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Oklahoma State University coaches die in plane crash www.privateofficer.com
Perry County ARK Nov 18 2011 Ten months after Oklahoma State commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Jan. 2001 plane crash that killed 10 members of its men’s basketball traveling party, the university has endured another similarly horrifying tragedy.
Oklahoma State women’s basketball coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna died during a recruiting trip Thursday when their small plane crashed in Perry County, Ark. The pilot and the only other passenger aboard the plane also were killed.
Budke, a 50-year-old native of Salina, Kan., transformed an Oklahoma State program that went winless in Big 12 play during his debut season six years ago into a perennial NCAA tournament contender. The Cowboys earned NCAA bids three times in the past five years, making their second-ever Sweet 16 appearance in 2008.
Serna, a former player under Budke at Trinity Community College, joined her ex-coach’s staff at Louisiana Tech and stayed with him when he made the move to Stillwater in 2005. The New Mexico native served as Oklahoma State’s recruiting coordinator and was known for her tireless efforts on the recruiting trail.
Oklahoma State has canceled the two games its women’s basketball team was supposed to host against Grambling State on Saturday and Texas-Arlington on Sunday. Associate head coach Jim Littell will take over as interim head coach whenever the school decides to resume its season.
“The Oklahoma State family is devastated by this tragedy,” Oklahoma State president Burns Hargis said Friday in the statement. “Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of Kurt Budke, Miranda Serna and the other victims.”
No school should have to endure a tragedy of this nature, but it’s especially unfair that it’s happening at Oklahoma State again. One of the school’s three charter planes traveling back from a men’s basketball game at Colorado crashed in 2001, killing 10 members of the Cowboys’ traveling party including freshman guard Nate Fleming and junior guard Dan Lawson.
Former Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton carried the burden of navigating his program through some dark days in the wake of that crash. Sadly, it will be Littell who has a similar responsibility this time.
Source:AP
OFFICER DOWN- JAMES CAPOOT
Police Officer
James Capoot
Vallejo Police Department, California
End of Watch: Thursday, November 17, 2011 Bio & Incident Details
Age: 43
Tour: 19 years
Badge # Not available
Military veteran
Cause: Gunfire
Incident Date: 11/17/2011
Weapon: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect: One in custody
Officer James Capoot was shot and killed while pursuing bank-robbery suspects after a high-speed chase. Officer Capoot pursued the suspect vehicle through a residential area, where Officer Capoot executed a PIT maneuver and disabled the suspect vehicle. Officer Capoot pursued the suspect on foot and was shot several times in the back yard of a residence.
Officer Capoot was transported to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, where he succumbed to his wounds.
Officer Capoot was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, and served with the California Highway Patrol before joining the Vallejo Police Department.
One suspect was arrested near the scene. Several neighboring agencies are participating in the search for a possible second suspect.
Officer Capoot is survived by his wife and three daughters.
Please contact the following agency to send condolences or to obtain funeral arrangements:
Chief of Police Robert Nichelini
Vallejo Police Department
111 Amador Street
Vallejo, CA 94590
Phone: (707) 648-4321
Arizona student commits suicide by jumping in front of car www.privateofficer.com
The 16-year-old victim, whose name is being withheld by The Republic because she is a minor, was found not breathing shortly after midnight in a grassy basin near Elliot Road and Burk Street, police said. She was transported to Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
“Subsequent investigation revealed she had jumped in front of a vehicle that was westbound on Elliot in an effort to end her life,” Gilbert Police spokesman Sgt. William Balafas said in a report.
Gilbert High Principal J. Charles Santa Cruz sent an e-mail to staff and students informing them of the accident, and said grief counselors would be made available.
“We are all saddened by this loss,” he said.
Gilbert Public Schools spokeswoman Dianne Bowers said the victim was a new student at the high school and that an impromptu memorial had been set up by mourners in front of St. Anne’s Catholic Church on Elliot Road, near the site where the victim had been struck.
No additional information was available early Thursday.
Shoplifting duo nabbed on third attempt www.privateofficer.com
MANCHESTER NH Nov 18 2011 – The third time was the charm for a loss prevention officer at a Mall of New Hampshire store who twice tried to stop a shoplifting couple after seeing them taking clothing.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Hollister employee finally was able to catch up to Wilmer Fonseca, 25, and Claudia Rojas Diaz, 42, both of Queens, N.Y., as they left the store with about $2,000 in merchandise without paying for the items, police said.
The employee told police he saw Rojas Diaz take some clothes from a shelf and put them into a blue plastic “Aeropostale” bag that Fonseca was holding. The couple then left the store without paying for the merchandise, according to police.
Once outside the store, the couple split up with each walking off in opposite directions. The employee stopped Fonseca and Rojas Diaz was later located inside Macy’s and walked back to Hollister.
Police said the loss prevention officer identified the couple as the same two individuals he saw taking merchandise from the store on Nov. 2 and Nov. 9. In the first instance, $800 in merchandise was stolen and $2,000 worth of items was taken in the Nov. 9 incident.
