Crime plan work continues

The Greenville Police Department is continuing development of a five-year comprehensive crime plan despite the departure in January of Chief William Anderson.

The new plan will “map out the future of this department,” Interim Police Chief Joe Bartlett said on Thursday. Officials will develop the plan while the City Council conducts a search for a new city manager, whose job it will be to replace Anderson.

“This department still has a mission to protect this community no matter what changes may occur,” Bartlett said. “We have to keep moving forward and I think this plan will help us to do that.”

The plan is modeled after a strategic crime plan that was implemented by the Raleigh Police Department.

“The plan in Raleigh is based on a community-oriented policing philosophy,” Bartlett said. “That philosophy provided us with the framework for our plan.”

http://www.reflector.com/crimerescue/police-crime-plan-work-continues-994897

Rutgers hate crime verdict sends anti-bullying message

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dharun Ravi's hate crimes conviction for spying on his roommate's gay tryst represents a victory for gay rights and anti-bullying advocates - and a warning that such behavior won't simply be treated as a youthful mistake, legal experts say.

The Rutgers University roommate, Tyler Clementi, committed suicide three days after learning Ravi used a webcam to spy on his encounter with another man. Ravi, who invited others to watch with him, was not charged with causing Clementi's death.

But the prosecution's decision to attach hate crime charges to a cyber-bullying case is "breaking new ground," said Marc Poirer, a law professor at Seton Hall University.

Ravi was convicted on Friday of all 15 counts, including bias intimidation, invasion of privacy and witness tampering.

Prosecutors and defense lawyers mostly agreed on the facts but the trial largely turned on what was in Ravi's mind at the time - and, thanks to an unusually strong New Jersey hate crime law, whether Clementi himself believed he was being bullied.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/17/us-crime-rutgers-analysis-idUSBRE82G04B20120317

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From the FBI

Community Leaders Recognized
Their Actions Improve Lives

An Albuquerque man who devotes his time to educating his community about cyber threats. A Jacksonville woman whose child protection group assists law enforcement with crimes against children investigations. An Arizona organization that is dedicated to meeting the needs of murder victims' families. A man who established a volunteer organization in Delaware to serve at-risk youngsters.

Since 1990—through the Director's Leadership Community Awards (DCLA)—the FBI has publicly recognized the achievements of individuals and organizations like these who have gone above and beyond the call to service by making extraordinary contributions to their communities in the areas of terrorism, cyber, drug, gang, or violence prevention and education. And this year is no exception: today, nearly 60 individuals and organizational representatives—all 2011 DLCA recipients—gathered for a ceremony in their honor at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Director Mueller, who presented a specially designed plaque to each recipient, called the honorees “catalysts for change” in their communities and said that each one shared “a willingness to lead....a commitment to improving your neighborhoods...and a desire to make this country safer for your fellow citizens.”

Each of our field offices is given the chance to present the award at the local level during the year, and the honorees are then recognized at the annual national ceremony the following spring. FBI Headquarters selects at least one winner as well.

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2012/march/dcla_031612/dcla_031612

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Mar 16, 2012

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DRUG WAR: Mexico army seizes record cache of opiates

MEXICO CITY - The Mexican army said Wednesday that it has made a record seizure of opiates, about 3.6 metric tons of a dark liquid that contains heroin.

Experts said the liquid may be opium paste being processed into heroin.

A Mexican Defense Department press statement called it "the most important seizure of this drug in the history of the army and air force."

Authorities did not say how much heroin it would produce, but in general a kilogram of opium paste can yield about one-tenth as much of the drug.

The largest previous seizure of opiates was 245 kilograms (540 pounds) of opium paste found in Guerrero in January 2011. The Defense Department had said that seizure would have yielded over 600,000 doses of heroin.

The latest seizure was made when soldiers found dozens of large plastic containers with over 3,600 liters of the dark liquid on Feb. 1 during a raid on a drug lab in Coyuca de Catalan, a mountain town in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero, near the border with Michoacan, the department said Wednesday.

http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_20180285/drug-war-mexico-army-seizes-record-cache-opiates

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From the Washington Times

Coalition calls for restricting helium sales, cites ‘huffing' hazard

The National Inhalant Prevention Coalition, looking to draw attention to the dangers of “huffing” helium, called Thursday for new restrictions on the sale of the gas - as well as a more serious approach in the media to coverage of its misuse.

