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September, 2014 - Week 1

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California

Vallejo Police Department works to build better relations with community

by John Sasaki

VALLEJO, Calif. — Vallejo has struggled recently with financial troubles, a depleted police force and a spike in crime. But Saturday, the police department tried to address that last issue with an annual event.

People of all ages got to see what it feels like to be a police officer. "Seeing all the cool stuff that they had and all the demonstrations that they did was amazing," said 16-year-old Anthony Altman of Vallejo.

This was the Vallejo Police Department's annual open house. "Just getting the families out here and enjoying the day and you know, this isn't my police department, this is their police department," said Police Chief Joseph Kreins.

It comes at a tough time for police across the country, who have strained relationships with many communities - such as Ferguson, Missouri - because of questions about police brutality and militarization.

"I'm opposed to the militarization of the police. I think community policing is really a good thing," remarked Ellen Weaver of Vallejo.

Chief Kreins added, "This gives folks an opportunity to see us, who we are. I mean, we're people. We're human beings. And we have a tough job to do. But at the same time, I think it's important that we reach out to the community, and do it as often as we can."

Nearly 2,000 people came to see the police vehicles, and try on the gear. "I actually feel good about the police. I don't mind them being on my side. I wouldn't mind calling them when I get in trouble or something happens. They're actually doing good things for the community," said Shavyonne Booth of Vallejo.

Officer Amanda Blain made balloon animals for the kids. "Today, it's been great. Everybody's been pretty happy to be here."

Coincidentally, the department is preparing now to transition from Chief Kreins' leadership to incoming Chief Andrew Bidou, who's looking forward to tackling the city's problems.

"Finding out ways to partner with the community, and work together on these things, because the Vallejo Police Department simply doesn't have the resources to do it on its own," said Bidou.

Police say they've had upwards of ten times as many people at this event as they did at the same event last year, and they plan to grow it in the years to come. As one captain said, "we owe it to the community".

http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/vallejo-police-department-holds-annual-open-house/nhHPn/

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Montana

Methamphetamine: 'The No. 1 threat to public safety'

by Eddie Gregg

On a recent Monday afternoon, Billings Police Officer Matt Frank pulled over an 18-year-old driver on Main Street.

Frank stopped the driver, Jesse Robert Hill, at about 2:10 p.m. on Aug. 28 because the car, a white Monte Carlo, appeared to have a modified temporary license tag.

Hill had constricted pupils, lethargic movements and couldn't understand basic questions, Frank said. The officer also noticed the smell of marijuana.

After getting a warrant, a search of the car turned up a marijuana pipe — and two plastic sugar-packet-sized bags, one of which had about a quarter gram of little white crystals.

Officer Seth Foster dumped some of the crystals in a small container called a NIK kit, a field test for methamphetamine. The liquids combined with the white crystals and the mixture turned bright blue — indicating the presence of meth.

More meth use in Billings

Finding a quarter gram of methamphetamine in a car may not seem noteworthy — Hill was arrested on possible charges of DUI and possession — but it's part of a trend: more meth use in Billings, which fuels other kinds of crimes.

“I truly do think it's the No. 1 threat to public safety in our community,” Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito said.

Last year, prosecutors filed 365 felony drug possession charges in Yellowstone County District Court, up from 210 charges in 2012 and 213 charges in 2011.

Of those charges, more than half were for meth, Twito estimates.

And meth appears to have been involved in several recent high-profile crimes.

Zachariah James Wiseman, Kelly Dee Megard and Justin Wesley Delacruz, men charged in three unrelated homicide or attempted homicide cases in June and July, were either high on meth or had meth in their possession at the times of the alleged offenses, according to investigators.

The county attorney said he doesn't yet have enough data to say meth is driving up the number of violent crimes, “but I can certainly tell you more often then not … it is involved in violent crimes.”

And he's working to track whether there is a connection. About two months ago, his office started tracking whether meth is a factor in all felony cases presented for prosecution.

Meth fuels thefts, burglaries and robberies — offenses known as “property crimes,” said Twito and other law enforcement officials.

Sgt. Shawn Finnegan, a 16-year veteran of the Billings Police Department, said meth addicts often break into cars and homes looking for property they can pawn for cash or trade directly to dealers.

Those kinds of crimes are on the rise, according to Finnegan and other officers in the patrol division of the department. They would know — they're on the front lines.

The ‘meth influence'

Methamphetamine makes people irrational and unpredictable, Officer Todd Clyatt said, recounting a recent incident at North Park when a man who appeared to be high on meth pointed what appeared to be a handgun at him.

At about 7:30 a.m. on July 27, a Sunday, Clyatt was on patrol when he saw two people at the center of North Park. He went to investigate after seeing open alcohol containers and trash near the pair.

One of the two, later identified as 28-year-old Bryon James Hemming, started running away while holding a large, silver pistol, court records say.

Clyatt yelled for Hemming to stop, but the man continued running. He used his patrol car to cut Hemming off and radioed for backup. As Clyatt approached, Hemming turned and pointed the pistol at him, charging documents state.

Hemming eventually dropped the gun, but continued running, records say. Police chased him on foot, and he turned and took a combative stance. He was taken to the ground, but continued to resist arrest even after being shocked with a Taser.

A detention officer later reported finding a smashed glass pipe in Hemming's pocket. He claimed it was broken bottle of cologne, but the broken glass tested positive for methamphetamine.

The firearm, a BB gun, was retrieved and appeared to be an exact replica of a stainless steel Beretta 92 pistol, court records say.

“It looked very real to me,” Clyatt said. “You know, we almost shot him. He was tweaked out on meth — paranoid. That was absolutely meth influence.”

‘Knock and talk'

On the morning of Aug. 18, three marked police cars were parked in front of a motel on the edge of downtown Billings.

Clyatt, Officer Robert Miller and Sgt. Shawn Finnegan had information that people had been using and possibly dealing meth at the motel.

“I can tell you the water pressure is dropping right now because people are flushing stuff,” Clyatt said, as he stood outside the motel.

The secondhand information about meth dealing wasn't enough to apply for a warrant, which the officers needed to legally be able to enter without permission.

Clyatt decided to do a “knock and talk,” approach with the people in the room and ask for permission to search their room — something the tenants have every right to deny.

Clyatt walked up the worn, squeaky motel steps to the second-story room in question. A handful of people, some smoking cigarettes and others talking on cellphones, were milling around the parking lot below, watching what was happening.

Clyatt politely chatted with a man and woman who were staying in the room with two young children. He talked to them individually for about 10 or 15 minutes each, getting to know them a little, before addressing the reported meth activity.

“I'm not standing here calling you a dope dealer, I'm just telling you that people have gone into that room and come out with methamphetamines,” Clyatt told the man, who admitted to using meth in the past.

The man and woman both denied knowing anything about the reported meth use and eventually agreed to have the room searched.

The search didn't turn up any meth or related paraphernalia; no arrests were made. But Clyatt seemed OK with that. Before he left, the woman asked for his card and thanked him for his concern for her and her children.

“Talking a lot of times is our best tool,” Clyatt said after walking back to his patrol car. “I know she'll call.”

The day before, a similar “knock and talk” with a man at the same motel did turn up meth paraphernalia — syringes, a digital scale that appeared to have meth and marijuana residue, a propane torch, two wooden clubs and two glass pipes used to smoke meth.

“They call them lokers on the street,” Finnegan said, looking over the pipes and other items with Clyatt.

Lokers are made by heating glass containers, often empty cigar cases, and blowing the enclosed end of the container into a bulb and poking a small hole in it.

Finding a propane torch in a hotel room is always a red flag. “What are you going to use that for in a hotel room? Smoking meth,” he said, adding that “chronic” meth users often have burn marks on their fingers.

“This is just universal; everywhere you go you're gonna get stuff like this,” he said, looking at the two wooden clubs. “And they don't hesitate to lump the crap out of each other on a regular basis.”

“It's like a whole underground world of drug dealing in our community,” Finnegan said.

http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/methamphetamine-the-no-threat-to-public-safety/article_1998e256-3ca5-579b-9e0d-49e886aac2b9.html

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From the Department of Justice

Attorney General Holder Announces Next Steps to Address Concerns Regarding the City of Ferguson and St. Louis County Police Departments

Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that the Justice Department has launched two initiatives to address concerns about police services in the city of Ferguson and in St. Louis County, Missouri. First, in addition to the ongoing criminal civil rights investigation, the Civil Rights Division has opened a civil pattern or practice investigation into allegations of unlawful policing by the City of Ferguson Police Department (FPD). Second, the Attorney General announced that the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office has launched a Collaborative Reform Initiative with the St. Louis County Police Department (SLCPD).

“The Department of Justice is working across the nation to ensure that the criminal justice system is fair, constitutional and free of bias,” said Attorney General Holder. “The interventions in Missouri are an important part of that commitment. While there is much work left to do, we feel confident that there are solutions to any issues we find and that community trust in law enforcement can be restored and maintained. Ferguson and St. Louis County are not the first places that we have become engaged to ensure fair and equitable policing and they will not be the last. The Department of Justice will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the Constitution has meaning for all communities.”

