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May, 2014 - Week 2
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U.S. Veterans Affairs under fire over allegations vets died waiting for care
by Jessica Murphy
WASHINGTON — It's a portrait of a system struggling under its own weight.
Stacks upon stacks of claims forms crammed into a Veterans Affairs office in Winston-Salem, N.C. — so many they could "create an unsafe workspace ... and appeared to have the potential to compromise the integrity of the building."
The photo, with the astounding warning the files exceeded the floor's load-bearing capacity of 17.6 kg per square foot, was found a 2012 inspector general's report of a regional Veterans Affairs office in Winston-Salem.
It was flagged this week by U.S. media covering the growing furor around allegations 40 veterans died while on the waiting lists at a VA hospital in Phoenix, Ariz., and suggestions administrators developed a secret system to hide treatment delays.
The hospital system serves 6.2 million veterans at hundreds of facilities throughout the U.S. — the largest integrated health-care system in the country.
Allegations of preventable deaths and cover-ups at the Phoenix clinic are just the latest in a series of accusations of mismanagement at VA hospitals and backlogs of disability claims nationwide dating back several years.
But the problem crested in Washington this week, with Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki called to the carpet before a Senate committee to explain his handling of his portfolio.
Shinseki said he was "mad as hell." He promised action if the allegations proved true, telling reporters: "Talk isn't cheap where I'm concerned."
The White House is standing by Shinseki, a decorated former soldier, with spokesman Jay Carney saying both Shinseki and President Barack Obama recognize the stress the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have placed on the system, and will wait for an inspector general report — due in August — before taking further action.
But by Friday, the scandal claimed its first high-profile bureaucrat, Veterans Affairs under-secretary Robert Petzel, and critics say the clock is ticking on Shinseki's job.
Among those calling for Shinseki's head is the American Legion.
National Commander Dan Dellinger said he's cautiously optimistic the system would get the overhaul it needs, but that Shinseki failed to convince him he could solve the crisis.
The Legion has been flagging problems to Congress for years, he said.
"They've continually tried to put a Band-Aid on things, but not a address the issues. They're always reactive, never proactive."
It's not all bad, Dellinger conceded, noting about 80% of vets the legion spoke with received good care in VA hospitals. Sixty-two "very angry people" spoke at a recent town hall the Llgion held in Phoenix — a hospital that sees over 70,000 patients a year.
"But is it giving the veterans they health care they deserve? No. Not when you're talking about a veteran losing his life waiting for health care," he said.
Acting Insp.-Gen. Richard Griffin is in the midst of a probe into the problems at the Phoenix hospital, with auditors, health inspectors and criminal investigators looking into whether wait list were tampered with and whether there were deaths related to a lack of care.
Griffin said he had a team of 185 working on ever expanding reviews as more whistleblowers come forward.
http://www.torontosun.com/2014/05/16/us-veterans-affairs-under-fire-over-allegations-vets-died-waiting-for-care
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Utah
‘More humane': US Senator proposes return of firing squads to execute criminals
A Republican senator is advocating the use of firing squads as a form of execution in the USA, after a botched lethal injection in Oklahoma in April. Paul Ray from Utah says his proposal would be a more humane form of execution.
The Republican plans to introduce his suggestion at his state's next legislative session in January. Similar plans have been floated in Wyoming and Missouri, but were never passed. However, the senator from Utah may have better luck in trying to get his bill passed as the state has a history of using fire arms for executing criminals.
In 2010, Ronnie Lee Gardner was put to death, with five police officers using .30 caliber rifles, which was the last execution to take place in Utah. "It sounds like the Wild West, but it's probably the most humane way to kill somebody," Ray said, speaking to the Associated Press.
Utah had eliminated the use of fire squads to carry out executions in 2004. However, those given the death penalty before that date had the option of choosing it. Gardner, who was sentenced to death for shooting a Salt Lake City lawyer in 1985 decided on this option.
He became the third person to die by firing squad since the US supreme court reintroduced the death penalty in 1976, following the Gregg v Georgia ruling. Since its reinstatement, lethal injection has been the most common use of carrying out the death penalty; however, it has come under criticism in recent months.
Persistent shortages of traditional barbiturates have led states to experiment with different combinations of lethal drugs, sometimes with grotesque consequences.
In the most recent high profile case, Clayton Lockett's vein collapsed and he died of a heart attack more than 40 minutes after being administered a lethal injection.
Therefore Ray is proposing the use of firing squads, which will also be much cheaper and says, "The prisoner dies instantly. It sounds draconian. It sounds really bad, but the minute the bullet hits your heart, you're dead. There's no suffering."
"There's no easy way to put somebody to death, but you need to be efficient and effective about it," Ray said. "This is certainly one way to do that."
Opponents of the proposal say firing squads are not necessarily a foolproof answer.
"It's possible an inmate could move or shooters could miss, causing the inmate a slow and painful death," said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Washington, DC based Death Penalty Information Center, which opposes capital punishment.
"The idea is that it would be very quick and accurate but just a little movement by the person could change that," he said. "Things can go wrong with any method of execution."
http://rt.com/usa/159732-firing-squad-utah-senator/
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From the Department of Homeland Security
DHS Commemorates National Police Week
As our Nation celebrated National Police Week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) honored the men and women of the law enforcement community and remembered those who have given their lives in the line of duty.
“Our lost colleagues and many other sons and daughters of our nation who chose the hazardous profession of law enforcement represent the best of our country and the true spirit of service to others before self,” Secretary Johnson said. “We offer our condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of those who we have lost in the line of duty.”
Throughout National Police Week, leadership from across the Department commemorated the occasion by participated in a number of events to honor the service and sacrifice of law enforcement professionals who lost their lives in the line of duty.
On Monday, Secretary Jeh Johnson and Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, joined by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Tom Winkowski, participated in the ICE Valor Memorial and Wreath Laying Ceremony at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
Later in the day, Secretary Johnson joined President Obama and Vice President Biden at the White House to honor the 2014 National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) TOP COPS award winners - some of our nation's best law enforcement officials – to the White House to honor their remarkable service and sacrifice. The TOP COPS are chosen each year by the National Association of Police Organizations, after being nominated by their fellow officers for their notable service during the previous calendar year.
On Tuesday, Secretary Johnson and Deputy Secretary Mayorkas, joined by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske, participated in the CBP Valor Memorial and Wreath Laying Ceremony at Woodrow Wilson Plaza. CBP Officer Darrel Windhaus, who passed away in 2013 after years of dedicated service to our Department, was recognized and his name was unveiled on the Valor Memorial during the ceremony.
The names of law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty were read aloud to a crowd of thousands during a candlelight vigil on Tuesday evening at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. Secretary Johnson had the honor of participating in the 26th Annual Candlelight Vigil to honor the law enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifice, as was joined by Department leadership from across the Components. The names of the crew of U.S. Coast Guard CG-328 and U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Travis Obendorf were added to the Memorial this year in memoriam.
