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August, 2014 - Week 4

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Media Coverage May Fuel the Flames in Ferguson

by Steven L. Youngblood

Seldom have the stakes been higher for the media as they moved in to cover the Michael Brown shooting and aftermath in Ferguson, Mo. Responsible coverage could help inform and empower the community to react nonviolently, while irresponsible coverage could fuel the flames while demonizing Brown.

There has been some productive, analytical coverage, including an article in the Kansas City Star on August 18, “Violence in Ferguson Didn't Have to Happen,” in which the authors highlight nonviolent perspectives in the Ferguson community, a CNN town hall meeting about race on August 19 and an insightful NPR report on August 19, about daily life amid turmoil for Ferguson residents. However, much of the Ferguson coverage has been superficial, sensational and lacking context, while feeding well-worn stereotypes and narratives. Instead of informing and empowering the Ferguson community to resolve their conflict nonviolently, irresponsible mass media coverage, in large quantities, seems to have only fanned the flames of this conflict.

My colleagues and I conducted an advanced news search of 318 newspapers' coverage of Michael Brown's death and the aftermath in Ferguson on Aug. 18. Our search showed hits but, of course, didn't address tone, nuance or quality. Still, the results are revealing. The news search showed intense coverage of “Ferguson, Missouri” (389 articles) and “Ferguson, Missouri and riots” (197 articles). Also, a simple Google search turned up 1,320,000 “Ferguson riots” videos.

While no one would suggest that the riots and civil unrest should be ignored by journalists, one could argue that excessive media coverage of the unrest in Ferguson overshadows the reason for the conflict—Michael Brown's killing.

The coverage in Ferguson is reminiscent of traditional war coverage that centers on the “action”–who bombed whom–while marginalizing the underlying causes of the conflict and the search for peace. Our news search uncovered two articles under “Ferguson, Missouri and peaceful solutions,” and zero articles for “Ferguson, Missouri and finding peace.”

Michael Brown's portrayal is also revealing. The database search showed 1,061 newspaper stories about Brown. Of these, “Michael Brown and victim” had just five articles, and “Michael Brown and innocent” yielded six articles. Meanwhile, “Michael Brown and criminal” had a whopping 337 hits – meaning that stories linking Brown to criminal activity occurred in over one-third of the total stories mentioning his name.

The coverage of Brown typifies the media narrative of young black men as criminals and thugs, a narrative well documented by researchers and easily illustrated by ubiquitous news coverage of the video allegedly showing Brown stealing cigars from a convenience store. Most media responsibly noted that the robbery did not seem to have a connection to the attempted arrest of Brown. Yet, as anchors repeated this over and over, they also showed the video over and over, leaving a powerfully negative impression on the viewer that no words or disclaimers can wash away.

More responsible reporting using a peace journalism framework would not blame the victim. Better reporting would highlight the voices of a broader range of peacemakers and explore solutions to the crisis in Ferguson. More responsible coverage would eschew the sensational live video coverage of the stand-off. Better still, media coverage could have proactively spotlighted the striking racial imbalance in Ferguson between the police and the population and, in the process, encouraged a much needed dialogue.

Given the tone and volume of current news coverage, it's hard to conclude that media coverage hasn't exacerbated the crisis in Ferguson. Perhaps media should pay better attention to their potential real-world impacts and take responsibility for their coverage.

http://lasvegas.informermg.com/2014/08/30/media-coverage-may-fuel-flames-ferguson/

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Missouri

Ferguson Protesters Hope To Transform Anger Into Change

by Mariah Stewart

FERGUSON, Mo. — Hundreds of demonstrators tracked through pouring rain and blistering heat on Saturday, calling for accountability for the officer who gunned down an unarmed 18-year-old here three weeks ago and for broader policing reforms.

The death of Michael Brown and the aggressive police response to the demonstrations that followed have sparked a national conversation about race and law enforcement. Now that much of the national media has moved on -- a point that was repeatedly made by speaker after speaker at a rally in a nearby park on Saturday -- activists are working on channeling the anger exposed in the wake of Brown's death into concrete changes to policing tactics in the St. Louis region.

Some of the most recognizable faces from the past three weeks of protests were out on the scene on Saturday, including Brown's family members, Missouri state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, St. Louis Alderman Antonio French, Ferguson Democratic committeewoman Patricia Bynes and Edward Crawford, the 25-year-old captured in a now-iconic photo hurling a flaming tear gas canister back at police officers while wearing an American flag T-shirt.

Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, wore a T-shirt bearing an image of her son that read, “A Bond Never Broken.” She was protected by suited-up members of the Nation of Islam as she and Brown's father, Michael Brown Sr., made their way across town. Spread out across the route were tables stacked with shirts with slogans like "I survived the Ferguson riots" and "I am Mike Brown." There were also booths where protesters could register to vote and petitions calling for the indictment of Darren Wilson, the Ferguson police officer who shot Brown dead on Aug. 9.

The crowd, which numbered over 1,000 people, made its way from the Canfield Green apartment complex, where Brown died, to West Florissant Avenue, the epicenter of the protests and the home of businesses that were looted. Then the protesters marched up Ferguson Avenue, in the direction of the police station. As rain poured down, they headed to Forestwood Park, where a massive tent and a stage on loan from the St. Louis County Parks Department were set up.

The crowd was mostly black, but it included plenty of white demonstrators as well. One of them was Michael Maresco, 50, a Ron Paul supporter from Richmond Heights, Missouri, who was carrying a massive rainbow Tea Party flag and said he was there to call for police accountability. Another was Janet Cuenca, a 76-year old retired teacher, who rode a motorized scooter and wore a shirt that read, “I can't believe I'm still protesting this crap."

Police officers kept a light touch as the demonstrators blocked streets, wearing only normal uniforms and driving regular police cars. Heavily-armored, military-style vehicles were nowhere to be seen, nor were officers in riot gear or canisters of tear gas.

"Should be a nice anti-me rally,” Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson told The Huffington Post. Indeed, speakers on the stage called on both Jackson and Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III to resign their positions.

Anthony Shahid, an older gentleman who has been out in the streets wearing chains during the protests and who marched next to Brown's mother on Saturday, called on the crowd to stop their cars along the highway on Monday as an act of civil disobedience. He said people should stop at 4:30 p.m. for four and a half minutes, meant to represent the four and a half hours Brown's body lay in the street after his death.

Silver Moore, an activist with the Detroit chapter of the group Black Lives Matter, said she came to get across a message. “We matter enough not to be gunned down by police," she said. "We matter enough not to have our bodies left in the street for four hours."

After several speeches by activists and community members, small groups of protesters broke away and headed to North Florissant Road, where they gathered in front of the police station. Eventually the rest of the demonstrators joined them, blocking off traffic in the street as officers formed a line in front of the station.

Some of the cops were from Ferguson, while others were from St. Louis County or the Missouri Highway Patrol. Nearly all of the Ferguson officers were wearing small, clip-on body cameras, donated by two companies in the wake of Brown's death. Some, but not all, of the officers were wearing name plates.

A few hours later, the crowd had thinned out, but some of the more aggressive demonstrators remained. One man yelled an anti-gay slur at officers, and said that one of the cops “looked like a child molester.” He screamed "fuck you" at the officers over and over again.

Black police officers came under particular scrutiny from that small number of demonstrators, and attempts by others -- including French -- to calm them down were unsuccessful.

“Your son look like us, right? Your son look like us? Your son look just like us, you gotta feel us bro,” one man yelled at a black cop. A woman asked an officer if his "master" had let him come to the protest.

Even Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson, whose management of the police response to the demonstrations has drawn praise from the community, was at the receiving end of some harsh insults.

“He's a sell-out!” said a man who repeatedly hurled an anti-black slur at Johnson and would only identify himself as “Mike Brown." “Over here acting like you running these cops -- you ain't running shit!” he said. “The people make a move right now, what you gonna do? Call the white man. You can't even say shoot! You gotta call the white man and ask, can you shoot?”

Johnson raised his phone at one point and appeared to take a photo of the man. Later, as the crowd continued to disperse, a few officers grabbed the man and took him into custody, quickly walking him behind the line of police officers and, presumably, into a Ferguson jail cell. Neither Johnson and nor any other officers would say why the man was being arrested.

At McDonald's, on the other side of town, former St. Louis Rams cornerback Aeneas Williams sat at a table, chatting with several residents about what kind of change was needed in Ferguson and about what should happen to Wilson. On his way out the door, Williams stopped to chat with a man in a white T-shirt who was charging his phone.

“If he don't go to jail," the man said, "they gonna burn this city down."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/30/ferguson-protests-michael-brown_n_5742710.html

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Ohio

Family calls for federal handling of contested Ohio shooting

by Matt Hansen

Family and supporters of a 22-year-old African American man shot and killed by police in an Ohio Walmart continued to push for answers more than two weeks after the incident.

John Crawford III was shot by police Aug. 5 after police in the Dayton suburb of Beavercreek responded to a customer's 911 call saying a man was brandishing a weapon. Crawford was, in fact, holding an air rifle sold in Walmart stores, according to police.

Police say that Crawford did not put down the gun when requested by officers, who opened fire.

In response to the incident, Ohio Atty. Gen. Mike DeWine appointed a special prosecutor who will present evidence to a grand jury in mid-September to determine if charges should be filed against the officers.

Beavercreek police have released video and audio records from police dashboard cameras and dispatchers. The recordings do not depict the shooting but capture the police response from outside the store.

Crawford's relatives say they remain frustrated by what they see as a slow state response and the refusal of officials to publicly release store surveillance video. The family believes the surveillance video shows that Crawford made no threatening moves toward police, according to attorney Michael Wright, who represents the family.

On Saturday, protesters gathered outside the store to call on authorities to release the video.

“There has been so much negativity and so much misinformation related to their son, that they want to show their son did nothing wrong,” Wright said Saturday.

Wright told the Los Angeles Times that Crawford was facing away from the officers when he was shot, and that he never pointed the weapon in their direction or made any threatening moves.

Wright said he has seen the video and that it exonerates Crawford.

“We saw a young man in a Walmart doing absolutely nothing wrong and getting shot by police,” Wright said. “They could release the video and let the public see and make it clear that Mr. Crawford was not responsible for his own death.”

Crawford's family has called on the U.S. Department of Justice to take over the investigation from DeWine, who Wright says has conflicts of interests in the case because of his ties to Greene County, where he began his career as a prosecutor and where the shooting took place. Federal prosecutors have told the family that they are monitoring the situation.

Officials with the attorney general's office defend their investigation. They have appointed a special prosecutor from another county with experience in police-involved shootings, and they have worked closely with FBI investigators and federal attorneys, a spokesman said.

State investigators have reviewed footage from the hundreds of in-store cameras in the Walmart, have conducted more than 60 interviews, and have reviewed the backgrounds of officers involved in the shooting, according to a statement.

As for the video, DeWine is not required to release the footage to the public if it's the subject of an ongoing investigation, said spokesman Dan Tierney.

“Under Ohio law, any materials that are obtained as part of an investigation don't necessarily have to be released,” Tierney said in an interview. “The attorney general hasn't released anything related to this investigation.”

In a news conference earlier this month, DeWine vowed to release the efforts of what he said was an in-depth investigation.

“The good news is that we have evidence, and we have pictures. The bad news is, it just takes a while to have it put together,” he said.

Neither Beavercreek Police nor Walmart representatives were immediately available for comment.

Wright said that unlike the recent police-involved shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., the Crawford case was all captured on video.

“Everyone can see what happened," he said. "All he was doing was what Walmart wants people to do: pick things up off the shelf and shop.”

http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-walmart-ohio-shooting-20140830-story.html

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California

Residents call for 'community policing' to fight racial bias

by Dana Littlefield and John Wilkens

SAN DIEGO — The world was watching last month when tensions boiled over in Ferguson, Mo., after an unarmed black teenager was shot and killed by a white police officer.

Protests in the St. Louis suburb were met with a police response that included officers in military-type gear, firing rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowds. It was a spectacle that dominated the news for weeks.

San Diegans were watching, too.

Some who looked at the citizens of Ferguson, saw glimpses of themselves.

“The people don't trust the police,” said Mario Lewis, a business owner in the Encanto neighborhood of southeastern San Diego. “A lot of young people (here) are looking at the police as an occupying force.”

Although there are population and demographic differences between San Diego County and St. Louis County, many local residents say the tensions are similar. Racial profiling has been cited as one of the contributing factors to the unrest in Ferguson, and some San Diegans say they, too, have been unfairly stopped and harassed because of the color of their skin.

“It's always ‘Where are you going?' ‘Whose car is this?' ‘Are you on probation?' ‘Are you on parole?'” said Lei-Chala Wilson, president of the San Diego branch of the NAACP. “It's the initial contact that aggravates the tension.”