“Did you know that a … 6-year-old can walk into any store in the U.S. and purchase a helium tank? They can't even read the labels on the box,” said Justin Earp, the father of Ashley Long, an Oregon 14-year-old who died last month after inhaling helium at a party.

Mr. Earp joined NIPC officials at a press conference in Washington.

People inhale helium as entertainment because the gas used to float balloons raises the pitch of the human voice to cartoon character proportions. The gas is inert, but can displace the oxygen in the lungs, leading to oxygen deprivation - which can cause symptoms ranging from dizziness to blacking out to cardiac arrest.

The NIPC said the data on the number of deaths caused by helium is incomplete, but that the numbers are significant. According to the state of Florida's own statistics, nine people in the state died from inhaling helium in 2010.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/15/coalition-calls-for-restricting-helium-sales-cites/?page=all#pagebreak

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From Google News

Austin's new police commander, community plan to take back five crime hotspots

Austin's new Police Commander Barbara West and other law enforcement officials for the 15 th District rolled out a plan to monitor five crime hotspots in Austin with the help of community members at the district's faith-based and block club leaders meeting Tuesday.

The police district determines hotspots in the community based on the amount of 911 calls, arrests, homicides and other acts of public violence in a given square or linear block.

In these determined spots, if people are loitering on the corner the police officers can tell them to leave. If the loiterers come back, the officers can arrest them, said Officer Al Townsend at the meeting, which was held at the 15 th District headquarters, 5701 W. Madison Ave.

“We try to put up hot spots to reduce public violence as a whole,” said Officer Tonya Collins to the group of about 40 residents and block club leaders.

Collins said the five hotspots are located along Washington Boulevard from Long Street to Central Avenue; Adams Street from Laramie Avenue to Long Street; and Monroe Street from Long Street to Central Avenue.

http://austintalks.org/2012/03/austins-new-police-commander-community-plan-to-take-back-five-crime-hotspots/

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Nevada

Company pushes Neighborhood Watch concept ahead with Web-based service

But Henderson police also implemented a new strategy -- a Las Vegas-based online alert system called AlertID. The Web-based platform pulls information from law enforcement and public safety agencies for distribution to users at no cost through text or email. Users can sign up at AlertID.com and designate the area where they want to be kept informed. The site updates every 15 minutes.

Henderson police, in this instance, pushed the missing person alert to users within a few miles of the spot where the man was last seen, and did find him but not through AlertID.

AlertID is part of the movement toward the centralization and digitization of information. First it was our social lives, then it was medical records, now it's the reporting of crimes and policing of communities.

The company was launched two years ago in Reno but recently moved its headquarters to Las Vegas. It has about 20 employees and plans to expand.

http://www.lvrj.com/business/company-pushes-neighborhood-watch-concept-ahead-with-web-based-service-142902115.html

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New Cincinnati Police Civilian Advisory Board Formed

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Mar 15, 2012

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Washington state 3-year-old shoots himself to death, state's 3rd gun accident in 3 weeks

SEATTLE -- A 3-year-old scrambled out of his child seat after his parents stopped for gas early Wednesday, found a gun police say was left in the car by his father and fatally shot himself in the head.

The accidental shooting in Tacoma marks the third in three weeks in Washington involving young children, and the second death. The spate of gun violence is raising questions about the effectiveness of the state's gun laws and community awareness of firearm safety.

Tacoma police Officer Naveed Benjamin said the 3-year-old boy's death highlights the need for people to secure guns.

"It is incredible in light of the other ones," Benjamin said. "You would think people would take more care, not less."

Tacoma police said the boy's death came after his father put his pistol under a seat and got out to pump gas while the mother went inside the convenience store. The boy's infant sister, who also was in the car when the gun went off, was not injured.

http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_20176357/washington-state-3-year-old-shoots-himself-death

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LAPD, community vow to stop prostitution on Lankershim Boulevard

Vowing to permanently wipe out prostitution along Lankershim Boulevard in Sun Valley, community leaders and police announced Wednesday new crime-fighting tactics for the commercial corridor that has been a magnet for sex workers.