On Thursday, Secretary Johnson, Deputy Secretary Mayorkas, U.S. Secret Service Director Pierson, ICE Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Winkowski, CBP Commissioner Kerlikowske and Deputy Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, joined Vice President Biden and participated in the National Peace Officers' Memorial Service at the U.S. Capitol. The Memorial Service, which began in 1982 with approximately 120 survivors and supporters of law enforcement, has become the centerpiece of National Police Week attracting tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world to our nation's capital.
Since the first recorded police death in 1791 more than 20,000 peace officers have paid the ultimate price for our safety, including members of our own Department. In addition to CBP Officer Windhaus and Coast Guard Petty Officer Obendorf, we also recognize and remember Transportation Security Officer Gerardo Hernandez, who was killed in the line of duty in November 2013.
Throughout National Police Week, we respect, honor and remember those we have lost, and we ask you to join with Secretary Johnson and the entire Department as we thank all of our dedicated DHS law enforcement officers for their devoted service, sacrifice and commitment to keep our communities safe and our nation secure.
http://www.dhs.gov/blog/2014/05/16/dhs-commemorates-national-police-week
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Los Angeles
North Figueroa Bike Lanes: Public Safety Reps Against Public Safety Project
by Joe Linton
At last week's North Figueroa Street bike lane meeting there was a contentious debate. Cyclists are urging installation of road diet bike lanes to improve safety for all. Bike lanes were approved in the city's 2010 Bike Plan; L.A.'s Transportation Department (LADOT) studied the lanes extensively, and appeared to be on the verge of installing them. Then a new L.A. City Councilmember was elected.
Though Councilmember Gil Cedillo expressed verbal support for the lanes during his election campaign, he subsequently stepped away from that commitment and is nixing the bike lanes and instead proposing to install sharrows on a circuitous bike route that roughly parallels some portions of North Figueroa.
Councilmember Cedillo summarized the meeting in his email newsletter, stating:
On Thursday over 350 residents attended a spirited community meeting hosted by Councilmember Cedillo at Nightingale Middle School in Cypress Park to hear input on LADOT's proposed bike lanes for North Figueroa Street (from Avenue 22 to Avenue 52, in Cypress Park, Sycamore Grove and a portion of Highland Park). The proposal would remove one of two southbound traffic lanes (“a road diet”) on North Figueroa Street.
Councilmember Cedillo heard thoughtful input from stakeholders. Testimony was also provided by Captain Ed Elguea, LA Fire Department Fire Station 44, Captain Jeff Bert, LAPD Northeast Station, Sergeant Luciano Meza, LADOT Traffic and R. Scott Page, LA Metro Operations Planning Manager, Service Planning. These Los Angeles City Department representatives expressed concerns of increased traffic congestion if the southbound traffic lane is removed as proposed by LADOT.
While it's common for bicycle, and other transportation, facilities to be subject to political pressures, cyclists were disturbed that representatives from the city's police (LAPD) and fire departments (LAFD) expressed opposition to the bike lane project.
Here's an example of the public safety testimony, which has been posted on YouTube: LAFD, LAPD. Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Elguea stated:
From a professional opinion, this [North Figueroa bike lane project] will slow down our response time.
City public safety officers spoke in opposition to a public safety project.
What's the evidence? Do bike lanes actually pose a threat to public safety? Do road diets threaten public safety?
Thanks to L.A. City Bicycle Advisory Committee chair Jeff Jacobberger for tracking down relevant city documents. See the full text of Jacobberger's communication to Cedillo posted here.
LADOT studied the North Figueroa bike lanes extensively, and concluded that they “would not impede emergency access.” As part of its Environmental Impact Report (EIR) documentation, LADOT studied the project and stated:
“ The implementation of the proposed projects would not impede emergency access . Bicyclists would follow the same protocol as vehicles in surrendering the right of way to emergency vehicles. The design of all bikeway facilities will be governed by the Technical Design Handbook and applicable federal, state and local guidelines. The proposed projects would comply with all City of Los Angeles fire department requirements. Less than significant impacts to emergency access are anticipated .” (Initial Study [PDF], page 25.) [emphasis added by Jacobberger]
LADOT spent time and money analyzing how North Figueroa bike lanes could impact emergency response. During that process, LAPD and LAFD were notified, and neither LAPD nor LAFD expressed any official concerns. The final approved LADOT study documents concluded that there weren't any significant adverse impacts.
There are numerous examples from elsewhere, too.
LADOT has done several road diet bike lane projects, including 7th Street, Spring Street, Main Street, Rownena Avenue in central Los Angeles. Road diets have been implemented on Colorado Blvd and York Blvd in North East Los Angeles. Many of these projects have been done on streets that are home to LAPD and LAFD stations. Neither LAPD nor LAFD have raised response time concerns with any of these on-the-ground improvements.
NYC bikeway opponents predicted an emergency response crisis, but response times there improved.
In the discussions over implementing road diet bike lanes on Colorado Boulevard, Walk Eagle Rock posted a very apt analysis of the emergency response time issue. Below is an excerpt:
Bike Lane Concern #5: “Reducing the number of lanes available to motorists to create bike lanes will hurt emergency response times!” and “We need to maintain the number of lanes available to motorists so that we don't delay emergence responders!”
• Naturally nobody wants to delay emergence responders and potentially risk losing lives because people can't get medical attention quickly enough. It is very understandable and commendable to have safety be a prime consideration. However, perhaps this concern is a little overstated, let's explore why. Firstly, the local Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Station on York Boulevard has not raised concerns to the LADOT about being able to respond to emergencies. In Downtown LA, at the request of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the LADOT will remove a bike lane on 1st street. If there were a significant impact on the ability for emergency responders to reach their destinations because of bike lanes on York Boulevard, the LADOT would remove the bike lanes immediately.
• Also, as noted by Tom Vanderbilt, author of Traffic: Why We Drive The Way We Do and What It Says About Us, generally speaking any time saved by emergency responders by not implementing a traffic calming measure is negligible. In fact, Vanderbilt notes the status quo is likely more dangerous – as he succinctly puts it “speeding cars have surely claimed more lives than speeding responders have saved.” If we turn to York Boulevard again, we see what bike lanes may mean for Colorado Boulevard. The number of crashes on York Boulevard went down following the implementation of a “road diet"t that reduced the number of travel lanes available to motorists. Part of York Boulevard went on a “road diet” in 2006 and utilizing traffic collision data available through UC Berkeley's Traffic Injury Mapping System one will note that from 2002 to 2005, there were 92 crashes on the section of York Boulevard that would eventually go on a “road diet.” From 2006 to 2009 that same stretch of York Boulevard saw only 61 crashes. Comparing pre- and post- “road diet” data on York Boulevard show additional safety benefits. The number of misdemeanor and felony hit-and-runs are on a decline and as are the collective number of visible, severe, and fatal injuries. Collision data from York Boulevard suggests there is reason to believe that reducing the number of lanes available to motorists will make Colorado Boulevard safer and reduce the need for emergency responders to go to the scene of preventable crashes.
