Archive
G4S Security unable to fulfill Olympics contract www.privateofficer.com
LONDON July 15 2012 (Reuters) – Private security firm G4S said on Friday it would be unable to completely fulfill its contract to supply guards for this month’s London Olympics and would incur a loss of up to 50 million pounds ($77.73 million).
The company has been at the centre of a political firestorm after the government admitted on Thursday that extra troops would need to be put on standby dye to G4S’s problems processing applicants in time for the Games that start in two weeks’ time.
Shares in the FTSE 100-listed G4S have fallen in the past 24 hours to their lowest level for almost a month.
G4S said in a statement on Friday that because of difficulties in processing applicants in sufficient numbers through the necessary training, vetting and accreditation procedures, it “will be unable to deliver all of the necessary workforce numbers”. No details on numbers were given.
On Thursday, the government put an extra 3,500 troops on standby after it became clear G4S looked unlikely to provide the expected 10,400 guards it was contracted to do so.
Prime Minister David Cameron warned that G4S, the world’s biggest security firm, would face consequences for any shortfall.
G4S said it accepted its responsibility for the additional cost of the increased military needed to make up the shortfall.
The company said it would incur other “significant” costs as it tries to meet its contract promises.
“Whilst it is not possible to gauge the precise financial impact, it is estimated that the company will incur a loss on the contract in the range of 35 million pounds to 50 million pounds, all of which will fall in the current financial year.”
G4S chief Nick Buckles has been summoned to give evidence to parliament explaining how the crisis was allowed to happen.
G4S’s contract, worth an estimated 284 million pounds, includes managing 3,300 students and 3,000 volunteers.
It has said it has about 4,000 staff working at Olympic venues, with more than 9,000 in addition nearing the end of a delayed training process.
About 23,000 security guards had been due to protect venues as part of Britain’s biggest peacetime security operation, with 13,500 military personnel already earmarked to contribute.
A call-up of the additional 3,500 troops would take the tally at the Games to 17,000, more than the 9,500 currently deployed in Afghanistan.
G4S employs over 675,000 staff working in areas ranging from cash handling to guarding ships from pirates.
Its contract with the London Olympic organizing committee (LOCOG) would have seen guards providing airport-style checks to search and screen spectators. They would also be responsible for queue management and protecting the perimeters and equipment.
The company also has contracts with the British government. ($1 = 0.6432 British pounds)
Puerto Rico’s governor asking US help to fight crime-drugs www.privateofficer.com
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico July 15 2012 (AP) – Puerto Rico’s governor is meeting with U.S. officials including Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to discuss ways to better fight crime and drug trafficking across the Caribbean island.
Gov. Luis Fortuno said Friday that the meetings are aimed at cracking down on an increase in the smuggling of drugs and illegal weapons.
Puerto Rico has repeatedly sought the help of U.S. authorities to prosecute cases at a federal level. The territory’s government requested more federal agents and an increase in funds during a U.S. congressional hearing earlier this month.
The U.S. territory reported a record 1,117 homicides last year.
Florida police warn of security alarm scam www.privateofficer.com
The police warn that these salespeople are compelling homeowners to buy security systems they don’t need or are setting up a house for a burglary, according to a release from the agency.
Police warn that summer months tend to bring an increase in this activity. They say that the agents will use aggressive tactics and focus on the elderly and uninformed.
“We want to urge the public to use caution when considering what security system sales agents have to offer, especially if they come to your front door uninvited,” said Chief Doug Muldoon in the release.
Police suggest that homeowners check the sales agent’s credentials and research the business’ history with the Better Business Bureau.
“Reputable agents must always carry an identification card that associates them with BASA (Burglar Alarm System Agent),” Chief Muldoon said. “This identification has the individual’s photo, and company license number and it means the cardholder has been fingerprinted, drug tested and completed a full background check.”
“Do not allow these people into your homes. Do not disclose if you have an alarm system or not,” Muldoon said. “If you have someone who refuses to leave, call the police immediately.”
