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How to turn an $8 an hour job into a high paying career
July 24, 2009
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Atlanta GA July 24 2009
By: Rick McCann
Long before our economy went sour and jobs were harder to find then diamonds in your backyard, people have had to work $7 and $8 an hour jobs to survive. Some are even working for less than that at or near the minimum wage.
There are all kinds of reasons why people have found themselves in these jobs and many reasons why they have stayed there without out investing in the time and energy that it takes to secure a better position with a higher wage and benefits.
Recently divorced, loss of spouse, teens just entering the work force, those laid-off from higher paying positions and others that have few or no skills or education mainly make up this tier of the workforce.
While many would look at these positions as the lowest point in their life, others have chosen to view the work as a paid training course and have taken advantage of every hour spent “in-class” while being paid to learn a business from the most entry level of positions.
Myricka Johnson, a Houston mother of three, found herself working at a McDonald’s to support her children and keep a roof over their heads after her husband left her for another woman. She was stranded with only a few dollars and no relatives in the area to help her and was forced to apply for the job the next day. She reasoned that it would just be for a few weeks while she sought other employment and that she might even get to take some left over food from the restaurant home to her children until she could financially get on her feet.
Working forty hours and taking care of three children didn’t leave much time for Myricka to head out to other job interviews so she began to concentrate on the job that she had working on the assembly line putting together hamburgers and Big Mac, filet sandwiches and doing whatever the manager asked of her.
She soon worked her way up to a team manager, went to the library and read books from Raymond Kroc, CEO of McDonald and Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s and restaurant management and went from making a few hundred dollars a week to making more than enough to support her children and have money left in her bank account.
By: Rick McCann
Long before our economy went sour and jobs were harder to find then diamonds in your backyard, people have had to work $7 and $8 an hour jobs to survive. Some are even working for less than that at or near the minimum wage.
There are all kinds of reasons why people have found themselves in these jobs and many reasons why they have stayed there without out investing in the time and energy that it takes to secure a better position with a higher wage and benefits.
Recently divorced, loss of spouse, teens just entering the work force, those laid-off from higher paying positions and others that have few or no skills or education mainly make up this tier of the workforce.
While many would look at these positions as the lowest point in their life, others have chosen to view the work as a paid training course and have taken advantage of every hour spent “in-class” while being paid to learn a business from the most entry level of positions.
Myricka Johnson, a Houston mother of three, found herself working at a McDonald’s to support her children and keep a roof over their heads after her husband left her for another woman. She was stranded with only a few dollars and no relatives in the area to help her and was forced to apply for the job the next day. She reasoned that it would just be for a few weeks while she sought other employment and that she might even get to take some left over food from the restaurant home to her children until she could financially get on her feet.
Working forty hours and taking care of three children didn’t leave much time for Myricka to head out to other job interviews so she began to concentrate on the job that she had working on the assembly line putting together hamburgers and Big Mac, filet sandwiches and doing whatever the manager asked of her.
She soon worked her way up to a team manager, went to the library and read books from Raymond Kroc, CEO of McDonald and Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s and restaurant management and went from making a few hundred dollars a week to making more than enough to support her children and have money left in her bank account.
Jerry Wilson started at the Home Depot while still in high school. It was just a way for him to make enough cash to be able to take girls out on dates on the week-end, pay for his car insurance which was an agreement that he had made with his parents when he was hired and still have money left over to feed the snack machine at school.
But as Jerry was working at the store, he realized that he liked working with people and with home supplies. He too applied himself to the low paying hourly job and learned the various departments within the store. First the paint department, learning what colors to mix to create the perfect color scheme for customers. Then he moved to the appliance and the lumber areas of the store and trained on the front end as a cashier.
By the time Jerry graduated from school, he was settled in to the position and looking at Home Depot as a career. Though his parents wanted him to go a university, he opted for community college and began working full time for the store.
Wilson’s attitude, hard work, and drive soon put him in the position to be trained as an assistant manager.
Anyone in any position could look at their job as paid training for a higher, better paying career in the industry where they are working. With the right attitude and willingness to learn, you could inhale everything that there is to know about the company, what they do and how, what makes them tick, how they like to do business, customer service and even what vendors they use. This information is certainly going to invaluable to any employer who honestly promotes from within.
Large numbers of security guards have worked their way up from minimum wage to substantial salaries by learning the security business, taking any and all free training, certifications or other on-the-job training and moving up the rank from guard to shift supervisor or site manager, patrol supervisor, training officer, operations or branch managers and beyond. The same is true for many in the loss prevention field. Though they may start out as a LP agent, those who stay focused, learn the ropes of the business, and soak up all that they can about retail security, soon progress within the company and find themselves advancing to loss prevention managers, district or regional level management or are quickly scooped up by the competition and paid attractive salaries and benefits.
For those who may not have a college degree and think that they’ll never obtain such levels, Myricka and Jerry are just two examples of what on the job training, dedication and commitment, and loyalty to your employer and your job regardless of what it pays at currently can do for you.