All sides agree that one of the best ways to prevent racial profiling, real or perceived, is to put a greater focus on community-oriented policing, something San Diego police say they're already doing to some degree.

“We have formed many outstanding partnerships with different groups throughout the city and positive steps are being made every day to strengthen those relationships and build new ones,” said Lt. Kevin Mayer, a spokesman for the department. “We believe we can always do better. The chief has set the bar high for the department and when we reach those goals, we are going to raise the bar again.

“Our community deserves the very best police department.”

Community-oriented policing involves assigning officers to specific neighborhoods so they can get to know residents and merchants and work with them to identify and address the underlying causes of crime.

It's been around in San Diego since the early 1970s, when a young lieutenant named Norm Stamper, who later became chief of police in Seattle, wrote a paper advocating its use.

Known by various names over the years, including “problem-oriented policing” or “STOP (Selective Tactics of Policing),” it gained traction here, and around the country, in the wake of the 1991 Rodney King beating by officers in Los Angeles.

One of the first areas where it was deployed locally was City Heights, which in the early 1990s had a rate of violent crime more than double the citywide average. STOP teams moved in, and by shutting down crack houses and fixing parks helped make the area safer.

Now community-oriented policing involves things like Neighborhood Watch, Citizens Patrols, and the Drug Abatement Response Team, which targets buildings known for drug activity.

Like-minded initiatives include gun buy-back programs and last-year's retrofitting of a 2007 Crown Victoria patrol car into a customized lowrider known as “The Guardian” as a way to improve the relationship between police and the lowrider community.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/aug/30/community-policing-san-diego-police-race-profiling/

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New York

Letter to the Editor

Community policing can help prevent tragedies

New York Police Department Commissioner Ben Ward upset many people years ago when he spoke of “our dirty little secret” – the vast representation of people of color among the ranks of victims and perpetrators of crime. He offered community policing as a remedy.

Over the decades since, we have ignored that little secret and substituted for it a great big one. As police agencies across the nation adopted data-driven policing, of which today's NYPD Commissioner William Bratton is the father, this strategy has cloaked racist results in a veneer of statistical justification. Crime remains overwhelmingly a concern for communities of color, and, yet, their voices are not heard in discussion on what to do about it.

At the recent annual conference of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police, Mr. Bratton got a hero's welcome and gave a 10-minute speech in which he portrayed himself as an avatar of the great 19th-century police innovator Robert Peel on the strength of his CompStat and “broken windows” policing tactics. Toward the end of his talk, he used the phrase “community policing.” He didn't say what he meant by it.

Given the dramatic exposure of the depth of distrust that the Eric Garner and Michael Brown cases have elicited across the nation and the influence that Mr. Bratton has nationwide, he should seize the opportunity these tragedies provide to champion community policing and get American law enforcement back on track.

http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion/community-policing-can-help-prevent-tragedies/30616/

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From the Department of Justice

Court Approves Police Reform Agreement in Portland, Oregon

Today, the United States won court approval of a settlement agreement to reform the ways in which the Portland Oregon Police Bureau (“PPB”) interacts with individuals with actual or perceived mental illness. The agreement was entered jointly by the United States and the city of Portland, Oregon, with the approval of the Albina Ministerial Alliance Coalition for Justice and Police Reform (“AMA Coalition”) and Portland Police Association (“PPA”). The agreement addresses constitutional claims in a civil action filed by the United States pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. In today's order, the court approved the agreement with the requirement that the parties appear for periodic hearings to provide the court progress on implementation of the agreement.

The agreement requires changes—many of which PPB has already begun to implement—in PPB's policy, training, supervisory oversight, community-based mental health services, crisis intervention, employee information systems, officer accountability and community engagement and oversight. The agreement also calls for innovative new mechanisms for ongoing community involvement in the implementation of reforms. In addition, the agreement establishes an independent compliance officer and community liaison (“COCL”), who will be responsible for synthesizing data related to PPB's use of force, reporting to the city council, the Justice Department and the public and gathering input from the public related to PPB's compliance with the agreement. Finally, the agreement lays the framework for a community oversight advisory board (“COAB”), which will be a crucial mechanism for civil engagement in the reform process.

“We are committed to continuing to work with our partners in the community throughout the reform process to ensure full implementation of the settlement agreement,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Molly Moran for the Civil Rights Division. “We applaud the city's efforts to implement portions of the settlement agreement during the pendency of the litigation. We are pleased to provide the court information about reforms through ongoing periodic hearings. We are also appreciative of the continued collaboration with the AMA Coalition and the participation of the PPA to resolve these issues to enable the entry of the settlement agreement. We look forward to the positive changes that these civil rights reforms will bring about for the people of Portland.”

“Today's decision is the culmination of significant work on the part of all parties to reach such a groundbreaking resolution for the citizens of Portland ,” said U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall for the District of Oregon. “We are very grateful to the court for entering this order, and look forward to continued collaboration with the city of Portland, the Portland Police Bureau, the Portland Police Association, the Albina Ministerial Alliance Coalition for Justice and Police Reform , and all citizens of Portland to ensure the letter and the spirit of this agreement are upheld.”

The United States' complaint followed an investigation, launched on June 8, 2011, and conducted by the Civil Rights Division's Special Litigation Section and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon. The investigation focused on whether PPB engages in unconstitutional or unlawful policing through the use of excessive force, with a specific focus on the use of force against people with actual or perceived mental illness or in mental health crisis.

In a September 2012 findings letter detailing the outcome of the 14-month investigation, the Justice Department found that most uses of force by PPB officers were lawful and reasonable, but it also found reasonable cause to believe that PPB engages in a pattern or practice of excessive force, in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, in certain contexts. Following the release of the findings letter, the United States and the city engaged in settlement negotiations resulting in the settlement agreement, which the city council voted to approve. The city fully cooperated with the United States throughout its investigation and was eager to address problems identified in the United States' findings letter regarding Portland Police Bureau's policies, practices, training and supervision through entry of the settlement agreement.

On Dec. 17, 2012, the United States initiated a lawsuit against the city and, with the city's cooperation, concurrently filed a joint motion asking the court to approve the negotiated settlement agreement and conditionally dismiss the case. Specifically, the United States' complaint alleged that PPB engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force on individuals with actual or perceived mental illness by: (1) too frequently using a higher level of force than necessary; (2) using electronic control weapons (“ECWs”), commonly referred to as “Tasers,” in circumstances when such force is not justified, or deploying ECWs more times than necessary on an individual; and (3) using a higher degree of force than justified for low-level offenses.

Both PPA and the AMA Coalition subsequently moved to intervene in the suit, seeking to join the case as parties and objecting to the proposed settlement agreement. The court partially granted PPA's motion to intervene and granted the AMA Coalition enhanced amicus status, allowing the AMA Coalition to participate in the litigation. The court then ordered all parties to mediation to attempt to resolve PPA's and the AMA Coalition's objections to the settlement agreement. Such mediation efforts have resulted in a memorandum of understanding with PPA and a separate agreement previously reached with the AMA Coalition.

Following a fairness hearing on the settlement agreement, the court previously found that the settlement agreement is substantively fair, reasonable and adequate. The court found, however, that it needed a procedure to receive information on the city's implementation of reforms on at least an annual basis. In today's ruling, the court required the parties and COCL to file quarterly reports with the court and required the parties to appear for periodic hearings to describe to the court the progress being made toward achieving substantial compliance with all provisions of the settlement agreement and any obstacles or impediments toward that end, and to respond to the court's questions on these issues.

The assigned attorneys in the United States Attorney's Office in Portland were Bill Williams, Adrian Brown and David Knight. From the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., the assigned attorneys were Laura Coon, Jonas Geissler and Michelle Jones.

For more information on the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, please visit www.justice.gov/crt. If you have any comments or concerns specific to this matter, please feel free to contact us at community.portland@usdoj.gov or 1-877-218-5228.

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2014/August/14-crt-922.html

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From the Department of Homeland Security

DHS Achieves Trusted Traveler Program Milestones

WASHINGTON - The Department of Homeland Security recently achieved two major milestones for its trusted traveler programs. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Pre ? ™ application program, which began in December 2013, has now enrolled more than half a million travelers. Additionally, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has enrolled more than three million users in their trusted traveler programs: Global Entry, NEXUS and SENTRI. Together, all of these DHS trusted traveler programs provide an improved passenger experience, while enhancing security and increasing system-wide efficiencies.

“These programs enable us to facilitate and expedite travel to, from, and within the United States, while maintaining the highest standards of security,” said Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. “We will continue to work to improve the passenger experience for millions of travelers who go through our airports every day, in a manner that is efficient, effective and secure.”

TSA Pre ? ™ allows low-risk travelers to experience faster, more efficient screening at 118 U.S. airports nationwide currently. TSA Pre ? ™ is an expedited screening program that allows pre-approved airline travelers to leave on their shoes, light outerwear and belt, keep their laptop in its case and their 3-1-1 compliant liquids/gels bag in a carry-on in select screening lanes.

The TSA Pre ? ™ application program allows U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to directly enroll in TSA Pre ? ™. Once approved, travelers will receive a “Known Traveler Number” and will have the opportunity to utilize TSA Pre ? ™ lanes at select security checkpoints when flying on a participating carrier: Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways and Virgin America.

Upon arrival in the United States from abroad, Global Entry members are able to bypass the traditional CBP inspection lines and use an automated kiosk. With more than 70,000 new applicants each month, travelers enrolled in this program can scan their passport and fingerprints, answer the customs declaration questions using the kiosk's touch screen and proceed with a receipt— the whole process only takes about one minute. Launched in 2008, as a pilot program, Global Entry is now a permanent program and has 51 locations in the United States and at CBP Preclearance stations in Canada. These locations serve 99 percent of incoming travelers to the United States.

The NEXUS program allows pre-screened travelers expedited processing by United States and Canadian officials at dedicated processing lanes at designated northern border ports of entry, at Canadian airports, and at marine reporting locations. NEXUS members are automatically eligible to use Global Entry kiosks when entering the U.S. The SENTRI program also provides expedited processing through CBP at Southwest border crossings.

Additionally, in partnership with TSA, many CBP Trusted Traveler program members are pre-eligible to participate in TSA Pre ? ™. These participants do not need to apply separately for TSA Pre ? ™, as they will receive their Known Traveler Number once successfully enrolled in a CBP trusted traveler program.

For more information regarding these trusted traveler programs, including a comparison chart, is available at www.dhs.gov/tt

http://www.dhs.gov/news/2014/08/26/dhs-achieves-trusted-traveler-program-milestones?utm_source=hp_feature&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=dhs_hp

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Connecticut

State Police Find Car Tied To Man's Threat Against President

HAMDEN — A car the U.S. Secret Service was seeking in connection with an alleged threat against President Barack Obama was located late Friday night in Hamden, state police said.

The Secret Service said it was looking for "a potentially suspicious person and vehicle" in connection with the alleged threat, but did not confirm that the car had been found. No information on the whereabouts of the person was available.

Local and state police had gathered on Mix Avenue Friday night at the request of Secret Service, according to officers on the scene, but were seen leaving by about 11:20. The staging area was near an ice rink, in the area of several apartment complexes.

State Police Lt. J. Paul Vance confirmed that state police were working with the Secret Service in search of a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta.

"Information has been received by law enforcement regarding a potentially suspicious person and vehicle. We are working with our local law enforcement partners to determine the validity of the information provided," the Secret Service said in a statement.

The president was in Rhode Island on Friday night for a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee event at a private home, according to his schedule. He left later in the night.

http://www.courant.com/news/breaking/hc-president-threat-0830-20140829,0,7715943.story

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New York

Ronald Singleton case: NYPD under scrutiny for 2nd restraint-related death

by The Associated Press

NEW YORK – The New York Police Department said Friday it's under investigation for a second restraint-related death, this one involving a drugged, emotionally disturbed man four days before a fatal videotaped chokehold that fueled community outcry and led the department to overhaul its use-of-force training.

The medical examiner's office cited "physical restrain by police" as a factor in the July 13 death of Ronald Singleton, who went into cardiac arrest in an ambulance and died on the way to a hospital. It ruled his death a homicide.

The police department is cooperating with the Manhattan district attorney's office, which is leading the investigation into Singleton's death, a police spokesman said. The district attorney's office did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Police said Singleton became irate and combative while riding in a taxi cab around midnight and fought with an officer on foot patrol after exiting near St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Emergency services officers, called in by the patrolling officer, restrained Singleton and placed him in a protective body wrap, police said.

The medical examiner's office said the 45-year-old Singleton was in a state of excited delirium related to severe intoxication from the hallucinogenic drug called PCP or angel dust. It cited heart disease exacerbated by high blood pressure and thickened arteries, as well as obesity, as contributing factors in his death.

