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November, 2014 - Week 2

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US hostage Abdul-Rahman Kassig 'killed by IS'

A video posted online claims to show that Islamic State militants have killed the captured US aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig.

In the video, a masked militant stands over a severed head which he says is that of Mr Kassig.

The US says it is working to determine the authenticity of the video, which also shows a mass beheading of Syrian troops.

Mr Kassig, also known as Peter, was captured last year.

His family, who live in the US state of Indiana, said they were awaiting confirmation of the reports about their "treasured son" and had nothing more to say at this time.

This is perhaps the most elaborate and graphic of all the murder videos posted online by IS. Much of it is taken up with a recent history lesson on Iraq and Syria as seen through the eyes of the jihadists. But the latter part shows the beheading of Syrian prisoners in revolting, lingering detail.

Unlike earlier videos, this one revels in gore. Amongst the boiler-suited captives murdered in cold blood is a man IS says is the former US soldier Peter Kassig, who converted to Islam and changed his name to Abdul-Rahman.

Neither his conversion nor the fact that he was helping refugees when he was captured a year ago, appear to have saved him.

Mr Kassig's murder is a sign of frustration that IS militants are unable to hit back at the coalition air strikes that have driven them off key sites like the Mosul and Haditha dams, and prevented them from seizing the town of Kobane.

The US National Security Council said the intelligence community was working as quickly as possible to determine the latest video's authenticity

"If confirmed, we are appalled by the brutal murder of an innocent American aid worker and we express our deepest condolences to his family and friends," NSC spokesperson Bernadette Meehan said.

If his death is confirmed, the 26-year-old will be the fifth Western hostage to have been killed by IS, following the murders of British men Alan Henning and David Haines, and US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff.

One of the masked militants pictured in the video appears in size and dress to resemble so-called Jihadi John, a man believed be from Britain who carried out the killing of the four Western hostages.

The video emerged on the same day as an unconfirmed report in Britain's Mail on Sunday newspaper suggested he had been injured in a recent US-led air strike on a gathering of IS leaders.

British PM David Cameron said he was "horrified by the cold-blooded murder" and that Islamic State militants had "again shown their depravity".

The latest video did not show the person identified as Kassig being beheaded. Unlike previous videos, it did not show other Western captives or directly threaten to behead anyone else.

IS also holds British photojournalist John Cantlie, who has been shown in several videos delivering long statements on the group's behalf, perhaps under duress.

Mr Kassig's parents last month released extracts of a letter written by their son, in which he told of the strains of captivity.

"This is the hardest thing a man can go through, the stress and fear are incredible," the aid worker wrote.

"They tell us you have abandoned us and/or don't care but of course we know you are doing everything you can and more.

"Don't worry Dad, if I do go down, I won't go thinking anything but what I know to be true. That you and mom love me more than the moon and the stars."

Mr Kassig was a former US Army Ranger who served in Iraq.

He later trained as an emergency medical technician, travelling to Lebanon in May 2012 to work in border hospitals treating Palestinian refugees and later those fleeing the Syrian conflict.

Later that year, he founded the Special Emergency Response and Assistance (Sera) organisation and subsequently moved its base of operations to southern Turkey, near the border with Syria.

Mr Kassig sourced and delivered supplies to camps on both sides of the Syrian border, and helped to treat civilian casualties and train medics inside Syria.

He was undertaking a project for Sera when he was captured in October 2013 while travelling to eastern Syria.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30073602

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California

Agencies aim to bolster public safety in Alisal

by Allison Gatlin

Like well-made carnitas, safety in Alisal is a complex amalgamation.

Despite his Peninsula origins, U.S. Rep. Sam Farr may have said it best: Poverty begets struggle, struggle begets desperation, desperation begets violence. And in Alisal there's no lack of poverty.

Many will even say poverty is the root of violence not only in Alisal, but in similar communities nationwide. After all, Alisal isn't the only disenfranchised community in the country.

But even as story upon story piles up outlining the homicides in Alisal, hope arises.

There's hope in programs like Baktun 12, a band of Salinas residents telling Alisal's story through youth engagement and music, and the Alisal Center for the Fine Arts, which gives children and teenagers a safe outlet for creative energy.

The Breadbox Recreation Center features dances, bands and basketball tournaments, and Cesar Chavez Library has been recently and loudly lauded for its numerous youth programs. Youth Orchestra Salinas still works with children at Jesse G. Sanchez Elementary School on North Sanborn Road.

And all that's without mentioning the service providers.

Combating the stigma

Alisal isn't a war zone. Bullets aren't flying. Latinos aren't killed in droves.

But that's Alisal's reputation, Jose Arreola acknowledges. Arreola took over directorship of the Community Alliance for Safety and Peace last year after departing director Georgina Mendoza accepted a job in Washington D.C.

Community Alliance for Safety and Peace, or more colloquially CASP, was formed five years ago as a bridge organization among police, education, government, health and social service providers. At-risk youth form CASP's target clientele with currently 20 clients, reaching 123 people. Earlier this month, four families were in the queue for enrollment.

Alisal's reputation for violence is a double-sided coin. On one side, homicides do occur at higher rates in the 93905 ZIP code that covers Alisal than elsewhere in Salinas. Last year, 17 of 27 homicides in the city — including an officer-involved shooting — occurred in Alisal. This year, 15 of 18 homicides — which includes four officer-involved fatalities — took place in Alisal.

On the other side, the media highlights those homicides much more prominently than others, Arreola said. And he's not alone in his thinking.

“I think the crime problem in the Alisal is maybe sensationalized because for whatever reason it's always ‘the east side,'” said Salinas Police Officer Richard Lopez. “But really, we have the same kind of problems happening on the north side of Salinas and the south side of Salinas; it's the Salinas area.”

Centrally located on the boundary between two warring gangs, Lopez and Officer Raul Rosales are a two-cop team stationed at the Hebbron Family Center. Rather than enforcement, which they say encompasses only a fraction of their time, Lopez and Rosales focus on eliminating the negative influences in their “adopted” children's lives.

It's all part of a community-based policing experiment Salinas Police Chief Kelly McMillin has said he'd like to duplicate in the Chinatown, Santa Rita and Acosta Plaza neighborhoods, to start. Whereas the Hebbron Heights officers have been blended into CASP, the Acosta Plaza officers likely would attach to the neighborhood association, McMillin has said. New CalGRIP grant funding means Acosta Plaza may get a dedicated officer within the next year, the chief said Thursday.

Hebbron Heights' community-based policing experiment has seen promising results. So far this year, none of Salinas' homicides have occurred in the .197-square-mile Hebbron Heights section of Alisal, Lopez said. In fact, there have only been two shootings in the neighborhood this year, he said. The figures represent a marked decline in violence, he said.

Ultimately, that's the goal. Part police officers, part social workers, Lopez and Rosales aim to connect Hebbron Heights residents with services rather than jail.

“Because now we know incarceration doesn't work,” Lopez said.

And that's where CASP comes in. Referred families get the benefit of numerous minds identifying their specific trouble spots, explained Arreola. The Cross-Functional Team meets every other Wednesday to examine their “adopted” families.

Examining the roots

Violence doesn't spontaneously arise. There's always a certain logic. Sometimes it's desperation.

Lopez and Rosales could speak without interruption for days on end and still not compose an outright summary of the criminal mind. It's all very individualized, Rosales said.

“Our goal is to break the cycle of violence,” he said. “To find out what causes a person to commit a crime.”

For Alisal, specifically, Lopez said the aim is to turn off the spigot of new gang members. Without that infusion of new blood, prison gangs — which hold the reins in the Mexican Mafia and Nuestra Familia — ultimately will fail, he said. Without foot soldiers doing their work — via the Norteños and the Sureños — those same prison gangs, in turn, will lose their hold in the Salinas Valley, he said.

To do that, Lopez and Rosales offer the public a familiar, friendly police face. They're not rushed like traditional beat cops. Lopez and Rosales have the time to get to know their area residents.

They've already seen the benefits, Rosales said. After this year's four officer-involved shootings, Rosales said he was nervous about how the community would react. Luckily, the Hebbron Heights residents have maintained a friendly relationship with their officers, he said.

That relationship allows Lopez and Rosales entrée into families needing the most help. Often, those are families in which the parents are simply at their wits' ends, Lopez said.

He recalled a recent two-hour home visit in which a teen put forth an especially tough front.

“That kid was right there in my face saying, ‘Why should I trust you?' ” Lopez said. “You have to be very sincere and show it in your face. I've got to tell him, ‘I care about you, I care about your family and I'm going to do everything I can to help you. I promise you that. I give you my word.' ”

Too often, those children have been let down by service providers, Lopez said. Others are simply looking for something they haven't found elsewhere, he said.

“Kids are getting into gangs because they feel there's protection in the gang,” he said. “They're possibly bullied, or they're outcasts, or they just don't fit in ... whatever it may be they find comfort in the gang, the love they're missing at home.”

A look at the statistics

Rosemary Soto said she was disheartened last month to learn Monterey County once again topped the Violence Policy Center's national youth homicide rankings.

In 2012, Monterey County's 23.32 homicides per 100,000 youth were nearly three times California's 8.06 rate. That year, 22 people between the ages of 10 and 24 were killed in Monterey County, according to the ranking.

The last time Monterey County was in the No. 1 slot was 2010. In 2011, the county dropped to third.

Earlier this year, the VPC also found the homicide victimization for Latinos to be nearly double that of Caucasians when looking at nationwide numbers. In 2010, the homicide rate per 100,000 among Latinos was 5.73, compared to 2.52 for whites.

California's numbers were even more disturbing. In 2010, the Latino homicide rate was 6.27 per 100,000 residents. Only nine states that year surpassed California's rate for Latino homicides.

Seeing the return to first in youth homicide rates was a hit for Soto, who has spent her career peripheral to law enforcement. Soto got her professional start working for the Women's Crisis Center in Salinas. After the Crisis Center was shuttered when funding ran out, Soto went to work for the Monterey County Department of Health, Behavioral Health Unit.

In May 2013, she was directed to head up Monterey County's gang violence prevention initiative — a role that requires her often to partner with CASP and Building Healthy Communities. BHC is a 10-year, $1 million California Endowment program benefiting 14 communities, including Salinas. Its aim is to help residents lead healthier lives in both body and spirit. Gang violence prevention is just one of BHC's facets.

Like Arreola, Soto calls the VPC numbers somewhat misleading.

“Homicide rates are a very difficult indicator to track because it doesn't tell the whole story,” she said. “It's per capita, so one of the things we have to ask ourselves is: Has our youth population decreased? Or is it the same? And you're comparing it with other bigger cities in the state.”

U.S. Census data from 2010 makes it hard to estimate the differences in youth population from year to year. In the 2010 Census count, there were just above 65,000 tallied in the under 18 and between 20 to 24 categories living in Alisal. However, the VPC looks at youth ages 10 to 24 — a range the Census doesn't track as one unit.