The pattern or practice investigation will look at whether officers of the Ferguson Police Department have engaged in systemic violations of the Constitution or federal law. The investigation will focus on the Ferguson Police Department's use of force, including deadly force; stops, searches and arrests; discriminatory policing; and treatment of detainees inside Ferguson's city jail by Ferguson police officers. The department will consider all relevant information, particularly the efforts that FPD has undertaken to ensure compliance with federal law, and the experiences and views of the community.

Over the past five fiscal years, the Civil Rights Division has opened over 20 pattern or practice investigations into police departments across the country, which is more than twice as many as were opened in the previous five fiscal years. The division is enforcing 14 agreements to reform law enforcement practices at agencies both large and small. These agreements have already resulted in tangible changes in these communities by ensuring constitutional policing, enhancing public safety and making the job of delivering police services safer and more effective.

The investigation is being conducted by attorneys and staff from Civil Rights Division. They will be assisted by experienced law enforcement experts. The department encourages anyone wishing to provide relevant information to contact the department at 1-855-856-2132, or via email at community.ferguson@usdoj.gov

The COPS Collaborative Reform Technical Assistance process with the SLCPD is a voluntary process that will include an open, independent and objective assessment of key operational areas of the police department, such as training, use of force, handling mass demonstrations, stops, searches, arrests, and fair and impartial policing. The assessment will include the SLCPD police academy which trains officers for many police departments in the region, including the FPD. The findings of this assessment, and recommendations to address any deficiencies that it uncovers, will be provided in a public report and shared with the community. Additionally, SLCPD Chief Jon Belmar has requested that COPS conduct an after action report on the SLCPD's response to the protests following the shooting of Michael Brown.

The Collaborative Reform process is an initiative in which the COPS Office, in partnership with a designated technical assistance provider and subject matter experts, works with a law enforcement agency to assess an issue that affects police and community relationships. Grounded in the principles of constitutional policing and procedural justice, it is a means to organizational transformation through an analysis of policies, practices, training, and tactics around a specific issue that can jeopardize an agency's legitimacy within its community. It is not a short term solution for a serious deficiency, but a long term strategy that identifies the issues within an agency that affect public trust and offers recommendations on how to improve the issue and enhance the relationship between the police and the community.

The Collaborative Reform process was initially launched in 2011. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department was the first agency to participate and complete the process, which resulted in the adoption of over 75 recommendations regarding the use of force. The COPS Office is currently working with the Philadelphia and Spokane police departments with this process.

“Today we are launching a comprehensive review of the Ferguson Police Department to assess whether police practices are constitutional and fair in Ferguson,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Molly Moran for the Civil Rights Division. “We are encouraged by the pledge of cooperation from Mayor Knowles and Chief Jackson, and we look forward to working with them as our process moves forward.”

“The recent disturbances in Ferguson have revealed significant mistrust between the community and police agencies throughout the county, including the St. Louis County Police Department,” said COPS Director Davis. “The county has expressed a strong desire to take steps to create a relationship of trust and to ensure fairness and equity in its policing practices, and I applaud St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar for seeking technical assistance and agreeing to the Collaborative Reform process. The advancements that will be made through this effort will not only benefit the St. Louis county police department; they will serve as a model for all police agencies in the region and throughout the nation.”

The department is also conducting in a thorough, fair and independent criminal investigation into the circumstances of the fatal shooting of Michael Brown on in Ferguson on Aug. 9, 2014. Although the department is working cooperatively with the local investigators, the federal investigation supplements, but does not supplant, the St. Louis County Police Department's investigation into the shooting incident. The initiatives announced today are also separate from the ongoing current criminal investigations related to the death of Michael Brown.

The Civil Rights Division has an ongoing, separate investigation of the St. Louis County Juvenile Court to determine whether it engages in patterns or practices of violations of young people's rights. The section is assessing whether there are violations of due process, equal protection or access to counsel. Anyone wishing to provide information related to that investigation can email the department at Community.StLouis@usdoj.gov or call toll free 855-228-2151.

The Justice Department has taken similar steps involving a variety of state and local law enforcement agencies, both large and small, in jurisdictions throughout the United States using its authority under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Under Attorney General Holder's leadership, more investigations have resulted in comprehensive, court-overseen agreements to fundamentally change the law enforcement agency's police practices than in any other five-year period in the department's history.

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2014/September/14-crt-937.html

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Justice Department Participates in Child Cyber Safety Night at Nationals Park, Saturday, September 6th

Child Cyber Safety Night at the Ballpark is the latest effort by the Justice Department and its law enforcement and community partners to encourage parents to speak with their children about online and cell phone safety and provide prevention materials. As part of the event, the department will receive the Washington Nationals Spirit Award. Deputy Attorney General James Cole will be recognized in an on-field ceremony at Nationals Park along with Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Administrator Robert L. Listenbee, and Special Agent in Charge Tim Gallagher of the FBI Washington Field Office.

The Spirit Award will be announced during the pre-game show scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, 2014, before the 4:05 p.m. Major League Baseball game between the Washington Nationals and the Philadelphia Phillies.

In a public service announcement to be shown at the game, Attorney General Eric Holder will emphasize the importance of creating an ongoing dialogue with children about safe use of technology.

“As a parent, I understand the opportunities – and the challenges – that new technologies present for America's young people,” Attorney General Holder will say in the announcement. “It's up to each of us to start a dialogue with our kids about safe Internet and cell phone practices. Together, we can ensure that our kids are safe and protected – both online and off.”

Child Cyber Safety Night at the Ballpark is a large-scale awareness event being led by INOBTR (I Know Better), a non-profit organization and OJJDP grantee focused on promoting youth safety. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (ICAC) will join INOBTR in sharing resources for parents and children via the Community Clubhouse at the Center Field Plaza. Materials will be available when the gates open Saturday at 1:30 p.m. through the third inning of the game.

OJJDP provides national leadership, coordination and resources to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and victimization. For more on Internet and cell phone safety, please visit: www.projectyouthsafety.org/cybersafe

Press inquiries regarding logistics should be directed to Kelly McMahon at kelly@INOBTR.org or 314-853-1053.

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2014/September/14-opa-942.html

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From ICE

2 arrested after HSI rescues Honduran boy from Phoenix apartment

Pair allegedly held smuggled juvenile for ransom

PHOENIX — A man and woman face state kidnapping charges following their arrest late Friday at a Phoenix apartment by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents, with assistance from the Phoenix Police Department and Arizona Department of Public Safety. The pair is charged with holding a 13-year-old Honduran boy hostage while attempting to extort additional smuggling fees from his family.

Frances Salas, 27, a U.S. citizen and resident of Phoenix, and Jesus Millan-Rodriguez, 31, a Mexican national, were booked into the Maricopa County Jail, each charged with kidnapping and possession of marijuana for sale.

"This case illustrates yet again the inhumanity of the human smuggling trade," said Matt Allen, special agent in charge of HSI Arizona. "The sad but simple fact is, to the smuggling organization, this child is nothing more than a business commodity. Parents need to understand that when they contract with smugglers, they place their children into the hands of a ruthless criminal network, possibly endangering their child's life."

HSI special agents were first alerted to the case at noon Friday, after a woman contacted HSI in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to report that her son, who had recently been smuggled into the U.S., was being held by smugglers at an unknown location in Phoenix. She said the smugglers were demanding she pay additional smuggling fees and she feared for the boy's safety. HSI Fort Lauderdale alerted HSI Phoenix special agents, who worked to develop information on the possible location of the drop house. By late Friday night, special agents had sufficient reason to believe the boy was being held in an apartment complex located in the Interstate 17 corridor north of Bethany Home Road.

When special agents and Phoenix Police Department officers responded to the apartment, they discovered the boy in the custody of Salas and Millan-Rodriguez. Agents also discovered a pound of marijuana in a plastic zip-close bag in the apartment. The pair were subsequently arrested by Phoenix police and booked into the Maricopa County Jail.

The boy, who was physically unharmed, was turned over to the Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Refugee Resettlement, which is the federal agency responsible for the care and custody of unaccompanied alien children encountered by DHS.

The investigation is ongoing.

A criminal complaint is simply the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1409/140903phoenix.htm

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Florida

Slender Man-inspired teen sets family's house on fire

The teen told police that she had been reading a lot about Slender Man

by Ross Cronkrite

The fictional character “Slender Man” has inspired another horrific crime. According to a report from the New York Daily News, a 14-year-old girl set her family's house on fire, endangering her mother and sibling who were asleep inside.

Citing the Pasco Sheriff's Office, ABC News reports that Lily Marie Hartwell set a towel and bed sheet soaked in bleach and alcohol on fire before escaping to a nearby park where she fell asleep in a public bathroom.

Fortunately, CBS News notes, Lily's mother and brother heard the smoke detector going off and left the house before it went up in flames.

According to CBS News, Lily sent a text messages to her mother after the fire that read, “Mom Im so sorry I dont know why I did it” and “Did any of u get hurt.”

When police finally located the 14 year old, she was arrested and charged with one count of arson and two counts of attempted murder.

According to ABC News, Lily told police that she had been reading a lot about Slender Man.

“She had visited the website that contains a lot of the Slender Man information and stories,” Eddie Daniels of the Pasco Sheriff's Office told ABC News. “It would be safe to say there is a connection to that.”

