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From LA Times

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Four police officers fatally shot near Seattle

Authorities call the attack an ambush on the officers, who were meeting in a coffee shop before their shift. At least one returned fire and may have injured the lone gunman. No one else was hurt.

by Kim Murphy

November 30, 2009

Four Seattle-area police officers were shot to death Sunday morning in a coffee shop in what officials called a brazen ambush by a lone gunman.

At least one officer apparently fought his way to the coffee shop door and returned fire, possibly wounding the shooter, authorities said.

The shooter is likely to seek medical treatment for a gunshot wound, officials said.

The officers, three men and a woman attached to the Lakewood Police Department, were conducting a routine pre-shift briefing over their laptops at the Forza Coffee Shop in Parkland, Wash., near McChord Air Force Base, about 35 miles south of Seattle.

"It was definitely an ambush, target situation. . . . It was not a robbery," said Pierce County Sheriff's Sgt. Ed Troyer, whose department is investigating the killings. "We have our work cut out for us."

The slain officers, who were in uniform and wearing bulletproof vests, were pronounced dead at the scene. They were identified as Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39, and Officers Ronald Owens, 37; Tina Griswold, 40; and Greg Richards, 42.

Two baristas and several other customers were not injured during the 8:15 a.m. attack. It was not known whether the gunman -- described as a scruffy-looking black man in his mid-20s to mid-30s, 5-feet-7 to 5-10, wearing a black jacket, a gray hooded sweat shirt and blue jeans -- said anything as he opened fire with a handgun and then ran out. His motive was a mystery.

"We know he left the coffee shop on foot, and after that we don't know what happened," Pierce County spokesman Hunter George said.

A possible getaway car "is one of the things we're looking into," George said.

Another Pierce County spokeswoman, Sheri Badger, said a white pickup was found abandoned not far from the scene and was impounded for investigation.

Late Sunday, Troyer said investigators were looking for a person of interest in the shooting: Maurice Clemmons, 37. The Seattle Times reported that Clemmons had a long record of violence, including at least five felony convictions in Arkansas. It said that then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee had commuted Clemmons' prison sentence nine years ago, and that Clemmons had been jailed in Washington until six days before the shooting.

The four officers "are known by everybody," Troyer said. "They've all worked in law enforcement in western Washington for their entire careers.

"It appears they were doing paperwork and getting ready for their shift to start -- going over who they would be looking for and what they would be doing during the day," he said.

Earlier, authorities offered a $10,000 reward for information, began searching for surveillance video and sent 100 or more officers and dogs throughout the surrounding area.

"We've got multiple people showing up on their days off. Every person you could think of is out here," Badger said.

Badger said officers took a person of interest into custody shortly after the shootings but had not identified the person as a suspect.

"By the way they're talking, it doesn't look like they're any more than a witness," she said.

Police also took into custody a man who called 911 and claimed to be the shooter. He was ruled out as a suspect but faces charges in connection with the false report, Badger said.

The slayings stunned a community that only recently buried another police officer, who was shot to death in his parked patrol car in Seattle. The suspect in that case was shot during his arrest and remains hospitalized.

Investigators said there had been no threats against the Lakewood Police Department or any of the officers killed Sunday. Lakewood has had its own police force for five years. (Previously it contracted with Pierce County.) It had 102 sworn officers.

"Something very terrible happened today," Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor told reporters. "This is an example of the danger that police officers and deputy sheriffs and state troopers face every day. The person or people who did this not only harmed us, they harmed the good that we can do in the community."

Before the shooting, Pastor had published a statement on the department's website pointing out the "uncharacteristically large" number of officers in Washington state killed recently in the line of duty. Four were killed in the 18 months before Sunday's shooting.

"Perhaps the most lasting tribute we could make and the best thing that we could do for our own safety and well-being is to find ways to make their work safer and more effective," Pastor wrote.

The previous shootings were unrelated to each other, and authorities have not connected any of them to Sunday's attack.

The most recent of the previous shootings was Oct. 31, when Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton was killed in his parked car and an officer trainee was slightly injured.