• Lastly, the Federal Highway Administration has studied road diets and found that they are a “proven safety countermeasur". While bicyclists generally focus on the inclusion of bike lanes as a proven safety feature, the FHWA study shows that road diets make streets safer for all road users. Pedestrians get fewer traffic lanes to cross. Road diets' biggest safety gains are from eliminating blind spots for drivers turning across two lanes of oncoming car traffic.
There may well be legitimate reasons to oppose road diet bike lanes on North Figueroa Street.
These reasons may be political. These reasons may have to do with throughput for cars. These reasons may have to do with comfort with the existing status quo.
The evidence is clear that public safety is not a legitimate reason.
(Earlier this week, Streetsblog Los Angeles contacted the LAPD and LAFD for clarification on official departmental policies regarding emergency response times, and clarification on whether departmental representatives were speaking personally or on behalf on their departments. To date, no response was received.)
http://la.streetsblog.org/2014/05/16/north-figueroa-bike-lanes-public-safety-reps-against-public-safety-project/
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Montana
Mineral County Sheriff, schools to apply for community policing
by Adam Randall
MINERAL COUNTY – Mineral County Sheriff Ernie Ornelas announced a plan to the Mineral County Commissioners to help reduce crime in local schools.
Ornelas explained during the May 9 meeting that there is a grant program available called Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS. The grant would essentially provide the resources to install a school resource officer in local schools.
A school resource officer, or SRO would be warranted in Mineral County because of an increase in drug activity in area schools, which has spiked over the past year, Ornelas said. But, decreases in school and county budgets have made getting one out of pocket impossible.
“The issue is that we would like to have a school resource officer,” Ornelas said. “Trying to fund one is difficult as we haven't been able to afford one.”
The incoming officer would act as a part time SRO and part time probation officer.
Although the COPS grant would provide funding for three years, an optional fourth year would be up to the schools.
“The grant would pay for 75 percent of the cost, where the county would have to make up the other 25 percent, but a waiver may be available for that portion,” Ornelas said.
As of now, the sheriff has discussed the idea with all three school districts - Alberton, Superior and St. Regis, and all seem to be OK with the idea of an SRO.
“This SRO would be used specifically for school use which is a requirement of the grant,” Ornelas said.
Even though during the school year the officer would only be available to the schools, this person may be used at community events during the summer, for example, when school is not in session.
Every school district would be required to sit in during the interviewing process, but would also have to ask each candidate the same set of questions.
The application doesn't open until mid to late May, so it wouldn't be until June when the process closes, and the sheriffs department and school districts wouldn't likely be informed if they will receive an SRO or not until early fall at the latest.
“One of the things we would have to write into the grant since it's a 75/25 match is that we would have to talk to the schools and make sure they are willing to cover that 25 percent during the optional fourth year,” said Charlee Thompson of the Mineral County Attorney's office.
The officer would have to spend time at each school district within the county.
“My other intention is that since the officer will have to work at all the school districts, we would have to work out a plan for some type of equal scheduling,” Ornleas said. “We would also provide flexibility to that deputy for particular school functions, and this person would be handling some of the issues we are having now with the drugs.”
Even though the grant would establish the SRO position, other necessities like a vehicle, gas, and uniforms would have to be provided by the county.
The commissioners gave their approval for the application process to move forward.
“The whole idea of COPS is to provide community oriented policing,” Ornelas said. “There isn't anything more community oriented than the schools.”
http://www.vp-mi.com/mi_county/mineral-county-sheriff-schools-to-apply-for-community-policing/article_a511e45e-dc76-11e3-8e9f-0019bb2963f4.html
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Missouri
Early education for children is a top public-safety priority
As a prosecutor in St. Clair County, many grim statistics cross my desk everyday — not meaningless numbers but real human tragedy and wasted potential in high-poverty, high-crime communities.
That's the story behind the 826 young children who have lost state-supported preschool services in St. Clair and Madison counties between 2010 and 2012. Devastating budget cuts have erased early opportunities for one out of every five kids who once had local access to them. Statewide, the number is one out of four, representing 1,250 classrooms eliminated since 2009.
For anyone in the criminal justice system this is alarming, because research and common sense clearly indicate the possible repercussions.
For example, one study found that disadvantaged kids who did not receive a high-quality, early education were five times more likely to become chronic lawbreakers by age 27 than were the children with preschool opportunities.
Preschool provides kids with a jump on learning and life, making children more likely to do well in school, graduate on time, and avoid criminal behavior that carries tremendous costs for taxpayers, not to mention the individual families shattered by avoidable crime and violence.
Prosecutors and police know we can avoid many of these convictions-and-corrections costs through wiser, cheaper, more effective investments in crime-prevention efforts, like early learning.
Reaching more children with quality preschool is a top public-safety priority and a matter of both criminal and social justice. I join 300 other law-enforcement leaders of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Illinois in urging state policymakers to invest in our kids and invest in a safer future.
Brendan Kelly • Belleville
State's attorney, St. Clair County
http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-to-the-editor/early-education-for-children-is-a-top-public-safety-priority/article_c64e65b6-d955-569b-ba0f-6bafbf770f3d.html
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Washington
Stats show major drop in policing activity by Seattle cops
by Bryan Cohen
Citations for violations of the law in Seattle have dropped dramatically from 2004-2013 and officers are doing considerably less proactive policing, according to a report recently released by the Seattle Police Department in a briefing to the new Community Police Commission .
While many are saying the datasets require more study and discussion, the numbers reveal a major shift in policing results in the city and major signs of inequity in how Seattle Police now respond to simple crimes like consuming alcohol in public, smoking violations or traffic crimes. In Seattle Municipal Court, filings for non-traffic violations (theft, assault, trespass, etc.) have dropped 49%. The report also shows blacks are disproportionately cited for nearly all of the top minor infractions in the city.
The numbers were presented in a regular report to the Community Police Commission, which receives periodic data to determine if minorities are being disproportionately cited for criminal activity (they are). SPD officials did not offer any reasons for the trends, which occurred during a federal investigation into the department's use of force and targeting of minorities.
CHS recently used a different data set to show Capitol Hill's East Precinct is seeing an increasing percentage of the city's trespass incidents. We'll be looking for connections between the two datasets soon.
As calls for service have steadily increased in recent years, Seattle police officers have been increasingly less likely to initiate action on their own. “On-View” cases — referring to incidents starting with an SPD officer seeing a potential crime occurring — have dropped precipitously.
The drop in on-view totals is particularly interesting as SPD has integrated predictive policing software and strategies into its patrol schedules.
Meanwhile, the dataset also yields some interesting discoveries about how policing varies across the city. Only 3.3% of residents in Capitol Hill's East Precinct had one or more cases referred to Seattle Municipal Court in 2013, the second lowest percentage of the city's five precincts.
More elements of the report seem to reflect the overall drop in enforcement. The annual number of bookings in King County Jail has fallen off dramatically in recent years, dropping 51% from 2001-2013.
The data showed that blacks, which only represent 7.6% of the city's population, are disproportionately cited for nearly all minor infractions, including drugs, obstruction, and traffic violations. The infractions whites were disproportionally cited for? Bicycling, boating, and noise (colored blocks represent varying degrees of disproportionality).