Earlier this year, two Wisconsin teens allegedly tried to stab their friend to death in the woods in order to please Slender Man.

http://dailydigestnews.com/2014/09/slender-man-inspired-teen-sets-familys-house-on-fire/

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Mississippi

Long Beach High program prepares students for public safety careers

by Trang Pham-Bui

LONG BEACH, MS -- Long Beach students are getting an early start on learning about careers in law enforcement and the legal system. This year, Long Beach High School launched its new Law and Public Safety program. The curriculum prepares students for a variety of jobs from police officers to FEMA.

On Friday, students took on the roles of attorneys, judge, jury and witnesses. In the mock trial, a woman was accused of killing her husband. Their teacher even took the stand as a police officer. The lesson on how the legal system works is part of the new Law and Public Safety curriculum at Long Beach High.

"It tells me all the definitions. It gives me stuff I never heard about before. For example, we talked about Battered Women Syndrome. I never heard of that," said freshman Tanner Montella.

"It helps me, because when I get older, I want to be an attorney and it will help me have practice for those trials," said freshman Addie House.

Over the two-year program, students will learn about various careers, including police officers, firefighters, even jobs in the prison system and government agencies like FEMA. Coach Damon Felder will also talk about positions in the military. After all, he served eight years in the Army.

"I tell them my stories about Iraq and things like that, and that pulls them in," said Felder. "I get kids that get in it and they say, 'Coach I want to be a lawyer. I want to be a judge.' So they are really intrigued by what we talk about in the course."

The elective course connects to Common Core, because students get to interact, think critically, and focus on college or careers.

"Whenever I saw there were a few law classes, I was like check. I was excited to have it," said Tanner.

"I think it's needed everywhere, especially in the state of Mississippi where kids who don't want to go in the path of direct colleges. It gives them the alternative of looking into the police force, firefighting, and military," said Felder.

Students in the program must also pass a fitness test. If they meet certain requirements, they can also earn certifications in emergency response and incident management.

http://www.wlox.com/story/26461887/new-long-beach-high-program-prepares-students-for-public-safety-careers

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New York

60 NYPD cops set to begin wearing body cameras in pilot program

The pilot program is set to begin with cops in six commands in crime-plagued areas such as Brownsville and East New York in Brooklyn, and Staten Island's 120th Precinct, where Eric Garner died July 17 in a police confrontation.

by Rocco Parascandola

Sixty cops will soon wear cameras as part of a program to test a technology that is widely used by law enforcement throughout the U.S. — and could “de-escalate” police-civilian encounters, the city's top cop said Thursday.

The pilot program was ordered by U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin in a 2013 verdict that found the NYPD's use of the stop-and-frisk tactic was unconstitutional because it targeted minority communities.

In coming months, two varieties of cameras will be tested by cops in six police commands, including a precinct in each borough.

The commands include crime-plagued areas of Brownsville and East New York in Brooklyn, and Staten Island's 120th Precinct, where Eric Garner died July 17 in a confrontation with police.

NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said he expects the cameras will offer protection to both citizens and police officers, and could yield valuable evidence for use in trials.

“The idea is the person understands that they are being recorded and there is an ability to test the veracity (of a person's account) through the use of the camera devices,” Bratton said.

“Sometimes, being quite frank with you, complainants lie — bald-faced lies. And I think, clearly, the officer, knowing that it's being recorded — in most instances it will affect the behavior of the officers in a good way. I think he or she will feel it's an additional protection for them.”

He said the cameras are also the “wave of the future,” and something all cops will soon want as part of their gear.

The program comes at a time when the NYPD is facing criticism over Garner's death, a rise in shootings and the aggressive use of stop-and-frisk under the previous NYPD Commissioner, Raymond Kelly.

The specifics of the program — most notably concerning confidentiality and which encounters cops must record — have not yet been determined.

The Police Foundation, a private group that raises money for various NYPD initiatives, paid about $60,000 for the cameras. One model, built by Taser, can be mounted on a cop's shoulder, collar or glasses. The other, made by Vievu, is designed to be worn on an officer's shirt.

But potential future costs, assuming the pilot is expanded throughout the NYPD, will run into the tens of millions of dollars a year just for file storage, Bratton said.

“This is an extraordinarily complex initiative,” Bratton said.

Mayor de Blasio, in a joint statement with Public Advocate Letitia James, also noted that many questions need to be answered, but added that the city will “do everything it takes to stay the safest big city in the nation.”

“This pilot program will provide transparency, accountability, and protection for both the police officers and those they serve, while reducing financial losses for the city,” their statement added.

Nearly 4,000 police agencies around the country have been using body cameras for some years or are testing them, including the police force in Los Angeles, whose program was studied by the NYPD.

The precincts involved were selected, per Scheindlin's decision in Floyd vs. the City of New York, because they posted a high number of stops in 2012. In addition to Staten Island's 120th Precinct, the others were the 75th Precinct, in East New York, Brooklyn; the 40th Precinct, in the Highbridge section of the Bronx; the 23rd Precinct, in East Harlem; and the 103rd Precinct, in Jamaica, Queens. Also selected was Police Service Area 2, which encompasses public housing in Brownsville and East New York.

Bratton briefed the police unions before Thursday's announcement, but Patrolmen's Benevolent Association president Pat Lynch said the pilot “is part of our challenge to Judge Scheindlin's decision.”

“Police officers have nothing to hide, but there are many unanswered questions,” he added.

Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, said Bratton is making the right move by using the pilot to figure out aspects of the technology that are helpful and ones that are not. He said, for instance, that it's not clear whether cops would be offered protection if private conversations between partners are captured on audio.

The Center for Constitutional Rights, which brought the Floyd suit, faulted the NYPD for making a “unilateral decision” and not following Scheindlin's request for a “collaborative process” that included plaintiffs in the case.

“This kind of unilateral decision on the part of the NYPD follows the non-transparent, go-it-alone approach to police reform we saw with the prior NYPD and mayoral administration,” the organization said in a statement on its website.

Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said body cameras “ought to be a win-win for both the police and the communities they serve, as long as their use is limited to police interactions and addressing complaints of abuse or wrongdoing.”

“The NYPD has a long history of engaging in surveillance of innocent New Yorkers, and body cameras can't become yet another tool for massive police surveillance,” she added.

Gwen Carr, Garner's mother, was also somewhat suspicious — though she did not disapprove of the program in theory.

“You know, with today's technology they can alter whatever they want,” said Carr, 65, whose son died after a cop put him into what appeared to be a chokehold — a move banned under NYPD protocol.

“We're going to have to wait and see,” she added. “It's a step in the right direction, if they're used correctly.”

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/50-nypd-cops-set-wearing-body-cameras-pilot-program-article-1.1927876

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma releases investigation on controversial execution

Oklahoma's controversial April 29 execution of murderer Clayton Lockett has attracted both national and international attention and renewed the decades-old debate over the death penalty.

by Rick Green and Graham Lee Brewer

While death row inmate Clayton Derrell Lockett lay straining on the execution table at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary long after he should have been dead, an area of swelling nearly the size of a tennis ball was forming near the intravenous site for the drugs intended to kill him.

After the execution was stopped, a doctor saw the swelling and concluded the fatal cocktail was being delivered to tissue in Lockett's right groin instead of into a femoral vein as intended.

It was warden Anita Trammell's job to watch for those sorts of problems at the IV site, but she couldn't see the area because she had decided to cover it with a sheet in order to maintain the condemned man's dignity and keep his genital area obscured from witnesses' view.

These are key findings in a state Public Safety Department report on Lockett's problematic execution released Thursday, and just a few of the many indications the state's execution team was not fully prepared for an execution gone awry.

While the investigation “concluded the viability of the IV access point was the single greatest factor that contributed to the difficulty in administering the execution drugs,” it also found that several areas of state Corrections Department protocol need extensive revisions, and that there was a lack of execution contingency plans.

The report recommends keeping the IV insertion point visible at all times and providing more robust training for all involved, including paramedics, physicians and the three executioners who administer the drugs. The report found a possible problem with the placement of the femoral IV that was used in Lockett's execution was the lack of a properly sized needle to perform the procedure. There was also a lack of backup execution drugs.

Gov. Mary Fallin ordered the state report after Lockett's April 29 execution veered off course and Oklahoma found itself in the international spotlight in the long-running death penalty debate. Lockett's was the first of two executions planned that night. The report said two lethal injections in one night are stressful for corrections staff members, and that there should be a week's separation between such procedures.

“I think having two probably did add a lot of stress, so I think that's one of our recommendations not to do that, and I fully expect folks reading our recommendations will adhere to that,” Public Safety Department Commissioner Michael Thompson said Thursday.

Fallin said she approves the change in protocol that would prevent two executions in one night.

“The report gave us some good, helpful information, and I agree if it's stressful on the staff to have two executions in one night, we will not do that,” said Fallin, who said she has never witnessed an execution.

She also said that she was at an Oklahoma City Thunder basketball game for part of the night of the execution, but that her legal staff maintained an open line of communications to officials at the execution. She also was available by cellphone.