Arreola, too, doubted the VPC numbers take into account the complete picture. He cited overall statistics that show Salinas at an 11-year low as of 2011 in violent crimes targeting youth. That's all violent crimes, not solely homicides, he said.

“A lot of people in this work around the country really sort of frown on using homicides as an indicator,” he said. “It's great for press. It plays well on the 10 o'clock news, but you're dealing with a very small sample set.”

In Salinas, shootings generally run between 120 and 130 per year, whereas violent acts — robberies, assaults, rapes and shootings — occur at a higher frequency, between 600 and 700 annually, he said.

“You're left with a bigger set,” he said. “So any decline in those acts in general is a pretty big deal.”

Violent acts upon youth as a whole have been falling for the past five years, Arreola said. The reason is more difficult to grasp, but Arreola said he'd like to think CASP has played a pivotal role.

Changing the system

Sometimes it seems the odds are stacked against Alisal's children and families.

In 2010, 55.4 percent of all Salinas residents identified as Hispanic. In Alisal, those numbers are even greater. Of the 61,087 people living in the 93905 ZIP code in 2010, 92.5 percent identified as Hispanic or Latino, according to Census numbers.

Census experts estimated in 2012 that 86.2 percent of Alisal residents spoke only Spanish at home. That same year, Census experts believed 65.7 percent of Alisal residents were living at 200 percent the poverty level, meaning a family of four was surviving on $47,700 annually.

Educational, criminal and governmental systems are built strategically, Soto said. Often, those systems disenfranchise those who need the most help.

“These systems have been in place for decades,” she said. “They're inequitable by design. And over time, policies and protocols are developed and they continue to further marginalize specific communities or populations without realizing that the impact leads to where we are now.”

But that happens in “Any Town, USA,” she said. Salinas and Alisal aren't alone in that regard.

Much of Soto's work centers on identifying those inequities and breaking down the boundaries to service. Already systemic changes are starting to take root.

Soto said she sees hope in local control funding for schools which allows local systems to decide where to allocate school funds. Part of that equation gives larger sums to districts where economically disadvantaged children and English learners comprise a hefty chunk of the enrollment.

In Alisal, that local control funding could be a boon, she said. She estimated a decade, however, before results of local control funding for schools and violence prevention efforts are totally apparent.

School-to-prison pipeline

Education lies at the root of solving Alisal and Salinas' gang problem, Soto said. It's a popular theory.

“There's that school-to-prison pipeline people talk about,” she said. “By third grade people are looking at how many prisons they need to build by watching what the population is looking like in third grade.”

That prison-building theory looks specifically at literacy rates among third-graders, she said. But the cards are often stacked against children for whom English is a second language, she said. Without parents able to advocate for them — due to lacking language skills, diminished finances or 15-hour daily jobs — those children often find other outlets for their energy, she said.

It all goes back to those system inequities, she said.

“If a young person is not exposed to the opportunities, they're going to have a very different outcome than that of another child across town who may have those opportunities,” she said. “Whose parents might be able to be involved, whose parents might have the ability to be in the PTA (Parent Teacher Association), whose parents can afford to get them into football.”

She added, “It comes down to the real opportunities a child has.”

Perhaps it's his educational background — he was once a school principal — but Arreola sees literacy in the same vein Soto does.

“I can't say enough about what we can do with literacy,” he said. “That school-to-prison pipeline only exists because those children have disengaged too early.

“How we treat that child is so important,” he said. “You need to give the kid options.”

But literacy is just one obstacle Alisal must overcome, he said. He counted poverty, education and density — to name a few.

“We really haven't respected the needs of the population there,” he said. “How do we redesign those systems?”

It's part of the work Raul Damien Tapia has taken upon himself. Almost two years ago, Tapia, Juan Gomez and John Pineda gave MILPA roots. Now, Motivating Individual Leadership for Public Advancement has become a real force, inserting itself into the community with an intelligent, mature look at the reasons behind violence.

MILPA was especially central in the aftermath of this year's officer-involved shootings. Although members of MILPA have expressed concern, they've done so in a calm fashion, asking for answers and rejecting violence as a response.

Tapia makes no bones about his past. Looking at him today — clad in the bow tie now almost emblematic of his persona — one wouldn't believe Tapia was once a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation inmate.

Rather than anger, though, at the systems he says failed him, Tapia is seeking to uncover the inequities and address them head on.

Like Soto and Arreola, Tapia cites poverty as the pervasive struggle facing Alisal. Unfortunately, even breaking those systems down for fairness might not be an ultimate panacea, he said.

“Salinas doesn't necessarily have a gang problem, it has a poverty problem,” he said. “These individuals are almost forced to do what they have to do to accrue revenue in regards to trying to make their family survive.”

He added, “They're already marginalized. And the stigma is if you have a felony on your record, you can't get a job.”

MILPA is moving away from programs and services, and instead is focusing now on education, leadership and sustainable jobs, Tapia said. To that end, MILPA recently acquired a study center downtown and began employing interns, he said.

Getting everyone on the same bus of change is the biggest challenge, he said.

“People say, ‘You know, you guys are the drivers of change,' ” he said. “Let's say we're the vehicle of change ... what happens when nobody puts the vehicle in drive?”

Alisal's reputation

For all its warts, Alisal is full of beauty, Soto said.

For every shooting, there are scores of Alisal children returning home with college educations.

For every strong-arm robbery, there's a mom-and-pop store thriving in Alisal's business district.

For every crime statistic, there's a program striving to make a difference.

For every gang violence story, there's an untold tale of success.

And maybe that's the narrative that ought to be told, Soto proposed.

“The more that we can tell that story, the more media is on board with telling that story, the more our community leaders are on board with telling that story, then the more chance we have at having the stigma about Salinas just die,” she said. “And wouldn't that be a beautiful thing?”

http://www.thecalifornian.com/story/news/2014/11/14/agencies-aim-bolster-public-safety-alisal/19043239/

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Utah

Officer wore camera during Utah man's shooting, wasn't on

Chief said the officer was new and was focusing on incident, didn't think to turn the camera on

by Michell Price and Lindsay Whitehurst

SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah officer was wearing a body camera during the fatal police shooting of sword-wielding man in September, but the camera was not switched on, Utah authorities said Friday.

The department was experimenting with the cameras, but they were inexpensive, problematic models not designed for police work, Saratoga Springs police Chief Andrew Burton said.

Rachel Sykes, an attorney for the family of 22-year-old Darrien Hunt, said it's concerning that law enforcement officials did not disclose the cameras when they ruled earlier this month that the shooting was justified. "We certainly think it's outrageous that the police department did not release this information until now," she said.

The detail was revealed in a police report obtained Thursday by attorneys for the Hunt family. Burton said his department was barred from releasing the information until the county attorney completed its investigation into the shooting last week.

Officer Nicholas Judson had been on the job for six weeks and didn't turn on the camera, Burton said. "A more seasoned officer may have thought about his body camera, but Officer Judson being a brand-new officer, was totally focused on the situation," he said.

Officers had been testing the $85 cameras for several months, but they had unreliable batteries and recording troubles, Burton said.

The department doesn't have a policy on when cameras must be activated. Judson and Cpl. Matthew Schauerhamer, the other officer involved in the shooting, are returning to active duty after the shooting was ruled legally justified.

Hunt was carrying a samurai sword as part of a Japanese anime costume when police encountered him at a shopping center in Saratoga Springs on Sept. 10.

Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman said Hunt refused to give up the 3-foot metal sword as officers requested and instead swung it toward them. The officers shot at Hunt, who fled despite being hit by gunfire. Buhman said the officers feared Hunt was seconds away from hurting someone and they shot at him again. He died at the scene.

Hunt's family contends the shooting was not justified, arguing that Hunt was treated differently because of his race. Hunt was black, and the two officers involved were white.

Earlier this week, the Salt Lake branch of the NAACP announced a formal request that the U.S. Department of Justice review the shooting. Hunt's family is also preparing a wrongful-death and civil-rights lawsuit, which Sykes expects will be filed within a week.

The family is calling for the release of all evidence related to the shooting, Sykes said.

Jackson said the department has since received high-quality $535 cameras designed for police work that were paid for by a state grant. The police department is in the process of issuing them to officers, he said.

http://www.policeone.com/edged-weapons/articles/7822093-Officer-wore-camera-during-Utah-mans-shooting-wasnt-on/

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US cities brace for protests off Ferguson decision

The St. Louis County grand jury is expected to decide this month whether Officer Darren Wilson is charged

by Philip Marcelo

BOSTON — From Boston to Los Angeles, police departments are bracing for large demonstrations when a grand jury decides whether to indict a white police officer who killed an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri.

The St. Louis County grand jury, which has been meeting since Aug. 20, is expected to decide this month whether Officer Darren Wilson is charged with a crime for killing Michael Brown after ordering the 18-year-old and a friend to stop walking in the street on Aug. 9.

The shooting has led to tension with police and a string of unruly protests there and brought worldwide attention to the formerly obscure St. Louis suburb, where more than half the population is black and yet few police officers are.

For some cities, a decision in the racially charged case will, inevitably, reignite long-simmering debates over local police relations with minority communities.

"It's definitely on our radar," said Lt. Michael McCarthy, police spokesman in Boston, where police leaders met privately Wednesday to discuss preparations. "Common sense tells you the timeline is getting close. We're just trying to prepare in case something does step off, so we are ready to go with it."

In Los Angeles, rocked by riots in 1992 after the acquittal of police officers in the videotaped beating of Rodney King, police officials say they've been in touch with their counterparts in Missouri, where Gov. Jay Nixon and St. Louis-area law enforcement held a news conference this week on their own preparations.

"Naturally, we always pay attention," said Cmdr. Andrew Smith, a police spokesman. "We saw what happened when there were protests over there and how oftentimes protests spill from one part of the country to another."

In Las Vegas, police joined pastors and other community leaders this week to call for restraint at a rally tentatively planned northwest of the casino strip when a decision comes.

And in Berkeley, Missouri, a town neighboring Ferguson, officials this week passed out fliers urging residents to be prepared for unrest just as they would a major storm — with plenty of food, water and medicine in case they're unable to leave home for several days.

In Boston, a group called "Black Lives Matter," which also has chapters in other major cities, is organizing a rally in front of the police district office in the Roxbury neighborhood the day after an indictment decision.

In October, the group, as part of a larger coalition, rallied in front of police headquarters protesting the department's "racially biased stop, frisk, and search practices" and expressing solidarity with protesters in Ferguson.

Organizers at the time pointed to an American Civil Liberties Union report that concluded Boston's black residents are more likely to be stopped, questioned or searched by police, an assertion the department has strongly disputed, saying it was based on old data.

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, police are expecting demonstrations after having dealt with a string of angry protests following a March police shooting of a homeless camper and more than 40 police shootings since 2010.

Philadelphia police spokesman Lt. John Stanford anticipates his city will see demonstrations, regardless of what the grand jury returns. "We're not oblivious to the fact that ... there are going to be protests," he said.