Other interesting data points:
• Those who reside outside Seattle were responsible for half of the soliciting prostitution citations and a quarter of the public urination citations.
• The average age of those cited for public drinking in 2013 was 42-years-old, the highest average among the top 15 violations.
• In 14 of the city's 15 most cited violations, the Capitol Hill's East Precinct represented a smaller percentage of those citations than both West and North Precincts.
• Nearly half of all individuals in the city had 10+ cases in Seattle Municipal Court from 2004-2013 were black.
• Liquor and pedestrian infractions represented 79% of all minor citations from 2004-2013.
The new report surfaces as Seattle's search for a new police chief has entered a final stage in an effort to find a new leader for a beleaguered force battered by a reputation for improper use of force and its long battle with the Justice Department.
http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2014/05/stats-show-major-drop-in-policing-activity-by-seattle-cops/
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Alabama
Citizens hope to learn ins and outs of policing at Academy
by Rebecca Burylo
While some drove straight home after work, about a dozen Montgomery citizens decided to give of themselves to become the eyes and ears of their neighborhoods, streets and communities Tuesday through attending the Montgomery Citizen's Police Academy.
This week was the first of 11 classes that will meet from 6-9 p.m. at the Montgomery Police Academy downtown to teach participants about the Montgomery Police Department and the safety value of having a public and police partnership.
For one participant Jack Dismukes, 75, the classes will mean more knowledge to help with his own neighborhood watch and how he can become a better block captain.
“I'll be speaking from a basis of knowledge now rather than just my opinion or just guess work, “ Dismukes explained. “I also want to get acquainted with some of the people who keep my town and my city safe.”
Dismukes, a self-proclaimed Army brat is no stranger to serving others before self. He first joined the U.S. Navy, before retiring as a senior master sergeant with the Air Force Reserve Civil Engineering squadron at Maxwell Air Force base.
After a time working for a local bank, Dismukes has been volunteering as the head of his neighborhood watch at Brentwood where he and his wife have lived for eight years. They have lived in Montgomery for more than 30 years.
The first session introduced the class to each other and officers from the community policing bureau and patrol, VIPS or Volunteers in Police Service members and the Patrol Chaplain.
After hearing his instructors, Sgt. Natasha M. Walker and Corp. G. L. Dixion share their disorientation while chasing down a suspect, the fear of losing contact with dispatch, the desperation of having to use force and the sadness of handcuffing teens, Dismukes was intrigued.
“It's a thankless job, I recognize that and I want to learn what encourages these folks to put it on the line everyday. Where do they find the people that have that capacity and the willingness to do it?” Dismukes asked.
“They are being paid such a small salary by many standards to take on the responsibility of making the kinds of decisions that they have to make in an instant and to deal with the thankless and unreasonable situations that they run into all while keeping their own cool and hopefully bring it to a successful conclusion whatever that may be. I'm just curious,” he added.
The class will have an opportunity to learn that and much more as each one is encouraged to ask plenty of questions.
Throughout the coming weeks, the class will have opportunities to talk with crime scene detectives, the SWAT team, hostage negotiators, bike patrols and learn about investigations, burglaries, identity theft, the court system, domestic violence cases, K-9 units and much more.
During week six of the program, participants will have a chance to ride along with an officer during one of their patrols for first-hand experience.
For the first class, participants were taught the four police precincts and where their neighborhoods would fall under.
The next class, May 20 will include a lesson from the public information officer and information on internal affairs, criminal and constitutional law and the gang unit.
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/local/2014/05/15/citizens-hope-learn-ins-outs-policing-academy/9128547/
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Deleware
Human Relations Commission hears of policing goals
Dover Chief of Police Paul Bernat briefed the Dover Human Relations Commission Tuesday night on how the commission can interact with the police department.
by Jeff Brown
Dover, Del. -- Dover's Human Relations Commission was briefed Tuesday night on ways the group can interact with Dover Police to help communities better cooperate and better communicate with each other and with law enforcement.
The occasion was a special meeting of the nine-member panel called by Chairman Cecil Wilson; a highlight of the session was a briefing by Dover Chief of Police Paul Bernat.
The chief, who took office on April 4, said Dover Police are active in 49 home association or neighborhood watch groups within the city limits, and has a Community Policing Unit that works with those groups, offering information and assistance on topics such as safety, drug awareness, sex offender management and elderly assistance programs.
Bernat noted the department also offers detailed crime statistics for neighborhood organizations to help them understand what is happening around them.
One of the department's most successful crime fighting tools has been the use of social media, including Facebook and Twitter, which allows police to quickly broadcast throughout the city information about crimes within minutes after they take place.
One example of this was a February case where a suspect was caught within four hours of a Dover bank robbery. A photo of the robber and his car was put out over the Internet and retransmitted through the local media; the man was stopped by Harrington Police when someone recognized the car after seeing the police Facebook page.
Dover Police also are working on a tip line that can be accessed via text messaging, Bernat said.
The anonymity given the tipster is an important facet of the program.
“It just makes it easier for people to contact us,” he said, adding that people also feel safer in supplying crime information without their identities being a factor.
“As long as we know, we can investigate and find out who the culprits are,” Bernat said.
In other actions, Commissioner Eugene Ruane called for the newly-formed group to work out goals and a mission statement to guide the commission.
“People expect us to have a specific action agenda,” Ruane said.
Wilson also reminded the group to work hand-in-hand with City Council members to learn more about issues in each of their districts, and said the Dover commission will work closely with the state of Delaware's Human Relations Commission.
The next regular meeting of the HRC is scheduled for Tuesday, July 22.
http://www.doverpost.com/article/20140515/NEWS/140519802/10054/NEWS
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New York's September 11 Memorial Museum readies for its close-up
by Ellen Wulfhorst
(Slideshow on site)
A museum memorializing the September 11, 2001, attacks opens this week to victims' family members and next week to the public, displaying artifacts from mangled columns recalling the enormity of that fateful day to shattered eyeglasses recalling its personal pain.
Visitors to the National September 11 Memorial Museum in downtown Manhattan descend to exhibitions several stories below street level to be greeted by a Hudson River retaining wall that survived the attacks and a column scrawled with numbers of the police and firefighters who did not.
The museum is the culmination of eight years' work designing the exhibits, collecting artifacts and settling innumerable disputes over how best to document the day when hijacked planes slammed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and an open field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing nearly 3,000 people.
Battles over oversight and funding slowed construction even as reconstruction of the larger World Trade Center site was getting under way. In October 2012, the museum's lower levels were flooded in Superstorm Sandy.
"The museum is a place where you can come to understand 9/11 through the lives of those who were killed and the lives of those who rushed here to help," said former Mayor Michael Bloomberg as he introduced the museum to members of the media on Wednesday.
Among the most moving displays was a fire engine badly battered in the collapse of the twin towers, he said.
"All I could think of was, I wonder what happened to the firefighters that were assigned that day on that engine and whether they survived and what were their last thoughts if they didn't," he said.
The museum helps to convey the events and emotions of September 11 by using audio such as telephone messages left to loved ones from those who would die in the towers, and cockpit recordings from the doomed planes.