Executions on hold

Lockett writhed, bucked, tensed, and mumbled for several minutes during his execution before the blinds were lowered 16 minutes into the procedure.

In previous executions, the condemned person has died well before then. Media witnesses were then escorted out of the death chamber, left wondering whether or not Lockett was still alive.

The report disclosed that after the blinds were lowered the doctor tried to correctly set the IV line, and Lockett's heart slowed and finally stopped.

No executions have been staged in Oklahoma since Lockett's, pending the release of Thursday's report. The execution of the other inmate scheduled to die two hours after Lockett, Charles Frederick Warner, was moved to Nov. 13. Fallin said there will be no executions until the new protocols are in place. It's not clear how long that will take.

Reaction to report

Jen Moreno, staff attorney at the Berkeley Law Death Penalty Clinic in California, said the lack of contingency plans and adequate training and supplies indicates there is a culture of carelessness regarding the death penalty within the state Corrections Department.

“I question if any quick fixes to execution protocol will have an effect on that culture,” Moreno said.

Dale Baich, an Arizona attorney who represents several inmates on Oklahoma's death row in a lawsuit challenging current protocol, called the lack of contingency plans disturbing, adding “the report protects the chain of command in the Department of Corrections.”

Baich said no executions should proceed in the state until those issues are addressed.

More findings

A timeline of the execution included in the report stated Fallin's office directed state Corrections Department Director Robert Patton to proceed with the lethal injection after it became clear only one viable IV had been placed. It was placed in the femoral vein after medical staff were unsuccessful in numerous attempts to place an IV elsewhere. Two IV lines usually are used, one in each arm.

The report recommends that if it takes more than an hour to place an IV, the governor should be notified to potentially request a postponement of the execution.

The report made little mention of the new drug cocktail used, which included Midazolam, a drug never before used in Oklahoma.

Thompson said there was no indication the drug was part of the problem in Lockett's execution. It's not clear what mixture will be used the next time the state executes someone.

Addressing the media on the night of the execution, Patton said Lockett's vein had exploded, and he died of an apparent heart attack 43 minutes after the lethal injection began.

An independent autopsy performed in Tulsa found Lockett's veins were in good condition and those performing the lethal injection failed to set a properly functioning intravenous line in his groin. The autopsy was performed by forensic pathologist Dr. Joseph Cohen on May 14 in Tulsa. Cohen was retained by attorneys for Oklahoma death row prisoners.

An autopsy released in August by the Public Safety Department concluded Lockett, 38, died as a result of the injection of lethal drugs into his system. That autopsy was performed in Texas by the Southwest Institute of Forensic Sciences as part of the investigation Fallin called for in the immediate days following the execution.

Lockett was sentenced to death for the 1999 murder of Stephanie Neiman, 19, in Perry. Lockett shot Neiman twice with a shotgun and had two accomplices bury her alive after she and a friend interrupted a home invasion the three men were performing. All three men also sexually assaulted Neiman's friend multiple times.

http://newsok.com/state-releases-investigation-on-controversial-execution/article/5338667

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The impact of community policing: Meta-analysis of its effects in U.S. cities

by Martin Maximino

Police forces across the United States have tried a range of new approaches to ensure public safety, from “hot-spots policing” to “order maintenance” strategies. Yet many U.S. citizens remain unsatisfied with law-enforcement authorities' ability to reduce crime, treat minorities fairly and hold officers accountable for their actions. Recent events in Ferguson, Mo., have reignited a long-running discussion about the need for police departments to engage in a meaningful way with residents and their concerns.

Community policing is a strategy that centers on the involvement of citizens in the design, implementation and evaluation of law-enforcement programs. Such strategies are supported by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, established in 1994 as part of the U.S. Department of Justice. The key components — community partnerships, organizational transformation of the police and problem-solving activities — offer an alternative to traditional and reactive policing strategies. However, just what constitutes “community policing” varies greatly across police departments; and the programs' outcomes have varied, as research and case studies have suggested. From foot patrols to education programs in school and door-to-door surveys, the degree of implementation and impact of community-oriented policing is uneven across America.

A 2014 study published in the Journal of Experimental Criminology, “Community-Oriented Policing to Reduce Crime, Disorder and Fear and Increase Satisfaction and Legitimacy among Citizens: A Systematic Review,” measures the effectiveness of community policing in the United States through a quantitative analysis of prior academic studies. The researchers, based at the George Mason University, Arizona State University, Hebrew University and the University of South Wales, sought to better understand the effects of community-oriented policing on crime, disorder, fear, and citizen satisfaction with and trust in the police.

The authors analyzed 25 different studies containing 65 independent assessments before and after the introduction of a range of community-oriented policing strategies. The findings include:

Overall, community-policing strategies have a positive effect on citizen satisfaction and trust in the police, as well as in the reduction of individuals' perception of disorderly conduct, including drug dealing. However, no statistically significant effect was found on reported crime or fear of crime.

In 27 of the 65 comparisons where official crime outcomes were analyzed, community-oriented policing was associated with 5% to 10% greater odds of reduced crime. This finding was not statistically significant, however.

In 16 of the 65 comparisons, community-oriented policing was associated with a 24% increase in the odds of citizens perceiving improvements in disorderly conduct. While this effect was not statistically significant, the odds increased to 35% and became statistically significant when one study with a small number of observations was removed from the analysis.

Citizen satisfaction with the police was evaluated in 23 comparisons, and community-oriented programs were found to be effective in almost 80% of the cases, and citizens were almost 40% more likely to be satisfied with the work of the police. “Citizens reported increased trust and confidence following community-oriented policing interventions and felt that they treated people more fairly,” the authors state. These measures were not statistically significant, however.

The scholars describe their general findings as ambiguous: “Although our analysis suggests that COP is associated with between 5% and 10% greater odds of a decrease in crime, it is plausible under the confidence intervals that COP has no effect on crime. We also find no evidence that community policing decreases citizens' fear of crime, despite positive outcomes for other citizen perceptions. Finally, our results do not suggest that the presence or absence of a problem-solving approach as part of COP strategies affect the impact on crime.” Ultimately, “these findings may reflect the complex relationship between informal social control, fear, disorder, and crime — disorder fuels fear of crime, which can lead to higher recorded crime rates as informal social controls break down.”

Related research: A 2013 study in Urban Affairs Review, “The Postindustrial City Thesis and Rival Explanations of Heightened Order Maintenance Policing,” examines the relationship between an area's economy and its policing style. The author, Elaine B. Sharpe of the University of Kansas, looks at 180 cities with a population of 100,000 or more; she analyzes arrest rates and charges, governing institutions, policing demands and constraints, and variables representing the “racial threat” thesis — that the increased presence of minorities can trigger intolerance and greater attempts at social control.

http://journalistsresource.org/studies/government/criminal-justice/the-impact-of-community-policing-meta-analysis-of-its-effects-in-u-s-cities#

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57 Police Officers Fatally Shot by ‘Unarmed' Suspects Since 2000

The recurrent expression of outrage by critics and the mainstream media about the use of deadly force by police officers against unarmed individuals fails to recognize that since 2000 at least 57 suspects have taken officers' weapons and murdered the police officer with it.

That means that about every three months in the USA, one officer's family gets a knock on the door and is told that a husband, father, son, or daughter won't be coming home ever again. Although you won't see a rally in the street when it happens again, or see five hours a night of news coverage dedicated to the ongoing developments surrounding the incident, it will surely happen again.

While statistics for officers murdered with their own weapons are difficult to research, we know from the Los Angeles Police Protection League, the FBI and www.odmp.org that between 2000-10, at least 51 officers were killed by alleged perpetrators who used the officer's own gun. Four officers were killed in 2011, one officer was killed in 2013. Moreover, so far in 2014, it has been confirmed that Johnson City (New York) Police Officer David Smith was murdered in March with his own weapon. Smith had served in the police department for over 18 years.

In Smith's case, according to the Officers Down Memorial Page report, before he was able to exit his patrol car or radio for help, the alleged assailant was able to disarm Officer Smith and shoot him while he was still in the patrol car.

Perhaps those that are quick to jump to conclusions in the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson and the death of Ezell Brown in Los Angeles could show some restraint. All the facts are not in and a rush to judgment may be unfair to the innocent as well as damaging to local store owners.

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-California/2014/08/30/57-Police-Officers-were-Fatally-Shot-by-Unarmed-Suspects

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Justice Department to investigate Ferguson Police Department

by Fox News

The Department of Justice will launch a civil rights investigation into the Ferguson (Mo.) Police Department after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen by one of its white officers.

A government official briefed on the planned investigation told Fox News that the Justice Department's civil rights division would be in charge of the probe. The inquiry is referred to as a "pattern and practice" investigation and will focus on the department's policies, not possible individual wrongdoing.

The Justice Department is conducting a separate, narrower investigation into the August 9 shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson. A grand jury is also considering whether to indict Wilson for the shooting, which which set off about two weeks of unrest in the streets of Ferguson and became a flashpoint in the national discussion of police treatment of minorities across the country. Two weeks ago, Attorney General Eric Holder visited the St. Louis suburb, where he met with investigators and Brown's parents and shared personal experiences of having himself been mistreated by the police.

