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OFFICER DOWN- Deputy Sheriff Sherri Jones
Texas
Macy security tackles shotgun toting shoplifter www.privateofficer.com
GUILDERLAND NY April 19 2011 — An Albany teen was found with a loaded sawed-off shotgun in his backpack after he was tackled outside of Macy’s in Crossgates Mall for shoplifting, police said.
Marcelle T. Chandler, 16, of 424 Elk St., was apprehended by two Macy’s security guards at 1:40 p.m. Friday for concealing two polo shirts in a shopping bag, Guilderland police said.
The security guards found the shotgun while searching Chandler’s backpack, police said, adding that Chandler kept the weapon in his bag and never threatened anyone with it.
Chandler was charged with felony criminal possession of a weapon and petit larceny. He was arraigned and sent to Albany County Correctional Facility after failing to produce bail.
Source:www.timesunion.com
Oregon 6 yr old crashes family van on way to get food www.privateofficer.com
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore.April 19 2011 – A 6-year-old Oregon boy crashed his family’s van into several mailboxes before colliding head-on with another driver Sunday, police said.
The boy said he was hungry and wanted to get some food, according to Oregon State Police Sergeant Robert Fenner.
Just after 7 a.m., emergency responders were called to a crash on Bristol Avenue, near Fargo Street, in the south suburbs of Klamath Falls.
Upon arrival Trooper Sabrina Criswell discovered one of the drivers involved was a boy who had taken his mother’s Plymouth Voyager. He left the family’s apartment, alone, and headed westbound on Bristol Avenue.
He hit some mailboxes and swerved into the eastbound lane, where he crashed head-on into a Dodge Dakota pickup.
Tammy J. Belau, 29, of Klamath Falls, was driving the pickup. She suffered minor injuries.
The boy was not injured. He was not using safety restraints.
He said he was hungry, so grabbed a roll of pennies from home and wanted to take the van to get some food, Fenner said. The boy’s name was not released.
Source:KGW
Sacramento piano teacher charged with sexual assault www.privateofficer.com
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA April 19 2011 – Sacramento County sheriff’s detectives arrested a South Sacramento piano teacher after a student reported that he sexually assaulted her.
Hao “Henry” Nguyen, 41, was arrested Saturday, said Deputy Jason Ramos.
A 9-year-old girl student said Nguyen sexually assaulted her during a lesson at his business Sacramento Piano.
Nguyen was booked into Sacramento County Jail for committing a lewd act with a child and oral copulation with a child, said Ramos. The suspect’s bail is set at $1,200,000.
Ramos said Nguyen taught about 150 children piano over the past five years. Detectives believe there may be more victims.
Anyone with information about Nguyen is urged to call the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Child Abuse Bureau at 916-874-5191.
News10/KXTV
Father of 10 yr old found decomposing in cardboard box charged www.privateofficer.com
HOUSTON TX April 19 2011 —The father of a 10-year-old boy was charged Sunday after his son’s decomposing body was found in a cardboard box in the back of an SUV.
Police said Jeffrey Singer, 44, faced one charge of injury to a child by omission. The boy’s mother, 44-year-old Tina Louise Madrid, was brought into custody Sunday night but has since been released.
The charges stem from the death of their son, Jonathan, who was found by police Sunday in the back of Singer’s SUV.
Police said Singer drove to his father’s house in the 2523 block of Southwick around 4:00 a.m. and confessed that he had harmed his 10-year-old son, who had cerebral palsy and who those who know the family said was blind.
After the suspect’s father called police to report his son’s confession, officers responded to the scene and found a child’s body in a box in the back of the suspect’s SUV.
“I was like, ‘Wow. That’s crazy. I can’t believe something like that would happen,’” said neighbor Shelby Robinson. “Honestly, I can’t believe there would be something like that on my street.”
