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OFFICER DOWN Sergeant Kenneth Gary Vann
Sergeant Kenneth Gary Vann
Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, Texas
End of Watch: Saturday, May 28, 2011
Age: 48
Tour of Duty: 24 years, 6 months
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: May 28, 2011
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: At large
Sergeant Kenneth Vann was shot and killed in an ambush while stopped at a red light on Rigsby Avenue at 2:12 am.
He was responding to a non-emergency call and had stopped for a red light at the intersection of Rigsby Avenue and SE Loop 410. A car pulled up next to his patrol car on the passenger side and the occupant(s) immediately opened fire with no warning. Sergeant Vann was struck by multiple shots. His patrol car rolled through the intersection and was stopped by crash barriers. He succumbed to his wounds before arriving at a local hospital.
The other vehicle fled the scene and the suspect(s) remain at large.
Sergeant Vann had served with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office for over 24 years. He is survived by his wife and three children. His wife also serves with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
Agency Contact Information
Bexar County Sheriff’s Office
200 North Comal
San Antonio, TX 78207
Phone: (210) 335-6000
San Rafael shoplifters charged with burglary www.privateofficer.com
San Rafael CA May 31 2011 Two Fairfax residents were arrested Friday afternoon at Northgate Mall for burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary and grand theft.
According to San Rafael police Sgt. David Cron, Kaitlyn Brierly, 18, was detained by mall security around 2:40 p.m. after attempting to exit Macy’s with stolen goods, primarily jewelry. Joseph Warner, 23, was then picked up in the parking lot in his truck by police officers.
Brierly and Warner cooperated with police, said Cron, and said they entered the store with the intent to steal jewelry and other items. A number of stolen goods were also found in Brierly’s possession. Warner, said Cron, also said they were committing burglary to fund their drug habits.
Both were booked into county jail and were each being held on $15,000 bail.
LAX police Taser disorderly woman www.privateofficer.com
Los Angeles CA May 31 2011 A 32-year-old woman who threatened police was tasered and arrested at Los Angeles International Airport, officials announced today.
Lanica Johnson was arrested around 11 p.m. Sunday after she became agitated and tried to fight with officers, said Sgt. Belinda Nettles of Los Angeles Airport Police.
“Officers observed Johnson either sleeping or passed out in a terminal ticketing area,” Nettles said.
The woman was escorted out when authorities determined she was not a passenger and had no business in the airport.
“As she was being escorted to the ground transportation area — to leave LAX — Johnson stepped into oncoming traffic,” Nettles said. “As officers attempted to redirect her to the proper location Johnson became agitated, took a fighting stance and threatened to assault the officers.”
Nettles said the officers used a taser on Johnson and she was taken into custody.
She was taken to a hospital and later booked at the Los Angeles Police Department Pacific Division Jail for unlawful challenge to a fight.
Source:City News Service
Philadelphia man gets prison term for armored car robbery www.privateofficer.com
Brian Williams, 53, and another man, Anthony Reid, 45, robbed the guard as he delivered cash to ATMs at a West Philadelphia gas station.
U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger said Williams and Reid took the guard’s gun and a bag of currency during the Sept. 4 robbery at 52nd and Spruce Streets.
Stetson University’s Public Safety Department goes green www.privateofficer.com
DeLand Fla May 31 2011
Stetson University’s Public Safety Department has gone green with a new vehicle.
The department at the DeLand university has replaced its sports utility vehicle with a MILES Electric Vehicle to support Stetson’s commitment to environmental responsibility. The vehicle is used by the department’s sergeants, captain and director to patrol campus.
“Reducing our carbon footprint is very important to us,” said Al Allen, Stetson associate vice president for facilities management.
The electric vehicle, marked with Public Safety decals and which cost the university $13,000, is battery-fueled, reaching a maximum of 25 mph. It was purchased from the California-based MILES Electric Vehicles.
MILES has an estimated battery life of 25,000 miles and has a run time of 200 to 240 minutes. These compact cars seat up to four people and the backseats can be folded down to provide more trunk space. They are used at more than 30 university and college campuses in the United States.
The purchase of the new electric vehicle is one of many steps that Stetson has taken, university officials said, to be environmentally responsible and reduce the university’s carbon footprint. If all goes well, Stetson may buy more electric-motor-utility vehicles for its Facilities Management Department.
Navy petty officer charged with murder of wife www.privateofficer.com
Officer Hilal Williams, a New Orleans police spokeswoman, said Sunday that a first-degree murder warrant accuses 43-year-old David Hugh Marx of killing 51-year-old Mary Lou Marx.
She said the Naval Criminal Investigative Service arrested Marx in Norfolk two days after his wife’s body was found on Wednesday. He was to be brought to New Orleans, she said, but did not know if he had been returned Sunday. The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office website did not list him as an inmate Sunday.
The police department’s major offense log said there was no sign of forced entry and “the perpetrator stabbed the victim, possibly with an ink pen, in the chest and nose,” according to The Times-Picayune.
Police have not said why they went to the house Wednesday, but confirmed that Mary Lou Marx’s 12-year-old son was home when officers arrived. The boy was being held by the Louisiana Department of Child and Family Services.
