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Archive for April 3, 2009
Security officer shot by apartment trespassers www.privateofficer.com
April 3, 2009
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MIRAMAR, Fla. April 2 2009 — Police are investigating a shooting involving a security guard at a Miramar apartment complex.
According to investigators, the shooting happened around 2:30 Thursday morning at the Villas de Mallorca apartments on Foxcroft Road.
Police said a security guard approached a group of men in the parking lot. Someone in the group fired shots, striking the guard.
The guard reportedly returned fire, but it is not known if anyone in the group was injured. Police said the men ran from the scene after shots rang out.
The security guard was taken to the hospital where he is being treated for non-lifethreatening injuries.
According to investigators, the shooting happened around 2:30 Thursday morning at the Villas de Mallorca apartments on Foxcroft Road.
Police said a security guard approached a group of men in the parking lot. Someone in the group fired shots, striking the guard.
The guard reportedly returned fire, but it is not known if anyone in the group was injured. Police said the men ran from the scene after shots rang out.
The security guard was taken to the hospital where he is being treated for non-lifethreatening injuries.
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Categories: police, security, security officer injured
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Casino security nab man for groping patrons www.privateofficer.com
April 3, 2009
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Lake Tahoe NV April 3 2009
Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a 25-year-old man on suspicion of assault over the weekend after he allegedly groped two women during separate incidents at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe.
Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a 25-year-old man on suspicion of assault over the weekend after he allegedly groped two women during separate incidents at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe.
At about 1:55 a.m. on Sunday, two women reported to casino security that the man came up from behind them and grabbed them in their groin area, according to a deputy’s report.
Security personnel detained a suspect and called sheriff’s deputies.
Under questioning, the man denied groping the women and said he didn’t know why he was being detained, according to the report.
Deputies took the man into the Stateline jail facility and allegedly discovered .4 grams of a white powder folded up in a dollar bill on the man during the booking process, according to the report.
The substance had not been identified when the report was written.
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Categories: police, security, security made app/arrest
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Man charged with Wal-Mart computer thefts www.privateofficer.com
April 3, 2009
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WILKES-BARRE TWP. PA. April 3 2009 – A Kingston man was charged on Thursday with harassing a security officer and stealing two computers from the Wal-Mart Supercenter.
Kevin Dana Maza, 40, of Parkway Boulevard, was charged with retail theft, disorderly conduct and harassment. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $10,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
A security officer at Wal-Mart noticed a man, identified as Maza, walking out of the store without paying for a computer at about 7 p.m. Wednesday. Maza returned to the store just before 10 p.m. and attempted to steal a second computer.
The security officer confronted Maza near the exit when Maza allegedly struck the officer. Maza was detained by the security officer, a store employee and a customer until police arrived.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled on April 9 in Central Court.
Kevin Dana Maza, 40, of Parkway Boulevard, was charged with retail theft, disorderly conduct and harassment. He was jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $10,000 bail.
According to the criminal complaint:
A security officer at Wal-Mart noticed a man, identified as Maza, walking out of the store without paying for a computer at about 7 p.m. Wednesday. Maza returned to the store just before 10 p.m. and attempted to steal a second computer.
The security officer confronted Maza near the exit when Maza allegedly struck the officer. Maza was detained by the security officer, a store employee and a customer until police arrived.
A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled on April 9 in Central Court.
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Categories: loss prevention, security made app/arrest
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Senior citizen aids police in capture of amored car robbers www.privateofficer.com
April 3, 2009
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Lake Ridge VA April 3 2009
Police say a tip from a suspicious senior citizen helped lead to the arrests of three men in a daring daytime armored car heist in Lake Ridge.
The older man noticed someone pacing back and forth in front of a white Cadillac on Wednesday afternoon near the Bank of America, and reported it to police when he heard sirens in the area.
Minutes before, three gunmen wearing black and white Halloween masks rushed a Loomis Armored car outside the Bank of America in the 1700 block of Old Bridge Road. The robbers made off with a duffel bag full of cash and a cell phone after confronting a 23-year-old Loomis employee filling the bank’s ATM.
But the senior citizen’s report of the Cadillac’s license number helped unravel the case. The car’s registration returned to 1712 Shady River Court in the Rolling Brook apartment complex. At 9 p.m., police arrested two cousins during a traffic stop near the complex, which is directly across Old Bridge Road from the bank.