Police say they have linked the suspect in that case, Christopher J. Monfort, 41, to the Oct. 22 bombing and arson of a Seattle maintenance yard, which damaged four law enforcement vehicles. A note threatening to kill police officers was found at the maintenance yard.

Monfort, a former security guard, received a bachelor's degree from the University of Washington in 2008 and completed a project for the McNair Scholars Program called "The Power of Citizenship Your Government Doesn't Want You to Know About: How to Change the Inequity of the Criminal Justice System Immediately, Through Active Citizen Nullification of Laws, as a Juror."

The coffee shop where the four officers were killed is in a quiet, semi-industrial unincorporated area of Pierce County next to a Coca-Cola bottling plant.

Michael Bostwick, a retired computer worker who has his coffee every Sunday morning at a tavern nearby, said he arrived just as the first emergency vehicles showed up. He said law enforcement officers frequently have coffee at one or another of the businesses in the area, which he said is not known for serious crime.

"There haven't been any gang issues here for years, that I'm aware of. The police have had real good control of it, and have had since the early '90s," he said.

The idea that a gunman, or gunmen, is now at large is "traumatic" for the community, Bostwick said.

"It is awful. But they will get him. He picked the wrong state to do it in. We're a very well-armed state; they haven't quite taken away all of our rights yet," he said. "I can tell you that most people have probably got their weapons loaded right now. And they're waiting. Somebody will get him."

But Troyer warned citizens to be wary.

"We have somebody who shot four police officers in uniform. Don't put yourself in harm's way," he said. "Somebody that's out there and has already done that probably isn't afraid to do anything else to somebody else, and that's somebody who's very, very dangerous."

Gov. Chris Gregoire said she was "shocked and horrified" at the killings and offered the state's help in tracking down the culprits.

"Our police put their lives on the line every day, and tragedies like this remind us of the risks they continually take to keep our communities safe," she said in a statement.

"My heart goes out to the family, friends and co-workers of these officers, as well as the entire law enforcement community."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-police-shooting30-2009nov30,0,5393652,print.story

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Suspect in slaying of 4 officers may be dead, police say

Police surround Maurice Clemmons at house in Seattle. He has a long criminal history.

The Associated Press

5:02 AM PST, November 30, 2009

SEATTLE

A suspect in the slaying of four police officers who were gunned down in a suburban coffee shop was holed up at a Seattle house early today, wounded and possibly dead, police said.

Negotiators were trying to communicate with Maurice Clemmons, 37, using loudspeakers and explosions to try to prod him from hiding. At one point, gunshots rang through the neighborhood, about 30 miles from the original crime scene.

"We have determined that in fact he has been shot," said Ed Troyer, a spokesman for the Pierce County Sheriff. "He may be deceased from his gunshot wound."

Clemmons, who has a long criminal history -- including a lengthy prison sentence commuted by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee nearly a decade ago -- became the prime target Sunday in the search for the killer of Lakewood police Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39, and Officers Ronald Owens, 37; Tina Griswold, 40; and Greg Richards 42.

Authorities had speculated early Sunday that the gunman might have been wounded at the coffee shop by one of his victims. Troyer said interviews with others detained in the investigation confirmed that theory.

Police surrounded the house late Sunday, and a negotiator used a loudspeaker early Monday to call him out by name, saying: "Mr. Clemmons, I'd like to get you out of there safely. I can tell you this, we are not going away."

Any response from inside the house was inaudible from the vantage of a photographer for the Associated Press. But shortly thereafter, police began using sirens outside the house, and there were several loud bangs before the negotiator resumed speaking, saying: "This is one of the toughest decisions you'll make in your life, but you need to man up."

By 3 a.m., the loudspeakers and explosions had fallen silent.

Clemmons is believed to have been in the area around the time of the shooting, but Troyer declined to say what evidence might link him to the shooting.

Investigators say they know of no reason that Clemmons or anyone else might have had to open fire on the four as they sat working on their laptops early Sunday morning, catching up on paperwork at the beginning of their shifts.

