Search for Mitrice Richardson draws 300 volunteers to Malibu Canyon

More than 300 volunteers on foot, horseback and all-terrain vehicles joined the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department today to scour the Malibu Canyon area for traces of Mitrice Richardson, who has been missing for nearly four months.

Sheriff's officials described the search as among the largest ever conducted by the department, taking in an 18-square-mile area of ridges, canyons and trails. A team of divers even searched a dam pool in the area. The volunteers are trained in search and rescue operations and were combing mountain areas east and west of Malibu Canyon and north to Mulholland Highway.

This is the fourth search for Richardson, who was arrested for not paying an $89 dinner bill at Geoffrey's restaurant in Malibu. She was released from custody at 12:30 a.m. without her car at the sheriff's Malibu-Lost Hills Station.   After Los Angeles police detectives learned that Richardson was probably suffering from a severe mental disorder at the time of her Sept. 17 disappearance, they requested Saturday's renewed search effort.

"The assumption right now is that we are searching for evidence, clues, anything that can help solve this mystery," said Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore. "It's not a question of whether she's alive; it's about looking for clues."

Both of Richardson's parents publicly thanked searchers while they waited for news at the search command post in Malibu Creek State Park. In a clearing, a giant Sikorsky helicopter picked up searchers to ferry them to remote areas.

"My thoughts as to where Mitrice is right now? My thoughts are many," said her mother, Latice Sutton. "Pretty much anything you can think of, I've already thought of.... I'm going to always hope and believe Mitrice is out there."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/

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OPINION

Connecting the intelligence dots will require clout

The former head of the federal Information Sharing Environment says agencies must be forced to adopt common systems for tagging information, flagging what's important and making sense of it quickly.

by Doyle McManus

January 10, 2010

Most of the new federal agencies created in the wake of 9/11 have become familiar names: the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, for example. But here's one you've probably never heard of: the Information Sharing Environment.

Hidden in the office of the director of national intelligence, the ISE is a task force whose goal is to get all of the agencies involved in fighting terrorism to share information seamlessly, a job whose importance was highlighted by the Nigerian who allegedly attempted to blow up an airliner on Christmas Day.

In its four years of existence, the ISE has pushed 17 federal agencies to pool their intelligence, make their databases mutually accessible and share as much information as possible with local law enforcement officials.

Until last year, its head (with the unsexy title of program manager) was Thomas E. McNamara, 69, a former counter-terrorism chief at the State Department and a nonpartisan veteran of more than 40 years in the federal bureaucracy -- and he has some thoughts worth hearing.

McNamara doesn't think either George W. Bush or Barack Obama has devoted enough attention to promoting information sharing. The Bush administration made a strong start, he says, but then lost interest, and the new Obama administration never even focused on the problem -- until now.

"Quite frankly, the new administration was distracted by other priorities and just didn't get around to it," he told me last week. "They were so busy with everything else, the orders were: Just manage it."

McNamara retired in July, and his job still hasn't been filled, a symptom of the problem, he says.

McNamara agrees with Obama that the Detroit incident resulted from a "systemic failure" in the intelligence community's effort to connect the dots of information it already had.

"Two things went awry," he said. "One was information management" -- specifically, the way intelligence is categorized and flagged.

"The method being used to handle information is not standardized so people can quickly recognize important information. . . . The same piece of data is looked at in different ways in different agencies as it makes its way through the system.

"When, for example, the report came in from the embassy that the father was worried about his son, it likely didn't get the same traction in every agency. Some may have looked at it and thought it was a consular matter.

"The system wasn't labeling the data [to say]: 'Hey, this is really important.' "

That lack of standardization contributes to the second failure, which McNamara calls the "push-pull problem."

"When information shows up on your computer screen without your having to ask for it, that's 'push.' When you have to ask for it, that's 'pull.' Too much of our intelligence is still in the 'pull' category -- and that makes it less likely that the right people will get the right information at the right time."

In a more sophisticated system, he said, computers would automatically connect more dots -- like a mention of an alleged terrorist named "Umar" and a report about a father worried about a son with that name -- without requiring analysts to ask.

