Florida

Approximately 20 dead inside Florida nightclub after mass shooting

by Ashley Fantz and Faith Karimi

Orlando, Florida (CNN)Approximately 20 people are dead inside Pulse nightclub, Orlando Police Chief John Mina said Sunday morning, just hours after a shooter opened fire in the club. At least 42 people have been transported for medical treatment, he said.

Police have shot and killed the gunman, Mina told reporters.

"It's appears he was organized and well-prepared," the chief said, adding that the shooter had an assault-type weapon, a handgun and "some type of (other) device on him."
Orlando authorities said they consider the violence an act of domestic terror. The FBI is involved.

The shooting began around 2 a.m., and an officer responded, Mina said. The officer engaged in a shootout outside the club, after which the gunman ran into the club.

"That turned into a hostage situation," Mina said. Authorities were getting calls from people inside the club but away from the gunman, the chief said.

More police rushed to the scene and broke down a door with an armored vehicle, helping some 30 clubgoers flee to safety, Mina said. At that point police shot and killed the gunman, he said.

CNN affiliate WKMG video captured clubgoers carrying injured people from the club.

"It's just shocking," said Christopher Hansen who was inside Pulse. He heard gunshots, "just one after another after another. It could have lasted a whole song," he said.

"Everyone get out of Pulse and keep running," the nightclub posted on its Facebook page shortly after the violence began.

Orlando police warned residents to stay away from the area, and urged people not to call their offices. They declined to provide the number of casualties, saying details will be available later. Bomb sniffing dogs are on the scene.

'Just bang, bang, bang!'

Pulse describes itself as "the hottest gay bar" in the heart of Orlando.

Hours before the shooting, the club urged partygoers to attend its "Latin flavor" event Saturday night.

Jovial, well-dressed crowds heeded the call in an event that turned into a nightmare.

"It was just, bang, bang, bang!" partygoer Hansen said of the gunfire.

Ricardo Negron Almodovar said he was in the club when the shooting started about 2 a.m. He barely escaped.

"People on the dance floor and bar got down on the floor and some of us who were near the bar and back exit managed to go out through the outdoor area and just ran," he posted on the club's Facebook page.

"I am safely home and hoping everyone gets home safely as well."

Anthony Torres, who was at the club with friends, said he heard shots as he hurriedly drove off.

"The shots did not sound like a regular handgun, it sounded like it was shooting repetitively and it wouldn't stop," he said.

"So we knew what it was and we left there pretty quick. It was over 70 cop cars that were arriving there ... It happened so quick that people got separated from each other."

Tearful relatives waited outside the club as lights from police cars flashed in the background. Some implored the media to help them get word on their loved ones.

'Just a lot of people screaming'

The sound of gunshots echoed beyond the club.

Jose Torres was clocking in to work at a Dunkin' Donuts across the street when he heard them.

"It was something that I never heard before," Torres said. "I had to run inside the store, and I saw just a lot of people screaming, crying. Just screaming and coming out running like crazy."

Torres said he ducked into the Dunkin' Donuts and called 911 as several people dashed out of the club, bleeding. Police and SWAT teams rushed to the scene.

"They don't let nobody in or out," he said. "The SWAT team is inside there."

FBI agents were also assisting at the scene, agency spokeswoman Amy Pittman said.

Authorities have conducted a controlled explosion near the nightclub, according to Orlando police.

Tom Fuentes, a CNN law enforcement analyst, said controlled explosions are used to breach a door or when a subject is barricaded in a room and police want to use a stun grenade to temporarily freeze their central nervous system.

Hospitals on lockdown

Authorities urged caution as police officers hovered nearby with weapons and dogs.

A few miles away, the Orlando Regional Medical Center was placed on lockdown, the hospital said in a statement. Only essential workers are being allowed access into the building.

Arnold Palmer Hospital and Winnie Palmer Hospital were also placed on lockdown out of an abundance of caution, officials said.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/12/us/orlando-nightclub-shooting/

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California

In face of growing crime rate, Oxnard police return to community-oriented policing strategy

by Megan Diskin

Faced with a growing crime rate, the Oxnard Police Department is returning to a community-oriented strategy that officials say historically has helped reduce the problem.

Oxnard, the most populous city in Ventura County, in 2011 experienced its lowest crime rate at just more than 20 crimes per 1,000 people. But the level has steadily risen since then until last year reaching about 37 crimes per 1,000 people.

"We sat down amongst the command staff and the chiefs and said we need to break out of this because crime is continuing to go up," Assistant Police Chief Jason Benites said. "We're on our fourth consecutive year of significant crime increases."