Giving any business your complete effort and staying in the right frame of mind can educate and train you far more than sitting in a classroom for years wishing that you were somewhere else.
As with anything in life, it’s all what you make of it and your current employment just might be the vehicle for true success, happiness, and even wealth.
Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved
Categories: consumer alerts, PRIVATE OFFICER INTERNATIONAL
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Grand Jury refuses to indict security in trespasser’s death www.privateofficer.com
July 24, 2009
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WACO TX JULY 24 2009
A McLennan County grand jury found no criminal violations Wednesday in two separate incidents involving deaths, clearing two security guards who restrained a man at a Waco apartment complex and a West woman who struck and killed four people on a dark road near her home.
In both cases, investigating officers made no arrests but sent evidence to the McLennan County District Attorney’s Office for screening. Prosecutors, in turn, presented the facts of the cases to 12 members of a grand jury, who reviewed the evidence and determined that no criminal offenses occurred in either case.
The first case involved the December 2007 death of Orlando Gamble, who died after struggling with two security guards at the Parkside Apartments in the 1200 block of North Ninth Street.
Gamble’s mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit earlier this month against the owners of Texas Star Security Co., alleging that the guards, identified in the lawsuit as “John Doe I” and “John Doe 2,” used improper restraint techniques that led to Gamble’s death.
Former Waco police detective Andy Degnan, who now lives in New York, testified about the case to the grand jury.
“The grand jury heard the evidence presented and decided it was not worthy of criminal prosecution,” Assistant District Attorney Mark Parker said.
Richard Renschler, co-owner of the security company, said when the lawsuit was filed that Gamble had a lengthy criminal record and that it is his company’s job to prevent unwanted trespassers from gaining access to the pro- perties where its guards are employed.
Gamble, 32, who the officers said tried to flee by running into the apartment complex, served 10 years for voluntary manslaughter and six years for cocaine possession, according to court records. Renschler has said that if Gamble had run away from the complex, his officers would not have pursued him.
In the other screening case, a West woman who struck and killed four people who were walking on the Interstate 35 access road near West in August 2008 also was cleared of wrongdoing.
Brandee Thorpe, the 20-year- old single mother of Austyn Fontenot, 2, and Kinzee Fontenot, 1, and their friend, Gregory “Marty” Howell, 25, of Robinson, all were killed that night while walking near Wiggins Road, a few miles south of West.
Howell was giving Thorpe and her children a ride to Hillsboro when his truck apparently ran out of gas, family members have said. They were walking on the dark, two-way access road when a 2003 Chevrolet SUV struck them from behind, authorities have said.
“The Department of Public Safety investigated and found no offense,” Assistant District Attorney Melanie Walker said. “The DPS never believed there was an offense, and neither did we. The cause of the accident was people walking in the middle of the road.”
Marty Howell’s father, John Howell, said Wednesday that he and his wife are “extremely disappointed” in the grand jury’s findings.
A McLennan County grand jury found no criminal violations Wednesday in two separate incidents involving deaths, clearing two security guards who restrained a man at a Waco apartment complex and a West woman who struck and killed four people on a dark road near her home.
In both cases, investigating officers made no arrests but sent evidence to the McLennan County District Attorney’s Office for screening. Prosecutors, in turn, presented the facts of the cases to 12 members of a grand jury, who reviewed the evidence and determined that no criminal offenses occurred in either case.
The first case involved the December 2007 death of Orlando Gamble, who died after struggling with two security guards at the Parkside Apartments in the 1200 block of North Ninth Street.
Gamble’s mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit earlier this month against the owners of Texas Star Security Co., alleging that the guards, identified in the lawsuit as “John Doe I” and “John Doe 2,” used improper restraint techniques that led to Gamble’s death.
Former Waco police detective Andy Degnan, who now lives in New York, testified about the case to the grand jury.
“The grand jury heard the evidence presented and decided it was not worthy of criminal prosecution,” Assistant District Attorney Mark Parker said.
Richard Renschler, co-owner of the security company, said when the lawsuit was filed that Gamble had a lengthy criminal record and that it is his company’s job to prevent unwanted trespassers from gaining access to the pro- perties where its guards are employed.
Gamble, 32, who the officers said tried to flee by running into the apartment complex, served 10 years for voluntary manslaughter and six years for cocaine possession, according to court records. Renschler has said that if Gamble had run away from the complex, his officers would not have pursued him.
In the other screening case, a West woman who struck and killed four people who were walking on the Interstate 35 access road near West in August 2008 also was cleared of wrongdoing.
Brandee Thorpe, the 20-year- old single mother of Austyn Fontenot, 2, and Kinzee Fontenot, 1, and their friend, Gregory “Marty” Howell, 25, of Robinson, all were killed that night while walking near Wiggins Road, a few miles south of West.
Howell was giving Thorpe and her children a ride to Hillsboro when his truck apparently ran out of gas, family members have said. They were walking on the dark, two-way access road when a 2003 Chevrolet SUV struck them from behind, authorities have said.
