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Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy sheriff killed in motorcycle crash www.privateofficer.com
New Port Richey Fla April 29 2012 A Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy died Friday after a motorcycle crash in New Port Richey, the sheriff’s office announced.
Deputy Jason Allen Shoulta was off duty when he crashed into a car that had made a left turn at the intersection of Perrine Ranch Road and Seven Springs Boulevard, also known as County Road 77, in New Port Richey. Shoulta was transported to Bayonet Point Hospital in Hudson, where he was pronounced dead at 1:23 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.
Shoulta, 43, of Oldsmar, joined the sheriff’s office in 1999. He currently worked in the patrol operations bureau. He had worked as a bailiff in court security and a member of the SWAT team.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Jason’s family and friends,” said Sheriff Bob Gualtieri in a prepared statement. “There is no sense that can be made of such a tragedy and no words that can make this easier on anyone.”
Around 12:15 p.m., Shoulta was heading south on Seven Springs Boulevard on a 2010 Harley Davidson Street Glider, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
As Shoulta approached the intersection of Seven Springs Boulevard and Perrine Ranch Road, Taylor Anne Vanderbilt was heading north on Seven Springs Road in a 2006 Chrysler Sebring.
Vanderbilt, 20, of Tampa, entered into the path of Shoulta’s motorcycle when she made a left turn into a 7-Eleven gas station at the intersection, the patrol said.
Shoulta, who wasn’t wearing a helmet, hit the brakes and tried to avoid the vehicle, but he struck the rear of the car, the patrol said.
The crash remains under investigation. Results of alcohol tests taken from Vanderbilt are pending, the patrol said.
Tigard police investigating theft of around $8,000 in jeans from Washington Square Mall
Tigard WA April 29 2012 Tigard police are seeking the public’s assistance in finding two men suspected of stealing more than $8,000 worth of designer jeans from a Nordstrom store at the Washington Square Mall.
The department’s commercial crimes unit has been investigating an April 17 robbery where two men ran out of the store with more than 40 pairs of denims. Witnesses said the men ran across the mall’s parking lot, then went down an embankment onto Oregon 217 where a maroon sedan picked them up and continued northbound.
The men are described as appearing to be in their 20s. A surveillance video shows one man wearing a jacket that says “Olympic Ski Bowl Ski School” and the other man wearing an Oakland Raiders hat.
Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the Tigard police department at 503 718-2473.
source:oregonlive.com
Clarksville TN Kohl’s manager run down by fleeing shoplifter www.privateofficer.com
“It’s very dangerous,” said Officer Jim Knoll of the Clarksville Police Department. “It’s one of those tasks. If you go after somebody, you have to be ready for whatever consequence happens when you do that.”
On April 14, a loss prevention officer at Kohl’s called police after watching a man carrying a knife and snatching up $300 in merchandise. According to police, an officer pulled up to the store, only to witness the loss prevention officer running after the thief into the parking lot. After running around the cars, the thief doubled back, jumping into his car. With the door still open, an assistant manager tried to pull the thief out of the vehicle. The driver threw the car in reverse causing the door to slam into the manager and knocking him to the ground.
Police said the thief went speeding across the parking lot, nearly striking a bystander. He recklessly drove over a median at Books-A-Million, then drove down a grass embankment next to Long John Silvers, ripping a piece of side molding off the car as he escaped onto Wilma Rudolph Boulevard.
Today, police continue their search for the man pictured right. They say the man is driving a dark green Dodge Magnum with a Kentucky temporary tag.
According to police, the manager hit by the door got out of the situation with just minor injuries to his right leg and knee. He declined transport to the hospital at the scene.
Source:wsmv
Man escapes custody at airport, taken down by US Airways employees www.privateofficer.com
PHOENIX AZ April 28 2012 - A man who was being extradited from Detroit to Phoenix managed to escape custody on the airport tarmac Thursday night.
About 5 p.m. Thursday, two Yavapai County Sheriff’s deputies and the suspect arrived from Detroit and exited an aircraft that had just arrived at gate A-1.
The officers were walking with the suspect, 22-year-old John Riebesel, when he sprinted away from the officers. The officers couldn’t catch up to him.
Riebesel fled the terminal and found his way onto the tarmac – it was then that a US Airways employee saw his suspicious behavior and questioned him, Phoenix Police say.
Other US Airways employees came to the aid of the first and were able to successfully detain him until police arrived.
Phoenix Police learned he had somehow deactivated and removed his ankle bracelet while he was in-flight from Detroit. The officers escorting Riebesel had tried to shock him when he made a run for it — but realized it wasn’t working.
Riebesel is facing charges of escape, attempted stolen vehicle and violating a restricted area.
“At no time did the suspect have access to any aircraft or the airports runway. This was a great effort on the part of the US Airways employees who, as an important part of the airport security structure, are trained to react to suspicious persons and items in the areas where they work,” stated Officer James Holmes.
Riebesel was wanted by the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office on drug charges. His probation was revoked earlier this month.
Source:myfoxphoenix.com
ACLU sues US Border Patrol Alleges illegal traffic stops www.privateofficer.com
Seattle WA April 28 2012 The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington filed a lawsuit Thursday against the U.S. Border Patrol, alleging agents routinely and illegally violate the rights of Latinos and other people of color through unjustifiable traffic stops.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court seeks an injunction to prevent Border Patrol agents from performing traffic stops until they undergo specific training under the eye of a court-appointed special master.
It also asks the court to require the agency to document all traffic stops, including the specific reason the vehicle was targeted.
The lawsuit names as plaintiffs three Olympic Peninsula men, all U.S. citizens, who allege they have been targeted by the Border Patrol because they appear to be Latino.
Such illegal stops are becoming more frequent, with an influx of Border Patrol agents into Port Angeles as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to beef up security at the northern border, according to the ACLU and the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, which has joined in representing the men.
“The Border Patrol’s actions have created a climate of fear and anxiety for many people on the Olympic Peninsula,” said Sarah Dunne, the legal director for the ACLU of Washington. The plaintiffs, she said, are afraid they can be pulled over at any time without cause.
The lawsuit is asking for class-action status, seeking to represent anyone on the Olympic Peninsula who might be subject to a Border Patrol stop.
In a prepared statement, Colin Burgin, the supervisory Border Patrol agent in Blaine, said his agency “strictly prohibits profiling on the basis of race or religion” and that agents follow the Department of Justice guidelines regarding the use of race by federal law enforcement.