But big-city police departments stressed they're well-equipped to handle crowds.

Indeed, many saw large, mostly peaceful demonstrations following the 2013 not-guilty verdict in the slaying of Florida teen Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman, who was not a police officer but coordinated the local neighborhood watch.

In Los Angeles, protesters briefly shut down part of a freeway and caused some vandalism in city neighborhoods. In New York City, hundreds marched from Union Square north to Times Square, where a "sit-in" caused gridlock in one of the world's busiest pedestrian intersections.

"We're the largest police department in the nation, we're trained to move swiftly and handle events as they come up," said Stephen Davis, a New York City Police Department spokesman.

In Boston, McCarthy said the city's 2,200 sworn police officers have dealt with the range of public actions, from sports fans spontaneously streaming into the streets following championship victories to protest movements like Occupy.

"We've had a lot of practice," he said. "The good thing is that our relationships here with the community are much better than they are around the world. People look to us as a model. Boston is not Ferguson."

Contributing to this report were Associated Press reporters Tami Abdollah in Los Angeles; Colleen Long in New York City; Sean Carlin in Philadelphia; Russell Contreras in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Jim Salter in St. Louis; and Kimberly Pierceall in Las Vegas.

http://www.policeone.com/Crowd-Control/articles/7822034-US-cities-brace-for-protests-off-Ferguson-decision/

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Frim ICE

SEVP releases quarterly report on international students studying in US

9 percent increase in international students, 28 percent increase in students from India since 2013

WASHINGTON — “SEVIS by the Numbers,” a quarterly report on international students studying in the United States, was released Thursday by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The report includes the latest data from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a Web-based system that includes information about international students, exchange visitors and their dependents while they are in the United States.

Based on data extracted from SEVIS Oct. 7, 1.11 million international students, using an F (academic) or M (vocational) visa, were enrolled at nearly 9,000 U.S. schools. This marked a nine percent increase when compared to October 2013 data.

Seventy-five percent of all international students were from Asia. The top 10 countries of citizenship for international students included: China, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Mexico and Brazil.

China and Vietnam had the greatest percentage increase in students studying in the United States at 22 and 21 percent, respectively, when compared to statistics extracted from SEVIS July 8. The University of Southern California, New York University, Columbia University, Purdue University and the University of Illinois ranked one through five among U.S. schools with the most international students.

Nearly 400,000 international students pursued STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) coursework in October, an increase of nearly 50,000 from July data. Sixty-nine percent of international students studying STEM fields were male. Eighty-five percent of international students studying STEM coursework were from Asia. More international students studied engineering than any other STEM field of study, with 27 percent of those engineering students coming from India.

The October report includes a special section about international students from India. As of Oct. 7, there were 134,292 Indian students studying in the United States. This marked a 28 percent increase since October 2013. The majority of these students studied in California, Texas, New York, Illinois and Massachusetts, and 73 percent of Indian students were enrolled in master's degree programs. Seventy-nine percent of students from India studied STEM coursework, comprising 26 percent of the total international student population pursuing STEM coursework in the United States.

Other key points from the report include: 77 percent of SEVP-certified schools had between zero and 50 international students; 73 percent of international students were enrolled in bachelor's, master's or doctoral programs; and California, New York and Florida had the most SEVP-certified schools. A school must be SEVP-certified before it can enroll international students.

The full report can be viewed here. Report data was extracted from SEVIS Oct. 7. It provides a point in time snapshot of data related to international students studying in the United States. Data for the previous “SEVIS by the Numbers” was extracted from SEVIS July 8.

SEVP monitors approximately one million international students pursuing academic or vocational studies (F and M visa holders) in the United States and their dependents. It also certifies schools and programs that enroll these students. The U.S. Department of State monitors exchange visitors (J visa holders) and their dependents, and oversees exchange visitor programs.

Both use SEVIS to protect national security by ensuring that students, visitors and schools comply with U.S. laws. SEVP also collects and shares SEVIS information with government partners, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, so only legitimate international students and exchange visitors gain entry into the United States.

HSI reviews potential SEVIS records for potential violations and refers cases with potential national security or public safety concerns to its field offices for further investigation. Additionally, SEVP's Analysis and Operations Center reviews student and school records for administrative compliance with federal regulations related to studying in the United States.

Learn more about SEVP at www.ICE.gov/SEVP.

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/sevp-releases-quarterly-report-international-students-studying-us-0

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Colorado

Colorado cops finish 86-year-old's shopping after purse snatched

An 86-year-old great-grandmother cannot stop praising Aurora Police for helping her through a purse snatching

by Marshall Zelinger

(Video on site)

AURORA, Colo. — An 86-year-old great-grandmother cannot stop praising Aurora Police for helping her through a purse snatching, even though the creep is still on the loose.

Julia Brecht was grocery shopping at the Aurora Super Target off of Alameda Avenue in late October, when a thief snatched her purse while in the produce section.

"I see this young person running out of the store," said Brecht.

It was a few minutes before she realized he took off with her purse.

"My billfold, the car keys, credit cards," said Brecht.

Target loss prevention called Aurora Police.

"They went far beyond what any person like me would expect," said Brecht.

Officers Craig Hess and Robert Little helped Brecht cancel her credit cards.

"They took it upon themselves to, at the store, go ahead and cancel her credit cards so they couldn't be used,' said Aurora Police spokeswoman Diana Cooley.

Their quick work prevented her cards from ever being used by the thief, but that's just where their kindness began.

"They grabbed my shopping list. They bought the groceries. One brought me home. They went back to Target and brought my car home," said Brecht.

She wanted to get home as soon as she could because she cares for her husband 24/7.

"I did say that he was blind and in a wheelchair and that I did not try to be away from him too long," said Brecht.

Anyone would consider the actions of both officers above and beyond the call of duty, but they had one more surprise.

"Out of their own money, they changed the door locks to her front door, so she wouldn't be victimized again if they came back to her address," said Cooley.

"They went to Ace Hardware and purchased a new lock for our front door," said Brecht.

"And they did this why?" asked 7NEWS reporter Marshall Zelinger.

"Well, to protect us," said Brecht. "They were just absolutely incredible. We're just very thankful," said Brecht.

If you recognize the thief and call Crimestoppers at 720-913-STOP, you could earn a reward of up to $2,000.

http://www.policeone.com/police-heroes/articles/7819317-Colo-cops-finish-86-year-olds-shopping-after-purse-snatched/

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New York

NYC mayor opposes police chokehold bill

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner William Bratton are opposing a measure that would make police chokeholds a crime

by The Associated Press

NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner William Bratton are opposing a measure that would make police chokeholds a crime.

The proposed legislation making chokeholds a misdemeanor offense was introduced Thursday by Councilman Rory Lancman in response to the July death of Eric Garner, who was being restrained by police.

The legislation faces an uphill battle without the mayor's support.

De Blasio says the matter should be covered by department policies. Bratton says those policies are sufficient.

A chokehold is against NYPD policy but not a crime.

The medical examiner ruled that Garner's death was a homicide caused by neck compression, chest compression and his prone position while being restrained.

A grand jury is hearing evidence in the case.

http://www.policeone.com/use-of-force/articles/7818902-NYC-mayor-opposes-police-chokehold-bill/

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California

LAPD technology that tracks ex-cons stirs concerns

Technology not only tells patrol officers where crime is most likely to occur but also identifies and keeps track of ex-cons

by Tami Abdollah

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles police are increasingly relying on technology that not only tells patrol officers where crime is most likely to occur but also identifies and keeps track of ex-cons and other bad guys they believe are most likely to commit them.

Police say the effort has already helped reduce crime in one of the city's most notorious and historically gang-ridden neighborhoods.

"This is a tremendous step forward. Without this, I couldn't do my job," said Capt. Ed Prokop, head of the Los Angeles Police Department division that watches over the grimly nicknamed "Shootin' Newton" area.

The program — part data collection, part lightning-fast computer platform, part street-level intelligence-gathering — is expanding in LA with the help of a recent federal infusion of $400,000 and has drawn interest from departments across North America.

Dubbed LASER for its ability to zero in on offenders and hotspots, it is one of many newer law enforcement tools that use data tracking and collection — such as license plate scanners and cellphone trackers — often with little public knowledge or regulation.

Privacy advocates say LASER isn't transparent, has no clear oversight and unjustly focuses on keeping ex-convicts under suspicion even though they've served their time.

"People who have paid their debts to society shouldn't remain stigmatized in the eyes of police," said Kade Crockford of the American Civil Liberties Union.

LASER uses technology developed by the CIA's venture capital arm to realize a post-9/11 dream that allows investigators to match up vast troves of data from 15 separate sources to connect dots that they otherwise might miss.

Funded by federal grants, it launched in 2011 in Newton, and an expansion funded by additional money in October, brought the program to a total of eight areas throughout the city, plus the department's high-tech analysis unit and its helicopters.

More than 3,500 LAPD officers have been trained to use Palantir, a platform that was introduced initially to speed up the process of creating dossiers on chronic offenders and is now used throughout the department for a variety of investigative purposes.

Officials from New York, Nevada, Wisconsin, Washington, Texas and Canada have been briefed on LASER, said Craig Uchida, president of Justice & Security Strategies, Inc., and the program's research partner.

There has been little outside scrutiny of LASER because the nearly $1 million used to fund it doesn't affect city budgets. Police officials, however, say it works and cite a steady drop in killings in Newton compared to other areas not using the program.

There were 39 homicides a year before the program started and 14 last year, they say. And at the end of the first year, 87 of the 124 people the program identified as chronic offenders were arrested at least once for "like crimes," officials said.

Privacy advocates say those statistics alone aren't enough to determine whether the program is effective.

Under the program, police crunch historical data to determine where crimes have frequently occurred so officers can spend more time at those places. It also creates a list of people it considers more likely to commit crimes based on past behavior.

A crime intelligence unit creates the lists by reviewing interview cards officers submit after stopping people on the street. The unit pays special attention to mentions of gun-related crimes or robberies, and people with violent and lengthy criminal histories.

Police say the lists, which are marked information only and include a photo and the license plate numbers of vehicles that offenders use, among other information, often become starting points in a violent crime investigation.

Supporters say LASER is different than the New York City police department's "stop and frisk" policy, an anti-street crime program that was deemed unconstitutional because officers disproportionately targeted minorities who hadn't broken the law.

Crockford said the LAPD risks alienating minorities. "You're repackaging old biases in new technologies," she said.

ACLU lawyer Peter Bibring said the bulletins amount to intelligence files on people who may commit crimes — a violation of federal law. Once on the list, he said, "the chances of police scrutiny go up significantly, and your chances of being identified wrongly in a crime."

Bibring said it's also not clear that the program is following the department's own standards for collecting criminal intelligence. An LAPD division was shut down 30 years ago after the public learned it was compiling millions of intelligence files on 55,000 people.

LASER analysts are encouraged to purge lists to remove those who haven't committed a crime in more than six months, but there is no requirement, Uchida said.