Some 35,000 people closely involved in creating the museum, including victims' relatives, will get a first look in the coming week. Doors open to the public on May 21.
"It is incredible, and it will wind up affecting different people in different ways, depending on their experiences," said Joel Shapiro, whose wife, Sareve Dukat, died in the South Tower.
Shapiro plans to be a docent at the museum, which sought input from curators, educators, architects, preservationists, family members, survivors, first responders, local residents, business owners and others.
A recent controversy involved moving unidentified remains of victims to the museum site. Some family members said it was wrong to store them at what is essentially a tourist site.
"Part of the ongoing drama of the site is that you have 3,000 families, and they don't agree with each other," said Richard Hankin, director of a documentary film "16 Acres" that traced the contentious rebuilding process.
More than half of the $700 million needed to build the museum and memorial was raised privately, and about $250 million came from federal disaster funding.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/14/us-usa-sept11-memorial-idUSBREA4D0RC20140514
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Government released hundreds of immigrant felons
by Alan Gomez
With President Obama's Department of Homeland Security finalizing a review of its deportation practices to see how they can be conducted "more humanely," critics are using a report that found 36,007 convicted criminals were released by immigration officials last year to call for an end to the review.
In 2013, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials freed 193 people who had been convicted of homicide, 426 of sexual assault, 303 of kidnapping and more than 16,000 with drunken-driving records.
The author of the report, conducted by the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that advocates for lower levels of immigration, said those releases show that the administration needs to be toughening its immigration enforcement efforts, not weakening them.
"In light of these numbers, it will be hard to justify further relaxation of enforcement or reductions in detention capacity, as the administration has sought," said Jessica Vaughan, the center's director of policy studies.
"Congress should resist further action on immigration reform until the public can be assured that enforcement is more robust and that ICE can better deal with its criminal alien caseload without setting them free in our communities."
ICE spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez said the report misses the fact that many of the releases were carried out under orders from U.S. courts. For example, she said 75% of the people released who had murder convictions were "mandatory releases."
Other cases listed in the report included people who could not be returned to their home country. Those people, Gonzalez said, cannot be held indefinitely in their custody.
Even when they're released, Gonzalez said, the undocumented immigrants were placed under restrictions such as GPS monitoring, telephone monitoring and in-person checks.
"Others, typically those with less serious offenses, were released as a discretionary matter after career law enforcement officers made a judgement regarding the priority of holding the individual, given ICE's resources, and prioritizing the detention and removal of individuals who pose a risk to public safety or national security," she said in a statement.
Ben Johnson, executive director of the American Immigration Council, a group that supports efforts to grant legal status to the nation's undocumented immigrants, said many of the people listed in the ICE report were green card holders and all had served their court-ordered terms in prison.
He said the report only serves as more "anti-immigrant fear-mongering at its lowest.
"Immigrants are demonized as dangerous criminals, despite the fact that they are less likely to commit serious crimes or be behind bars than the native-born," Johnson said. "Individual cases of serious crimes committed by immigrants are held up as proof that all of 'them' are a threat to 'us.'"
The report comes at a critical time in Washington, where Republicans in the House of Representatives are resisting a push to pass a broad immigration bill because of their lack of faith in Obama to enforce whatever new enforcement measures they may pass.
"The truth is that most could be detained by immigration authorities if the administration had the will to do so," read a joint statement from Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, former chairman of the committee. "These criminals should be locked up, not roaming our streets."
On the other side, Obama is getting heat from immigration advocates who say he has been too hard on undocumented immigrants. His administration has now deported more than two million people. And while most of those were people caught along the border, that figure is being used by immigration advocates to push for fewer deportations of the nation's 12 million undocumented immigrants.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/05/14/immigration-releases-convicted-felons/9090557/
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Americans Back Deah Penalty by Gas or Electrocution If No Needle: Poll
by Tracy Connor
A badly botched lethal injection in Oklahoma has not chipped away at the American public's support of the death penalty, although two-thirds of voters would back alternatives to the needle, an exclusive NBC News poll shows.
One in three people say that if lethal injections are no longer viable — because of drug shortages or other problems — executions should be stopped altogether, according to the survey of 800 adults by Hart Research and Public Opinion Strategies for NBC News.
But many others are open to more primitive methods of putting prisoners to death: 20% for the gas chamber, 18% for the electric chair, 12% for firing squad and 8% for hanging.
"The lethal injection is someone's very gross interpretation of killing someone humanely," said Kuni Beasley of Frisco, Texas, who called for a return to hanging.
"It's very quick. You don't have to worry about drugs and it's very efficient. Better than a firing squad — a firing squad is messy," said Beasley, 58, a retired Army officer and college-prep entrepreneur.
"There is no such thing as killing someone humanely," he added. "But if hanging is done properly, it's more humane than lethal injection because there are fewer things that can go wrong."
The most recent example of what can go wrong is the April 29 execution of Clayton Lockett, who appeared to regain consciousness and writhe in pain midway through. The procedure was halted but Lockett, convicted of rape and murder, died anyway.
The details of his death were condemned by the White House and provoked fresh debate over capital punishment and how it's carried out.
Most people polled said they knew about the uproar, but it did not appear to change minds about whether the government should kill murder convicts.
A comfortable majority of those questioned — 59% — said they favor the death penalty as the ultimate punishment for murder, while 35% said they are opposed.
That split is in line with surveys done before Lockett's death in the last two years, and also reflects the erosion of support for capital punishment since the 1990s, when it was more than 70%.
"I don't think this fundamentally altered views about the death penalty," said Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies.
Republicans, whites, Protestants and older people were more likely to favor execution than Democrats, blacks and Latinos, Catholics and young people.
More than a third of those in favor said the strongest argument for the death penalty is that it's an "appropriate consequence." A similar proportion of those against it said the risk of killing someone who had been wrongly convicted was the most powerful argument.
The population was split on whether execution or life in prison without parole is a worse punishment for murder.
Keith Marcheski, 52, of Allentown, Pa., fell into the latter category and brought a very personal perspective to the question since he was released from prison in November after serving nine years for a robbery he says he did not commit.
"I would rather be put to death than do my life in jail," said Marcheski, who does not believe the government should be killing prisoners.
"I keep track of two of the guys I knew who are doing life. One would rather be put to death. You live in a cell. The food is horrible. He doesn't get mail. He doesn't get visits."
Marsha Thompson, 25, a mechanic from Brooklyn, New York, agrees that life without parole is "more of a torture than being killed" but still thinks execution is appropriate in some cases.
And to her mind, lethal injection is the best option. "It's less aggressive than being killed by a firing squad or electrocuted," she said.
Gladys Pringle, an 82-year-old retiree from Port Royal, Pa., disagrees and thinks death-penalty states should swap out drug cocktails for bullets in light of reports that some condemned inmates have suffered on the gurney.
"It would be quick and with a firing squad no one knows whose bullet actually killed the person, so it's easier on them," she said.
"The most humane way is the guillotine but I can't see that coming back."