The plaintiffs include Jose Sanchez, a Forks resident who works as a correctional officer at the Olympic Correctional Center; Ismael Ramos Contreras, an 18-year-old senior at Forks High School; and Ernest Grimes, an African-American Neah Bay resident who works as a correctional officer and part-time Neah Bay police officer.
Sanchez alleges that he has been approached or stopped three times by Border Patrol agents since the winter of 2008-09. The first time, according to the lawsuit, the agency followed him home but left after he began to record the stop with his cellphone.
In the summer of 2009, Sanchez alleges he and his family were stopped and that Sanchez “was interrogated by two Border Patrol agents regarding his immigration status.”
An agent told him they pulled him over because his windows were tinted too dark but, Sanchez said, they never asked to see his license or registration. Sanchez said he was stopped a third time and again questioned about this status in the fall of 2011.
Contreras, who is student-body president at Forks High School, alleges he was in a car with four others on their way to pick up tuxedos for a quinceañera — a traditional 15th birthday party — when the group was stopped July 22, 2011, in Port Angeles. He claims an agent took the car keys from the driver while four agents questioned Contreras and the others about their immigration status.
Contreras alleges he was questioned again in December outside the Clallam County District Courthouse, where a plainclothes agent approached and asked him where he lived and where he was born.
Grimes alleges that he was stopped Oct. 15, 2011, by a “scared and volatile” Border Patrol agent, who placed his hand on his holstered weapon and yelled at Grimes to roll down the car window.
Grimes, who was wearing his Department of Corrections uniform at the time, said he was asked only about his immigration status.
Friction between residents of the Olympic Peninsula and the Border Patrol has increased with a number of high-profile incidents. After residents complained, the Border Patrol was forced in 2009 to quit setting up random roadblocks to check drivers.
In 2009, the federal government paid $48,000 to an illegal immigrant to settle his lawsuit after he claimed he was assaulted by two Border Patrol agents in Mount Vernon — more than 60 miles from the border — while waiting for his child at a school-bus stop.
That incident, and others, prompted Sen. Maria Cantwell to complain of agents’ “overly aggressive” tactics and the appearance that they were targeting people “based solely on their race, ethnicity or religion.”
Last May, an illegal immigrant fleeing agents drowned in the Sol Duc River, resulting in a public outcry.
Former CT TSA agent pleads guilty to bribery www.privateofficer.com
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said 49-year-old Brigitte Jones of the Bronx, N.Y., who was based at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y., pleaded guilty in federal court in New Haven.
“This defendant knew that an individual was transporting illegal narcotics and narcotics trafficking proceeds through Westchester Country Airport,” said Connecticut U.S. Attorney David Fein. “Instead of stopping him, she violated her oath of office, compromised important airport security procedures, and assisted a drug trafficking enterprise.”
Jones is the third former TSA officer to plead guilty to federal charges stemming from the investigation. A former Westchester County police officer and former Florida state trooper also have pleaded guilty.
Jones faces up to 20 years in prison for the extortion count and up to 15 years for the bribery charge when she is sentenced on July 25.
Authorities say Jones was aware that a trafficker was transporting large quantities of oxycodone from Florida, and then transporting the cash proceeds of his sale of oxycodone through the airport on his way back to Florida.
Jones, who was arrested last year, agreed to allow the trafficker to transport what she believed were oxycodone pills through airport security and promised that she would help to ensure that he would not be stopped by TSA agents, prosecutors said. In exchange, authorities said, the trafficker paid Jones $1,200.
In a recorded conversation, authorities said, Jones said, “When you get to the airport and you’re there and you’re checking in at the counter, you let me know so when you’re coming through security, I’ll take care of the rest.”
A day later, Jones did not stop the trafficker, who by then was cooperating with authorities, from passing through the airport security while carrying 1,500 pills that she believed were oxycodone but in fact were placebos, authorities said.
Source:www.foxnews.com
Atlanta youth league coach arrested for sending lewd text messages www.privateofficer.com
NORTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — April 28 2012
A youth league traveling softball coach is facing charges he sent inappropriate text messages to an underage former player.
Milton police have charged Robert Keith Payne, 35, with felony enticement of a minor for indecent purposes stemming from messages they said he sent to a 15-year-old girl.
“The comments were very suggestive in (a) sexual nature,” Capt. Shawn McCarty told Channel 2′s Mike Petchenik. “Any type of sexual enticement to any minor is illegal.”
McCarty couldn’t elaborate on the specifics of the messages, but told Petchenik there were several, and that the girl’s family came to police to complain about them.
Police said Payne coaches the Georgia Stealth softball program. According to its the website, the team is comprised of girls 14 and under and travels across the country to play in tournaments.
Petchenik got a hold of Payne’s wife by phone, but she declined to comment on the charges.
Payne was being held at the Fulton County Jail.
Source:WSBTV.com
Savannah River Site security officers win competition www.privateofficer.com
Savannah River Site’s security contractor WSI-SRS was one of 11 teams representing Department of Energy sites. The team was awarded the Department of Energy Secretary’s Trophy in the five-man team competition. This year marked the 10th time an SRS team has won the award. The last time was in 2009. The team placed second in 2011.
Competitions were open to both law enforcement and security teams.
Columbia and Aiken counties’ sheriff’s offices competed in the non-Department of Energy team competition. Both teams were in the top five for their category.
According to a news release, the events of the competition are designed to challenge weapon marksmanship, physical stamina and tactical problem solving. Teams were tested in skills to protect national assets in the event of a world crisis.
Source:the augusta chronicle
Los Angeles city security officers to become part of LAPD www.privateofficer.com
Los Angeles CA April 28 2012 A plan to move the city’s security guards into the Los Angeles Police Department was preliminarily approved today despite lingering questions about cost savings and responsibilities.
The proposal to consolidate the General Services’ Office of Public Safety with the LAPD is part of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s budget for fiscal year 2012-13, which starts on July 1. The city’s top budget official, City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana, has said the move will save the city $2.2 million, but members of the Public Safety Committee disputed that figure.
“There are a lot of costs that are not identified yet,” said Councilman Mitch Englander, chair of the committee. “It was identified that the police department, LAPD, says they can absorb all of the costs related to this consolidation, and I don’t know that all of the costs have been identified.”
The LAPD is budgeted for 9,963 sworn police officers. An estimated 37 General Services security guards would transfer into LAPD as sworn officers. To keep the department at 9,963 officers, LAPD will cancel its July class at the Police Academy. Another 97 security guards are expected to transfer into a newly created arm of the department, called the Security Services Division.