David Carter, a former police officer and expert on criminal justice and police surveillance at Michigan State University, said he can understand the civil libertarians' concerns, but that the police are "doing their due diligence" and their actions are based on reasonable suspicion.

Jim Bueermann, the president of the nonprofit Police Foundation, said it makes sense for police to focus limited resources on troubled areas and people, but they must tread carefully because "American policing has a history of abusing this notion of domestic intelligence gathering."

There's a fine line, he said, between being smart on crime and saying that a criminal will always be a criminal.

"People do change," he said.

http://www.policeone.com/patrol-issues/articles/7818965-LAPD-technology-that-tracks-ex-cons-stirs-concerns/

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States Are Failing to Protect Juvenile Records, Study Shows

by Lynne Anderson

The records of juvenile offenders are not nearly as confidential as they should be, and the records are also not easily sealed or expunged, a report shows.

The first such report, issued Thursday in the form of a report card by the Juvenile Law Center, shows that many states fail to protect the records to begin with. Other states fail to seal or expunge the records later. Some states do both.

No states received the highest rating of five stars. New Mexico scored highest in protecting the records and reputations of youthful offenders; Idaho scored lowest.

The consequences are serious, according to the center, which conducted the nearly 18-month study with funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Youthful offenders are being denied college admission, military service and jobs because of the too-free sharing of information about crimes they committed as children or teenagers.

“There is a misperception that juvenile records are confidential and automatically destroyed when a youth is no longer under court supervision,” said Riya Saha Shah, an attorney at the Juvenile Law Center and architect of the study.

In reality, the records are accessible to a wide range of people, institutions and even companies that buy such information to sell to other companies for job-screening purposes. Retaining the records for years after a young person has moved beyond the incident — and then allowing others access to the records — creates employment, educational and other social barriers that a young person may never be able to overcome.

“Permanent open records are like a ball and chain that prevent young people from becoming productive adults,” Shah said.

Often, a person is a young adult before learning that his or her juvenile offense is still on record. A potential employer may do a criminal background check and see the offense listed. Even though there may be a “J” next to the offense to indicate the offense happened when the person was a juvenile, “employers basically don't care” whether the offense occurred when someone was young, Shah said. Just seeing the record often results in a person not being offered a job, she said.

The study, released Thursday as a scorecard of all 50 states and Washington, D.C., looked at states'performance records in two key areas: confidentiality during and after juvenile proceedings and the ease of sealing or expungement afterward. The report found a high degree of variability in how and when states expunge records, Shah said.

“Some make you wait until you're 18, others until you're 21, and some for five years" from the time of the offense, Shah explained. “But the kids don't know this until something happens, like not being hired.”

Millions of youths are arrested each year in the United States. About 95 percent of these arrests are for nonviolent offenses.

Several studies in recent years have shown that the youthful brain, particularly in adolescence, is undergoing major changes. Teens may actually have too much connective tissue in the brain, which interferes with crucial connections in the prefrontal cortex, according to studies at the University of North Carolina and other major research institutions. The prefrontal cortex governs critical thinking skills and assesses risk and reward.

The aim of those who work with youthful offenders is to steer them toward better choices and better outcomes. Most juvenile offenders do outgrow their mistakes and become valuable, productive members of society, Shah said.

The scorecard provides a clear picture of impediments that state laws and practices place in the paths of those who want to leave the past behind.

The Juvenile Law Center has 10 recommendations for states to prevent a juvenile record from following a juvenile offender into adulthood:

•  Records should not be widely available online.

•  Records should be sealed to the public before they are expunged.

•  Records should be automatically sealed and expunged.

•  Expungement should include physical destruction and electronic deletion.

•  Expungement eligibility should begin once a case is closed.

•  All offenses should be eligible for expungement.

•  One entity should be designated to inform youth about the expungement.

•  Forms for expungement should be youth-friendly.

•  Filing for expungement should be free.

•  There should be sanctions for failure to comply.

In addition, the Juvenile Law Center calls for policymakers to review juvenile record laws and protections and for state and city governments to enact provisions to limit barriers to housing, education and employment for youthful offenders.

To see the full report and map of states and their scores, visit: www.jlc.org/juvenilerecords

http://jjie.org/states-are-failing-to-protect-juvenile-records-study-shows/107918/

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New York

Unite forum focuses on police, community relations

by David Riley

The sometimes-tense relationship between Rochester police and the citizens they serve is not unique, and it can be improved, a high-ranking U.S. Justice Department official said Thursday.

Ronald L. Davis, director of the Justice Department's Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services, is well-positioned to know this firsthand. His office works to foster better ties between police and residents in communities across the country, including Ferguson, Missouri, in the aftermath of the shooting of black teenager Michael Brown by a white officer in August.

Davis is here to moderate a Unite Rochester community forum Thursday evening. The event, planned by Unite Rochester's Justice Engagement Committee, will focus on creating better understanding between citizens and their criminal justice system.

The forum is 6 to 8 p.m. at City Hall on Church Street and will be broadcast live on City 12 TV, channel 12, Rochester's government access station. The forum also will be streamed live at cityofrochester.gov/mayorwebcast.

In an interview before the forum, Davis stressed that he was not familiar with many specifics in Rochester. But it's clear that Unite Rochester has many of the right players talking to each other, from faith and community groups to police and the mayor, he said.

"To have them at a table where they're talking about how to do it better and how to implement community policing and how to strengthen the community is a formula for success everywhere," Davis said.

His office is working with police in St. Louis County, Missouri, to identify and fix any problematic practices in the department there.

The tensions on display in Ferguson had to do with bigger issues than the shooting of Brown alone, including perceived inequity in jobs, education and housing, Davis said. These are problems that have simmered in communities across the country for years.

Communities frustrated with these problems are calling out for change, so Rochester's discussion comes at an important time, nationally speaking, Davis said.

It's important for law enforcement to truly listen to calls for change and to strive for a fair and equitable criminal justice system, he said. Citizens also have a responsibility to sit down with police and work as partners to address problems.

"This does not have to be a fight for change, but a collaboration for change," he said.

Panelists at Thursday's forum include Mayor Lovely Warren, District Attorney Sandra Doorley, Sheriff Patrick O'Flynn, Deputy Rochester Police Chief Fred Bell and the Rev. Raymond Scott, among others.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2014/11/13/ronald-l-davis-justice-unite-city-hall-rochester/18986961/

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California

More inmates will be released early because of Prop. 47; public safety officials express concern

On Election Day, California voters approved Proposition 47, a criminal justice reform measure that could have wide-ranging effects.

The proposition changes the lowest level drug possession and petty theft crimes from felonies to simple misdemeanors for some people, said Emily Harris, statewide coordinator of Californians United for a Responsible Budget.

Although re-sentencing is not guaranteed, up to 10,000 people in California's prisons and jails will be eligible for re-sentencing, and newly sentenced individuals who meet the requirements will be under county jurisdiction, Harris said.

"The passage of Prop. 47 is yet another clear signal that the majority of Californians want an end to mass incarceration and an increase in spending on social programs," said Harris.

However, the vast majority of public safety leaders in the state, including Fontana Police Chief Rod Jones, opposed Prop. 47.

It is "misleading, poorly written, and a danger to our community," Jones said.

"At a time when tens of thousands of people are being released early because of realignment, our community can ill afford dealing with another 10,000 inmates that will be released early because of Prop. 47," he said.

Fontana's crime rate increased after Gov. Jerry Brown's realignment program was first implemented in 2011, but since then the number of crimes has gone back down in the city.

"In addition to the inmates getting an early release under Prop. 47, reclassifying many felonies to misdemeanors will unnecessarily endanger our residents," Jones said.

For example, because of Prop. 47, stealing a gun is now a misdemeanor, he said.

"People do not steal a gun to add to their collection or because they have a legitimate reason; they steal a gun for illegal, violent reasons," he said. "Most gang members obtain guns by theft. Reducing the penalties for this crime is dangerous.

"At a time when forcible sex offenses on college campuses increased 50 percent over a three-year period, reducing or eliminating penalties for those who possess date-rape drugs exacerbates an already bad situation. Yet, that is exactly what Prop. 47 does."

Supporters of the proposition claimed that the law reflects a worthwhile change.

"Prop. 47 is the beginning of a reversal of decades of draconian 'tough on crime' laws that target poor communities of color, criminalizing the symptoms of poverty and filling prisons with non-violent offenders who need treatment and opportunity, not incarceration," said Danny Feingold, publisher of Capital and Main. "The new law brings some sanity back to a criminal justice system that has long been out of control."

But Jones said this proposition was not the right answer.

"Reducing prison overcrowding is a discussion all public safety leaders are involved in and sensitive to. However, reducing the prison population must be responsible and well thought out," Jones said.

Now, police are committed to working together to mitigate the "hazardous impact" of Prop. 47, Jones said.

Jones said that he believes there will be an increase in demand for services provided by the Fontana Re-entry Support Team (F.R.S.T.), a successful program which was created in the aftermath of realignment. The program assists early release prisoners and probationers with their successful re-assimilation into society.

But Jones added that there is a possibility that F.R.S.T. could receive additional funding.

"One thing Prop. 47 does is establish a pot of money called the Safe Neighborhood and Schools Fund, which dedicates a certain amount of the money saved by the reduced cost of incarceration. This money will be distributed by the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) for programs such as our F.R.ST.," he said. "I am hopeful that some of the costs of F.R.S.T. could be offset by potential BSCC grant funding."

http://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/news/article_7523efe8-6b5b-11e4-8b5a-836d24d68bfd.html

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Utah

Commission recommendations to protect public safety, control prison growth presented to governor

by Aimee Edwards

(SALT LAKE CITY) – The Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ) today announced a comprehensive set of data-driven recommendations for the upcoming legislative session that will reduce recidivism, hold offenders accountable and save taxpayers an estimated $542 million by averting almost all of Utah's projected prison growth over the next two decades.

CCJJ's proposed recommendations would: focus prison beds on serious and violent offenders; strengthen probation and parole supervision; improve and expand reentry and treatment services; support local corrections systems; and ensure oversight and accountability.

The Commission's full report is available at: http://justice.utah.gov/Documents/CCJJ/Reports/Justice_Reinvestment_Report_2014.pdf

Responding to the charge from Gov. Gary R. Herbert, Sen. Pres. Wayne Niederhauser, House Speaker Becky Lockhart, Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Matthew Durrant and Attorney General Sean Reyes, CCJJ engaged in a seven-month study of Utah's corrections and criminal justice systems. View the article at: http://www.utah.gov/governor/news_media/article.html?article=10239

The commission analyzed data, evaluated policies and programs used in other states, reviewed research on effective ways reduce recidivism and developed comprehensive recommendations. CCJJ is a diverse group of criminal justice stakeholders including representatives from corrections, the Legislature, the judiciary, the prosecutorial and defense bars, as well as behavioral health and victim advocacy.