“The Department of Public Safety investigated and found no offense,” Assistant District Attorney Melanie Walker said. “The DPS never believed there was an offense, and neither did we. The cause of the accident was people walking in the middle of the road.”
Marty Howell’s father, John Howell, said Wednesday that he and his wife are “extremely disappointed” in the grand jury’s findings.
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Man charged with impersonation of federal agent www.privateofficer.com
July 24, 2009
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OLLA, La. July 24 2009 (AP) – An Olla man has been booked on charges of false impersonation of a police officer after allegations that he had posed as a law enforcement officer.
LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s deputies, state police and U.S. Marshal Service officers, arrived at Glen Ray Seymour’s home on Wednesday and according to officers, they found evidence that Seymour had passed himself off as an officer with the U.S. Marshal Service and the Department of Homeland Security.
Officers say they found various fraudulent items — law enforcement identification cards, badges and SWAT uniforms. Also they found illegal explosives, including grenades and grenade components, a large cache of assault weapons, handguns, an illegal weapon silencer and thousands of rounds of assorted ammunition.
LaSalle Parish Sheriff’s deputies, state police and U.S. Marshal Service officers, arrived at Glen Ray Seymour’s home on Wednesday and according to officers, they found evidence that Seymour had passed himself off as an officer with the U.S. Marshal Service and the Department of Homeland Security.
Officers say they found various fraudulent items — law enforcement identification cards, badges and SWAT uniforms. Also they found illegal explosives, including grenades and grenade components, a large cache of assault weapons, handguns, an illegal weapon silencer and thousands of rounds of assorted ammunition.
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Shoplifter sues security after being shot www.privateofficer.com
July 24, 2009
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Tucson AZ July 24 2009
An 18-year-old Tucson man shot and paralyzed outside a south- side convenience store after a failed shoplifting attempt by his buddies filed a lawsuit against Circle K, Valley Protective Services, Inc. and two security guards.
On Tuesday morning, the Pima County Attorney’s Office confirmed it will not seek an indictment against security guard Joshua Kosatschenko in connection with the shooting, nor will it seek indictments against Daniel Tarango, who was shot, or the shoplifting suspects.
Tarango was sitting in his mother’s car when Kosatschenko and fellow security guard Nicholas Kagas chased three young men from inside the Circle K into the parking lot, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Pima County Superior Court.
“After failing to apprehend the boys, Defendant Kosatschenko fired his gun in the direction of (Tarango),” the lawsuit states. “Tarango was struck by three hollow-point bullets, which caused life- threatening, severe and permanent injuries. One of the bullets lodged in or near his spinal cord and has paralyzed him from the waist down. He now requires substantial medical care for the rest of his life.”
The lawsuit alleges Kosatschenko acted “negligently and recklessly” and his employer, Valley Protective Services, and Circle K are “vicariously liable” for his and Kagas’ actions.
The guards were instructed to use force to arrest anyone suspected of shoplifting, the lawsuit states.
Tarango is seeking unspecified damages for himself, his two children, ages 1 and 2, and his parents.
Circle K spokeswoman Diane Ketterhagen declined to comment, and Valley Protective Services did not return messages.
Prosecutors said Kosatschenko was not indicted in the shooting because it appears he fired his weapon to prevent Tarango from running over Kagas, who fell under the car while wrestling with one of the shoplifting suspects.
In a letter to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, Deputy Pima County Attorney Kellie Johnson wrote: “It is truly unfortunate that this tragic incident resulted in a young man being paralyzed.”
Johnson said they opted not to pursue a case against the shoplifting suspects because the charges would only be misdemeanors.
While Kosatschenko wasn’t indicted in connection with the shooting, prosecutors did convince grand jurors to indict him on a weapons charge Tuesday afternoon.
Kosatschenko is facing a possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited possessor charge, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 3.75 years in prison.
Kosatschenko had his right to carry a firearm revoked as a juvenile. However, he was licensed to work as an armed and unarmed security guard by the Arizona Department of Public Safety because the agency’s background searches only bring up adult convictions.
Kosatschenko’s defense attorney, Brad Roach, said they are disappointed that his client was indicted on that charge since Kosatschenko was told by DPS he could arm himself.
“We think we’ve got a good defense in that case,” Roach said.
Court documents indicate this was not Tarango’s first run-in with the law.
Tarango was arrested at the age of 14 on criminal damage and liquor law violation charges after causing more than $1,300 worth of damage to tires owned by 10 separate victims while drinking.
Two months later, Tarango was arrested again when he broke a glass over another person’s head, pushed his mother to the floor and caused other damage while drinking, court documents state.
Tarango was placed on one year of probation and ordered to pay restitution, and probation officers unsuccessfully tried to revoke his probation on four occasions. Court documents indicate at different times Tarango smoked marijuana, failed to enroll in school, didn’t complete substance-abuse programs, didn’t pay restitution, didn’t write letters of apology and didn’t finish parenting classes.
In January 2008, Tarango was accused of shoplifting six bottles of liquor from a grocery store. In April 2008, Tarango was accused of repeatedly skipping out on his house arrest.