Singleton was to undergo a psychiatric evaluation at a hospital under the police department's protocol for emotionally disturbed people, police said, but the ambulance rerouted to a closer hospital when he went into cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police did not immediately respond to questions Friday about the status of the officers involved in Singleton's restraint. A spokesman for the city's largest police union, the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, did not immediately respond to a message.

Singleton's death drew little attention at the time. But Friday's homicide ruling thrust it into the category of police-related deaths under scrutiny after the July 17 chokehold death of Eric Garner in Staten Island and the Aug. 9 fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

Garner, a 43-year-old father of six who had asthma, could be heard on an amateur video shouting "I can't breathe!" as an officer placed him in a chokehold during an arrest on suspicion of selling untaxed cigarettes. The officer was stripped of his gun and badge after Garner's death.

The Staten Island district attorney is assembling a special grand jury next month to hear evidence in the case.

Police in Ferguson have said the 18-year-old Brown was shot after an officer encountered him and another man on the street and one of the men pushed the officer into his squad car and physically assaulted him. But several witnesses have said Brown was shot when his hands were up. Brown's shooting by the officer has spurred unrest in his community, and federal authorities are investigating.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/08/29/ronald-singleton-case-nypd-under-scrutiny-for-2nd-restraint-related-death/

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DHS considering new security measures to intercept ‘foreign fighters' returning from Syria

by Fox News

The Department of Homeland Security said Friday that officials are considering “additional security measures” to intercept foreign fighters who have joined up with radical militants overseas, on the heels of reports that two Americans have died fighting for the Islamic State in Syria.

The development comes as the British government raises its threat level to “severe” amid the crisis in the Middle East. The White House said Friday there are “no plans” to follow suit in Washington; DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said his department and the FBI are not aware of any “specific, credible threat” to the U.S. homeland from the Islamic State.

However, Johnson said the government is “deeply concerned” about the situation in Iraq and Syria and is considering additional precautions – presumably regarding westerners fighting with ISIS who would try to return home.

“We are contemplating additional security measures concerning foreign fighters,” he announced.

Without getting into specifics, Johnson said “some of the security measures will be visible to the public and some understandably will be unseen.”

He noted DHS already has taken a “number of steps” to boost security at overseas airports with direct flights to the U.S., as well as steps to “track foreign fighters who travel in and out of Syria.”

Comments from Washington and London on Friday reflected growing concern about the possibility of terror being exported from the battlefields in Syria and Iraq.

President Obama continues to review options for addressing the threat, including the possibility of expanding airstrikes in Syria. The president, though, said Thursday that “we don't have a strategy yet” for Syria and indicated there would be no imminent decision on a plan.

Republican critics hammered the president for the remarks, saying a strategy is needed soon to “finish them off.”

Across the Atlantic, British Prime Minister David Cameron spoke in dire and tough terms as he raised the U.K. terror threat level.

“We cannot appease this ideology; we have to confront it at home and abroad,” he said.

Cameron voiced specific concern about the threat posed by foreign fighters in the Middle East. He said at least 500 people are believed to have traveled from Britain to fight in Syria and possibly Iraq.

Though fewer Americans are believed to have joined the fight in the Middle East, the White House said Friday the government will be “vigilant” about the threat posed by foreign fighters with western passports considering returning to the West to stage attacks.

In recent days, two Americans were reported to have been killed fighting for ISIS in Syria. One was from Minneapolis; the other, from San Diego.

Citing those cases, Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and John McCain, R-Ariz., sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder on Friday asking whether lethal force can be used against Americans who join terrorist organizations in Syria and elsewhere.

"We believe that, consistent with the Law of War, the United States may use lethal force against or detain as an unprivileged enemy belligerent any citizen ... who collaborates with or joins terrorist groups like ISIL," the letter said.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/08/30/dhs-considering-new-security-measures-to-intercept-foreign-fighters-returning/

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Texas

Opinion

Community policing lowers crime, prevents police brutality

Respect for citizens, which results in support for officers, is a key strategy that departments need

by Lee P. Brown

As someone who has made law enforcement his professional career, I was saddened and bewildered as I witnessed events unfold in Ferguson, Mo.

Local law enforcement's initial response in that city was reminiscent of the 1960s, when many police agencies responded to urban unrest, or the threat of it, by arming themselves with military equipment, not unlike that which our armed forces personnel uses when it engages an enemy in combat. Such tactics should not be used by American law enforcement agencies against citizens of our country.

Before making a judgment on whether the fatal shooting of young Michael Brown was warranted, all of us should wait on the outcome of the investigation by local and federal investigations as they attempt to determine what actually occurred in Ferguson.

I would, however, suggest that there is a philosophy of policing that would have prevented the events that occurred in Ferguson following Brown's death. That philosophy is called "community policing," an approach to policing that demands local law enforcement agencies' proactive interaction with the community - much like the policing of old, when officers "walked the beat." They knew everyone in their community and everyone knew them.

As Houston's chief of police serving from 1982-1990, I implemented principles of the concept in a city in which the police and the citizens were at odds and were alienated from one another.

It was a grim time: The city's police had a national reputation for brutality and racism. The community policing concept transformed the police department into one of the most respected police agencies in the nation.

In 1990, I was appointed police commissioner of New York City. A crack-cocaine epidemic had engulfed the city, and crime was at an all-time high. Community policing was implemented as the cornerstone of then-Mayor David Dinkins' Safe Streets-Safe City program.

We utilized the principles of community policing as our style for the delivery of police services to the people of New York City. After one year, crime went down in every index category over the previous year - the first time this had occurred in nearly 40 years.

Former President Bill Clinton understood the value of community policing when he incorporated it into his 1994 Crime Control Bill, and created the federal Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

I am convinced that if the Ferguson Police Department had adopted and implemented community policing as its dominant style of delivering police services to the citizens of Ferguson, the chaos that erupted amid community protests would not have occurred.

Under community policing, officers must demonstrate that they support and respect the community. Residents become allies and not targets. Officers are hired in the "spirit of service," and not in the "spirit of adventure." Also part of the concept: The police agency should mirror the racial composition of the community.

Community policing demands that officers interact with people who live or work in neighborhoods that they patrol. Officers are trained to communicate with people, solve community problems and develop an appreciation of cultural and ethnic differences.

In fact, under community policing, officers are not just evaluated on the number of arrests that they make. They are also assessed on their ability to solve problems, and the absence of crime in their assigned areas.

Community policing is also value-driven. Every police agency should have as its core value the importance of human life. Officers must understand that deadly force is only to be used when their lives or the life of a citizen is at risk.

The philosophy has universal appeal. While serving as police commissioner of New York City, I was invited in 1991, prior to the end of apartheid, to travel to South Africa to help establish policies of policing for a free society. While there, I introduced community policing. Subsequently, the South Africans incorporated the concept of community policing into their new constitution. Its draw? The philosophy embraces the notion that police officers and the people they serve treat each other as they themselves would like to be treated. Respect for the individual is paramount.

I believe that community policing is the most effective and prudent method of policing that will work in our country. The chaos that erupted in Ferguson should be an anomaly. With wider use of the philosophy by local law enforcement, it can be.

The former chief of police in New York City, Atlanta and Houston, Brown recently authored the book "Policing in the 21st Century: Community Policing."

http://www.chron.com/opinion/outlook/article/Brown-Community-policing-lowers-crime-prevents-5722205.php

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Oklahoma

Lifting the Curtain on Oklahoma's Botched Lethal Injection

by Caitlin Dickson

A botched execution—which was hidden from the public eye—has prompted a lawsuit over the need for uncensored public access to witnessing capital punishment.

From the very beginning, this execution was different.

On April 29, Fretland and 11 other reporters gathered at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester to watch not one but two death row inmates executed by lethal injection—the state's first double execution since 1937. The night's condemned, Clayton Lockett and Charles Warner, had lost a lengthy attempt to stay their executions until the state agreed to disclose the source of the new combination of drugs that would be used to kill them.

First on deck was Lockett, a 38-year-old convicted rapist and murderer. Fretland, who was covering the event for the Oklahoma Observer and the Guardian U.S., recalls that she and the other reporters received a warning from Oklahoma department of corrections spokesman Jerry Massie. “Don't be surprised,” if the procedure takes longer than usual, she says Massie told them. Lockett was to be given a previously unused dosage of midazolam, a sedative, as the first in the state's three-drug execution procedure, and the officials weren't sure exactly how long it would take to kick in.

By the time the blinds were drawn on the Oklahoma Department of Corrections' death chamber, allowing the reporters and other witnesses—including members of Lockett's victim's family—to see Lockett, he'd already been strapped to a gurnee and connected to an IV. A covered his body from the neck down, making it impossible to see where, exactly, the needle had been inserted.

“It seemed to be taking a long time for him to go to sleep,” Fretland told The Daily Beast. Fretland had only observed one other lethal injection, two years prior in Oklahoma. The whole process, from the time the needle was inserted into convicted murderer Timothy Stemple, until he was confirmed dead, took a total of six minutes. But according to Fretland's memory and the Oklahoma department of corrections' record of this execution, Lockett remained conscious for 10 minutes after he was first injected with the midazolam. Three minutes after he was declared unconscious, Lockett started to move.

“He was trying to talk, ripping his head and shoulders off the gurney,” Fretland said. “It seemed like he was struggling, trying to get up. Everyone could see that happening right in front of us.”

That was when the blinds were closed, blocking Fretland and the other witnesses from what happened next. At 7:06 pm, 43 minutes after he was first administered the lethal cocktail, Lockett was pronounced dead from behind a curtain, away from public view.

This week, four months after Lockett's botched execution, the American Civil Liberties Union along with the Guardian, the Oklahoma Observer, and Fretland, filed a federal lawsuit demanding that the Oklahoma department of corrections allow reporters and other witnesses to view the entire execution process, from the time the prisoner enters the chamber until he or she is pronounced dead.

“The state of Oklahoma violated the First Amendment, which guarantees the right of the press to witness executions so the public can be informed about the government's actions and hold it accountable,” ACLU Staff Attorney Lee Rowland said when the suit was announced. “The death penalty represents the most powerful exercise of government authority. The need for public oversight is as critical at the execution stage as it is during the trial.”

In her report on Lockett's execution, Fretland wrote that it had become clear pretty early on to those watching that the procedure had been botched. Charles Warner, whose execution had been scheduled for two hours after Lockett's would be, was spared, at least temporarily. A spokesperson for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections declined to comment on the lawsuit for this story.

At the time, Oklahoma corrections officials said that the problems with the Lockett procedure began when the executioners were unable to find a suitable vein in his arms or feet. The sheet draped over Lockett's body was meant to cover the fact that the executioners had resorted to inserting the IV in his femoral vein, in his groin. Later, however, a n independent autopsy commissioned by Lockett's attorneys found that Lockett's veins were intact and there was no real reason to use his femoral vein. Moreover, the medical examiner found skin punctures on Lockett's arms and both sides of his groin, suggesting that the problem had less to do with the failure of the lethal injection drugs than the lack of medical training of those carrying out the procedure.

“Executioner jobs don't necessarily attract the best and the brightest,” Mother Jones wrote following the release of the autopsy. “The oath doctors take to ‘first do no harm' renders them ethically prohibited from participating in executions, so often the people who carry out lethal injections are just ordinary prison officials or, in some cases, employees with checkered pasts.”

The ACLU's complaint, filed on Monday, cites the 2002 decision in California First Amendment Coalition v. Woodford, a similar case in which a number of news organizations sued the San Quentin Prison over its restricted viewing procedure for lethal injection executions.

“To determine whether lethal injection executions are fairly and humanely administered, or whether they ever can be, citizens must have reliable information about the … ‘procedures,' which are invasive, possibly painful and may give rise to serious complaints,” read the Federal 9th Circuit court's decision in that case. “This information is best gathered first-hand or from the media, which serves as the public's surrogate.”

Lockett's bungled execution is hardly an anomaly. According to a 2012 study published in the British Journal of American Legal Studies, lethal injections have a higher botching rate than any other execution method used in the U.S. since 1900. First Amendment Coalition director Peter Scheer says it's this high potential for error, combined with the secrecy surrounding state pharmaceutical sources, that makes public access more important for lethal injections than other previous methods of execution.

“The greater the risk that the state government may botch an execution, the greater the need for the public access to witness what is being done,” Scheer told The Daily Beast.

That's exactly why Fretland decided to join the ACLU's effort.

“We were not allowed to see [Lockett's] death, and now the public only has the state's self-reported accounts of how he died,” Fretland said. “We need to be able to witness that.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/29/lifting-the-curtain-on-oklahoma-s-botched-lethal-injection.html

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Ohio

Bellefontaine's community policing garners national attention

by Robert Lowrey

BELLEFONTAINE, Ohio – A new focus on community policing has the Bellefontaine Police Department nominated for a national award.

You would be hard pressed to find someone with many complaints in the heart of Logan County.