While Utah maintains a relatively low imprisonment rate, the state's prison population has grown 18 percent since 2004, six times faster than the national average. Absent reform, Utah's prison population is projected to grow an additional 37 percent in the next 20 years at a cost of more than $500 million, according to consultants for the Prison Relocation Commission.

This population growth and resulting taxpayer costs will make it harder to fund already under-resourced crime prevention and response strategies including victim services, drug treatment, mental health services, and a probation and parole system that combines focused supervision with swift and certain responses to violations.

The Commission estimates its recommendations, if adopted by the Legislature and fully implemented, would avert 98 percent of the anticipated prison growth, resulting in cumulative savings of $542 million in prison construction and operating costs.

“It is time we stop cycling inmates in and out of prison,” said Gov. Herbert. “The CCJJ has provided an expert roadmap to improve public safety by keeping violent and career criminals behind bars, putting the appropriate resources into alternatives for nonviolent offenders, and ensuring our citizens get the best possible results for their tax dollars. I look forward to reviewing the recommendations thoroughly.”

Key CCJJ findings include:

· Utah's prison population increased 18 percent since 2004 and is projected to grow 37 percent over the next two decades.

· Prisoners are spending on average 18 percent longer in prison than they did 10 years ago.

· Nearly half of all offenders leaving prison return within three years.

· Probation and parole violators make up two-thirds (67 percent) of admissions to prison.

· 62 percent of offenders sentenced to prison for new crimes were convicted of a nonviolent offense.

· Last year, more offenders were sentenced to prison for drug possession than any other crime.

“Utah is a leader in using research and data to drive policy. We have worked hard to manage our state efficiently and we must now apply the same approach to our criminal justice system,” said Sen. Pres. Niederhauser. “I commend the CCJJ for their effort to chart a possible course ahead and provide transparent analysis that will be a springboard for legislative discussion and sound policy decisions.”

“The CCJJ has spent more than seven months pouring over research and analyzing our corrections data to develop these recommendations,” said Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Durrant. “We are pleased to see this hard work result in policies that will move us closer to delivering on our twin goals of crime control and justice.”

“Public safety is always our first priority and this plan more than meets that test,” said Attorney General Reyes. “It will apply proven sentencing and corrections practices to ensure that dangerous offenders are off the street and that we do a better job stopping the revolving door for those whose crimes are driven by addiction to drugs.”

http://www.kcsg.com/view/full_story/26101121/article-Commission-recommendations-to-protect-public-safety--control-prison-growth-presented-to-governor?instance=more_local_news1

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Florida

BCSO seeks missing teen boy

by NEWS HERALD STAFF

(Picture on site)

The Bay County Sheriff's Office is asking for assistance from the public to find 17-year-old Ryan Zerbach.

Zerbach's last known location was his home in the Bayhead area of Bayou George. He left his residence before his parents arrived and sent text messages to family and friends expressing his desire to harm himself, the BCSO stated in a press release, and he is believed to be on foot.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the BCSO at 747-4700 or Crime Stoppers at 785-TIPS.

http://www.newsherald.com/news/crime-public-safety/bcso-seeks-missing-teen-boy-1.400341

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From the FBI

Crime Statistics for 2013 Released -- Decrease in Violent Crimes and Property Crimes

(Graphs on site)

The FBI released Crime in the United States, 2013 today, which shows that the estimated number of violent crimes in 2013 decreased 4.4 percent when compared with 2012 figures, and the estimated number of property crimes decreased 4.1 percent. There were an estimated 1,163,146 violent crimes reported to law enforcement last year, along with an estimated 8,632,512 property crimes.

The crime statistics report, issued by the Bureau's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, contains voluntarily submitted data from 18,415 city, county, state, tribal, campus, and federal law enforcement agencies on specific crimes brought to their attention. They include the violent crimes of murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, and the property crimes of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

The primary goals of Crime in the United States ? To assess and monitor the nature and type of crime in the nation and to generate reliable information for use in law enforcement administration, operations, and management. The data has also been used by criminologists, sociologists, legislators, municipal planners, the media, and other students of criminal justice for research and planning purposes.

But a word of caution: Don't draw conclusions from the report by making direct comparisons between cities. Valid assessments are only possible with an understanding of various factors affecting each jurisdiction. For more details, read the UCR Statistics: Their Proper Use section.

Beginning in 2013, the UCR Program began collecting rape data under a revised definition. However, not all law enforcement agencies have been able to convert their records management systems to reflect the new definition yet, so this year's report includes data collected under the previous (or legacy) definition as well as the revised definition. Footnotes for tables in the report indicate which definition of rape is being used. For more information, read the report's Rape Addendum.

Here are some quick highlights from Crime in the United States, 2013:

•  During 2013, law enforcement made an estimated 11,302,102 arrests (including 480,360 for violent crimes and 1,559,284 for property crimes). The highest number of arrests were for drug abuse violations (estimated at 1,501,043), larceny-theft (estimated at 1,231,580), and driving under the influence (estimated at 1,166,824).

•  There were an estimated 14,196 murders last year.

•  Aggravated assaults (an estimated 724,149 last year) accounted for the largest percentage of violent crimes reported to law enforcement—62.3 percent.

•  Firearms were used in 69 percent of the nation's murders, 40 percent of robberies, and 21.6 percent of aggravated assaults (weapons data is not collected on rape incidents).

•  There were an estimated 79,770 rapes (legacy definition) reported to law enforcement.

•  Victims of burglary offenses suffered an estimated $4.5 billion in property losses, and burglaries of residential properties accounted for 74 percent of the total reported.

•  Larceny-thefts accounted for the largest percentage of property crimes reported to law enforcement—69.6 percent. (The average value of property taken during larceny-thefts was $1,259.)

•  During 2013, an estimated 699,594 motor vehicles were reported stolen, and 73.9 percent of those were cars. (Other types of stolen vehicles included trucks, sport utility vehicles, buses, motorcycles, motor scooters, all-terrain vehicles, and snowmobiles).

UCR publications scheduled for release within the next couple of months include Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, 2013 ; Hate Crimes Statistics, 2013 ; and National Incident-Based Reporting System, 2013 .

Resources:

- Crime in the United States, 2013

- Press release

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2014/november/crime-statistics-for-2013-released/crime-statistics-for-2013-released

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From the FBI

Serial Killers

New Research Aims to Help Investigators Solve Cases

Mention the term serial killer and what comes to mind for many people are murderers like Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy, whose grisly deeds seem to haunt our collective imagination.

But when Bob Morton considers serial killers—which he has spent much of his professional life doing—the recently retired special agent formerly with our Behavioral Analysis Unit thinks mostly about statistics.

Morton, the author of a new study on serial murder for the FBI's National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, spent the last eight years gathering and analyzing details from hundreds of serial murder cases to help investigators better understand these terrible crimes—and be better equipped to solve them.

“In the past,” Morton said, “research tended to focus on known offenders and what led them to become serial murderers.” That information, while useful, provided little help to investigators trying to apprehend an unknown offender in an active, unsolved case.

The new study—Serial Murder: Pathways for Investigations—focuses on a key aspect of serial murder cases: how and where the victims' bodies are discovered and what that says about the killers.

“What we tried to do was give investigators working these cases a common place to start, which is the body,” Morton said. “You work your way back from there to discern offender characteristics and narrow the suspect pool. The body is the only constant in the crime,” he explained. “Lots of other things can change, but how you find that victim is not going to change.”

If the victim was a prostitute, for example, and the body was left where the murder occurred, that may offer certain clues about the killer. If the body was hidden at a distance from the murder site, that may offer different clues. The study's statistical data was drawn from 480 U.S. serial murder cases involving 92 offenders over a period of nearly five decades. Morton believes the study's findings could be a “game changer” for investigators working unsolved cases.

“Many of the things we have learned over the years through experience we are trying to prove through empirical research,” he said. “The main goal is to provide law enforcement with relevant data that helps them focus on the most likely suspects.”

Serial murder in the United States is surprisingly rare. Although it's impossible to quantify the number of active serial murderers nationwide or how many murders they commit, academic and law enforcement research suggests that the numbers of homicides carried out by serial offenders in a given year are a fraction of the total number of murders that occur in the U.S. “But when it does occur,” said Morton, who has worked dozens of these cases during his 25-year Bureau career, “it can be overwhelming to a community and its law enforcement agencies.”

“There is a lot of pressure on the police to solve these crimes,” he added, and most local police departments haven't had a serial homicide in their jurisdiction. That's where the FBI can provide behavioral-based investigative support to our state and local partners. The National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime and members of our Behavioral Analysis Unit have extensive experience with serial murder investigations and offer their expertise on request.

“The FBI has become a clearinghouse for these crimes,” Morton said, “and we stand ready to assist local law enforcement when they are faced with an active serial murder case. This new research is one more tool to help investigators.”

National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime

The National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) was established to provide behavioral-based investigative support to the FBI, national security agencies, and other federal, state, local, and international law enforcement involved in the investigation of unusual or repetitive violent crimes, threats, and terrorism, cyber crime, white-collar crime, public corruption, and other matters.

Our Behavioral Analysis Unit 4 (BAU-4), one component of the NCAVC, focuses on serial murders, sexual assaults, kidnappings, and other criminal acts targeting adult victims. BAU-4 members are experts on the subject of serial murder and regularly provide operational assistance, conduct research, and offer training on issues related to serial murder.

BAU-4 also runs the FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP), which maintains the largest investigative repository of major violent crime cases in the U.S. ViCAP collects and analyzes information about homicides, sexual assaults, missing persons, and other violent crimes and is used by state and local law enforcement nationwide to help discover links between seemingly unconnected crimes.

- More on the NCAVC

- More on ViCAP

A New Perspective on Serial Murder Investigations

The research project Serial Murder: Pathways for Investigations provides empirical information based on actual cases to help law enforcement personnel working active, unsolved serial murder investigations.

The research focuses on how and where victims' bodies were discovered, and what that says about the killers. The body disposal scenarios used by offenders were separated into four pathways:

- Transported from the murder site and concealed;

- Transported from the murder site and dumped;

- Left “as is” at the murder site; and

- Left at the murder site and concealed.

The reasons for focusing on body disposal scenarios, according to the study, include a number of factors:

- The body disposal site is usually the initial scene law enforcement professionals are exposed to in their investigation.

- The manner and circumstances of the body disposal can lead to logical conclusions concerning the nature of the crime.

- The different body disposal scenarios can reflect the varied criminal experience levels of offenders.

- The manner of body disposal may show a potential relationship between the offender and the victim.