Christopher Blakeney, 21, 1712 Shady River Court, and Michael Blakeney, 21, of no fixed address, were charged with robbery and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, police said.
The third suspect, 25-year-old Carlic Darnell Brown, was arrested when police Special Weapons and Tactics team members swarmed his apartment in the Rolling Brook complex around 2 a.m. Thursday. Brown is a former employee of Loomis Armored.
The money stolen in the heist totaled $165,000, police Maj. Ray Colgan said. Officers recovered all of the cash, as well as two pistols and one assault rifle. Police said the trio used a van stolen in Fairfax to get to the bank.
Colgan commended the senior citizen for helping police capture the three men.
“Everyone owes that person of debt of gratitude,” he said.
The arrest operation began at nightfall Wednesday, when police and SWAT tactical units staged at Occoquan Elementary School.
They closed off the school parking lot just before 7 p.m., forcing night workers and anyone else with after hours business to park elsewhere.
Large trucks, black tactical vehicles and the department’s mobile command unit appeared as a long procession of squad cars entered the lot.
Within the hour, police cars fanned out across portions of Old Bridge Road and the surrounding Occoquan areas, while SWAT teams focused late into the night on Brown’s apartment in the Rolling Wood complex.
Nicole Brown said she got a call from her son, Carlic, early Thursday saying, “Mom, the cops are at my door.”
Brown said she was shocked to hear that her son is accused of robbing the armored car, but said as a parent you can never know for sure exactly what your children are doing.
“You don’t know what your children are doing, I don’t care what color you are, and nobody can say they know exactly what your children are doing, you’re just clueless,” said Brown.
She said her son has lived in the Lake Ridge apartment for about a year, and had worked for the Springfield-based Loomis Armored car service for at least two years.
As SWAT teams converged Wednesday night, neighborhood resident Ashgar Malik said he and many more of his neighbors were not allowed to go inside their homes.
“They kept us over at the main office for many hours, and I have to say I was scared for a while,” said Malik. “I thought it could be terrorism.”
Other neighbors called the scene “crazy,” with police dogs barking and officers on bullhorns ordering a suspect to surrender.
All three men have been charged with robbery and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of life in prison. They are being held without bond pending June 15 court dates.
Police in Fairfax County said they are looking into whether the trio was involved in a similar robbery in Lorton in April 2007. In that case, a 25-year-old woman working for Loomis was knocked to the ground as she filled an ATM at a Wachovia on Lorton Station Boulevard. The two culprits in that case wore all black and black and white skeleton masks.
Police say a tip from a suspicious senior citizen helped lead to the arrests of three men in a daring daytime armored car heist in Lake Ridge.
The older man noticed someone pacing back and forth in front of a white Cadillac on Wednesday afternoon near the Bank of America, and reported it to police when he heard sirens in the area.
Minutes before, three gunmen wearing black and white Halloween masks rushed a Loomis Armored car outside the Bank of America in the 1700 block of Old Bridge Road. The robbers made off with a duffel bag full of cash and a cell phone after confronting a 23-year-old Loomis employee filling the bank’s ATM.
But the senior citizen’s report of the Cadillac’s license number helped unravel the case. The car’s registration returned to 1712 Shady River Court in the Rolling Brook apartment complex. At 9 p.m., police arrested two cousins during a traffic stop near the complex, which is directly across Old Bridge Road from the bank.
Christopher Blakeney, 21, 1712 Shady River Court, and Michael Blakeney, 21, of no fixed address, were charged with robbery and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, police said.
The third suspect, 25-year-old Carlic Darnell Brown, was arrested when police Special Weapons and Tactics team members swarmed his apartment in the Rolling Brook complex around 2 a.m. Thursday. Brown is a former employee of Loomis Armored.
The money stolen in the heist totaled $165,000, police Maj. Ray Colgan said. Officers recovered all of the cash, as well as two pistols and one assault rifle. Police said the trio used a van stolen in Fairfax to get to the bank.
Colgan commended the senior citizen for helping police capture the three men.
“Everyone owes that person of debt of gratitude,” he said.
The arrest operation began at nightfall Wednesday, when police and SWAT tactical units staged at Occoquan Elementary School.
They closed off the school parking lot just before 7 p.m., forcing night workers and anyone else with after hours business to park elsewhere.
Large trucks, black tactical vehicles and the department’s mobile command unit appeared as a long procession of squad cars entered the lot.