The front door of the family’s house was locked Wednesday, and officers had to force their way inside, Fourth District Commander Heather Kouts said Wednesday. She said the house was in disarray when officers arrived, as if someone had searched through several cupboards.
David Marx, an aviation ordnanceman, has been in the Navy since 1987 and was previously stationed in New Orleans, Navy spokeswoman Terry Davis said. She said she did not know why he might have been in New Orleans on Wednesday.
Next-door neighbor Edith McDonald-Loose told the newspaper that the couple’s son got a ride home from school because his mother had failed to pick him up as usual. He looked in the window, saw her body, and came to her house in a panic, McDonald-Loose said.
She said the boy had been eagerly anticipating his father’s retirement, and Mary Lou Marx’s spare time had all been spent with her family and fixing the house in time for her husband’s return.
Said McDonald-Loose: “She had absolutely no worries.”
Florida woman fights security after shoplifting incident www.privateofficer.com
BROOKSVILLE Fla May 31 2011 – A 24-year-old Brooksville woman and her boyfriend were caught in the act Friday as they attempted to steal several items from a Hernando County Wal-mart.
Brandi Lee Pitts is facing one count of retail theft and one count of resisting a merchant. She was booked into the Hernando County Jail where she is being held on a bond of $3,000.
According to a Brooksville Police Department report Pitts and the unidentified man concealed over $300 worth of merchandise from the Wal-Mart location at 7305 Broad St. and departed the store without paying. When the pair was confronted by the store’s loss prevention employees the boyfriend ran off as Pitts scuffled with them.
The merchandise was recovered and Pitts was taken into custody. A search for the unidentified male turned up nothing. If you have any information about this case please contact the Brooksville Police Department at 352-540-3800.
Pitts has one prior arrest in Hernando County according to jail records. Last August she was arrested on a similar charge.
Source:Fox News
Buried treasure beneath Washington DC streets have thieves busy www.privateofficer.com
Washington DC May 31 2011 Buried treasure lies beneath the streets of the District, and thieves have gone to considerable lengths to get it, city officials said.
The treasure is copper wire, which, according to online data, fetches a good price as scrap. (Recent quotes were several dollars per pound.)
On at least four occasions in recent weeks, thieves have removed electrical wire from underground conduits along city streets,” the D.C. Department of Transportation said in a statement.
The wire, of course, was not buried down there to be the prize in a scavenger hunt. It carries electricity that keeps streetlights burning.
In one case, the Transportation Department said, thieves stole the wire supplying streetlights on Kenilworth Avenue NE between Foote and Hayes streets.
In another case, the department said, wire was removed on Kenilworth between Polk Street and Eastern Avenue. That wire carried current that illuminated an overhead sign on DC 295, the department said.
In both cases, the department said, the wire was pulled from conduits buried beneath a grass median, between manholes.
Available information on scrap prices suggests that the metal in 1,000 feet of half-inch-diameter cable would be worth thousands of dollars.
A theft occurred last week at North Capitol and Irving streets, the Transportation Department said, and another was reported at South Capitol and Potomac streets. In an announcement issued Thursday, the department said it was trying to restore power at all four spots.
In some cases, the department said, thieves may pose as contractors and set up staged “work zones” to get the wire.
Source:Washington Post
Camp ground security helps solve rash of thefts www.privateofficer.com
JACKSON COUNTY, IN May 31 2011 – Police have two suspects in custody facing charges after a series of memorial day weekend thefts at the Starve Hollow campground in Indiana.
Officers with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources say at least 17 camp sites reported thefts on the morning of Sunday, May 29th.
“We believed we had someone coming in from outside the park committing the thefts, we did not suspected any of the patrons that were camping here this weekend.” said Indiana Conservation Officer Nathan Berry. “No matter what the cost of the items stolen, the thefts certainly put a damper on the Holiday weekend for a lot of our campers.”
Around 2:00 A.M. Monday, a Starve Hollow security officers witnessed two men pushing a moped out of the campground and notified authorities.
The two suspects were later arrested and identified as Brandon Peters of Ripley County and Gavin Goens of Vallonia.
Both Goens and Brandon Peters were arrested on theft Charges.
Conservation officers are still attempting to connect the thefts from the 29th and the 30th.
Anyone with information regarding the thefts from the 29th are encouraged to call the DNR tip line at 1-800-TIP-IDNR
Florida police charge men with stealing cardboard www.privateofficer.com
Now, Leonardo Diaz, 39, of Homestead, is charged with grand theft between $200 and $1,000.
According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report:
On Thursday the loss prevention officer for Kmart, 3302 Bonita Beach Road, told deputies another store employee saw Diaz, who is a truck driver for Iberia Foods, load a pallet of cardboard, valued at $300 onto his truck. She confronted him and Diaz put the pallet back. The cardboard is for recycling.
After completing the deliver for K mart, he put the cardboard pallet back on his truck and drove away.
The loss prevention officer gave deputies some security footage showing the incident.
Diaz was found at Bonita Beach and Iowa Roads. The two Kmart employees identified him as the culprit and he was arrested.
In other arrests, a Collier County deputy noticed a couple of suspicious men last week at a local grocer and now those men are being investigated by Lee County deputies to see if they were involved with three thefts of bundled cardboard from Bonita Springs stores.