Source:floridatoday.com
Shoplifter bites Macy’s security agent down to the bone www.privateofficer.com
At least three men who were suspected of shoplifting at the Stanford Shopping Center store were followed outside the building shortly before 1:36 p.m. Security personnel attempted to stop the shoplifters, but two ran off.
When security guards attempted to subdue the third man, a scuffle ensued, Palo Alto fire Battalion Chief Doug Conn said. One of the guards was bitten to the bone during the altercation. The victim was transported to the hospital for evaluation.
Palo Alto police responding to a call for assistance sought the other men. Police have remained tight-lipped about the circumstances as the case is still under investigation. No descriptions of the individuals have been released, and it is unknown what they allegedly took from the store.
New technologically advanced police boat patrolling Lake Erie www.privateofficer.com
LORAIN, OHIO July 15 2012 - An interesting thing happened on the way to patrolling international water on Lake Erie. Deputies gathered intelligence that the wide open water of Lake Erie could also be used for human trafficking.
The Lorain County Sheriff’s Department was awarded a first-of-its-kind, technologically advanced patrol boat in 2011 through a Homeland Security grant to protect the northern border from terrorists using the Great Lakes to transport materials for dirty bombs.
David James who operates the boat for the Lorain County Sheriff’s Department said the boat is equipped with sophisticated equipment and can detect radiological and nuclear material on recreational boats or freighters illegally entering Lake Erie. Deputies have also used the boat to gather intelligence during patrols and interdictions or boat checks that have led to major drug investigations. The boat is also used for search and rescue.
But intelligence gathering led to a surprising discovery. There’s another growing illegal activity that this boat can help prevent.
The Lorain County Sheriff Department’s Chief Deputy Dennis Cavanaugh said so much focus has been placed on ports of entry in Detroit and Buffalo that human traffickers are possibly using boats to cross from Canada into United States water during summer months. Human traffickers illegally bring people into the county for the abusive sex trade or cheap labor.
Boats being used by human traffickers could blend in with recreational boaters, especially near the Lake Erie islands where thousands of boaters gather during summer weekends.
The sheriff’s department boat uses heat-sensing technology that indicates the number of people on board or where someone might be hiding on a boat. The boat’s infrared technology can show a person in the water or on a boat in total darkness by making a monitor appear as if it’s nearly daylight.
Working very closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Lorain County Sheriff’s department patrols 22 miles of Lake Erie shoreline, but most intelligence gathering missions are conducted nearly 20 miles from shore near Canadian water.
Investigators on the boat, a Boston Whaler 350 Challenger, work in conjunction with Homeland Security’s Northern Border Initiative.
The boat has enormous horsepower and tops out at nearly 60 mph. It has a touch screen that allows a computer to drive and guide it to an exact location on the lake..
The boat can team up with seven northern Ohio counties for mutual aid on a wide range of needs, but this shift in focus sheds new light on the growing concern over increased human trafficking.
Recent missions have been taking place in the evening or at night, but mission times vary which means you never know when the boat will be docked or out on the lake 20 miles from land.
The federal grant paid for the half million dollar boat.
Source:www.newsnet5.com
Central Virginia trucker bound, gagged, and robbed www.privateofficer.com
HENRICO COUNTY, Va. July 15 2012 – Police said a trucker driving through Central Virginia was bound, gagged, and robbed early Friday morning.
The man was pulling out onto Technology Park Drive, just after 1 a.m., when several cars pulled in front of him, according to Henrico police. The trucker told police a group of five men forced him out of his truck, tied him up and took off with his big rig.
It took four hours for someone to discover him near Virginia Center Commons in Henrico. A short time later, police found the man’s eighteen-wheeler a few blocks away from the mall.
Police are trying to figure out why the man was targeted and identify the suspects. Authorities are also trying to figure out what was stolen off the pallets from the back of the truck.
Ron Floyd, an independent truck driver, told CBS 6 News’ Wayne Covil that while what happened is out of the ordinary, it does make him think about safety.
In fact, Floyd said safety is always top of mind since drivers never know what might happen out on the open road or dropping off a load.