The couple eluded capture. However, they were recorded in both instances on the store’s video surveillance system.
As a result, police charged each with two counts of theft, class B felony; one count of theft, a misdemeanor; prohibition and unsworn falsification.
Fonseca was also charged with three counts of possession of a theft detection device. The bag used in each incident was laminated and designed to prevent store sensors from detecting security tags.
Rojas Diaz also is being held on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement warrant for failing to appear at a deportation hearing.
Source:union leader
Police converting patrol cars to propane www.privateofficer.com
Atlanta GA Nov 18 2011 A police department near Birmingham, Alabama is the latest law enforcement agency to use propane for its cruisers.
The Vestavia Hills, Ala., Police Department recently converted 14 cruisers to autogas as a cost-effective, efficient way to go green, according to Alliance AutoGas which outfitted the Ford Crown Victorias with bi-fuel systems and installed an on-site autogas station to give officers easy fueling access.
“Converting to autogas is simply the most viable solution for law enforcement looking to save money and drive clean, without sacrificing vehicle performance,” says Alliance AutoGas President Stuart Weidie. “Not only is autogas about $1.25 per gallon cheaper than gasoline but vehicle conversions and fueling stations are more affordable compared to other alternative fuels.”
The Vestavia Hills department joins others who have made the switch to propane autogas including sheriff’s departments in Jackson County, Georgia; Augusta County, Va., and Iredell County, North Carolina and police departments in Raleigh, N.C. and West Point, Mississippi.
Bayou La Batre police captain sues city www.privateofficer.com
The lawsuit, which seeks back pay and other unspecified compensatory damages in U.S. District Court, tracks allegations that plaintiff Darryl Wilson made in a claim he filed with the city in August. But the suit provides new details of the accusations, and sheds light on why federal prosecutors added a charge of retaliation against a federal witness to an indictment they were preparing against Wright.
Wright’s attorney, Arthur Madden, could not be reached Wednesday for comment. But he previously has denied the allegations, and the mayor has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges.
The lawsuit contends that the retaliation charge arose from false accusations that Wilson says Wright made against him in May regarding money missing from the Bayou La Batre Police Department’s property room.
Wilson discovered the $2,600 in missing funds, prompting then-Police Chief John Joyner to ask for a probe by the Alabama Bureau of Investigation. Wright insisted on May 6 that the ABI investigate Wilson, despite the fact that investigators had informed the mayor that the police captain was not a target of the investigation, according to the suit.
And even though Wilson passed a polygraph test on May 9, the civil complaint alleges, Wright ordered Joyner the next day to remove the plaintiff as supervisor over the property room. Wright had accused Wilson of being “disloyal” because he was investigating Janey Galbraith, a city contractor who worked on a project to build modular homes for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
A federal grand jury, based in part on Wilson’s testimony, indicted Wright in September on charges of theft of government funds, money laundering and retaliating against a witness.
Suit: Mayor spoke of firing Wilson
The civil complaint alleges that by the time Wright demanded the ABI investigation in May, he had been working for months to undercut Wilson. The suit alleges that after learning that Wilson was working with the FBI, Wright spoke of his desire to fire him, and then stripped him of his supervisory responsibilities and removed him from a federal drug task force.
The suit also accuses Councilman Louie Hard of helping the mayor carry out his retaliatory actions, and alleges that Councilmen Matthew Nelson and George Ramires failed to act when Wilson confronted them.
City Attorney Jay Ross said he would not represent the defendants in the matter, instead referring the case to Alabama Municipal Insurance Corp. He said the city and the other defendants received formal notice of the suit on Tuesday, and were awaiting a decision by the insurer about whether they will qualify for coverage under the policy.
“We are waiting on who they will appoint as defense counsel,” he said.
Wilson, who became captain and second in command of the Police Department in 2009, agreed in January of this year to assist the FBI with a probe into possible criminal activity by Wright, Hard and other city officials related to the mismanagement of federal funds.
The criminal indictment that arose from that investigation names only Wright and his daughter, alleging that they conspired on a land deal involving the city’s purchase of the mayor’s property using a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency following Hurricane Katrina. Prosecutors have indicated, however, that they plan to present additional charges and defendants to a grand jury this week.
The lawsuit contends that Wright told Wilson on Feb. 2 to end his participation on a federal drug task force and report for duty as a patrol officer. Wright bypassed Joyner and promoted Sgt. Jason Edwards to the No. 2 position, the suit alleges.
That same day, Hard conducted an investigation with a pair of police officers regarding the department’s arrest statistics, ignoring the department’s standard operating procedure, the suit alleges.
The complaint also accuses Hard, whose council responsibilities include oversight of the Police Department, of ignoring the chain of command and directing Edwards on March 14 to place Wilson on active patrol duty
The lawsuit alleges that Wright instructed Edwards on Feb. 28 to sign a false statement indicating that Wilson refused to return his work vehicle. The mayor asked officers to arrest Wilson on a theft charge, the suit alleges.
Wilson, according to the suit, was on medical leave and could not return the vehicle immediately, but made arrangements to do so.