Aguero Eduardo Fuentes, 41, and Danilo O. Ramirez Frias, 22, both of Miami, were charged with grand theft and burglary by Collier deputies.
Just before 4 a.m. on April 7 a Collier deputy saw a truck backed into the loading docks at Publix, 15265 Collier Blvd., Naples, and two men were attempting to load a pallet of cardboard onto the truck, according to a Collier County Sheriff’s Office report. He questioned them and found an additional pallet of cardboard in their truck. They were arrested.
The deputy wrote he knows the cardboard is valuable when it is recycled.
On Monday, employees of Publix, 24600 U.S. 41 South, and K mart, 3302 Bonita Beach Road, both in Bonita Springs, said an investigator from Collier County notified them that deputies recovered bundles of cardboard which had their store stickers on them, according to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office report.
Friday afternoon an employee for Home Depot, 11941 Bonita Beach Road, notified Lee deputies and said he, too, was notified of bundles with Home Depot stickers on them.
The manager of the Naples store said Publix does all of its recycling in-house and did not hire the suspects to remove the bundled cardboard.
The men had not been charged as of Tuesday in connection with the Lee County incidents.
Pallets of cardboard becoming hot theft item www.privateofficer.com
NAPLES Fla May 31 2011 — Two Miami-Dade County men tried to cash in on the cardboard business, just not with their own property said Collier County Sheriff’s officials.
Sheriff’s deputies spotted a flat bed semi truck being loaded with bales of cardboard by two men around 2:30 a.m. Monday behind the Naples’ Costco, 6275 Naples Boulevard.
When deputies stopped and spoke with the suspects, later identified as Henry C. Burge, 53, and Blade Luckner Rosembert, 33, they asked to see a copy of the bill of pick-up and ran the truck’s tag.
A search on the tag showed that the semi tractor’s registration had expired in 2007.
Meanwhile, a call to a Costco manager revealed that the men were not affiliated with the company contracted to remove the cardboard bales, and that the suspects gave deputies a fake bill of pick-up for the 17 bales- worth $8,500 that they tried to make off with.
Burge, 53, of the 500 block of N.W. 45th Street, Miami, and Rosembert, of the 700 block of N.W. 121st Street, North Miami, were both charged with grand theft of $5,000 to $10,000.
Five others have been arrested in the past week for similar thefts.
Smartphones could cause security risk in workplace www.privateofficer.com
Washington DC May 31 2011 Companies are grappling with unforeseen security, privacy and legal conundrums introduced by a host of cool mobile devices flooding into the workplace.
Personal mobile devices could prove a security risk in the workplace.
Executives eager to sport the hottest tech gear and workers accustomed to mixing social and work activities on the go are multitasking on personally owned mobile devices in record numbers.
Workers are bringing mobile devices to work at such a scale that company security technicians can’t keep up. “It’s an impossible task,” says Patrick Sweeney, product management vice president at network security firm SonicWall. “Control of these devices has become very complex because of the varying software and device types.”
Results of a recent survey of 1,400 technology professionals in 14 nations show 21% of companies have no restrictions on use of personal mobile devices, while 58% have lightweight policies, and only 20% have stringent guidelines. The poll was conducted by security firm McAfee, a division of Intel.
“A lot of organizations have yet to really lock down mobile access,” says Jamie Barnett, McAfee’s senior director of mobility products. “That tells me there is definitely an opportunity for security and compliance gaps.”
An obvious risk: employee-owned smartphones, tablets and e-readers containing work-related materials that turn up missing. Some 40% of organizations responding to McAfee’s survey reported mobile devices lost or stolen, often involving the loss of critical business data.
What’s more, the cyberunderground is adapting hacks and scams — proven to work profitably on desktops and laptops — to Internet-connected mobile devices, says Anup Gosh, founder of Web browser security firm Invincea.
Worldwide smartphone sales are on track to top 467 million units this year, tablet PC sales should approach 70 million, and e-readers, 14.7 million, according to research firm Gartner. Two years ago, smartphone sales rang in at 172 million units, tablets, zero and e-readers, 3 million.
“As mobile devices become a replacement for the desktop computers, the problem of malware (malicious software) will grow significantly on the mobile platform,” says Gosh. “Unfortunately, the security industry has not developed products suitable for battery-constrained mobile devices, which makes it ripe ground for malware writers.”
Underground and legitimate researchers flushed out 163 fresh security holes in mobile operating systems in 2010, compared with 115 in 2009, says Dean Turner global intelligence director for antivirus giant Symantec.
It won’t be long before cyberthieves steal information off mobile memory cards and run networks of corrupted computers from mobile devices, Turner testified at a congressional hearing on cybersecurity threats recently.
They already are creating tainted apps, several of which have surfaced in the Android Market, Google’s official online store, says Kevin Mahaffey, chief technology officer at Lookout Mobile Security.
One recent attack spread corrupted versions of 50 legitimate game and entertainment apps, which were downloaded at least 250,000 times, Mahaffey says.
Of particular concern is location-tracking technology built into the hottest-selling smartphone and tablet models. Roughly one-third of the Web apps available in Android Market and in Apple’s App Store make use of location data that can pinpoint the whereabouts of the device user, says Mahaffey.