Community groups will lead once-a-month night walks down the boulevard, part of an effort to take back their streets. Overhead lights are planned near Neenach Street to brighten the dark areas of the boulevard. And the Los Angeles Police Department is planning more 24-hour undercover stings to target the johns who cruise through the area.

"This is an all-out effort to stop this," said Capt. Joseph Hiltner, speaking at the site of Sun Valley Rentals, one of many local businesses affected by the streetwalkers. "Not only the prostitution but the victimization of prostitutes."

A Daily News story in February first highlighted the problem of prostitution along Lankershim Boulevard, detailing store owners' complaints about the constant presence of barely clad young women, pimps and johns.

Despite police efforts, including undercover stings and bicycle units patrolling the boulevard, the area remains one of the most heavily-trafficked neighborhoods for prostitution in San Fernando Valley.

http://www.dailynews.com/crime/ci_20176719/lapd-community-vow-stop-prostitution-lankershim-boulevard

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Registered sex offender charged with teen assault

Orange County prosecutors say 23-year-old Robert Howard Claudio sexually assaulted a 13-year-old boy in a Tustin county library bathroom on March 9 and an 18-year-old boy in a bathroom at John Wayne International Airport on Aug. 27.

Claudio was charged Tuesday with lewd acts on a child under 14, false imprisonment by violence and sexual battery by restraint, all felonies. He is also charged with misdemeanor battery.

He's in jail with bail set at $2 million. Investigators say Claudio lured the 13-year-old boy into the bathroom and molested him. He's charged with following the 18-year-old into an airport bathroom and groping him.

http://www.dailynews.com/crime/ci_20170715/registered-sex-offender-charged-teen-assault

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LAUSD board fires Telfair Elementary teacher charged with molesting four children

Chapel, 51, of Chatsworth, is charged with continuous sexual abuse of four youngsters - three girls and a boy - and with three counts of committing lewd acts against each of the four children. He has pleaded not guilty.

Chapel's case sparked outrage within the Pacoima community because the district failed to notify Telfair parents when he was arrested on Oct. 8. After the Daily News reported his arrest in mid-February, Superintendent John Deasy and school board member Nury Martinez held several meetings with parents to discuss their concerns.

The Daily News also reported last week that Chapel had been charged in 1987 with molesting an 8-year-old neighbor at his home in Simi Valley, where he lived at the time. That trial ended in a hung jury, and Chapel was transferred from Andasol Elementary in Northridge to Telfair.

http://www.dailynews.com/crime/ci_20164340/lausd-board-fires-telfair-elementary-teacher-charged-molesting

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From the Washington Times

Teen's death shows perils of helium

Most people unaware of the risks associated with ‘huffing' vapors

Loriann and Justin Earp thought they were sending their daughter, Ashley Long, to the usual neighborhood sleepover when a popular party prank took her life. Ashley inhaled helium - something any 14-year-old girl might do to make her voice sound like a cartoon character - and died when the gas burst her lungs.

"Everything is good here, Mom, we're just hanging out, having fun," Ashley said early in the evening of Feb. 18, Mrs. Earp recalled. By 10:30 p.m., the Medford, Ore., family was in a hospital learning that Ashley died when she inhaled helium through a pressurized tank.

It is a common trick wherever helium-filled balloons are found, but it can have deadly consequences, according to Harvey Weiss, director of the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition. The group will hold a news conference Thursday in Washington to highlight the dangers. Mr. Weiss said most people are unaware of the risks and of the culture of "huffing" - the abuse of household substances by inhaling their vapors.

"That is an abuse of helium, quite frankly, because they are not using it for a medical purpose," said Rose Ann Soloway, a clinical toxicologist at the National Capital Poison Center.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/14/teens-death-shows-perils-of-helium/print/

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Some air travelers over 75 will get break at checkpoints

Can keep shoes, light jackets on, skip pat-downs

CHICAGO — Some air travelers over the age of 75 will soon get a break at airport security checkpoints under a test program announced Wednesday that could allow them to keep their shoes and light jackets on and skip pat-downs.