The complaint states that Wright and Hard told the director of the Mobile County Personnel Board that Wilson refused to return the car. Wilson claims he never got a due process hearing to contest the demotion, or received an explanation for the reason.
Madden has said in a court filing that the city never demoted Wilson or reduced his pay.
The civil complaint contends that Nelson told Wilson that he could not question Wright because he needed the mayor’s support in the upcoming election.
Ramires acknowledged that Wright’s actions were “unlawful,” but failed to take action, according to the suit.
Source:AL.com
Liberty University approves policy to allow guns on campus www.privateofficer.com
Lynchburg VA Nov 18 2011 Liberty University enacted a policy allowing visitors, students and staff who have concealed weapons permits to carry guns on campus.
The policy, approved Friday by the Board of Trustees and announced to students Wednesday, replaces a complete ban of firearms on university grounds.
Visitors are now permitted to store their weapons in locked cars, while students can apply for permission from campus police to carry a gun on the outdoor grounds or in a locked car. Both groups must have concealed-weapons permits and are prohibited from bringing firearms into any campus building, including dormitories, stadiums and academic halls.
The policy also permits some faculty and staff to carry weapons inside buildings, with permission granted on a case-by-case basis by campus police.
Liberty now has the most lenient firearms policy among local colleges and universities. Lynchburg College, Randolph College and Central Virginia Community College do not permit anyone except law enforcement to carry firearms. At Sweet Briar College, a rural campus that includes faculty and staff homes, firearms are highly regulated but sometimes allowed for hunting with a college-issued permit.
Liberty Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said the new policy will enhance campus safety while increasing convenience for visitors and students who have the proper permits.
“It adds to the security and safety of the campus and it’s a good thing. If something — God forbid — ever happened like what happened at Virginia Tech, there would be more than just our police officers who would be able to deal with it.”
Col. Richard Hinkley, Liberty’s longtime chief of police, said while he supports the policy, it has raised some concerns among his officers. With more guns on campus, the risk of an accident is greater, he said, adding the stakes are especially high when dealing with an extreme situation, like an armed gunman.
“If we get an active shooter situation, there may be other people with guns. That will be a concern of the officers responding: Which one is really a bad guy?”
Hinkley also worries students may become desensitized to seeing guns on campus and fail to report something that would have been suspicious in the past.
“My biggest fear is that kids get used to guns being here, see one on somebody and not call and that be the person that was walking in to shoot someone or do harm to someone else,” Hinkley said.
Lifting Liberty’s firearms ban has been a hot-button issue in recent years, especially after the Virginia Tech massacre in April 2008 that left 33 dead, including the gunman. A small but vocal band of LU students who align with the activist group, Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, raised the issue with the student government association at least two times in the past three years.
In the spring of 2009, the trustees voted down a proposal authorizing students with valid permits to bring guns into classrooms and dormitories — a scenario that still causes unease among many university officials.
“We all pretty much decided that’s not a good thing,” Falwell said. “With young people in close proximity, guns in dorms where there’s a lot of 18-year-old residents, it just didn’t sound like a good scenario.”
The new policy was more appealing because its narrow scope still bans students from carrying guns in residence halls and classrooms, said Falwell. The board passed it with a unanimous vote.
Liberty senior Craig Storrs, who spearheaded the student effort to lobby for a policy change, said he’s “over the moon” at the university’s decision.
“I thought I’d be graduating and still having to fight for it because it is a very controversial policy and not a lot of schools are willing to take the risk,” said Storrs, who expects to receive his concealed weapons permit by January.
“It makes me feel secure knowing I would be able to defend myself if something does happen, like Virginia Tech or if I get stopped on the street for a mugging or something like that.”
Falwell added the policy aligns with Liberty’s conservative values, and noted the dozens of colleges allow some form of conceal carry on campus.
“I think it’s consistent for a school, for a student body that’s strongly in favor of the Second Amendment. . . to have policies that are at least as lenient as a number of other universities.”
Liberty expects to finalize the form allowing students, faculty and staff to carry guns on campus by Dec. 1, Hinkley said.
Students, staff and faculty will have to pass a comprehensive background check and meet high character standards, in addition to the state’s requirements for a concealed weapon permit. Alcohol citations, honor code violations and other infractions will automatically disqualify students.
Cody May, president of LU’s Student Government Association, said in a written statement the new policy is “a balanced approach to such a ‘controversial’ topic.
“The new concealed carry policy is an important milestone at Liberty University … I think it allows students who are trained and licensed to carry a concealed weapon the freedom to exercise their Second Amendment rights,” May said.
Nightclub security officer sentenced to prison for sexual assault www.privateofficer.com
ROCKY MOUNT NC Nov 18 2011 – A jury convicted a former security guard Wednesday in a sexual assault on a woman in the parking lot of a Rocky Mount nightspot.
On October 10, 2009, the 22-year-old victim reported 42-year-old Kenneth Olson Norman of Tarboro attacked her outside Club 252 at 2720 N. Church St.
Norman was found guilty of second-degree rape and second-degree sexual offense in Nash County Superior Court.