Labor groups, who accused the mayor of going through the back door to reach his goal of 10,000 sworn police officers, do not support the plan. Representatives with the Coalition of L.A. City Unions and General Services Police Officers Association complained that the duties of sworn officers do not coincide with those of security guards who patrol city buildings, the Los Angeles Zoo, libraries and parks.
“Let’s slow down, let’s take our time, let’s do it right,” said Donald Taylor, vice president of the General Services Police Officers Association.
If the plan is ultimately approved by the Los Angeles City Council, the transition would begin on July 1.
The plan comes at a time when the city is considering whether to lay off 159 of the LAPD’s clerks and administrators.
The plan will be vetted by the Budget and Finance Committee, which begins budget hearings this afternoon at City Hall
Lawsuit filed against Salinas Community Service Officer Scott Callan www.privateofficer.com
Contained within the pages of the suit filed last December against the city and the now incarcerated Callan is “M.R.”s (the victim’s initials) allegations that Callan forced her to have repeated oral, vaginal and anal sex with him over what was a year-long period starting in 2009.
It was that year, according to the suit — a copy of which was obtained by The Californian on Tuesday — that Callan recruited the then 13-year-old “M.R.” into the city Police Explorers organization even though the minimum age to participate in the program is 14.
By editorial policy, The Californian does not print the names of sexual abuse or sexual violence victims.
The first incident occurred in September of 2009 when Callan allegedly drove the victim in a Salinas Police Athletic League van to a city storage unit to get her new explorer uniform.
Although the victim wanted to try on the uniform at home, Callan insisted that she try on the garment in front of him at the storage unit, the lawsuit says.
“Callan told the plaintiff to change in front of him and said: ‘Let’s play you show me and I’ll show you.’ Callan then rubbed his hands all over plaintiff’s body. ¶Plaintiff told Callan to stop but Callan continued to rub plaintiff, touching her buttocks and breasts. Plaintiff was thirteen years old at this time,” according to the lawsuit.
Using the Police Athletic League’s van, Callan reportedly drove the victim to many locations across the city where he forced her to her have sex with him. Locations included the Salinas Police Armory, outside of a local pizza restaurant and at the Salinas Boys & Girls Club.
The lawsuit says that the victim was under a near-constant barrage of unwanted sexual advances by the sworn community service officer. Many of those encounters ended up with the victim attempting to resist but ultimately being forced to perform sexual acts on him under duress.
The encounters happened when Callan would pick the victim up in the PAL van for homework tutoring sessions or even during official Police Explorer duty assignments such as performing crowd and parking control at Laguna Seca Raceway and even at a former Salinas Police Officer’s funeral.
City officials said Wednesday that M.R. has changed her story and that the victim initially told investigators that she had not been harmed by Callan.
“…The rogue and unauthorized actions of Scott Callan, if substantiated in the new matter, are expressly prohibited by city policy. Immediate action was taken against Callan once the conduct came to light. The Police Department acted within a matter of hours to arrest Callan and immediately began interviewing members of the Explorer Program. Though all the young women in the program were interviewed, only one revealed sexual crimes by Callan. The new allegations are raised by a young woman who previously told investigators that Callan had done nothing to her,” City Attorney Vanessa Vallarta said in a statement late Wednesday.
“She never reported the allegations to any law enforcement agency, choosing instead to make her allegation in an unverified lawsuit. Mr. Callan’s employment has been terminated and the department has taken actions to ensure the safety of minors under (its) supervision. The allegations, if true, are a tragedy and absolutely contrary to the principles Salinas police officers and Community Safety Officers are sworn to uphold. The Police Department has and will continue its criminal investigation of the allegations made in the lawsuit. The city cannot complete any discovery in the civil lawsuit until the criminal investigation and review by the District Attorney are completed,” Vallarta continued.
Earlier this week, Acting Police Chief Cassie McSorley confirmed that department investigators are recommending that Callan be charged with several additional sex crime counts in connection with the new case.Callan’s first case, involving the explorer victim known only as “K.F.,” made national headlines and saw Callan convicted and sentenced to three years in state prison for a variety of sex crimes against the victim who was 15 years old at the time.
Because of a plea bargain, however, Callan will not have to register as a sex offender once he leaves prison.Earlier this week city officials confirmed that the City Council approved a $200,000 settlement in the first case with “K.F.”
William Marder, “M.R.” and “K.F.’s” attorney, is traveling in Europe this week and could not be immediately reached for comment
Source:thecalifornian.com
Thief tricks guard, steals truckload of solar panels www.privateofficer.com
Honolulu HI April 28 2012 Police are asking for help finding some unique items. A shipping container filled with solar panels was stolen two weeks ago.
Those items belong to a company called ECC. Officials say the thief made off with 476 solar panels, possibly worth $142,000.
According to Honolulu Police, a man in his 30s weighing 180 pounds wearing a white t-shirt, long blue denim pants, a beanie and boots, drove a semi-truck to the Red Hill area. The suspect told a security guard he was picking up a shipping container.
“The guard, because he opened the lock didn’t think anything and thought he was an employee. When the employees did come to work and checked the container they found that over 400 photovoltaic panels were in the container and missing,” said Sgt. Kim Buffett with CrimeStoppers.
The stolen items belong to a military constructor called ECC. Company officials, say each solar panel has a serial number on it. The solar panels need other components to make them work — components that were not in the stolen shipping container. Coordination with Hawaiian Electric, is also, generally needed with solar panel installation.
Company officials, who did not want to appear on camera, issued this statement: “ECC is disappointed that this theft has occurred and we would appreciate any community support that will lead to the recovery of the stolen Sharp photovoltaic panels.”
Police are asking you to be on the lookout for the blue Horizon lines shipping container, which has the serial number GESU-484819. The semi-truck trailer was a red hyundai with a license plate number 483-OTR.
Police say the suspect is wanted for theft in the first degree.
“I think what made it not out of the ordinary for the security guard was the fact that this person knew the combination for the lock so obviously only employees would know it,” Buffett said.
If you have any information, call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.
Three Galloway police officers injured-six arrested in bar fight www.privateofficer.com
Galloway NJ April 28 2012 Six people were arrested and four others, including three police officers, were injured, following a large fight outside JD’s Pub early Friday morning, April 27, Galloway Police said on Friday.
At 1:34 a.m., one officer from the Galloway Township Police Department and two officers from the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey Police Department were dispatched to the pub in the Smithville section of the township for a security detail, police said. Officer Raymond Casanova was on patrol in the area, and observed a large crowd on location, police said.
Diandre C. Brown, 22, of Sicklerville and listed as a senior forward on the men’s basketball team on Stockton’s website, was removed from the pub for causing a disturbance inside. He continued to cause a disturbance, prompting several officers to report to the scene, police said.
