| NEWS of the Week |
|
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 ...
NOTE: To see full stories either click on the Daily links or on the URL provided below each article. |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dec 22, 2013
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Califonria
Marin Voice: Sheriff is building bridges in Marin City
OVER THE PAST YEAR, there have been renewed calls for strengthening ties between the Marin County Sheriff's Office and the community of Marin City. Some in that community have alleged deputies assigned to police their neighborhood have done so in an unfair and uncaring manner.
Others point to the July 7 shooting of Chaka Grayson by a Marin County deputy sheriff as proof the relationship between the sheriff's office and community is irreparably broken. I cannot disagree more.
Marin City is a dynamic community that jealously guards its rich history and culture. There is much to be proud of within that small, largely minority community, but there are also some very difficult problems in need of solving as well.
In the Southern Marin Patrol District, which stretches from the Alto Hill to the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin City, an area of less than one square mile, accounts for over 34 percent of the call activity the sheriff's office receives.
Unfortunately, many of those calls involve crimes of violence, where far too often, one community member has been victimized by another.
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_24769588/marin-voice-sheriff-is-building-bridges-marin-city
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connecticut
Christmas season emboldens pilferers, local police say
On the afternoon of Dec. 13, half a dozen officers from the Norwich Police Department's Community Policing Unit stood outside Wal-Mart in Norwich, collecting toys donated by the store's shoppers.
But the officers twice broke from their charitable activity to do some official business, said Sgt. Peter Camp, who leads the unit. They had to deal with two people trying to shoplift inside the store.
“There were actually two people, while we were standing outside with two cruisers,” Camp said.
As Christmas gets closer, the number of shoplifting incidents goes up, police say. “Yes it does. There's no question about that,” Norwich Police Chief Louis Fusaro said. “There's more people in the stores and more opportunity for shoplifters.”
“You get families that are struggling financially,” Putnam Police Chief Rick Hayes said. “We normally see more shoplifting as well as vehicle and home break-ins.”
http://www.norwichbulletin.com/article/20131221/NEWS/131229927/10283/NEWS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Washington D.C.
Capitol Police Don Elf Costumes for Kids
A white, unmarked Capitol Police SUV cruised down C Street Northeast Friday morning with a red pom-pom nose affixed to its grill and brown cardboard antlers taped to its black-tinted windows.
Sixty Savoy Elementary School students waiting on the sidewalk outside the Dirksen Senate Office Building shrieked as they glimpsed the red sleigh it pulled.
“Santa,” screamed one little girl in a pink puffy coat and purple earmuffs, waving to the rosy-cheeked, red-suited retired Capitol Police officer shaking silver bells atop a flat-bed Capitol Police trailer.
Garland Thompson, who served 34 years with the department, welcomed the grade schoolers to the Capitol Police's annual holiday party for students from the Anacostia-based school with a chorus of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
“Do you know whose birthday we celebrate on Christmas?” asked Thompson, who has been dressing up as what he calls a “Christian Santa” for 45 years. The response was mixed.
http://www.rollcall.com/news/capitol_police_don_elf_costumes_for_kids-229811-1.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From ICE
ICE announces year-end removal numbers
98 percent of the agency's total removals were convicted criminals, recent border crossers, illegal re-entrants or those previously removed by ICE, in line with agency's enforcement priorities
WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the agency's fiscal year (FY) 2013 year-end removal numbers showing that 98 percent of removals met one or more of the agency's civil immigration enforcement priorities. These figures highlight ICE's ongoing commitment to primary immigration enforcement missions: the apprehension of criminal aliens and other immigration violators in the interior of the United States; and the detention and removal of individuals apprehended by ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) while attempting to unlawfully enter the United States.
This year, as part of an effort to enhance the manner in which it collects and reports enforcement statistics, ICE is also reporting where the individual was apprehended – an important indicator that helps ICE ensure it is operating in line with its identified priorities. This format builds on the refinements of prior years and provides enhanced detail and clarity regarding ICE's immigration enforcement operations.