Singer and his wife live in an apartment complex in the 19200 block of Space Center Blvd. Some of their former neighbors say they have two other daughters. They moved into the apartment after their home in Seabrook burned down.
“It was two years ago it burned down,” said their former neighbor, Sandy Martello. Martello lives next door to the empty lot where the Singer’s home once stood. “She was a stay-at-home mom and the man was a maintenance man for a hospital, I believe.”
Other neighbors said they had seen police activity at the Seabrook home in the past. Some said they noticed strange behavior from the couple.
“I heard a lot of bizarre stories so I didn’t know what to believe anymore,” said Martello.
But the neighbors said the latest story is the strangest and most tragic of them all.
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences was scheduled to perform an autopsy on the body Monday, to determine the cause of death.
A spokesperson for Child Protective Services said the agency is working with the family to make sure the other children have a safe place to stay. As of Sunday night, the spokesperson could not confirm whether CPS had been to their home in the past.
Source:KHOU.com
Security officer shoots man leaving Texas pool hall www.privateofficer.com
Midland TX April 19 2011 There has been no arrests made, as of Monday afternoon, for the shooting at Fast Freddy’s Pool Hall early Sunday morning.
An officer on patrol of the 4300 block of West Illinois Street heard gun shots fired around 1:55 a.m. Sunday. During the investigation the officer discovered an armed security guard, 37-year-old Steve Baldwin, employed by Fast Freddy’s, had discharged his firearm several times into a black Honda, said Tasa Watts, Midland police’s public information officer.
Baldwin said he attempted to detain a suspect, 23-year-old Justin Perez, when Perez attempted to run over Baldwin with the black Honda. Perez fled the scene and was later located in a field off Cotton Flat Road.
Perez suffered two non-life threatening gunshot wounds and was transported to Midland Memorial Hospital, Watts said.
He is only listed as a person of interest and no arrests have been made. It is also unclear if any charges will be filed against Baldwin.
Source:www.mywesttexas.com
Atlanta mom brings class to outdoor port-a pottys www.privateofficer.com
Atlanta GA April 19 2011 At any outdoor event — wedding, fundraiser, festival — there comes that “oh, no” moment when there’s not an indoor toilet in sight.
In short, party time has become potty time, and the options aren’t pretty: a messy, smelly portable toilet or … just hold it.
Christine Sweeney, a 37-year-old Atlanta mom and former corporate sales executive looking to start her own company, saw the problem as a business opportunity. Her startup, Atlanta Watercloset, is now a year old and building buzz.
“I realized there was nothing between a restroom and a Porta-Potty,” she said.
Sweeney’s firm boldly goes where portable toilets normally don’t, renting units that feature hands-free flush toilets, hands-free sinks with running water, interior lighting, mirrors and coat hooks. There are optional extras such as fresh flowers, on-site attendants, mints and lotions. Event guests can walk a path marked by tiki torches to facilities obscured by lattice fencing and fronted with area rugs.
“They’re absolutely beautiful. There are all these touches you’d find in an upscale bathroom,” marveled Cindy Garber, who hired Atlanta Watercloset for a corporate birthday party on a farm in Newnan. “Normally,” she said, Porta-Potties “aren’t very nice. But I had guests who walked in there and stayed a while.”
The two main models cost $205 or $245, about double the price of a standard portable toilet. Frills add to the charge.
Sweeney, who left her corporate career to have her son, was itching to get back to work when she came upon a Massachusetts company that offered upscale outdoor toilets. She decided to launch her own in Atlanta. She felt the market here was optimal, given the long outdoor event season.
Many outdoor toilet companies focus on serving the construction industry, which doesn’t demand fresh flowers or scented soaps, or large outdoor events. Some offer upscale potties, but they don’t emphasize the service.
“She has a nice niche,” said Rob Adams, president of Southeast Site Services, which provides portable toilets for events including this weekend’s Atlanta Dogwood Festival.