Within the hour, police cars fanned out across portions of Old Bridge Road and the surrounding Occoquan areas, while SWAT teams focused late into the night on Brown’s apartment in the Rolling Wood complex.
Nicole Brown said she got a call from her son, Carlic, early Thursday saying, “Mom, the cops are at my door.”
Brown said she was shocked to hear that her son is accused of robbing the armored car, but said as a parent you can never know for sure exactly what your children are doing.
“You don’t know what your children are doing, I don’t care what color you are, and nobody can say they know exactly what your children are doing, you’re just clueless,” said Brown.
She said her son has lived in the Lake Ridge apartment for about a year, and had worked for the Springfield-based Loomis Armored car service for at least two years.
As SWAT teams converged Wednesday night, neighborhood resident Ashgar Malik said he and many more of his neighbors were not allowed to go inside their homes.
“They kept us over at the main office for many hours, and I have to say I was scared for a while,” said Malik. “I thought it could be terrorism.”
Other neighbors called the scene “crazy,” with police dogs barking and officers on bullhorns ordering a suspect to surrender.
All three men have been charged with robbery and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of life in prison. They are being held without bond pending June 15 court dates.
Police in Fairfax County said they are looking into whether the trio was involved in a similar robbery in Lorton in April 2007. In that case, a 25-year-old woman working for Loomis was knocked to the ground as she filled an ATM at a Wachovia on Lorton Station Boulevard. The two culprits in that case wore all black and black and white skeleton masks.
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Women nabbed during multi store thefts www.privateofficer.com
April 3, 2009
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WOODBRIDGE NJ Apr 3 2009— Two Perth Amboy women were arrested Saturday after they allegedly shoplifted at a half-dozen stores at Woodbridge Center.
Awilda Plasencia, 27, and Victoria Jerez-Tavera, 24, were caught at about 1:45 p.m. after trying to shoplift two pairs of jeans from Sears, police said. A store security guard who stopped and detained them found they had other bags, which contained items stolen from other stores, police said.
The merchandise, with a total value of some $500, came from Sears, Gymboree, New York & Company, Rave, Disney and Express, police said.
Bail for both Plasencia and Jerez-Tavera was set at $30,000, with no 10-percent option. They were not at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick as of Tuesday, a prison official said.
Awilda Plasencia, 27, and Victoria Jerez-Tavera, 24, were caught at about 1:45 p.m. after trying to shoplift two pairs of jeans from Sears, police said. A store security guard who stopped and detained them found they had other bags, which contained items stolen from other stores, police said.
The merchandise, with a total value of some $500, came from Sears, Gymboree, New York & Company, Rave, Disney and Express, police said.
Bail for both Plasencia and Jerez-Tavera was set at $30,000, with no 10-percent option. They were not at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick as of Tuesday, a prison official said.
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American Airlines crew chief charged in thefts www.privateofficer.com
April 3, 2009
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Philadelphia PA April 3 2009
philadelphiaenquirer.com
An American Airlines baggage-crew chief faces two theft charges after being arrested at Philadelphia International Airport, according to Philadelphia police.
Christopher Shaw, 37, of Reading, was taken into custody around 4:45 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, said Officer Christine O’Brien, a police spokeswoman.
A Pennsylvania woman noticed four new articles of clothing missing from her luggage after returning home March 17 on American Flight 892 from Dallas.
The price tags, totaling $550, were still on the items, which were purchased at Galleria Nordstrom in Dallas, police said.
The woman had her Texas condo checked and then contacted Nordstrom, which later discovered that the items had been returned to its King of Prussia store. Philadelphia police took over the investigation, which led to Shaw’s arrest. A hearing is set for May 1.
American Airlines helped solve this case, said corporate spokesman Tim Smith.
“Any time we have any suspicions or become aware of a situation, we’re going to get involved and be very proactive in rooting out anything that’s not right,” he said. “This specific case drew our suspicion in several ways . . . and one thing led to another.”
He called the case unusual. “We have roughly 75,000 honest, very hard-working employees,” he said.
In an unrelated incident, Transportation Safety Administration investigators removed a lead TSA official from his airport duties Wednesday for alleged theft from passenger bags.
TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis said the agency’s Office of Investigations was overseeing the allegations.