Holder is expected to formally announce the investigation at a press conference Thursday. The investigation was first reported by The Washington Post. The Associated Press reported that Missouri officials were notified of the new investigation Wednesday.

Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson did not immediately return a call from the AP seeking comment about the Justice Department investigation.

Police have said the shooting followed a scuffle that broke out after Wilson told Brown and a friend to move out of the street and onto a sidewalk. Police say Wilson was pushed into his squad car and physically assaulted. Some witnesses have reported seeing Brown's arms up in the air before the shooting in an act of surrender. An autopsy paid for by Brown's family concluded that he was shot six times, twice in the head.

Some in Ferguson have said police disproportionately target black motorists during traffic stops. A 2013 report by the Missouri attorney general's office found that Ferguson police stopped and arrested black drivers nearly twice as frequently as white motorists but were also less likely to find contraband among the black drivers. The police force in Ferguson is predominately white, while approximately 70 percent of the town's population of 21,000 is black.

The Justice Department's civil rights division routinely investigates individual police departments when there are allegations of systemic use-of-force violations, racial bias or other problems. The department says it's opened more than twice as many investigations into police department in the past five years as were opened in the previous five years. Among those that have recently come under investigation is the Albuquerque, New Mexico, department, which was the subject of a harshly critical report in April that faulted the police for a pattern of excessive force and called an overhaul of its internal affairs unit.

Normally, the federal investigation encourages significant changes to policies and practices. The investigations sometimes end in an agreement known as a consent decree, which lays out changes that the department must make.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/09/04/justice-department-reportedly-to-investigate-ferguson-police-department/

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The Jihadi baby: Chilling picture posted online shows infant lying on ISIS flag next to Kalashnikov rifle and grenades

(Pictures on site)

by Richard Spillett

A sickening photograph has emerged of a tiny baby lying on an ISIS flag surrounded by guns and hand grenades.

The chilling image is the latest photo believed to have been posted by militants fighting in Syria and Iraq as part of their online propaganda campaign.

It shows the child - who appears to be less than six months old - lying on its back on the black flag now associated with the group terrorising the Middle East.

Where other babies its age might have soft toys scattered around them, the child has been cynically positioned next to a Kalashnikov rifle, a pistol and hand grenades.

The baby in the image - which was posted on Twitter beneath the hashtag #IS - is believed to be youngest child yet used as part of the group's social media campaign.

The photo caused a furious backlash online, with one user accusing the organisation of using 'babies as weapons to kill the innocent'.

The picture is the latest in a series of shocking images which raise fears that a generation of children in the region are being radicalised from a very young age.

Last month, terrorist Khaled Sharrouf posted a Twitter image of his son, believed to be age seven, gripping the severed head of a Syrian soldier.

His father, a suspected war criminal, posted the photo alongside the caption: 'That's my boy!'.

Another photo posted by Sharrouf shows him posing with his three young sons dressed in identical camouflage fatigues and wielding machine guns.

Earlier this week, disturbing footage emerged of a masked child firing an AK47 assault rifle while shouting Islamic slogans in Syria.

Two short videos apparently filmed near Damascus were uploaded to YouTube by an user calling themselves Abd Sad.

They show a young boy, who appears to be no older than six-years-old, being instructed to fire the weapon by an man who then praises him and encourages him to join in religious chanting.

ISIS - which rebranded as Islamic State earlier this year after establishing a so-called caliphate in Syria and Iraq - has made it a policy to groom children to take part in jihad, brainwashing them from a young age before packing them off to training camps when they reach their teens.

The Daily Star reported this morning that Scottish public schoolgirl Aqsa Mahmood, who moved to Syria and married an ISIS fighter, has also posted a similar photo of a baby holding a Kalashnikov online.

Amnesty International this week accused ISIS of carrying out a systematic campaign of mass killings, abductions and ethnic cleansing in northern Iraq that could amount to war crimes.

A report by the organisation also documented the abduction of hundreds of women and children and said the fate of most of those abducted is still unknown.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2742896/The-Jihadi-baby-Chilling-picture-posted-online-shows-infant-lying-ISIS-flag-Kalashnikov-grenades.html

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Oregon

Community policing has come to Hawthorne Boulevard—and it seems to be working

After 32 years, Robert Proctor and his wife, Jocelyn, had gotten used to the “travelers”—the influx of homeless people who gathered each summer near their home next to the CD Gamexchange on Southeast 36th Avenue, just off Hawthorne Boulevard.

But four years ago, the numbers of homeless started to grow. They camped across the street from the Proctors' house, and crowds of 10 to 15 grew to 30—gatherings so large they blocked passersby. Proctor watched drug deals from his porch and shoveled human feces from his yard.

“We wanted to move,” he says. “Screaming and fighting with these people was stressing me out.”

This year is different—the numbers of homeless are down and the tensions have eased. Proctor sees it. So do other neighbors, Hawthorne business owners and even street people who frequent the area.

They credit the change to a shift in tactics by Portland police, who this summer have gotten out of their patrol cars and increased walking patrols along Hawthorne and adjacent streets.

“I don't think it's ever been this peaceful,” Proctor says.

Business owners say they no longer find people sleeping on their doorsteps when they open in the morning. The street musicians and people selling jewelry on the sidewalk are still there, but most drug dealers and aggressive panhandlers have moved along.

“There are people outside right now, and that's totally fine—it kind of adds to the color of the street,” says Miranda Levin, owner of gift boutique Memento PDX and vice president of the Hawthorne Boulevard Business Association. “The people that just kind of disappeared were the ones really causing problems.”

The Portland Police Bureau says it hasn't yet compiled statistics showing whether the crime rate has actually decreased along Hawthorne. Bureau officials say they believe there have been fewer police calls since the patrols started.

“This has taken a lot of emotional investment that we're accustomed to resist,” says Sgt. Ric DeLand, who oversees the effort. “My team is exhausted. At the same time, nobody wants it to end.”

If true, the changes along Hawthorne represent a rare success for Mayor Charlie Hales' approach to homelessness and changing the tactics of Portland police.

As a mayoral candidate, Hales talked about a return to community policing, which puts officers in more direct contact with citizens. Some officers said what Hales promised was not that different from the way cops already operated.

And last summer, Hales launched an aggressive sweep of homeless people from in front of City Hall, off of downtown sidewalks, from under overpasses, and out of city parks.

Dan Handelman of Portland Copwatch says he hasn't heard about the bureau's efforts to change its tactics along Hawthorne.

“It would be nice if what you're saying is true. Our experience is that these kinds of things target people who are vulnerable, like poor people or people of color,” Handelman says. “Usually, when something like this happens, we get calls and complaints.”

Central Precinct Commander Bob Day says he saw Portland's sense of security plummet last year after a number of attacks credited to summer travelers—including a highly publicized incident in July in which a 70-year-old employee of the Portland Outdoor Store on Southwest Broadway was clobbered over the head with a skateboard.

“The perception was that we were really off the hook on a lot of problems,” Day says.

This summer, five two-officer teams worked the areas of Southwest 3rd Avenue and Oak Street, and along Hawthorne between Southeast 21st and 50th avenues.

The strategy, Day says, was fewer arrests and tickets, and more effort to talk to travelers and street people, and to connect them with services. As a result, he says, officers have reduced the antagonism between travelers, businesses and homeowners.

DeLand says it was also an effort to put aside policing tactics that officers knew were pointless.

“Getting a ticket is not a significant moment in their life,” DeLand says. “We've worn out the power of that tool.”

On a recent visit to Hawthorne, DeLand points to a literal wall—“that used to be called ‘Drinkers Wall'”—between Oasis Cafe and the Gold Door Jewelry, where drunken people routinely gathered. Now, aside from some teenage girls huddled around a cellphone, there's no one there.

The officers working Hawthorne have gotten to the point where they have learned the ins and outs of everyday life among many homeless youth and other travelers. While DeLand is sitting at a cafe table outside Starbucks, Officers Jon Richardson and Greg Moore show up and report on the latest news.

They discuss a homeless couple they have not seen before and the theft of one of the travelers' dogs. Richardson also had an update about two homeless youths they know well.

“Austin's got a pet squirrel,” Richardson says, “and Troy tried to give himself a brand.”

A few minutes later, the two youths hail DeLand. Austin, without his squirrel, has a pit bull mix named Dune on a rope. DeLand stops to pet the dog before asking Troy about two splotchy, red-brown marks on his upper left arm. Troy explains it's the first few letters of a burned-on tattoo that will say “LOVE.”

“You don't approve,” says a young woman standing nearby.

“It's not that,” DeLand says. “I'm just afraid it will get infected.”

The next day, without police around, Troy is on the corner outside the Bagdad Theater, sitting with his friends and holding a flute.

The 21-year-old says he's been on the road from Tampa, Fla., for two years and hitched a ride to Portland with some other Floridians he met at a commune in Utah. Troy says he always thought cops were “aggressive, hostile and mean.” But his experience on Hawthorne has changed that.

“I'm used to being worried about the cops, but here I just look forward to seeing them,” Troy says. “They're literally just here to help people.”