All 35 capital punishment states use lethal injection as their primary method, although eight of them would allow electrocution, gas, hanging or firing squad in some cases, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
But lethal injections are becoming increasingly difficult to carry out because pharmaceutical companies don't want their products used, some compounding pharmacies are getting out of the execution business, and inmates are trying to force states to reveal their suppliers.
Some state lawmakers have introduced measures that would bring back the older methods, but some pro-execution advocates believe that would lower support from a public that has gotten used to "medicalized" deaths.
"It makes people who would otherwise not favor the death penalty look more tolerably on it," said Beasley.
After the Lockett debacle, he is more convinced than ever that hanging is the best option.
After all, he said, "that's how they killed Saddam Hussein."
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/lethal-injection/americans-back-death-penalty-gas-or-electrocution-if-no-needle-n105346
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Connecticut
New Haven Public Safety Academy gives students hands-on education
by Rich Scinto
NEW HAVEN -- A group of James Hillhouse High School students sat intently as city fire Lt. Terrence Rountree explained how to select an area for treatment of mass casualties following a massive fire.
“Get them out of the danger zone,” Rountree said as he moved a laser pointer across a picture to illustrate where to select a treatment zone.
The goal was to get survivors to higher ground and sheltered from the wind.
Meanwhile, another group of students learned how to perform adult and infant CPR and the Heimlich maneuver by practicing on mannequins.
The New Haven Public Safety Academy has been active for 2½ years. The goal is not only to expose students to public safety careers such as police, fire and EMS, but also to prepare them to help the community when those emergency services aren't able to respond.
“We don't know when the benefit comes; it could come 10 years from now,” said Bill Garraty, one of the founders of the academy.
During the school day, Garraty is an administrative intern at Hillhouse and previously was a civics teacher. Before that he was a police officer and volunteer firefighter. Garraty and city fire Lt. Gary Tinney founded the academy together at Hillhouse.
Since then, 60 students have been certified in basic first aid and soon a total of about 20 students will be certified under FEMA's Community Emergency Response Team program. The program teaches civilians how they can help when a natural or man-made disaster strikes a community.
“We won't be able to handle everything,” Rountree said. “The more people from the public that can help, the better.”
Rountree recently began volunteering his time to teach the CERT class.
Hillhouse sophomore Brendon Stewartson, 16, aspires to become an EMT one day. That day may come sooner because participants in the academy can work toward their emergency medical responder and emergency medical technician certifications.
“It's my natural instinct to help people and it seemed like a good way to go about doing that,” Stewartson said, about his aspiration to become an EMT.
He said the academy helped solidify his decision to continue on the path toward certification.
One of the main goals of the academy is to expose students to a variety of public safety career paths, Tinney said. Many students wouldn't otherwise get the exposure.
“I grew up in New Haven and I never knew I wanted to be a firefighter,” Tinney said.
He happened to know a few retired firefighters who encouraged him to apply to become a city firefighter.
There also is a multitude of private sector jobs that touch upon law enforcement, firefighting and security that could become possible career paths, Tinney said.
The academy's success is one of the things New Haven Public Schools will look at as it implements a Public Safety and Law Academy at Hillhouse, said Superintendent of Schools Garth Harries. Hillhouse was selected for a redesign that will include two autonomous academies.
“It's the kind of training that prepares our young people for a career in public safety, but it also teaches the importance of skills like perseverance and diligence that will help them succeed in college,” Harries said in a statement about the current academy. “Students love it and we love that is creates relevance in their learning.”
The after-school public safety academy will still run once the in-school academy is established, Garraty said. The after-school program will feature more hands-on activities and still allow those that want it to get the first aid and other certifications.
Hillhouse senior Timothy Anderson, 17, said his goal is to become a city police officer. Anderson is in the academy as well as the Police Explorers program. He recently placed first in a Police Explorer's competition held in Meriden.
The scenario in the competition was that a woman had called 911 from her dorm room and threatened to commit suicide by shooting herself. Anderson and fellow Hillhouse police explorer and academy member Janiris Cortiger, 18, asked the woman to hand over her gun and talk about her problems.
Anderson was the back-up officer and scanned the room for clues as to why the woman was distraught. Cortiger sat down with the woman and talked about what was going on. Anderson asked whether the woman was on medication.
The woman had said she took too much. The scenario finished when the two explorers summoned an ambulance.
Anderson plans to go to Quinnipiac University to study criminal justice.
The academy has gotten support from the police and fire departments, Mayor Toni Harp and before that Mayor John DeStefano Jr., Gateway Community College and the Henry Lee Institute at the University of New Haven, among others.
Garraty and Tinney hope the academy will expand to other high schools throughout the city.
http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20140513/new-haven-public-safety-academy-gives-students-hands-on-education
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Massachusetts
Will the senate protect people with disabilities?
Now, people who are responsible for hiring caregivers to bathe, dress, and otherwise support people with disabilities can do little more than hope for the best.
by Meg Stone
In 2008, Bonnie Hungler, director of residential services at the disability service agency Bridgewell, thought she had the perfect candidate to fill a position that involved providing personal care to adults with disabilities.
The candidate had good references, no criminal history, excellent interpersonal skills and a strong rapport with the clients he was applying to serve. But as part of her routine screening, Bonnie requested information from the state about whether abuse allegations had ever been made against this candidate. She learned that he had been accused of physical abuse and that state investigators found enough evidence to substantiate the allegation.
Because of state budget cuts this cost-effective safeguard, which kept Bonnie from unknowingly putting the people she serves at risk, was discontinued in 2009. Now, people who are responsible for hiring caregivers to bathe, dress, and otherwise support people with disabilities can do little more than hope for the best.
The Massachusetts Disabled Persons Protection Commission, the state agency charged with investigating abuse against adults with disabilities, used to maintain a searchable database of all people named in abuse reports. The agency kept clear records of the results of investigations so that employers could distinguish abuse reports that were supported by evidence from those that were not. Prospective employees could not be searched without their written consent and numerous provisions were in place to protect the confidentiality of the information the searches produced.
DPPC database searches, which provide a more accurate picture of a person's history of abusive behavior than a criminal background check, were discontinued in 2009 when a series of budget cuts reduced the agency's staff from 32 to 28. Both Gov. Patrick and the House of Representatives released budgets that cut DPPC's already meager appropriation even further. For those who care about the safety and well-being of adults with disabilities, the Senate is the last hope.
In this week's budget deliberations, they should take decisive action to keep protective services from being even further compromised.
Studies conducted by the state Department of Public Health – and many other national and local sources – consistently find that people with disabilities are more likely than those without disabilities to be abused. People with intellectual disabilities face up to 10 times the risk. Yet Massachusetts continues to underfund the DPPC, despite the fact that the agency saw a 17 percent increase in abuse reports this year.
Criminal background checks identify some perpetrators, but the majority of those who harm the people they are supposed to serve have not been convicted of crimes. Only about 10 percent of the abuse reports DPPC receives are referred to law enforcement. A fraction of these cases are prosecuted. This means agencies that dutifully submit criminal background checks are identifying a small minority of people who have perpetrated abuse.