“He hasn’t been charged as of yet or dismissed,” she said. “If the Office of Inspections deems it appropriate, we could present a case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
Davis would not identify the TSA official except to say he is a mid-level employee involved in passenger bag screenings at the airport. She could not confirm reports that the alleged theft involved electronics or say whether the individual was being paid during the investigation.
philadelphiaenquirer.com
An American Airlines baggage-crew chief faces two theft charges after being arrested at Philadelphia International Airport, according to Philadelphia police.
Christopher Shaw, 37, of Reading, was taken into custody around 4:45 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, said Officer Christine O’Brien, a police spokeswoman.
A Pennsylvania woman noticed four new articles of clothing missing from her luggage after returning home March 17 on American Flight 892 from Dallas.
The price tags, totaling $550, were still on the items, which were purchased at Galleria Nordstrom in Dallas, police said.
The woman had her Texas condo checked and then contacted Nordstrom, which later discovered that the items had been returned to its King of Prussia store. Philadelphia police took over the investigation, which led to Shaw’s arrest. A hearing is set for May 1.
American Airlines helped solve this case, said corporate spokesman Tim Smith.
“Any time we have any suspicions or become aware of a situation, we’re going to get involved and be very proactive in rooting out anything that’s not right,” he said. “This specific case drew our suspicion in several ways . . . and one thing led to another.”
He called the case unusual. “We have roughly 75,000 honest, very hard-working employees,” he said.
In an unrelated incident, Transportation Safety Administration investigators removed a lead TSA official from his airport duties Wednesday for alleged theft from passenger bags.
TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis said the agency’s Office of Investigations was overseeing the allegations.
“He hasn’t been charged as of yet or dismissed,” she said. “If the Office of Inspections deems it appropriate, we could present a case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”
Davis would not identify the TSA official except to say he is a mid-level employee involved in passenger bag screenings at the airport. She could not confirm reports that the alleged theft involved electronics or say whether the individual was being paid during the investigation.
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Father, daughter educators arrested for stealing from school www.privateofficer.com
April 3, 2009
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VINELAND NJ April 3 2009 – When the district looked at the numbers, something just didn’t seem right.
An internal audit of Vineland School District personnel showed that one employee, John Sammons, was taking home more than anyone expected, authorities said. According to the figures, the vice principal of Cunningham Alternative School was taking in a substantial income in addition to his annual salary.
The information was turned over to police, and on Tuesday, Sammons was arrested and charged with theft by deception, tampering with public records, official misconduct and displaying a pattern of official misconduct.
Police said Sammons was submitting fraudulent time sheets and requesting payment for giving home instruction to students. The problem is there were no students. police said. The 60-year-old Fairfield Township resident was arrested before school Tuesday.
Sammons’ daughter, Tracy Sammons, also was arrested Tuesday on the same charges. Tracy Sammons, 24, is a sixth-grade teacher at a middle school in Fairfield Township. The arrests were the result of a monthlong investigation by Vineland police.
District spokesman John Sbrana said Vineland was conducting typical audits at the beginning of the year and noticed the discrepancies.
“The district is always looking at data like this with the intention of making sure that time and money is spent appropriately,” he said. “It’s the accounting of employee time and salaries and making sure they’re appropriate for the position.”
Sammons’ salary is $111,000, Vineland police said. While they declined to say how much money was allegedly stolen, police did indicate that the number was in the thousands for just a few months of claimed work.
According to the Vineland Board of Education, the Home Instruction Program pays instructors to tutor students who have missed significant time. The district must provide instruction to students absent for more than five days, including students with extended illnesses and suspensions.
The instruction is conducted in person by a teacher who is paid $25 per hour, per student. Teachers can instruct several students simultaneously while being paid for each.
Police reported that they had Sammons and his daughter under surveillance for an extended period. The pair submitted payment paperwork for instruction they never completed, police said. They failed to give instruction for a majority of the time they claimed they gave it, the report concludes.
Sammons started working for the district in 1990. In addition to his role as vice principal for the alternative school, he has served as vice principal for a middle school and elementary school in Vineland, Sbrana said.
Both Sammons and his daughter were charged and released without bail.
Sammons was suspended with pay pending further investigation, Sbrana said.
An internal audit of Vineland School District personnel showed that one employee, John Sammons, was taking home more than anyone expected, authorities said. According to the figures, the vice principal of Cunningham Alternative School was taking in a substantial income in addition to his annual salary.