"The FY2013 numbers make clear that we are enforcing our nation's laws in a smart and effective way, meeting our enforcement priorities by focusing on convicted criminals while also continuing to secure our nation's borders in partnership with CBP," said Acting Director John Sandweg. "Ninety eight percent of those removed in the last year met one of our key priorities – a record high and a testament to the men and women of ICE who are helping to implement a strong and focused immigration enforcement strategy."
http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1312/131219washingtondc.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the FBI
'Serial Infector' Gets 39 Years -- Linked to Hepatitis C Outbreak
The vast majority of health care professionals are dedicated individuals committed to their patients. But in a recent investigation, we came across a hospital worker who was more committed to his own selfish needs than to his patients—he knowingly put patients at risk of exposure to the hepatitis C virus so he could steal and abuse a powerful narcotic prescribed for use during medical procedures.
David Kwiatkowski—who pled guilty to a scheme to divert and obtain the controlled substance fentanyl as well as to product tampering, was sentenced earlier this month to 39 years in prison. Because of Kwiatowski's actions, at least 45 people became infected with hepatitis C, a virus that attacks the liver and may cause liver damage, liver failure, or cancer. At least one patient died as a result of the infection.
You see, Kwiatkowski himself was infected with hepatitis C. And he admitted that while employed at a New Hampshire hospital and at hospitals in several other states, he stole syringes of fentanyl prepared for patients about to undergo medical procedures, injected himself with the drug, and refilled those same syringes with saline—tainting them with his hepatitis C-positive blood—for use on unsuspecting victims. As a trained health care worker, Kwiatkowski would have known that hepatitis C, a blood-borne viral disease, is primarily transmitted by exposure to infected blood.
How the case began. In May 2012, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services began a public health investigation after it was notified by an area hospital of four patients newly diagnosed with hepatitis C. Three of the individuals had been patients in the hospital's Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory (CCL), while the fourth was a CCL employee (Kwiatkowski). Although Kwiatkowski led the hospital to believe he had been previously unaware of his hepatitis C status, the investigation showed that he had known of his infection since at least 2010.
http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2013/december/serial-infector-gets-39-years-for-hepatitis-c-outbreak/serial-infector-gets-39-years-for-hepatitis-c-outbreak
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dec 21, 2013
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Target apologizes for data breach, offers 10% discount, credit monitor
As shoppers made their way into the final big shopping weekend before Christmas, Target found itself re-assuring customers about the latest data breach that might involve up to 40 million credit and debit card accounts.
Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel apologized through a statement issued Friday. The retailer also said it's working hard to resolve the problem and is adding more workers to field calls and help solve website issues. Target began offering a limited 10% off for customers who shop on Saturday and Sunday only and free credit monitoring services to those who have been affected by the issue.
The 10% discount is not valid in Canada or where prohibited by law. It applies to an entire purchase, not just one item. Target said any exclusions will be posted on its ad board inside stores. No need for a coupon.
Understandably, some consumers found themselves confused Friday. Mike Harrison in Farmington said Target had already e-mailed his wife Joan about the issue, but he wondered if that message might be part of some fraud. The e-mail was legitimate. Target told me that it is reaching out to its customers via e-mail and social media.
http://www.freep.com/article/20131220/COL07/312200110/Target-data-breach-credit-card-debit-card
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
North Carolina
City, Public Safety not disclosing youth crime info
The Aiken Department of Public Safety has suspended the release of even the most general details of crimes involving juvenile defendants while awaiting an opinion from the S.C. Attorney General, a move prompted by a local media outlet's request for information on an alleged sexual assault at Aiken Middle School. The action means the public may not even know when, where or if a crime occurred if it involves minors – potentially breaking state law under the Freedom of Information Act.
A woman representing herself as an Aiken Middle School parent sent The Jail Report, a local newspaper featuring arrested individuals that also carries a large Facebook following, a private message on Facebook about an alleged sexual assault at the school a month ago, according to Greg Rickabaugh, publisher of The Jail Report.
An attorney for the S.C. Press association said on Thursday the city's actions clearly violate the S.C. Freedom of Information Act.
Rickabaugh said he requested the incident report of the alleged assault from Aiken Public Safety and was told he needed to file a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain the information.
“I told them, 'I don't expect the name of the suspect or name of the victim,'” he told the Aiken Standard. One week after filing the request, Rickabaugh said the department denied the request, saying it couldn't release information on juvenile defendants.
http://www.aikenstandard.com/article/20131221/AIK0101/131229925/1004/city-public-safety-not-disclosing-youth-crime-info
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
West Virginia
Identifying Threats To Public's Safety
A small unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation may be paving the way for state governments in search of a system that could help prevent mass shootings and violence, not through weapons bans, but through threat assessment and mental health treatment.