Download the study

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2014/october/serial-killers-part-8-new-research-aims-to-help-investigators-solve-cases

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From the Department of Homeland Security

Critical Infrastructure Security & Resilience Month

Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month recognizes the vital role critical infrastructure plays in our nation's way of life and why it is important to expand and reinforce critical infrastructure security and resilience. During November, we focus on engaging and educating public and private sector partners about the systems and resources that support our daily lives. DHS calls on our partners, stakeholders, and communities to serve as force multipliers of this message. By raising awareness of the importance of securing the assets, systems, and networks we count on every day, we can build on the great work of this public-private partnership and further enhance the security and resilience of our critical infrastructure.

http://www.dhs.gov/publication/cisr-month-toolkit An important part of Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month is our continued work on implementing the National Infrastructure Protection Plan to safeguard both cyber and physical systems through collaborative public-private partnerships at all levels of government and industry from local, regional, national, and international perspectives. Guiding these partnerships and informing the decisions of the critical infrastructure community to enhance security and resilience are joint national priorities.

Also as part of Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month, DHS is highlighting President Obama's Build America Investment Initiative, a government-wide initiative to increase infrastructure investment and economic growth. The President's plan highlights the importance of investing in our nation's infrastructure and building on the progress our economy is making by creating jobs and expanding opportunity for all hardworking Americans.

How You Can Get Involved

•  Read the Presidential Proclamation.

•  Share stories and information about your efforts to support infrastructure security and resilience with your customers, constituents, partners, residents, and employees through newsletters, websites, emails, blog posts, and tweets.

•  Reinforce the role your organization/office plays in infrastructure security and resilience by incorporating references to Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month in speaking engagements and events.

•  Follow @DHSgov on Twitter, and post infrastructure security and resilience efforts, tips, news, and resources on social media using the hashtag #infrastructure.

•  Download a Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month Toolkit to help promote awareness.

•  Download and print the Critical Infrastructure Security & Resilience Month fact sheet for your event, office, or friends.

Americans can do their part at home, at work, and in their local communities by being prepared for all hazards, reporting suspicious activities, and learning more about critical infrastructure security and resilience.

http://www.dhs.gov/critical-infrastructure-security-resilience-month?utm_source=hp_feature&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=dhs_hp

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Missouri

Governor vows to stop any violence after Ferguson decision

Missouri's Jay Nixon says police are on standby as jury delivers verdict on Michael Brown murder

by Reuters

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said the National Guard would be on standby to respond to any violence, after a grand jury decides whether or not to indict a white police officer for shooting dead an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson.

In addition to the National Guard, police officers from across the state could be called on to restore order if protests get out of hand, Nixon told a news conference.

A decision by the grand jury is expected in mid-to-late November.

The August shooting of Michael Brown, 18, by Darren Wilson sparked a national debate on race relations and led to weeks of street demonstrations. Some groups have threatened extensive protests if the officer is not charged with a crime.

"That ugliness was not representative of Missouri and it cannot be repeated," Nixon said.

"These measures are not being taken because we are convinced that violence will occur, but because we have a responsibility to prepare for any contingency," he said.

Nixon said 1,000 police officers had undergone more than 5,000 hours of specialized training ahead of the grand jury decision.

Some businesses in Ferguson have boarded up windows and made plans for protecting themselves and their property if protests ignite into violence.

State and local police, who were decked out in riot gear and fired rubber bullets into crowds during demonstrations after the shooting, have come under criticism for what many saw as a heavy-handed response that made a volatile situation worse.

Police have said they came under attack by some protesters who wielded weapons and gasoline bombs.

The American Civil Liberties Union and National Lawyers Guild said they plan to deploy observers to the scene after the grand jury decision to make sure police are not violating civil liberties.

The Ferguson-Florissant School District, which had to delay the start of the school year due to protests in August, has reviewed contingency plans in case there are serious protests and schools have to dismiss students early for safety reasons.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11225391/Governor-vows-to-stop-any-violence-after-Ferguson-decision.html

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Montana

White Supremacist's Effort to Rebrand KKK as More Inclusive Group Prompts Skepticism

by RHEANA MURRAY

A Montana man wants to rebrand the Ku Klux Klan as a nicer, more diverse organization, but many people are saying the idea is baloney.

John Abarr told the Great Falls Tribune he's ready to shed his white supremacist ways and has started a new KKK group called the Rocky Mountain Knights, which doesn't shed its KKK label but at the same time won't discriminate against race, religion or sexual orientation.

"The KKK is for a strong America," Abarr told the newspaper. "White supremacy is the old Klan. This is the new Klan."

Abarr claims his opinions have changed over the years, the Great Falls Tribune reported. Last year he met with the NAACP to discuss how the two organizations can co-exist peacefully, and said he does not promote racial violence, despite the KKK's history.

Rachel Carroll-Rivas, co-director of the Montana Human Rights Network, told ABC News today that Abarr is a known white supremacist and said she doesn't believe he's really reformed. He once ran a failed race for Congress, has distributed racist flyers and even once suggested the northwest become a homeland for the white race, she said.

"We have actually worked with a few defecting members of white supremacist groups in the past, and it always starts with an apology," Carroll-Rivas said. "And he hasn't done that."

She adds that if Abarr were serious, he would drop the KKK label.

"He's still using the label and engaging in the ritual of using the hoods and robes and not apologizing for the hurt he's done in Montana," she said. "I don't take his message of reform seriously."

Jimmy Simmons of the NAACP told the Great Falls Tribune he believes Abarr's beliefs have changed, but also questioned the new group's ties to the Klan.

"The use of the letters KKK instills fear in people," Simmons told the newspaper.

The United Klans of America is unhappy with Abarr's use of the KKK's name, according to the Great Falls Tribune.

"That man's going against everything the bylaws of the constitution of the KKK say," leader Bradley Jenkins told the newspaper. "He's trying to hide behind the KKK to further his political career."

Abarr did not respond to ABC News' request for comment.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/white-supremacists-effort-rebrand-kkk-inclusive-group-prompts/story?id=26832019

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Pennsylvania

Penn public safety tops security charts for seventh year

by Jill Castellano

For the eighth year in a row, Penn's Division of Public Safety was ranked the number one university on Security Magazine's “Security 500” list, an annual security ranking of various corporations and institutions.

The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania also grabbed a top spot, ranking 9th in the country on the healthcare and medical section of the list.

Drexel University, whose police force often works in tandem with Penn Police, scored fourth place out of the country's universities. Other large universities embedded in cities topped the list, including New York University in the second spot and the University of Chicago in third.

Under the tenure of Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush, the number of administrators, employees and security contractors at DPS has doubled, now approaching an unprecedented 800 people total to protect a 2.5 square mile patrol zone.

“We are honored,” Rush said in a statement. “This would not be possible without the vision and support of President Amy Gutmann, Provost Vince Price and Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli.”

http://www.thedp.com/article/2014/11/division-of-public-safety-number-one-security-500

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New York

Residents can sign up for text message and email alerts.

by Jon Harris

Binghamton residents have a new way to stay informed about public safety.

City of Binghamton Mayor Richard David on Monday announced a free community notification service that will deliver text message and email alerts to residents.

“This is another resource that will make our community safer,” David said in a statement. “Building strong lines of communication between residents and the Binghamton Police Department has been a focus of my administration. This alert system keeps residents informed and keeps city government on the cutting edge of public safety technology.”

Residents can sign up by texting their zip code to 888-777. They can sign up for email alerts online at: http://www.nixle.com/

Alerts will include real-time public safety information, traffic updates and emergency notifications. The system will also provide instant communication from government officials in the case of weather emergencies.

http://www.pressconnects.com/story/news/local/2014/11/10/sign-safety-alerts/18791563/

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Pennsylvania

Locals fighting drug crime, death

by Felicia A. Petro

With at least six people in their 20s and early 30s from the Grove City area dying from drug overdoses in the past two months - and crimes from money being stolen out of vehicles to murder happening - members of the community are looking for ways to mitigate a growing drug epidemic.

"Not too many people in the community have not been touched in some way or form," said Damon Covert, worship leader at Grove City Alliance Church in Pine Township. "It's very sad, but we have options to help and to try to bring some light."

This Saturday, Grove City Alliance will begin its Celebrate Recovery meeting, a 12-step program that is more biblically centered.

Although it's been in the planning stages for a year, starting the support group now "is a very fortuitous time," Covert said. "I don't want to say it's coincidence, but I think the recent events have brought to light how severe the problems are."

One drug-related robbery resulted in the death of 60-year-old Michael Johns in Pine Township on Sept. 28; another happened in Findley Township when business owner Gary Butch was pistol whipped on Aug. 26. A police chase ensued in the borough and Grove City College was put on lockdown because one suspect escaped on foot through campus. Men have been arrested in both crimes.

Trained leaders for the Celebrate Recovery program will include Paul Goodman, pastor of adult ministries; and John Sinclair, assistant and church member at Grove City Alliance.

Linda Porter will also lead. She has been a leader with a Celebrate Recovery group for women who are in (and coming out of) the county lockup through Reaching Up & Reaching Out, a ministry in Grove City.

Covert will lead a small group; a number of other volunteers are also stepping forward to help.

The meeting isn't just for substance abuse. The non-denominational group "is for anybody," Covert said. "We're offering people hope when they feel like they don't have any."

During the week, Celebrate Recovery meetings are hosted by New Life Baptist in New Wilmington and New Castle #- and The Haven in Butler. Grove City Alliance's session was scheduled for Saturday to give additional meeting options, Covert added.

Hundreds have responded to the area drug epidemic by having prayer walks throughout the borough. There were two in September, which drew over 250 people, as well as one last week that brought in about 75 individuals, according to Heidi Mikulin, who co-organizes the walks with her friend, Roxanne Basham.

Their initial walk mainly happened by word of mouth through a Facebook page, "Community Prayer Walk." News of the event spread so quickly, about 1,000 people were invited by friends of friends.

The Facebook page acts as an inspirational outlet between prayer walks, and announces when another walk is scheduled. The next walk in November has 199 individuals committed to attending, with 98 "maybes" out of 1,300 invited by friends of friends.

Pray walkers have been churchgoers and non-churchgoers, former addicts and individuals who have recently lost loved ones to addiction. Mikulin, a lay minister and Allied News columnist, says the walks have given them strength, bonded them with their families and shown Providence at work.

Civic groups organize

Civic groups are also lifting their voices to make citizens more aware about the epidemic.

Grove City Borough Council held a special meeting to hire a police officer on Oct. 6; however, the Grove City Rotary Club organized a discussion at the lengthy meeting about the rise in drug-related deaths and crime, and a number of citizens came to express their concerns.

The meeting also brought officials from the local school district, police department and hospital, as well as Mercer County Behavior Health and the Mercer County District Attorney's office.

"I do think the recent events are making people more aware that there's a problem, but it's not a new problem. Its been going on, but people haven't been aware," said Darla Motta, Rotary president. "It was a great discussion and further confirmation that it's a community problem."

Besides the number of deaths in the past two months, "We've had dozens of overdoses in our community, mostly heroin related," she added.

According to the non-profit Drug Free Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth has the third highest instances of heroin use and overdoses in the nation. In most parts of Pennsylvania, it can be bought for $8 to $10 a hit, and no longer needs to be injected.