The information was turned over to police, and on Tuesday, Sammons was arrested and charged with theft by deception, tampering with public records, official misconduct and displaying a pattern of official misconduct.
Police said Sammons was submitting fraudulent time sheets and requesting payment for giving home instruction to students. The problem is there were no students. police said. The 60-year-old Fairfield Township resident was arrested before school Tuesday.
Sammons’ daughter, Tracy Sammons, also was arrested Tuesday on the same charges. Tracy Sammons, 24, is a sixth-grade teacher at a middle school in Fairfield Township. The arrests were the result of a monthlong investigation by Vineland police.
District spokesman John Sbrana said Vineland was conducting typical audits at the beginning of the year and noticed the discrepancies.
“The district is always looking at data like this with the intention of making sure that time and money is spent appropriately,” he said. “It’s the accounting of employee time and salaries and making sure they’re appropriate for the position.”
Sammons’ salary is $111,000, Vineland police said. While they declined to say how much money was allegedly stolen, police did indicate that the number was in the thousands for just a few months of claimed work.
According to the Vineland Board of Education, the Home Instruction Program pays instructors to tutor students who have missed significant time. The district must provide instruction to students absent for more than five days, including students with extended illnesses and suspensions.
The instruction is conducted in person by a teacher who is paid $25 per hour, per student. Teachers can instruct several students simultaneously while being paid for each.
Police reported that they had Sammons and his daughter under surveillance for an extended period. The pair submitted payment paperwork for instruction they never completed, police said. They failed to give instruction for a majority of the time they claimed they gave it, the report concludes.
Sammons started working for the district in 1990. In addition to his role as vice principal for the alternative school, he has served as vice principal for a middle school and elementary school in Vineland, Sbrana said.
Both Sammons and his daughter were charged and released without bail.
Sammons was suspended with pay pending further investigation, Sbrana said.
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Cunningham Alternative School, John Sammons, 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, Tracy Sammons, vineland nj, www.privateofficer.com
Shoplifting ring busted in Mass. www.privateofficer.com
April 3, 2009
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WRENTHAM MA April 3 2009
Police on Saturday interrupted what they believe was a shoplifting ring in action, arresting a 36-year-old South Boston woman at Wrentham Village Premium Outlet Mall after finding about $11,000 worth of stolen merchandise in her shopping bags and in her car, Det. Lt. William McGrath said.
The woman, Elizabeth Marie LeClair, of 296 East 8th St., was arraigned at Wrentham District Court on Monday on charges that included one count of larceny over $250, four counts of receiving stolen property over $250, and three counts of receiving stolen property under $250, police said.
McGrath said police responded to the outlet mall about 6 p.m. March 28 after receiving a report of a shoplifting in progress at the Sunglass Hut.
When police arrived, the suspected shoplifter had left the Sunglass Hut, but was shortly afterwards located at the Ann Taylor store.
“She had a significant amount of their stuff,” McGrath said.
A search of shopping bags LeClair was carrying revealed $3,291.73 in stolen merchandise from the Sunglass Hut, $1,478.65 in stolen goods from the Burberry Store and $235.85 worth of merchandise from the Brooks Brother’s store, according to McGrath.
LeClair’s car also contained more than $6,000 in stolen goods from Barney’s New York, Restoration Hardware, the J.Jill store and the J. Crew Store, McGrath reported.
McGrath said police believe LeClair had at least two accomplices, but police have not been able to identify them.
“We’ve had information since the arrest confirming our belief that it is a ring of shoplifters who go out every weekend and do the same thing,” McGrath said.
He said such shoplifting operations are not all that uncommon, and often the people involved “go back to their neighborhoods and they sell the products that they steal.”
“Generally these are related to drugs, and this kind of activity supports drug habits, and that’s what we suspect is the case here,” McGrath said.
He said police have seized various tools used by shoplifters who have been apprehended at the outlet mall.
“We have an evidence room that contains a lot of tools that are used to remove inventory tags, like side cutters, and wire cutters,” in addition homemade tools that mimic what the stores use to remove tags that are legitimately purchased, he said.
Some shoplifters will also use shopping bags lined with duct tape, McGrath said, but pointed out the tactic doesn’t really work to mask shoplifted items from sensor systems.
“And sometimes they just grab and run,” he said. “They have a whole means of getting away.”