Officer Kerry Baerman was attempting to arrest Brown when Brown head butted Baerman in the face, police said. Following a scuffle with police, Brown was taken into custody, and was charged with aggravated assault on police, resisting arrest, failure to disperse and obstruction of justice. His bail was set at $25,000.
As Baerman was transporting Brown to the police station at around 2:09 a.m., he was nearly involved in a head-on collision near Pitney Road and Quail Hill Boulevard when an oncoming vehicle crossed the center line. He avoided the collision and then stopped the vehicle, police said.
As a result of that incident, Michael Gallagher, 31, of Galloway, was charged by Officer Ronald Gorneau with driving while intoxicated, refusal to submit to breath samples, reckless driving and failure to maintain lane.
After returning to the police station, Baerman was transported to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center Mainland Campus as a result of being head butted, police said.
Meanwhile, several patrons had exited the pub and converged on officers who were attemtping to disperse the crowd, police said. Two males, including one listed as Brown’s teammate on the Stockton basketball team, aggressively approached police after being told to disperse. Officers attempted to place Brown’s teammate, Ibn Moye, 22, of Beachwood, and Devon E.Gibson, 21, of Newark, under arrest when they fled on foot, police said.
In his attempt to escape, Gibson knocked an uninvolved 22-year-old female to the ground, where she was knocked unconcious as a result of a laceration to her head. She was transported to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Facility Mainland Campus, police said.
Casanova pursued Gibson, and in the process, suffered injuries to his knee and ankle. He was transported to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center Mainland Campus, police said.
Officers were able to capture Gibson and Moye, police said.
Gibson was charged with failing to disperse, aggravated assault for pushing a female and causing injury while attempting to flee police, and aggravated assault for the injury to Casanova. His bail was set at $25,000.
Moye, listed as a sophomore guard from Toms River on Stockton’s website, was charged with failure to disperse, resisting arrest and obstruction of justice. His bail was set at $10,000.
As the disorderly crowd continued to grow, more officers were called to the scene, including two from Stockton, three from Absecon, two from Pleasantville and four State Police Officers. The crowd continued to taunt the officers and refused to disperse, resulting in three additional arrests, police said.
Chauncey O. Hunter, 27, of Atlantic City; Justin A. Wilson, 23, of Willingboro; and Amir N. Hopkins, 21, of Camden were all charged with failing to disperse and obstruction of justice, and bail was set at $5,000.
All six of those arrested were transported to the Atlantic County Justice Facility, while officers remained on the scene for two hours, police said.
A third Galloway Police Officer, John Mooney, was also treated at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center Mainland Campus for a shoulder injury.
All three officers have since been discharged, according to a spokesperson from AtlantiCare.
“We are waiting for all the facts from police, but we do have judicial policies in place that hold students to a higher standard of conduct both on and off campus,” a Stockton College representative said Friday afternoon. “We are fully cooperating with Galloway Police.”
Brown attended high school at Camden County Tech. He played in 29 games during the 2011-12 season, averaging 14.7 points per game, 23 steals, 49 assists and 171 rebounds.
For his career, he averaged 11.3 points per game, 133 steals, 135 assists, 31 blocks, and 609 rebounds.
Moye played in 38 games in two years on the team, including 25 as a sophomore and has a career average of 8.5 points per game. For his career, he also has 104 rebounds, 42 assists and 39 steals.
Cook County sheriff’s buses transporting prisoners collide-several injured www.privateofficer.com
The accident happened about 7:55 a.m. in the left lane of the expressway just north of Pulaski Road, when one of the two buses ran into the rear of the second one, according to Master Sgt. Jason LoCoco of the Illinois State Police.
According to Frank Bilecki, spokesman for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, the two buses were part of a five-vehicle convoy that was transporting 106 prisoners from Cook County Jail to Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet. The convoy included a squad car in the lead, and four buses following. Three of the buses carried prisoners and the fourth was a backup.
Traffic stopped suddenly on the expressway and the first two vehicles in the convoy, the squad car and the first bus, stopped without any problem, but the third vehicle, also a bus carrying prisoners, ran into the back of the second vehicle. The other two vehicles in the convoy, both buses, stopped without incident.
Bilecki said that the five vehicles travel closely together for security reasons, to prevent other vehicles from breaking them up.
Bilecki said one prisoner and one correctional officer were taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital for further observation. The prisoner was placed on a stretcher after reporting some back or neck pain before being taken from the scene, Bilecki said, and the officer was able to walk before being taken to the hospital. No specific condition was available for either, but Bilecki believed their injuries were considered minor.
Bilecki did not know which bus the injured prisoner or the injured officer was on.
Bilecki said that all of the buses were able to leave the scene and return to Cook County Jail, where the other 105 prisoners will be checked out at Cermak Health Services of Cook County at the jail before being transported later to Stateville.
Bilecki said that officials will review camera footage from cameras on the buses to see if anything else can be learned about the accident.
Source:tribune.com
Two hospital security officers charged in patient death www.privateofficer.com
A Madison County grand jury on Friday indicted 28-year-old Charles Knapp and 21-year-old Dylan Ritchie involuntary manslaughter in the December death of Anthony Burkey.
Police say Burkey was arrested in Pontoon Beach after he allegedly punched a neighbor’s door during a psychotic episode.
Officers took Burkey to Gateway Regional Medical Center in Granite City. Prosecutors say that’s where he was awaiting a psychological evaluation when guards were called to his room. During a struggle, authorities say, Burkey was pinned to the ground by Knapp and Ritchie and stopped breathing.
Calls to Knapp’s home went unanswered Friday. Ritchie’s home telephone number is unlisted.
Two Nashville men arrested for impersonating police during robbery www.privateofficer.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. April 28 2012– Two men were charged after allegedly impersonating police officers and robbing a man under the guise of a drug complaint investigation.
Police said Travis Calhoun, 20, and Michael Lee Adams, 21, went to a home on Waikiki Boulevard around 12:45 a.m. Friday wearing security guard uniforms. Calhoun admitted to police that he identified himself as “Officer Scott”, asked for the 24-year-old victim’s wallet, and then allegedly took $190 cash from the wallet before returning it to the victim.
The victim called police saying the pair had fled in a silver PT Cruiser. The car was located by officer outside the Waffle House on Harding Place, and Adams and Calhoun were inside with two women and four-year-old boy.
Officers found $75 in cash from under a trash can in the bathroom and a security guard shirt stuffed in the air vent.
