Archive
OFFICER DOWN ARIZONA
Chandler Police Department
Arizona
End of Watch: Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 34
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: 2 shot and killed; 6 apprehended
Police Officer Carlos Ledesma was shot and killed while conducting an undercover buy and bust operation.
Officer Ledesma was working an undercover operation with several other officers. His team was to purchase a large quantity of marijuana. The officers arrived to make the purchase with over $100,000 in their possession. As the transaction was taking place, the suspect may have attempted to rob the officers, and a shoot-out ensued. Officer Ledesma was mortally wounded, and two other officers suffered gunshot wounds.
Two suspects were shot and killed by the officers, and six other suspects were taken into custody.
Officer Ledesma is survived by his wife and two children.
Agency Contact Information
Chandler Police Department
Mail Stop 303
PO Box 4008
Chandler, AZ 85244
Phone: (480) 782-4000
Please contact the Chandler Police Department for funeral arrangements or for survivor benefit fund information.
OFFICER DOWN NORTH CAROLINA
Deputy Sheriff John Willis
Greene County Sheriff’s Office
North Carolina
End of Watch: Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 31
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Committed suicide
Deputy John Willis was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance call at approximately 7:30 pm.
As Deputy Willis, who was not wearing a vest, entered the home a male subject came out of a bedroom and opened fire, striking him twice. The man then committed suicide.
Deputy Willis is survived by his son and daughter.
Agency Contact Information
Greene County Sheriff’s Office
301 N Greene Street
Snow Hill, NC 28580
Phone: (252) 747-3411
Please contact the Greene County Sheriff’s Office for funeral arrangements or for survivor benefit fund information.
OFFICER DOWN NORTH CAROLINA
Timothy Charles Barnes
North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles License and Theft Bureau
North Carolina
End of Watch: Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 38
Tour of Duty: 10 years
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Heart attack
Date of Incident: Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Inspector Timothy Barnes suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after completing physical training at the NCDMV License and Theft Bureau inspector training program.
He was transported to Mission Hospital in Asheville after collapsing and passed away a short time later.
Inspector Barnes had served with the NCDMV License and Theft Bureau for only nine weeks. He had previously served with the Nash County Sheriff’s Office for 10 years.
Agency Contact Information
North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles License and Theft Bureau
1100 New Bern Avenue
Raleigh, NC 24699
Please contact the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles License and Theft Bureau for funeral arrangements or for survivor benefit fund information.
Former NBA player Lorenzen Wright murdered in Memphis www.privateofficer.com
Memphis TN July 30 2010 Ppolice are now considering former NBA player Lorenzen Wright’s death as a homicide, the Associated Press said.
Lorenzen Wright was last seen in the early morning of July 19, right before he was to head back to his Atlanta townhouse with a friend and his six children. His family filed a missing person report July 22.
AP Memphis Police converge on a wooded area on the outskirts of town Wednesday.
AP Former Memphis basketball players Elliott Perry (left) and Penny Hardaway joined hundreds of bystanders gathered at the scene of an area locked down by Memphis Police Wednesday.
The Shelby County medical examiner’s office reported that Wright died of a gunshot wound, the Associated Press said.
Lorenzen Wright was remembered Thursday as a fun-loving personality who helped mentor the young Atlanta Hawks during his most recent stint with the team, 2006-08.
Wright’s body was found Wednesday in a wooded area of southeast Memphis. He had been missing for about 10 days.
Hawks spokesman Arthur Triche said Wright’s personality “livened the mood of many teammates and those around him. He was a friend, teammate and mentor to many of the young Hawks during his second stint with the team, and his contributions will never be forgotten.”
Lenny Wilkens coached the power forward during his first stint with the Hawks, 1999-2001. “Lorenzen was a real congenial young man who played with a lot of enthusiasm,” Wilkens said. “He was a real delight to be around.”
Wright’s family issued a statement through a cousin of Lorenzen Wright, Camella Logan: “Lorenzen’s family has come together to mourn his loss and honor his legacy. We appreciate your thoughts, prayers and condolences as they are comforting at this very difficult time. Additionally, we ask that you please respect our privacy as we try to cope with his sudden loss.”
Wright’s mother, Deborah Marion, arrived at the scene Wednesday night with a handful of family members. She crossed the crime scene tape and tried to talk to police when she was told to move back. She sat in a TV van before returning to the tape. Two officers then let her through.
The distraught Marion then started running down the road toward the crime scene before being stopped by an officer. She spoke with officers, then walked back past reporters without speaking straight to a van.
The 34-year-old Wright was last seen in the early morning of July 19, right before he was to head back to his Atlanta townhouse with a friend and his six children. His family filed a missing person report July 22.