"We're going to be surprised if there is a motive worth mentioning," said Troyer, who sketched out a scene of controlled and deliberate carnage that spared the employees and other customers at the coffee shop in suburban Parkland, about 35 miles south of Seattle.

"He was very versed with the weapon," Troyer said. "This wasn't something where the windows were shot up and there bullets sprayed around the place. The bullets hit their targets."

Officer Richards' sister-in-law, Melanie Burwell, called the shooting "senseless."

"He didn't have a mean bone in his body," she said. "If there were more people in the world like Greg, things like this wouldn't happen.

Clemmons has an extensive violent criminal history from Arkansas. He also was recently charged in Washington state with assaulting a police officer and second-degree rape of a child. Using a bail bondsman, he posted $150,000 -- only $15,000 of his own money -- and was released from jail last week.

Documents related to the pending charges in Washington state indicate an unstable and volatile personality. In one instance, he is accused of punching a sheriff's deputy in the face, The Seattle Times reported. In another, he is accused of gathering his wife and young relatives and forcing them to undress, according to a Pierce County sheriff's report.

"The whole time Clemmons kept saying things like trust him, the world is going to end soon, and that he was Jesus," the report said.

Troyer said investigators believe two of the officers were killed while sitting in the shop, and a third was shot dead after standing up. The fourth apparently "gave up a good fight."

"We believe there was a struggle, a commotion, a fight ... that he fought the guy all the way out the door," Troyer said.

In 1989, Clemmons, then 17, was convicted in Little Rock for aggravated robbery. He was paroled in 2000 after Huckabee commuted a 95-year prison sentence.

Huckabee, who was criticized during his run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 for granting many clemencies and commutations, cited Clemmons' youth. Clemmons later violated his parole, was returned to prison and released in 2004.

On Sunday, Huckabee issued this statement on his website: "Should he be found to be responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington state."

There was no indication of any connection between Sunday's killings and the Halloween night shooting of a Seattle police officer.

Authorities say the man charged with that shooting also firebombed four police vehicles in October as part of a "one-man war" against law enforcement. Christopher Monfort, 41, was arrested after being wounded in a firefight with police days after the Seattle shooting.

The officers killed Sunday had received no threats, sheriff's officials said.

"We won't know if it's a copycat effect or what it was until we get the case solved," Troyer said.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-naw-police-shot1-2009dec01,0,2559600,print.story

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Death penalty in 9/11 trials may be difficult

Legal experts say Obama was overly confident when he said that critics of the New York trial would be silenced 'when the death penalty is applied to' suspect Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.

by David G. Savage

November 30, 2009

Reporting from Washington

After Zacarias Moussaoui -- the accused "20th hijacker" in the Sept. 11 attacks -- was sentenced to life in prison in 2006 because one juror in Virginia refused to agree to the death penalty, Moussaoui clapped his hands and called out, "America, you lost and I won." Now the Obama administration plans to seek a death sentence for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the self-proclaimed Sept. 11 mastermind.

Some legal experts say President Obama was overly confident when he predicted that critics of trying Mohammed in a federal courtroom in Manhattan would be silenced "when the death penalty is applied to him." The only modern-day terrorist sentenced to death in federal court was Oklahoma City bomber Timothy J. McVeigh.

"It will be an uphill battle to get a death penalty in these cases," said Paul Butler, a former federal prosecutor in New York. He helped win convictions for four acolytes of Osama bin Laden who plotted the 1998 simultaneous bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 224 people. Jurors in 2001 found the men guilty, but they were divided on the punishment. As a result, all four were sentenced to life in prison.

Some jurors said afterward that they opposed a death sentence because the defendants had said they wished to die as martyrs.

"Obviously, the 9/11 crimes are as serious as you can get," Butler said. "But it is difficult to get 12 people in Manhattan to agree on a death penalty."

Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr.'s decision this month to try Mohammed and other alleged Sept. 11 plotters in federal court rather than under the military commission system set up at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, set off a fierce legal and political fight that shows no sign of subsiding.