It is clear most of those who decide to carry out mass shootings are very disturbed people. They are mentally ill. And many of them obtained their weapons through entirely legal means, unlikely to be changed by legislation.
According to the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, nearly 150 shootings and violent attacks were stopped this year by helping local authorities assess the threat presented by a person of concern. The Behavioral Threat Assessment Center then makes recommendations based on specific cases - arrest, if there has been illegal activity, or mental health care.
By many accounts, such an assessment might have stopped gunmen like Adam Lanza at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Lanza was described by too many who knew him as "troubled," with a fascination with violence that was apparent to teachers and acquaintances. But his case did not reach the small FBI unit that might have stopped him and gotten him help.
http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/593602/Identifying-Threats-To-Public-s-Safety.html?nav=511
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dec 20, 2013
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kansas
Kan. suspect in bomb plot faces detention hearing
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a Kansas airport worker intended to inflict "maximum carnage" with a suicide bomb plot in a commercial aircraft terminal that would have killed or injured hundreds of people and those factors alone should compel a judge to keep him behind bars before trial.
Terry Lee Loewen, 58, is expected to return to court Friday for a detention hearing, where he'll have to convince U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Humphreys that he does not pose a public danger or flight risk if he expects to be released. Loewen is charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, attempted use of an explosive device to damage property and attempted material support to al-Qaida.
"The defendant is charged with an egregious crime of violence," prosecutors wrote Thursday in invoking a presumption of detention given the nature of the charges. That means the legal burden shifts to the defense to produce evidence warranting his release.
Loewen, of Wichita, has been held under a temporary order since his Dec. 13 arrest. Prosecutors say he tried to get what he believed was a car bomb onto the tarmac at Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport, where he worked as an avionics technician. The final plan — hatched in an undercover scheme with two FBI agents — was to detonate the device between terminals for maximum casualties during an explosion in which Loewen would die as a martyr.
http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Kan-suspect-in-bomb-plot-faces-detention-hearing-5080786.php
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Verizon to Publish Transparency Report Amid NSA Furor
An AT&T spokesman tells TIME the company is "exploring" ways to be more transparent about U.S. data requests
Civil liberties groups and public interest advocates have been urging Verizon and AT&T, the nation's largest telecommunications companies, to be more forthcoming about user data requests made by the U.S. government for months. Recently, the companies' shareholders joined the chorus demanding that Verizon and AT&T follow the example of the nation's largest Internet giants, including Google, Yahoo, Apple, Microsoft and Facebook, which all publish transparency reports.
It appears that Verizon has been listening. On Thursday, the $140 billion telecom titan announced that it will begin publishing an online report providing data on the number of law enforcement requests for customer information that the company receives in the U.S. and other countries. Verizon's announcement comes one day after President Barack Obama's Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies recommended significant reforms at the National Security Agency, and constitutes the latest impact from the blockbuster disclosures delivered by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
“All companies are required to provide information to government agencies in certain circumstances,” Randal S. Milch, Verizon's executive vice president for public policy and general counsel, said in a statement, “and this new report is intended to provide more transparency about law enforcement requests. Although we have a legal obligation to provide customer information to law enforcement in response to lawful demands, we take seriously our duty to provide such information only when authorized by law.”
http://business.time.com/2013/12/19/verizon-transparency-report/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Department of Homeland Security
Continued Progress on the U.S.-Canada Beyond the Border Initiative
Today the United States and Canada released the 2013 Implementation Report on the Beyond the Border Initiative. The report highlights the significant progress we have made over the last year to enhance economic cooperation and to address threats before they reach our common border. Our two countries are doing all we can to make trade and travel easier and less expensive, supporting economic competiveness and prosperity, while partnering to keep our communities safe.
Since President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Harper announced the Beyond the Border Declaration in 2011, we have worked together to benefit residents, travelers, and industry in both countries while enhancing security, trade and travel facilitation, critical infrastructure protection, and emergency management. We are jointly collaborating before goods or travelers even arrive at the border, embracing a perimeter security approach where possible.