The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports that a 911 call made on July 19 from Wright’s cellphone recorded loud gunshot blasts from what appeared to be several weapons before the call ended.
Wright recently flew from Atlanta to Memphis to visit friends and his children, friends said.
He was last seen at about 2 a.m. July 19, leaving his ex-wife’s Whisperwood Drive home, the newspaper said.
His former wife told police she doesn’t know who he left with or what type of car they were in, according to the missing person’s report. A friend estimated Wright was carrying $2,000 to $3,000 in big bills, the Commercial Appeal reported.
Wright played 13 years in the NBA for the Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and most recently the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2008-09 season. Wright left the University of Memphis early for the NBA, and the Clippers made the 6-11 power forward a lottery pick with the No. 7 selection overall.
He averaged 8 points and 6.4 rebounds in 778 career games. Wright’s best season as a Hawk was 2000-01, when he averaged 12.4 points and 7.5 rebounds.
By nightfall Wednesday, nearly 200 people had visited the road blocked off by police while TV news helicopters showed investigators scouring the grounds for evidence. Police brought in a mobile command center that further blocked off the scene.
Former NBA star Penny Hardaway, who played at Memphis two years before Wright, said he heard the news from a friend and went to the scene near where the body was found.
“I cried. The emotions hit me immediately. It’s just sad because we lost a good person and a brother,” Hardaway said.
Elliot Perry, another friend and former Memphis player, also was at the scene. Wendy Wilson, who once worked as Wright’s personal assistant, also was there and said Wright often used the road police had cordoned off as a shortcut to his mother’s house.
“He was a good person. He did not deserve to die this way. God is not pleased with this,” Wilson said.
Memphis Grizzlies majority owner Michael Heisley issued a statement late Wednesday saying, “We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Lorenzen Wright. We lost a member of the Grizzlies family. Lorenzen delighted fans on the court with his passion and off the court with his generosity in a Memphis community that watched him grow throughout his playing career …”
Wright attended a couple of Hawks playoff games this spring, supporting his friend Josh Smith.
In January, Wright ran into Hawks vice president of public relations Arthur Triche at a restaurant, where they watched the BCS championship game.
“He was still the same outgoing, gregarious individual he always was,” Triche told the AJC. “Nothing would have led us to believe something like this would happen.”
Wright spoke then of catching on with another NBA team.
Wright’s friend, Jeremy Orange, told the Commercial Appeal that Wright was dealing with a fractured thumb that ended his career, financial woes and a divorce finalized in January.
But Wright had two NBA teams inviting him to tryouts, and he was scheduled to fly to Israel last weekend to try out for a team there, Wright’s roommate told the Commercial Appeal.
The paper reported Wright’s custom-built 17-room home in Eads, Tenn., was repossessed in May for $1.3 million, and that his Atlanta house was repossessed in January for $1.1 million.
Friends described Wright as a dedicated father to his four sons and two daughters, ages 4 to 15
Source:AP
Arizona gun battle leaves police officer dead, 2 others injured www.privateofficer.com
During a crowded press conference inside Chandler City Council chambers on Thursday, Chandler Police Chief Sherry Kiyler announced that Officer Carlos Ledesma, who was in his third year with the city, died in the shootout.
Ledesma, 34, was married with two children, according to Kiyler. Sgt. Joe Favazzo, a Chandler police spokesman, described him as a dedicated officer who had a passion for the job.
“Words truly cannot express the grief that we feel today,” Kiyler said of the tragedy. “We are truly grateful for the overwhelming support from the Valley, the state and our nation. The events of last night are a grim reminder of the challenges that are faced by our law enforcement officers, and as we mourn our loss and the loss for our community, we renew our pledge to safeguard the freedom and security of our citizens. We will work through incredible challenges in the coming days ahead.”
Sgt. Steve Martos, a Phoenix police spokesman, said that two suspects who were believed to be firing at the officers were killed at the scene. Six suspects connected to the crime, ages 25 to 40, were arrested and were being booked into a Maricopa County jail. It is believed that everyone involved in the incident have been arrested, Martos said.
Because of the undercover nature of their work and the ongoing investigation, Kiyler said the names of the other two officers will not be released, citing safety issues for them and their families.
One of the injured officers was released from St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix early Thursday, and the other wounded officer remains in critical but stable condition, according to Shawn Hancock, president of the Chandler Law Enforcement Association, the union representing sworn officers.
The deceased officer worked undercover full time, Hancock said.
“Even when his wife arrived (at the hospital), she said, ‘He died doing what he loved and serving the community,’ ” Hancock said.
Authorities say Ledesma was pronounced dead at the hospital.
