| NEWS of the Day - September 3, 2011 |
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on some issues of interest to the community policing and neighborhood activist across the country
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following group of articles from local newspapers and other sources constitutes but a small percentage of the information available to the community policing and neighborhood activist public. It is by no means meant to cover every possible issue of interest, nor is it meant to convey any particular point of view ...
We present this simply as a convenience to our readership ... |
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From the Los Angeles Times
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Travel alert issued ahead of Sept. 11
The U.S. cites no specific threat from Al Qaeda or its allies, but urges Americans abroad to take precautions and register on the State Department's website.
ASSOCIATED PRESS - September 2, 2011
WASHINGTON — The U.S. has issued a worldwide travel alert ahead of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The alert cautions Americans about the continued threat posed by Al Qaeda and other groups.
The State Department is not citing any specific threats to the United States that have been identified from Al Qaeda or its allies.
But the department says U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad should take precautions because terrorist groups can attack anywhere.
Friday's alert notes that previous attacks were planned for significant dates, presumably to gain maximum public attention.
The U.S. says Americans abroad should register on the State Department's website, or at an embassy or consulate. This makes it easier for embassies to reach people in case of emergency.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-travel-alert-20110903,0,4500357,print.story
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Nearly 40% of North Hollywood, Sun Valley homeless found at risk
Nearly 40% of the homeless population in North Hollywood and Sun Valley are at risk of premature death, according to a survey completed this week.
Of the 271 people surveyed, 106 were found to have health conditions associated with a high mortality risk, said organizers from the San Fernando Valley Homeless Coalition, a network of service providers.
About 60 volunteers took part in the effort, fanning out in the early morning hours Monday through Wednesday to interview people living on the streets and in shelters about their health status, institutional history, length of homelessness and other issues.
The survey found that 199 people -- about 73% -- met the definition of chronically homeless, meaning that they have a disabling condition and have been homeless for at least a year, or had four episodes of homelessness in the last three years. Studies have shown that this population accounts for a disproportionate share of government spending because of their frequent use of hospital emergency rooms, other crisis services and jail cells.
Those surveyed included 63 people over the age of 55, 19 under 25 and 50 veterans.
Members of the homeless coalition plan to use the results to prioritize people for housing and support services.
North Hollywood and Sun Valley are among more than 90 communities nationwide to join the 100,000 Homes campaign, an effort to get 100,000 homeless people into permanent housing by 2013.
Similar initiatives in Santa Monica, Venice, West Hollywood, Glendale, Pasadena, Hollywood, Van Nuys, Long Beach and downtown Los Angeles have put permanent roofs over the heads of more than 700 of the most hard-core homeless in Los Angeles County, according to figures collected by the campaign. It's estimated that more than 51,000 people are homeless on any given day in the county.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/
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From Google News
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Some Officers Criticize DPD Patrol Plan
Program rotates hundreds of nonpatrol officers back on streets for two weeks
by Susy Solis
A Dallas police program that puts detectives and other nonpatrol officers back on the streets for two weeks has hundreds of officers in an uproar.
Chief David Brown implemented the Community Policing 2.0 this week to increase police presence in the city's highest crime areas and reduce crime. The program puts nonpatrol officers on two-week, in-uniform patrol rotations every six months.
Brown said property crimes, including theft and burglaries, account for 88 percent of the city's crime.
"We want to establish relationships so that we can have an outcome of reducing crime, particularly burglary and theft," he said. "They happen in the daytime predominantly and they happen in the neighborhoods."
But critics of the program say officers who haven't worked the streets in years could pose a danger to fellow officers or even residents.
"He's putting people out there without giving them the proper intelligence, without giving them the proper information, because these people have not been out there answering calls," said Glenn White, president of the Dallas Police Association. "These people have been solving crimes."
Critics also say they are concerned about how the officers would manage their already-backlogged caseload.
"You're taking detectives and, while they are investigating cases, they are putting them all on hold for two weeks so they can go back into patrol," White said.
Brown acknowledged that it is a risk but one worth taking.
"I think a small percentage are virtually against every change," Brown said.
Nonpatrol officers will be paired with patrol officers and will get one day of training to re-acclimate to patrol.
They will serve in Dallas' highest crime areas, but Brown said he hopes the program will eventually be implemented citywide.
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Some-Officers-Criticize-DPD-Patrol-Plan-128916448.html
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