Julius Henagan, 24, says he comes through Portland every summer, camping in parks and hanging out along Hawthorne during the day. He says the problems are caused by other travelers who have heard that Portland is the place to come to get “drunk and rowdy.” It had become so unpleasant for homeless people, he says, that he almost skipped coming to Portland this year.

Police say their effort to get to know individual travelers has allowed many of them to identify which people posed the biggest threat. “When we go out and there's a problem, everyone is really communicating with us,” Richardson says. “Before, they never would have come to us because they thought we wouldn't help them or they'd get in trouble.”

Director Dennis Lundberg of Janus Youth Programs says he tends to be wary of police contact with Portland's homeless youth. After 13 years with the advocacy group, Lundberg says he's learned cops often don't have the proper tools or training.

But for the first time, he considers the police “partners.” “It's unprecedented in my experience,” he adds.

Hales himself toured Hawthorne on Aug. 29, talked to several street people and declared his determination to ensure the program is continued next year. (He also dropped bills into the cups or instrument cases of every street musician he saw.)

Day and DeLand worry money will be the problem going forward. Day says he's organized these community-policing patrols by shifting officers from other assignments. He'll do the same next year.

“I'm 100 percent committed,” Day says. “I'm not backing off.”

http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-23021-street_talk.html

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California

Community Police Academy

The San Bernardino Police Department is currently accepting reservations for the next Community Police Academy. This is an eight-week program designed to give participants an inside look at local law enforcement. The program is designed to form a stronger partnership between the community and the Police Department through education. Participants will be exposed to a variety of topics, such as: Criminal investigations; Crime analysis and crime mapping; Gang enforcement; Traffic laws and enforcement; Animal Control; Community Policing and many more. Course material will be presented by Police Department administrators and veteran department staff. Participants will also have an opportunity to meet the Chief of Police, where they are encouraged to ask questions. Enrollment is limited to 50 students per class. Potential candidates must live or work in the City of San Bernardino.

Classes will meet in the Police Department's main training room (710 N. “D” Street) on Wednesday evenings 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., for eight consecutive weeks. Free parking will be provided to the front of the police station as well as on adjoining streets. The Fall Academy will begin Wed., Sept. 24, and continue through graduation on Wed., Nov. 12.

The Citizen's Academy is a great way to learn about your community, meet nice people, and get to know the men and women of your police department. For more information, contact Community Affairs at (909) 384-5753 or by e-mail, communityaffairs@sbcity.org.

http://www.highlandnews.net/news/crime_and_fire/article_5a38acb4-33bb-11e4-b50f-0019bb2963f4.html

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Utah

Department of public safety requests military equipment

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 Utah) -There's been a lot of talk recently on the militarization of police across the country.

Police organizations nationwide are asking for military style equipment.

The Utah State Department of Public Safety is one of them.

Commissioner Keith Squires talks more about why the department is requesting this equipment.

The Department says some equipment developed for the military is very effective for protecting law enforcement officers while they are engaged in duties of protecting the public. It uses ballistic vests are a great example.

It says it's not necessarily about the types of equipment, but about how and when police agencies use it.

Reasonableness and exercising restraint are key to having excellent police services.

DPS purchased an armored vehicle at a reduced cost through a military surplus program. It is called an M-RAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected). It is used to transport personnel and has no weapons mounted on it.

http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/story/department-of-public-safety-requests-military-equi/57093/opqjn6Q2AUyuBouAXfjwGQ

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Arizona

FROM FERGUSON TO FLAGSTAFF: Community policing winning converts

by Michelle McManimon

After Kyle Garcia's death in 2006 by police shooting (later found to be justified), then-Police Chief Brent Cooper promised a renewed emphasis on the Flagstaff Police Department's community policing policy.

That commitment has been strengthened by current Chief Kevin Treadway.

“The Flagstaff Police Department has a history of working closely with our community, and balancing our law enforcement powers with the need to ensure the safety of our citizens,” Treadway said.

“FPD is very dedicated to the tenets of community policing, and we promote that community policing is a philosophy infused throughout the department, not just one tactic performed by a select group.”

In Treadway's police department, community policing means every officer is expected to work closely with civilians by participating in Blockwatch groups, neighborhood associations, community support meetings and presenting educational information to the public.

FPD has also set up substations and specific squads of officers to work in the Sunnyside and Southside neighborhoods.

“In the past few years especially, our officers have stepped up participation in neighborhoods throughout the city,” Treadway said. “We maintain a strong presence with the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association, the Good Neighbor Coalition in the Southside, the Downtown Business Alliance, participate in the Old Town Blockwatch, and many other neighborhood associations.”

Members of the command staff and supervisors, including the chief himself, are included in that community policing requirement, serving on many boards and commissions with local groups and service agencies around town.

“These are all opportunities for us to engage with the public we serve, to listen, to answer questions, to address concerns and to work collaboratively with our citizens to solve problems,” Treadway said.

USE OF FORCE

Treadway's predecessor also promised to make some changes to FPD's use of force policy in the wake of Garcia's death.

It was further revised to conform with best practices along with the entire policy manual in 2012 following a review by the staff attorneys at the law enforcement policy and resource firm Lexipol, which FPD still uses.

“Our policy dictates that officers will not use force in a punitive fashion, and only that level of force will be used to gain control of an individual and place them in custody,” Treadway said. “An officer may use lethal force to protect himself/herself or others from what he/she reasonably believes would be an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury.”

The policy is largely based on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Graham v. Connor, which prescribed a three-pronged test for determining whether an officer's use of force is reasonable.

— First, what was the severity of the crime alleged to have been committed?

— Second, did the suspect pose an immediate threat to the safety of the officers or others?

—Third, was the suspect actively resisting arrest or attempting to evade arrest by flight?

FPD officers now have to complete daily training bulletins on the department's policies, including the use of force policy.

Treadway said he and other members of the FPD leadership have worked hard to train officers on ways to resolve conflicts without having to use physical force. Training on everything from community policing, customer service and cultural diversity to use of force, ethics in policing and dealing with difficult people starts for all officers at the academy and is on-going for the rest of their time at the police department. Officers also train annually on defensive tactics, firearms judgmental training, and are re-certified annually in the use of the Taser.

There is also special training on how to recognize and handle individuals with serious mental illness.

“Last year, the Flagstaff Police Department provided department wide training on verbal judo techniques, and we routinely encourage officers to practice de-escalation when possible,” he said. “We have emphasized a culture in our department where officers are encouraged to utilize less-lethal force if at all possible. In the last year, we have also trained our officers and continually instill upon them the importance of compassionate policing.”

TREATING SUSPECTS WITH RESPECT

Among other things, compassionate policing training teaches officers to treat suspects with dignity and treat victims and other citizens with compassion even if the officer had to use physical force or exert their authority to gain control of a situation. Treadway regularly hands out commendations to officers who demonstrate compassionate policing as an incentive for all officers to use less-lethal approaches whenever possible.

Sometimes, though, officers have to use force, Treadway said.

“Our society expects officers to respond to some very dangerous situations,” he said. “As the chief, I recognize and support the absolute that our officers must protect themselves and other citizens at all times, and that our officers must safely return home to their families at the end of their shift.”

Every year, Treadway said, FPD officers are injured while trying to make a lawful arrest. For instance, Flagstaff Police Detective Todd Bishop was shot and wounded in September 2007 while attempting to tase a mentally ill man who was firing a gun in a residential neighborhood west of Fort Valley Road. The gunman was killed when officers returned fire.

“Officers are often involved in very dynamic situations and a case-by-case evaluation of what the officer knew at the time of the incident and the facts of the incident itself must occur to appropriately judge whether the use of force was reasonable,” Treadway said.

FPD policy requires every officer involved in an incident to file a use of force form for all incidents involving any use of force. That includes incidents where an officer simply unholsters a Taser or firearm, even if they do not end up using it.

“Our policy, unlike many other departments, is much broader and requires a use of force form for incidents not required by other agencies,” Treadway said. “For instance, officers must complete a use of force form when using their firearm to dispatch an injured animal and whenever any injury occurs to an arrestee, however slight.”

USE OF FORCE TRACKED CLOSELY

FPD officers filed 162 use of force forms in 2013, down from 178 the previous year but still higher than the 111 filed in 2011. Each form has to be reviewed through the chain of command to determine whether the use of force was consistent with FPD policy. The police department administration also tracks the data to identify patterns and trends. For instance, an officer or squad that is using force more often than average may have to complete additional training even if they are not violating department policy.

In the last five years, FPD leadership has identified only three incidents where an officer's use of force violated department policy. Two officers were suspended over the same incident in which they were determined to have used excessive force. A third officer was terminated for a separate excessive force incident, though the arrestee in that case was not injured. That officer was fired after another officer raised concerns that sparked an Internal Affairs investigation.

Cases where lethal force has been used automatically prompt an investigation by a multi-agency officer-involved shooting team that was created a few years ago. It involves members of FPD, the Coconino County Sheriff's Office and Northern Arizona University Police Department.

“All members of this team receive advanced training on the proper investigation of these incidents,” Treadway said.

All lethal use of force incidents must also go through a separate Internal Affairs investigation and be reviewed by the Coconino County Attorney's Office to determine if criminal charges are warranted.