A one-woman operation, Sweeney holds down her costs by working out of offices in Atlanta used by her husband, Eric, owner of Veribooks.
Sweeney said she’s making money, but that’s only part of it. “I’m really engaged in what I’m doing,” she said. “Why not make the bathroom at an outdoor event something nice?”
Source:AJC.com
Technology evolving how security is done www.privateofficer.com
Charlotte NC April 19 2011 In this era of technology, a security officer must adapt to evolving industry requirements to rank among the top contract personnel.
Requirements for security personnel are as varied as the companies they serve. The term “generic” no longer applies to the role of security officer. Rather, each is an individual who reflects the sum-total of their training and experience. It benefits the contract security industry to recruit the most competent personnel and to carefully match their abilities to customer needs.
The work of security officers in a range of industries throughout the country has become more specialized and refined as industry technology has evolved and been tailored to specific environments. There is tremendous value in the collective efforts of the contract security industry to protect a range of businesses and institutions throughout the United States.
Changes in the security market are being driven largely by technology, but underlying security needs have not changed. Technology merely provides important tools to meet those needs more effectively, efficiently and economically. As technology improves the security marketplace, so should demand for a corresponding improvement in the quality of security personnel.
Sector-Specific Skills
It is critical that security personnel working in various business sectors have specialized knowledge. One contributing factor is the need for increased compliance with government regulations, which often outline sector-specific industry requirements. Here is an overview:
Colleges and Universities: Security officers must be aware of the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act’s campus crime reporting requirements. The act, also known as the Clery Act, ensures that information reflecting the effectiveness of campus security efforts is readily available. Compliance with crime reporting requirements is mandatory for an institution to receive federal student financial aid. Requirements include maintaining a public log of reported crime and providing timely warnings of crimes that represent a threat to the safety of students or employees. Thus, it is important for public safety officers to be aware of how their work relates to federal compliance mandates. (Editor’s Note: Details of the Clery Act and other regulation impacting school security can be found in this month’s Compliance Scorecard column, on page 49 of this issue.)
Chemical Plants: Security personnel may be required to help ensure compliance with Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards, which are comprehensive federal security regulations for high-risk chemical facilities imposed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Security officers may be asked questions about security measures as part of the federal inspection process.
Critical Infrastructure: Security officers employed at critical infrastructure locations may be part of yet another group of specialized teams. DHS has identified 18 critical infrastructure sectors — including agriculture, food, emergency services and cyber-networks — that it considers “critical” because if they were compromised or incapacitated, it would impact national security, the economy, or public health and safety. Security officers working at these critical locations must undergo the specific training and exercises required for these industries.
Medical Facilities: Security officers at hospitals and healthcare facilities should be versed in Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements, which include specifics related to the security and privacy of health data.
Requirements for Joint Commission health care specify the need to ensure that patients are provided a safe and secure environment, including training of staff.
A required Environment of Care Risk Assessment evaluates the potential adverse impact of the external environment on the security of patients, staff, and others coming to the facility. Security officers are a part of these efforts.
Trade and Commerce: Many security personnel are performing specialized security activities for clients that participate in the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol’s Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program, and other clients that operate within the U.S. Department of Commerce-designated Foreign Trade Zones. Each sector carries its own requirements with which security officers must be familiar.
Ports and Transportation Facilities: Security officers at ports, airports and rail systems must carry out Coast Guard-enforced Port Facility Security Plans (PFSPs) and meet the requirements to carry the Transportation Security Administration’s Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC).
There are also other sector-specific requirements beyond the impact of regulations. For example, security officers in government face the possibility of terrorism and other challenges. Additional sectors requiring specialized security expertise include utility and energy providers, oil and gas facilities, financial institutions and logistics.
Commercial Buildings: These security officers often serve as ambassadors and public-relations professionals. In commercial real estate or manufacturing facilities, it is essential to recruit experienced, customer-service-oriented professionals to provide security, fire, life and safety-related services in the commercial marketplace, such as high-rise office buildings and corporate campuses.