“It’s not uncommon for us to be pulling in and out of these warehouses at 1 or 2 o’clock in the morning,” said Floyd.
The truck driver was not seriously injured, but was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
If you have information about this crime that could help police, call Henrico Crime Solvers at 804-780-1000.
Source: WTVR
10 Employees at Sky Harbor International Airport caught stealing www.privateofficer.com
PHOENIX AZ July 15 2012 - The ABC15 Investigators discovered 10 employees who work at Sky Harbor International Airport have been reprimanded by the City of Phoenix Aviation Department since January for stealing items that had been lost or left by airport customers, employees, or passengers.
The disciplined employees worked for a variety of companies within the airport, including airlines, ground services, retail, and other air services.
Each employee was given a Notice of Violation and had their airport security badge confiscated.
“If you have a security badge taken away from you, you will automatically come up in the system as having had your badge revoked,” said Deborah Ostreicher, Deputy Director of Aviation for Sky Harbor International Airport.
“You can’t just go work for another company(in the airport) and try to get a badge,” she said, explaining that employees do have an opportunity to appeal the Notice of Violation.
PASSENGER USES APP TO FIND STOLEN iPAD
When Vince Vernaza landed at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, he hadn’t planned for his brand new iPad to land in the hands of a thief.
“I was shocked that somebody on a plane would take something,” Vernaza told the ABC15 Investigators.
Vernaza said he left the device in a seat back pocket on a flight to Phoenix from Florida. By the time he remembered that he had left it on the plane, someone else had already snatched it – but he didn’t know who.
“The officers at the airport were awesome,” he said.
Vince enlisted the Phoenix airport police and used the “Find My iPhone” app installed on his iPad and iPhone to track the expensive computer tablet.
“(The iPad) went from the plane into the secure areas of the airport, and we thought that was weird,” Vernaza said.
At first, he said, he thought the app wasn’t working properly. “There was nothing wrong with it…we found out,” he said, explaining that an airline employee had taken his iPad. The following day, Vernaza and his son Sam tracked it to a home in Mesa, where police helped them get it back.
“I was shocked that someone would take that and jeopardize their job,” Vernaza said.
The employee was arrested and booked for felony theft.
He also received a Notice of Violation from the airport, lost his security badge, and lost his job.
ANOTHER THEFT CASE
Two airline employees who worked in the Lost and Found department for US Airways at Sky Harbor International Airport received Notices of Violation for taking items from the airline’s Lost and Found storage area. One person was accused of taking a handheld videogame. The other employee was accused of taking jewelry, sunglasses, an iPod, and some clothing items among other things.
Police arrested both of them.
An airline spokesperson told ABC15, neither employee works for the airline any longer.
According to airport paperwork, one employee said “she has no defense for the incidents that occurred. She knew it was poor judgment but tried to justify to herself that her actions were not theft as they were unclaimed items and considered charity. She indicated that US Airways provides any items left unclaimed under $100 will be donated to Goodwill or distributed among employees and items over $100 will be sent to a warehouse in Charlotte.”
Source:www.abc15.com
Naked man crashes into Dallas mall www.privateofficer.com
DALLAS TX July 15 2012
Police say a naked man crashed a pickup truck into a Dallas mall, then drove over a few kiosks before stopping to try on clothes.
Dallas police were called to the Southwest Center Mall around 7:30 a.m. Friday. Officers say the man was apparently covered only in a blanket when he drove his truck through the glass entrance doors, then crashed through several kiosks before driving into a Champs Sporting Goods store.
Once inside the store, police say he left his blanket in the truck and started putting on clothes and a pair of Air Jordan shoes.
No one was injured.
A police statement identifies the man as 35-year-old Arthur Walker of Dallas. He’s jailed without bond on a burglary charge. Dallas County Jail records list no attorney for him.
Source:www.abc15.com
Elderly man shoots and kills himself at Hummelstown Cemetery www.privateofficer.com
Police say that an elderly man drove to the cemetery and shot himself at a grave site.