Why haven't the government's different agencies adopted common systems for tagging information, identifying the important bits and speeding up the process of connecting the dots?

Because it would cost money, time and attention -- and because no one is forcing them to do it.

McNamara is loath to point fingers at individual agencies. But he says the current departments of Homeland Security and Justice have done the best job of embracing information sharing. "Janet Napolitano gets it," he said.

The FBI, on the other hand, sometimes wants to stick with its own traditional procedures. "The FBI made substantial advances in earlier years, but in the last year there's been some backsliding," he said.

The CIA and the rest of the intelligence community, he said, are "kind of a mixed bag, but overall it's moving in the right direction."

"The technology is there to be used," he told Congress last summer. "It's the cultural problems that hold us back."

McNamara concluded, as he was leaving his job, that his main problem had been a lack of real clout. The bureaucrats knew that he couldn't threaten their budgets or their jobs.

"I came to the conclusion that the only way to do it was to elevate the position within the White House, in the executive office of the president, and give it substantial budget clout."

Last summer, when television demagogue Glenn Beck decided that the Obama administration had too many "czars," the idea of giving White House officials more clout to bring balky agencies into line was controversial. (Beck never complained when a Republican president appointed czars to make sure his goals were being pursued -- but that's a different column.)

Here's a case in which appointing a czar would be a good thing. If Obama wants 17 different agencies to pool their intelligence on terrorism and stop the next would-be airplane bomber before he boards, he's going to have to fill Ted McNamara's vacant job -- and give it real authority.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-mcmanus10-2010jan10,0,999398,print.column

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From Fox News

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15 Reportedly Injured After Attacker Drops Bottle of Acid Into Crowd

Saturday , January 09, 2010

HONG KONG — 

News reports say an attacker has dropped a bottle of acid into a crowd in Hong Kong and injured at least 15 people.

China's official Xinhua news agency says some of the victims burned in the Saturday acid attack included tourists.

It says a bottle of acid was dropped from above on the crowd in the busy Kowloon area of the city at about 9:30 p.m..

Xinhua quotes Hong Kong Cable TV as saying the injured have been rushed to the hospital and police have cordoned off the area.

A series of acid attacks have hit Hong Kong since December 2008 injuring more than 100 people.

Densely populated Kowloon is across the harbor from Hong Kong island. It has narrow streets crammed with snack vendors and shops.

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,582676,00.html

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Warnings About Pediatrician Accused of Molesting 100 Were Ignored for Years

Saturday , January 09, 2010

DOVER, Del.  — 

Dating back almost a decade, there were complaints and investigations involving Dr. Earl Bradley, a well-known Delaware pediatrician who authorities say may have molested more than 100 children.

There were jokes among colleagues, who thought Bradley had an unusual practice with his carnival-like office filled with toys and a merry-go-round. Even Bradley's own sister, who worked for him, heard parents' concerns.

Despite the warnings, Delaware's medical board only recently suspended Bradley's license — after he was arrested.

"The system failed. What I don't know, and what we must find out, is where and how," said Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, who plans to order an independent review of the state's handling of the case.

Outraged parents have complained that children could have been spared had officials acted sooner.

"If he was under investigation for over a year, why didn't someone speak up?" a tearful mother said at a community forum last month. "All of this could have been avoided."

Bradley, 56, is being held in lieu of $2.9 million bond after being charged with more than 30 felonies, including rape. After years of suspicions, his arrest came when a 2-year-old girl told her mother that Bradley hurt her last month when he took her to a basement room after an exam.

Authorities have said Bradley videotaped some of the attacks, some of which occurred in exam rooms with Disney themes.

Bradley faces a preliminary hearing on Thursday. His attorney, Eugene Maurer, did not immediately return telephone messages left at his home and law office Saturday.

The case has shocked the close-knit coastal community of Lewes and the central Delaware town of Milford, where he closed an office in 2005 after police investigated him. The case is even more chilling because some alleged victims are no more than 6 months old.

The governor is not the only one calling for a review. The state attorney general's office also has asked for an investigation.

What they are likely to find is a lot of fingerpointing, but few willing to accept much, if any, responsibility.