“Bellefontaine, it's all right,” said Kermit Knox. “It's a good town.”

Knox has lived in Bellefontaine for the most part of his life. There is a lot happening in his hometown he is proud to see.

At the top of that list is the Bellefontaine Police Department.

“We want everybody to feel like we're here to serve them,” said Chief Brandon Standley with the Bellefontaine Police Department. “That's our job. That's what we get paid to do and I take it very seriously.”

In the past few years, the department has been focusing on renewing their commitment to that final word in the phrase “protect and serve.”

Part of that process has seen the revival of programs that were cut due to layoffs and budget cuts.

“We're not waiting for something bad to happen,” said Standley. “We want to build relationship and break down walls and barriers that anyone may have.”

Breaking down those walls meant getting more face time within the community.

Since he took the job as police chief three years ago, Standley said there has been at least three milestone for the department.

One goal was to bring back the D.A.R.E. program to schools. The program was cut in 2004 in the first round of layoffs. Standley said community partnerships have brought the program back to get kids acquainted with the police force.

Another goal of the department has been getting police out of their vehicles and onto the sidewalks. Standley said during budget cuts, there was a thirteen percent drop in calls to police in troubled areas. In order to rebuild the community's trust, police have gatherings at least six times a summer with food and games.

In 2013, the department also graduated its first ever class from the newly created Citizens Police Academy.

“We've been able to break down some barriers in neighborhoods that only see the police riding down the street in a car or when there is trouble,” said Standley.

The renewed services have now gotten the Bellefontaine Police Department nominated for a RISE award. The awards are being given out by PoliceOne.com and TASER.

Standley hopes to know if the department has won by the end of September.

http://wdtn.com/2014/08/27/bellefontaines-community-policing-garners-national-attention/

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California

‘Guardian Angels' Ride Light Rail to Ensure Public Safety

by Mark Demsky

SACRAMENTO — There is currently an issue in Sacramento where people say they are too scared to ride Light Rail after dark, and a group in the city has come together with one goal.

The group is called The Guardian Angels, and their goal is to keep everyone who rides Light Rail trains in Sacramento safe and sound when they travel at night.

The group is making it a goal to ride the trains at least once a week in hopes of their peaceful presence making the public transportation a much safer form of travel.

http://fox40.com/2014/08/28/guardian-angels-ride-light-rail-to-ensure-public-safety/

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The 'Kill Switch': A Win For Privacy Protection and Public Safety

by Jim Steyer

For an ever-growing number of us, our lives are in our smartphones.

Whether we realize it or not, our phones contain large amounts of private information -- everything from frequent flyer numbers to bank account passwords -- that could be damaging if it fell into the wrong hands.

California took an important step in protecting that private information, and cementing its reputation as a leader in technology consumer protection this week when Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 962. The bill by Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) will require smartphones sold in California after July 1, 2015 to be equipped with technology that renders essential features of the devices inoperable if stolen.

California is not only a leader in developing technology, it is also the largest market for wireless devices in the United States. A recent survey from the Public Policy Institute of California found 92% of Californians say they have a cell phone, and 58 percent of them have a smartphone -- up from 39 percent in 2011.

The requirement of a so-called kill switch that can be activated in the event that a phone is lost or stolen is an important, common sense protection in a world where most of us store much of our most important and private data on our mobile devices. Everything from contact lists to credit card and even Social Security numbers is put into millions of cell phones at one time or another.

In a sample three-month period, Consumer Reports found 1.8 million mobile-phone owners used their phone to store their passwords to accounts and websites. And only about 20 percent of smartphone owners take the precaution of establishing a personal identification number or password on their phone.

SB 962 will provide especially important protections for our children, who are among the most avid smartphone users and often do not take steps to protect their private information.

Teens use smartphones to store troves of personally identifiable information. The numbers are staggering: According to a 2013 Pew Research survey 78% of teenagers have their own cell phone and more than two out of three (74%) access the Internet on a mobile device. More than one in 10 (12%) teens has "checked in" with their location from a mobile device, meaning that advertisers and others on their networks will know where they are. Among those teens who use social networking sites (80%), half (52%) have checked their sites from a mobile device, and 43% do their social networking from a mobile device most or half the time.

The bill is also an important public safety protection, making cell phones less enticing to criminals at a time when cell phone theft is on the rise. That's why it was supported by public safety leaders including Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon.

The new law requires that all mobile phones manufactured after July 1, 2015, and sold in California have anti-theft security features that would render stolen devices inoperable. The "kill switch" technology already exists so there will be no development burden on phone manufacturers or carriers. This bill simply requires it to be standard on all phones, and owners can opt out if they wish.

Though the bill met some resistance from the cell-phone industry, California lawmakers should be commended for their wide, bipartisan support for the measure. By taking proactive steps to protect consumer and teen privacy, California is providing a roadmap for political leaders across the country to ensure that our private information remains private.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-steyer/the-kill-switch-a-win-for-privacy-protection_b_5732074.html

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Civil War Hero to Receive Medal of Honor, 151 Years Later

by DAN GOOD

More than a century and a half after his death at the Battle of Gettysburg, a Union Army officer is being awarded the nation's highest military decoration.

President Obama approved the Medal of Honor for First Lieutenant Alonzo H. Cushing, the White House announced Tuesday. Cushing was killed in action on July 3, 1863 -- at age 22 -- during the battle's third and final day, in the face of Pickett's Charge, a futile, deadly Confederate advance that threatened to turn the tide of the war.

Cushing served as commanding officer of Battery A, 4th United States Artillery, Artillery Brigade, 2nd Corps for the Army of the Potomac.

During the battle, Cushing's battery took a severe pounding from the Confederate artillery, and Cushing was wounded in the stomach and right shoulder.

Despite his injuries, Cushing refused to leave the battlefield, commanding his men and defending his position on Cemetery Ridge against the charging opposition.

"The Confederate cannon sent volleys over the heads of their advancing troops into the Union lines," the Waukesha Freeman (Wisconsin) wrote in 1911. "Cushing and his neighbors replied with never ceasing spirit, in spite of a constant rain of shot and shell, with horses and men falling all around."

"Cushing was shot several times but kept on firing. He served his last round of canister, was struck in the mouth by a bullet and fell dead."

Cushing's efforts helped the Union Army to fight off the Confederate attack –- with the South forced to retreat, sustaining massive losses. The South would never advance that far north again, a flash-point in the Union's victory.

Cushing was one of 51,000 casualties of the battle. He was buried at his alma mater, West Point.

Morris Schaff wrote about Cushing in his 1907 book "The Spirit of Old West Point, 1858-1862."

"History will not let that smiling, splendid boy die in vain; long her dew will glisten over his record as the earthly morning dew glistens in the fields,” he wrote. “Fame loves the gentleman and the true-hearted, but her sweetheart is gallant youth."

Cushing was born in what is now Delafield, Wisconsin, and raised in Fredonia, New York. He graduated from West point in 1861.

Prior to Gettysburg, he participated in other major Civil War battles, including the Battle of Bull Run, Antietam and Fredericksburg. He also trained volunteer troops in Washington and completed topographical work.

Cushing was one of four brothers to serve the Union during the Civil War.

Despite a marker erected to Cushing on Cemetery Ridge and a monument near his birthplace, the Medal of Honor eluded him. Descendants and Civil War buffs took up the cause in recent decades.

Congress granted a special exemption last December for Cushing to receive the award posthumously since recommendations normally have to be made within two years of the act of heroism and the medal awarded within three years. Cushing has endured a longer wait than any of the 3,468 recipients to receive the Medal of Honor.

Cushing's Medal of Honor will be awarded on Sept. 15. Other honorees announced Tuesday include Army Command Sergeant Major Bennie G. Adkins and Army Specialist Four Donald P. Sloat, who fought in the Vietnam War.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/civil-war-hero-receiving-medal-honor-151-years/story?id=25140113

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California

'Serial Killer' Held After Seven Shot In LA

Police believe Alexander Hernandez fatally shot four people over five days, and left three others in a critical condition.

An man initially arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty has been accused of being a prolific serial killer in Los Angeles.

Alexander Hernandez has been charged with last Thursday's murder of Gildardo Morales, a pickup truck driver, in San Fernando.

The 34-year-old is also the sole suspect in a shooting on Sunday, where three people were killed - apparently at random - in the space of an hour.

However, police are yet to charge him with their deaths.

The alleged killing spree began last Wednesday, when a woman and a couple were left critically injured after being fired at in separate incidents.

There is no known connection between the victims, but a 70-strong task force in the LAPD linked the attacks after similar descriptions were made about the weapon and getaway vehicle used.

In a press conference, Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese said Hernandez, from Sylmar, had been uncooperative since being taken into custody on Sunday evening.

When he was arrested, he had a pistol-grip shotgun in his possession which police believe may have been used in the attacks.

Even though Hernandez has only been charged in one of the killings, Chief of Detectives Bill McSweeney claimed the man "is and was a serial killer".

Investigators also claimed they were confident they had the right suspect in custody, telling the public they were no longer at risk.

Prosecutors have charged Hernandez with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder and three counts of animal cruelty, as it is believed he also shot two dogs dead during his five-day spree.

He is due to be formally charged later today and remains on $1m (£600,000) bail. But as the charges against Hernandez could result in the death penalty, prosecutors plan to request that he is held without bail.

Investigators are now revisiting unsolved shootings in recent years, especially those involving similar descriptions of a shotgun and a gold-coloured SUV.

Hernandez has four prior convictions, some of which involved prison time. They included sentences for the possession of firearms and methamphetamine.

http://news.sky.com/story/1325483/serial-killer-held-after-seven-shot-in-la

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Texas

Social media solution to police and community relations

by Damali Keith

HOUSTON -- The shooting death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri has certainly put a strain on relations between cops and the community. We've heard a lot lately about the problem but there is a "solution" on social media that's getting quite a bit of attention. Many posts circulating on social media that tackle a certain topic make you ask what makes him an expert but this particular post? “There's a better way of policing,” the Facebook page declares but you can rest assured this writer has the credentials to back up his words.

Former Houston Mayor Lee Brown was also the police chief in Houston, in Atlanta during the dozens of child murders and Police Commissioner in New York City at the peak of the cocaine epidemic. Brown was appointed Drug Czar by president Clinton and he even put policies in place in South Africa improving police relations with the public there.

No wonder his Facebook post about solving the strain in Ferguson is getting so much attention. In it, Brown says Community Policing is the answer to the problem. "It's a concept we implemented, in fact, pioneered here in Houston. When I went to New York as police commissioner there I took it there. It worked in both places,” explains former Houston Mayor Lee P. Brown. Brown says Community Policing isn't simply setting up a sub-station in a neighborhood but an entire restructuring.

"You recruit under the spirit of service, not adventure. You train to solve problems. You train to get along with people. You train to prevent crimes. We started by issuing values. Values guide policy. It guides everything you do. For example, one of our first values was we value human life more than we value anything else,” says Brown.

One suggestion he has for Ferguson? Mayor Brown says suiting up in riot gear and military vehicles certainly isn't good for a police department's relationship with the community. "We saw that back in the 1960's. (Is that effective?) No. In the long run it creates major problems,” Brown adds.

Houston Psychologist Dr. Andrew Brams says dressing in combat and coming up against the community is like declaring war. "It's basically saying we're different than you. We're going to take control and power over this. The more you approach it that way the more you show we're not for you we're against you,” explains Dr. Brams.

Mayor Brown says when departments have community policing, officers work in one area of the city and get to know the people, business owners and kids in that community and are recognized by the department for doing so. "You reward people (officers) for their ability to solve neighborhood problems, their ability to reduce crime,” says Brown. When officers know the people in the community it not only improves relations, according to brown, it also cuts down on crime. "Basic human nature, basic psychology of human beings,” smiles Brown.

Psychologist Dr. Andrew Brams agrees. “It's just like in a relationship between two people because you're dealing with the people versus the department that's supposed to take care of that community and when there's a lack of trust, feelings of betrayal,” then, says Brams, there is unrest but Brown says it doesn't have to be if departments would simply adopt Community Policing.

"You have to understand it's not a program. A program you can plug in and unplug. Community policing is a philosophy of policing,” Brown explains.

Dr. Lee P. Brown's Facebook Community Policing post can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/lee.brown.5458498/posts/10201906118049718

Find Dr. Brams at: www.drandrewbrams.com

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/story/26378013/social-media-solution-to-police-and-community-relations

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Tennessee

Opinion

Public safety may require counseling skills

While attention recently has focused on issues of militarization of police forces, efforts of law-enforcement officers to deal daily with mental-health and behavioral conditions also need attention.

Enforcement of criminal statues is a primary responsibility of law-enforcement officers, but these officers also frequently find themselves dealing with situations in which persons with mental-health conditions or who have other special needs pose safety concerns for those around them.