Critics say a Manhattan trial poses a grave security threat to New York. They also worry that the defendants will be acquitted or escape the death penalty, or that the suspects will use the trial to spew terrorist propaganda.

But defenders of the decision say the nation's courts have shown themselves fully capable of trying and convicting the worst of criminals. And, they say, trying the suspects as ordinary murderers is more fitting than treating them as warriors.

"The best thing Obama is doing here is saying these people are not terrorists with superhuman qualities. They need to be brought to justice and tried as criminals," said Karen J. Greenberg, a law professor at New York University. "We should have brought them to trial a long time ago."

She and others noted that a long list of terrorists have been tried and convicted in federal courts in Manhattan, including World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef.

Despite the disagreements, it's not certain that the different legal systems would produce different outcomes.

Lawyers on both sides have said that they fully expect Mohammed and his alleged co-conspirators to be found guilty. And though 12 military officers at Guantanamo might be more likely to impose the ultimate sanction than 12 civilians in New York, the limited experience with such commissions does not make that a foregone conclusion.

So far, the military commissions have surprised civil libertarians and the Pentagon by dismissing charges against some terrorism suspects and giving relatively lenient sentences to others.

The Pentagon's lawyers had sought a 30-year prison term for Salim Hamdan, Bin Laden's former driver, but last year a military judge sentenced him to serve just six more months in prison. Hamdan subsequently was released and sent home to Yemen.

It also is hard to assess the commissions' fairness or effectiveness.

Earlier this year, Congress adopted revised rules for the military trials that largely parallel those of the federal courts. The obvious difference is that the judge, the prosecutor, the defense lawyer and the jurors are military officers.

The rules of evidence differ in a few areas as well. For example, the military judge may permit hearsay -- out-of-court statements -- if the judge considers the testimony reliable. This would allow prosecutors to use statements from witnesses who are overseas.

By contrast, the Supreme Court has barred the use of nearly all such statements in civilian courts if the witness cannot or will not appear at the trial to be cross-examined.

Critics of trying the alleged Sept. 11 plotters at Guantanamo have said that uncertainty over the commission rules could have led to delays or lengthy appeals.

"These prosecutions could have been delayed for years while the courts resolved questions about hearsay or secret evidence," said Jameel Jaffer of the American Civil Liberties Union.

"A federal court trial should go more smoothly," he said, because the rules are well established.

Meanwhile, critics of Holder's decision have focused on the difficulties of trying international terrorism suspects in a civilian court in the heart of Manhattan.

"I suspect KSM is absolutely delighted by this decision," said Brad Berenson, a former White House lawyer in the George W. Bush administration, referring to Mohammed by his initials. "This means a return to the scene of his greatest triumph. And it gives him a megaphone 100 times greater than he would otherwise have."

Earlier this year, Mohammed said at a Guantanamo hearing that he wished to plead guilty. But Duke University law professor Scott Silliman said the government should not count on him and his four alleged co-conspirators to plead guilty now.

"I think it's likely KSM will want to use the trial as a forum for himself and to put the government on trial. I will be very surprised if he pleads guilty," said Silliman, a former military lawyer. "We should expect a long, convoluted trial full of difficulties for the government."

Before trial, the five defendants' attorneys are likely to ask for a change of venue and to ask for the charges to be dismissed because the long-held defendants were denied a "speedy trial."

"There also will be a mountain of discovery motions," said Charles "Cully" Stimson, a former Pentagon lawyer in the George W. Bush administration. Defense lawyers will demand to see files and cables that contain evidence involving the alleged 9/11 plotters.

Supporters of Holder's decision say convictions in an open federal court will be a triumph for American justice.

"This trial is going to be fair," said Stephen Saltzburg, a law professor at George Washington University. "It will show that we Americans play by a set of rules. And that the truth comes out in court for all to see."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-terror-trials30-2009nov30,0,6063977,print.story

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From the Wall Street Journal

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Pirates Steer Hijacked Tanker to Somali Coast

NAIROBI, Kenya -- A crude-oil tanker hijacked on Sunday in the Indian Ocean was bound for a pirate stronghold on the Somali coast Monday, according to European Union's antipiracy taskforce, raising new concerns about the impact that pirates' expanded capability could have on the global oil market.

