.’ “
Federico Borjas, a 33-year-old San Diego police officer, had always dreamed of serving his country overseas. Last year — a decade after he completed a stint in the Marines — he volunteered for the Army Reserve, in part hoping to reach that goal.
His police colleagues said he also had another motivation: to honor his cousin, Army National Guard Spc. Eric U. Ramirez, 31, of San Diego, who was killed in an attack in Iraq in early 2004.
Just weeks after Borjas deployed to the Middle East with the San Diego-based 416th Civil Affairs Battalion, 351st Civil Affairs Command, a gunman ambushed his convoy. He died Oct. 16 in Bermel District Center in Afghanistan’s Paktia province, south of Kabul.
Raimundo Borjas said his brother, known as Rico to family and friends, was a thoughtful man with a big smile and a soft spot for his 11-year-old daughter, Yvette.
His brother had an easy way about him, Raimundo Borjas said, but spent his life looking for challenges.
“He always wanted to excel,” he said.
The brothers acquired their discipline as children growing up in a small town outside Orlando, Fla. They lived in a house next to the orange grove where their parents worked. “It was backwoods,” Raimundo Borjas recalled. “It was the boonies.”
There were few Latinos in town, and the family faced discrimination, he said.
“They just kind of pushed us to the side,” he said of their neighbors. “We grew up pretty rough.”
Their father, who also was a Baptist pastor, pressed his children to work hard. He told them they should never do anything halfway.
“We’d go to school, come home, do our homework and then go out and help our family in the fields,” Raimundo Borjas said.
Federico Borjas followed him into the Marines, joining at age 18.
“We had heard that the Marine Corps was the hardest to get into and the most respected,” Raimundo Borjas said. “We wanted to challenge ourselves.”
After four years of service, Federico Borjas left to join the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, serving as a corrections deputy in Otay Mesa. A few years later, he joined the San Diego Police Department. He served on its prestigious SWAT team and, later, its color guard.
But he wanted more.
“SWAT is the ultimate, but he still didn’t think that was enough,” his brother said. “He wanted to be more honorable.”
Raimundo Borjas said he sees a lot of his brother in Yvette, his only child from a marriage that ended in divorce.
“She has her father’s attitude and her father’s strength,” Raimundo Borjas said of his niece. “She has a strong heart.”
Before his brother left San Diego, the family held a goodbye party.
“I gave my brother a kiss on his cheek and a hug,” said Raimundo Borjas, who traveled from Arizona, where he works as a Border Patrol agent, to attend. He said that when he embraced his brother, he felt tears in his eyes.
“I don’t cry, but some force hit me,” Raimundo Borjas said. “I said, ‘You’re my only brother and I love you. Come back.’ “
Federico Borjas held his brother at arm’s length and said, “Don’t worry.”
Raimundo Borjas said he will never forget watching Yvette the day of the funeral, which was attended by about 1,000 mourners, including San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and hundreds of law enforcement officials from around the state.
“She went to the casket and said, ‘Can I touch his face?’ ” Raimundo Borjas recalled. “I said, ‘Yes, mija, touch his face, touch his hand. Remember him. This was your father.’ “
In addition to his daughter, brother and father, Federico Borjas is survived by his mother and two sisters. He was buried with full military honors at on San Diego’s Point Loma.
===============================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
www.privateofficer.com/
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox!
Sign up;adminassist@privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! www.privateofficer.com
Posted in OFFICER DOWN | Tagged: federico g borjas, killed in afghanistan, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, national association of private officers, san diego police officer, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, www.privateofficer.com | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on December 30, 2008
Woman charged 3 times with shopifting in less than a week www.privateofficer.com
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. Dec 30 2008
BY: Rick McCann
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
www.privateofficer.com – Police say that they were called to three different shoplifting incidents involving the same woman during the Christmas holidays.
Police said that they were first called to the Dillard’s store on Tuesday, where loss prevention personnel had apprehended Sherri Tipton.