For example, this year, under the “cleared once, accepted twice” principle, both countries have started to rely on the other's offshore inspections of marine shipments to reduce the need for re-inspection at the land border. Also, the U.S. truck cargo pre-inspection pilot in Surrey, British Columbia, tested new approaches for conducting screening at the land border. We are building on these accomplishments to complete preclearance negotiations for all transportation modes. Each of these initiatives helps goods move securely and more quickly across our shared border.
http://www.dhs.gov/blog/2013/12/19/continued-progress-us-canada-beyond-border-initiative
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Engaging the Next Generation of Cyber Leaders
Earlier this week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the next phase of an exciting program for our nation's future cyber professionals. The Secretary's Honors Program (SHP) Cyber Student Volunteer Initiative, a student volunteer program designed specifically for college students, began accepting applications for its 2014 class. With more than 100 unpaid student volunteer assignments available in over 60 locations across the country, the program offers students an opportunity to learn and support the cybersecurity work performed by DHS' cybersecurity workforce.
DHS actively collaborates and shares information with public and private sector partners every day to respond to and coordinate mitigation in the face of attempted disruptions to the Nation's critical cyber and communications networks and to reduce adverse impacts on critical network systems.
The SHP Cyber Student Volunteer Initiative, created in April 2013 by former Secretary Janet Napolitano, has been expanded to new DHS offices and locations, giving students with a variety of backgrounds and skills the chance to learn about the wide range of DHS cybersecurity responsibilities, and gain invaluable hands-on experience.
Participating DHS offices and components in the program include the U. S. Secret Service, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the DHS Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) computer forensics labs, and state and major urban area fusion centers through DHS' Office of Intelligence and Analysis.
http://www.dhs.gov/blog/2013/12/18/engaging-next-generation-cyber-leaders
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dec 19, 2013
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
California
L.A. to take guns from those accused of domestic violence
A new way to deal with those accused of domestic violence was unveiled Wednesday, with the City Attorney's Office and Los Angeles Police Department seeking to remove guns from those accused of abuse.
“Once someone is arrested for domestic abuse, the LAPD will inform my office, and we will take steps to remove their guns,” City Attorney Mike Feuer said at a City Hall news conference. “Each week in the United States, nine women are killed by handguns. We can do better than that.”
Feuer said the new prosecution protocol developed by his office with advocacy groups over the past six months is designed to reduce the possibility of further violence.
Under current law, those accused of domestic violence are prohibited from owning a weapon. Violators could face additional criminal charges.
As part of the strategy, the City Attorney's Office will file criminal charges against those who still have weapons and launch an education campaign to help women understand their rights.
Assistant LAPD Chief Michel Moore said the LAPD has taken a leadership role in identifying those who own weapons.
http://www.dailynews.com/government-and-politics/20131218/la-to-take-guns-from-those-accused-of-domestic-violence
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Target Says Data Was Stolen From 40 Million Shoppers
SAN FRANCISCO — Target confirmed Thursday morning that it was investigating a security breach involving stolen credit card and debit card information for 40 million of its retail customers.
Target's announcement came one day after a security blogger, Brian Krebs, first reported the breach. In a statement, Target confirmed that criminals gained access to its customer information on Nov. 27 — the day before Thanksgiving and just ahead of one of the busiest shopping days of the year — and maintained access through Dec. 15.
Target said it had confirmed that its online customers were not affected by the breach, which appears to have been isolated to the point-of-sale systems in Target's retail stores.
Target said that cybercriminals had accessed customer names, credit or debit card numbers, expiration dates and three-digit security codes for 40 million customers who had shopped at its stores.
Immediately after discovering the breach, Target said, it alerted federal authorities and financial institutions, and is currently working with a third party forensics firm to conduct a thorough investigation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/20/technology/target-stolen-shopper-data.html?_r=0
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Washington
Nearly two-year DOJ review of Spokane Police now underway
As local officials remain deadlocked over the police ombudsman, the Spokane Police Department continues to undergo an in-depth Technical Assistance Review by the Department of Justice's COPS program — a "collaborative," nearly two-year process to evaluate the department's uses of force, internal investigations and cultural practices.
Police Chief Frank Straub and Mayor David Condon first announced the DOJ review last February. A review team with the COPS program made an initial visit in March, but because of funding delays, did not return to formally launch the review process until late last month.