For example, officials who oversee the Board of Medical Practice claim they never received any complaints until after the arrest. State law requires all medical professionals, state agencies, and law enforcement agencies to report to the licensing board in writing within 30 days if they believe a doctor is or "may be" guilty of unprofessional conduct.

State police said they didn't notify the board of a 2008 investigation because they worried about jeopardizing their case. The attorney general's office was involved in a 2005 investigation, yet apparently didn't tell the board.

Milford police said they tried to file a complaint with the board in 2005, but were rebuffed by an investigator who told them it needed to come from the victim or her parent.

Even two pediatricians interviewed in 2005 told investigators about complaints from Bradley's former patients.

Dr. Lowell Scott told police he referred to Bradley as a "pedophile" when talking to colleagues.

"I probably shouldn't comment on that. ... We would refer to him that way as more of a joke," Scott told The Associated Press.

"We all felt that he practiced differently than we did. ... None of us had any actual knowledge of him doing any potential harm," Scott said.

Bradley was described as a quiet, unkempt man who had trouble looking adults in the eye but nevertheless gained parents' trust. Police allege that after finishing exams at his Lewes office, he would molest children in the basement or an outbuilding, where they would be given toys or candy.

Scott said he never had any proof, only accusations.

"You're talking a 3-year-old against a 50-year-old. I figured if there was something behind it, then the police would lead to the medical board," he said.

Bradley's own sister, who worked for him as an office manager, told police she had complained to two officials with the state medical society, but again, nothing came of it. The society officials deny receiving any complaint from Linda Barnes.

Barnes told police in 2005 that her brother was bipolar and taking medication from the office, and that several parents had complained to her about Bradley inappropriately touching patients.

An initial review by Attorney General Beau Biden's office indicates a prosecutor recommended the 2005 matter be referred to the medical board, but there is no evidence that his agency notified the board.

"That's part of what I've asked the state solicitor to review," Biden said.

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,582679,00.html

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Arizona Couple Takes Polygraph Test in Missing Baby Case

Saturday , January 09, 2010

PHOENIX — 

An Arizona couple who police named persons of interest in the case of a missing baby took polygraph tests on Friday, MyFoxPhoenix.com reported.

Jack and Terri Smith spent hours at the Tempe, Ariz., police station answering questions as part of the police investigation into the disappearance of 8-month-old Gabriel Johnson.

Police said Thursday they believe the Smiths, who had wanted to adopt Garbriel, may know more about the missing child's whereabouts than they're telling investigators.

The baby was last seen in San Antonio in late December with his 23-year-old mother, Elizabeth Johnson.

Johnson was arrested last week in Florida on suspicion of custodial interference after she didn't show up for a custody hearing in Arizona. Her car was later found by the FBI in San Antonio.

She has since told a Phoenix television station that she gave the boy away in San Antonio. She made the statement after she sent a text message to her ex-boyfriend telling him she had killed the baby.

Police believe the baby has not been harmed.

"We are getting some indications that Gabriel is alive," Carbajal said Thursday. "We can't say specifically just what those are, but we are getting some indications that those are correct."

The Smiths have given numerous media interviews in recent days where they said they met Johnson at an airport during a long layover and befriended her. Terri Smith said the young mother wanted to give up her baby for adoption but the ex-boyfriend wouldn't go along.

Terri Smith told KTVK-TV in Phoenix on Thursday that the couple has cooperated fully with police and have nothing to hide.

The baby's father, Logan McQueary, has said Johnson tried several times to get him to sign away his parental rights but that he refused.

Tempe police have been inundated with tips and are now directing callers to the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children.

Carbajal urged anyone who has the baby to bring him to a safe place like a fire station or a hospital if they are afraid to come forward.

"Our focus has always been the same, and that is locating Gabriel," he said.

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,582673,00.html

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Terror Suspect's Legal Options  (video)

Look at legal aspects in trial for Christmas Day bombing suspect

http://video.foxnews.com/v/3963838/terror-suspects-legal-options

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Will Security Around World Step Up? (video)

How can the U.S. make other countries better secure their airports?

http://video.foxnews.com/v/3964500/will-security-around-world-step-up

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