He was sentenced to a minimum of 14 years, 9 months in prison and will have to register as a sex offender when he’s released.
Upon his release, Norman will have to register as a convicted sex offender.
Source:WTVD
Questions raised about cops working security for new casino www.privateofficer.com
Capt. Randy Jones and Lt. Robert Adams – the officers in charge of the department’s vice unit – are among 18 county police officers on the payroll of The Cordish Cos., which will operate the state’s largest slots casino.
The after-hours security work for Cordish – which the department first authorized in May – shocked the former chairman of the county’s Ethics Commission and several law enforcement experts.
“Having people who regulate gambling working for a casino operator is just mind-boggling,” said Christopher S. Rizek, who headed the Ethics Commission from 2004 to 2008.
“Anybody working vice, narcotics or organized crime should under no circumstances work (secondary employment). It compromises the officer and it compromises the agency,” said Andrew J. Scott III, a former chief of the Boca Raton (Fla.) Police Department who now consults privately on police policies. “It just doesn’t look good.”
In an interview last week, County Police Chief James Teare Sr. said he sees no problem with the security work. He noted that the casino is under construction and that the job at hand is protecting a parking lot.
“None of the secondary employment at the Arundel Mills construction site is a conflict of interest,” Teare said. “We have no regulatory authority over the construction site (as police officers).”
Several members of the County Council said last week they agree with Teare – or at least weren’t interested in arguing the point.
“I trust our police officers at all levels,” said Councilman Jerry Walker, R-Crofton, echoing similar comments voiced by Councilman Derek Fink, R-Pasadena.
Councilmen Jamie Benoit, D-Crownsville, and Daryl Jones, D-Severn, said they would leave any ethical questions to the Ethics Commission.
“The ethics commission can go jump in a lake for all I care,” Councilman John Grasso, R-Glen Burnie, said.
Betsy Dawson, the executive director of the commission, declined to comment on the revelations.
Attempts to reach other officers on the command staff were unsuccessful.
Second jobs galore
The apparently cozy relationship between Cordish and the county’s vice unit was revealed last week at the conclusion of a two-month investigation by the Maryland Gazette into how often the department’s command staff works side jobs.
According to documents obtained by the newspaper, Teare, one major and three captains are authorized to work security for such companies as Cordish, AT&T and Baltimore Gas and Electric.
Union officials and some councilmen criticized the department’s top brass for working side jobs as security guards, particularly since the practice is almost unheard of in other jurisdictions.
“It’s unfortunate that the commanders are taking these jobs when police officers really need them to make ends meet,” said Cpl. O’Brien Atkinson, president of the local Fraternal Order of Police. He noted his membership is facing the second consecutive year of, on average, 5 percent pay cuts.
“When I think of secondary work, I think of rank-and-file officers. Not commanders,” Jones said. “I’d think we would want our top-tiered officers focusing on the (operation of) the department.”
Teare defended the department’s policy. He said there is no law or regulation on the books barring commanders from working side jobs.
“Secondary employment by all police officers is a lawful and regulated activity,” he said, noting that supervisors must sign off on all second jobs.
Through a spokesman, County Executive John R. Leopold also voiced his support for Teare and the command staff.
“The county executive has been very clear that he supports secondary employment by police officers. This applies to the entire department regardless of rank,” spokesman David Abrams said. “There are guidelines in place to review requests for secondary employment, and those guidelines are followed. … We have seen no evidence of any conflicts.”
Abrams went on to chastise Atkinson for speaking out against his bosses.
“It is unfortunate that the union president is attacking the people who have supported officers in their efforts to work secondary employment,” he said.
Tight-lipped
How many hours the commanders work for the businesses and how much they are paid is unclear.
According to Teare, the department does not track such information.
Even if the county knew how much the commanders made, it would not release those figures. Over the past two months, theMaryland Gazetterepeatedly requested information about the secondary work by command staff and filed a request under the state’s Public Information Act.
In response, the county eventually released several documents with the names redacted, citing the Maryland Law Enforcement Bill of Rights and the confidentiality of personnel records. On the same grounds, the county refused to release the officers’ requests for secondary employment.
An unredacted list obtained by the Maryland Gazette indicates five officers above the rank of lieutenant are approved to work side jobs.
Teare, Maj. Pamela Davis, Capt. Jerald Flemings and Capt. Randy Jones have permission to work security for BGE. Flemings, Jones and Capt. Frederick Plitt can work for Cordish.
Only three other officers can work secondary for BGE.
A source inside the department who asked not to be named because they are not authorized to speak to the media said the BGE and Cordish jobs are among the more lucrative positions available. He put the rate for the BGE job at $50 an hour.
As chief of police, Teare is slated to make $138,156 this year. Because of budget cuts, he will have to take 12 furlough days this year.
Davis, Flemings, Jones and Plitt make between $97,943 and $110,429. Each of them must take seven furlough days. None can earn overtime.
Teare’s second job
While declining to comment on the secondary employment of his command staff, Teare acknowledged Friday he personally worked 20 hours for BGE over Labor Day weekend. During the “midnight hours,” he guarded work sites in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene.