Leisure and Tourism: While the customer experience is paramount, there is also an expectation of security in this industry. Well-trained, personable security officers help customers enjoy their leisure and recreation in safer and more secure environments.
Retail: The benefit from retail security extends beyond a uniformed officer stationed at the storefront. Security personnel should be as knowledgeable of in-store security processes and technology as they are of the cash cycle and the retail world. Security officers with training and awareness of these processes enable retailers to focus on their main priority, the customer.
Training programs for these and other sectors must ingrain a variety of standard security officer skills while also catering to specialized needs. The job of security officer can differ from one industry to the next, and candidates for those positions must be matched accordingly. The new role of security officers now offers candidates a wealth of choices that reflect the expanding opportunities of the market.
Technological Know-how
Technology is becoming common in the corporate security world. As a result, today’s security officers must be able to interact efficiently and effectively with various technologies. Antiquated guard-tour systems have been replaced by devices and software that provide real-time communication, incident reporting, and responsiveness. This shift has changed the job of security officer for the better.
Today, security officers may be equipped with software-enabled PDAs that network wirelessly with command-centers in real-time; capturing incidents, sending pictures, recording time-and-attendance, and verifying patrol activities. These systems provide clients with dynamic views of their sites’ security environments.
Security officers must now be able to operate, interpret and respond to data made available through the technology in place, including: advanced video-management, intrusion-detection, alarm monitoring, electronic communications, access control and visitor-management systems. Training on these systems allows security officers to make faster, better-informed decisions when responding to incidents, and when identifying, investigating and responding to causes.
Security officers trained to be observant of site-specific variables can have a tremendous value-added impact beyond security. For instance, a security officer doing a tour can observe and confirm that various systems are working as intended. He or she can survey fire extinguishers or report maintenance issues such as problems with building and site lighting, door hardware, perimeter fencing, and safety issues. The more officers know about the company and processes in place, the more value they provide.
Felony theft shoplifters nabbed at Dayton mall www.privateofficer.com
Charmaine Wright, 22, and Ashanti Evans, 21, both of Cincinnati, were arrested on Friday. Both were charged with five counts of theft.
According to police, the two women filled a baby stroller full of clothes to make it look like a child was riding inside.
Security cameras caught the two women, and that is when security officers and police arrested them.
Police said they believe the pair used the tactic at other malls, and were on the lookout for them at the Dayton Mall.
Father uses 8 yr old son to shoplift www.privateofficer.com
FRANKLIN, Ohio April 19 2011– A Warren County man used his son to steal from a Tri-State Walmart, prosecutors said.
Franklin police charged 37-year-old Willie Joe Hatton of New Lebanon with theft and contributing to the delinquency of a minor after his 8-year-old son was seen pushing a loaded cart out the supermarket doors.
Security cameras captured what appears to be a man and a young boy shopping at Walmart in Franklin.
Video showed the pair picking up eight jugs of Tide laundry detergent, a large package of Charmin toilet paper and some Mountain Dew totaling $195.
The 8-year-old followed his father’s instructions and left the store without paying, police said.
Hatton has a long criminal history. In the past, he has been convicted of aggravated burglary, theft and breaking and entering. He has made a career out of stealing and is now accused of bringing his son along on the job, police said.
The boy will not face any charges.
Community resident donates money to family of slain armored car guard www.privateofficer.com
“I was thrilled that we raised that much in that short period of time in our small, little neighborhood,” Adams said.
Rosa Castillo was also thrilled, she said.
“She was thrilled but more impressed by the fact that we were there,” Adams said. “It was more about the connection and knowing that we were there than it was about the money.”
Adams said she will continue to collect money if it comes. Her email address is magadams@gmail.com.