The reasons for this are complex. The criminal justice system can be re-traumatizing. Many abuse survivors – with and without disabilities – choose not to participate in prosecutions in order to preserve their mental health. Other barriers are specific to people with disabilities.
Though DPPC trained 749 police officers last year, there is no guarantee that a local police officer has the skills and training to communicate with a person with an intellectual disability. Also, some types of abuse, such as excessive restraints or withholding medication, may not rise to the level of criminal activity.
As a commonwealth, we are still reeling from the tragic consequences of understaffing at the Department of Children and Families. The awareness raised by these tragedies should extend to all the state's protective services. Senate President Therese Murray has a strong track record of advocating for people with disabilities. I hope her commitment will move her to fight hard against efforts by the Governor and House to even further compromise DPPC.
With an investment that is almost laughably modest – the database still exists, all DPPC needs is a person to coordinate performing the checks – the Massachusetts Legislature can show all of us that it takes the safety of people with disabilities seriously.
Meg Stone is the director of IMPACT:Ability, a program of Triangle, Inc. that empowers people with disabilities and communities to prevent abuse.
http://www.patriotledger.com/article/20140513/NEWS/140518702/12367/OPINION
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Texas
Texas won't alter execution method
State prison well-practiced in lethal injections
by Manny Fernandez and John Schwartz
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — If Texas executes Robert James Campbell for raping and murdering a woman as planned today, it will be the nation's first execution since Oklahoma's bungled attempt at lethal injection two weeks ago left a convicted murderer writhing and moaning before he died.
Campbell's lawyers are trying to use the Oklahoma debacle to stop the execution in Texas. But many in the state and in Huntsville — the east Texas town north of Houston where hundreds have been executed in the nation's busiest death chamber — like to say they do things right.
For two years now, Texas has used a single drug, the barbiturate pentobarbital, instead of the three-drug regimen used in neighboring Oklahoma. Prison administrators from other states often travel there to learn how Texas performs lethal injections and to observe executions. Texas officials have provided guidance and, on at least a few occasions, carried out executions for other states.
Even the protesters and TV cameras that used to accompany executions have largely dissipated. “ It's kind of business as usual,” said Tommy Oates, 62, a longtime resident who was eating lunch last week about one mile from the prison known as the Walls Unit. “That sounds cold, I know. But they're not in prison for singing too loud at church.”
More than any other place in the United States, Huntsville is the capital of capital punishment. All of the 515 men and women Texas has executed since 1982 by lethal injection and all of the 361 inmates it electrocuted from 1924 to 1964 were killed in the same prison in the same town, at the red-brick Walls Unit. Overall, Texas accounts for nearly 40 percent of the nation's executions.
Some of those who work in the system are proud of their expertise. Jim Willett, who was the warden at the Walls prison from 1998 to 2001, oversaw 89 executions. Staff members who prepare prisoners for execution are trained and skilled, he said. The “tie-down team” that straps the prisoners onto the table, “can take that man back there and put those straps on perfectly and easily in 30 seconds.
This may sound odd to an outsider, but they take pride in what they do.” He added, “They've done it so often that it's almost second nature to them.”
Gov. Rick Perry is a staunch defender of the state's record, saying that “in Texas for a substantially long period of time, our citizens have decided that if you kill our children, if you kill our police officers, for those very heinous crimes, that the appropriate punishment is the death penalty.”
On Meet the Press recently, he added, “I'm confident that the way that the executions are taken care of in the state of Texas are appropriate.”
Some of those who condemn the state grudgingly agree that it kills with efficiency — from initial slumber into cessation of breathing.
David R. Dow, a law professor at the University of Houston who has represented more than 100 Death Row inmates during their appeals, explained the state's record of seeming success simply. “ When you do something a lot, you get good at it,” he said, adding archly, “I think Texas probably does it as well as Iran.”
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/national_world/2014/05/13/texas-wont-alter-execution-method.html
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From ICE
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement honors fallen law enforcement officers
WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employees, leadership, family members of ICE fallen officers and distinguished guests, including Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson and DHS Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, gathered at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial on May 12 and gave a moving tribute to law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty.
The ICE Valor Memorial and Wreath Laying Ceremony coincided with National Police Week, an annual event established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962 as a way to honor fallen law enforcement officers, began with the posting of colors by the ICE Honor Guard. Bradley E. White sang the national anthem, and Reverend Monsignor Salvatore Criscuolo gave the invocation.
In his remarks, ICE Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Thomas Winkowski said, "Each year, we gather together to honor those in law enforcement who died in the line of duty. This is a time for us to reflect and remember the federal agents and officers who lost their lives while protecting us, our families and the people of this great nation."
Winkowski acknowledged Karen Donnelly, sister of fallen Customs Agent Roger Von Amelunxen and Dorene Kulpa-Friedli, widow of ICE fallen officer Gary P. Friedli, who attended the ceremony and also participated by placing a rose in their fallen loved one's name in front of the ICE ceremonial wreath.
"We thank the families of our fallen heroes," said Winkowski. "We will never forget the mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, brothers, sisters and children who keep their loved ones alive by sharing their memories with us."
Secretary Johnson also addressed attendees, saying, "We honor the memory of your loved one with the permanent memorial like the one you see here. Their memory and their sacrifice will be enshrined forever in this monument. We return here once a year to remember them at this site." The Secretary continued, saying to families of fallen officers, "As the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, the deputy secretary and I pledge to be there for you, to always support you and to always honor the memory of your family member."
A roll call of ICE fallen officers was followed by the playing of Taps by John D. Nelson. Bagpipers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ICE played Amazing Grace.
The ceremony closed with the benediction by Rev. Crisuolo. Richard Schuck, deputy chief of staff, protocol and special events at ICE, who officiated at the ceremony, urged guests to take a moment to reflect upon the sacrifice of many while walking around the wall of honor.
http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1405/140512washingtondc3.htm
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From the Department of Homeland Security
Statement From Deputy Press Secretary Marsha Catron on Secretary Johnson & Deputy Secretary Mayorkas' Participation in National Police Week Events
WASHINGTON – On May 12-15, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas will participate in National Police Week events to honor the service and sacrifice of law enforcement professionals, including members of the Department of Homeland Security, who lost their lives in the line of duty.
On Monday, May 12, Secretary Johnson and Deputy Secretary Mayorkas, joined by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Tom Winkowski, will participate in the ICE Valor Memorial and Wreath Laying Ceremony at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. Secretary Johnson will join President Obama and Vice President Biden to honor the 2014 National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) TOP COPS award winners at the White House.
On Tuesday, May 13, Secretary Johnson and Deputy Secretary Mayorkas, joined by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske, participate in the CBP Valor Memorial and Wreath Laying Ceremony at Woodrow Wilson Plaza. Secretary Johnson will also deliver remarks and participate in the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund 26 th Annual Candlelight Vigil at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. Deputy Secretary Mayorkas, CBP Commissioner Kerlikowske, U.S. Secret Service Director Julia Pierson, U.S. Coast Guard Vice Admiral Paul Zukunft, ICE Deputy Director Dan Ragsdale and other DHS management will also attend.