Police in that case charged Tipton with theft and she was released.
But officers said that Tipton returned to the same Dillard’s in Clarksville again on Wednesday, which is when officers took her into custody instead of writing her a citation. She was booked in at the jail and bonded out later that day.
Most people might be scared to steal at this point a police spokesperson said but police were called to the local Dollar General on Friday and that’s where they found Ms. Tipton again in trouble for stealing.
Once again, Clarksville police handcuffed her and took her into custody and Tipton was again charged with theft, and she’s again out on bond.
Police are not sure why Tipton has turned to a way of crime or if they’ll be dealing with her again anytime soon but warn that if they get any more calls about her, she’ll be locked up each time.
=================================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
Posted in loss prevention, police, security made app/arrest | Tagged: clarksville tennessee, 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, sherri tipton, shoplifting arrests, www.privateofficer.com | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on December 30, 2008
Man charged with porn after incident at store www.privateofficer.com
NORFOLK VA Dec 30 2008
pilotonline.com
A Brooklyn, N.Y., man is in Norfolk City Jail on a felony charge of possessing child pornography after a father confronted him for taking what the father considered inappropriate photos of his three daughters at a supermarket, police said.
No bond has been set for Michael D. Gordon, 47, who was arraigned Monday in General District Court. Police have obtained search warrants to inspect his digital camera, cell phone, a portable media player and other media such as computers at a Tidewater Drive apartment.
John Hendricks, his 17-year-old son and three daughters, ages 9, 10 and 13, were in a checkout line inside the Food Lion at 3530 Tidewater Drive in the afternoon on Christmas Eve.
Hendricks said in an interview Monday that he noticed a man, whom police later identified as Gordon, standing close behind his daughters. Looking down, Hendricks said, he saw Gordon holding at about knee level a digital camera, which he swept back and forth behind the girls, who were wearing jeans.
“I was really upset right away,” said Hendricks but added that he didn’t want to accuse someone unjustly.
He said he asked the man what he was doing. Nothing, the man said, fumbling with the camera, according to Hendricks. “Give me the camera,” Hendricks said he demanded.
The man refused and backed away, according to Hendricks. The father, 6 feet 3 inches tall and more than 300 pounds, said he persisted, grabbing the man by the collar. He said he wanted to see what was on the camera. If there was nothing wrong, he would’ve apologized, he said.
What police called an “altercation” ensued. Store security officers, an off-duty Hampton sheriff’s deputy and the store manager intervened, and Norfolk police were called.
Police and court documents said Gordon consented to a search of his fanny pack, and investigators say they found images they suspected to be child pornography on the camera and the media player. Gordon was arrested and charged.
The charge doesn’t involve any images he is accused of taking of the three sisters, said Officer Chris Amos, police spokesman.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 5, said Amanda Howie, a spokeswoman for the commonwealth’s attorney’s office.
================================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
Posted in police, security, security made app/arrest | Tagged: child porn arrest, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, michael d gordon, national association of private officers, norfolk va, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, www.privateofficer.com | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on December 30, 2008
Woman steals deputy’s car www.privateofficer.com
GREENVILLE, SC Dec 30 2008 (AP) – Authorities say a woman who claimed someone was trying to kill her drove off in a patrol car when a deputy got out to help her, crashing soon after.
The Greenville News reports that 27-year-old Miletta Callahan of Abbeville faces charges of assault and battery with intent to kill, grand larceny, driving under the influence and other charges, according to warrants.
A Laurens County sheriff’s deputy found her running down U.S. 25 a few minutes after dispatchers received a call about a possible shooting at a motel. Sheriff’s spokeswoman Judy Stiles says no evidence of a shooting was found.
But Callahan claimed she had been shot, and when deputy Jamison Taylor got out to calm her down, she took his car.
Stiles says Callahan ran the car off the road and was caught by Ware Shoals Police soon after.