But location-tracking has introduced unprecedented privacy and legal concerns, says Hugh Thompson, chairman of RSA Conference, the nation’s top cybersecurity conference held annually in San Francisco. “Time bomb may not be the right word, but there certainly are some interesting unintended side effects coming to light,” says Thompson.
What if a company gets sued and the court seizes data from an employee-owned smartphone? Thompson posits. “If I get this device, I also get access to all this interesting personal data about the employee, too,” he notes.
McAfee’s Barnett says corporate technology staffers are asked to give corporate access to personal “mobile devices in a much faster, more complex way than ever before.”
“In the past, we asked them to issue company-owned laptops, give a few privileged users locked-down BlackBerrys, and that was it,” says Barnett. “Today, they’re being asked to accomplish a far greater feat.”
Source:USA
2 Year old shoots-kills 6 year old girl www.privateofficer.com
FRESNO, Calif. May 30 2011 — The shooting happened at a home on North Boyd Ave. near Trenton around 11 a.m. Sunday.
The shooting happened just blocks from here and police are still investigating how the toddler got ahold of the gun in the first place.
Crime scene tape surrounds this Northeast Fresno neighborhood Sunday and police were on a tough assignement.
Investigators say just before 11 a.m. a 6-year-old girl died after being shot when her 2-year-old brother walked into the room carrying a gun.
“He was in possession of a semi-automatic hand gun. The gun accidentally discharged, striking the child,” Sgt. Stephen Viveros said.
Police say at least two other children witnessed the shooting. They say the children’s father reported the incident, after he heard the shot while he was in another room.
The young girl died on scene.
A police chaplain was called in to console the grieving family.
The 6-year-old victim has four siblings ranging in ages from 2 to 15.
“This girl hasn’t seen her life, barely 6 years. She didn’t enjoy life yet,” Mahmood Sultan said.
Sultan lives around the corner from the family, he also has children around the same ages.
He said he’s stunned by the news and feels badly for the family.
“It’s within their own, that’s very tough.”
Police say this tragedy should serve as a reminder to teach children just how dangerous guns can be.
“If you have handguns, please secure them. Please secure them, teach your kids about gun safety.”
Police are treating this shooting as an accident.
They say the parents have not been charged with any crimes.
Investigators are still talking with the parents, hoping to get more details about what happened.
Several other guns were found inside the home.
Detectives have since removed them, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Source:KFSN
LA security officers report fire-rescue victim www.privateofficer.com
Los Angeles CA May 30 2011 An early morning fire at a piñata and party supply factory in Downtown’s Wholesale District has left one LAFD firefighter injured. The blaze, ultimately deemed a Greater Alarm Structure Fire, was reported at around 1:25 a.m. Sunday at the two-story building at 1171 East 10th Street.
The fire was reported by security guards, who spotted the flames from outside. They heard a man crying for help, according to KTLA, who was not inside the building, but stuck on the premises behind a large fence. “The security guards were able to help the man to safety by stacking a pallet up against the fence before firefighters arrived on the scene.”
Firefighter and Paramedic spokesman Erik Scott explains via an e-mail release:
Firefighters arrived to find a large outside fire exposing the rear of two buildings, a tall warehouse connected by a division wall to a one-story building separated into an approximate half dozen, 50′ x 100′ individual stores containing party supplies.
Firefighters cut their way through multiple rolling steel doors into the warehouse in order to confront the blaze, while others attacked the fire from the roof. The fire was put out in just over an hour, with the work of 110 firefighters. “One Firefighter assigned to a Truck Company suffered back injury and was transported to a local hospital in fair condition,” notes the LAFD.
The amount of damage has yet to be calculated, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Bexar County TX deputy sheriff shot dead at traffic light www.privateofficer.com
SAN ANTONIO TX May 30 2011
Authorities in south-central Texas say a veteran sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed while waiting at a traffic light in his patrol vehicle.
Bexar County Sgt. Kenneth Vann was waiting at an intersection early Saturday when someone in another vehicle pulled up next to his marked cruiser and opened fire through Vann’s front passenger side window.
Chief Deputy Sheriff Manuel Longoria called it a “senseless” attack. He told the San Antonio Express-News that Vann was struck by a number of bullets and died at the scene.
Investigators don’t have a motive for the attack. No arrests have been reported.
Vann had been on the force for 24 1/2 years and was a patrol supervisor. His wife is also a sergeant with the sheriff’s office.
Houston police officer killed in traffic accident www.privateofficer.com
Houston TX May 30 2011
A Houston police officer was struck and killed by a suspected drunken driver early Sunday while investigating an accident on the North Loop near Yale.
The 38-year-old officer, Kevin Will, died at the scene, Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland said. Will was a father of two children, ages 6 and 10, and his wife is 6 months pregnant with their third child, the chief said.
The driver, 26-year-old Johoan Rodriguez, is in jail, charged with intoxication manslaughter of a peace officer, felony evading and possession of a controlled substance. Police identified the substance as cocaine.
In addition, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is investigating his citizenship status.
Will joined the force in 2009 and would have celebrated a year in the vehicular crimes department on Sunday.
“At this morning’s roll call, (Will) announced to his comrades that today was his one-year anniversary in Vehicular Crimes, and he made a joke that he’s been here a year, so does that qualify him to be a veteran or is he still a rookie?” McClelland said. “He loved his work and gave his life to this city trying to keep it safe.”