TV news helicopters showed the three officers being taken out of the home near South 23rd Avenue and Vineyard Road on stretchers about 7 p.m. Wednesday. Dozens of officers from Chandler, Phoenix and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office converged on the hospital to show support.
Police did not disclose what triggered the shootout.
The Chandler officer’s death marks the third on-duty death of a Valley police officer this year.
In January, Gilbert Police Lt. Eric Shuhandler was shot near Baseline Road and Val Vista Drive while making a vehicle stop on a car that had an obstructed license plate. The getaway driver, Daimen Irizarry, 30, was found guilty just last week of charges connected to Shuhandler’s death. The passenger in Irizarry’s vehicle, Christopher Redondo, 35, is set to go on trial next year. His charges include first-degree murder, aggravated assault and drive-by shooting. He is facing the death penalty and his trial is scheduled to begin in 2011.
Phoenix police officer Travis Murphy was shot and killed in May while investigating a suspicious vehicle. Danny Ledezma Martinez, 30, faces charges of first-degree murder and weapons violations in connection with the case.
There have been 45 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty since 1994, with just slightly more than 45 percent of them — 21 — being shot, according to information from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
The remaining 24 officers were killed in automobile accidents or were beaten to death.
Nearly half of those prosecuted for shooting and killing Arizona officers since 1994 had prior felony convictions or outstanding warrants.
Ledesma’s death marked the first time a Chandler police officer died in the line of duty in more than eight years, according to information from the Chandler Police Department. Officer Robert Joseph Nielsen died on June 12, 2002, as a result of a traffic collision at Chandler Boulevard and Pennington while en route to a call for service at another accident scene.
On April 16, 1999, Officer James Robert Snedigar was the last Chandler officer to be shot and killed in the line of duty. On April 16, 1999, Snedigar was shot and killed in an attempt to apprehend armed robbery suspects who were holed up inside a large apartment complex. Snedigar had volunteered to be the point man (the first officer in the door) for the Chandler Special Assignment (SWAT) Unit’s attempt to apprehend the suspects.
Jami Smith of Chandler was inside the adjoining library doing some work Thursday, but attended the press conference.
Smith, a native of Washington state, said she comes from a law enforcement family and has five relatives who serve in law enforcement, including her father, a former sheriff’s deputy in Everett, Wash. who helped start the Ocean Shores (Wash.) Police Department.
“I wanted to show my support,” Smith said. “This can happen anywhere. I understand how this can affect a family.”
Chandler Mayor Boyd Dunn, who also spoke during the press conference said, “This is a very difficult day for the community of Chandler and the police department. These dreadful events remind us they are protecting us, unfortunately sometimes at a dreadful price. These officers did their job to the utmost, and we’re hopeful for a speedy recovery of the other two officers. May God continue to bless them and their families.”
Woman charged in Macy store robbery www.privateofficer.com
WALLA WALLA WA July 30 2010 — A local woman was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of robbery, authorities said.
Vanessa M. Drake, 29, of 901 W. Poplar St., was booked into Walla Walla County Jail on investigation of second-degree robbery.
Drake is accused of taking clothing and jewelry from Macy’s Department Store, at 54 E. Main St., about 11:45 a.m. without paying, said Walla Walla police Detective Miguel Sanchez.
A store security guard approached Drake outside the store, Sanchez said. The security guard told police that during the confrontation, Drake struck her in the face, threw the clothes back, and ran from the store without returning the jewelry.
Drake was arrested by city police shortly after near Fifth Avenue and Main, officials said.
Erlanger Medical Center outsources security to private company www.privateofficer.com
“An assessment of Erlanger’s security operation was under way months before the Taser incident,” said Charlesetta Woodard-Thompson, Erlanger chief operating officer.
She declined a request for an interview but responded to questions through e-mail.
A police investigation into the Taser incident involving patient Edward Buckner, who died Nov. 27, 2009, found the security officer had no criminal intent.
The Hamilton County medical examiner’s autopsy report concluded that the death was caused by a blood clot and was unrelated to the use of a Taser.
The change in Erlanger’s security force was prompted by a number of vacancies last year, Ms. Woodard-Thompson said.
“These vacancies, combined with the difficulties in recruiting new officers, led to the decision to contract with an outside agency,” she said.
In April, the hospital entered into an interim management contract with Chattanooga-based Walden Security at a cost of $10,000 a month. The hospital hopes to identify a permanent security management company by the end of the year, according to Ms. Woodard-Thompson.
She said the hospital signed a professional services contract, which doesn’t require competitive bids.
Before Walden took over, Erlanger handled all recruiting, hiring and management of the hospital’s security force, Ms. Woodard-Thompson said.