=============================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
Posted in police | Tagged: greensville south carolina, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, miletta callahan, 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, woman steals police car, woman styeals deputy's car, www.privateofficer.com | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on December 30, 2008
Police warn New Year’s revelers not to fire guns www.privateofficer.com
Atlanta GA. Dec 30 2008
BY: Rick McCann
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
www.privateofficer.com
Police departments across the nation are issuing their yearly appeal to the public to not fire guns in celebration of the New Year.
Police say they plan to crack down on celebratory gunfire on New Year’s Eve and most law enforcement agencies say they will prosecute violators to the fullest extent of the law.
Police say there have been numerous shooting injuries in the past and several deaths that occur from reckless gunfire mostly on New Year’s Eve.
In metropolitan areas as well as rural towns people often open fire into the air recklessly with no concern as to where that bullet might end up. Such conduct is unacceptable and will lead to serious charges if police catch the person shooting.
Police say that they are stepping up patrols early on Wednesday night and will concentrate on firearm and shooting calls in hopes of preventing injuries or deaths.
=================================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
Posted in police, security | Tagged: 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, www.privateofficer.com | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on December 30, 2008
Fort Myers FLA. Dec 30 2008
A North Fort Myers teen has been arrested in connection with two burglaries at the North Fort Myers Academy of the Arts — the most recent of which he allegedly was caught in the act.
John Haslam, 18, of Ebson Drive, is charged with two counts each of burglary to a structure and criminal mischief causing damage, and one count each of possession of burglary tools, larceny grand theft between $5,000 and $10,000 and wearing a mask to conceal identity.
According to Lee County sheriff’s deputy Sylvester Smalls, a security guard at the school, at 1856 Arts Way, spotted two males breaking glass in the southeastern window of the science wing using a hammer. The guard, Raymond Burke, ordered the two to stop, but they did not.
He was able to catch one, later identified as John Haslam.
After questioning Haslam, deputies believe he was also connected with an earlier burglary at the school Nov. 9, when five laptop computers and several instruments were stolen.
He is being held at Lee County Jail on $13,000 bond.
===============================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
Posted in police, security, security made app/arrest | Tagged: john haslam, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, national association of private officers, north fort myers florida, raymond burke, school burglary, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, www.privateofficer.com | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on December 30, 2008
Man arrested for molesting child at Great Wolfe Lodge www.privateofficer.com
Grapevine TX Dec 30 2008
Kyle T. Greene
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
www.privateofficer.com
Grapevine police say a Cleburne man was arrested for allegedly molesting a young girl last Friday at Great Wolfe Lodge.
32 year-old Michael Shaw has been charged with Indecency with a Child by Sexual Contact, a second degree felony, after the 8 year-old told her parents Shaw fondled her breast.
Police say Shaw was immediately detained by Great Wolfe security personnel and then arrested by police.
Shaw first claimed he was a registered guest; however police confirmed later he was not. Shaw then claimed he was at the resort with friends; police are still investigating that claim.
Shaw allegedly approached two other girls at Great Wolfe, but physical contact with the 8 year-old victim met the elements of the criminal offense.
Shaw was released from custody Saturday after posting $10,000 bond. The case is still under investigation.
================================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
Posted in police, security, security made app/arrest | Tagged: arrest, child molested, grapevine texas, great wolfe lodge, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, michael shaw, national association of private officers, privateofficer.com, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training | Leave a Comment »
Posted by privateofficernews on December 29, 2008
Budget cuts hurting juvenile rehabilitation programs www.privateofficer.com
Atlanta GA. Dec 29 2008 – State budget cuts are forcing some of the nation’s youngest criminals out of counseling programs and group homes and into juvenile prisons in what critics contend is a shortsighted move that will eventually lead to more crime and higher costs.
Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia are among states that have slashed juvenile justice spending — in some cases more than 20 percent — because of slumping tax collections. Youth advocates say they expect the recession will bring more cuts next year in other states, hitting programs that try to rehabilitate children rather than simply locking them up.