This is particularly true since deinstitutionalization has become the standard for mental-health systems, and those with mental-health issues are among residents of local neighborhoods and the homeless population.

Other persons with special needs such as those with autism may have communication difficulties that may create concern among those whom they encounter.

While calling law-enforcement officers may not be the best alternative in regard to restoring a sense of security and well-being in such situations, for some it may seen the only alternative.

We commend the efforts of local law-enforcement agencies, such as the Murfreesboro Police Department, to provide additional training for their officers, so they will have the tools necessary to deal with such situations.

In some cases, we wonder if some institutions such as schools and those that have responsibilities for care of the aging should have persons appropriately trained, so they do not need to call law-enforcement officers to intervene.

We have seen in the community examples of multidisciplinary teams at work to deal with problems of child abuse and sexual abuse in all age groups.

Discussions recently have focused on creation of a "veterans court" to help address the problems that who have served their country in the military face, including mental health problems.

While such a court would have a role after the intervention of law-enforcement officers, we hope its creation would help to create and provide awareness of programs that would prevent such incidents from becoming part of the criminal-justice system.

A federal review in underway in regard to issues involving the relationship between the U.S. military and local law-enforcement agencies, but we think a priority for this community is providing the necessary resources, so those with mental-health or behavioral conditions do not have to become part of the criminal-justice system.

We commend the officers who now have to face such situations on a daily basis.

The opinions in this space represent a consensus of discussion by The Daily News Journal Editorial Board.

http://www.dnj.com/story/opinion/editorials/2014/08/26/public-safety-may-require-counseling-skills/14533111/

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Michigan

Teach kids the dangers of setting fires

by Maranda

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOTV) Each year in this country, fires set by children are responsible for more than 100 fire deaths, nearly 1,000 painful burn injuries, and hundreds of millions of dollars in property loss, according to the United States Fire Administration. Between 2007 and 2011, an average of 49,300 fires involved children misusing fire occurred throughout the United States. Children are often the victims in these fires. While curiosity about fire is natural, fires set by children are dangerous and deadly.

The danger of fire is greater than ever because of the high number of petroleum-based building materials. Fires burn quicker and hotter and smoke is more toxic than in the past because of these materials. In the hands of juveniles, fire can be deadly. Whether the child or adolescent was playing, experimenting or purposely setting fires, firesetting is extremely costly.

The misuse of fire has many variables including age, motivation for firesetting behavior, type of fires set, ignition materials used to set the fire, and the child's understanding and limitations of fire. Firesetting behavior is usually “a cry for help” and may be a symptom of a problem manifested through stress and crisis in their lives. The stress or crisis experienced by juveniles may include abuse, bullying, a recent separation or divorce of parents, home foreclosure, moving to a new community, or the death of a pet or loved one.

Why Do Kids Set Fires?

Youth firesetting or the misuse of fire by children isn't necessarily arson. The best way to understand why children set fires is to look at their motivations for firesetting. For most young kids, the motive is experimentation and curiosity. Motives can involve curiosity, thrill-seeking, willful intent to cause destruction, or by children who suffer from mental or emotional problems.

There are four common factors that influence firesetting behavior among children and adolescents. These factors impact all types of firesetting and include:

Easy access to ignition materials. Easy access to ignition materials often proves deadly for children who start fires. In many homes where a child has been involved in starting a fire, the child easily discovered the ignition source or already knew where it was located and how to obtain it.

Lack of adequate supervision. The lack of adequate supervision is a factor that can influence all ages of firesetting among children and adolescents. Parents are often shocked to discover their child has engaged in firesetting over a prolonged period of time.

A failure to practice fire safety. A failure to practice fire safety is a factor that often affects children and their parents in the following ways:

Young children often lack understanding of the dangers associated with firesetting and safety rules about fire.

Older children and adolescents may not have received school-based fire safety education about the dangers of the inappropriate use of fire, penalties for such behavior, and direction on what to do if a fire occurs.

Parents or caregivers may not be aware of the significance of youth firesetting, appropriate fire safety education, penalties, or what actions to take in the event a fire occurs. They may not be aware of local youth firesetting prevention and intervention programs.

Easy access to information on the Internet. Information regarding firesetting, designing explosives, and how to do tricks with fire is a problem that demands attention. Technology has made explicit media available to youths on many dangerous and often illegal activities. They are able to experiment with fire or incendiary materials and instantaneously post results for the world to see and oftentimes replicate.

Parents, caregivers, and public educators, whether they are from the fire department or the school system, can build an informed foundation by teaching fire safety at an early age. Teach children of all ages that fires, even small ones, can spread quickly.

Myths and Facts Concerning Children and Fire

Myth: A child can control a small fire
Fact: Most fires start small, but can become uncontrollable quickly.

Myth: It is normal for children to play with fire.
Fact: It is not normal for children to play with fire. Curiosity about fire is normal. Use of fire without an adult's knowledge, approval, or supervision is dangerous.

Myth: Firesetting is a phase children will outgrow.
Fact: Firesetting is not a phase. If a child is not taught fire safety, the firesetting can get out of control easily. It is a dangerous behavior.

Myth: If you burn a child's hand, he/she will stop setting fires.
Fact: Purposely burning a child's hand is child abuse and is against the law. The reason behind the firesetting must be discovered and addressed.

Myth: If you take a child to the burn unit to see burn survivors, he/she will stop misusing fire.
Fact: Going to the burn unit only instills fear, and does not teach a child anything about fire safety. More importantly, we need to be sensitive toward burn survivors who are trying to recover emotionally and physically from their burns.

It is important to understand myths concerning children and fire. Children need to be educated about fire and have their motives understood so that proper interventions can be used to stop the firesetting behavior.

Teaching Children Fire Safety

The most critical message for children to learn is that lighters and matches are tools, not toys! Parents and caregivers should never use lighters, matches, and fire for fun; children will mimic you, and when they do it unsupervised, tragic events can result. Praise your child for practicing responsible behavior and showing respect for fire. Set a good example for safe use of fire.

•  Always supervise young children.

•  Never leave lighters or matches within reach of children. Keep lighters and matches out of reach in high, locked cabinets.

•  Use child-resistant lighters, but remember that they are not child proof.

•  Instruct young children to inform an adult if they find lighters or matches.

E.S.C.A.P.E. Fire & Safety reminds you if you suspect your child is setting fires, you are not the only parent ever to face this problem. Contact your local fire department immediately or visit www.kidsandfire.org for a list of youth fire prevention programs in the greater Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo areas.

http://wotv4women.com/2014/08/26/teach-kids-the-dangers-of-setting-fires/

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Washington

Obama to Promise Improvements for U.S. Veterans in Speech

by Roger Runningen and Angela Greiling Keane

President Barack Obama will pledge improved mental-health care for U.S. military veterans and that fewer former service members will be homeless as he seeks to restore confidence in the scandal-scarred Veterans Affairs Department.

He also will announce a voluntary partnership with lenders to make it easier for active-duty troops to reduce their mortgage-interest rates and monthly payments, the White House said in a fact sheet released before the speech.

Obama will outline his plan in a speech today to the 2.3 million-member American Legion, the nation's largest veterans service organization, at its 96th annual national convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The president has sought to make amends with veterans after revelations of substandard and delayed care at Veterans Affairs medical facilities. He has previously said he wants the agency to provide better health care and reduce the wait in the handling of disability claims, and in today's speech he will offer some specifics on achieving those goals.

Earlier this month he signed into law a bill Congress passed to create 27 new department medical facilities and expand care for veterans at non-VA hospitals and clinics. It also gives the VA secretary greater power to fire senior agency executives.

Falsified Data

An inspector general's report released in May showed widespread mismanagement, such as falsified data to hide long wait times for medical treatment. At least 35 veterans died awaiting care in Phoenix, officials said.

The VA this week will unveil a new recruiting campaign aimed at attracting “the best and the brightest medical professionals” to work for the agency, according to the fact sheet released ahead of the speech.

Obama will discuss executive actions designed to ensure that those service members leaving the military who have been receiving mental-health care will continue to get such help, the fact sheet said. Also, the VA will adopt a new policy to enable veterans to maintain access to mental-health medication they were prescribed while in the service.

More veterans' health records will be moved to electronic form, allowing for better access by the Defense Department and the VA, which will help offer “safer, and more efficient care,” the fact sheet said.

Homeless Veterans

The president will tout a reduction in homelessness among veterans by one-third, or 25,000 people, in the past four years, according to the White House. To continue that effort, Obama will announce partnerships in five cities to further reduce the number of veterans who are homeless, with services available to them to include job training, the White House said.

The voluntary program Obama will announce with lenders aims to help service members “have every opportunity to pursue the American Dream” of home ownership, according to the fact sheet.

The banks in the program, which include Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc. and Wells Fargo & Co., have pledged to focus on better inform veterans of financial services for which they qualify, the White House said.

Legion members are “cautiously optimistic” about the changes occurring at the VA, said the Legion's national commander, Daniel M. Dellinger, in a phone interview before the White House provided details of the speech.

‘Cultural Change'

“Just putting money toward it isn't the answer,” said Dellinger, 64, a Vietnam veteran who lives in Vienna, Virginia. “It's a cultural change that's needed,” and the Legion is “anxiously awaiting when that' going to be unfolded.”

Senator Kay Hagan of North Carolina, a Democrat seeking re-election this November against Republican challenger Thom Tillis, is among the lawmakers who has criticized Obama on the veterans-care issue. She said in an Aug. 22 statement that “the Obama administration has not yet done enough to earn the lasting trust of our veterans and implement real and permanent reforms at the VA.”

Hagan, who co-sponsored the bill to overhaul the VA, is scheduled to speak to the Legion convention after Obama. She said she'll outline steps to “uphold the commitment our government has made” to U.S. veterans.

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki stepped down in late May, and about a month later Obama picked as his replacement Bob McDonald, a former Procter & Gamble chief executive officer.

The American Legion called for Shinseki's ouster on May 5 and criticized Obama for not removing him at that point, Dellinger said.

As many as 10,000 veterans were expected to attend the convention, the Legion said on Twitter.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-08-26/obama-to-promise-improvements-for-u-dot-s-dot-veterans-in-speech

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Washington

No proof veterans died because of delays

by STEPHEN OHLEMACHER

WASHINGTON — The Veterans Affairs Department says investigators have found no proof that delays in care caused any deaths at a VA hospital in Phoenix, deflating an explosive allegation that helped expose a troubled health care system in which veterans waited months for appointments while employees falsified records to cover up the delays.

Revelations that as many as 40 veterans died while awaiting care at the Phoenix VA hospital rocked the agency last spring, bringing to light scheduling problems and allegations of misconduct at other hospitals as well. The scandal led to the resignation of former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki . In July, Congress approved spending an additional $16 billion to help shore up the system.

The VA's Office of Inspector General has been investigating the delays for months and shared a draft report of its findings with VA officials.

In a written memorandum about the report, VA Secretary Robert A. McDonald said, "It is important to note that while OIG's case reviews in the report document substantial delays in care, and quality-of-care concerns, OIG was unable to conclusively assert that the absence of timely quality care caused the death of these veterans."

The inspector general's final report has not yet been issued. The inspector general runs an independent office within the VA.

Deputy VA Secretary Sloan Gibson confirmed the findings in an interview with The Associated Press. Gibson, however, stressed that veterans were still waiting too long for care, an issue the agency was working to fix.

"They looked to see if there was any causal relationship associated with the delay in care and the death of these veterans and they were unable to find one. But from my perspective, that don't make it OK," Gibson said. "Veterans were waiting too long for care and there were things being done, there were scheduling improprieties happening at Phoenix and frankly at other locations as well. Those are unacceptable."

In April, Dr. Samuel Foote, who had worked for the Phoenix VA for more than 20 years before retiring in December, brought the allegations to Congress.

Foote accused Arizona VA leaders of collecting bonuses for reducing patient wait times. But, he said, the purported successes resulted from data manipulation rather than improved service for veterans. He said up to 40 patients died while awaiting care.

In May, the inspector general's office found that 1,700 veterans were waiting for primary care appointments at the Phoenix VA but did not show up on the wait list. "Until that happens, the reported wait times for these veterans has not started," said a report issued in May.

Gibson said the VA reached out to all 1,700 veterans in Phoenix and scheduled care for them. However, he acknowledged there are still 1,800 veterans in Phoenix who requested appointments but will have to wait at least 90 days for care.

The VA has said it was firing three executives of the Phoenix VA hospital. The agency has also said it planned to fire two supervisors and discipline four other employees in Colorado and Wyoming accused of falsifying health care data.

Gibson said he expected the list of disciplined employees to grow. He took over as acting VA secretary when Shinseki resigned and returned to his job as deputy secretary after McDonald was confirmed.