The Rotary started being proactive against drug use 1½ years ago by hosting the Reality Tour every month at Grove City Medical Center, which Motta organizes. It's a prevention program for students 10 to 18 and their parents/guardians that was created by a Butler County woman in response to the heroin epidemic in her county.

Volunteers - including district students - put on a drama with drug-related scenes. People also give testimonials about addiction. A video is shown about accidents and overdoses by young people, with real emergency room footage and stories told by survivors and healthcare workers.

"The whole purpose of the program is to create conversation at home," Motta said. "We had great success bringing the high school football team last year with coaches, players and parents."

Members of the high school girls basketball and boys soccer teams are committed to November's Reality Tour, she noted.

Next Wednesday, parents and concerned adults are invited to an open forum hosted by the Rotary at Grove City Middle School, called "Grove City Drug Epidemic: A Community Problem."

It will outline the district's response to the epidemic, facts/figures on drugs and drug crimes, current drug trends, utilizing an emergency room during a drug crisis and prosecution of drug crimes.

"The main purpose is to make people aware of what's happening in our town," Motta said. She believes it's important to "act quickly," she said.

"When presented with facts, parents have a great ability to directly impact whether or not their child accepts peer pressure to use drugs or turns away from the temptation."

The middle school program will conclude with a parent's perspective on drug abuse and a question and answer period. Parents will leave with a list of helpful resources.

The talk is for adults only, due to its intense nature.

Covert is encouraged by the community efforts against the drug epidemic. "The disease isn't drugs. It's hopelessness and pain, and people medicate that in different ways to fill a void." he said.

http://www.alliednews.com/news/locals-fighting-drug-crime-death/article_a8807cf2-69e0-11e4-9e6f-47914364c1c0.html

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Laundry pods pose serious poisoning risk to young children, study finds

by Nicole Kwan

Laundry pods, those colorful packets that can be easily tossed into the washing machine, aren't just convenient— they're dangerous for young children, finds new research compiling national poison control center data.

The study, conducted by researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, found that from 2012 through 2013, U.S. poison control centers received reports of 17,230 children younger than age 6 swallowing, inhaling or being exposed to chemicals in laundry detergent pods. Nearly two-thirds of the cases involved 1 and 2 year olds.

“If I were a kid, I'd like to pick it up and play with it … it looks like it was made for young children to have fun with,” study co-author Dr. Marcel J. Casavant, chief of toxicology at Nationwide Children's Hospital and medical director of the Central Ohio Poison Center, told FoxNews.com.

The study found that effects of consuming laundry pods included: vomiting (48 percent of cases), coughing and choking (13 percent), eye pain or irritation (11 percent), drowsiness or lethargy (7 percent), mouth pain, burning, difficulty breathing, and windpipe injuries. While vomiting is a symptom with traditional liquids and powders, typically it happens once or twice and that's the end of it, Casavant noted. With the pods, side effects are significantly worse.

A number of children had to be admitted to intensive care and intubated, while a handful fell into a coma. Others showed a “significant altered mental state” and had trouble staying awake, Casavant said.

Researchers saw some cases where children were on breathing machines for several days. One child died.

“Compared to a lot of other injuries that poison control deals with, many of these are severe and certainly long lasting,” Casavant said.

According to Casavant, both the packaging and the formulations of laundry pods are likely causing these more severe reactions that lead to an average of one child per day being hospitalized.

“[When] a child gets into powders or liquids, they might want to take a taste of it, [and] get some accidentally on their fingers, and decide to clean their finger by popping it in their mouth,” he said. “Usually it's a very, very, very small dose. In our experience, a child gets into a pod, gets the full dose, [and] can't control how much gets into the mouth.”

Plus, ingredients may be highly concentrated in the pods, and some solvents from the plastic shrink wrap may be contributing to side effects like sleepiness, central nervous system depression, and coma.

To avoid exposure, Casavant recommended that people who have young children in their homes simply refrain from using laundry pods. If you do have them in your home, he said, keep them out of sight somewhere the kids can't reach them.

However, Casavant noted that most exposures actually happen while the product is in use, not when a child has broken into the laundry room without supervision. Exposure commonly occurs when a parent is doing laundry and puts the pod next to the washer, or when the family is in the car to go to the laundromat and the pod is placed on top of the basket.

“Part of safe storage is to remember it's a very, very dangerous time when you get the product out of storage and are starting to use it,” Casavant said.

Researchers recommend manufacturers take away the characteristics that make laundry pods appealing to children— that they're bright, colorful and squishy. Plus, the bags that pods come in should not be see-through, so children aren't tempted to open them.

Manufacturers may also consider using less-toxic ingredients. When looking at the laundry pod ingredients, researchers were unsure what was causing the toxicity.

“When we look at the list of chemicals given, it's hard to imagine [or] understand why many of these kids are going into coma, having trouble staying awake … we don't understand which chemicals are doing that,” Casavant said. “It's hard to understand why we see burns from these— something is going on, maybe it's ingredients they aren't disclosing, maybe it's the different ways the chemicals are working together in the laundry science to attack stains, inadvertently attacking children.”

As for the safety of items that are washed with laundry pods, Casavant said that the ingredients should be diluted quickly in the wash cycle, flushed down and then diluted further in the rinse cycle, so there shouldn't be a significant concentration after someone finishes a load of laundry.

If your child is exposed to a laundry pod, or anything poisonous, call poison control immediately at 1-800-222-1222; the number is the same across the U.S. You'll be connected with a nurse , physician, pharmacist or poison information provider who will give an individualized assessment and the best action to take in the situation. According to Casavant, poison control tries to keep children at home, though some are sent to the hospital if it's appropriate.

“Rather than trying to have parents make decisions on their own, using information on the internet, it's best to call poison control,” he said. “There will be some cases where we do need to call 9-1-1, but poison control is really good at making the decision with the caller in the first seconds.”

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/11/10/laundry-pods-pose-serious-poisoning-risk-to-young-children-study-finds/

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Federal workers, contractors reportedly behind many cyber breaches -- often by accident

by Fox News

Federal employees and contractors are unwittingly undermining a $10 billion-per-year effort to protect sensitive government data from cyberattacks, according to a published report.

The Associated Press says that workers in more than a dozen agencies, from the Defense and Education departments to the National Weather Service, are responsible for at least half of the federal cyberincidents reported each year since 2010, according to an analysis of records.

They have clicked links in bogus phishing emails, opened malware-laden websites and been tricked by scammers into sharing information. One was redirected to a hostile site after connecting to a video of tennis star Serena Williams. A few act intentionally, most famously former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, who downloaded and leaked documents revealing the government's collection of phone and email records.

Then there was the federal contractor who lost equipment containing the confidential information of millions of Americans, including Robert Curtis of Monument, Colorado.

Curtis, according to court records, was besieged by identity thieves after someone stole data tapes that the contractor left in a car, exposing the health records of about 5 million current and former Pentagon employees and their families.

"I was angry, because we as citizens trust the government to act on our behalf," Curtis told the AP.

At a time when intelligence officials say cybersecurity now trumps terrorism as the No. 1 threat to the U.S. -- and when breaches at businesses such as Home Depot and Target focus attention on data security -- the federal government isn't required to publicize its own brushes with data loss.

Last month, a breach of unclassified White House computers by hackers thought to be working for Russia was reported not by officials but The Washington Post. Congressional Republicans complained even they weren't alerted to the hack.

"It would be unwise, I think for rather obvious reasons, for me to discuss from here what we have learned so far," White House press secretary Josh Earnest later said about the report.

To determine the extent of federal cyberincidents, which include probing into network weak spots, stealing data and defacing websites, the AP filed dozens of Freedom of Information Act requests, interviewed hackers, cybersecurity experts and government officials, and obtained documents describing digital cracks in the system.

That review shows that 40 years and more than $100 billion after the first federal data protection law was enacted, the government is struggling to close holes without the knowledge, staff or systems to outwit an ever-evolving foe.

"It's a much bigger challenge than anyone could have imagined 20 years ago," said Phyllis Schneck, deputy undersecretary for cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security, which runs a 24/7 incident-response center responding to threats.

Fears about breaches have been around since the late 1960s, when the federal government began shifting its operations onto computers. Officials responded with software designed to sniff out malicious programs and raise alarms about intruders.

And yet, attackers have always found a way in. Since 2006, there have been more than 87 million sensitive or private records exposed by breaches of federal networks, according to the nonprofit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, which tracks cyberincidents at all levels of government through news, private sector and government reports.

By comparison, retail businesses lost 255 million records during that time, financial and insurance services lost 212 million and educational institutions lost 13 million. The federal records breached included employee usernames and passwords, veterans' medical records and a database detailing structural weaknesses in the nation's dams.

From 2009 to 2013, the number of reported breaches just on federal computer networks -- the .gov and .mils -- rose from 26,942 to 46,605, according to the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team. Last year, US-CERT responded to a total of 228,700 cyberincidents involving federal agencies, companies that run critical infrastructure and contract partners. That's more than double the incidents in 2009.

And employees are to blame for at least half of the problems.

Last year, for example, about 21 percent of all federal breaches were traced to government workers who violated policies; 16 percent who lost devices or had them stolen; 12 percent who improperly handled sensitive information printed from computers; at least 8 percent who ran or installed malicious software; and 6 percent who were enticed to share private information, according to an annual White House review.

Documents released to the AP show how workers were lured in.

In one incident around Christmas 2011, Education Department employees received an email purportedly from Amazon.com that asked them to click on a link. Officials quickly warned staff that it could be malicious. The department did not release information to the AP about any resulting damage.

Reports from the Defense Department's Defense Security Service, tasked with protecting classified information and technologies in the hands of federal contractors, show how easy it is for hackers to get into DOD networks. One military user received messages that his computer was infected when he visited a website about schools. Officials tracked the attacker to what appeared to be a Germany-based server.

"We'll always be vulnerable to ... human-factor attacks unless we educate the overall workforce," said Assistant Secretary of Defense and cybersecurity adviser Eric Rosenbach.

Although the government is projected to spend $65 billion on cybersecurity contracts between 2015 and 2020, many experts believe the effort is not enough to counter a growing pool of hackers whose motives vary. Russia, Iran and China have been named as suspects in some attacks, while thieves seek out other valuable data. Only a small fraction of attackers are caught.

For every thief or hostile state, there are tens of thousands of victims like Robert Curtis.

He declined to talk about specifics of his case. According to court records, a thief in September 2011 broke into a car in a San Antonio garage and stole unencrypted computer tapes containing the Pentagon workers' information. The car belonged to an employee of a federal contractor tasked with securing those records.

Criminals have tried to get cash, loans, credit -- even establish businesses -- in Curtis' name, according to court records. He and his wife have frozen bank and credit accounts. A lawsuit brought by victims was dismissed.