“Companies like the locally based Walden Security, which is the 15th largest in the United States, have a much broader labor pool and the expertise to direct a security operation — leaving Erlanger to focus on its mission of improving the health status of this region,” she said.
Mr. Buckner was being discharged from Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute when he started fighting and the security officer used a Taser on him, according to newspaper archives.
A Times Free Press inquiry found that the officer and another hired by Erlanger previously had been fired from another law enforcement agency.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has turned over its investigation into Mr. Buckner’s death to the Hamilton County district attorney’s office, which is reviewing the case, said TBI Special Agent in Charge Jerry Powell.
Erlanger board Chairman Dan Quarles declined to comment on whether the Taser incident raised concerns among board members about security hiring and management.
Former Manassas teacher pleads guilty of child sex charges www.privateofficer.com
Prince William county VA July 30 2010 Former Manassas teacher Kevin Ricks was able to lure vulnerable teenage boys into his life for 32 years, leading to secret, drunken sexual attacks while deftly ducking police and school administrators. His international trail of abuse came to a halt in a Virginia courtroom Thursday with a guilty plea that ended his teaching career.
Ricks, 50, acknowledged in Prince William County Circuit Court that he took indecent liberties with a 16-year-old boy who had been his student at Osbourn High School. The conviction means Ricks must register as a sex offender, and he could face as many as 10 years in prison at his sentencing Oct. 28.
But the state charges are just the beginning of the legal road for Ricks, who was charged this week in federal court with possession and transportation of child pornography. Federal authorities are investigating and could bring more charges in several jurisdictions. Authorities said they hope to ensure that Ricks is jailed for decades.
“I think the general public hopes that he’s put behind bars for the rest of his life,” Prince William Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul B. Ebert said after the hearing. “He’s been preying on people for a very long time.”
At the hearing, Ricks, wearing a brown collared shirt and khaki pants with no belt, briefly answered questions from Circuit Court Judge William D. Hamblen. He repeated “Yes, your honor” several times and affirmed that he was guilty.
Manassas Detective David Abbott testified that police arrested Ricks shortly after learning of the abuse from a girl who read questionable Facebook messages between Ricks and the male victim relating to sexual episodes over the winter break. One of the incidents occurred Dec. 20, Ricks’s 17th wedding anniversary.
When police arrested Ricks at Osbourn High in February, they confiscated his a laptop and a handwritten journal. The journal, an expensive leather-bound book with a scene from Venice on its cover, was like numerous others found in Ricks’s home on Maryland’s Eastern Shore that contained explicit details about his sexual encounters with boys.
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth provided Hamblen with a copy of Ricks’s journal entry about the sexual contact with the boy. It was from Christmas Eve and detailed how Ricks gave tequila to the boy while watching a movie; Ricks described passionate kisses and wrote that it was the best 12 hours of his life.
After reading the entry to himself, Hamblen accepted the guilty plea. Although prosecutors agreed to recommend that Hamblen follow state sentencing guidelines — which could call for time already served because Ricks has been in jail since February — Hamblen said he does not have to follow the recommendation and could impose a longer sentence.
Ricks again asked to be released on bond, in part so he can contest his divorce in a hearing next month in Maryland. Hamblen ordered him held.
A federal detainer in relation to the new charges also has been placed on Ricks, meaning that he will move to federal custody when the state case is completed.
Abbott and federal authorities are continuing to investigate and are working to identify additional victims.
A Washington Post investigation, published Sunday, included interviews with six victims or their family members, and police think there could be a dozen or more victims spread across the globe. Ricks was a frequent foreign exchange host, taught in at least four states and spent seven years teaching in Japan.
Although Ricks’s arrest initially sparked support from his students, who hailed him as one of their favorite teachers, the courtroom was relatively empty Thursday. Ricks’s defense attorney said two of Ricks’s family members were in the courtroom, but they declined to speak to reporters.
A friend of Ricks’s parents, C.B. Owens, drove more than three hours from Roanoke Rapids, N.C., to offer moral support, although he has never met Ricks. He said the case has shocked his small community.
“I’ve taught school before, so it is hard to listen to this and to hear that someone would do that to kids,” said Owens, who is a minister in the church Ricks’s parents attend. “But I’ll support him anyway. Right or wrong, he still needs to be supported.”
Ebert described Ricks as a “very cunning” predator who endeared himself to people and was able to navigate the nation’s public and private schools by deflecting accusations and getting school systems to just let him go when suspicions arose. Officials in the Manassas schools, for example, said they felt powerless to act after receiving warnings that he was stalking a boy in Fauquier County because Ricks had broken no laws.
“It doesn’t speak well of a system that will let someone move from location to location and repeat this conduct,” Ebert said. “There were plenty of red flags.”