"The fundamental point here is, we are taking bold and decisive action to fix these problems because it's unacceptable," Gibson said. "We owe veterans, we owe the American people, an apology. We've delivered that apology. We'll keep delivering that apology for our failure to meet their expectations for timely and effective health care."

To help reduce backlogs, the VA is sending more veterans to private doctors for care.

Congress approved $10 billion in emergency spending over three years to pay private doctors and other health professionals to care for veterans who can't get timely appointments at VA medical facilities, or who live more than 40 miles from one.

The new law includes $5 billion for hiring more VA doctors, nurses and other medical staff and $1.3 billion to open 27 new VA clinics across the country.

The legislation also makes it easier to fire hospital administrators and senior VA executives for negligence or poor performance.

http://www.greenwichtime.com/news/politics/article/Report-No-proof-veterans-died-because-of-delays-5712207.php

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Connecticut

University of Hartford Arms Public Safety Officers

by Beau Berman

The University of Hartford has added armed officers to its Department of Public Safety.

Several of those officers were provided their weapons at a ceremony Monday, and will begin carrying them immediately.

The move comes a week before most students arrive on campus, but was announced in May.

The university is uniquely situated among three towns: Hartford, West Hartford and Bloomfield.

Police Departments are called based on where campus incidents occur, and there's an inherent delay in their arrival from the time they are requested. But now the Public Safety officers on campus will have weapons of their own to handle an active situation while waiting for backup, no matter where it may come from.

“I think it was about time the university was able to provide an immediate response should an armed person be on campus,” said Public Safety Chief John Schmarltz.

Several Public Safety Department sergeants and corporals received weapons, many of who were promoted at a special ceremony.

Chief Schmaltz said the campus simply expects stronger protection after so many gun-related incidents elsewhere.

“It was based on the community's needs and expectations. That's what it was–meeting expectations to be a safe campus, as safe as possible.”

Long-time officer Tim Humiston is now armed after his promotion to sergeant.

“It's everyday you put on the news and there's some kind of violence, something happening on school campuses, and working here on the campus you can't help but think, ‘how are you going to react to that?' I have a son that goes here and I'll have a daughter that goes here next year, so I think about them too and the better equipped we are to protect the students and the faculty and the staff, it's just going to make for a safer environment here,” said Sgt. Humiston.

While the idea is to provide a more immediate response and an overall safer campus, some skeptics say they don't want guns on campus whatsoever, no matter who has them.

“In all honestly I don't really see any positive in having any sort of firearm on campus at all…Just because they work under public safety doesn't necessarily mean they can be a trusted person with an actual arm or weapon,” said University of Hartford junior Mike Lee.

Lee may be one of the skeptics, but other students like Elise Galipo feel differently.

“If something were to happen, where someone came in and they needed to use the gun for force, I think it definitely should make students feel safer,” said Galipo.

Not every officer will be armed–only those who are of certain rank and have passed background checks, psychological evaluations, interviews and received 80 hours of firearm training.

http://foxct.com/2014/08/25/university-of-hartford-arms-public-safety-officers/

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From ICE

ICE removes convicted terrorism supporter to the United Kingdom

BOSTON — A British man who pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorism in U.S. federal court was deported Aug. 20 by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

Syaed Talha Ahsan, 34, was escorted to London by ERO officers and turned over to British authorities. On July 16, Chief U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall sentenced Ahsan, to 96 months of imprisonment, time already served. Ahsan assisted with the operation of "Azzam Publications," which maintained a then-pre-eminent series of websites which provided extensive material support to terrorist groups, including the Taliban. An investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) further revealed the material support occurred when the Taliban was harboring Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida, and allowed them to have a base of operations in Afghanistan from which they could plan terrorist attacks directed at the United States.

Ahsan was indicted in June 2006, and has been detained since his arrest by British authorities July 19, 2006. Following lengthy extradition proceedings, Ahsan was extradited to Connecticut in October 2012. On Dec. 10, 2013, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and one count of providing material support to terrorists.

At the time of their pleas, Ahsan specifically agreed in writing that he pleaded guilty freely and voluntarily, and without intimidation or coercion of any kind, because he was guilty of conspiring to provide and providing material support to terrorists.

For a period of time, the Azzam websites were made possible through the unwitting services of a web-hosting company headquartered in Trumbull, Connecticut. While the websites were in operation, the Taliban allowed territory under its control in Afghanistan to be used as a safe haven and base of operations for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida, who had committed and threatened to continue committing acts of violence against the United States and its nationals, including the 1998 bombings of U.S. Embassies in Africa, the October 2000 attack on the U.S.S. Cole, and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

In 2001, Azzam Publications also posted on its websites an article entitled "What You Can Do to Help the Taliban," which provided detailed instructions on how to raise, transport and personally deliver amounts over US$ 20,000 in cash to the Taliban government via its consulate in Pakistan. Azzam Publications solicited personnel and physical items, including military suits and gas masks, for the Taliban. This solicitation appeared on the Azzam websites following Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida's having claimed responsibility for the October 2000 attack on the U.S.S. Cole, and was intended to assist the Taliban defend against a claimed forthcoming attack by the United States in retaliation for al-Qaida's attack on the U.S.S. Cole.

Azzam Publications' support continued even after Sept. 11, 2001, when U.S. forces were actively fighting Taliban and al-Qaida forces in Afghanistan, and after Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida had claimed responsibility for the Sept. 11 attacks. For example, from at least the fall of 2001 through mid-2002, the Azzam sites posted an "Appeal to Pakistanis All over the World," which, post-9/11, encouraged Pakistanis worldwide to travel to and fight against "the Crusaders" in Afghanistan, and provided detailed instructions for Pakistani nationals to obtain a Pakistani visa under false pretenses. On a linked page discussing the fighting in Afghanistan, the Azzam site also posted a bar graph comparing casualties at the World Trade Center with casualties in Afghanistan.

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1408/140825boston.htm

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From the Department of Homeland Security

S&T's Visionary Goals: Make Your Voice Heard

by Dr. Reginald Brothers

When I became Under Secretary for Science and Technology this past spring, I was humbled and honored to be a part of such a distinguished organization as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T). I was immediately impressed with the passion the S&T staff displayed in regards to the importance of our mission and how it affects the security of our nation today and in the future.

As the primary research and development arm of DHS, S&T is dreaming big – looking 20 to 30 years out, or even further, to define core “North Star” visionary goals for the future. And we need your insights – your best thinking.

Over the past several months, the S&T team has developed and refined proposed visionary goals that are based solidly on the policies and priorities of the White House, the 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, and the DHS Secretary. We've posted these goals on the S&T Collaboration Community and invite your input.

Based on what we know of today's homeland security environment, what do you think the future will look like in 20 to 30 years? What should S&T plan to tackle now to ensure the nation is more resilient and secure in the future?

This is what we are working with our partners across the entire homeland security mission space to define – our ultimate end state, our “North Star.” When finalized, S&T's Visionary Goals will help lay the foundation for the creation of a new strategic plan.

We encourage you to join the discussion and:

•  Provide insights into each of the proposed visionary goals.

•  Add new visionary goals for consideration (Click on “Submit New Idea” on this page).

•  Share your ideas and perspectives and comment on others' ideas through the comment features.

All comments provided during this comment period will be reviewed by the working group and incorporated, where possible, into the final S&T Visionary Goals – to be released in early Fall. The S&T Collaboration Community site will be open for comment through Sept. 7, 2014.

Make your voice heard – share your best thinking so together we can set a path to a stronger, safer, more resilient future.

http://www.dhs.gov/blog/2014/08/25/sts-visionary-goals-make-your-voice-heard

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Texas

Texas chief killed serving warrant

Police Chief Michael Pimentel was making a stop to serve an active misdemeanor warrant for graffiti, when the suspect opened fire

by The Associated Press

ELMENDORF, Texas — The police chief of a small Texas town was killed Saturday while attempting to arrest a man on a warrant, authorities said.

Bexar County Sheriff Susan Pamerleau told The Associated Press that Elmendorf Police Chief Michael Pimentel was making a stop to serve an active misdemeanor warrant for graffiti, when the suspect fired, hitting the chief several times.

Pimentel was airlifted to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, she said.

Pamerleau said the 24-year-old suspect was taken into custody "without incident" and will face a charge of capital murder of a police officer.

Elmendorf, with a population of about 1,500, is about 25 miles southeast of San Antonio.

"It's a very small town. Everybody knows each other," Pamerleau said, adding that the impact has been "devastating."

Elmendorf Mayor Evelyn Lykins said in a news release that Pimentel had served as police chief for more than a year.

"He embraced the community of Elmendorf not only as its head of law enforcement officer but also as a resident. We will miss him," the mayor said.

Steve McCraw, head of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said Pimentel is the fifth law enforcement officer to die in Texas this year. Three of the five were killed by gunfire. Thirteen officers died in the line of duty last year.

"Every day police officers throughout the state risk their lives to protect their communities, and tragically sometimes they make the ultimate sacrifice," McCraw said.

http://www.policeone.com/police-heroes/articles/7493463-Texas-chief-killed-serving-warrant/

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New York

No arrests as thousands rally over NY in-custody death

Police reported no arrests after the afternoon rally and march that drew well over 2,500 people to the streets where Eric Garner was taken to the ground on July 17 by an NYPD officer

by Jonathan Lemire

NEW YORK — Thousands of people expressing grief, anger and hope for a better future marched peacefully through Staten Island on Saturday to protest the chokehold death of an unarmed black man by a white police officer.

Police reported no arrests after the afternoon rally and march that drew well over 2,500 people to the streets where Eric Garner was taken to the ground on July 17 by a New York Police Department officer using a prohibited martial arts maneuver.

"This is a Birmingham, Alabama, moment!" the Rev. Herbert Daughtry announced to about 100 demonstrators at a nearby Staten Island church before the march. He asked for anyone who had been harassed, humiliated or disrespected by police to stand. Almost everyone did.

The Rev. Al Sharpton told them to remain nonviolent or go home, a warning he repeated hours later.

He also repeated his call for a federal takeover of the criminal probe into the death of the 43-year-old Garner, an asthmatic father of six who was stopped for selling loose cigarettes.

Sharpton and former Gov. David Paterson then escorted Garner's widow, Esaw, to a makeshift memorial of flowers, signs and candles set up where her husband was wrestled down and handcuffed. The widow urged a peaceful march but also asked participants to "get justice."

Later, they led the procession that followed a banner: "We Will Not Go Back, March for Justice."

The crowd included representatives of the United Federation of Teachers and members of the Society of Friends, also known as Quakers. City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Zephyr Teachout marched, too.

Diana Smith-Baker, a white Manhattan resident and Quaker, said it was important for people of all races and religions to bring attention to "the inequities toward black people and Hispanic people by the police department."

James O'Neill, police chief of patrol, credited march organizers for the peaceful turnout.

Signs were plentiful. Most popular were "Hands up, don't shoot," which emerged during protests in Missouri over the police killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old, and "I can't breathe," Garner's last words, documented in a widely seen video.

Protesters walked alongside dozens of police officers in parade gear, including polo shirts and pants. There were also officers in formal blue uniforms, but none had riot gear.

Natasha Martin, a black mother from Brooklyn, said she hoped the march "can get things to change. There is so much anger right now. There is so much injustice."

Tamika Mapp, 38, a black Army veteran from Harlem, said she participated "because I don't want my son to have to do this when he's 38."

The rally with people chanting "No justice, no peace" proceeded past the office of Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan, who this week sent the case to a grand jury, and finished at a stage set up next to the Staten Island Yankees minor league ballpark.

Sharpton told the crowd most police officers do their jobs but added: "We are here to deal with the rotten apples."

Sharpton has repeatedly called Garner's death — and the shooting death of Brown by police in Ferguson, Missouri — a "defining moment" for policing nationwide.

Garner's death was ruled a homicide. Two NYPD officers have been reassigned during the investigation.

So far, the U.S. Justice Department has signaled it likely will wait for the local probe to conclude before deciding whether to launch a formal civil rights investigation.

The march and rally also attracted the families of Amadou Diallo and Ramarley Graham, two other unarmed young men gunned down by New York police.

"I have met so many families," said Kadiatou Diallo, whose son was struck as 41 bullets were fired by four white New York police officers in February 1999. "So much pain has happened."

Civil rights attorney Ron Kuby said justice in Garner's death was owed after three decades of marches against police brutality have resulted in "little justice for the victims of police violence."

Staten Island resident William Coleman questioned how many white men have died in similar fashion.

"In my 58 years, I have never seen a black officer who killed a white person," Coleman said. "They've never had to have a march like this."

http://www.policeone.com/Crowd-Control/articles/7493795-No-arrests-as-thousands-rally-over-NY-in-custody-death/

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Washington

Wash. woman tackles man fleeing police, then taunts him

A 40-year-old woman tackled a 20-year-old man fleeing from police in Washington state, then taunted him about being taken down by a grandmother

by The Associated Press

RICHLAND, Wash. — A 40-year-old woman tackled a 20-year-old man fleeing from police in Washington state, then taunted him about being taken down by a grandmother.