Police are looking to methods that helped reduce crime in the 1990s.

Crime dropped in that decade in part because of a resurgence of neighborhood watch programs and an effort in 1997 to put officers directly in neighborhoods to be proactive in solving problems. These problems could be related to crime, traffic or quality of life, Benites said.

The assistant chief, who started with the department in the 1990s, said officers had a good rapport with the community during those years. He remembers two officers working the Southwinds neighborhood who would be invited to dinner by the residents.

"Those officers always knew that if there was a problem, they knew who to talk to," Benites said.

Seeing the success of this strategy, the agency stepped up its efforts in 2006 with the introduction of what they call neighborhood policing, or "the district plan."

The city was divided into four areas, or "districts," which were made up of the city's neighborhoods. The plan basically took a group of officers away from responding to calls for service and put them in neighborhoods in what the agency calls "beats" so they could build relationships. Extra officers were put in the four districts to help the neighborhood officers, Benites said.

According to the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, such programs across the country gained steam as authorities sought to ease tense relations with the public in the 1970s, although many agencies didn't fully implement community policing until the 1980s. Federal legislation in the 1990s provided nearly $9 billion over six years to fund 102,000 officers and support community policing nationwide, according to the department.

Concurrently, FBI statistics show a steady decrease in reported crime nationwide since 1994.

Despite its success, Oxnard had to cut back on community policing as calls for service increased in 2013, straining patrol officers. As a result of the demand, all but two officers working under the program had to come back from their neighborhood assignments to respond to calls, Benites said.

"We were just trying to deal with the city's growth," Benites said.

In an effort to cut crime again, there was a push in 2015 to encourage residents to form neighborhood watch groups, an initiative that is ongoing. And now the agency will revive community policing starting Saturday.

The new program will work much like the earlier one, but as the department continues to deal with a large number of calls, some of the officers on neighborhood assignment will be required to respond to calls.

Officers assigned to a neighborhood also will have to report progress to their superior officers overseeing the districts. These groups will meet daily with a sergeant tasked with overseeing their efforts, Benites said.

The skills of the officers working under the 2016 plan make them a versatile team, but one of their priorities is to connect with the community to build relationships and gain trust.

"We want to get back to that point where the officers who are working that neighborhood know everybody, or not necessarily everybody — we are a big city of 200,000," Benites said. "But they will know who to talk to that might point them in the right direction."

http://www.vcstar.com/news/local/oxnard/in-face-of-growing-crime-rate-oxnard-police-return-to-community-oriented-policing-strategy-339ef8ea--382594991.html

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From ICE

ICE HSI, partners arrest 66 Massachusetts gang members on gun and drug charges

More than 70 firearms recovered

BOSTON — Sixty-six alleged gang members from the Boston metropolitan area were indicted in federal court Thursday on multiple charges related to conspiracy to commit murder and fueling a gun and drug pipeline across eastern Massachusetts.

These indictments resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the U.S. Marshals Service, the Massachusetts State Police, the police departments of the following Massachusetts communities; Boston, Brockton, Malden, Revere and Everett; and the Sheriff's departments of Suffolk and Middlesex Counties.

“Gang activity tears at the fabric of our communities and significantly diminishes the quality of life for law-abiding citizens,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Etre of HSI Boston. “This is a problem that must not go unchallenged in Boston, and Homeland Security Investigations is committed to partnering with other law enforcement agencies to meet this threat head on.”

More than 400 federal, state and local law enforcement officers carried out the arrests of numerous leaders, members, and associates of the 18th Street Gang, the East Side Money Gang and the Boylston Gang. These individuals operated primarily in East Boston, Chelsea, Brockton, Malden, Revere and Everett. Additional individuals were taken into custody on federal immigration violations. During the course of the investigation, more than 70 firearms were seized.

In 2014, a federal investigation identified a network of street gangs which had created alliances resulting in the trafficking of weapons and drugs throughout the state, and generated violence against rival gang members. The investigation also revealed significant cocaine, crack, and heroin dealing committed by gang members, many of which were supplied though a Brockton-based drug network.

According to court documents, the 18th Street Gang is a multi-national gang that operates throughout the United States and Central America, and whose members in the Boston area have had significant access to firearms in Boston and Chelsea. Over a one year period, investigators seized approximately 37 firearms from 18th Street Gang members alone, including 29 hand guns, three assault rifles, and five sawed-off shotguns, many of which had the serial numbers obliterated.

In total, 53 defendants have been charged in federal court, three of whom were previously arrested. Thirteen defendants have been charged by the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office in state court. Over two dozen individuals have been detained for administrative deportations.