Will was interviewing a witness to a hit-and-run accident when a Volkswagen, traveling east on the North Loop, drove around a barricade and hit the officer about 3:15 a.m. The freeway was blocked at the time of the accident, and the lights on police cars were flashing.
“Officer Will and other witnesses at the scene who were inside the barriers had no expectation that someone would drive around that or drive through that,” McClelland said.
As the vehicle sped through the barrier, Will yelled at the witness to “get out of the way,” the chief said. “The witness had no time to look around or react, except to leap over the concrete barrier that divides the freeway. According to him (witness), he heard the impact before he hit the ground.
“He credits Officer Will with giving him the prior warning of getting out of the way,” McClelland said. “It actually saved his life, or he said, he would have been struck with Officer Will.”
The officer’s death is tragic, even more so because it falls on the Memorial Day weekend, the chief said.
“On such an important weekend, we highlight all the men and women who wear uniforms, U.S., foreign and domestic, who dedicate themselves to service,” McClelland said. “It also highlights the urgency of people not to drink and drive, and to get Harris County out of this unwanted category of being one of the leading counties with fatality accidents where drivers involved are impaired.”
Will is the first officer to die in the line of duty in a little more than a year.
Source:www.chron.com
Homeland Security still a growth business www.privateofficer.com
Washington DC May 30 2011 A decade after the 9/11 terror attacks, homeland security is still a growth business.
The niche—that includes James Bond-like tools such as infrared cameras, explosive detectors and body scanners—is expected to grow 12 percent annually through 2013, according to Morgan Keegan.
“Homeland security is reactive,” says Tim Quillen, a senior equity analyst at investment banking firm Stephens Inc. “The stocks are hedges against bad things happening.”
One example: the underwear bomber, who was thwarted in late 2009. After that a bell weather homeland security stock OSI Systems [OSIS 39.11 0.04 (+0.1%) ] rocketed 30 percent within a month. “The stock went on a tear,” says Brian Ruttenbur, a research analyst at Morgan Keegan. Why? OSI makes X-ray and metal detectors used to scan people, baggage and cargo that it sells worldwide. During the past 12 months ending yesterday, the stock has popped from $25 to $40, driven by border and port growth.
Much has changed, since the government spent over $20 billion beefing up airport baggage screening nationwide with X-ray devices.
Airline security is a small business: about $1 billion. There’s 2,100 airport security lanes in the U.S., and 90 percent use X-ray scanners.
“The scanners are ten plus years old now,” says Ruttenbur and “going through an upgrade cycle.” Recently, the government has ordered another 500 scanners though.
Screening cargo going on aircraft and boats at ports is also spiking. Now, only a small percentage of all cargo is scanned. Security screening will grow ten percent to 15 percent annually in coming years, says Ruttenbur in a recent report. This driver will help OSI Systems pump out strong security earnings.
Tiny Niche, Big Clout
There aren’t any pure plays within homeland security though—neither stocks or ETFs. Some players like OSI Systems sell their screening devices to healthcare companies too, so their homeland security earnings are diluted.
“You have to spread the net wide and separate reality from hype,” says Quillen
Both OSI Systems and Flir Systems [FLIR 35.52 0.28 (+0.79%) ] are undervalued right now, says Quillen.
Flir Systems is a well-managed market leader in infrared cameras used to protect critical buildings, he says. This fast-growing market is slated to expand 20 percent annually, though only half of Flir Systems’ revenue come from government business. The stock rose from $29 to $36 in the past year. And Quillen has a 12-month price target of $43 on it.
OSI Systems is another favorite. In the first quarter of the year, OSI’s security group revenues grew 27 percent over last year’s.
“The stock is a long-term play,” says Jonathan Richton, an analyst at Imperial Capital, citing OSI’s developing cargo scanning business. Analysts peg five-year earnings growth at 20 percent. Another plus driving earnings: OSI Systems is aggressively tightening operating margins.
A third player, American Science and Engineering [ASEI 86.07 -0.11 (-0.13%) ] makes cargo and parcel search systems. But the stock is expensive right now, say analysts, since the company missed first-quarter revenue targets.
In the past year, the stock has risen from $77 to $88. Ruttenbur expects only 4-percent earnings growth this year but 10 percent to 15 percent in the next few years, as orders pick up. His 12-month price target: $94.
For investors casting a wide net, L-3 Communications [LLL 81.60 0.30 (+0.37%) ] is a homeland security monolith. It’s also the sixth largest U.S. defense contractor.
The company makes surveillance equipment for airports and checkpoint scanners. “They’re playing a meaningful role,” says Quillen, “but security revenue is only about 5 percent.”
Its stock price has been flat over the last year.
These days, homeland security niche players are a safe bet though — even after the recent death of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden.
Canadian airport security screeners charged with drug trafficiking www.privateofficer.com
VANCOUVER Canada May 30 2011– Two Indo-Canadian security screeners at Vancouver airport have been arrested.
Gurvinder Singh Pahl, 24, of Richmond and Ajitpal Singh Judge, 31, of Surrey are accused of trafficking, possession, conspiracy and breach of trust after police arrested a drug trafficker and uncovered a plot smuggle 15 kilos of ecstasy to the US.
been charged after a drug bust that netted 15 kilos of ecstasy pills known as MDMA.