"That's what we've seen with the other ships," said spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Daniel Auwermann. Until then, there is little to do but wait, he said. There are 28 crew members on board, according to the taskforce.

Last November, a Saudi tanker hauling two million barrels of oil was hijacked by pirates in the same region. The Sirius Star was held for two months before it was released, reportedly for a $3 million ransom.

The latest hijacking registered little impact on crude prices Monday, with oil inventory globally standing at a multiyear high at onshore storage facilities and offshore tankers. But some analysts warned the trend of tanker-hijackings has longer-term implications for the world oil market.

An effort by international navies to patrol the busy shipping lane in the Gulf of Aden has reduced attacks in that narrow channel. But pirates have begun to move elsewhere, attacking further down the East African coast, near Seychelles. The Maran Centaurus was captured about 700 miles northeast of that island nation, according to the EU taskforce.

"[The hijackers] seem to be going further and further out to capture these tankers," said oil analyst Richard Gorry of JBC Energy in Vienna. "[The issue] adds another geopolitical 'hot potato' which could see the financial community go bullish on oil once again" further down the road, he said.

Crude oil fell about 10 cents to $75.96 a barrel in New York Monday, following a sharp selloff Friday on fears about the fallout from Dubai's financial woes.

A man who identified himself as a pirate commander named Farah Yusuf in Hobyo, a Somali pirate town, said the crew of the Maran Centaurus had tried to resist, but that the pirates had fired in the air, boarded the ship and overpowered them. Other details that he offered when reached by phone from Mogadishu corresponded to those reported by the EU taskforce. "We will dock [the ship] in Hobyo," said Mr. Yusuf said.

Pirates currently are holding 11 ships and 264 hostages, according to the EU's taskforce.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125957223645469375.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLTopStories#printMode

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From the White House

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Host a Community Discussion and Be Part of the President's Forum on Jobs

This Thursday, the President is hosting a discussion at the White House to explore every possible avenue for job creation and get ideas from CEOs, small business owners, economists, financial experts, labor union representatives, nonprofit groups and regular Americans who have felt the impact of this economic crisis firsthand.

But you don't need to be at the event in DC to participate.  Today we're announcing nationwide community job forums that will run from November 30th through December 13th.  These discussions, among neighbors, co-workers and friends, will be a source of insights and ideas that will inform the President's approach to job creation.  Through WhiteHouse.gov, hosts can upload the results of their discussions. Back here at the White House, we'll compile the feedback into a report that will be sent to the Oval Office for review.

Let us know if you are interested in organizing a jobs forum in your community , and we'll follow up with discussion questions and other materials to make your event as productive as possible. We're not able to offer an events center where you can find events already happening, so if you haven't heard of one in your area, start your own and reach out to your network for participants

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/11/24/host-a-community-discussion-and-be-part-president-s-forum-jobs

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From the ATF

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Violent Crime Impact Teams ( VCIT )

In June 2004, the Department of Justice ( DOJ ) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ( ATF ) announced the deployment of VCIT s in 15 cities. As the lead Federal law enforcement agency in the fight against violent firearms crime, ATF was charged with coordinating the program. The VCIT concept, designed and implemented in collaboration with the Deputy Attorney General, sought to extend recent reductions in the rate of overall violent crime to select areas exhibiting significant numbers of homicides. The foundation of the VCIT program was the identification, targeting, disruption, arrest and prosecution of the “worst of the worst” criminals responsible for violent crime in targeted hot spots. Fundamental to this effort was the use of innovative technologies, analytical investigative resources, and an integrated Federal, State, and local law enforcement strategy.

Goals and Objectives of the Violent Crime Impact Teams

The goal of the VCIT program is the reduction of homicides and other firearms-related violence through the identification, investigation, and arrest of those responsible for violent crime. The long-term measure of the VCIT 's success is the mitigation of localized crime without displacement of the violence to neighboring communities.