"It is very ironic," said Curtis, himself a cybersecurity expert who worked to provide secure networks at the Pentagon. "I was the person who had paper shredders in my house. I was a consummate data protection guy."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/11/10/federal-firewall-reportedly-struggles-against-increasing-number-cyberattacks/

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California

LAPD reviewing use of helicopters following fundraising event

LAPD has launched an investigation into the department's participation in an Oct. 27 fundraiser as well as other events

by Richard Winton

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Police Department helicopter climbed over a ridge of homes surrounding the La Cañada Flintridge Country Club's golf course and dipped down over a fairway, its blades churning as it hovered above the grass.

Dozens of golfers, children and parents waved and snapped photos from the clubhouse deck.

There wasn't a suspect in sight. No crime had occurred. The police chopper was there for a different reason: to drop scores of golf balls onto the course as part of a fundraiser for the Parent Teacher Assn. at Palm Crest Elementary School.

The helicopter's appearance was arranged by an LAPD sergeant whose children attend the La Cañada Flintridge school.

The choppers' main purpose is to help track suspects and patrol the city from above. But the department routinely donates its helicopters and officers to community functions and air shows to help promote the agency or raise money for police-related causes.

Some of the events are held outside Los Angeles and have no direct connection to the LAPD or the city, police officials said.

After inquiries from The Times, the LAPD said it has launched an investigation into the department's participation in the Oct. 27 La Cañada Flintridge fundraiser as well as other events, and is examining its policies on when to approve the use of the choppers.

"At first glance, it doesn't sound like something we should be doing," said Cmdr. Andrew Smith, an LAPD spokesman, about the La Cañada Flintridge event. "But we're going to take a look at it."

The LAPD's Eurocopter AS350 B2 and four-man crew — three officers in the air and a safety officer on the ground — were provided free of charge for the event, said Capt. Gary Walters, who oversees the LAPD helicopter fleet.

Officers dropped the balls from the helicopter as part of a raffle in which donors to the PTA event paid money for each ball. The owners of the six balls that landed closest to a yellow circle painted on the green won prizes, which included an iPad Mini, a GoPro camera and a laptop computer.

After dropping the balls, the helicopter flew up and over the golf course clubhouse, blaring its siren before disappearing over a row of homes nearby.

"It is part of our goodwill efforts," Walters said. "It is for the spirit of the community."

The sergeant who arranged the chopper's appearance sits on the PTA "Dads Committee," Smith said. The committee helped organize the PTA event.

Brian Parker, a member of the committee, said the LAPD sergeant has a friend in the department's Air Support division, which operates the helicopters. He declined to name the sergeant.

Smith also declined to identify the sergeant, citing safety and privacy concerns for his children.

The helicopter's appearance cost $771 in fuel, maintenance, personnel and planning costs, Smith said.

Last year, an LAPD helicopter crew flew to the Hebrew Academy in Huntington Beach, where an LAPD chaplain dressed as Judah Maccabee, a key figure in the celebration of Hanukkah, handed out dreidels to schoolchildren.

The helicopter was arranged by the chaplain, who had a child attending the school, Smith said. He said the chaplain's father was the head rabbi at the private school.

That event was considered "part of an educational and religious outreach," Smith said.

LAPD officials said the agency's helicopters have been sent to 16 other non-department events since 2013, 11 of which were outside the city limits, according to a list provided by the department. At least seven of those appearances were at air shows across the region, many of them organized by private, nonprofit groups.

The LAPD allows helicopters to participate in some community events as a way to promote the department and encourage recruitment, Smith said.

The Air Support Division, which has a fuel budget of more than $2 million, bills itself as the largest municipal airborne law enforcement operation in the world. So far this year, its fleet of 17 helicopters has responded to more than 37,000 requests for help and logged about 13,500 hours in the air.

The department said the division's commanding officer had approved sending helicopters to the events in La Cañada Flintridge, Huntington Beach and elsewhere.

"It is not something the pilot can do because my kid's going to whatever school," said Walters, the current commanding officer.

In response to questions from The Times, the LAPD issued a statement saying it is reviewing "all recent charitable and community events in which LAPD helicopters participated."

"Based on that review, the department will consider modifying the protocols and approval process for all community engagements, charitable events and other activities occurring outside the City of Los Angeles," the statement said.

Some city officials questioned the use of LAPD helicopters for private groups that have no connection to the department's mission.

Los Angeles Councilman Bernard Parks, a former LAPD chief, said the decision to send a pilot and crew who were not already on patrol to La Cañada Flintridge raised "even more concerns."

"It's one thing if you are working and you deviate from your work and go do something that is in close proximity," he said. "It's another thing to say, 'We just brought this helicopter in to go to La Cañada.'"

A spokeswoman for L.A. City Councilman Mitchell Englander, a reserve LAPD officer, said he had asked the department to review the use of its helicopters.

Bob Anderson, who heads the Los Angeles Area Helicopter Noise Coalition, which has long advocated for flight restrictions to limit aircraft noise in residential areas, said the appearance in La Cañada went against the LAPD's past promises "to do as much as they can to ensure they fly as high as possible when not actively pursuing their mission."

Anderson, a semi-retired aerospace engineer, said residents understand that the LAPD uses helicopters to augment its patrols, but said unnecessary flights funded by taxpayer dollars were unacceptable.

"These helicopters are very expensive to fly, and every trip needs to be justified," he said. "Let them use a private helicopter. That it is not even in the city limits is even stranger."

http://www.policeone.com/vehicle-incidents/articles/7796843-LAPD-reviewing-use-of-helicopters-following-fundraising-event/

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Why "no comment" no longer works after a critical police incident

When the public hear no comment they think the police did something wrong and are trying to cover it up — when the officers from the involved agency hear it they feel angry and betrayed by their leader

by Brian Willis

An officer is involved in a life-and-death struggle and in an effort to save their life they shoot and kill the subject. The lead for the six o'clock news simply states, “Police are involved in a shooting, and one man is dead. Details at six o'clock.”

At six o'clock, the members of your community are glued to their television sets. The news anchor provides brief details then turns it over to the reporter at the press conference. The people anxiously wait for the chief or sheriff to provide them with facts and insights as to what happened. Instead, they hear the two most dangerous words in a police executive's vocabulary: “No comment.”

Why are these words so dangerous? Because as soon as they hear these words the public immediately thinks the police did something wrong and are trying to cover it up.

Why would they think that? Because following every other major incident the police stand up at the press conference and provide the facts as they know them and the guarantee the public they are continuing their investigation to gather all the facts and evidence.

If there is a murder we give the facts as we know them and talk about the ongoing investigation.

If there is a school shooting we give the facts as we know them and talk about the ongoing investigation.

If the police shoot a subject to save the life of a citizen we give the facts as we know them, praise the officer for saving a citizen's life, and talk about the ongoing investigation.

If, however, an officer finds one's self in a violent struggle and shoots and kills the subject to save him or herself, too often the chief or sheriff stands up and says, "no comment."

"No comment" by the police opens the door for politicians, special interest groups, self-appointed experts and anyone else with an agenda to make comment. Their comments however, are usually based on rumor, innuendo, speculation, and emotions — not on the facts.

"No comment" too often leads to:

1. Lack of trust between community and the police.

2. Lack of trust within the police agency.

3. Major disturbances sometimes leading to riots, looting, more violence, communities damaged, people injured & occasionally additional deaths.

If the stakes are so high and the consequences are so often negative, why do so many chiefs and sheriffs continue to fall back on “no comment?” Unfortunately, many are under the belief that any comments by them will be seen to inappropriately influence the investigation. Facts as they are known at the time leading to the shooting cannot inappropriately influence an investigation.

A statement of support such as, “Based on the facts as they are known at the time, we believe our officer acted appropriately” will not inappropriately influence the investigation. A thorough and competent investigation will reveal all the facts and evidence. If the chief or sheriff was wrong, and the officer did act inappropriately (which sometimes happens) they can have another press conference and amend their position based on the new evidence.

The Reality and the Answer
Among the tens of millions of interactions between the police and the public occurring every year in North America, police use of force is rare — officer-involved shootings are extremely rare. However, when officer-involved shootings do happen, they are sometimes high-profile and potentially volatile events in the community. The community wants information on what occurred especially when the shooting resulted in a death.

The answer is to grow courage and to grow relationships.

Have the courage to comment on the facts as we know them leading up to the event, and the courage to voice support for the officer's actions when that is supported by the facts as they are known. We also need to have the courage to admit if the evidence shows the officer's actions were not appropriate.

I use the word ‘courage' because these comments will be criticized by some members of the community, especially the family of the deceased. They will also be criticized by fellow law enforcement executives who are not willing to take the courageous position and do what is right for the community, the agency and the officer. .

We need to grow relationships between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve and protect. These relationships need to be grown well before the shooting occurs. Relationships between the police and the community need to be based on courage, character and integrity and developed through dialogue, discussion, debate, and education.

Education is Key
Not only do chiefs and sheriffs need to be educated on the ramifications of ‘no comment” statements, but agencies need to better educate the public and the media on issues surrounding violent encounters such as time and distance, action versus reaction, time to start and time to stop, the effects of stress on memory and performance, and other issues. This can be done through Citizens Police Academies and other forums, and is best done on an ongoing basis (although it can be done at the time of the event as well).

For example, the word ‘unarmed' has become synonymous in the media with ‘no threat' and certainly ‘no deadly threat'. In fact, there are alleged experts who have publicly stated that a law enforcement officer can never justify shooting an unarmed person.

This misconception needs to be cleared up. In a two-year period in the United States beginning in January 2011, 1,406 people were murdered by ‘unarmed' people using personal weapons. If you factor in strangulation, asphyxiation, and drowning the numbers jump to 1,796.

In those two years three law enforcement officers in the United States were murdered by ‘unarmed' people using personal weapons. In the last decade, 25 law enforcement officers were disarmed and murdered with their own weapons — prior to taking the officer's gun, those attackers were unarmed.

No More “No Comment”
When the public hear no comment they think the police did something wrong and are trying to cover it up — when the officers from the involved agency hear it they feel angry and betrayed by their leader. One of their brother or sister officers has just been in a fight for his or her life and their leader refused to educate the public about what happened express his or her support for the officer in that critical moment.

About the author
Brian Willis is an internationally-recognized thought leader, speaker, trainer, and writer. Brian serves as the Deputy Executive Director for the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA) and is President of the innovative training company Winning Mind Training. Brian was a full time police officer with the Calgary Police Service from 1979 to 2004. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contribution and commitment to Officer Safety in Canada and was named Law Officer Trainer of the Year for 2011. He is also editor of the highly-acclaimed books "W.I.N.: Critical Issues in Training and Leading Warriors", "W.I.N. 2: Insights Into Training and Leading Warriors", and his latest work, "If I Knew Then: Life Lessons From Cops on the Street", are all available through (www.warriorspiritbooks.com). Brian is a member of NTOA, ITOA, IALEFI, and the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. Brian can be reached through his website at: www.winningmindtraining.com

Brian can be reached via e-mail at: brian.willis@policeone.com

http://www.policeone.com/chiefs-sheriffs/articles/7791137-Why-no-comment-no-longer-works-after-a-critical-police-incident/