Pahl and Judge, who were uniformed pre-board screening officers, were arrested on May 20 following an investigation.
They have been released on bail and will make their next court appearance on June 15.
The investigation began after a third man was caught with drugs at the airport May 9th. Dylan Scott Green, 20, of Vancouver has arrested on the same charges as Pahl and Judge.
Police say the plan was discovered after officers of the Canada Border Services Agency questioned Green in the post security screening section of the U.S. departures area of the airport on May 9.
Green admitted to carrying 14.7 kilos of the drug in his backpack and was immediately arrested. The RCMP’s Border Integrity Program (BIP) and Drug Enforcement Branch (DEB) were immediately alerted and an investigation was initiated.
The investigation that followed the seizure of drugs uncovered a drug export conspiracy allegedly involving Pahl and Judge working for a company under contract from the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority.
Green, who was released at the time of his arrest, has now been arrested on upgraded charges of Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking and Conspiracy to Traffic in a Controlled Substance.
Both Pahl and Judge were remanded in custody until May 24 at which time they appeared in Richmond Provincial Court. They have since been released on bail and will make their next court appearance on June 15, 2011.
Both Pahl and Judge are each facing charges of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance, Possession of a Controlled Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking, Conspiracy to Traffic in a Controlled Substance, and Breach of Trust.
Pahl, who had a previous criminal record stemming from credit card fraud, is facing an additional charge of Failure to Comply with a Probation Order.
Police is shocked that no security checks were done on Pahl’s record and he was allowed to work at such a sensitive security post even after committing credit card fraud.
The RCMP said the charges are a direct result of intelligence-gathering and cooperation between the RCMP, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), Vancouver International Airport Authority and Transport Canada.
Source:LINK
Private parking enforcement agent clamps police cars while officers are inside www.privateofficer.com
PORTSMOUTH, England, May 29 2011 — A private security company worker in England has been charged with interfering with police for clamping the wheels on two Royal Protection Squad cars.
To make matters worse, police officers responsible for guarding Queen Elizabeth II on an unscheduled visit to Portsmouth were inside their vehicles when the wheels were clamped, the Southern Daily Echo reports. The queen was in Portsmouth to have lunch on board a yacht owned by Sir Donald Gosling, a parking entrepreneur.
Gareth Andrews is also charged with failing to display his permit on his own dashboard while he was wielding his wheel clamps on Gunwarth Quays. He has a court date next week.
A police spokesman said the officers whose cars were clamped were unable to carry out their assigned responsibilities.
The wheel clamp also known as the boot or Denver boot, prevents an illegally parked car from being moved
Source:www.upi.com
Fleeing shoplifter struck by car dies www.privateofficer.com
MILLCREEK, Del. – May 29, 2011 — Police say a man who was struck by a car moments after stealing items from a Delaware store has died.
Sean Jones, 40, of New Castle, died on Sunday morning at Christiana Hospital, where he had been since the day of the crash.
An autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death. Police had previously said his injuries were not considered to be life-threatening.
Jones was struck in the 4400 block of Kirkwood Highway around 9:15 p.m. on May 19th.
Numerous bars of soap, bottles of shampoo and a cane were found at the scene.
Investigators said Jones stole those items from the nearby Deals store just minutes before being hit.
The driver of the SUV that hit Jones suffered only minor injuries. Investigators had said it was Jones, not the SUV driver, who was at fault.
Source:WPVI
University of Louisiana charged with felony theft www.privateofficer.com
Nancy Eileen Hanson, 54, was arrested May 11, according to a UL statement issued Wednesday night.
Hanson remains in the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center on a $150,000 bond and has been charged with one count of felony theft, according to jail records.
In the statement, officials said that the UL Internal Auditor notified the school’s police department May 11 about missing funds from the parking and transit division.
The auditor’s findings were turned over to police, who learned the alleged thefts happened between October 2009 and May 2011.
Hanson was arrested the same day.
Hanson described her work in an online profile on the professional networking and social media website LinkedIn.
She lists herself as the cash manager and field operations supervisor for pay lots and corresponding computer operations.
Among her listed duties were collecting, counting, verifying and depositing field operations money on a daily basis to an auditable system.
In addition, Hanson wrote that she coordinated special events in parking areas, maintenance in permitted and zoned parking areas and maintaining open relations with the campus police department.
School officials said the investigation is ongoing.
Wal-Mart shoplifter causes chaos, resists arrest www.privateofficer.com
BRADENTON Fla May 29 2011- A shoplifter reportedly caused a commotion and assaulted employees at a Wal-Mart in Bradenton on Wednesday morning.
Bradenton Police arrested Myra S. Mays, 22, on charges of aggravated assault, petit theft, battery on a law enforcement officer, assault on an officer, resisting arrest, criminal mischief, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, trespassing, resisting a retail merchant in the recovery of property and three counts of battery.
Employees at the store, 5315 Cortez Road W., claimed Mays attempted to leave with a cart of unpaid for merchandise. When stopped, Mays reportedly attempted to hit an employee with a bar stool she had in the cart.
Police say Mays intentionally knocked over a display of gas grills, causing more than $1,000 in damage. In the parking lot she reportedly overturned shopping carts, pushed carts into parked cars, spit on and punched employees and threw a cell phone at a police officer.