The new guidelines from the Transportation Security Administration, which take effect Monday at four U.S. airports, are part of an effort to move away from its one-size-fits-all security procedures and speed lower-risk passengers through while focusing on those who may need more scrutiny. Similar changes were made last fall for travelers 12 and younger.

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that led to tighter security, air travelers have criticized what they say is a lack of common sense in screening all passengers the same way, including young children and the elderly. That criticism grew louder in 2010 when the government began using a more invasive pat-down that involves screeners feeling a traveler's genital and breast areas through their clothing.

"By moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach to security and applying some intelligence-driven and risk-based security models, TSA is looking at how this works for passengers," agency spokesman Jim Fotenos said.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/14/some-air-travelers-over-75-will-get-break-at-check/print/

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From Google News

New York State Set to Add All Convict DNA to Its Database

On Tuesday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and state lawmakers were putting the finishing touches on a deal to establish a so-called all-crimes DNA database, a move that is supported by all of the state's 62 district attorneys and 58 sheriffs, as well as 400 police chiefs. New York already collects DNA from convicted felons and some people convicted of misdemeanors, but prosecutors say collecting DNA from all people convicted of misdemeanors will help them identify suspects of more violent crimes, and, in some cases, exonerate people wrongly accused.

“Every single time we've expanded the DNA database, we have shown how effective it is in convicting people who commit crimes, and we've also shown that it can be used to exonerate the innocent,” said Richard M. Aborn, the president of the Citizens Crime Commission.

Mr. Cuomo has made expansion of the DNA database a top priority for the year. His spokesman, as well as Lisa Hurst, a forensic DNA consultant with the firm Gordon Thomas Honeywell Governmental Affairs, said New York would be the first state to require all criminals to submit DNA samples. The spokesman declined to comment on the state of negotiations, but a senior administration official said negotiators were “very close” to a deal.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/14/nyregion/dna-database-pensions-and-redistricting-are-part-of-talks-on-major-albany-deal.html

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Opinion

State DNA database should not replace community policing

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Connecticut

CrimeStoppers: Benefits of improved police-community relations

Crime Prevention efforts reduce polarization that sometimes exists between police and citizens.

Community Policing, Neighborhood Watch, CERT teams, and McGruff programs build a bridge that enables residents and law enforcement to communicate, collaborate, and work together to build safer, more caring communities.

When trust is established between law enforcement and the community, members of the community are often more forthcoming with helpful information and potential investigative leads. Calls for service may initially increase due to a more “open” line of communication. Everyone wins when law enforcement are able to do their jobs more effectively. I have often said that the level of service that any community receives is a direct result of positive involvement between police and the citizens it serves.

Community residents have much to gain when they work side by side with law enforcement. There are better information exchanges and they gain a better understanding of law enforcement.

Improved relations allow community residents to have more trust and less fear of police, safer community and have less tension and conflict. A positive relationship with the police results in increased safety for children and seniors. It can also help in a quicker resolution to crime.

http://www.minutemannewscenter.com/articles/2012/03/14/fairfield/news/police/doc4f60eb4e0cd7b280224783.prt

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From ICE

ICE opens its first-ever designed-and-built civil detention center
New facility in Texas opens today for low-risk, minimum security adult male detainees

The Karnes County Civil Detention Center is a 608-bed civil immigration detention facility, designed to house adult male, low-risk, minimum security detainees. The detainees who will be housed at Karnes will first be carefully screened to ensure that they do not pose a threat to themselves or others, and are not a flight risk.

"This civil detention center represents a first in the entire history of immigration detention," said ICE Director John Morton. "Karnes and others like it are one part of an ICE detention reform program that is sensible, sustainable and attentive to the unique needs of the individuals in our custody."

The civil detention facility model allows for greater unescorted movement, enhanced recreational opportunities and contact visitation, while maintaining a safe and secure atmosphere for detainees and staff.