McGrath expressed frustration that some stores, following corporate policy, do not immediately call police when there is a suspected shoplifting in progress. Instead, he said, they are instructed to call their own loss prevention department, which is often at an off-site location.
McGrath and other members of his department say if stores just called police as soon as they notice a shoplifter it would save them thousands of dollars in lost merchandise.
“Whatever their motive is to defer calling the police, I think it’s ineffective. I don’t know what the logic is, but I know it is bringing in more crime,” McGrath said. “I don’t know what it is. The entire department is frustrated by it.”
There are “a handful of stores down there that will call the police without hesitation,” McGrath added, “and it’s those stores that lead to the recovery of stolen goods from other stores (who don’t call).”
Mall management did not return a phone call for comment.
Police on Saturday interrupted what they believe was a shoplifting ring in action, arresting a 36-year-old South Boston woman at Wrentham Village Premium Outlet Mall after finding about $11,000 worth of stolen merchandise in her shopping bags and in her car, Det. Lt. William McGrath said.
The woman, Elizabeth Marie LeClair, of 296 East 8th St., was arraigned at Wrentham District Court on Monday on charges that included one count of larceny over $250, four counts of receiving stolen property over $250, and three counts of receiving stolen property under $250, police said.
McGrath said police responded to the outlet mall about 6 p.m. March 28 after receiving a report of a shoplifting in progress at the Sunglass Hut.
When police arrived, the suspected shoplifter had left the Sunglass Hut, but was shortly afterwards located at the Ann Taylor store.
“She had a significant amount of their stuff,” McGrath said.
A search of shopping bags LeClair was carrying revealed $3,291.73 in stolen merchandise from the Sunglass Hut, $1,478.65 in stolen goods from the Burberry Store and $235.85 worth of merchandise from the Brooks Brother’s store, according to McGrath.
LeClair’s car also contained more than $6,000 in stolen goods from Barney’s New York, Restoration Hardware, the J.Jill store and the J. Crew Store, McGrath reported.
McGrath said police believe LeClair had at least two accomplices, but police have not been able to identify them.
“We’ve had information since the arrest confirming our belief that it is a ring of shoplifters who go out every weekend and do the same thing,” McGrath said.
He said such shoplifting operations are not all that uncommon, and often the people involved “go back to their neighborhoods and they sell the products that they steal.”
“Generally these are related to drugs, and this kind of activity supports drug habits, and that’s what we suspect is the case here,” McGrath said.
He said police have seized various tools used by shoplifters who have been apprehended at the outlet mall.
“We have an evidence room that contains a lot of tools that are used to remove inventory tags, like side cutters, and wire cutters,” in addition homemade tools that mimic what the stores use to remove tags that are legitimately purchased, he said.
Some shoplifters will also use shopping bags lined with duct tape, McGrath said, but pointed out the tactic doesn’t really work to mask shoplifted items from sensor systems.
“And sometimes they just grab and run,” he said. “They have a whole means of getting away.”
McGrath expressed frustration that some stores, following corporate policy, do not immediately call police when there is a suspected shoplifting in progress. Instead, he said, they are instructed to call their own loss prevention department, which is often at an off-site location.
McGrath and other members of his department say if stores just called police as soon as they notice a shoplifter it would save them thousands of dollars in lost merchandise.
“Whatever their motive is to defer calling the police, I think it’s ineffective. I don’t know what the logic is, but I know it is bringing in more crime,” McGrath said. “I don’t know what it is. The entire department is frustrated by it.”
There are “a handful of stores down there that will call the police without hesitation,” McGrath added, “and it’s those stores that lead to the recovery of stolen goods from other stores (who don’t call).”
Mall management did not return a phone call for comment.
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Categories: loss prevention, security made app/arrest
Elizabeth Marie LeClair, 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, WRENTHAM MA, www.privateofficer.com
Shoplifter bites police officer during arrest www.privateofficer.com
April 3, 2009
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DOVER, Del. April 3 2009 (AP) Dover police say a Maryland man bit an off-duty Delaware State University police officer trying to stop him for suspected shoplifting.
Police say the off-duty officer was inside the Rite Aid on North DuPont Highway Thursdy night when he heard an anti-theft alarm sound as a man walked out of the store.
Dover police spokesman Lt. Paul Bernat says the officer identified himself, and the man, 34-year-old Antwain Williams of Centreville, Md., began to flee. Bernat says the officer tackled the Williams, and during a struggle, Williams bit the officer’s wrist.