Tawana Waugh, a senior program specialist with DOJ, says the COPS program has assembled a four-person team of community policing and law enforcement experts to evaluate the Spokane department. Waugh will manage the team from her office in Washington, D.C.
The team includes Waugh as its DOJ representative, along with law enforcement expert Blake McClelland, with the Phoenix Police Department; a representative from the data analysis nonprofit CNA Analysis & Solutions; and an additional research analyst. Waugh says other experts may be added as needed.
"We go in and do a comprehensive assessment," Waugh says, adding, "We are in the midst of the review as we speak."
http://www.inlander.com/Bloglander/archives/2013/12/18/nearly-two-year-doj-review-of-spokane-police-now-underway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dec 18, 2013
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
California
Parole board to set minimums for life-term prisoners
Corrections officials agree to the change in a settlement in the case of a convicted killer who said he was unjustifiably denied parole. Up to 35,000 inmates could be affected.
SACRAMENTO — State corrections officials agreed Monday to a major change in California's parole system that could lead to earlier releases for convicted killers and other inmates sentenced to a maximum of life in prison but who are still eligible for parole.
The settlement stems from a legal action filed by an inmate at the prison in Soledad, who was sentenced to 15 years to life for a 1987 murder and claimed that his application for parole was routinely and unjustifiably denied for 10 years.
"For decades, the Board of Parole Hearings has left these guys completely in the dark as to when they might ever have a chance of getting out," said Jon Streeter, the court-appointed attorney for the prisoner whose case prompted the unexpected settlement.
Under the settlement, approved Monday by state Court of Appeal Justice J. Anthony Kline in San Francisco, the state Board of Parole Hearings is required to establish the minimum time that should be served before an inmate is released.
Those sentences are to be based on the circumstances of the crime, so that killers convicted of torture, for instance, would draw the longest terms.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-parole-20131217,0,2964882.story#axzz2njYWQclh
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Snowden to Brazil: Swap you spying help for asylum
Edward Snowden has written an "open letter to the people of Brazil" offering to assist Brazil's government investigate allegations of U.S. spying, but on the condition that he be granted permanent political asylum.
The letter was first published Tuesday in Brazil's Folha newspaper. "I've expressed my willingness to assist where it's appropriate and legal, but, unfortunately, the U.S. government has been working hard to limit my ability to do so," the letter says.
The letter was first made available on the newspaper's website in Portuguese. USA TODAY read a version of the letter using online translation software. It was subsequently posted on Facebook by an account apparently belonging to David Miranda, the partner of former Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, the Brazil-based American journalist who was the recipient of thousands of documents detailing the National Security Agency's spying programs.
It was not entirely clear from the letter whether Snowden was suggesting that the South American nation should grant him asylum in return for help in probing claims that the U.S. has spied on Brazil.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/12/17/snowden-brazil-asylum/4049235/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NORAD: tracking Santa for 59 years
The unusual tradition of NORAD - usually tasked with defending US airspace - hosting a website to track Santa Claus can be dated back to a happy accident in 1955
For most of the year NORAD is tasked with defending airspace around the US and Canada from missiles and incursions by foreign air forces, but each December it also pours a huge amount of resources into entertaining children around the world by tracking Santa Claus as he delivers presents.
The unusual tradition dates back to 1955, when a Sears department store offered children the chance to talk directly to Santa in an advert. It said: “Hey, Kiddies! Call me direct and be sure and dial the correct number.”
Unfortunately, they hadn't demonstrated the same attention to detail that they were demanding of children and had accidentally printed the phone number for the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) instead of their own office. Instead of getting through to an actor, ready with a gruff laugh and some scripted patter, they ended up on the line to a military base. Once he realised what had happened, Colonel Harry Shoup - who came to be known as the “Santa Colonel” - quickly told his staff to answer the calls with an update on Santa's current position.
NORAD replaced CONAD a few years later, but the tradition remained and continues to this day. Volunteers staff call centres on Christmas Eve and field around 70,000 phone calls each year from 200 countries. Last year the first lady, Michelle Obama, lent a hand and spoke to children from around a dozen families.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/10488380/NORAD-tracking-Santa-for-59-years.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dec 17, 2013
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Indiana
Opinion
Community policing remains out of reach
What if there were a policing and prosecution model with a proven track record to improve public safety? Would the public clamor for implementation of such model?