Richland police Capt. Mike Cobb tells the Tri-City Herald that Becky Powell was driving by Wednesday when she saw the man run from officers. She told her husband to speed ahead of the fleeing man, and got out to confront him.

Powell says the man tried to stiff-arm her, but she felled him, pulling down his shorts in the process.

She says she got help pinning the man down and asked him how it felt to be taken down by a mother of five and a grandmother of three.

Cobb says police appreciated Powell's actions but warned people not to get involved in police matters. Cobb says the man ran because he had an outstanding warrant.

http://www.policeone.com/bizarre/articles/7493889-Wash-woman-tackles-man-fleeing-police-then-taunts-him/

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Ferguson's 6 top use-of-force questions: A cop's response

According to Bureau of Justice Statistics data from 2008, there roughly 765,000 sworn officers in the United States — and an absurdly small number ever fire their weapons outside of training

by Chief Joel F. Shultis, Ed.D.

Due to the success of American policing, our citizenry is able to remain blissfully unaware of the terrible dynamics of encountering an attack or resistance. That success fortunately means that most people are safely protected from harm but it also means there are some common concerns and misconceptions about what it's like to be attacked, and importantly, what it's like to respond to an attack.

This is largely responsible for the chorus of questions about the officer-involved shooting in Ferguson. It probably makes it more likely that you'll be asked these questions by the people you protect.

If you find yourself in such a discussion, here are some facts you might use to generate deeper understanding for them.

A decision to stop shooting uses the same mental process and, because of the multitude of sensory experiences the brain is processing, actually typically takes longer than the decision to shoot — closer to half a second. Since the trigger pull is still operating as fast as 6/100th of a second, it is entirely possible to fire many times within under two seconds.

Half of those trigger pulls might be completed after a visual input that a subject is no longer presenting a threat.

Further, it can take over a second for a body to fall to the ground after being fatally shot. This means that a shooting incident can be over before you have the time you say “one Mississippi, two Mississippi.”

Even multiple shots don't guarantee that a person will not continue to advance or attack.

This also means that a person with intent to shoot a police officer can fire a fatal shot far faster than an officer can draw, get on target, and fire if the officer is reacting to a weapon already displayed. An untrained person handling a firearm for the first time can easily fire three times in 1.5 seconds after they decide to shoot.

Courts have consistently ruled that suspect behavior that appears to be consistent with an impending firearms attack is a reasonable basis for the officer to fire, whether or not a weapon is clearly visible.

2. “He had a bullet wound on his hand. Doesn't that mean his hands were up?”

Time is always an element in a physical confrontation. If you run any video and put an elapsed-time digital clock to it you'll be amazed at the speed of life.

Research has shown that a person fleeing the police can turn, fire, and turn back by the time an officer recognizes the threat and fires back, resulting in a shot to the back of the suspect. A shot in any part of the body where the subject is moving is dependent on the trajectory of the officer, the weapon, and the subject meeting at a tiny point of time in space.

Unless a person is immobile and executed by shots from a shooter who is stationary, the entry point of any single bullet wound has limited capacity to reveal the exact movements in a dynamic situation. The whole forensic result must be carefully examined.

3. “What difference does it make if a person committed a crime if the officer contacting them didn't know about it?”

If the person being contacted by the police knows he is a suspect in some criminal activity, it could have a significant effect on his behavior toward that officer.

Research on fear, aggression, and frustration dates back to the 1930s — the link between these emotions and behaviors is has been noted by organizations such as the National Criminal Justice Reference Service.

The frustration-aggression link was clearly shown in the surveillance video in which when Brown repeatedly shoved the clerk who tried to interfere with his theft of cigars.

It matters little that the officer had no knowledge of the crime which took place 10 minutes before he contacted Brown and his accomplice.

Brown knew full well and good about that crime, and having an officer contact him in such a short timeframe after the incident could very well have affected the decisions he made during that contact.

4. “How is it fair to shoot an unarmed teenager?”

If a person is six feet and four inches tall, and weights almost 300 pounds, that person's physical stature alone gives them the potential capacity to harm another person.

In Missouri, the most recent annual murder total is 386 — of those, 106 were committed without a firearm.

According to the FBI , in every year from 2008 to 2012, more people were murdered in the United States using only hands and feet than were murdered by persons armed with assault rifles.

Weapon	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Rifles	380	351	367	332	322
Hands, fists, feet, etc.	875	817	769	751	678

A police officer knows that every call is a ‘man with a gun' call, because if he or she loses his weapon or other equipment, the situation can turn deadly for the officer. If the investigation concludes that the officer was defeating a gun grab, use of deadly force is quite reasonable.

5. “What about all these shootings by police?”

According to Bureau of Justice Statistics data from 2008, there are about 765,000 sworn police officers employed at the roughly 18,000 state and local law enforcement agencies in America. How many people are shot and killed by those officers every year in the United States?

According to FBI data, 410 Americans were justifiably killed by police. To put that into a little more context, note that civilians acting in self-defense killed 310 persons during that same time period.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics says that one in five persons over 12 years of age has a face- to- face police contact during the study year for a total of 45 million contacts.

Force was reported by arrestees in less than one percent of those contacts. Of those who reported use of force, most self-reported that they had engaged in at least one of the following:

• Threatening the officer
• Interfering with the officer in the arrest of someone else
• Arguing with the officer
• Assaulting the officer
• Possessing a weapon
• Blocking an officer or interfering with his or her movement
• Trying to escape or evade the officer
• Resisting being handcuffed
• Inciting bystanders to become involved
• Trying to protect someone else from an officer
• Drinking or using drugs at the time of the contact

6. “Why are the police militarized?”

Ferguson Police Department has no tactical or armored vehicles in its inventory, and no SWAT team. No extraordinary equipment was in use by the officer who shot Michael Brown. The special equipment used in Ferguson was put in use only AFTER the violent response to the news of the shooting became evident.

To claim that the gear and the vehicles caused the violence reverses the cause-effect sequence. The danger was obvious, and the appropriate equipment was brought to deal with the situation.

Outside of a crowd-control context, there are many reasons why police need what some would define as “military” equipment.

If there is a school shooting and there is an injured child on the playground while the shooting is still active, do you want your police department to have the ability to rescue the child?

If yes, that means the department will need an armored vehicle.

Can you imagine a circumstance where a police officer would be assaulted by someone throwing a brick at him or her, or trying to hit them over the head? If so, they need a helmet.

Would there ever be a time when an officer would be in a hazardous material environment and need a breathing mask? Then they need gas masks.

We aren't taking away fire trucks because they are too big or hardly ever used to their full, firefighting capacity — most fire service calls are medical in nature.

It's the same principle.

There are a lot of questions related to the Ferguson situation that don't yet have answers, and no one should pretend to know exactly what happened on August 9. But it is important that we educate the public about issues such as the use of force, the use of specialized equipment, and the dynamics of human performance during high-stress incidents.

Let's begin in earnest to have those conversations with our citizens.

About the author

Joel Shults operates Shults Consulting LLC, featuring the Street Smart Force training curriculum. He is retired as Chief of Police for Adams State University in Colorado. Over his 30 year career in uniformed law enforcement and in criminal justice education Joel has served in a variety of roles: academy instructor, police chaplain, deputy coroner, investigator, community relations officer, college professor, and police chief, among others. Shults earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri, with a graduate degree in Public Services Administration and bachelors in Criminal Justice Administration from the University of Central Missouri. In addition to service with the US Army military police and CID, Shults has done observational studies with over fifty police agencies across the country. He has served on a number of advisory and advocacy boards including the Colorado POST curriculum committee as a subject matter expert.

http://www.policeone.com/use-of-force/articles/7489476-Fergusons-6-top-use-of-force-questions-A-cops-response/

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Following Ferguson, a body camera on every officer?

The upside of this technology far outweighs any perceived or potential downside

by Doug Wyllie

In the week following the officer-involved shooting in Ferguson (Mo), many have asked me for a comment and/or my commentary on the matter. My reply has generally been, "What, precisely, might that comment be? We know very little detail regarding the incident itself, so any ‘analysis' on my part would be tantamount to irresponsible speculation. Further, analysis of the rioting and looting (and police response to same) would be redundant — we've got reams of columns on crowd control tactics and strategies."

One thing, however, merits mention in this space. It's directly related to the first thought that came to my mind when news of this tragedy broke: "Man, I hope that officer was wearing a body camera."

By now, we can correctly surmise that he was not, and it's a reasonable contention that if he had been wearing a body camera — and that video was examined by agency leadership and released responsibly to the public — Ferguson would probably have been spared the violence and unrest.

Countering Arguments Against
It has been my belief for some time that on-officer cameras will one day be mandatory, standard equipment for the vast majority of departments in the United States. My argument has been that the upside of this technology far outweighs any perceived or potential downside.

1. Officers' fears about “Big Brother” are crushed by good, sound policy collaboratively created by all stakeholders — administrators, police unions, civil rights groups, local lawmakers, and others. Citizens' fears about Fourth Amendment issues — for victims, witnesses, and other uninvolved persons — are similarly crushed by that same policy.

2. Concerns over budgeting for the investment in new gear (and training for same) are quelled by the statistical data suggesting that the outlay in cash is far less than the cost of settling frivolous (and baseless) lawsuits over alleged officer misconduct when no such misconduct occurred.

3. Any argument alleging that “the technology just isn't there yet” is flat out false. Five years ago, such a statement may have held some water, but companies like TASER International, Digital Ally, L-3 Mobile Vision, and VIEVU now offer rugged, patrol-ready products with high-definition recording capabilities in light, wearable form factors.

Mounting Political Pressure
An online petition recently sprang to life on the website for the Obama White House. The “Mike Brown Law” — which would require “all state, county, and local police to wear a camera” — was proposed in the online citizen petition just yesterday, and today the number of signatures eclipsed the 500,000 mark.

Let me be crystal [bleeping] clear: I don't believe that body-worn cameras should be mandated by law, but I know that one day in the not-too-distant future, these devices will be mandatory, standard equipment for all but a few police agencies. If budgets allowed, most — if not all — agencies would make a move to officer-worn cameras with proper processes in place to protect the officer. But not all agencies have available budgets.

I understand why some lawmakers may decide to pounce on this event in Ferguson and propose legislation (they are called “lawmakers” after all). Political pressure from the electorate is a real thing. Such pressure creates an exigency for the elected official — who wants to stay elected! — to “do something” even if for the sake of being perceived later to have “done something” (and even if it's an ill-advised something).

My feeling is that there will be increasing pressure (exponentially increasing in a place like Missouri, where tensions fester close to home) for such laws. Perhaps in some cases, laws will eventually be passed. But my prediction is that in most other places, body-worn cameras will be adopted by forward-looking agencies long before any law takes effect.

I connected with TASER International CEO Rick Smith as I was writing this piece today. He said, “We believe the concept of using wearable cameras to provide a foundation of transparency has hit a tipping point.”

Smith continued, “The intense emotions that arise from uncertainty and diametrically opposed conjecture about what did or did not happen in life and death encounters can tear communities apart. We believe wearable technology — like body-worn cameras — is the future for communities to relate to those entrusted to protect them. We've already seen this transformation in agencies on the leading edge of this technology wave, and we look forward to making this capability available to every officer who puts their life and honor on the line every day to do a dangerous job.”

Rick Smith routinely “nails it” on these matters, and he did so again today. I completely concur.

Embracing the Future, One Agency at a Time
Policing is not a one-size-fits all profession because in reality no two agencies are alike (yes, my brothers and sisters, you are all wonderful little snowflakes).

Some agencies have better relations with the citizens they protect, and consequently don't have the same chasm of trust to repair. They may be able to take more time to implement.

Some agencies have more adversarial relationships with their unions, and consequently may have a harder time hammering out the abovementioned “collaboratively created” policy.

Ultimately, the point is this. On-officer cameras are an inevitable element of the future of law enforcement. They're here, and they're not going away. If you haven't yet begun to embrace — and by that I mean being somewhere in the process of testing, evaluating, selecting, writing policy, budgeting, purchasing, training, and deploying — these cameras, start now.

In Ferguson, a device costing less than a thousand dollars (less than $400 dollars in many cases) could have saved many thousands of dollars in damage, and untold (and uncountable) damage to this police department's relationship with its citizens. There have been myriad other cases of violence following an officer-involved shooting that could have been prevented by responsibly sharing the video from the event.