OFFICER ACCOUNTABILITY

Although the civilian review board proposed after Garcia's death was never formed, Treadway said there are other ways for citizens to voice their concerns about officer conduct.

“The Flagstaff Police Department has a very vibrant citizen complaint program,” Treadway said.

Citizens can submit complaints about the police department or a specific officer by phone, in person at the Law Enforcement Administration Facility lobby, in the field by individuals asking to make a complaint or speak to a supervisor, or online through the complaint form available on both the City of Flagstaff and FPD websites.

There were 86 citizen complaints filed in 2013, down about 14 percent from the previous year, and Treadway said the downward trend appears to be continuing in 2014.

The most common type of complaint was about rudeness by an officer. All complaints are reviewed internally by the FPD chain of command and complainants are always contacted.

Treadway added that anyone with a complaint can speak to him personally or set a face-to-face meeting.

BODY CAMERAS ON ORDER

On Friday, Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson announced he was going to order body cameras, adding that body cameras could have made a difference in the investigation into Brown's death. Treadway says the Flagstaff department already has them on order, and he sees them as a way to hold officers and suspects accountable.

“Studies have shown that departments with officers wearing the cameras have experienced significant decreases in both use of force incidents and citizen complaints,” Treadway said. “I am very supportive of this program, and we are excited at the prospects body cameras will provide in improving transparency and trust with our community.”

The Flagstaff City Council approved the funding to purchase 50 of Taser International's Axon Flex body cameras back in July, long before the incident in Ferguson. The cameras have all arrived at the police department and are being assembled while Treadway waits for the legal review of the new FPD body camera policy to wrap up. Treadway hopes to have every officer assigned to a patrol squad trained on using the cameras within 30 days.

POLICE MILITARIZATION

So far, FPD's body cameras are getting a thumbs-up from local activists who want greater police accountability. But there are other types of police equipment raising eyebrows after police in Ferguson responded to protesters with body armor, camouflage, automatic rifles, tear gas and military vehicles.

“You have, after the Iraq war, a militarization of the police with weapons that were developed for warfare,” said Luis Fernandez of NAU's Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Treadway acknowledged his department has also received military equipment, including several rifles, one Humvee vehicle, night vision goggles, communication equipment and ballistic helmets.

“Like nearly all agencies in this country, the Flagstaff Police Department has received some equipment over the years from the federal government through both Homeland Security grants and the military procurement program,” Treadway said. “In my opinion, what is important here is not that we have received this equipment, but how we utilize the equipment.”

The rifles, for instance, are used in “a very limited capacity” as part of FPD's certified patrol rifle program or by SWAT team members. Another four are assigned to the department's Honor Guard for ceremonial purposes only. And FPD only uses the Humvee for its off-roading capabilities during the spring Woods Watch patrols, which are conducted to prevent wildfires.

“I am very conscientious about concerns surrounding the militarization of American law enforcement,” Treadway said. “I regularly remind officers in our department that we are protectors of this community, peacekeepers, and on occasion, when warranted, peace makers. Our officers do not dress in turtle suits or sling rifles over their shoulders when we respond to citizens civilly protesting or demonstrating.”

He said the police response seen in Ferguson is not something that would happen in Flagstaff. Instead, it is FPD policy for officers to attend protests and other community gatherings in their regular uniforms, even if they are there to keep the peace. Treadway added that if FPD knows about a protest ahead of time, someone from the department will typically try to reach out to the protest organizers to discuss their needs and how to make it a safe event.

Treadway said he has no desire to militarize FPD.

“I understand the importance of the image we convey to our community,” he said. “We are not at war with the community we serve, nor is this a battleground.”

All FPD policies are available to the public online on the City of Flagstaff website at www.flagstaff.az.gov

Citizen Complaints Against FPD Officers

YEAR/Complaints Investigated / Sustained or Partially Sustained / Excessive Force-Related Complaints / Excessive Force Complaints Sustained / Racial-Related* Complaints / Racial-Related Complaints Sustained

2009/ 146 / 15% / 10.3%/ 0 / N/A / 0

2010/ 139 / 22% / 9.4%/ 0 / N/A/ 0

2011/ 95 / 19% / 7.4%/ 0 / N/A/ 0

2012/ 114 / 16% / 5.3%/ 0 / 4.3% / 0

2013/ 86 / 25% / 11.6%/ 1 / 1.75% / 0

*Prior to third quarter of 2012, FPD logs on complaints received were done by hand. The way this was recorded does not allow for immediate determination of those complaints that clearly allege racial issues.

Citizen Complaints By Ethnic Origin of Complainant

Year / Caucasian / Hispanic / African American / Native American / Asian / Unknown

2009 / 73% / 10% / 3% / 14% / 0% / 0%

2010 / 76% / 13% / 4% / 8% / 0% / 0%

2011 / 70% / 20% / 3% / 7% / 0% / 0%

2012 / 66% / 21% / 4% / 5% / 0% / 0%

2013 / 70% / 7% / 3% / 17% / 1% / 2%

Use Of Force Forms Submitted By FPD Officers

2009: 133

2010: 117

2011: 111

2012: 178

2013: 162

FPD Officers Injured While Making A Lawful Arrest

2009: 10

2010: 17

2011: 9

2012: 21

2013: 16

Assaults Against FPD Officers In The Field

2009: 53

2010: 54

2011: 38

2012: 59

2013: 45

Total Training Hours Completed By FPD Officers

2009: 6095.75

2010: 5772.5

2011: 5079

2012: 6877

2013: 6575

2013 FPD Officer Demographics

Caucasian: 103

African American: 2

Native American: 0

Hispanic: 11

Asian: 0

Flagstaff Demographics From 2010 Census Data

White: 64.4%

Black or African American 1.9%

American Indian and Alaska Native 11.7%

Hispanic or Latino 18.4%

Asian 1.9%

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.2%

Two or More Races 3.6%

http://azdailysun.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/from-ferguson-to-flagstaff-community-policing-winning-converts/article_d587f78e-3263-11e4-ac69-0019bb2963f4.html

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From the Department of Homeland Security

2014 National Preparedness Month (NPM)

"Be Disaster Aware, Take Action to Prepare"

During National Preparedness Month we ask you, your family, community and workplace to take action by planning a National PrepareAthon! Day on or around September 30th. We recommend using digital media tools as a way to promote National Preparedness Month, September 1-30th.

What you can do to promote National Preparedness Month:

•  Check out the How to Get Involved in NPM Quick Guide

•  Download the 2014 National Preparedness Month Digital Engagement Toolkit

•  Share NPM messages on Social Media

•  View and share the new Ready Campaign Public Service Announcements

•  Join our Thunderclap message on let your followers know that it's National Preparedness Month with your followers.

How does Thunderclap work? Once you sign up, Thunderclap will sync your social media accounts to release an automatic Facebook post, Tweet or both on September, 2, 2014 at 2:00 PM.

•  Join the National Preparedness Community and download the high resolution NPM logo

•  Promote NPM by updating your Facebook and Twitter cover photo and profile image

•  For NPM materials in Spanish please visit: www.ready.gov/es/septiembre

•  Register for National PrepareAthon! Day: www.ready.gov/prepare

http://www.ready.gov/september?utm_source=hp_feature&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=dhs_hp

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Tennessee

More than 30 teens escape from detention center

by The Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – More than 30 teens escaped from a Nashville youth detention center and 17 were still being sought early Tuesday, a spokesman said.

Thirty-two teens -- ages 14 to 19 -- escaped from Woodland Hills Youth Development Center around 11 p.m. Monday by crawling under a weak spot in a fence that surrounded a yard there, Tennessee Department of Children's Services spokesman Rob Johnson said.

Two teens were recaptured right away and others were found overnight, Johnson said. Local police and the Tennessee Highway Patrol are taking part in the search for the teens still at large.

The teens being kept at the detention center have committed at least three felonies, Johnson said.

The escape happened when a large group of teens at the center went out into the yard all at once shortly after a shift change, Johnson said. He said he didn't know if the escape was planned or spontaneous. A total of 78 teens were being held at the center at the time, Johnson said.

Johnson said the detention center was calm and back under control Tuesday morning.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/09/02/official-more-than-30-teens-escape-from-nashville-detention-center-17-still-at/

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North Carolina

Commentary

Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue: Because we work for you

by Chris Blue

Earlier this week, area law enforcement agencies expressed our commitment to providing residents across Orange County with information about our equipment and policies. Upon receiving the news release, a reporter asked “Why are you doing this?”

The answer is simple, really. We work for you, and there are no secrets about our policing.

Trust in police is becoming a national conversation. No doubt, this is, in part, a result of recent events that have led to the images of protesters clashing with heavily armed police officers in Missouri. Some residents have questioned why police departments would need such defense-grade hardware. They have asked what equipment we use in Chapel Hill, and they've asked the same questions of other area law enforcement agencies.

In recognition of our community's interest in understanding our work, a few years ago, the Police Department and the Community Policing Advisory Committee created a Community Police Academy model that allows any Chapel Hill resident to get an intense, informative, and most importantly, fun orientation to our department's work in about eight hours. One of the comments is indicative of the feedback we've received from graduates:

“I had no real opinion (positive or negative) about the Chapel Hill Police Department before attending the academy, but now my level of trust and esteem for them is very high. When I encounter them in the community I feel I will have a much better understanding of what they are trying to accomplish.”