“If you raise a child in prison, you’re going to raise a convict,” said South Carolina Juvenile Justice Director Bill Byars, credited with turning around a system once better known for warehousing children than counseling them and teaching them life skills.
Now, he’s been asked to draw up plans to trim an additional 15 percent from a juvenile justice budget already cut $23 million, or 20 percent, since June as part of the state’s effort to pare $1 billion from its $7 billion budget.
All five of the system’s group homes — which generally house less-violent offenders and give them more individual attention — have been shuttered. Also gone are some intensive youth reform and after-school programs in detention facilities.
The story is similar in other states. Kentucky is nixing a boot camp-style program developed by the National Guard. Virginia is losing behavioral services staff and a facility that prepares children to go home after serving time, along with smaller camps and community programs. Juveniles in those programs will return to traditional correctional facilities.
“It’s not like we’re going to say, ‘OK, let’s close a juvenile detention center,’ or something like that,” said Gordon Hickey, spokesman for Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. “We have to reduce spending across the state, and the governor looked at suggestions and recommendations from all departments. He certainly realizes that all of these reductions have consequences. The idea is to limit the damage as much as possible.”
Among the programs being cut in South Carolina is one that Lex Wilbanks, an 18-year-old arrested four years ago on drug and gun charges, credits with giving him back his future.
Before moving to the program run by Florida-based nonprofit Associated Marine Institute, which provides intensive counseling and wilderness camps in several states, Wilbanks spent four months in a regular juvenile detention center.
“When you did something wrong or you fight or you disrespect staff, they just throw you into lockdown,” Wilbanks said. “They just throw you in and make them fight to survive. You’re just making them a hardened criminal.”
In South Carolina, only 22 percent of offenders who go through the institute’s program later break the law, less than half the recidivism rate for juveniles in large state facilities, Byars said.
Through the program, Wilbanks worked his way to the top rank in Army Junior ROTC and earned a GED and college credits. Acting up brought meetings during which counselors “talk you through problems and how you can actually change,” he said. “It gives you hope.”
Florida is also axing three Associated Marine Institute programs to save $1.7 million, part of an effort to cut 4 percent, or $18 million, from the juvenile justice budget. Advocates are bracing for additional cuts as legislators go back to the Capitol in January to deal with a $2 billion state budget hole.
Florida’s juvenile justice system “is going to die the death of a million 4 percent cuts,” said Jacqui Colyer, who leads a state juvenile justice advisory group.
The picture isn’t as bleak everywhere. In New York, where the population of jailed juveniles has declined as the state moves toward a more community-based approach, Gov. David Patterson has proposed closing six youth facilities and consolidating and downsizing others that aren’t being fully used to save $12 million in 2009-10 and $14 million in 2010-11.
A court order limits the cuts California can make and Minnesota, Massachusetts and Nebraska haven’t made serious cuts to their systems. Other states, including Connecticut, Oregon, New Hampshire and Utah, are making more modest cuts or delaying planned spending.
Advocates say they worry most about losing programs, such as group homes, that take children out of large facilities to give them individual attention.
Juvenile facilities see an array of major and minor criminals. Gun, drug, sex and assault offenders may share sleeping quarters and classes with teen pranksters sentenced for disrupting schools or destroying property. Terms can last weeks or, in extreme cases, until youths become adults and are transferred to adult prisons.
Generally, less violent offenders make it to the smaller group homes, and experts say social pecking orders are easier to defuse in those settings compared to prisons where gangs try to form and fight for control.
Sheila Bedi, executive director of the Washington-based Justice Policy Institute, said housing children can cost as much as $600 per child daily. But the expenses can be much higher when children emerge hardened from big youth prisons, commit more crimes and end up in adult facilities.
“The truant comes out learning how to steal a car,” Bedi said. “You cannot expect a child to come out of that situation with the ability to make better life decisions.
===============================================
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERS
Posted in police, security | Tagged: juvenile crime, 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, www.privateofficer.com | Leave a Comment »