When CBS 21 arrived on scene, we found officers from Hummelstown Police Department surrounding a car, investigating this horrible situation.
Around 5 p.m., a call was received from a man saying that there was a dead person at Hummelstown Cemetery.
When police showed up moments later, they found a man with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police say that he had a faint pulse, but upon arrival at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, he was declared dead.
Police believe the person who called saying that someone was dead at the cemetery was the man himself, moments before he took his own life.
Police say the man is not local, but cannot release exactly where he’s from or his identity until his relatives are notified.
Police can say that at no time was the public in danger and that no other individuals were involved.
Source:CBS21
Jail escapee takes deputy’s gun-commits suicide www.privateofficer.com
A Weld County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson says the suspect, 42-year-old Raul Alaniz, assaulted a deputy and took his gun while at North Colorado Medical Center.
Hospital spokesperson Gene Haffner says the suspect was at the hospital to receive treatment in the emergency room.
Haffner says the suspect went into the neighborhood adjacent to the medical center.
Investigators say Alaniz broke into a home and took a man hostage. Police were able to get the man out unharmed. The suspect shot himself.
The deputy he assaulted had minor injuries.
Alaniz was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of two counts of assault on a police officer along with some other charges.
Off duty Corpus Christi police officer nabs burglar www.privateofficer.com
CORPUS CHRISTI TX July 15 2012 - An off-duty officer arrested a suspected auto burglar last night in his own neighborhood while checking out the complaint of a recent burglary.
Corpus Christi police say Officer J. Lerma spotted 45-year-old Ernesto Silva stealing items from a truck in the 3100 block of Paris Drive around 3am.
Lerma reported the burglary and follwed the suspect who left the area.
Silva later pulled over on the side of the road in the 3300 block of Briarhurst Street. At that time, he reportedly raised his hands in surrender to the officer.
Police recovered two stolen fishing rods, engraved with the owner’s name, inside Silva’s vehicle. The rods are worth an estimated $760.
Silva’s charged with burglary of a vehicle. Online court records show he’s a repeat offender with convictions for theft, burglary, criminal mischief and forgery.
Source:KRISTV.com
Wendy’s employee gets 22 years in prison for selling child porn to patrons www.privateofficer.com
A federal judge in San Antonio on Wednesday sentenced 36-year-old Juan Antonio Rosa.
Rosa in March pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography. He allegedly met the porn customers online.
Prosecutors say buyers used the code word “Scooby Doo” to get the memory cards along with food at a Wendy’s Co. restaurant in San Antonio. Officials say the restaurant operators were not aware of the illegal deals.
Rosa served time on a state child porn conviction and started working at Wendy’s after his 2010 release. He was arrested last summer after child porn turned up on his computers at an apartment in Converse.
Source:AP
CPS says 26 employees lied get their kids free or reduced-price lunches www.privateofficer.com
Chicago IL July 15 2012 Twenty principals and assistant principals are among 26 current and former Chicago Public Schools employees who provided false income information on applications to get their children into the federal free or reduced-price lunch program, according to CPS Inspector General James Sullivan.
Some of those accused were escorted out of their schools by district officials Friday morning. Disciplinary action, which could include firing the employees, awaits hearings to be held over the next several weeks, CPS spokeswoman Robyn Ziegler said.
Sullivan said he has notified theU.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the National School Lunch Program and could pursue further investigation and possible civil action. No criminal charges are expected.
“All public employee misconduct is disturbing, but when high-paid administrators are involved in lying to get a little extra for themselves and the schools it proves that the problem is systemic and must be dealt with by CPS and its federal funding sources,” Sullivan said in a statement.
In the last four years, 55 CPS employees have now been accused of defrauding the federal school lunch program by enrolling ineligible children for free or reduced-price lunches, a pattern of abuse that highlights problems at every level of the program, Sullivan said.
Last summer, the inspector general found 14 district employees at North-Grand High School on the West Side fraudulently got free or reduced-price lunches for their children, taking advantage of lax oversight and almost nonexistent checks and balances. The list of those accused of fraud included teachers, CPS central office staff and security officers, some of whom were paid six-figure salaries.