In this same spirit, we are planning a series of forums focused on answering questions from the community. Dates and locations will be released soon. The Police Department and other agencies also are preparing reports on equipment, training and policies for our elected boards.

Managing crowds

And speaking of equipment, some have asked about our ownership of an armored vehicle and other heavy equipment. While we hope we never have to use these tools, they can save lives in the event of situations such as school/workplace shootings, hostage situations or large crowd events that go wrong. Chapel Hill may be a small community, but we are regularly tasked with managing crowd events on a grand scale.

After the Tar Heels' NCAA victories in 2005 and 2009, fans exploded out of restaurants and bars, dormitories and the Dean Smith Center. As television choppers swirled overhead, students built small bonfires in the street. At the peak of the evening, the crowds were estimated at 30,000 to 40,000. Another large crowd event that we're all familiar with is Halloween on Franklin Street, which attracted as many as 80,000 people in 2007 before the town launched a campaign to alter the size and character of the event. Such an enormous number of people confined in a congested half-mile stretch of Franklin Street present a number of public safety concerns. While most of these events are celebratory and without incident, we must plan for the chance when things go terribly wrong. As your Police Chief, it is my responsibility to you to equip, train, and prepare your police officers to respond to the worst situations imaginable.

In Chapel Hill, much like our neighboring jurisdictions, we practice a policing philosophy that emphasizes outreach, partnerships and community collaboration. The Community Policing Advisory Committee, composed of citizens whose primary charge is to enhance community and police relations, provides a regular forum for us to hear about expectations of our police department.

We take our duty to the taxpayers seriously. We are here to serve and answer to you. Together with my law enforcement colleagues at Carrboro, Hillsborough and Orange County, I am committed to hearing any suggestions and ideas that would benefit the community. I'll look forward to seeing you at one of the upcoming forums.

Chris Blue is Chapel Hill's police chief.

http://www.chapelhillnews.com/2014/09/01/4114123/chris-blue-because-we-work-for.html

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Massachusetts

Chicopee Police expand outreach to community with Facebook, Twitter

by Jeanette DeForge

CHICOPEE – Minutes after a water main broke in Chicopee Center last week, the police beat officer was called to close the street and the next call was immediately to Officer Michael Wilk.

In the time it took to type a sentence, Wilk warned thousands of people of the street closing in the busy downtown Chicopee Center by posting about the problem on Facebook and Twitter.

“It used to be my main weapon was a gun. Now it is a phone,” said Wilk, who was appointed as social media officer on July 27, just a few weeks after William Jebb was named police chief.

After Jebb was appointed chief there was a quick and drastic change on the way police started informing people. The department Facebook page, which was used only to post the previous month's log, now has daily updates with arrests, public safety hints, alerts about break-ins and community announcements.

At the one-month anniversary of the revamped page, Wilk celebrated receiving 2,500 likes on Facebook.

In addition Wilk has also created a Chicopee Police Department Twitter account and is a prolific poster there. Already 324 people are following his Tweets.

“We want people to know what is going on in their community,” he said. “For too long people have said nothing happens in Chicopee.”

The addition of Facebook and Twitter is part of the police department's new focus on community policing. Bike patrols, motorcycle patrols and walking beats have also been added this summer, Wilk said.

Wilk was selected as media officer mainly because he is one of the few officers who was already well-versed in social media. Now he said he typing on his phone and tablet even more, even taking time even in off hours to post department updates.

While some officers continue to eschew the technology, most have quickly taken to the idea and will ask him to put information on the media sites.

For example, when fellow officers received an arrest warrant for a man wanted in a shooting, they asked him to post his name and photograph. Wilk was on a day off and spending the day at Six Flags with his fiancée and her son, but he whipped out his phone, updated the page and sent Twitter alerts to media without missing a ride.

Within a day the suspect turned himself into Chicopee District Court.

Wilk said the outreach is working and residents are starting to e-mail or message him tell him about neighborhood problems. Still the tool should never be used in an emergency. In those cases, residents should still call 911.

A resident recently sent a message about speeding on her side street, which is being used as a cut-through. Not only did a commander send a patrol car to check out the problem the next day, Wilk took a drive to the street as well.

After he posted information about people going door-to-door selling scam magazine subscriptions, one resident called to tell police they saw the people in the neighborhood. Although they were gone when officers arrived, the resident did get a description of the car the scam artists were driving, Wilk said.

It is also giving the police a chance to see they are appreciated as well. Wilk recently posted a message a resident sent thanking police Officer Melissa Lyman for her help.

“Thank you to the officer who came to my house on the 28th of last month, who gave my father CPR, pretty much saved his life. My whole family was glad and he's doing better little,” the message read.

Wilk is now looking to bring the department ahead even more. He is researching ways to create a Chicopee Police Department app and is planning a Tweet-along, borrowing an idea from the Greenfield Police who followed an officer for a few hours so people could see the day-to-day job of an officer.

He and some of the detectives are also looking into attending a conference on computer forensic science.

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/09/chicopee_police_expand_outreac.html

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Labor Day stems from deadly labor strike, but few Americans know the history

A labor movement in Chicago in 1894 left 30 Pullman workers dead, and later spurred Congress and President Grover Cleveland to pass a bill creating Labor Day. But the history of this holiday is rarely taught in schools, and there are few full-time labor journalists to write about working class communities.

by James Warren

WASHINGTON — Monday is the day to celebrate the American worker and his sacrifices and economic and social achievements.

You do know that, right?

If you don't, you're not alone.

Few recall the bloodstained origins of this holiday as we fire up the grill, throw on the burgers and dogs and turn on the U.S. Open tennis or maybe the Yanks, Mets or another ballgame.

And, in a sign of the times, the Sunday morning network news shows didn't even offer their usual, token pre-Labor Day weekend spot for the head of the nation's labor movement.

“No,” said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka when I asked him. “No invitations this year.”

I told the former mine worker-turned-lawyer that there seems to be a precious lack of understanding of the holiday's origins.

In fact, it stems from an awful confrontation in Chicago in 1894 that saw federal marshals and the Army kill 30 striking Pullman railroad strikers.

Soon after the Pullman walkout ended, Congress and President Grover Cleveland quickly passed and signed legislation for the holiday.

That history is rarely taught in schools and there are few full-time labor journalists anymore.

So with many millions jobless or involuntarily working part-time, we'll have a few pro forma parades, but not much else.

“Unfortunately, I think your analysis is spot on,” said Trumka, who will take part in celebrations in his native Pennsylvania, including Pittsburgh, while President Obama does the same Monday with one in Milwaukee.

“From assembly lines to classrooms, across highways and steel mills, American workers strengthen the foundation of our country and demonstrate that our economy grows best from the middle out,” Obama says in his formal holiday proclamation.

Yes, but sadly, “There is virtually no labor writing anymore and little, if any, reporting on the working class or working class communities,” said William Serrin, a longtime NYU journalism professor and former New York Times labor writer.

“It could be a gold mine of important stories. It's a shame,” he said Sunday.

Hey, anybody need another burger?

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/history-labor-day-forgotten-article-1.1923299

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Missouri

Ferguson police begin using body cameras

by Fox News

Police officers in Ferguson, Mo., which became a flashpoint for protests following the fatal shooting of a black teenager by a white police officer just over three weeks ago, have begun using body cameras.

Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that approximately 50 cameras were donated by two companies, Safety Visions and Digital Ally, last week. Officers had the devices on during a protest march Saturday and captured what Jackson said were high-quality images of demonstrators taunting police.

Jackson said that the cameras were being assigned to the city's police squads and each officer would get one to use. Representatives from the two companies had visited the police department earlier Saturday to train officers on how to use the cameras.

"They are really enjoying them," Jackson said. "They are trying to get used to using them."

Support for officers wearing outward-facing cameras has increased since the August 9 shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson. Last week, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., suggested that police departments should require officers to wear body cameras in order to receive federal funding. McCaskill, like other supporters of the cameras, said that footage could help determine whether an officer was being wrongfully accused of misconduct by a civilian.

"Everywhere I go people now have cameras,” McCaskill said. "And police officers are now at a disadvantage, because someone can tape the last part of an encounter and not tape the first part of the encounter. And it gives the impression that the police officer has overreacted when they haven't."

However, some law enforcement leaders and civil liberties advocates say that the lack of clear guidelines on the cameras' use could potentially undermine departments' goals of creating greater accountability of officers and jeopardize the privacy of both the public and law enforcement officers.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/09/01/ferguson-police-begin-using-body-cameras/

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Texas

(Video on site)

Firefighters take man to hospital, mow his lawn

by Grayson Thagard

Some firefighters rushed a man to the hospital, then went back to his house to mow his lawn!

The man had a heart attack while doing yard work in Texas.

Unfortunately, he died two days later.

Firefighters say they wanted to help, and their random act of kindness is no big deal.

A neighbor secretly took pictures of the firefighters and posted them on Facebook.

The family is now getting calls from as far away as New Zealand.

http://www.hlntv.com/video/2014/09/01/firefighters-mow-lawn-khou