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1203/120313karnescity.htm

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From the Department of Homeland Security

Announcing the Creation of FEMA Corps

http://blog.fema.gov/2012/03/announcing-creation-of-fema-corps.html

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Mar 14, 2012

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Family wants answers after unarmed teen shot by neighborhood watch

Trayvon Martin had a pack of Skittles, an Arizona Iced Tea and $22 in his pocket when he was shot

A Florida family is looking for answers after a neighborhood watch captain reportedly admitted shooting their unarmed teenager to death.

Trayvon Martin, 17, was visiting his father and soon-to-be-stepmother last month in their gated community, The Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, when he got into a confrontation with George Zimmerman, an armed man who was the head of the local neighborhood watch, his family told The Associated Press.

According to a police report, Zimmerman called 911 to report a suspicious person in the neighborhood. Minutes later the line was flooded with calls about shots fired.

When police they arrived, they found Zimmerman on his back, covered with grass and bleeding from his nose and the back of his head, the AP said. He admitted he shot Martin, who was found with $22 in his pocket, some Skittles and an Arizona Iced Tea that his family told the Miami Herald he had bought for his stepbrother.

More than a week after his death, his family is asking the Sanford police department to release 911 tapes to explain what happened between the high schooler and the armed neighborhood watch guard.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/family-answers-unarmed-teen-shot-neighborhood-watch-article-1.1036202?localLinksEnabled=false

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Fatal shooting of Florida teen turned over to state attorney

Police say Trayvon Martin, 17, was returning from the convenience store to his father's home in Sanford, Florida.

A neighborhood watch captain, George Zimmerman, 28, saw the teen and called 911 to report a suspicious man, authorities said.

The 911 dispatcher told Zimmerman not to confront Martin, but by the time police arrived, the teenager lay dead with a gunshot wound in the chest, said Bill Lee, the Sanford police chief. He was carrying a small amount of cash, some candy and an iced tea.

Zimmerman told police he shot Martin in self defense, authorities said. "When you add it up, it just doesn't even make sense," said Ben Crump, the Martin family's attorney. "Trayvon Martin, a kid, has a bag of Skittles. (Zimmerman) had a 9 mm gun. Trayvon Martin didn't approach George Zimmerman, George Zimmerman approached Trayvon Martin. So how can he now assert self defense?"

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/14/justice/florida-teen-shooting/

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Texas

Agencies To Host First Spanish Citizen Police Academy

The First Citizen Police Academy for Spanish speakers will begin April 3 and continue through June 5, hosted by the El Paso Police Department in partnership with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office.

The Academy is a community policing initiative aimed at informing citizens on how their law enforcement agencies work and gives a general overview of various units within the two agencies. Those attending will have an opportunity to go on a ride-along, will have presentations and demonstrations from various units to include S.W.A.T. and a tour of one of the detention facilities.

Applications for these academies will be made available March 15th at all El Paso Police Regional Commands, Police Headquarters and at the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. Applications must be turned in by Monday March 26th 2012.

Anyone desiring more information may contact the El Paso Police Department's Public Affairs Office at (915)680-6546.

http://www.ktsm.com/news/agencies-host-first-spanish-citizen-police-academy

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Mar 13, 2012

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Muslim journalist defends surveillance by NYPD, says some Muslims 'use religion as cover'

The New York Police Department has faced criticism for its surveillance of the Muslim community, but one prominent Muslim journalist defended the department in an interview with Fox News.

“We use religion as a cover,” said Asra Nomani, a 46-year-old journalist whose work has been published by the Wall Street Journal and The Daily Beast. Nomani, a native of India, says radical ideology is very real -- and damaging to all Muslims.

“We're saying that you can't go into our mosques, you can't look at our Muslim organizations, you can't even look at Muslims because that's to target us," she told Fox News during an interview in suburban Washington. "But the truth is, we do have a problem in our Muslim community.”

Nomani showed Fox News a Koran from a mosque in West Virginia. She says the Koran's Saudi publisher added negative language about Jews and Christians. This interpretation of Islam, Nomani says, is part of a larger problem.

“I think that there is a movement in America right now to claim this concept of Islamophobia, to say that people are hating on Islam," she said. "Let's be honest, there are people that do hate on Islam. But I think that (Police Commissioner) Ray Kelly and the New York Police Department have been targeted in this larger campaign to try to show that people are picking on Muslims.”