A Tribune analysis in January highlighted flaws in the federal lunch program. School districts reap rewards for enrolling as many students as possible in the program, in part because those numbers are used to help determine poverty levels and contribute toward determining allocations of billions of dollars to districts.
At the same time, federal law restricts school districts from verifying the vast majority of the lunch applications they receive. At CPS, where 82 percent of the district’s roughly 403,000 students are receiving either free or reduced-price meals, fewer than 1 percent of all applications are vetted for accuracy, the Tribune found.
The entire $11 billion lunch program is based largely on the honor system, Sullivan and others have said.
“There is no incentive anywhere in the system to ensure that accurate data is being provided,” the inspector general said. “Parents get free lunch for their kids. Their schools get more money. Lunchrooms are larger. Lunchroom staffs are increased.”
In March, the district’s food services director resigned amid allegations of accepting thousands of dollars in improper gifts from two top vendors. On Friday, CPS chiefJean-Claude Brizardrepeated calls for district employees to hold themselves to the highest ethical standards.
“We simply cannot, and will not, allow any employee to break the trust that parents and children of this district place in us every day,” Brizard said in a released statement.
Students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches based on family size and income. During the 2011-12 school year, students in a family of four qualified for free lunch if their family income was less than $29,055; students in a family of four qualified for reduced-rate lunch if their family income was below $41,348.
CPS declined to release the names of those accused Friday, but Sullivan said the tally includes six principals, 13 assistant principals, one resident principal, a school counselor and a former principal who is now a deputy network chief.
Among those participating in the fraud were a married couple, one a principal and the other an assistant principal, who were found to live in the suburbs in violation of the district’s residency requirement, Sullivan said. The couple’s combined income is about $250,000 a year, he said.
The findings were based on Sullivan’s examination of CPS employee records and free and reduced-price lunch applications from the past three school years.
CPS is taking a similar approach on its own to step up enforcement in the future. The district recently sought and has received approval from the USDA to implement an automated system next school year that will match employee salaries against school lunch applications, more easily identifying those that should not have qualified.
The verification system, at least next school year, will be limited to CPS employees and will not include those from other city departments, Sullivan said.
Source: Chicago Tribune
Hawaii attorney convicted in ear licking case www.privateofficer.com
After a bench trial, Kauai attorney Lawrence McCreery, 64, was found guilty of harassment Thursday after a former client testified that while discussing her child custody case last year, he licked the back of her right ear.
She said he told the 21-year-old woman while touching her arm, “You look so good,” and “Too bad you’re married,” according to the Kauai prosecuting attorney’s office. The woman said he made a “weird sound” and hugged her tightly right before the licking.
McCreery testified to deny he licked her. He claimed she initiated the hug.
Per Diem Fifth Circuit District Court Judge Frank Rothschild ruled there’s no evidence the woman made up the story. McCreery, who was licensed to practice law in Hawaii in 1975, was ordered to a pay a $250 fine, prosecutors said.
“Quite frankly,” Rothschild said, “these are the actions of a dirty old man.”
Defense attorney Michael Soong said he plans to appeal
Ga man arrested masturbating near children at Walmart www.privateofficer.com
Cartersville GA July 15 2012 A Walmart security worker captured video authorities say shows a man masturbating in the presence of children and their mother at the Cartersville store.
Employees told Bartow County Sheriff’s Office deputies the man, kneeling by a shelf and behind a sign, began masturbating in the Electronics department while “constantly looking at the two juvenile girls and looking over his left shoulder as to check if anyone was walking up behind him,” according to the incident report.
The man, later identified as David Scott Kramer, 44, of Ball Ground, was detained by Walmart security and arrested on charges of child molestation and public indecency.
Walmart workers say he masturbated near the girls, ages 8 and 5, for several minutes before he was approached by security and found with his zipper down.
The woman and girls, who left before police arrived, were apparently unaware of Kramer’s presence.