From the violent street gang activity in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to home invasion crews in Tampa, Florida, the VCIT s adapt to address the violent crime problems within the cities they serve, while operating within a programmatic framework that seeks to achieve national goals. In 13 of 15 cities, gangs and their members were linked to increases in violent crime. As a result, localized VCIT tactics became anti-gang strategies in varying degrees.

The VCIT strategy dictates applying technology to identify hot spots and to target, investigate and arrest violent offenders. ATF 's National Tracing Center, Crime Gun Analysis Branch, Regional Crime Gun Centers ( RCGC ), and other technologies, such as the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) and geographic information systems, are used to pinpoint localized crime problems and to identify the “worst of the worst” criminals. Integrating intelligence from local law enforcement agencies with information produced through new technologies is fundamental to successfully combating violent firearms crime in these neighborhoods.

Through lessons learned from past collaborative efforts, ATF recognized that Federal, State, and local law enforcement efforts to combat violent crime and gang-related problems could be effectively multiplied through an influx of federal resources and experience. Specifically, partnerships developed with community leaders help generate previously untapped resources that can be directed to counter violent crime. As a result, ATF has partnered with social service agencies, nonprofit community assistance agencies, faith-based groups, schools, and private businesses to promote a comprehensive and coordinated community action plan to advance the goals of gang suppression, intervention, and prevention. ATF continues its effort to broadcast success stories to the community through local media. An effective media campaign, publicizing the arrest and severe penalties received by individuals who commit crimes of violence proved to be a strong and convincing deterrent to offenders contemplating future crimes.

VCIT employs traditional means to proactively develop criminal cases. Team members utilize undercover techniques and informants in their work to identify, investigate and seek prosecution against gang members, illicit gun possessors, and firearms traffickers. VCIT s obtain Federal and/or State search and arrest warrants in an effort to remove gang members and other violent offenders from the community. Assistant United States Attorneys assigned to the task forces facilitate the timely and efficient handling of Federal court proceedings for offenders referred for prosecution, in concert with counterparts at local District Attorneys' offices.

Team members review and screen each police report that documents firearms-related violence committed within their VCIT 's areas of operation, leading to Federal prosecutions of gang members and other violent offenders for firearms violations. When Federal prosecution is not warranted, offenders are, at a minimum, interviewed about their sources of firearms. VCIT s work along with gang, robbery, and narcotics units operating in targeted areas. VCIT members are active within targeted hot spots during peak hours of violence and respond immediately following the occurrence of firearms-related crimes.

When responding to firearms-related crime scenes, including homicides, VCIT members assist the local police by investigating all firearms-related leads and ensuring firearms evidence is traced, and when possible, ballistically imaged and queried through NIBIN. In addition, ATF -trained explosives detection canines and canine handlers are made available to VCIT s to aid in the recovery of firearms and ballistic evidence from crime scenes and search warrant locations.

VCIT Cities

Homicides with Firearms

Note 1: Las Vegas and Philadelphia compare the time period July through December, since the program was initiated in July, 2004.

Note 2: This data is preliminary and is subject to change.

Note 3: Where available, data represents statistics for the target areas within the city identified and not a citywide or metropolitan statistical area.

http://www.atf.gov/firearms/programs/vcit/

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U.S. Bomb Data Center

Receive US Bomb Data Center Updates

Welcome to the U.S. Bomb Data Center. The U.S. Bomb Data Center was established by congressional mandate in 1996 as a national collection center for information on arson and explosives related incidents throughout the United States. The U.S. Bomb Data Center databases incorporates information from various sources such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the United States Fire Administration. Information maintained by the National Repository is available for statistical analysis and investigative research by scholars and the law enforcement community.

Mission

The mission of the U.S. Bomb Data Center is to:

• Provide arson and explosives statistics utilizing all available sources of information to ATF , other Federal, State & Local law enforcement and fire service agencies and the public.
  
  
• Provide intelligence information in support of Arson and Explosives related criminal investigations by maintaining a database that can be queried with data from all Federal and as many State/Local law enforcement and fire service agencies as possible.
  