They were positively identified by the victim. The women were not charged.
Calhoun also allegedly admitted to police that he was dressed as a security guard when he robbed a man on Antioch Pike in the early morning hours of April 21.
Calhoun was charged with two counts of robbery, two counts of impersonating a police officer, child endangerment and evidence tampering.
Adams was charged with robbery, impersonating a police officer, child endangerment, and evidence tampering.
Calhoun was held on $34,000 bond; Adams was jailed in lieu of $55,000.
Source:-newschannel5.com
SC security guard arrested for Voyeurism and Indecent Exposure www.privateofficer.com
A Bluffton security officer has been arrested for Voyeurism and Indecent Exposure in connection with several incidents occurring at a Bluffton gated community.
Thirty-one year old Jeremy Mack, a security guard for Rose Hill Plantation, was arrested today on two counts of Voyeurism and one count of Indecent Exposure following complaints of inappropriate conduct occurring at the community’s guard gate.
An investigation was initiated in March 2012 after one of Mack’s co-workers reported finding a cell phone hidden in a roll of toilet paper inside the bathroom at the gatehouse. During the course of the ensuing investigation, it was discovered that Mack had utilized the phone’s video camera on several occasions to record two fellow female security officers in the bathroom without their knowledge or consent.
A third female officer also reported that Mack had exposed himself to her on one occasion while working together at the gatehouse.
Mack was arrested without incident and transported to the Beaufort County Detention Center where he remains awaiting bond hearings.
Source:wsav.com
Haverhill High School security guard fired for “inappropriate communication” www.privateofficer.com
Superintendent Jim Scully declined to name the guard, who he said was removed from the school Tuesday afternoon after school officials learned of the incident that day and was officially canned this morning.
The “communication” was made both in person and electronically during last week’s April break, Scully said, but he declined to detail what was said and said to the “best of my knowledge,” it was a one-time thing
Haverhill police are also investigating, he said. Authorities weren’t immediately available for comment this afternoon.
“In education, whether it’s in Haverhill or in any setting where you have large numbers of people, you always have someone who doesn’t use their head,” Scully said. “This is obliviously a question of misjudgment. I don’t think it’s anything more than that.”
Scully said he didn’t know the security guard’s age or how long he had worked at the high school, but he said he believed the man had never been disciplined by school officials in the past.
“He was a very decent person, that I know of,” Scully said. “I don’t know of any prior incidents.”
Haverhill High is routinely patrolled by five security guards, Scully said. He said this doesn’t raise red flags in his mind about their interaction with students.
“I think this is an isolated incident, but it’s my responsibility and the school department’s responsibility to look out for the best of the student, no matter what their age is,” he said.
FBI and ATF investigating pipe bombs found at GA dams www.privateofficer.com
ALBANY, GA April 28 2012- The FBI and ATF are now investigating that pipe bomb found in Dougherty County.
The GBI Bomb Squad detonated the bomb Thursday night.
It’s the second time in less than a month that a bomb was discovered near the Georgia Power Dam.
GBI officials call them “Bubba Bombers” people who like to make bombs and blow them up like big loud firecrackers. And they say it happens nearly every day across Georgia.
Dougherty County Police are not sure if the dam has become a hot spot for that kind of activity, but they intend to stop it.
Investigators say the six inch long pipe bomb, with a fuse device, was found next to the water about 100 yards from the dam. And that it was a powerful explosive.
“Oh definitely. If someone was in close proximity they would have been seriously injured or hurt,” said Dougherty County Police Captain Jimmy Sexton.
The first week of April, Timothy Anderson Sr. and Junior were arrested for possessing explosive devices. Anderson Junior was arrested at the dam with 5 bombs in his car. Anderson Senior was charged with making them. Investigators are not sure if they are involved with this latest bomb found there.
“We’re looking at every possibility. There’s nothing specific now that would lead us to believe that, but we certainly can’t rule that out at this point, said Sexton.
Fishermen like Montravius Thomas admit they are concerned with a second bomb discovery.
“So yeah. Laughs. Have to think about it man. When people tell you something like that you have to take it and run with it. Rather be safe than sorry,” said Montravius Thomas, Fisherman.
“That’s ridiculous. People coming down here with bombs. That don’t make no sense, said Dennis Robinson, Fisherman.
Police aren’t sure if bomb enthusiasts have made the dam a hot spot to gather, or if this is a copy cat crime. But they are asking people to report any suspicious activity they may have seen near the dam in recent days.
“Any information. Even if they don’t think it’s important, they may be helpful to us. We’d like to hear from the public,” said Sexton.
Eric Brown said he thought twice before fishing today.
“I was kind of skeptical about coming down here today, because I just heard about it last night. I don’t know, but I got to fish,” said Eric Brown, Fisherman.
Investigators say the water level below the dam is dropping, and they are not sure if the bomb could have been underwater for a few days.
May 2 will the one year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden, and Homeland Security have put law enforcement to be on alert for possible terrorist activity.
Dougherty County Police say they have to take that into consideration as they investigate this bomb and that is why federal authorities are also involved.
If you have any information about this bomb or have seen any suspicious activity at the Georgia Power Dam call Dougherty County Police at 430-6600 or CRIMESTOPPERS at 436-TIPS.
Kennesaw GA teen sues over Facebook bullying www.privateofficer.com
Kennesaw GA April 28 2012 A teenager in Georgia has decided to take things into her own hands after her school and police said they could do nothing about the classmates bullying her on Facebook.
Fourteen-year-old Alex Boston and her parents are filing suit against two classmates and their parents for libel after the two classmates allegedly created a fake Facebook account in her name, using a photo of her that they distorted. The account was also used to post a racist video to YouTube that implied that Boston hated African-Americans, and to leave crude comments on the Facebook pages of other friends, suggesting she was sexually active and smoked marijuana.
“All of these things were not true and they knew them to be not true,” says Boston’s attorney Natalie Woodward.
The activities exposed Boston to “hatred, contempt and ridicule by her classmates and peers,” according to the complaint, which accuses the teens of defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and seeks punitive damages. The parents of the defendants are named in the suit because they paid for the internet access that allowed their children to create the account and post the messages, and allegedly failed to supervise their activity.
Boston decided to take this novel route after learning of the Facebook page a year ago and complaining about the behavior to school officials at Palmer Middle School in Kennesaw, Georgia. They told her there was nothing they could do about it because the activity occurred off campus.
Police also said their hands were tied as well because there was no Georgia cyberbullying law they could apply to the situation.