Teare said BGE requested the detail at the last minute, few officers were available and that he offered to help.
“It was a one-time event for me,” said Teare, who signed off on his own application for secondary employment. “They were unable to fill the post and I offered my services.”
According to the unredacted authorization list, several of the other commanders who requested permission to work for BGE requested it about the same time as Teare. All have permission to work for BGE until next September.
Going forward, Teare said he hopes to work secondary teaching at Anne Arundel Community College – where he has previously served as an adjunct professor. He does not plan to work more security jobs, but he did not rule out the possibility if another emergency arose.
Tavern controversy
Over the past several years, the county’s Ethics Commission has repeatedly asked the police department to rein in secondary employment by officers – particularly in bars.
The ethics commission has argued police should not work in bars when they’re responsible for enforcing liquor laws.
“To put it more bluntly, police should not be paid directly by the businesses they are supposed to be policing,” the commission said in 2007.
Lawmakers, however, disagreed. Four years ago, the council passed a law that ultimately allowed officers to work security details at restaurants, Arundel Mills mall, carnivals, bingo parlors and private businesses.
Earlier this year, the council expanded the number of permissible employers further. Officers now can work in the parking lots of bars and taverns.
“It makes sense to have police officers at these bars, especially if the bar owner wants them,” Fink said in August, shortly before the legislation was approved. “Instead of hiring Joe Schmo off the street to be their outside bouncer, it just makes sense (to hire police officers). That’s what these guys do for a living. I think they’re questioning the integrity of our police officers.”
Secondary employment is fairly common for rank-and-file police officers in Maryland and across the country.
According to records maintained by the county Police Department, 36.6 percent of the county’s 623 officers worked secondary employment in 2010.
The 228 officers worked a total of 75,264 hours for 200 different businesses – primarily as security guards, but occasionally as investigators, photographers, landscapers and coaches.
Police chiefs and their commanders usually don’t work secondary security jobs.
They might work as consultants for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies or as teachers at community colleges, but not as weekend security guards, experts said.
“Is the chief doing something wrong? No. Is he doing something unusual? Yes. … I’m not aware of any chiefs that do secondary employment like this,” said Scott, the former chief of the Boca Raton Police Department.
In his experience, it’s rare for officers above lieutenant to take after-hours security work.
“Anything beyond that (rank) I just haven’t heard of,” he said.
Law enforcement officials in Annapolis, Montgomery County, Howard County and Queen Anne’s County said their chiefs do not work secondary.
“I don’t know when he would have time to (work a second job),” said Deputy Dale Patrick, spokesman for Queen Anne’s County Sheriff Gary Hofmann. “He’s the sheriff 24 hours a day.”
Source:Maryland Gazette
AlliedBarton security officers honored with awards www.privateofficer.com
Overall, 17 of the 25 security officers honored at the dinner and awards ceremony were from AlliedBarton and assigned to locations in Philadelphia and its suburbs.
“AlliedBarton is appreciative to ASIS International’s Greater Philadelphia Chapter for recognizing our security officers for their outstanding performance, dedication and commitment to safety,” said Jim Gorman, Vice President and General Manager of AlliedBarton’s Philadelphia Region. “The recognition by ASIS reflects the appreciation of thousands of Philadelphians each day for the efforts of security officers who strive to provide safe and secure workplaces and communities.”
AlliedBarton security officers receiving Awards for Valor were: Mahmoud Jaaa, who apprehended a knife-wielding attacker at the Mellon Independence Center’s retail concourse level, 7th and Market Sts.; Corey Schettino, who saved several University of Pennsylvania students from being hit by a careening automobile on the sidewalk at 38th and Walnut Sts.; and Joseph Smith, who assisted in reviving an employee of Teva Pharmaceuticals in Malvern, PA, who had suffered a heart attack. Additional AlliedBarton officers receiving Valor Awards: Thomas Sesko, who helped save the life of a employee who went into cardiac arrest at Merck in West Point, PA; Gabriel Pomerantz and Eric Powell, who dissuaded a man from committing suicide at a parking garage at the University of Pennsylvania; and Jose Santiago, a certified EMT, revived a man who had taken a drug overdose at the Exton Square Mall in Exton, PA.
AlliedBarton security officers receiving Outstanding Performance Awards: Jennifer McGrath, assigned to the Plymouth Meeting Mall; David Keys, Drexel University; Joseph Fusco, Luther Babb, Lavon Stone and Edward Bowen, University of Pennsylvania; Alpha Diallo, 1515 Market St.; Greg Brewster, Drexel University; and Phil Trimmer and Tony Nixon, 1818 Market St.
AlliedBarton Security Services is the industry’s premier provider of highly trained, responsive security personnel. Client-focused security officers and managers located across the country are supported by national resources developed from over 50 years of security experience. More than 50,000 employees and 100 offices provide security for several thousand clients in many industries, including approximately 200 Fortune 500 companies. As the most honored security officer services company, AlliedBarton leads the industry in award-winning programs. AlliedBarton has been recognized by Training magazine, ASTD, Corporate University Xchange, Leadership Excellence and the American Business Awards, among others. For more information call 1.866.825.5433 or visit http://www.AlliedBarton.com .