Three San Benito employees charged in theft scheme www.privateofficer.com
Adolfo Gamez, 51, Javier Villarreal, 52, both of San Benito, and Esequiel Diaz, 31, of Harlingen, were charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and misdemeanor theft, Detective Rogelio Banda said.
Justice of the Peace Manuel Flores arraigned Gamez and Villarreal on $5,000 bail while setting a $5,000 personal recognizance bond on Diaz, Banda said.
“Another city employee came forth and said this happened over the weekend,” Banda said. “They were using city vehicles for personal benefit.”
The police department’s Internal Affairs Division launched an investigation which found the men used a city dump truck to haul about two cubic yards of asphalt millings to Gamez’s home on Pennsylvania Street, outside city limits, Banda said.
The asphalt millings were worth about $50, he said.
The men surrendered at the police station, Banda said.
Gamez had worked for the city since 2007, while Villarreal had worked there for four years and Diaz was hired last year, Banda said
Source:Brownsville Herald
FBI arrest two Starr County sheriff’s deputies for bribery, drugs www.privateofficer.com
McALLEN TX July 15 2012 — Federal investigators say two Starr County sheriff’s deputies accepted more than $10,000 in bribes to tip off an eight-liner casino owner to law enforcement raids and attempted to work out a deal that would send automatic weapons to Mexico in exchange for marijuana and cocaine.
Starr County sheriff’s Deputy Nazario Solis III appeared in federal court Friday for arraignment bribery, extortion and drug charges.
Another Starr County deputy, employed since December 2004 but not yet named in court documents that were partially unsealed on Friday, apparently has not been detained.
A third person, identified only as “Individual A,” is described in the indictment as the operator of an underground gambling operation that featured eight-liner machines, locally known as “maquinitas.”
Solis and the unnamed deputy are accused of soliciting and accepting more than $10,000 worth of cash and valuables in March 2011 as bribes for protecting the underground casino.
Federal prosecutors say the deputies tipped off the casino operator as to when authorities had planned raids on the illegal business.
Specifically, the casino operator paid Solis and the other deputy a $1,500 cash bribe on March 25, 2011, for a tip on law enforcement investigating the eight-liner operation, the indictment states. Prosecutors say Solis was to receive a $1,100 share of the $1,500 bribe.
The information given to the casino owner allowed him to remove money and employees from the business before authorities raided in late March 2011, the indictment states. Federal agents recorded conversations between the casino owner and Solis after the thwarted raid.
The unnamed deputy also is on tape confirming the tipoff that foiled the law enforcement operation, authorities said.
FBI agents arrested Solis late Thursday afternoon at the Starr County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Rene Fuentes did not return calls Friday seeking comment, though he did say he was “surprised, of course” when interviewed Thursday evening about Solis’ arrest.
GUNS FOR DRUGS?
Solis and the unnamed deputy also face allegations of a drug conspiracy and attempt to swap guns for marijuana and cocaine in April 2011.
Prosecutors say Solis tried to obtain 3 kilograms (about 6.6 pounds) of cocaine that he could trade for semiautomatic and fully automatic guns that would be sent into Mexico.
The unnamed deputy faces two counts of a marijuana conspiracy alongside Solis, who faces an addi-tional count of attempting to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
Agents recorded conversations Solis allegedly conducted that set up the drugs-for-guns trade, naming off .308-caliber, M-4 and .223-caliber assault rifles.
“I’m going to be looking for ‘semi’ only,” Solis said, according to the indictment, complaining that automatic weapons waste too much ammunition. “We kill one bird and we shoot seven times. That’s not, that’s not very good mathematics.”
Solis was recorded saying he was waiting to receive the “green light” from his boss — not named in court papers — to go ahead with the deal.
“You could say that I’m the one in charge over here” on the U.S. side of the border, Solis said, according to the indictment.
Solis faces five to 40 years in prison if convicted of attempting to possess cocaine. The most serious of the other charges lodged against the two deputies carry maximum sentences of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine upon conviction.
Source:Brownsville Herald