  
• Provide information regarding current Arson and Explosives issues to Federal, State and local law enforcement and fire service agencies. Compile data necessary to describe trends and patterns related to arson and criminal misuse of explosives.
  
  
• Provide a method to increase/enhance communication among investigators working to solve similar type Arson and Explosives cases and provide access to selected Arson and Explosives reference materials.
  
  
• Provide resource material to assist investigators with the identification of explosive material and techniques used to commit arsons and explosives related crimes

History

• In 1996, Congress, recognizing ATF 's expertise in the investigation of fire/arson and explosives related incidents, passed legislation directing the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a National Repository of information regarding arson incidents and the actual and suspected criminal misuse of explosives throughout the United States.
  
  
• The Secretary of Treasury tasked ATF with carrying out this congressional mandate. ATF 's established the National Repository of information on incidents involving arson and the criminal misuse of explosives. The information is available for statistical analysis and research, investigative leads, and intelligence research.
  
  
• The U.S. Bomb Data Center incorporates information from various federal law enforcement sources and the U.S. Fire Administration to include the ATF Arson & Explosives Information System ( AEXIS ).
  
  
• The U.S. Bomb Data Center is available to assist other federal, state, and local law enforcement and fire service investigators with arson and explosives investigations. The National Repository is staffed with ATF special agents, intelligence research specialists, and support personnel who are all experienced in arson and explosives related investigations.
  
  
• The U.S. Bomb Data Center provides statistical information to authorized user groups via a secured web site and help authorized investigators identify case-specific similarities regarding explosive and incendiary device construction, methods of initiation, types of fuels/explosives used, and methods of operation.

http://www.atf.gov/explosives/groups/usbdc/

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ATF Most Wanted

Receive Most Wanted Updates

This is an initiative by ATF in its continuing effort to combat violent crime in cooperation with other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. In the past, ATF has successfully utilized other mediums to advertise wanted persons, and now, with the advent of the Internet, ATF is seizing the opportunity to employ Internet subscribers in this endeavor.

The following ATF wanted persons are the result of ATF criminal investigations, often in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies, that resulted in the issuance of a federal arrest warrant.

Several criteria are considered before choosing subjects for the ATF Most Wanted list. They are as follows:

• Seriousness of the crime committed
  
  
• Past criminal record of the defendant
  
  
• Potential for the defendant to be a dangerous menace to society, based on the current or past charge.
  
  
• Belief that publicity afforded by the program will be of assistance in apprehending the wanted person
  

TAKE NO ACTION YOURSELF TO APPREHEND THESE FUGITIVES

Notify the nearest ATF field office or call the ATF Enforcement Operations Center in Washington, DC , at 1-800-800-3855.

Remy David Heath

Download Remy David Heath's Wanted Poster

Remy David Heath is a member of the Latin Kings and wanted for violation of federal RICO Laws. Caution: He has previous offenses and is considered armed and dangerous.

Harry Edward Maxey

Download Harry Edward Maxey's Wanted Poster

Harry Edward Maxey is wanted on an outstanding warrant by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, pursuant to an indictment in the Western Division of Missouri, chargin him with Felon Possession of a Firearm. Maxey has two previous felony convictions in 1985, which are Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Obstruction of Justice, from the Western District of Texas. The second conviction stem from Maxey's attempt to have a witness killed while facing the possession charge. He was ultimately released from incarceration in June, 1995, and discharged from federal parole in June 1999. Maxey is allegedly affiliated with an unknown outlaw motorcycle gang.

Miguel Martinez

Download Miguel Martinez's Wanted Poster

Miguel Martinez, a two-time convicted felon and ranking member of the Insane Deuces street gang, is wanted on Federal charges stemming from his involvement in a conspiracy to commit violent crimes and distribute illegal drugs. Martinez is charged, along with his co-conspirators, with conspiracy to commit multiple shootings, homicides and other firearms-related violent crimes during a gang war with rival gangs in the summer of 2002. Martinez, a former resident of Chicago's western suburbs, has been reported to still be in the Chicago metropolitan area.