Manassas schools officials said that they wish Ricks had never been able to hurt anyone but that they were pleased that he was arrested.
“It just sickens me to read all of what this guy is accused of doing,” said Tim J. Demeria, a member of the Manassas School Board. “It’s too bad he wasn’t caught 30 years ago — it would have saved many people lots of pain and hardship. I’m grateful that the police here in Manassas were able to put him away.”
Source:Washington Post
Prince George County deputies indicted in grand theft www.privateofficer.com
Prince George County MD July 30 2010 A grand jury charged two Prince George’s County sheriff’s officials Thursday with conspiring to steal more than $20,000 from the deputies’ union when they were officers for the organization.
The criminal indictment was brought by State Prosecutor Robert A. Rohrbaugh.
According to the indictment, Wendy Tyler, who until Thursday was an acting sheriff’s captain, served as president of the union that represents deputies from September 2005 to October 2007. Capt. Nancy Ridgely was first vice president of the union for the same term, the indictment says.
During those two years, Tyler was entitled to receive quarterly checks totaling $10,400 from the Prince George’s County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #112, the indictment says.
Tyler instead received 13 union checks for $22,124, the indictment says.
The union requires the signature of two officers to draw checks on the union’s bank account, according to the indictment. Ridgely signed 12 of the 13 checks paid to Tyler, the indictment says.
Ridgely, who supervises the sheriff’s department’s public information office, did not return a phone call. Tyler, who had been working as an acting captain in the department’s domestic violence unit, also did not return a phone call.
William C. Brennan, Ridgely’s attorney, said, “My client adamantly denies these allegations and will vigorously contest these charges.”
Sheriff Michael Jackson, a candidate in the Democratic primary for county executive, did not return phone calls.
Col. Paul A. Drula, Jackson’s second-in-command, said, “As we’ve said before, it’s a union issue involving union funds, not government funds. It’s between union members.”
Tyler and Ridgely will be placed on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of the charges, Drula said. During her leave, Tyler will revert to the rank of lieutenant, Drula said.
The indictment also accuses Tyler of making purchases of more than $10,000 for nonunion purposes with her union-issued credit card. The bills for those personal purchases were paid for with union funds, the indictment says.
Source:WashingtonPost
Monitronics Alarm Company officially for sale www.privateofficer.com
Monitronics VP Mitch Clarke said the company had no comment on a potential sale.
Calls to Abry were not returned by press time.
Monitronics, which in late 2009 launched highly focused, mandatory dealer-training program, Monix, is a CSAA Five Diamond certified central station that monitors over 700,000 business and residential accounts. Monitronics central station manager Greg Hurst won CSAA’s Excellence Award for Central Station Manager of the Year at this year’s ESX show in Pittsburgh.
Abry is a firm focused on media, communications, business and information services investing. Investment firms Citi and Moelis & Co are reportedly advising in the sale.
On-Line Security Guard Training
Shoplifter carjacks woman at Annapolis mall www.privateofficer.com
Annapolis MD July 30 2010 A woman who county police believe was carjacked outside Westfield Annapolis mall Tuesday afternoon has come forward.
County police said an armed shoplifter who was being chased by loss prevention officers from Westfield Annapolis mall opened the back door of a car passing through an intersection and got inside. The woman behind the wheel drove about 50 yards before stopping. The man got out and was arrested.
Justin Mulcahy, a county police spokesman, said the unidentified woman contacted police this morning after learning officers needed to speak with her. She was being interviewed this afternoon so police could learn what exactly happened when a shoplifter, running from mall security, got into the woman’s moving vehicle on Bestgate Road.
At about 3 p.m. a man used a box cutter to cut a cell phone and MP3 player off a display at the Sears store in the Parole mall.
Loss prevention officers saw the theft and chased the shoplifter through the mall, out the Lord & Taylor store, through the parking lot and across Bestgate Road, said Justin Mulcahy, a county police spokesman.
The shoplifter ran to a light-colored, four-door sedan, possibly a Toyota Camry, which was stopped at an intersection. The driver, a woman, tried to drive away, but the shoplifter opened the back passenger door and jumped inside.
The woman drove about 50 yards before stopping near Industrial Drive. Witnesses told police the shoplifter then jumped out of the car and tried to run.
Security officers then caught up with him. Police said he pulled out the box cutter and swung it at the officers, but they were eventually able to get him under control and hold him on the sidewalk.
Police arrived at the scene to investigate and were informed of what happened.
Arthur Tyler Felton, 38, of 101 Victor Parkway in Annapolis, was arrested and charged with theft, two counts of assault, drug possession and carrying a concealed, dangerous weapon.