Tarango was upgraded to juvenile intensive probation in April 2008 and successfully completed it in October 2008.
An 18-year-old Tucson man shot and paralyzed outside a south- side convenience store after a failed shoplifting attempt by his buddies filed a lawsuit against Circle K, Valley Protective Services, Inc. and two security guards.
On Tuesday morning, the Pima County Attorney’s Office confirmed it will not seek an indictment against security guard Joshua Kosatschenko in connection with the shooting, nor will it seek indictments against Daniel Tarango, who was shot, or the shoplifting suspects.
Tarango was sitting in his mother’s car when Kosatschenko and fellow security guard Nicholas Kagas chased three young men from inside the Circle K into the parking lot, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Pima County Superior Court.
“After failing to apprehend the boys, Defendant Kosatschenko fired his gun in the direction of (Tarango),” the lawsuit states. “Tarango was struck by three hollow-point bullets, which caused life- threatening, severe and permanent injuries. One of the bullets lodged in or near his spinal cord and has paralyzed him from the waist down. He now requires substantial medical care for the rest of his life.”
The lawsuit alleges Kosatschenko acted “negligently and recklessly” and his employer, Valley Protective Services, and Circle K are “vicariously liable” for his and Kagas’ actions.
The guards were instructed to use force to arrest anyone suspected of shoplifting, the lawsuit states.
Tarango is seeking unspecified damages for himself, his two children, ages 1 and 2, and his parents.
Circle K spokeswoman Diane Ketterhagen declined to comment, and Valley Protective Services did not return messages.
Prosecutors said Kosatschenko was not indicted in the shooting because it appears he fired his weapon to prevent Tarango from running over Kagas, who fell under the car while wrestling with one of the shoplifting suspects.
In a letter to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, Deputy Pima County Attorney Kellie Johnson wrote: “It is truly unfortunate that this tragic incident resulted in a young man being paralyzed.”
Johnson said they opted not to pursue a case against the shoplifting suspects because the charges would only be misdemeanors.
While Kosatschenko wasn’t indicted in connection with the shooting, prosecutors did convince grand jurors to indict him on a weapons charge Tuesday afternoon.
Kosatschenko is facing a possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited possessor charge, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 3.75 years in prison.
Kosatschenko had his right to carry a firearm revoked as a juvenile. However, he was licensed to work as an armed and unarmed security guard by the Arizona Department of Public Safety because the agency’s background searches only bring up adult convictions.
Kosatschenko’s defense attorney, Brad Roach, said they are disappointed that his client was indicted on that charge since Kosatschenko was told by DPS he could arm himself.
“We think we’ve got a good defense in that case,” Roach said.
Court documents indicate this was not Tarango’s first run-in with the law.
Tarango was arrested at the age of 14 on criminal damage and liquor law violation charges after causing more than $1,300 worth of damage to tires owned by 10 separate victims while drinking.
Two months later, Tarango was arrested again when he broke a glass over another person’s head, pushed his mother to the floor and caused other damage while drinking, court documents state.
Tarango was placed on one year of probation and ordered to pay restitution, and probation officers unsuccessfully tried to revoke his probation on four occasions. Court documents indicate at different times Tarango smoked marijuana, failed to enroll in school, didn’t complete substance-abuse programs, didn’t pay restitution, didn’t write letters of apology and didn’t finish parenting classes.
In January 2008, Tarango was accused of shoplifting six bottles of liquor from a grocery store. In April 2008, Tarango was accused of repeatedly skipping out on his house arrest.
Tarango was upgraded to juvenile intensive probation in April 2008 and successfully completed it in October 2008.
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Categories: lawsuit, police, security, security shoots
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Smash and grab, blue jean bandits steal $1.5 million www.privateofficer.com
July 24, 2009
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Atlanta GA July 24 2009
BY ELIZABETH THURMAN
Women’s Wear Daily(WWD)
A renewed spree of brazen robberies that focus on denim is causing anxiety, anger and hardship among retailers in metropolitan Atlanta.
The latest thefts at Macy’s at the Lenox Square mall was hit Friday and come after a nine-month lull in a series of heists dating to 2007, which has victimized some 70 stores, and resulted in the loss of product worth an estimated $1.5 million.
In a now familiar scenerio, police said nine thieves wearing masks smashed a Macy’s street window and stole about 80 pairs of jeans worth $10,000. The break-in, which was reported about 3:30 a.m. after a motion-sensor alarm sounded, is the first time a department store at an upscale mall has been victimized. Authorities said security video showed the suspects loading three vans with the stolen merchandise before fleeing. A Macy’s spokesman declined to comment.
Macy’s at Lenox Square is in the affluent Buckhead section across the street from Blue Genes, a premium denim boutique where $100,000 in denim and sportswear was stolen this month when thieves broke the front window and loaded the inventory into two vans. It was the eighth robbery of the store in two years. In addition, eyewear valued at $150,000 was stolen from a nearby Pearle Vision center last month using the same tactic.
