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Read, think, train for the unexpected www.privateofficer.com
Read, think, train for the unexpected http://www.privateofficer.com
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!
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Town fires police chief to avoid tax increase www.privateofficer.com
Town fires police chief to avoid tax increase http://www.privateofficer.com
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.
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Shoplifting suspect faces grand larceny charges www.privateofficer.com
Shoplifting suspect faces grand larceny charges http://www.privateofficer.com
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.
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Son of KS. sheriff charged with rape, dad won’t help www.privateofficer.com
Son of KS. sheriff charged with rape, dad won’t help http://www.privateofficer.com
NTL. ASSOC. PRIVATE OFFICERS
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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.
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Cleveland man charged with a dozen bank robberies www.privateofficer.com
Cleveland man charged with a dozen bank robberies http://www.privateofficer.com
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
Agents said he entered the bank branches with notes demanding money.
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Security guard shoots boyfriend of ex-wife www.privateofficer.com
Security guard shoots boyfriend of ex-wife http://www.privateofficer.com
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.
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.
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Credit union robberies were inside job www.privateofficer.com
Credit union robberies were inside job http://www.privateofficer.com
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.
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Newport News police lieutenant charged in abuduction, sex crimes www.privateofficer.com
Newport News police lieutenant charged in abuduction, sex crimes http://www.privateofficer.com
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.
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