He is being held at the Jennifer Road Detention Center in Parole on $150,000 bond following a bail review hearing at District Court in Annapolis yesterday.
According to electronic court records, Felton servedabout halfof a 30-year sentence for the 1991 murder of a 6-year-old girl in Baltimore. Records show he violated his probation in 2006,shortlyafter his release from prison.
Surveillance footage captured from outside a nearby business shows Felton running to the sedan, opening the back door on the driver’s side and getting into the vehicle as the woman tried to drive away.
Police said after Felton got out of the vehicle, the woman continued driving and did not stop or call for help.
Police asked for the public’s assistance in identifying the woman so they could get more information, and seek additional charges for attempted carjacking and other offenses, Mulcahy said.
Until today, police only had witness accounts and surveillance footage to go on.
Source:HometownAnnapolis.com
Detroit Schools privatize security forces www.privateofficer.com
The district has contracted with the Sweden-based security guard company Securitas.
Steve Wasko, chief communications officer of DPS, says the district expects to save $3 million by outsourcing to the private company.
The current security guards have said the district is putting students at risk by outsourcing to “untrained guards.”
“A Securitas guard maced and handcuffed a student at Mumford [High School] to a chair for hours before contacting his parents,” a DPS security guard told the Michigan Citizen July 26, while the guards protested outside the Fisher Building against the outsourcing.
Subsequently, the student’s parent filed a lawsuit against the district following the Jan. 22 incident.
The current DPS security officers say they have close relationships to the students and are more like family.
“This past winter a student came to me and told me he didn’t have water at his home … I would get to the school every morning an hour early and let him take a shower in the locker room and would wash his clothes. We’re more of a family than anything … we know our kids,” DPS Officer Shirley Howard-Allen told the M.C. Howard-Allen has been with the district for 10 years.
According to the current officers, Securitas officers have no arrest powers, and will not be able to provide safety for DPS students.
“They were the lowest bidder but you can’t put a price tag on these kids’ safety,” said DPS officer Lawrence Edmonson.
The officers are accusing their Teamsters union of not providing proper representation by not putting in a bid.
“We’ve paid our dues and they didn’t do anything to help us,” an officer told the M.C.
Some members accuse the union of wanting to bring Securitas guards into the Teamsters.
David Sutton, the business agent representing Local 214, says that the accusations are not true.
“DPS says, ‘I have a right to privatize and am going to do so,’” Sutton said.
Sutton says bidding was properly done and the district refused to accept the union’s bid.
Regarding teamsters “double-dipping” and representing Securitas, Sutton says Local 214 can’t represent a private company.
“Local 214 can only represent public-sector employees. Other Teamsters’ Locals can represent the private sector but not security guards,” Sutton said.
According to Sutton, private security companies can only be represented by a security guard union.
Wasko says the district’s concern was the reliability of the current officers.
“Our single biggest concern with the current security personnel is chronic absenteeism which, on days like yesterday, which is typical, 17 percent of the workforce chose not to come to work.”
The current DPS officers say the new guards will not be prepared to be in the schools.
“They only receive 49 hours of training prior to working in the schools,” Kirk Bennett said.
Edmonson says DPS officers receive eight weeks of police-style training in first aid, defense and conflict resolution.
Sutton says they have yet to receive anything in writing, only a verbal notice of non-renewal.
Source:TheMichiganCitizen
Phoenix police make massive protestor arrests www.privateofficer.com
Police riot teams moved into place after 10 a.m. and paddy wagons were brought in anticipation of arrests. One woman was accused of pushing an officer at the main melee at Cesar Chavez plaza and was arrested on suspicion of failing to obey officers.
The protesters were chanting “Hey ho, hey ho, SB 1070 has got to go,” referring to Senate Bill 1070.
At least eight protesters approached a police line at the nearby office of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and allowed themselves to be arrested. A group of about two dozen protesters then sat down in the middle of the street or refused to leave, and police arrested them as well.
Protesters banged drums and shouted, “Sheriff Joe, we are here. We will not live in fear.”
Earlier, three people were detained at the federal courthouse where a judge issued a ruling Wednesday blocking parts of the law from taking effect. The three people detained at the courthouse — including former state Sen. Alfredo Gutierrez, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2002 —apparently entered a closed-off area.
Even though a federal judge on Wednesday blocked key provisions of the state legislation, rallies protests, prayer vigils and acts of civil disobedience are scheduled throughout the day.
The provisions of the law that were not blocked took effect at 12:01 a.m. Gov. Jan Brewer’s legal team is expected to file an expedited appeal of the judge’s order with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sometime Thursday.
For most of the morning, the mood was calm, with occasional outbursts of chant and song.