As defined by the U.S. Justice Department, community policing is a philosophy that promotes organizational strategies which support the systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving techniques to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues such as crime, social disorder, and fear of crime.
That's the academic definition. What it essentially means is that you know the names of officers in your neighborhood, and they know you.
In Marion County and other communities, the inability to fully implement a community policing model is not an absence of resolve, but instead the stark reality that we have insufficient staffing and resources to do so. Community policing is the poster child for the negative effect of the misguided and dead-end notion that we can continue to fund government services by forcing agencies to annually cut their budgets.
As a corollary to community policing, the Marion County Prosecutor's Office is committed to being embedded in our neighborhoods through our Community Prosecution Division. Deputy prosecutors and paralegals daily work side-by-side with IMPD district detectives and officers, as well as with Speedway, Beech Grove, and Lawrence police departments. Our staff members also interact with neighborhoods to consider proactive, problem-solving approaches to problematic issues. A 2012 University of Chicago Law School study found that community prosecution strategies reduced certain categories of crime, specifically assaults, robberies, burglaries, and vandalism.
http://www.nuvo.net/GuestVoices/archives/2013/12/17/community-policing-remains-out-of-reach
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Illinois
'Small world of murder': As homicides drop, Chicago police focus on social networks of gangs
CHICAGO - It was an overcast noon, and 12 miles from the city's sparkling core, Police Commander David McNaughton was ready for murder. His district on the southwest side responded to 39 killings last year, among the highest body counts in the city, which itself recorded 506 murders, the most in the nation. But instead of another bloody year, McNaughton has had to contend with a new surprise: peace and quiet.
"When people say stop and frisk is bad, well, no it's not," said the white-haired commander, handpicked to police the rancid, tumble-down stretches around Midway Airport. "We're going to save their lives by talking to them."
With days left in 2013, McNaughton would seem to be right: Murders are down this year by almost half in his district and about 20 percent citywide, according to department data. It's the equivalent of more than 80 lives "saved," as the commander puts it, and the lowest Chicago murder toll in a half century. But these happy new trend lines come with nettling questions about how they were accomplished, and grave doubts about whether the good times can continue in 2014.
During the course of two days this month, NBC News toured the new Chicago way and the science behind it, encountering an almost buoyant Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, the top cop in America's reigning "murder capital." He smiled as he raised the blinds in his fifth floor office on South Michigan Avenue. "I've never stood by these windows before," he said, waiting a beat before explaining why. "It's too dangerous."
He was joking, of course. But it's easy to understand McCarthy's light-minded mood once you understand the almost-magical promise of his approach.
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/topstories/article/338789/483/Police-focus-on-social-networks-of-gangs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
California
Supervisors respond to youth's shooting by launching task force
In an effort to address rampant public concern over the shooting death of a 13 year old by a Sheriff's deputy, on Tuesday the Board of Supervisors approved a charter for county-wide task force that will explore the formation of an independent citizen review board to examine police activities, among other goals.
This isn't the first time the board has considered bringing citizens into the often-opaque police investigation process. Similar committees have been discussed after other officer-involved deaths in recent years, but never came to fruition.
The Community and Local Law Enforcement Task Force will include 21 members, three from each supervisor's district, three from the Sheriff's Department, two appointed by the mayor of Santa Rosa and one from the District Attorney's office. Petaluma's representative, 2nd District Supervisor David Rabbitt, said he's waiting to make his appointments until he sees who else is on the task force, explaining that he wants to select demographics that aren't otherwise represented in the group. A few members were announced on Tuesday, but Rabbitt said he expects the task force won't be finalized until January.
On Oct. 22, Andy Lopez, 13, was carrying an airsoft BB gun that closely resembled an AK-47 assault riffle as he walked down Moorland Avenue in Santa Rosa. After receiving calls about a young man with a gun, Sonoma County Sheriff's Deputy Erick Gelhaus, a 24-year veteran of the department, mistook the toy gun as real, and shot Lopez seven times when he didn't immediately respond to police orders. The Petaluma Police Department is assisting the Santa Rosa Police Department in investigating the shooting, which is ongoing.
http://www.petaluma360.com/article/20131216/COMMUNITY/131219646?Title=Supervisors-respond-to-youth-s-shooting-by-launching-task-force
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dec 16, 2013
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michigan
Kalamazoo Public Safety shifts focus with juveniles toward building relationships, away from arrests
On a recent Tuesday, Kalamazoo Public Safety Officer Brandon Noble's work shift had little to do with responding to calls, writing reports or making arrests.