In Georgia, schools can punish students if they bully others at school, but the law governing this does not extend to text messages and social media sites. Georgia does not have a law that covers off-campus harassment, though seven other states do have laws that cover this.
Police in Georgia advised Boston and her parents to file a complaint with Facebook, requesting that the fake account be taken down.
But after several requests to Facebook failed, Boston and her family decided to sue the teens allegedly responsible for the account. Facebook only deleted the account about a week ago after the lawsuit was filed and a story about it aired over the weekend on CNN, Woodward said.
Woodward said there had been no dispute between the teens prior to the bullying.
“She just considers herself a normal, average seventh-grader,” Woodward said. “She had never been targeted or had something like this happen before.”
The alleged teen offenders told school officials that they just didn’t like Boston, according to Woodward. “They said ‘she followed us around school too much.’ There was no real explanation, as is so often the case with these activities. Why kids do things to other kids is a mystery, and is for sure in this case.”
Cyberbullying garnered worldwide attention in 2007 after an adult named Lori Drew was accused of creating a fake Myspace account with her teen daughter and another girl that was used to bully another teenage girl who later committed suicide. Prosecutors later charged Drew under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act for violating Myspace’s terms of service in creating the fake account. Drew was later convicted by a jury on misdemeanor charges, but the conviction was overturned by a judge.
The case prompted new cyberbullying laws to be passed in states across the nation. In 2009, in the wake of the Drew case, a Missouri ninth-grader was arrested for creating a website that disparaged another teen.
Source:wired
Three Los Angeles men accused of stealing thousands of dollars in ink cartridges www.privateofficer.com
Theft charges were filed this week in Salt Lake City against 55-year-old Julio Pena, 44-year-old Ronaldo Reyes and 41-year-old Mauricio Espinosa-Rojas.
Police say an Office Depot security officer led them to the trio on Jan. 27, 2011. Officers who searched a GPS system in the car determined the vehicle had made stops at Office Depot and Office Max stores throughout Utah.
Pena allegedly told police he had been driving the other two around and was “pretty sure” they were stealing, but didn’t care because the men were paying him $100 each day.
Office Max officials say more than $10,000 in ink was stolen from their stores alone
Former GA violin teacher gets prison time for sexual assault of student www.privateofficer.com
OPELIKA, Ala. April 29 2012 (AP) – Authorities say a former violin teacher from Georgia who was accused of fondling a student has been sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to a lesser charge as part of a plea deal.
The Opelika-Auburn News reports (http://bit.ly/K2uOJT ) that 46-year-old Mario R. Urbina of Columbus, Ga., on Thursday pleaded guilty to interference with custody.
The interference charge states it is illegal to take a child younger than 18 from the custody of their lawful guardian or parents.
As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors agreed not to try him on charges of sexual abuse of a child and enticement if the plea and sentence are carried out.
Lee County District Attorney Robbie Treese and Urbina’s attorney said the deal was reached after consulting with the student and her family.
Catholic school teacher sues after being fired for using in vitro fertilization www.privateofficer.com
Emily Herx’s lawsuit accuses the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend and St. Vincent de Paul school in Fort Wayne of discrimination for her firing last June. Herx, 31, of Hoagland, Ind., says that the church pastor told her she was a “grave, immoral sinner” and that a scandal would erupt if anyone learned she had undergone in vitro fertilization, or IVF.
The Roman Catholic Church shuns IVF, which involves mixing egg and sperm in a laboratory dish and transferring a resulting embryo into the womb. Herx said she was fired despite exemplary performance reviews in her eight years as a language arts teacher.
Legal experts say Herx’s case illustrates a murky area in the debate over separation of church and state that even the U.S. Supreme Court has failed to clearly address.
Diocese officials said in a statement issued to The Associated Press on Wednesday that the lawsuit challenges its rights as a religious institution “to make religious based decisions consistent with its religious standards on an impartial basis.”
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in January that religious workers can’t sue their employers for job discrimination because anti-discrimination laws allow for a “ministerial exception.” But the justices failed to define who was and who wasn’t a religious employee.
“The Supreme Court didn’t give us a kind of neat little on-off test as to who’s a minister and who isn’t,” said Rick Garnett, associate dean and professor of law at Notre Dame Law School.
In a similar case in Ohio, a federal judge last month gave the go-ahead for a trial in a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Cincinnati by a parochial school teacher who was fired after she became pregnant through artificial insemination, which the church is also against. The archdiocese fired Christa Dias in 2010, saying the single woman violated church doctrine.
U.S. District Judge Arthur Spiegel said in his March 29 ruling that the ministerial exception did not apply because Dias was a non-Catholic computer teacher with no role in ministering or teaching Catholic doctrine.
However, Garnett said he believed the ministerial exception cited by the Supreme Court could be applied to most parochial school teachers.
“A lot of Catholic schools, including my own kids’, every teacher brings the kids to Mass, is involved in sacramental activities. … It’s not just one teacher who teaches religion, religion is pervasively involved,” Garnett said. “The key question is whether it would interfere with the religious institution’s religious mission, its religious message, for the government to interfere in the hiring decision.”
Herx’s attorney, Kathleen Delaney of Indianapolis, disagreed.
“She was not a religion teacher. She was not ordained. She was not required to and didn’t have any religion teaching. She wasn’t even instructed about the doctrine that she violated,” said Delaney, noting the ultimate decision would be up to the courts.
The school found out that Herx was using IVF because she told them about it when she used sick days for the treatments, according to the lawsuit. School officials didn’t indicate until later that there was a problem, the lawsuit says.
Delaney would not say if Herx was able to get pregnant using IVF.
The diocese said that teachers, even those such as Herx who aren’t Catholic, are required by their contracts to abide by Catholic tenets and “serve as moral exemplars.”
Pope Benedict XVI as recently as February urged infertile couples not to use in-vitro fertilization or other forms of artificial procreation, which the church views as an affront to human dignity and the dignity of marriage.
The church believes that procreation should be limited to marital sex, said Dr. John Haas, director of the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. Also, clinics routinely fertilize more eggs than are implanted, and extra embryos may be destroyed. The church believes those lives are sacred, Haas said.
“To have a child by in vitro almost invariably results in the death of a number of embryos as one works to bring one to term,” Haas said Wednesday.
Herx’s lawsuit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Fort Wayne, alleges the diocese violated the Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act by discriminating against Herx based on gender and on infertility, which is considered a disability. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission upheld Herx’s complaint in January.
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center employee arrested for making false report www.privateofficer.com
Winston Salem NC April 27 2012 An employee of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, who told hospital security guards on April 12 that an armed man was in the hospital, was charged Wednesday with making a false report to police.