But it was clear that law enforcement was prepared for any problems that might develop.
Phoenix police officers were posted at every street corner, and their squad cars and motorcycles lines the streets for blocks.
A group of legal observers from the National Lawyers Guild was also on site, providing protestors an opportunity to fill out paperwork with familial contact information, name and date of birth in case they got arrested.
“We want to make sure they don’t get lost in the system,” said Thomas Cincotta, of Boston, who said he was a researcher at Political Research Associates.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday it is expecting acts of civil disobedience at several places around the area.
In a pre-emptive release, Arpaio said his office was bracing for “massive numbers of protesters” at the jail, where all local agencies bring their arrestees for booking.
As a security measure, the sheriff has canceled public visitation at the jail and put all inmates on a 24-hour lockdown.
“These irresponsible individuals (who) plan to create so much congestion around the jail that we cannot accept prisoners will end up prisoners themselves,” said Arpaio, who has beefed up security measures for himself and his staff.
Arpaio planned to launch another “crime suppression operation” in west Phoenix Thursday, one day after U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton took the teeth out of Arizona’s immigration-enforcement law.
A key piece of the law that Bolton blocked on Wednesday would have allowed deputies to arrest some of those suspects for violating the new law if they weren’t carrying registration documents.
“That would have been a nice little extra twist if we could have locked them up instead of handing them over to ICE,” Arpaio said Wednesday after Bolton’s ruling.
Thursday’s operation marks the 17th time Arpaio has deployed hundreds of deputies and volunteer posse members to root out illegal immigrants.
Arpaio has scheduled a 3 p.m. news conference to launch the operation.
Thursday’s protests and marches began with a prayer vigil and march from the Arizona State Capitol to the Trinity Cathedral in downtown Phoenix.
The early morning march started off small with just about 100 people, but has been picking up steam.
NJ man captured in murder of Miami security officer www.privateofficer.com
Miami Fla July 30 2010 A New Jersey man accused of fatally shooting a retired Miami police captain last year is scheduled to appear in court Thursday for his bond hearing.
Rafael Toirac-Aguilera, 33, was extradited from New Jersey and booked into a Miami-Dade County jail Wednesday on a first degree murder charge. Police say Toirac-Aguilera shot and killed Robert Lee execution style in July 2009 at a Miami marina.
In February, sources confirmed to CBS4′s Gary Nelson that Toirac-Aguilera was in custody in New Jersey, jailed months ago on a domestic violence charge. That’s when a sealed arrest warrant was issued for him in Florida.
The arrest warrant was granted based upon information Miami homicide detectives were able to uncover. The suspect left fingerprints and DNA on a critical piece of evidence related to the crime. Investigators believe the murder was a targeted “hit.”
Yee was murdered on July 10, 2009 at the Hurricane Cove Marina. The former Captain was a 25-year veteran with the Miami Police Department before retiring in 1995. Yee’s body was found with two gunshot wounds to the head.
The execution-style slaying was done in broad daylight as he sat in a golf cart that he used to get around the sprawling marina he worked at as a yard manager and security guard.
A law enforcement source has told CBS4 News that at the time, Yee had been assisting in a federal investigation of a smuggling operation on the river. Investigators are trying to learn if that may have contributed to his murder.
Security officer nabs school burglar www.privateofficer.com
Tulsa Okla July 30 2010 A man has been arrested on a burglary complaint after police say they caught him climbing out of the window of a Tulsa elementary school overnight.
It happened shortly after 2 a.m. at McKinley Elementary, located just east of Sheridan Road on East King Street. Officers responded after an alarm at the school and arrived to find a security guard, who had caught the suspect.
The guard told officers he apprehended the suspect — identified as 20-year-old Lamar Lavann Jones — climbing out of the window of a portable classroom on school property.
After looking over the property, there was no loss to report. Jones was arrested and booked into the Tulsa County Jail
After examining the property, there was no loss to report. Jones was arrested for 2nd degree burglary.
Security guard charged in string of burglaries www.privateofficer.com
John F. Pipcynski, 44, of 113 Lyman Lane, Gouldsboro, was arrested Tuesday night and charged with multiple counts of burglary, theft and related offenses, state police at Dunmore said.
Mr. Pipcynski allegedly admitted to the thefts at the Big Bass Lake community, saying he looked for property he could either use or sell. One of the homes was in Lehigh Twp., Wayne County.
In June, victim Mary Ruane of Ingrid Drive returned as Mr. Pipcynski was at her home, according to an affidavit. He told her he saw a light on and decided to investigate, but when she questioned further, Mr. Pipcynski got into his car, backed into a tree and then sped away, police said.