On Thursday, May 15, Deputy Secretary Mayorkas, joined by U.S. Secret Service Director Pierson, ICE Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Winkowski, CBP Commissioner Kerlikowske and Deputy Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, will participate in the National Peace Officers' Memorial Service at the U.S. Capitol.
http://www.dhs.gov/news/2014/05/09/statement-deputy-press-secretary-marsha-catron-secretary-johnson-deputy-secretary
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Prepare for Tornadoes and Severe Weather
Find tips on what to do before, during and after a tornado and severe weather on Ready.gov
Tornadoes are nature's most violent storms. Spawned from powerful thunderstorms, tornadoes can cause fatalities and devastate a neighborhood in seconds. A tornado appears as a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground with whirling winds that can reach 300 miles per hour. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long. Every state is at some risk from this hazard. Some tornadoes are clearly visible, while rain or nearby low-hanging clouds obscure others. Occasionally, tornadoes develop so rapidly that little, if any, advance warning is possible. Before a tornado hits, the wind may die down and the air may become very still. A cloud of debris can mark the location of a tornado even if a funnel is not visible. Tornadoes generally occur near the trailing edge of a thunderstorm. It is not uncommon to see clear, sunlit skies behind a tornado.
Before a Tornado
• To begin preparing, you should build an emergency kit and make a family communications plan.
• Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or to commercial radio or television newscasts for the latest information. In any emergency, always listen to the instructions given by local emergency management officials.
• Be alert to changing weather conditions. Look for approaching storms.
• Look for the following danger signs:
• Dark, often greenish sky
• Large hail
• A large, dark, low-lying cloud (particularly if rotating)
• Loud roar, similar to a freight train.
• If you see approaching storms or any of the danger signs, be prepared to take shelter immediately.
http://www.ready.gov/tornadoes
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Maryland
Johns Hopkins program trains leaders in public safety
by Joe Sugarman
In the early 1990s, Polly Hanson was a 40-something-year-old captain in the D.C. Metro Transit police force. She had always wanted to go to graduate school—and even had a stack of college catalogs under her bed to prove it—but she could never find an appropriate program. Then, at a training session, she met Sheldon Greenberg, associate director of a Washington-based law enforcement think tank, who told the group that he was helping Johns Hopkins start a special graduate-level program for leaders in public safety. "I couldn't stop raising my hand, asking questions," Hanson recalls. "I basically accosted him after his talk."
In 1994, Hanson would join the first cohort of students at the newly christened Police Executive Leadership Program, part of what was then Johns Hopkins' School of Continuing Studies. At the time there was nothing like it in the country. Twenty years later, now known as the Division of Public Safety Leadership and part of the School of Education, there still isn't.
The idea for the program was hatched by Greenberg and Stanley Gabor, then dean of the School of Continuing Studies, who had come up with a somewhat radical plan. Their idea was to use the liberal arts—classes in ethics, literature, economics, and history—to teach upper-level public safety officials the leadership skills they needed to run their departments. There would be no courses in criminal justice or law enforcement. Instead, the students, who would progress through the two-year program in cohorts, would learn about, and from, great leaders of the past, the nuances of community development, the history of racial conflict, even strategies employed by generals during the Battle of Gettysburg.
"We wanted to provide access to ideas they would not normally be exposed to—different types of leadership courses in the arts and humanities and business," recalls Greenberg, who in 2012 stepped down after leading the division for 18 years. (Doug Ward now heads the program.) "To be a really solid leader in our field, you need to think through things that the traditional leadership courses don't give you. And you need to have a historical basis on how we got where we are, so that you don't make the same mistakes we've made in the past."
The program was a success from the start, filling a void for area public safety chiefs.
"We were great tacticians, and we were great at getting new kids in the door and teaching them to be cops, but there was nothing to prepare us for managing and leading, budgeting, and dealing with social issues in our communities," says Teresa Chambers, who, as a captain with the Prince George's County Police Department, was among a half dozen law enforcement officials who provided input before the program got off the ground.
During the last two decades, PSL has granted degrees to more than 1,000 leaders from all branches of public service: law enforcement, fire/EMS, emergency management, transit, campus safety, private security, and the intelligence and military communities. The division now offers both nondegree and degree programs, including a bachelor of science and master of science in management and a master of science in intelligence analysis, and has trained more than 20,000 public safety leaders as part of noncredit programs. Nearly 80 of its graduates have gone on to become chiefs of police and leaders at government agencies, including many notable minority and women alumni, such as Cathy Lanier, head of the D.C. Police Department, and Melissa Hyatt, a lieutenant colonel with the Baltimore City force.
"From the first day, I was immediately impressed," recalls Hyatt, who entered the program in 2009, as a sergeant. "The fact that we were in cohorts, groups of our peers, was a really attractive feature. I'm always trying to learn from those around me, and it was a very diverse group of people with diverse backgrounds—police, fire, federal law enforcement. I was constantly learning from my classmates."
"Early on, we said we will not run a cohort if it's not diverse," recalls Greenberg. "We needed to change the profession to be more reflective of communities we serve. Throughout the past 20 years, our enrollment has exceeded the percentage of women and minorities in public safety nationally by leaps and bounds."
One of those women was Chambers, who attended PSL during its second year and says that the experience was invaluable in helping her advance. "For women in particular, who were trying to move up the ranks, we knew that higher education was the way," says Chambers, who later taught several cohorts at Hopkins and went on to lead the Durham, N.C., Police Department and the U.S. Park Police before retiring in December.
She also says that those early years were important in bringing together regional leaders who may have previously bristled at collaborating. "At that time, police agencies weren't sharing with one another, and especially larger agencies had this unhealthy ego that they didn't need anyone's help. But it was a whole new era for all of us in that class. It was such an exciting opportunity to see the world of policing from different points of view and then apply it," says Chambers, who worked closely with Lanier during the Washington Navy Yard shootings last year.
Kathy Patek was the ninth woman to join the Baltimore City police force, in 1974, and earned her bachelor's degree from PSL 25 years later as a commander. She says the program helped her see the big picture. "When you're a cop, you kind of get tunneled into thinking in a certain way. But the course work really helped me look at things differently. I remember the class on Gettysburg, looking at leadership and Pickett's Charge. Really, how does a person get all these people to charge up a hill when they know they're going to die?"
Polly Hanson went on to become chief of the D.C. Metro Transit Police and since 2012 has overseen more than 500 officers in 46 states as chief of the Amtrak police force. And she still has the "class picture" of her cohort behind her desk at work. "I remember the day we took that picture," she says. "We're all dressed fancy pants in our uniforms and we went to the [Hopkins] cafeteria and everybody was like, 'Oh my God. Is it a raid?' Everybody stopped eating. You could hear a pin drop."
Looking back, Hanson says she can't believe 20 years have passed since she made her decision to get an advanced degree. "It was one of those things—at the end we knew we were part of something wonderful because we were the first. The opportunity to be part of such a prestigious program at a wonderful learning institution and then be the group that began it all was just such a privilege and an honor. It still is."
http://hub.jhu.edu/gazette/2014/may-june/focus-teaching-top-cops