A sign posted on the Blue Genes front door said it is temporarily closed and will reopen in early July in a new location. Owners Jane Sims and Jennifer and Julie Arrendale filed for bankruptcy in December. They could not be reached for comment. No arrests have been made in the June heist.
Another high-end boutique, eModa, in the Midtown section, was robbed twice over a six-day span in May. The thieves took premium denim, sportswear, shoes and jewelry worth an estimated $80,000.
The crime wave by suspected gang members has forced merchants to cope with losing their insurance or rising rates, as well as higher security costs. They also have lost peace of mind.
It’s like the Wild, Wild West out there, said Camille Wright, owner of Kaleidoscope in suburban Decatur, Ga., which was robbed in June 2008 by eight men who pepper-sprayed and punched two clerks in the face before escaping with $40,000 in denim. People are just coming in and taking whatever they want and doing whatever they want.
Five juveniles were arrested in the holdup, authorities said. They are awaiting trial.
Wright said she has been dropped by her insurance company since the theft, adding that six security cameras have done little to ease her worry.
These guys don’t care about security cameras, she said. They’ll just rip them off the walls or cover their faces. As a retailer, there’s nothing you can do. You’re a sitting duck. This thing is coming at you from every angle and penalties for these crimes are nothing. Nobody’s holding anybody’s feet to the fire.
The first theft at eModa occurred May 8 when nine robbers were caught by video surveillance cameras smashing the glass back door and stealing $50,000 worth of denim lines such as True Religion and Rock & Republic.
It took them one minute to clear out all that merchandise, said owner Dan Kogan. It took police three minutes to respond after the alarm went off.
Kogan restocked the store and had the back door reinforced with wood and steel. Six days later, a half-dozen thieves broke down the new door and took $30,000 worth of merchandise from the same lines, as well as some sportswear.
They just broke [the door] down again, the exact same way by smashing their bodies against it, he said. They all had gloves on, they all had positions and they all knew exactly what they were doing. These are professional criminals and jeans are obviously a commodity to them.
Kogan has installed iron bars on the outside of his doors but says he won’t consider a private security guard.
In these economic times, how can [independent] boutiques afford that?” he said.
Police arrested four suspects after finding jeans with eModa sales tags at an apartment complex in southwest Atlanta. All have been released on bond.
Law enforcement authorities said the so-called Blue Jeans Bandits belong to a street gang known as 30 Deep, whose members also are being sought in the fatal shooting in January of a bartender near downtown Atlanta.
Police have made more than 20 arrests in the robberies since July 2008, but no suspects have gone to trial and most have been released, said Sgt. Archie Ezell, an Atlanta Police Department spokesman. He said 30 Deep’s organizers send out younger thieves to commit the crimes because they know the punishments aren’t as bad for juveniles.
The stolen goods, which were mostly resold last summer at swap meets, beauty salons and nightclubs, are now being resold to groups that are writing big orders with the gang before the robberies, said Ezell, adding that a $200 pair of premium jeans usually has a street value of about $70.
Property crime rose 7.6 percent in Atlanta last year, compared with a 1.6 percent decrease nationwide, according to the FBI’s 2008 Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report. Mayor Shirley Franklin has instituted police furloughs, cut officers’ salaries 10 percent and reduced their hours and benefits in an effort to shave $13 million from the city’s budget deficit. The City Council has approved a property tax increase, which is intended to allow furloughs to be rescinded.
Franklin and Police Chief Richard Pennington both declined to comment on the retail robbery investigation. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard Jr. did not respond to requests for comment.
Police have reinstated the Retail Theft Task Force, which was formed last year but disbanded in January.
The task force sounds like a p.r. move, said Dana Spinola, the owner of Fab’rik, a Midtown Atlanta boutique that has lost $250,000 in denim inventory in five robberies over the last two years. When [the police department] first started it last year, they had a big meeting and invited the press and the retailers who had been robbed. The next day I got robbed again.
No arrests have been made, she said. We’ve never heard back from police on any of the robberies at our store.
Spinola said her security system has done little to dissuade the thieves, citing the speed with which the crimes are committed.
It happens so fast, she said. These guys have done their homework before they come in and they know the police will be slow. It’s not rocket science. It’s just about having more officers available when the alarms go off.
Spinola now locks her entire denim inventory in a safe at night, has dropped targeted lines such as True Religion and has cut her denim offerings by about 15 percent.
We’re definitely moving away from being as denim-heavy, she said.
Farshad Arshid, owner of Standard, a men’s and women’s contemporary boutique in Midtown, has been robbed twice once at gunpoint of $30,000 in denim.
Arshid’s insurance premiums shot up after he was dropped by one company and he has spent quite a bit on security gates and cameras, measures that haven’t squelched his fears.
There have been nights when I’d get up out of bed, drive to my store and sit outside in my car, just waiting for someone to show up and break in, Arshid said. That’s how freaked out I’ve been.