About the author

Doug Wyllie is Editor in Chief of PoliceOne, responsible for setting the editorial direction of the website and managing the planned editorial features by our roster of expert writers. An award-winning columnist — he is the 2014 Western Publishing Association "Maggie Award" winner in the category of Best Regularly Featured Digital Edition Column — Doug has authored more than 750 feature articles and tactical tips on a wide range of topics and trends that affect the law enforcement community. Doug is a member of International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA), an Associate Member of the California Peace Officers' Association (CPOA), and a member of the Public Safety Writers Association (PSWA). Even in his "spare" time, he is active in his support for the law enforcement community, contributing his time and talents toward police-related charitable events as well as participating in force-on-force training, search-and-rescue training, and other scenario-based training designed to prepare cops for the fight they face every day on the street.

http://www.policeone.com/police-products/body-cameras/articles/7467585-Following-Ferguson-a-body-camera-on-every-officer/

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California

L.A. Schools Program Aims to Keep Kids out of Courts

by Susan Ferriss

The nation's second-largest school district — Los Angeles Unified — is unveiled a sweeping new agreement to curb police involvement in minor school discipline and campus problems.

The agreement, more than two years in the making, is at the cutting edge of a national movement to stop sending students into courts for minor infractions at school.

In 2012, the Center for Public integrity began publishing a series of reports documenting how L.A. Unified's police — the nation's largest school police department — were giving out more than 10,000 court citations a year to kids mostly for minor infractions.

Nearly half the kids ticketed, often for tardiness or fights, were 14 or younger; almost all were black or Latino and from lower-income areas, the Center found.

A 12-year-old boy was handcuffed and arrested in reaction to a first-ever fight with a friend during a basketball game — his parents were not called first — and two first graders were issued citations for disturbing the peace after a scuffle, the Center found.

The new protocol “is a significant step forward to ensuring that student behavior is not inappropriately criminalized but rather met with interventions that will address the root causes of a student's behavior,” said Ruth Cusick, Los Angeles-based education rights attorney with Public Counsel, the nation's largest pro bono law group.

“Taking school fights out of the courtroom and instead teaching students about conflict resolution will keep more students in school on a path to success,” Cusick she continued.

About 20 percent of all student arrests are related to fights. The new protocol sets out requirements for how students must instead be referred to counseling at school or at community sites known as YouthSource Centers.

Students accused of other misbehavior that has resulted in police issuing them court citations must now be referred back to school for counseling on a campus or at a YouthSource Center. These infractions can include minor use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana possession or minor damage or theft of school property.

Public Counsel worked on the policy along with juvenile court judges, school administrators, police officials and the Community Rights Campaign, an L.A.-based group that has represented students in court.

The Community Rights Campaign was instrumental in proving that police were concentrating their efforts to nab tardy students in lower-income areas, even handcuffing some kids if they arrived minutes late.

Manuel Criollo, director of organizing for the Community Rights Campaign, said school playgrounds had become “minefields” of criminalization and that the protocol will help reverse the trend.

Los Angeles Juvenile Court Judge Donna Groman also hailed the new protocol in a press statement. Juvenile court, she said, “should be the last resort for youth who commit minor school-based offenses.” She said that she hopes that L.A. Unified's policy “is shared both nationally and statewide as a model response.”

L.A. Unified Police Chief Steve Zipperman said, according to a press release, that the protocol “contains clear guidelines regarding the roles and responsibilities of …campus police officers and establishes criteria to assist officers in properly distinguishing school discipline responses to student conduct from criminal responses.”

Last year, Zipperman announced that officers would no longer issue court citations to students 12 or younger unless there were extraordinary reasons for such an action.

In their press release announcing the new protocol, community groups said: “National reports show that police contact with young people is a strong predictor of whether a student will fail to finish school, will have to repeat a year, or will end up in the juvenile justice system or criminal justice system,” community groups that negotiated the police protocols said in a press release.

“In fact,” the groups said, “just one arrest doubles a child's chance of dropping out of school.”

http://jjie.org/l-a-schools-program-aims-to-keep-kids-out-of-courts/107468/

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Texas

Aid Scarce for Immigrant Children in South Texas

by Jacob Fischler

MISSION, Texas — A group of Honduran immigrants who had crossed into the United States illegally frantically waved down a deputy constable's Chevy Tahoe as it approached them on a dirt road a couple hundred yards from the Rio Grande about 10 p.m. one Wednesday in early August.

The deputy parked the SUV a few dozen feet from the group — a 16-year-old girl, 12-year-old boy and a 20-something mother and her small child. The teenager broke away from the group and hurried toward the Tahoe's backseat, sobbing.

“Agua,” she cried. “Water!”

Nearly 63,000 unaccompanied children — mostly from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador — crossed into the United States between Oct. 1 and July 31 without prior permission, according to government data released early in August. Another nearly 63,000 people crossed with family members. The numbers represent an increase of nearly triple over the same period last year.

Under federal law, children from countries other than Mexico and Canada, and any family members traveling with them, are allowed to stay in the country temporarily until an immigration judge can assign them a more permanent status.

Central American immigrants overwhelmed federal authorities on the border earlier this summer, as Border Patrol and other immigration enforcement agents could not quickly enough process them and move them on to their destination cities — Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, D.C., Los Angeles, New York — across the U.S. interior.

The Department of Homeland Security, the federal department that oversees Border Patrol and other immigration enforcement agencies, turns children traveling alone over to the Department of Health and Human Services, which set up large makeshift shelters at military bases. After they're apprehended, the unaccompanied children have virtually no contact with the public until they're released into the care of a family member or, sometimes, a foster family.

But those traveling in family units are released to their own devices.

After completing their processing paperwork, authorities drop the families off en masse at local bus stations to catch rides out of town. The sheer volume they were dropping off at the McAllen, Texas, bus station created a “humanitarian crisis,” as travelers — weary, sometime ill and often wearing the same clothes in which they crossed the Rio Grande — crowded the facility. Sometimes unable to get a bus out of town the same day as they arrived, they slept on the floor of the station's lobby.

A couple of local women, noticing this scene one night in June, notified Sister Norma Pimentel of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley. Pimentel, in turn, convinced Sacred Heart Church, blocks away from the bus station in downtown McAllen, to open its parish hall as a “respite center” for the immigrant families.

The center opened on June 10, and soon gathered more donations of food, clothing and toys than they could store. The city and county governments pitched in with air-conditioned tents, portable showers and other resources.

“Welcome,” the deputy said to the teenage girl in Spanish, trying to comfort her. “You are in the United States. Nothing is going to happen.”

Under his breath, he wondered in English if giving the ice water from his personal jug would actually harm the disheveled immigrants.

“It's cold as [expletive]. I wonder if it's going to get them sick,” he said. “Nah, I don't think it will.”

He poured water from the jug into small, collapsible cups. The two youths gulped down their shares and asked for more.

Between cries, the group explained they didn't know each other, but had crossed the river together earlier that day.

“No, it's just us three and the baby,” the boy said in Spanish, when the deputy asked if anyone else was with them.

They left their homes about a month before, he said. He was headed to North Carolina, while the teen said she going to Maryland, and the young mother to New York.

The roots of the migration remain unclear, further muddied by political partisans. But this much is relatively undisputed: The Central American countries most affected are some of the most dangerous. The murder rate in Honduras was the highest in the world — 90.4 per 100,000 in 2012, the last year for which data is available — according to a United Nations report. El Salvador and Guatemala ranked fourth and fifth.

Anne Cass, a local immigrant activist whose work has spanned more than three decades, said she was inspired to get involved on behalf of immigrants because of the lessons her World War II-veteran father taught her.

“Having seen my father's photos of the concentration camps, I did not understand how our country could be so calloused,” she said about her decision during an immigration spike in the 1980s to champion the rights of migrants who fled to the United States seeking asylum. “I didn't ever want my kids to read about in history that we refused to grant amnesty to these refugees.”

“If you listen to the stories, you can't turn your back on these kids,” said Amanda Posson, a grant administrator with Refugee Services of Texas (RST).

“They're fleeing rape and extreme violence,” she said.

RST, a nonprofit based in North Texas, but with offices across the state, provides “post-release services” to children after they're released from shelters run by Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), a branch of Health and Human Services. RST workers offer counseling, legal aid and other services to children who ORR has determined have been traumatized.

(A spokesman for the office that oversees ORR declined an interview request for this story.) Under ORR's screening process, only about 10 percent of kids qualify. When told some are surprised by the low percentage, Posson said “So are we.”

“These routes are very dangerous, especially if they're coming on La Bestia, the train,” Posson said, referencing the notorious freight train — nicknamed “The Beast” — that Central Americans often jump onto and ride from southern Mexico to near the Rio Grande.

“Everywhere in Mexico, there are bands of thieves. Some are more dangerous than others. Some only steal your money, or for example, some will take even your shoes,” said Oscar Antonio Lopez Carbajar, a 28-year-old Honduran man, who had travelled on La Bestia. He spoke, in Spanish, from his bunkbed in a dormitory of the Senda de Vida Shelter on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande, where he'd been staying for about a month.

Volunteers and professionals who have worked directly with the Central American families can relate horror stories they've heard from the trail.

Hermi Forshage has volunteered at Sacred Heart since mid-June. As an intake worker, she greets families when they arrive at the shelter, records their information, and helps them navigate through their next steps.

“I sit there and I laugh with them and I cry with them,” she said. “I tell them that nobody is allowed to cry alone.”

I asked her if she'd found any story she'd heard particularly powerful.

One Honduran man came to the shelter with his 15-year-old son, Forshage began, her voice already breaking.

The pair hired a smuggler to lead them to the U.S. for a few thousand dollars, but he pocketed the money and abandoned them at the beginning of their journey in a Guatemala hotel room, she said. Weeks later, they were kidnapped in Tampico, Mexico. Their captors held them for ransom, demanding they call relatives to send money.

“‘One day they put the gun to my son's head,'” Forshage recalls the man saying. “‘I don't know if it was the hand of God, or they were just trying to scare us,' he says. But the gun didn't go off, because he says they pulled the trigger.”

The effects from that episode lingered to their time in McAllen.

“I mean, his son was traumatized,” Forshage continued. “You could tell, that his son was just traumatized. The kid was just, he was just sitting there. And he didn't cry, he didn't talk, just nothing. He just sat there … the whole time just looking down. And his dad the whole time was just crying and telling me the story.”

Forshage paused to recall that tears were running down her own face as she listened to the story.

“And he said there were young girls in that group that they had kidnapped,” she continued. “He said they would come and pull the young girls away.” He says, ‘We knew that they were being raped. We could hear them screaming in another room.' He said: ‘But we couldn't do anything about it. We were so helpless that we couldn't do anything about it.'”

The deputy constable didn't allow the group of young Hondurans in his Tahoe, even though they seemed to expect him to take them in the vehicle.

He didn't know what kind of diseases they might carry, he said. At some point after the agent took the travelers away from the dirt road, they'd be separated. The two single youths would be funneled into a group with other unaccompanied minors, and the mother would be assigned to a group of other parents traveling with their kids.

But their journey won't stop there.

Authorities will work to unite the minors with relatives already living in the United States.

If the mother also has a destination she plans to reach, she'll be given a legal document known as a “notice to appear” in immigration court at a later date. Then, Border Patrol agents will drop her and her child at the McAllen bus station, where they'll likely be met by a Catholic Charities volunteer, who will lead the pair to Sacred Heart.

As they wait for their trips out of town at the McAllen bus station, mothers chat with each other in Spanish as small children suck on bottles and older ones play.

A boy celebrated his 10th birthday at Sacred Heart with vanilla cupcakes and bilingual renditions of Happy Birthday, said Sarita Fritzler, the team leader for Save the Children's emergency response team in the Rio Grande Valley. Under Fritzler, the organization has set up a “child-friendly space” in the corner of the church's parish hall.

But the normal scenes of kids being kids belie the horrors some have seen in their home countries and on their journeys north.

Under federal law, immigration officials are supposed to process unaccompanied children and release them to HHS in less than 72 hours, but at the peak of the summer's surge — when hundreds of Central Americans were crossing the border daily — authorities were having trouble making that deadline. The children were sometimes kept in crowded, cold cells for four or five days.

“The heladeras, ‘the iceboxes,' as the kids call them, are kept at 55 degrees,” Posson added. “Being a child lost and alone in a 55-degree holding tank, is that really how we want to treat children?”

And the network of non-profit workers offering social services is largely unavailable to the unaccompanied children, despite Fritzler's efforts.

“We've been advocating since we got here that — you know, these are children who have mother or caregiver with them,” she said, referring to the children she meets at Sacred Heart. “And the ones who are most in need are the unaccompanied children. But because they are held in Border Patrol custody and then released to HHS, we've not been able to have that access to provide the programming, even though we knew that they've spent anywhere from three to five days to longer in the processing sites of Border Patrol, and that they have limited capacity to do anything.”

http://youthtoday.org/2014/08/aid-scarce-for-immigrant-children-in-south-texas/