Police say Williams had 13 boxes of Prilosec, valued at $300. He is charged with second-degree assault, resisting arrest, criminal mischief and shoplifting and released on $7,500 bond.
The unidentified officer, from Delaware State University in Dover, was shopping at the nearby Rite-Aid about 9 p.m. Thursday when an alarm rang.
The alarm was on an exit door, installed as a theft-prevention measure, and a shoplifter set it off on his way out, according to Lt. Paul Bernat of the Dover Police Department.
The off-duty officer saw the man, identified himself as police and the suspect took off running, Bernat said.
But the officer tackled him and the two scuffled, he said. During the struggle, the suspect bit the officer, who managed to arrest him, he said.
The officer, who serves with DSU police, held the suspect until city police were called, arrived and arrested him, said Capt. Jim Hosfelt of the Dover Police Department.
Authorities say they later found the shoplifter had taken 13 packages of Prilosec, an over-the-counter treatment for heartburn and indigestion.
The stolen medicine was worth about $300, Bernat said.
Antwain Williams, 34, of Centerville, Md., was charged with second-degree assault, resisting arrest, criminal mischief and shoplifting.
He was arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 7 in Dover and released on $7,500 bail.
The bitten officer did not require medical attention, according to Hosfelt, who said, “he’s fine.
Police say the off-duty officer was inside the Rite Aid on North DuPont Highway Thursdy night when he heard an anti-theft alarm sound as a man walked out of the store.
Dover police spokesman Lt. Paul Bernat says the officer identified himself, and the man, 34-year-old Antwain Williams of Centreville, Md., began to flee. Bernat says the officer tackled the Williams, and during a struggle, Williams bit the officer’s wrist.
Police say Williams had 13 boxes of Prilosec, valued at $300. He is charged with second-degree assault, resisting arrest, criminal mischief and shoplifting and released on $7,500 bond.
The unidentified officer, from Delaware State University in Dover, was shopping at the nearby Rite-Aid about 9 p.m. Thursday when an alarm rang.
The alarm was on an exit door, installed as a theft-prevention measure, and a shoplifter set it off on his way out, according to Lt. Paul Bernat of the Dover Police Department.
The off-duty officer saw the man, identified himself as police and the suspect took off running, Bernat said.
But the officer tackled him and the two scuffled, he said. During the struggle, the suspect bit the officer, who managed to arrest him, he said.
The officer, who serves with DSU police, held the suspect until city police were called, arrived and arrested him, said Capt. Jim Hosfelt of the Dover Police Department.
Authorities say they later found the shoplifter had taken 13 packages of Prilosec, an over-the-counter treatment for heartburn and indigestion.
The stolen medicine was worth about $300, Bernat said.
Antwain Williams, 34, of Centerville, Md., was charged with second-degree assault, resisting arrest, criminal mischief and shoplifting.
He was arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 7 in Dover and released on $7,500 bail.
The bitten officer did not require medical attention, according to Hosfelt, who said, “he’s fine.
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Categories: police, security, security made app/arrest, security officer injured
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
10 Shot, 41 held hostage at NY civic agency www.privateofficer.com
April 3, 2009
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BINGHAMTON, N.Y. April 3 2009
BREAKING NEWS – At least four people were shot and as many as 41 people taken hostage Friday morning at an immigration services center in Binghamton, according to media reports.
Mayor Matthew Ryan told the Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin that there was a hostage situation involving a gunman with a high-powered rifle.
The newspaper reported 41 hostages in the building of the American Civic Association and said apartments were being evacuated.
Emergency dispatchers were in contact with some people inside by phone, WBNG-TV reported. The gunman might still be in the building, the newspaper reported.
Four people were removed from the building on stretchers and taken to hospitals, and 10 more ambulances were called, the newspaper reported.
The condition of the victims wasn’t immediately clear.
A spokeswoman at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton confirmed that a student from Binghamton University was being treated at the emergency room. Spokeswoman Linda Miller said she didn’t know the nature of the injuries.
“We’re on full alert anticipating we’re going to get additional casualties,” Miller said.
The American Civic Association describes itself as helping immigrants and refugees with counseling, resettlement, citizenship, family reunification and translators.
It also intervenes with emergencies, including fighting, hunger and homelessness, according to information from the association’s Web site.