Lisa Hall Shore, 38, of 3540 Ralph Road in Boonville, also was charged with misdemeanor larceny, Winston-Salem police said in a news release.
Shore was fired Wednesday after she was charged, medical center officials said in a statement. Shore had worked in the hospital’s Eye Center as a receptionist, said Marguerite Beck, a hospital spokeswoman.
After Shore told the medical center’s security officers that she saw a Hispanic man with a gun on the sixth floor of Janeway Tower in the hospital, parts of Wake Forest Baptist were locked down for about two hours as police searched for an armed man.
No shots were fired, and no armed man was found, authorities said. No one in the medical center was ever in danger, police said.
Shore is also accused of stealing $320 worth of gift cards that were taken from a supervisor’s office April 10 or 11, police said.
Hospital officials, who conducted their own investigation of Shore’s activities, cooperated with police. Shore had no access to patients’ or other employees’ records, Beck said.
“Wake Forest Baptist commends the swift and decisive response of its security personnel and the Winston-Salem police in their continuing efforts to ensure the safety and protection of our patients and employees,” the medical center said in a statement.
Shore was released from custody on her written promise to appear in court on May 18, police said. She could not be reached for comment.
Keesler Air Force airman arrested for rape of teen www.privateofficer.com
BILOXI, MS April 27 2012 A 23-year-old Senior Airman was arrested on Wednesday for one count of statutory rape, video recording a child under the age of sixteen, engaging in sexually explicit conduct and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.
Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd said, Senior Airman Michael Burl, who met the teen online, was stationed at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois before moving to Biloxi in March.
According to officials at Keesler Air Force Base, Burl was “temporarily assigned” at Keesler Air Force Base as a training student.
Authorities found out about Burl after receiving a tip from Biloxi Regional Hospital concerning a teen under the age of 16, who was reportedly sexually assaulted on Monday.
After an investigation, officials carried out a search warrant at the Country Inn and Suites, where Burl was staying. Officials said Burl could face more charges pending the Jackson County Grand Jury.
If convicted he faces 30 years maximum on one count of statutory rape, 40 years maximum for child pornography and one year for each count of contributing to the delinquency of a child in the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
He is being held at the Jackson County Adult Detention Center. His bond was set at $127,000.
Source: WLOX
SC Hospitality Association employee enters plea www.privateofficer.com
Columbia SC April 27 2012 Rachel Duncan pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion charges under an agreement with federal prosecutors. Both are felonies. Duncan is accused of taking more than $480,000 from the association and using the money for online gambling.
Duncan worked closely with association director Tom Sponseller, who committed suicide in February. Duncan was mentioned in Sponseller’s suicide note that said he was despondent over Duncan’s financial crime because it happened on his watch.
US Assistant Attorney Winston Holliday says agents started looking at Duncan several months ago.
“They’re continuing to talk to her and she’s indicated a willingness to provide additional information regarding that investigation,” Holliday said. “But basically anything that we’ve needed to ask her she’s been made available.”
Prosecutors say they found photos on Sponseller’s computer that portrayed Duncan in a “sexual nature.” The photos led them to believe that there was more to their relationship than suggested in Sponseller’s suicide note.
“One group of photos was the ones I alluded to of a sexual nature, they are just of her and I want to clarify that. I think some people had some questions as to that,” Holliday said.
Agents found two different groups of pictures of Duncan. “Showed bruises to her face, which are, I think, consistent of domestic abuse,” Holliday said.
But prosecutors say there is no evidence that Sponseller received any of the money that was missing from association accounts.
“We’ve analyzed his bank records, analyzed her bank records, we’ve traced the money. The Hospitality Association had done their analysis of their bank records and it is already concluded that he did not receive any of the money,” Holliday said.
When she is sentenced in June, Duncan faces up to 23 years in prison and $350,000 in fines.
Duncan is out on $25,000 bond.
Source:WIS
Six TN state employees fired for selling drugs at work www.privateofficer.com
NASHVILLE, TN April 27 2012 - Six state employees are out of a job following an investigation that found them selling, sharing or buying prescription drugs from each other in state buildings, the Channel 4 I-Team has learned.
The employees were caught because they used state email to make the drug transactions, according to internal records obtained by the Channel 4 I-Team.
Those records show one employee used the term “candy” to try to cover up what she was soliciting.
Another record shows an employee emailing her boyfriend, writing she was “selling to all the junkies up here.”
And another employee identified herself in an email as the contact person to collect money.
All the employees were either in clerical or administrative positions with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, and made the drug transactions in the Andrew Johnson building and the Davy Crockett building in downtown Nashville.
“They were clearly engaging in activity that we can’t allow in the workplace,” said Steven Majchrzak, deputy commissioner of Commerce and Insurance
According to state investigators, some of the drugs sold were major painkillers like Soma and Neurontin.
“This was obviously some people who got into a situation and it could happen in any organization where you have people who don’t do the right thing,” Majchrzak said.
One employee who appealed the termination said she was battling Stage 3 cervical cancer and would never sell her medications.
But her firing was upheld, and the five others resigned, and now the TBI is investigating all the employees after a request from the district attorney and the Department of Commerce and Insurance.
“Anytime you’re talking about prescription drugs, not over the counter, now you’re talking about potential criminal violations,” Majchrzak said.
The Channel 4 I-Team is not identifying the employees because we could not reach them for comment and they haven’t been charged criminally.
A spokeswoman for the TBI said their investigation is ongoing
Source:WSMV
Atlanta airport employees allowed to hire workers without completing background security checks because of delays www.privateofficer.com
ATLANTA GA April 27 2012 — Employers at Atlanta’s airport have been allowed to hire workers without completing background security checks because of delays in the process, federal officials said.
In the past, new employees were required to undergo a Transportation Security Administration criminal background check and a security threat assessment, partly because they have access to secure areas.
“To allow for a continuity of operations, TSA has provided airports and airlines with interim regulatory relief,” TSA spokesman Jon Allen said in a statement. “At no time was security at risk, and all new employees will still undergo identity verification and be subject to watch list matching.”
Changes to a system used to process background checks were implemented nationwide, and the impact of resulting delays varied by airport, the TSA said in a separate statement to The Associated Press. It does not indicate whether other airports were granted the relief given Atlanta’s airport, the world’s busiest.
In Atlanta, the change allows workers to have security access while their background checks are being processed.
Because of “extended delays” in criminal history records checks and security threat assessment processing, the TSA began allowing employers to hire workers without the completed checks, according to an April 20 memo from the airport informing employers and others of the change. The memo was obtained by WSB-TV, which first reported on the issue.