Suspect in security officer death commits suicide www.privateofficer.com
Develt Bradford, 52, of the 5300 block of South Damen Avenue, was found hanged by his pants — possibly pajama pants or sweat pants— in a lockup cell in the Calumet District police station, police News Affairs officer Robert Perez said. A source said he hanged himself with pajama-style pants worn under his regular clothes.
The lockup keeper and lockup aid cut him down and performed CPR but could not revive him, Perez said.
He was found dead in a cell at the Calumet District lockup at 727 E. 111th St., and was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:03 a.m., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.
Bradford had been charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery for the Nov. 10 robbery, police said. Bradford was also charged with two counts of armed robbery for another holdup at the Aldi at 47th Street and Ashland Avenue on Oct. 28.
Bradford, the alleged gunman in the deadly attack, was being held in the lockup while he awaited his bond hearing scheduled for later Thursday.
The other suspect remains at large, authorities said.
The Nov. 10 robbery happened at the Aldi in the 9000 block of South Halsted Street at 7:27 p.m., police said. One of the two men walked up to a register at the store and announced the robbery. That’s when a 54-year-old security guard became involved in a struggle with one of the men, who pulled out a handgun and shot the guard multiple times in the head and upper torso, police said.
He was identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office as Reginald Lanier, 54, of the 11600 block of South Campbell Avenue, and he was dead at the scene of the shooting at 9017 S. Halsted St.
A 67-year-old woman was also shot in the leg as she tried to get out of the store, police said. She was taken initially in serious-to-critical condition to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, according to Fire Media Affairs.
Police last week issued a community alert featuring both still images of the men as they entered the store, as well as a video. One of the robbers is black man with a medium build in his 20s or 30s and is 5-foot-11 to 6-foot-3. The other man has a slender build and is in his 40s or 50s. He is black, 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-10 and was wearing eye glasses, the alert from Calumet Area detectives said.
Distraught relatives identified the guard as Reginald Lanier, a father of one. Lanier had only worked at the store for three or four months, lost a nephew to gun violence last week and was worried about his safety at the store, said his brother-in-law, Horace Page Jr.
Source:Chicago Sun Times
Mother, nurses indicted in death of teen girl in Ohio www.privateofficer.com
DAYTON OH Nov 18 2011 — A grand jury has indicted four people on charges in connection with the March 1 death of a 14-year-old girl with cerebral palsy, including the girl’s mother and three nurses.
“They all failed to do anything,” said Montgomery County Prosecutor Mathias H. Heck, Jr. “All I can say is, this is criminal.”
The indictments were handed down just before 9 a.m. Thursday. Indicted are:
• Angela Norman, the 42-year-old mother of Makayla Norman, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter, a first degree felony; endangering children, a third-degree felony and endangering children, a first degree misdemeanor. The misdemeanor is in connection with Makayla’s sister, now 18, who was removed from the home after Makayla’s death.
• Mollie E. Parsons, 41, of Dayton, the nurse, is charged with involuntary manslaughter; failing to provide for a functionally impaired person, a fourth-degree felony and a misdemeanor count of tampering with records.
• Kathryn Williams of Englewood and Mary K. Kilby of Miamisburg are both charged with failing to provide for a functionally impaired person and a misdemeanor count of failing to report child abuse or neglect.
Heck said Parsons and Williams were employees of Exclusive Home Care Services. Parsons was to provide home-based care for Makayla six days a week, and Williams was to supervise her — including home inspections every 30 to 60 days, Heck said.
Kilby worked for CareStar, a different company, and was to supervise Williams. Her job was to supervise Williams and Parsons and was to make home visits every six months to assess Makayla’s care, Heck said.
The Ohio Board of Nursing shows active licenses for Kilby, 63, of Miamisburg and Williams, 42, of Englewood. Parsons voluntarily surrendered her license Aug. 30.
Norman was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on Wednesday afternoon. The other three were arrested Thursday.
The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office concluded Makayla died from nutritional and medical neglect complicated by her chronic condition, ruling the death a homicide. Makayla weighed 28 pounds at the time of her death, according to coroner’s office director Ken Betz.
“This victim looked more like a skeleton than a 14-year-old girl,” Heck said. “Not one of them did anything about it. If one had, we wouldn’t be here today.”
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said that his office’s Medicaid Fraud Unit was investigating at the request of the Dayton police, joining the FBI, the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Ohio Board of Nursing.
“What happened to Makayla Norman is absolutely tragic,” DeWine said. “We will continue to offer any assistance needed in this case to help bring to justice those responsible for Makayla’s death.”
Paramedics and police were called around 10 p.m. March 1 to 707 Taylor St. EMTs rushed Makayla to Miami Valley Hospital before police reached the scene, but she died minutes after arrival.
Heck decribed the family’s home as “vile, filthy.”