Gary Castillo was ambushed while returning to his Garda armored car with a cash pick-up from the Kroger grocery at 2205 Lavista Rd. shortly after noon on March 15. He later died of his injuries at Grady Hospital. He was the first guard killed in a series of increasingly brazen armored car robberies throughout the Atlanta area that began in September.
Four men from parts across the metro Atlanta area have been charged in connection with the killing.
Silverado’s Dance Hall Security Subdue Shooting Suspects www.privateofficer.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. April 19 2011 - A shooting at Silverado’s Dance Hall and Saloon sent two people to the hospital and two others to jail. Police say that nightclub security officers subdued the two men and police arrested Christopher Malone, 19 and Rodricous Garrett, 20, and charged them both with aggravated assault.
The victims, a man and woman, were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Police said Malone and Garrett came to Silverado’s looking for the male victim.
When they opened fire in the crowded bar, they not only hit the man but also the woman, who was standing nearby. Police do not believe she knew the suspects.
The incident occurred around 1:45 a.m. Monday. The nightclub on Murfreesboro Pike was packed with patrons enjoying hip hop music.
Investigators believe Malone, Garrett and the victim got into an argument Saturday night at another nightclub in downtown Nashville. The dispute turned violent when the men saw each other at Silverado’s.
The bar’s security guards grabbed the suspects and held them in handcuffs until police arrived.
90 Year old security guard injured by loose horse at racetrack www.privateofficer.com
ARCADIA, Calif.April 19 2011- John Shear, the 90-year-old Santa Anita paddock guard who was seriously injured when defending a small child from a loose horse on March 12, was released from the hospital on Saturday.
Shear’s adult son, Mike, said his father is planning a return to work for the Santa Anita fall meeting in the final week of September.
Shear arrived at his home in Sierra Madre, Calif., on Saturday afternoon, a day that coincided with his wife Diane’s birthday.
“He’s a lot more independent than I thought he’d be,” Mike Shear said of his father. “He’s using a walker but he’s able to get around the house, get off the couch, and get things out of kitchen.
“He’ll be doing in-home physical therapy for three weeks. There is a place he wants to go to outside [of home] another three or four weeks [of therapy]. The first prognosis was the doctor said he be able to fully walk in eight to 10 weeks. I think it will be sooner than that.”
Shear, an avid poker player, is already planning an early summer trip to Vegas with his son, and a return trip there with friends in the fall, Mike Shear said.
Shear, who has worked at Santa Anita since 1961, suffered a fractured pelvis and internal bleeding as a result of being struck after he positioned himself to protect a child from a loose horse in the paddock.
His actions and release from the hospital have been news throughout Los Angeles in recent weeks. Shortly after the accident, Shear was profiled in newspaper articles for his heroism and his release on Saturday was part of evening news programs.
California police officer also serves as chaplain www.privateofficer.com
Sonoma County CA April 19 2011 As a police officer, Katie Close is grateful for the volunteer chaplains she can call upon to help her in a crisis situation, such as comforting someone whose loved one has died.
Now, Close is returning that favor.
The 28-year-old Healdsburg police officer recently graduated from the Law Enforcement Chaplaincy Service training in Sonoma County.
She is the first active-duty police officer to become a chaplain in the program’s 12-year history.
As dedicated as they are to public service, not many cops would want to volunteer on their off-time to be a chaplain, given the stresses they already encounter on the beat.
But Close said it’s important to her to show support for her fellow officers. And she said going through the training to become a chaplain felt “therapeutic.”
“I never knew there were people who were so dedicated to wanting to help law enforcement officers,” she said.
Every law enforcement agency in Sonoma County can call upon a chaplain at any time of day or night, 365 days a year.
There currently are about 65 chaplains, each of whom underwent six months of training before being added to the list. Close, like other chaplains, will be on-call for two 24-hour periods every month — one as the primary contact and the other as back-up.
Warren Hays, the chaplaincy service’s executive director, said he wasn’t sure at first that an active-duty police officer would be a good fit for the program.