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/03/13/muslim-journalist-defends-spying-by-nypd-says-some-muslims-use-religion-as/

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California

The West Sacramento Police Department has introduced a new communications service that allows residents to receive messages from the department via cell phone text message, email or online.

The Nixle Community Information Service is "a hub for all our social media," said Sgt. Nathan Steele. It builds on other services such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, but adds a security component.

The service allows the Police Department to create and publish messages to be delivered to subscribed residents via text message and/or email. Residents also can access the notifications online at Nixle's website, www.nixle.com.

Messages may include traffic alerts, at-risk missing persons and road hazards, as well as other safety and community event information, and surveys. Messages can be sent specifically to residents registered within a quarter-mile radius, giving them the opportunity to receive information relevant to only their neighborhood.

Residents decide from which local agencies they wish to receive information and how they wish to receive messages, whether by email, text message, or over the web.

http://blogs.sacbee.com/crime/archives/2012/03/west-sac-police-offer-residents-new-communications-app.html

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Massachusetts

Worcester police link to incident website Residents can track activity

WORCESTER — Residents looking for information about break-ins or assaults in their neighborhood can check a list of incidents on a website the Police Department joined that instantly logs certain calls.

The website, CrimeReports.com, does not charge users a fee and can be easily searched by typing “Worcester, MA,” in the search field. To reach the site from the Police Department's website, www.worcesterma.gov/police, click on “Neighborhood Crime Data” and then, under “Crime Analysis,” click on “Community Policing & Neighborhood Crime Statistics.”

There is also a free downloadable iPhone application. People can also sign up to have a monthly crime report emailed to them. More than 1,000 other law enforcement agencies in North America have their information displayed on the website. “Partnering with CrimeReports gives us the ability to keep the public informed on a regular basis as to what is going on in the community,” Chief Gary J. Gemme said.

The cost to the department for joining the site was $2,388. Police Capt. Paul B. Saucier worked on adding Worcester to the system for some time, the police chief said.

Community groups and neighborhood watch groups constantly seek out crime information from the police. The new feature allows them to review information, especially in between the times they meet with an officer, Chief Gemme said.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20120313/NEWS/103139956/1003/NEWS03&Template=printart

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Michigan

Crime group might have gone too far

There is a critical distinction between community policing, the plan Port Huron police Chief Michael Reaves is putting into place, and anti-crime efforts that blur the line between police-community cooperation.

Neighborhood Watch programs, key components of Reaves' approach, rely on enhanced communication between residents and the police department. Neighborhood Watch groups are important police allies. They report suspicious activity to the police, but they don't act as law-enforcement officers.

The difference is important to Port Huron and Detroit.

The Detroit 300 is a grass-roots anti-crime movement born from growing frustration with violent crime in the Motor City. The organization's stand against criminal activity has been embraced by a growing number of Detroit residents outraged by the senseless loss of life — especially the February shooting deaths of a 6-year-old and a 9-month-old baby.

http://www.thetimesherald.com/article/20120313/OPINION01/303130011/Crime-group-might-gone-too-far

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Mar 12, 2012

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Q&A: Legal issues in NYPD Muslim spying program

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- A University of Maryland student has been arrested and charged with posting an Internet threat claiming he planned to go on a shooting rampage on campus hoping to kill as many people as possible.

Campus police said in a statement that 19-year-old Alexander Song, of Fulton, Md., had been identified as the person who posted plans on a website for a rampage that would "kill enough people to make it to national news." The message also warned people to "stay away from the mall." Police did not elaborate.

Song was taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation after his arrest Sunday. Song, who was not armed when he was arrested, faces a misdemeanor charge of disturbing school activities.

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/12/10649552-cops-university-of-maryland-student-vowed-rampage-would-make-it-to-national-news

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Alabama

HPD Accepting Applications for Citizens Police Academy

http://www.waaytv.com/news/local/story/HPD-Accepting-Applications-for-Citizens-Police/Zv_0GhLt3ES5Rh53K6RmXw.cspx

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