At first, given the girl’s chronic illness, detectives were unsure of how to proceed. The coroner ruled the death a homicide in early September. With the autopsy and laboratory tests completed, detectives focused their investigation on suspects.
Dayton police Sgt. Dan Mauch said Oct. 3 that “one or more individuals were involved” and that police were working with prosecutors on appropriate criminal charges.
Ann Stevens of the Montgomery County Department of Jobs & Family Services said Children Services had a referral on the family in December 2009, but was unable to substantiate any of the allegations. Children Services opened a case on the family after Makayla’s death and took temporary custody of her sister, Stevens said.
Parsons, 41, voluntarily surrendered her nursing license Aug. 30, according to the Ohio Board of Nursing. In surrendering the license she had held since July 1994, Parsons signed a statement declaring the action was “in lieu of formal disciplinary proceedings” for violations of Ohio law and administrative code, and “based upon my nursing care of a pediatric home health care patient, to whom I provided nursing care to for approximately ten years and who expired on or about March 1, 2011,” according to nursing board records. The surrender document prevents her from ever getting her license reinstated.
Source:Dayton Daily News
Person County NC high school math teacher arrested for sex crimes www.privateofficer.com
ROXBORO, N.C. Nov 18 2011 A Person County high school math teacher was arrested Wednesday on charges of taking indecent liberties with a student.
Megan Trainor is accused of “preparing” obscene photographs, as well as taking indecent liberties with a student.
Students at Person High School say Trainor sent nude photos of herself to a 17-year-old male student.
She was placed on paid suspension of her duties at Person High School pending the on-going investigation.
Person County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Al Rhew says deputies arrested Trainor without incident in Wake County. She was released from custody on a $100,000 bond and his due in Superior Court Dec. 13.
Larry Cartner, superintendent of Person County Schools, says officials received information from students regarding Trainor on Nov. 9, and within two hours of the report, she was removed from the school building.
Around campus many students were stunned as allegations swirled that a male student received a nude photo of the teacher.
“I was shocked,” said student Emily Rudd. “She sent him a nudity picture and he sent it around the school.”
“The rumor got around school very quickly,” added student Angelica Outlaw.
Students say the school reacted quickly.
“They pulled her out of her class when they found out about it,” said Jennell Daye.
Trainor is a ninth grade math teacher and has been with the school system for three years.
Source:NBC17
Virginia police officer charged with rape of teen www.privateofficer.com
Poquoson VA Nov 18 2011 A local police officer has been arrested on rape allegations.
Virginia State Police say Steven McGee raped a girl they are describing as a juvenile.
They say in October, Social Services called State Police.
They say she was able to describe to a nurse at CHKD several times where she was raped, including where and when it happened.
State troopers have not said the specific charge that McGee faces.
He is being held in the Tidewater Regional Jail.
Poquoson Police Chief Clifford Bowen released a statement saying McGee was employed by the department for three years as a police officer and is no longer employed there.
Louisville woman faces federal charges for stealing from charity www.privateofficer.com
LOUISVILLE, KY Nov 18 2011 – A Louisville woman is faces federal charges that she stole from a charity.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky, Mary “Kathy” Montfort is accused forging and depositing 43 checks totaling $200,294.84 into her husband’s bank account.
Investigators say the thefts happened between April 7, 2010 and November 10 of this year when Montfort was working as a bookkeeper for Little Sisters of the Poor.
Federal prosecutors said Montfort started working for Little Sisters of the Poor in December 2005 and that her crimes may have started shortly after that time. Prosecutors say Montfort told police she began forging checks in 2007 and used the money to buy cars, travel and pay her daughter’s rent.
The investigation that led to Montfort’s arrest began on November 3 when Montfort’s bank contacted Little Sisters of the Poor to verify a check for $14,700 that had been deposited into the account of Kenneth Montfort. That check was determined to be a fraud and the remainder of the fraudulent checks were found as the investigation continued. All of the checks were payable to “K. Montfort,” had forged signatures and had been deposited into the same account.
“It is surprising,” said Walt Cato, the city attorney for Shively where Montfort worked as the bookkeeper from 2000 to 2005. “I would hazard an educated guess that the mayor and city council of the City of Shively will want to discuss what may have occurred while she was employed with the City of Shively.”
Cato said a yearly audit should have caught any possible wrongdoing.
Sister Maureen Courtney of the Louisville location of the Sisters of the Poor couldn’t talk in detail about the case, but told us her staff will give Montfort the same love and compassion they give everyone in their care.
“At the end of our lives we’re going to be judged on our love and I think there’s so much love and so much prayer here that it’s going to be fine,” said Sister Maureen.
Montfort was arrested Wednesday and appeared before a federal magistrate later that afternoon. If convicted, Montfort faces a multiple year prison term and could have to pay fines and restitution.
Source:WAVE
Boulder Target security nab man leaving store with cart load of unpaid merchandise www.privateofficer.com
Boulder CO Nov 18 2011 City police arrested a 40-year-old man Tuesday after store security officers at Target said he tried to leave with a shopping cart full of stolen merchandise.