Three officers arrested Mays, who slipped out of handcuffs while in a patrolcar and had to be put in tighter cuffs and leg restraints, an arrest report stated.
Officers say they found marijuana in her purse.
At the Manatee County jail, Mays reportedly said that prior to the ruckus at the Wal-Mart, she ingested an unknown type of pills. Deputies took her to Manatee Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Source:Herald Tribune
NY shoplifter dies after jumping off bridge www.privateofficer.com
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.May 29 2011 — What looked like a miracle plunge off the Goethals Bridge Saturday night by a suspected shoplifter on the run from the law ended up fatal after all.
The suspect, Darin Hickman, 46, of Holland Avenue in Mariners Harbor, initially survived a drop off the bridge into marshland, but died of internal injuries hours later, according to New Jersey State police.
Hickman had a lengthy criminal record dating back to at least the 1980s, and his third stint in New York state prison — for a 2005 possession of stolen property and a forged instrument conviction — ended in February 2010, according to public records.
His criminal career came to a dramatic end at about 6:30 p.m. when, authorities said, police in Milburn, N.J. tried to stop him for questioning because they suspected he had shoplifted an item from the Short Hills Mall. Just a week prior, one law enforcement source close to the investigation said, he had stolen a pricey Louis Vutton handbag.
Hickman drove off, though, leading police in Milburn to call in a description of his Mitsubishi Diamante as a person of interest, the source said.
State police pursued him on the New Jersey Turnpike, according to N.J. State Police spokesman Sgt. Stephen Jones, but called off the pursuit while he was still on the turnpike, opting to follow him with lights and sirens off.
Hickman got to the Goethals, then rammed into a Port Authority police vehicle on the New Jersey side of the bridge, before the span crosses the waters of the Arthur Kill, Jones said. His car caught fire, authorities said, so he ran out, then jumped off the bridge, landing in a marsh.
“The initial reports that we had were that it looked like he was in fairly decent shape,” Jones said.
Except Hickman apparently suffered internal injuries, Jones said, and he died several hours later.
He was pronounced dead at 1:26 a.m. at University Hospital in Newark, authorities said.
Source:silive.com
Police charge shoplifter with trying to commandeer vehicle www.privateofficer.com
SCARBOROUGH ME May 29 2011 — Police arrested a shoplifter who tried to commandeer a vehicle as he was fleeing from a sporting goods store in Scarborough tonight.
Travis Mullen, 32, of Sanford, was taken into custody on charges of felony theft, refusing to submit to arrest, two counts of attempted kidnapping, and criminal threatening.
Sgt. Mary E. Pearson said officers were called to Cabela’s around 5 p.m. to investigate the report of a shoplifter.
When police arrived, Mullen ran through the parking lot onto the Maine Turnpike near Exit 42. He attempted to jump into a moving truck and fell to the ground. He ran to another vehicle, opened the door and got onto the passenger seat. The driver, a woman, fled the vehicle.
Mullen left that vehicle and ran into woods. A few seconds later, he attempted to enter an RC Moore trailer truck, but was confronted by an employee, causing him to flee again.
Scarborough police, South Portland police and Maine State Police found Mullen hiding in the back of a truck at RC Moore where he was taken into custody.
He was taken to Maine Medical Center for treatment of injuries he sustained when he fell from truck that was moving.
Source:Portland Press Herald
NJ teacher faces multiple charges of assaulting students www.privateofficer.com
Derek Hildreth, 48, of East Greenwich Township faces charges of aggravated sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child and attempted aggravated sexual assault.
He is being held at Cumberland County Jail on $500,000 bail.
Hildreth taught eighth-grade social studies at Myron L. Powell Elementary School in Lawrence Township.
Prosecutors tell The Press of Atlantic City that Hildreth assaulted students between 1999 and 2001.
Prosecutors are investigating whether there are other accusations of abuse.
Hildreth was arrested Thursday afternoon at the school. He has been suspended with pay.
It was unclear if Hildreth had an attorney.
Yorkville Deputy Police Chief Arrested For Stealing Drugs www.privateofficer.com
Yorkville IL May 29 2011 The Yorkville Police Department’s second highest ranking officer was arrested Friday evening and charged with stealing prescription drugs from the department’s unwanted medication program.
Deputy Chief Dave Delaney was charged with felonies possession of a controlled substance and theft of government property, according to Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis.
Weis said Delaney is accused of taking prescription drugs from the program for his personal use.
Yorkville Police Chief Rich Hart said Delaney has been put on administrative leave as of Friday. While on leave, Delaney is not allowed to identify himself as a Yorkville police officer or act as a Yorkville police officer.
Delaney is scheduled to be in bond call Saturday morning.
Delaney has been with Yorkville police since April 1999, Hart said. He was promoted to deputy chief in July 2010, after being promoted from sergeant to lieutenant in February 2010, Hart said. He had worked at the Plano Police Department prior to joining Yorkville, Hart said.
Yorkville police also cancelled the medication disposal program on Friday. The program is common to many local departments. It allows police to collect unwanted or unused medication and dispose of them in a safe manner. The goal is to keep the medications from entering the water supply.