If a new employee’s security threat assessment is rejected or placed in the “do not issue” status, his or her security badge will be deactivated immediately, the memo states.
Security expert Brent Brown of Chesley-Brown Security believes the move could be a potential threat to airports.
“You can’t put unsecured people or people that you haven’t checked in a secured environment,” Brown told WSB. “By that very definition, you’ve breached security.”
Violent shoplifter who bit a chunk of flesh from a security guard’s arm given jail www.privateofficer.com
PETERBOROUGH, Ont.April 27 2012 — Biting a chunk of flesh from a security guard’s arm during an LSD-fuelled fight was only one of many steps Derrick Bonneau took during his bid to escape arrest.
The 19-year-old then faked a seizure, got police to take him to the hospital, and gave officers a fake name, all while trying to beat the rap on a shoplifting charge.
Bonneau pleaded guilty Wednesday to assault, assault causing bodily harm, obstructing police and two counts of breach of probation.
The trouble began Jan. 25 at a Zellers in Peterborough, Ont., when a security guard caught Bonneau ripping the tags off PlayStation 3 video games and shoving the merchandise down his pants, Crown attorney Kelly Eberhard said.
Two security guards followed him out of the store, Bonneau said, confronting him over the stolen items.
Bonneau began arguing with them and a scuffle between the three broke out, court heard.
The two female guards tried to pin Bonneau to the ground. Bonneau kicked one guard in the head. He then latched on to the second guard’s arm with his teeth. Eberhard said the guard had to hit him in the head to get him to release his bite.
The resulting wound was about two by 1 1/2 cm, court heard.
“It’s literally a chunk out of her arm,” Eberhard said.
Because of the bite the guard had to undergo an extensive antibiotic regiment for 28 days to prevent the spread of disease. Eberhard said that medication took a toll on the woman’s health.
Morgan said the photographs of the guard’s injury were “shocking.”
“The skin is missing,” Justice Rhys Morgan said. “It’s not just a laceration that can be repaired by closing the wound.”
The guards managed to get Bonneau cuffed, Eberhard said, but when police arrived he told officers he’d had a seizure, couldn’t walk and needed to go to the hospital.
He also told police his name was “George Moore,” a ruse discovered when another officer spotted Bonneau at the hospital and recognized him.
Bonneau was caught red-handed, Morgan said, and when arguing with the guards didn’t work, he resorted to violence.
When that didn’t work, Morgan said, he resorted to sickness.
Even if he was high on LSD, Morgan said, he clearly knew enough to take the tags off the video games, to hide the merchandise, and to try and argue his way out of the situation.
“He knew what he was doing,” Morgan said.
Bonneau has spent 91 days in pretrial custody.
Morgan sentenced him to a further three months and 21 days in jail. Once he’s released from jail he’ll be on probation for 18 months.
He’s banned from owning weapons for 10 years and most provide a DNA sample to police.
Sacramento proposing lay off of 100 police and firefighters www.privateofficer.com
Sacramento CA April 27 2012 The city of Sacramento is proposing to lay off roughly 62 firefighters and 45 police officers to address a budget situation that is among the most dire the city has ever faced.
The public safety layoffs are part of a plan to address a $15.7 million deficit for the fiscal year beginning July 1 in the city’s general fund, the portion of the budget that pays for most basic services. The cuts also include hits to parks maintenance and recreation programs.
“This is not the budget I had hoped to recommend to address next year’s structural deficit,” City Manager John Shirey said.
Shirey said he is attempting to work with the city’s labor unions “to find solutions that would avoid the need for the elimination of positions and consequently programs and services to our community.”
The focus of that effort is likely to be pension benefits. If unions agree to have their employees contribute the entire employee share of their CalPERS benefits, officials said the city could avoid layoffs.
The city picks up most or all of the employee share – in addition to an employer share – for nearly all city workers. Doing away with that arrangement would save the city $13.5 million this year, budget officials said.
Some unions have expressed interest in agreeing to pick up the entire employee share.
The firefighter union appears willing to sit down with the city.
“We’ve made it clear that we’re always willing to sit down and talk about how we can help the citizens of the city and what is the right thing to do,” fire union spokesman Todd Filbrun told me. “Obviously how we move forward is going to take some time to process and formulate.”
The police union said it is engaged in “off the record” conversations with city budget officials and would continue those talks.
“We are willing to sit and listen to any conversation that the city wants to have,” said the union’s acting president, Dustin Smith.
The proposed hits to public safety are the worst the city has seen, even after the City Council voted to lay off dozens of cops last year.
The firefighter layoffs would require the department to decrease the number of personnel on most rigs, from four to three. The fire union has argued that change would increase the time it would take for fire units to begin tackling emergencies.
The city has addressed cumulative deficits of $219 million since 2007, cutting about 1,200 positions – not all through layoffs – and slashing many services.
Falling sales and property tax revenue has played a big role in the cycle. Property tax collections are down $24.3 million since 2009 and sales tax coffers are down $8.7 million since 2007.
The cycle is expected to continue at least another year; budget officials project a deficit of $7.4 million next year.
Source: sacbee.com
Police charge man who ran down Riverside Methodist Hospital security officer.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio April 27 2012 - Police said on Thursday that they identified the man who struck a security guard with a vehicle at Riverside Methodist Hospital in October.
According to police, Bryce Allen Jr., of Jacksonville, Ark., used his car to strike security guard Sgt. Chad Rosser near the Emergency Room entrance, at about 11 p.m. on Oct. 13.
Rosser was called to respond when Allen, 46, argued with a valet parker, 10TV’s Maureen Kocot reported.
Allen, 46, allegedly used his 2000 black Cadillac to push Rosser into a stop sign before fleeing the scene. Rosser suffered minor injuries because of the incident.
Investigators said that they tracked Allen down when they traveled to Jacksonville, Ark. He was charged with felonious assault and tampering with evidence.
Allen was being held in the Pulaski County Jail, in Arkansas, on a homicide charge unrelated to the Riverside Methodist Hospital incident.
According to police, Allen drove around a barricade and ran over two firefighters and a police officer who were responding to a crash involving his mother in Arkansas.
Jacksonville Fire Capt. Donald Jones was killed. Allen is facing a second-degree murder charge in Jones’ death.
Bryce Allen, Allen’s father, said that he was stunned.
“I know he was trying to get to his mother, but as far as that other part of the catastrophe, I can’t believe it,” Bryce Allen said.
Source:10tv.com