“An officer is in a mode of investigative work, which is very, very focused,” he said. “Frankly, I think an officer needs to avoid any kind of emotion or trauma in that situation. That’s why we have chaplains.”
But he said he’s been impressed with Close, and predicts she will be an “outstanding chaplain.”
Close grew up mainly in Occidental and graduated from El Molino High School in 1999.
She said she had an early interest in public service but didn’t know how to express it until a ride-along with a Sonoma County Animal Control Officer inspired her to become one.
She held that job until a 2006 attack by three pit bulls led her to re-evaluate her career choice.
Close went through the police academy at Santa Rosa Junior College and in 2008 she was offered a job in Healdsburg.
She and her canine partner — Dasha — work the swing shift on weekends from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m.
The demands of her job and being married would seem to give Close a good excuse to devote her off-hours to herself. But in addition to being a chaplain, Close mentors a girl as a volunteer for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Sonoma County.
“Sometimes I really have a lot on my plate, but I feel a desire to do all this stuff,” she said. “I’m interested in it and there’s no better time than now.”
In addition to responding to emergencies, chaplains participate in the Every 15 Minutes anti-drunk driving program at high schools and also respond as a team to campus tragedies.
Hays said chaplains respond to about 160 calls annually. The non-profit organization has an annual budget of $45,000 that is raised through donations and fundraisers.
Hays said the next training for chaplains is in September. He can be reached at 479-0201. People can also learn about the program, sign up as volunteers or donate money.
Source:Press Democrat
Police-firefighters identities stolen-bogus tax returns filed www.privateofficer.com
The culprits accessed personal information, possibly through city pension funds administered by a private company. The breach initially appeared to affect up to 400 cops and firefighters in Oakland Park and Delray Beach, but has expanded to include about 125 employees in Davie and at least one police officer in Lauderhill.
Slade Bruce, an Oakland Park firefighter and union president, discovered he was among the victims in February.
“I was filing my taxes, and it did not go through,’’ he said. “I found out that somebody had already filed for me.”
The scam involved submitting electronic tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service and claiming education credits of $1,000 or more.
The U.S. Secret Service and Broward Sheriff’s Office are investigating. Both agencies declined to comment, as did the IRS.
Authorities have made one arrest so far: Hansy Pierre, 21, of Miami, who is charged with 12 counts of using another person’s identity without consent. Pierre, who has pleaded not guilty, reportedly was caught with debit cards in the names of a dozen other people, though his arrest report does not specify that the names belonged to police officers or firefighters whose identities were stolen.
It is unclear how or where the personal information came from. Benefits USA Inc., a Lauderhill company that administers pension plans for cities, sent a letter to trustees of its retirement funds in March, saying that it had “come to our attention that several Broward County municipal employees may have had their identities stolen.”
The letter, from company President Pete Prior, included instructions to “find out if you are a victim” by visiting the IRS website, http://www.irs.gov, entering the appropriate personal information, and clicking on “check on your refund.”
Benefits USA administers pensions for about 30 cities, including Oakland Park, Davie and Lauderhill, according to its website. Delray Beach is a former customer.
Prior, a former lieutenant with the Tamarac Fire Department, told the Sun Sentinel on Thursday that the leak was a mystery.
“We don’t know where it came from. Nobody knows,’’ he said.
The breach has been a headache for the victims.
Bruce said his own tax return has been held up as a result of the bogus claim made in his name. Others are concerned about the potential for further fraud now that their personal information has fallen into the wrong hands.
“The scary part about it is once the information makes it out to any kind of criminal element, that information is frequently sold over and over again,” said David Hennessy, chairman of the Lauderhill police officers’ retirement system.
Tax Day, the deadline for submitting federal income tax returns to the IRS, is normally April 15. This year, it was moved to Monday because of Emancipation Day, a Washington, D.C., holiday on Friday.
Source:www.miamiherald.com