Stephen Craig Campbell

Download Stephen Craig Campbell's Wanted Poster

Wanted for attempted first degree murder and possession and manufacture of a destructive device. Has been spotted In Virgin Islands. Maybe using an alias and possible in the Houston/New Orleans area. A Federal Warrant was issued on April 25, 1983, in Wyoming, charging him with manufacture and possession of a bomb.

Paul Merle Eischeid

Download Paul Merle Eischeid's Wanted Poster

Wanted for Murder

Paulo Enrique Lopez-Garcia

Download Paulo Enrique Lopez-Garcia's Wanted Poster

On May 25, 2004, Lopez, along with a number of other accomplices, robbed a pawnshop at gunpoint in Sheridan, Colorado, which is part of the Denver Metropolitan Area. It is believed that Lopez was armed with a 9mm semi-automatic pistol. The suspects stole a large number of firearms, cash, jewelry and electronics equipment. Some of the store employees were assaulted during this incident. The suspects fled from the scene in a stolen SUV that was subsequently recovered. The suspects wore light blue bandannas and baseball caps to conceal their identities. It is believed that the suspects, with the exception of one white male, were all male Hispanics in their twenties.

George Anthony Orfanos

Download George Anthony Orfanos' Wanted Poster

Orfanos is wanted for setting a fire which destroyed a $4.5 million mansion in Sacramento, CA . He is known to have lived in the Atlanta, GA area as well as in Sacramento, CA . Orfanos has a pronounced Greek accent and speaks “broken English.” A Federal Arrest Warrant (92-312JFM) was issued for Orfanos on December 17, 1992 in the Eastern Judicial District, Sacramento, California. The warrent charges Orfanos with Conspiracy (18 USC 371), Arson (18 USC 844(i)), Arson to Commit Felony (18 USC 844(h)(1)), Mail Fraud (18 USC 1341), and Intersate Transportation of Fraudulently Obtained Property (18 USC 2314).

Randy Michael Yager

Download Randy Michael Yager's Wanted Poster

Randy Michael Yager is the regional president of the Outlaw Motorcycle Club and is wanted for violation of federal RICO Laws. Caution: Subject is known to carry firearms. Has previous Federal RICO Conviction. Yager is considered armed and dangerous.

http://www.atf.gov/most-wanted/

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		Henry Menjivar			Lawrence Ballard
	Wanted for: Homicide		Wanted for: Homicide, Robbery
	Gang: MS-13		Gang: 107 Hoover Crips
	USMS Office: CARFTF		USMS Office: N/OK
		Miguel Herrera-Aramiz			Jurel Roberson
	Wanted for: Homicide		Wanted for: Homicide
	Gang: Sur/South 13, LA21		Gang: South Park Family Gangsters
	USMS Office: D/DE		USMS Office: D/AZ
		Miguel Martinez			Robert Steven Jackson
	Wanted for: Homicide, RICO		Wanted for: Homicide, Attempted
	Gang: Insane Deuces		Homicide, Felon w/ Firearm
	USMS Office: GLRFTF		Gang: Squad Up Bloods
			USMS Office: D/NV
		Antonio Dion Gilbert			Rene Munoz
	Wanted for: Attempted Homicide,		Wanted for: Homicide
	Kidnapping, Armed Robbery		Gang: Mexican Mafia (EMI)
	Gang: Def Row-Blood Clique		USMS Office: W/TX, S/TX
	USMS Office: D/SC
		Saheed Davis			Brian Baker
	Wanted for: Homicide, Parole Violation		Wanted for: Attempted Aggravated Murder, Armed Robbery
	Gang: Vice Lords		Gang: Rolling 60's Crips
	USMS Office: GCRFTF		USMS Office: D/OR
		Omar Isiah Garris			Javier Palomo
	Wanted for: Attempted 1st Degree Murder (2), 1st Degree Assault (2), Weapons Offenses		Wanted for: Homicide
		Gang: Eastside San Jose
	Gang: 1-7 Crew		USMS Office: D/NM
	USMS Office: CARFTF

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