He delivered a new bike to a 9-year-old girl as a reward for doing well in school, stopped by the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission's daycare center to pass out badges and plastic fire helmets, traded high-fives with young boys playing pool at the Douglass Community Association and critiqued their latest dance moves.
“I enjoy the kids,” said the 29-year-old officer. “A younger guy, they can relate to you.”
Building relationships in the community, specifically with youth and teenagers, is a philosophy that Noble and others in Kalamazoo Public Safety say has intensified since about 2009, the year after Chief Jeff Hadley took the helm.
“We certainly encourage our officers on a daily basis to find those opportunities,” Hadley said. “Whatever it is ... we certainly have had a significant emphasis on the youth engagement and the community as a whole.”
Kalamazoo County's juvenile arrest rate is among the state highest in Michigan, second only to Kent among Michigan's urban counties. In 2008, Kalamazoo County had 25 juvenile arrests per 1,000 residents ages 10 to 16, compared to 17 per 1,000 for the state. Yet juvenile arrests plummeted 44 percent in Kalamazoo County from 2008 to 2012, part of a larger statewide and nationwide trend that saw juvenile arrests fall 57 percent in the city of Kalamazoo.
http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2013/12/juvenile_justice_public_safety.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
California
Jail Assaults Jump as California's Public Safety Realignment Takes Toll on Local Law Enforcement
Santa Barbara County reports sharp increase in attacks as inmate influx adds to overcrowded conditions
Assaults inside the Santa Barbara County Jail system have increased significantly since public safety realignment was implemented in 2011, according to Sheriff's Department data.
Inmate-on-inmate assaults increased 40 percent from 2011 to 2013, said Cmdr. Darin Forthingham, who oversees the sheriff's Jail Operations.
The county's jail system includes the Main Jail and Medium Security Facility at the Sheriff's Department complex on Calle Real, and the Santa Maria Jail, which closed in July 2011 and will reopen next year.
Assaults increased 28 percent in 2012 and rose again this year, with 222 assaults by inmates on other inmates as of Nov. 30.
While the average daily population is around 1,000 people now and increased slightly since realignment — 8 percent in 2012 and 2 percent in 2013 — the increases in assaults are disproportionately high.
Santa Barbara reports on a range of assaults, Fotheringham said. “The assaults may range from a minor offense (California Penal Code 242, simple battery), which could include a shove or spitting, all the way to a violent assault with a weapon and causing bodily injury, or even attempted murder,” he said.
http://www.noozhawk.com/article/jail_assaults_increase_since_public-safety_alignment_20131210
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the FBI
TEDAC Marks 10-Year Anniversary
A Potent Weapon in the War on Terror
It has been 10 years since the FBI established the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center (TEDAC), and since that time the multi-agency operation—sometimes referred to as America's bomb library—has become an essential tool in the nation's fight against terrorism.
Before TEDAC, no single government entity was responsible for analyzing and exploiting evidence and intelligence related to the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used by international and domestic terrorists. Today, TEDAC coordinates all those efforts.
Located at the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, “TEDAC is the government's single repository for IEDs,” said Special Agent Greg Carl, TEDAC director. “The evidence and intelligence we gather from these explosives is used by law enforcement, the military, the intelligence community, and by our political decision-makers. There is no question that the work we have done—and continue to do—has helped to save American lives.”
Whether bombs come from the battlefields of Afghanistan or from homegrown terrorists within our borders, TEDAC's 13 government agency partners and 17 external partners collect the devices and send them to TEDAC to be analyzed and catalogued.
“We exploit the devices forensically,” said Carl, a veteran FBI agent who is also a bomb technician. The results are analyzed by TEDAC's Intelligence Unit (see sidebar), and disseminated to law enforcement entities and the intelligence community to provide key intelligence on terrorist networks. “Based on the forensic evidence—DNA, fingerprints, and other biometrics—we try to identify the bomb maker and also make associations, linking devices together from separate incidents.”
http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2013/december/tedac-marks-10-year-anniversary/tedac-marks-10-year-anniversary
|
