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NEWS of the Day - May 4, 2013
on some LACP issues of interest

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NEWS of the Day
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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New Jersey

Woman is first on FBI terrorist wanted list

The FBI announced it has made Joanne Chesimard, a fugitive member of a black militant group convicted of murdering a New Jersey state trooper in 1973, the first woman on its list of most-wanted terrorists.

Also, the reward for the capture and return of Chesimard, now living in Cuba as Assata Shakur, was doubled to $2 million Thursday, the 40th anniversary of the bloody gun battle.

The Justice Department has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to her capture. The additional money is being put up by New Jersey, state Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said.

Chesimard, a member of the violent Black Liberation Army, was convicted of the 1973 murder of state trooper Werner Foerster during a traffic stop. The BLA was responsible for killing more than a dozen police officers in the 1970s and '80s, an FBI official said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2013/05/02/7723eb4e-b361-11e2-9a98-4be1688d7d84_story.html

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Massachusetts

Methuen teen's neighbors: Cameron is normal, quiet kid

(NECN: Scot Yount, Lawrence, Mass.) – Eighteen-year-old Cameron D'Ambrosia is being held without bail after posting a tirade on Facebook threatening to quote go insane. He allegedly referred to the Boston Bombing followed by ‘wait till you see the (expletive) I do.'

The Methuen High School teen was arrested Wednesday after some classmates reported the posting to school officials and held on a million dollars bail.

"To make a threat and use what occurred in Boston to enhance your threat is extremely alarming to us and raises the level to whether or not that is going to occur immediately," said Joe Solomon, Chief of Methuen Police.

"I knew Cameron as a quiet kid you know," said Steven Cuevas, a neighbor.

D'Ambrosia lives in this home with his family according to court documents, but nobody answered the door. The documents say police removed a laptop and XBox during a search.

Neighbors said he was a normal kid.

"I think he just said it out of anger, so as far as him doing it, I don't think he would have done it," said Cuevas.

Still, everyone is sensitive after the tragedy on Marathon Monday.

"To have some respect for the victims in Boston like I said he has been picked on he had a lot of anger built up on him so I think he just lashed out on the internet saying it, I don't think he was actually gonna go through with it," said Cuevas.

According to neighbors, D'Ambrosia considers himself a rapper and goes by the name CammyDee on Youtube.

At Methuen High School, parents were notified by way of a reverse 911 call.

"It is kind of crazy to think that a person would actually want to do that, yeah to make threats and actually want to do it," said Nick Dechirico, a Methuen High School Student.

"Yeah I don't think they think it is a big deal but then stuff like this can actually happen so people take it seriously and they don't I don't think," said Methuen High School student Jenna O'Malley.

D'Ambrosia is being held without bail until a dangerousness hearing next week.

http://www.necn.com/05/02/13/Methuen-teens-neighbors-Cameron-is-norma/landing_newengland.html?blockID=839825&tagID=67660

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Massachusetts

Holyoke police to increase volunteering at Boys and Girls Club, resurrect Police Athletic League

by Mike Plaisance

Police Officer Brendan Boyle figures young people who play dodgeball or go hiking with police officers are more likely to see them as friends than foes.

Boyle was part of an announcement Thursday that a dozen officers will volunteer every third Wednesday at the Holyoke Boys and Girls Club.

The idea is the community would benefit if more such associations or even friendships are formed, he said.

"Often we have to go to these calls and deal with these children, and it's not always in a positive light," said Boyle, 38.

"It's just an environment where they don't feel threatened. We're just trying to create an environment where they feel safe and can enjoy themselves," he said.

Playing sports and games at the Boys and Girls Club, which is at 70 Nick Cosmos Way around the corner from the police station, is a starting point. The goal is to include off-site activities like rock climbing, hiking, golf, softball and other things, Boyle said.

Businesses and others who want to donate can contact Boyle at (413) 322-6900, Ext. 321.

Police have been volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club. But the announcement establishes a schedule and is the first step in a plan that Boyle, a five-year veteran, is leading to resurrect the Holyoke Police Athletic League, Lt. Matthew F. Moriarty said.

The officers participating in the program will be doing so on their days off and other free time, he said.

"They want to reach out to the community and do more," Moriarty said.

"I think it's a fantastic opportunity for our kids to personally interact with our law enforcement," said Eileen Cavanaugh, Boys and Girls Club president. "To me, it is really the epitome of community policing."

The Boys and Girls Club deals with 350 young people people daily. That's at the main facility and satellites at Holyoke Housing Authority locations: Toepfert Apartments, Lyman Terrace, Beaudoin Village and the Churchill Homes, she said.

State Rep. Aaron M. Vega, D-Holyoke, noted the police officers and the seven girls seated in the bleachers in the Boys and Girls Club gym where the announcement took place.

"This is exactly the kind of partnership that works here," Vega said.

The "3rd Annual Holyoke Police Foot Pursuit" run and walk this year will raise money for the Holyoke Boys and Girls Club and the Holyoke Police Officers Ball on May 11. The 3.5-mile event will begin at noon at the Holyoke Elks Lodge, 250 Whitney Ave. The entry fee is $25. For an application, information about sponsorships and other details, visit holyokepolicefootpursuit.com .

Also on May 11, Moriarty will be available in a water dunk tank – $5 for 3 throws – after the race at the Elks Lodge to raise money for the One Fund Boston Inc. That was set up to help people most affected by the bomb explosions at the Boston Marathon April 15.

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/05/holyoke_police_will_increase_v.html

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