Target security officers told police the man was responsible for several thefts from the store going back to August.
William Martin Hengstler was arrested on suspicion of theft between $1,000 and $19,999, possession of burglary tools, theft by receiving, speeding, driving under the influence and other charges.
Hengstler is being held in the Boulder County Jail. Bond hasn’t been set yet.
Source:Daily Camera
Morrow Ga police chief charged with DUI www.privateofficer.com
MORROW, Ga.Nov 18 2011 — The police chief of Morrow was arrested and charged with driving under the influence Thursday morning.
Clayton County Police Sgt. T. Jakes said Chief Jeff Baker was booked into the county jail at around 3 a.m. A couple of hours later, Baker was released on $5,000 bond.
According to the sheriff’s booking docket, in addition to DUI, Baker is charged with a red light violation, impeding traffic, having an open container of alcohol, driving too fast for conditions, improper lane change and disobeying authorized persons directing traffic.
Additional details of the arrest are not yet available.
Sgt. Jakes said county police are assisting Morrow city police with investigation of the incident.
Source:NEWS11
Overturned armored truck injures security officers www.privateofficer.com
ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. Nov 18 2011– Police said two people were trapped inside an armored vehicle after a Wednesday afternoon crash that closed westbound Route 100.
The crash occurred just after 2:30 p.m.
Police said a Honda CRV and an armored car were involved in the crash and that the armored car rolled over on Route 100 westbound on the Interstate 97 overpass.
Fire personnel responded to remove the victims from the vehicle.
We are trying to determine the extent of injuries. Police said shortly before 4 p.m. that Route 100 westbound was still closed.
Source:www.wbaltv.com
Milwaukee shoplifter bites security in escape attempt www.privateofficer.com
Milwaukee WI Nov 18 2011 A 31-year-old Milwaukee man is facing charges after a desperate episode in which he’s alleged to have stolen $1,200 worth of clothes and cologne, bitten two store security guards and tried to jump off a third story of a Mayfair Mall parking structure.
Anthony Mann Harris was charged in Milwaukee County Circuit Court Wednesday with two counts of battery and one count of retail theft. If convicted, he faces up to 27 months in prison and $30,000 in fines.
According to the criminal complaint:
Harris was spotted by Boston Store security guards Monday trying to steal more than two dozen clothing articles and several perfume sets by walking out the door with the items. The two guards tried to stop him, but Harris then bit both guards several times and tried to flee.
The officers followed him to the third story of the Mayfair Mall parking structure where he then tried to jump off the side, which would’ve resulted in a 30-foot drop to the concrete below.
The officers grabbed Harris off the ledge before he could jump, but he then started biting the men several more times.
Harris is held in Milwaukee County Jail and pleaded not guilty to the charges during his initial appearance in court Wednesday.
Gunman kills himself at Illinois Fedex www.privateofficer.com
BEDFORD PARK, Ill Nov 18 2011 — Police say the gunman who killed himself at a FedEx warehouse in Bedford Park was looking for his wife. Neither she nor other employees were injured.
Benyamin Robinson, 28, forced his way past security at the home delivery terminal of the FedEx warehouse in the 5100-block of West 73rd Street in the southwest suburb around 8 a.m. Armed with a revolver, witnesses say Robinson, last known to live in Chicago, yelled for his wife and then fired several shots.
Oneal Howell said he doesn’t know what led his son to violence.
Bedford Park police news conference to discuss shooting
“What he did was out of frustration. I don’t know what was bothering him,” Howell, gunman’s father, said. “Some people are open about it. And others keep it in. When you keep it in and it bubbles over, anything can happen.”
Investigators said Howell’s wife, Kenyata Kinsey, filed for divorce, but then retracted. Initial calls at 8 a.m. were for a domestic situation, but they escalated.
“At 8:04 a.m. we started getting calls from FedEx employees that shots were fired,” the Bedford Park Police Chief Daniel Godfrey said.
“It was just chaotic. People running, nobody really knew. It was just surreal,” Michael Georgeff, FedEx driver, said.
“I did not see the guy, because he had on a gray hoodie, but he was running — maybe a mile behind us — and shooting in the air when we got outside,” Altis Kelly, FedEx package handler, said.
“We were just running outside, I heard multiple shots, about three, four shots. That’s when me and him just ran out of there,” Jeff Luna, FedEx driver, said.
“From what we understand, it was people stuck in the building with the shooter. We were just praying they’re alright. But we did hear somebody got shot. We don’t know who,” John Colapietro, FedEx driver, said.
During those tense moments, the plant was evacuated and searched by SWAT team members from Bedford Park and seven or eight nearby agencies. Once the gunman was surrounded, Robinson shot himself in the head, police said.
“They discovered the shooter inside a vehicle with self-inflicted gunshot,” Chief Godfrey said. “The only injured was the shooter.”
The Bedford Park police chief said the shooter’s children were located safe. He said there was no indication of prior domestics and the couple’s last known address was in Chicago.
All of the FedEx employees were accounted for by 9:45 a.m., when sources told ABC the “incident is over.”
Source:WLS