Among other things, he also took jewelry, DVDs, a massage chair, gardening tools and a lawn mower, police said. He was remanded to Lackawanna County Prison on $50,000 bail
Source:Times-Tribune
LifeNet helicopters grounded after crash kills 3 www.privateofficer.com
Phoenix AZ July 30 2010 Flights by LifeNet helicopters in Arizona have been halted temporarily following Wednesday’s crash that killed three people in a north-side neighborhood.
Colorado-based Air Methods Corp. has put its six LifeNet Arizona bases and seven helicopter crews on a safety stand-down, said Craig Yale, vice president of corporate development.
Flight crews will return to service after they go through a “critical stress debriefing” and it’s deemed appropriate to fly again, though no timetable has been given for when that will occur, Yale said.
In the meantime, any emergency calls LifeNet would have taken will be handled by other area helicopter outfits, Yale said.
Killed Wednesday were pilot Alex Kelley, 61; paramedic Brenda French, 28; and flight nurse Parker Summons, 41.
They were aboard the AS350 B3 Eurocopter that crashed about 1:45 p.m. into a fence and a shed just outside an occupied home on North Park Avenue near East Glenn Street.
French, who began working for LifeNet Arizona in March, died at the scene. Kelley, an employee since 2002, and Summons, who had worked for LifeNet since 2007, died at University Medical Center, company officials said.
“We’re deeply saddened by this tragic event,” Yale said Thursday.
A memorial service is being planned for the three.
Marana-douglas flight
The helicopter, known within the company as LifeNet 12, was traveling from Marana to Douglas, Yale said. The $2.5 million aircraft was put into service in September 2009 and had logged about 350 hours of flight time, he said.
LifeNet 12 had been at the company’s base at Marana Regional Airport for routine maintenance and was in the process of being returned to its home base, Yale said.
Company officials have declined to say what work was done on the aircraft, but Chris Meinhardt, Air Methods director of maintenance, said the helicopter had been at Marana for “a few days.”
Though investigators won’t know for some time what caused the crash, Meinhardt said it likely was not tied to a possible defect that had been identified in some engines installed in AS350 B3 Eurocopters.
Federal Aviation Administration documents indicate the engine defect, first discovered in 2009 in helicopters operating outside the U.S., could lead to limitation of engine power or, at worst, a sudden power loss.
Engine manufacturer Turbomeca had addressed the issue before turning the helicopter over to Air Methods, Meinhardt said.
This was not the first time an AS350 B3 helicopter was involved in an incident in Tucson, federal records show.
Another Eurocopter operated by Air Methods was forced to make a hard landing at St. Mary’s Hospital in September after it swerved to the left, according to National Transportation Safety Board documents.
The helicopter was just a few feet from the landing pad when it began to swerve, the documents stated.
The landing caused substantial damage to the helicopter, the report said. When tested later, the helicopter checked out as normal, the NTSB said. The cause of “loss of directional control” was undetermined, it said.
The three crew members and one patient were not injured, the report said.
Pilot known as reliable
Kelley, a Vietnam veteran who flew helicopters overseas as well as for the U.S. Border Patrol’s air operations unit, was known as a reliable and dependable pilot.
“The troops on the ground thought the world of him because air support is those guys’ lifeline,” said Clyde Benzenhoefer, a retired Border Patrol agent who worked with Kelley. “He was very well-liked by everyone.”
Benzenhoefer said he wasn’t surprised to hear witness accounts that Kelley appeared to steer the helicopter away from homes before crashing.
“Knowing Alex, that’s typical of him,” he said. “I flew with him several times, and I’ve always felt safe with him.”
Summons, a Tucson native and Catalina High School graduate, was supposed to have been off work on Wednesday, according to friends who were at University Medical Center Wednesday evening.
The father of a 2-year-old son was described as an outgoing and caring man, who loved golf and bicycling as well as his work.
French graduated from Winslow High School in 2000, according to her Facebook page. Her family declined to comment.
On StarNet: Go to azstarnet.com/video for video of the crash aftermath. See a gallery of photos at azstarnet.com/gallery
Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board arrived in Tucson late Wednesday to begin their investigation into the LifeNet helicopter crash that killed three people.
That investigation could take as long as a year to complete and for a report to be released, NTSB lead investigator Van McKenny said Thursday.
A preliminary crash report is expected to be posted to NTSB’s Web site, http://www.ntsb.gov, within the next few days, but it won’t include any information on possible causes for the crash, McKenny said.
“It’s too early to narrow down possibilities,” he said.
Investigators visited the crash site most of Thursday, then a professional aircraft-recovery service hauled the helicopter to Phoenix, where NTSB investigators will take a more detailed look at the wreckage, McKenny said.