In this kind of economic environment, we’re held hostage to this thing, he said. The police have not been a help at all. All they do when I call to request more surveillance is tell me to hire an off-duty officer. What independent boutique owner can afford to pay a security guard $25 to $40 an hour? We’re all small businesses and we’re not able to absorb losses like this.
BY ELIZABETH THURMAN
Women’s Wear Daily(WWD)
A renewed spree of brazen robberies that focus on denim is causing anxiety, anger and hardship among retailers in metropolitan Atlanta.
The latest thefts at Macy’s at the Lenox Square mall was hit Friday and come after a nine-month lull in a series of heists dating to 2007, which has victimized some 70 stores, and resulted in the loss of product worth an estimated $1.5 million.
In a now familiar scenerio, police said nine thieves wearing masks smashed a Macy’s street window and stole about 80 pairs of jeans worth $10,000. The break-in, which was reported about 3:30 a.m. after a motion-sensor alarm sounded, is the first time a department store at an upscale mall has been victimized. Authorities said security video showed the suspects loading three vans with the stolen merchandise before fleeing. A Macy’s spokesman declined to comment.
Macy’s at Lenox Square is in the affluent Buckhead section across the street from Blue Genes, a premium denim boutique where $100,000 in denim and sportswear was stolen this month when thieves broke the front window and loaded the inventory into two vans. It was the eighth robbery of the store in two years. In addition, eyewear valued at $150,000 was stolen from a nearby Pearle Vision center last month using the same tactic.
A sign posted on the Blue Genes front door said it is temporarily closed and will reopen in early July in a new location. Owners Jane Sims and Jennifer and Julie Arrendale filed for bankruptcy in December. They could not be reached for comment. No arrests have been made in the June heist.
Another high-end boutique, eModa, in the Midtown section, was robbed twice over a six-day span in May. The thieves took premium denim, sportswear, shoes and jewelry worth an estimated $80,000.
The crime wave by suspected gang members has forced merchants to cope with losing their insurance or rising rates, as well as higher security costs. They also have lost peace of mind.
It’s like the Wild, Wild West out there, said Camille Wright, owner of Kaleidoscope in suburban Decatur, Ga., which was robbed in June 2008 by eight men who pepper-sprayed and punched two clerks in the face before escaping with $40,000 in denim. People are just coming in and taking whatever they want and doing whatever they want.
Five juveniles were arrested in the holdup, authorities said. They are awaiting trial.
Wright said she has been dropped by her insurance company since the theft, adding that six security cameras have done little to ease her worry.
These guys don’t care about security cameras, she said. They’ll just rip them off the walls or cover their faces. As a retailer, there’s nothing you can do. You’re a sitting duck. This thing is coming at you from every angle and penalties for these crimes are nothing. Nobody’s holding anybody’s feet to the fire.
The first theft at eModa occurred May 8 when nine robbers were caught by video surveillance cameras smashing the glass back door and stealing $50,000 worth of denim lines such as True Religion and Rock & Republic.
It took them one minute to clear out all that merchandise, said owner Dan Kogan. It took police three minutes to respond after the alarm went off.
Kogan restocked the store and had the back door reinforced with wood and steel. Six days later, a half-dozen thieves broke down the new door and took $30,000 worth of merchandise from the same lines, as well as some sportswear.
They just broke [the door] down again, the exact same way by smashing their bodies against it, he said. They all had gloves on, they all had positions and they all knew exactly what they were doing. These are professional criminals and jeans are obviously a commodity to them.
Kogan has installed iron bars on the outside of his doors but says he won’t consider a private security guard.
In these economic times, how can [independent] boutiques afford that?” he said.
Police arrested four suspects after finding jeans with eModa sales tags at an apartment complex in southwest Atlanta. All have been released on bond.
Law enforcement authorities said the so-called Blue Jeans Bandits belong to a street gang known as 30 Deep, whose members also are being sought in the fatal shooting in January of a bartender near downtown Atlanta.
Police have made more than 20 arrests in the robberies since July 2008, but no suspects have gone to trial and most have been released, said Sgt. Archie Ezell, an Atlanta Police Department spokesman. He said 30 Deep’s organizers send out younger thieves to commit the crimes because they know the punishments aren’t as bad for juveniles.
The stolen goods, which were mostly resold last summer at swap meets, beauty salons and nightclubs, are now being resold to groups that are writing big orders with the gang before the robberies, said Ezell, adding that a $200 pair of premium jeans usually has a street value of about $70.
Property crime rose 7.6 percent in Atlanta last year, compared with a 1.6 percent decrease nationwide, according to the FBI’s 2008 Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report. Mayor Shirley Franklin has instituted police furloughs, cut officers’ salaries 10 percent and reduced their hours and benefits in an effort to shave $13 million from the city’s budget deficit. The City Council has approved a property tax increase, which is intended to allow furloughs to be rescinded.
Franklin and Police Chief Richard Pennington both declined to comment on the retail robbery investigation. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard Jr. did not respond to requests for comment.
Police have reinstated the Retail Theft Task Force, which was formed last year but disbanded in January.