For people who still need to dispose of medication, Yorkville police recommend placing water into solid medications or kitty litter, sawdust or flour into liquid medications to keep them from being accidentally ingested by a child or pet.
In 1999, Delaney was named the Optimist Club of Oswegoland’s Officer of the Year. He was selected because he averaged more citations than most other officers, solved a ring of car burglaries, had a dozen DUI arrests, made drug busts and helped the department get grant money to put video cameras in squad cars.
“I just try to stay out on the streets as much as possible,” Delaney said at the time.
He told the Beacon-News he chose police work not only because it’s exciting – “you never know what’s going to happen” – but also because it affords him the chance to see that he’s helping people.
Shoplifter assaults security agent with case of beer www.privateofficer.com
RIVERSIDE CA MAY 29 2011 — A man who allegedly stole a case of beer and some diapers from a grocery store used the beer to fend off an employee on Wednesday, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies arrested Miguel Vieyra, 42, about 2:15 a.m., a couple of hours after he allegedly swiped the items from a Food 4 Less in the 24400 block of Alessandro Boulevard, sheriff’s Sgt. Tim Martin said.
Vieyra, of Moreno Valley, tried to leave the store without paying for a 12-pack of beer and a package of diapers about 12:45 a.m., according to Martin.
“As the security guard attempted to detain the suspect, he swung the 12-pack of beer at the security guard’s head,” Martin said.
The security guard informed deputies of Vieyra’s getaway vehicle, including the license plate, and they arrested the suspect at his residence.
Vieyra is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail and was booked on suspicion of strong-armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and violation of probation.
Source:CBS
Dog mauls-kills four year old boy www.privateofficer.com
New York City NY May 29 2011 A 4-year-old boy left alone by his mother was killed when a family dog savagely mauled him as his two terrified brothers watched helplessly, cops and witnesses said.
Neighbors rushed to the Pacific St. home in Brownsville about 9:15 p.m. Friday after hearing the mother’s desperate cries for help when the dog latched onto the boy’s throat, witnesses said.
“Help! He ate my baby! He ate my baby!” the mother wailed, according to one witness. Police said the mom insisted that she only left the boys alone for five minutes, and returned to find the dog tearing at her son.
“The baby was bit in the head and neck,” said neighbor Anthony Brown, 35. “The baby wasn’t moving.”
Jayelin Graham was rushed to Brookdale University Hospital, where he died. Police said his two brothers, ages 2 and 5, were inside the room with Jayelin when the powerful Cane Corso attacked.
The Italian-bred dogs are large, muscular animals once used to hunt wild boars. A neighbor said the killer dog had recently eaten the family’s pet rabbit.
A chaotic scene unfolded when cops arrived at the apartment as neighbors crowded near the building, witnesses said. A group of people tried to storm the home, but police held them back.
Six people were later arrested and expected to be hit with obstruction charges, sources said.
Police were questioning the mother, who has three other young children who live in the apartment. Sources said she faces criminal charges.
Neighbors said the seedy first-floor home of the family was like a small zoo with the Cane Corso, a pit bull, a German shepherd, a parrot and a snake.
It took 10 firefighters to remove the vicious dogs from the apartment, one neighbor said.
“People were scared of those dogs,” said Kenny Rishar, 50, the super of the building. “The dogs belong to the husband, who is seldom here. This was a tragedy waiting to happen.”
Brown said the entire street was afraid of the dog that killed little Jayelin.
“It was a violent dog,” he said. “Dangerous. A big dog. The whole block is scared of that dog.”
Angelica Barriere, president of the PTA at Public School 178 across the street, said she ran over when she heard the screams.
“I think the mother should be locked up, should be arrested,” said Barriere, 32. “She had issues. The little boy was not well-dressed and was not clean, but he was a good kid.”
A neighbor, Rose, who recalled Jayelin being a “real sweet little kid,” said the dogs were kept in a cage.
“When you cage an animal and let it out, what do you think it will do? An animal goes wild,” Rose said.
Woman dies from plunge out Atlanta hotel window www.privateofficer.com
ATLANTA GA May 29 2011 — A 30-year-old woman was killed and another woman seriously injured when they plunged from a hotel window during a party at a midtown Atlanta hotel.
Witnesses told Atlanta police that the victims were attending a birthday party at the W Hotel Midtown early Saturday morning. Police said the women were “play fighting,” crashed through a 10th-floor window and fell.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office examiner identified the dead woman as 30-year-old Lashawna Threatt.
Police say a second woman was taken to Grady Hospital in critical condition. Authorities have not released her name.
Hotel manager Michael O’Donohue said the incident was tragic and expressed sympathy for the victims. He would not answer questions about how the accident happened.
Indiana University police officer commits suicide www.privateofficer.com
Bloomington IN May 29 2011Officers at the Indiana University Police Department were shocked to find one of their own dead this morning in the parking lot of Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
Officer James Lerg, 30, was on duty but failed to respond to radio calls this morning. When other officers went to check on him around 5:30 a.m., he was found dead near his squad car, with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“This is a very sad day for our department,” said IU Police Chief Keith Cash. “Our hearts and prayers are with the Lerg family. We will all miss him very much.”
There is no immediate indication of homicide but the case will remain under investigation. At the request of Chief Cash, the Bloomington Police Department is taking over the investigation.