The task force sounds like a p.r. move, said Dana Spinola, the owner of Fab’rik, a Midtown Atlanta boutique that has lost $250,000 in denim inventory in five robberies over the last two years. When [the police department] first started it last year, they had a big meeting and invited the press and the retailers who had been robbed. The next day I got robbed again.
No arrests have been made, she said. We’ve never heard back from police on any of the robberies at our store.
Spinola said her security system has done little to dissuade the thieves, citing the speed with which the crimes are committed.
It happens so fast, she said. These guys have done their homework before they come in and they know the police will be slow. It’s not rocket science. It’s just about having more officers available when the alarms go off.
Spinola now locks her entire denim inventory in a safe at night, has dropped targeted lines such as True Religion and has cut her denim offerings by about 15 percent.
We’re definitely moving away from being as denim-heavy, she said.
Farshad Arshid, owner of Standard, a men’s and women’s contemporary boutique in Midtown, has been robbed twice once at gunpoint of $30,000 in denim.
Arshid’s insurance premiums shot up after he was dropped by one company and he has spent quite a bit on security gates and cameras, measures that haven’t squelched his fears.
There have been nights when I’d get up out of bed, drive to my store and sit outside in my car, just waiting for someone to show up and break in, Arshid said. That’s how freaked out I’ve been.
In this kind of economic environment, we’re held hostage to this thing, he said. The police have not been a help at all. All they do when I call to request more surveillance is tell me to hire an off-duty officer. What independent boutique owner can afford to pay a security guard $25 to $40 an hour? We’re all small businesses and we’re not able to absorb losses like this.
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Police charge man with jewelry smash and grab www.privateofficer.com
July 24, 2009
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Philadelphia PA July 24 2009
Police have arrested a 19-year-old North Philadelphia man and charged him with being one of four bandits who stole $220,000 in high end watches during a armed robbery at the Boyd’s Men Store in Center City in June.
Police are still looking for three other men in the stickup.
Detectives arrested Nathaniel Williams last night not far from his home on the 3100 block of Page Street in Strawberry Mansion, police said.
He has been charged with criminal conspiracy, robbery, possessing an instrument of crime, terroristic threats, simple assault and other offenses, police said.
During the robbery on June 4, four men, two armed with handguns, entered the Govberg’s Jewerly Store inside Boyd’s at 1818 Chestnut Street and announced a stickup.
As the armed thievese held the security guard and store employees at gunpoint, the other two males smashed several display cases and scooped up the watches.
Police have arrested a 19-year-old North Philadelphia man and charged him with being one of four bandits who stole $220,000 in high end watches during a armed robbery at the Boyd’s Men Store in Center City in June.
Police are still looking for three other men in the stickup.
Detectives arrested Nathaniel Williams last night not far from his home on the 3100 block of Page Street in Strawberry Mansion, police said.
He has been charged with criminal conspiracy, robbery, possessing an instrument of crime, terroristic threats, simple assault and other offenses, police said.
During the robbery on June 4, four men, two armed with handguns, entered the Govberg’s Jewerly Store inside Boyd’s at 1818 Chestnut Street and announced a stickup.
As the armed thievese held the security guard and store employees at gunpoint, the other two males smashed several display cases and scooped up the watches.
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Maryland helicopter crash kills four www.privateofficer.com
July 24, 2009
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SMITHSBURG, Md. July 24 2009– A helicopter crashed onto a western Maryland interstate highway and burst into flames, killing three employees of a flight instruction company and a passenger, the company said Friday.
The aircraft was engulfed when firefighters arrived at the scene minutes after receiving a call at 10:30 p.m. Thursday, said Washington County emergency services director Kevin Lewis. No vehicles on the highway were hit when the helicopter smashed into the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70. All four aboard the helicopter were killed, though there were no injuries on the ground.
Three people who worked for Advanced Helicopter Concepts in Frederick and a passenger were killed in the crash, one of its instructors, Gary Smith, said Friday morning. He said the company had suffered a “huge loss.”
“We thank everyone for their support and understanding during this difficult time,” he said, declining to release further details. Smith said the company was cooperating with National Transportation Safety Board investigators. The company trains pilots, takes photographers on aerial tours and fixes and sells helicopters, according to its Web site.
Advanced Helicopter Concepts’ office sits at the end of a hangar at Frederick Municipal Airport, where small planes could be seen taking off and landing Friday morning. Several cars were parked outside the office.
Visibility was somewhat limited by fog at the time of the crash, but it wasn’t clear if weather played a role, Lewis said. Storms had passed through the area earlier in the night.
Lewis said a witness saw the craft flying low when a bright arc of electricity flashed in the air, apparently caused by the helicopter striking a power line. It wasn’t clear if the craft was already on its way down when it hit the lines.
“The witness basically saw a large arc at which point the helicopter crashed onto the interstate,” Lewis said. Before seeing the arc, the witness thought the helicopter might have been trying to land along the roadway.
Troopers temporarily shut down lanes in both directions at the crash site near Smithsburg, which is about 10 miles east of Hagerstown, and Lewis said there were downed power lines in the interstate. The highway was reopened early Friday.
Wreckage could be seen just off the shoulder of the three eastbound lanes. A blade jutted out from twisted metal. The wreckage is almost directly beneath a set of power lines.
Federal Aviation Administration records list the owner of the four-seat Robinson R44 helicopter as Marsan Aviation Inc., of Wilmington, Del. Telephone messages weren’t immediately returned early Friday by an attorney for Marsan listed in FAA records.
Maryland State police, who are in charge of the investigation, declined to release the victims’ names until family members were notified. Investigators from the NTSB and the FAA were also at the scene west of the Washington County-Frederick County line, on the western slope of a ridge known as South Mountain.
Maryland State police spokesman Greg Shipley said the bodies were being taken to the state medical examiner in Baltimore. Any information about the owner of the aircraft and the cause of the crash will come from NTSB, which will conduct a briefing Friday morning at the Hagerstown Regional Airport.
Frederick Municipal Airport Manager Kevin Daugherty said Friday morning he was shocked by news of the accident. He said Advanced Helicopter Concepts had been at the airport for well over 10 years and was a “top-notch operation.”
“They run a very safe, efficient operation. They’re great tenants,” Daugherty said. “We are obviously very distraught over this. We are all still in shock that this happened.” He said he had spoken to employees of the company and that “they’re grieving very much.” Daugherty said operations at the airport continue as normal as possible.
The aircraft was engulfed when firefighters arrived at the scene minutes after receiving a call at 10:30 p.m. Thursday, said Washington County emergency services director Kevin Lewis. No vehicles on the highway were hit when the helicopter smashed into the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70. All four aboard the helicopter were killed, though there were no injuries on the ground.
Three people who worked for Advanced Helicopter Concepts in Frederick and a passenger were killed in the crash, one of its instructors, Gary Smith, said Friday morning. He said the company had suffered a “huge loss.”
“We thank everyone for their support and understanding during this difficult time,” he said, declining to release further details. Smith said the company was cooperating with National Transportation Safety Board investigators. The company trains pilots, takes photographers on aerial tours and fixes and sells helicopters, according to its Web site.
Advanced Helicopter Concepts’ office sits at the end of a hangar at Frederick Municipal Airport, where small planes could be seen taking off and landing Friday morning. Several cars were parked outside the office.
Visibility was somewhat limited by fog at the time of the crash, but it wasn’t clear if weather played a role, Lewis said. Storms had passed through the area earlier in the night.
Lewis said a witness saw the craft flying low when a bright arc of electricity flashed in the air, apparently caused by the helicopter striking a power line. It wasn’t clear if the craft was already on its way down when it hit the lines.
“The witness basically saw a large arc at which point the helicopter crashed onto the interstate,” Lewis said. Before seeing the arc, the witness thought the helicopter might have been trying to land along the roadway.
Troopers temporarily shut down lanes in both directions at the crash site near Smithsburg, which is about 10 miles east of Hagerstown, and Lewis said there were downed power lines in the interstate. The highway was reopened early Friday.
Wreckage could be seen just off the shoulder of the three eastbound lanes. A blade jutted out from twisted metal. The wreckage is almost directly beneath a set of power lines.
Federal Aviation Administration records list the owner of the four-seat Robinson R44 helicopter as Marsan Aviation Inc., of Wilmington, Del. Telephone messages weren’t immediately returned early Friday by an attorney for Marsan listed in FAA records.
Maryland State police, who are in charge of the investigation, declined to release the victims’ names until family members were notified. Investigators from the NTSB and the FAA were also at the scene west of the Washington County-Frederick County line, on the western slope of a ridge known as South Mountain.
Maryland State police spokesman Greg Shipley said the bodies were being taken to the state medical examiner in Baltimore. Any information about the owner of the aircraft and the cause of the crash will come from NTSB, which will conduct a briefing Friday morning at the Hagerstown Regional Airport.
Frederick Municipal Airport Manager Kevin Daugherty said Friday morning he was shocked by news of the accident. He said Advanced Helicopter Concepts had been at the airport for well over 10 years and was a “top-notch operation.”
“They run a very safe, efficient operation. They’re great tenants,” Daugherty said. “We are obviously very distraught over this. We are all still in shock that this happened.” He said he had spoken to employees of the company and that “they’re grieving very much.” Daugherty said operations at the airport continue as normal as possible.
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Security officers shot in seperate incidents www.privateofficer.com
July 24, 2009
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Atlanta GA July 24 2009
Memphis TN
Two security officers working at different nightclubs were shot overnight.
A security officer working at Eddie’s in Memphis was shot after he broke up a fight and one of the suspects went out to his car and got a gun and came back shooting.
The security officer is in critical condition.
Milwaukee WI.
A female security officer running to the aid of a person who was beat up by several men outside a nightclub was shot by one of the attackers.
Police said the shooting occurred at North 30th and Brown St.
The person who was beat up was treated and released but the female security officer is in serious but stable condition.
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Categories: security, security officer injured
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