The charge of RICO conspiracy provides a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Depending on the drug quantity, the drug trafficking conspiracy and distribution charges provide a sentence of 20 years, 40 years or a lifetime in prison; a minimum of three, four or five years of supervised release; and a fine of $1 million, $5 million or $10 million. The charge of conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing in firearms without a license provides a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm or an alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Daniel J. Kumor, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Michael J. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Matthew Etre, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; John Gibbons, U.S. Marshal of the District of Massachusetts; Maura Healey, Attorney General of Massachusetts; Colonel Richard D. McKeon, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Boston Police Commissioner William Evans; Chelsea Police Chief Brian Kyes; and Brockton Police Chief John Crowley, made the announcement today. The U.S. Attorney's Office also acknowledges the assistance of the Suffolk and Middlesex County Sheriff Departments and the Malden, Revere and Everett Police Departments.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-hsi-partners-arrest-66-massachusetts-gang-members-gun-and-drug-charges

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From the Department of Justice

Reducing Recidivism and Promoting Community Safety in Indian Country

Blog post courtesy of Acting Associate Attorney General Bill Baer

Today, at the invitation of Dr. Finley, the Chairman of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), I had the honor of visiting the Flathead Indian Reservation with other federal officials, including U.S. Attorney Michael Cotter and other U.S. Attorneys who comprise the Attorney General's Advisory Subcommittee on Native American Issues.

As the group that advises the Attorney General on Native American issues, we discussed ways to strengthen the government-to-government relationship and recognized the positive impact that we have been making together.

Occasions like this provide a unique opportunity for our many tribal, federal and state partners to reflect upon and find inspiration from our shared values and common purpose in support of tribal communities. Under the leadership of U.S. Attorney Cotter, attendance at this annual event has expanded to include tribal liaisons, whose work is so appreciated, but often overlooked, in U.S. Attorneys' Offices across the country. This is why I wanted to visit – to show the department and the Attorney General's strong support and continued commitment to improving public safety in Indian Country.

The CSKT are but one of 567 federally recognized tribes with whom the United States shares a government-to-government relationship and a special trust responsibility. The CSKT have made significant progress on a number of fronts, including an astounding stewardship of wildlife and natural resources, a tribal college we visited today with a remarkably diversity of students and degree programs, and an innovative approach to law enforcement that both strengthens and rehabilitates community. This is a great example of how the department is working alongside tribes across the country to foster approaches that make communities safer and healthier.

Indeed, with our partners across the nation, we have made considerable progress over the last seven years since the Obama Administration made Indian Country issues a top priority. The department created a Tribal Nations Leadership Council to improve dialogue with tribal governments on issues critical to Indian Country, and we adopted a statement of principles that affirms our determination to help tribes fight crime.

On March 7, 2015, tribes gained the ability to exercise special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction over certain defendants, regardless of their Indian or non-Indian status, who commit acts of domestic violence or dating violence or violate certain protection orders in Indian Country. As a result of tribes' exercise of this special jurisdiction, more than 200 defendants have been charged under the Violence Against Women Act's enhanced federal assault statutes, leading to over 160 convictions. This total includes more than 60 cases involving charges of strangulation or suffocation, which are often precursor offenses to domestic homicide.

Last summer, the department launched the initial phase of the Tribal Access Program for National Crime Information (TAP) to provide federally-recognized tribes with access to national crime information databases for both civil and criminal purposes. TAP will allow tribes to more effectively serve and protect their communities by ensuring the exchange of critical data. In this phase of the program, a limited number of tribes are helping us work out the kinks and ready the program for an expanded rollout that will address the needs of a larger group of tribes through grants.

The department has also had an active presence recently in protecting Native American and Alaska Native voters through participation in litigation, through election monitoring around the country, through enforcement of the language minority provisions of the Voting Rights Act and through proposing and supporting legislation to protect voters. On May 21, 2015, after formal consultation with tribes, the department proposed legislation that would require states or localities whose territory includes part or all of an Indian reservation, an Alaska Native village or other tribal lands to locate at least one polling place in a venue selected by the tribal government.

While the department is proud of the progress we have made working with our tribal partners, we understand that there is more we can do together.

This is precisely why I believe it is so important to highlight the efforts of tribal partners, like the Salish and Kootenai, whose commitment to reducing recidivism and promoting community safety is a holistic model of best practices for others.

With the help of a $600,000 Second Chance Act grant from the department's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Salish and Kootenai started a model reentry program, which is the first of its kind in the state and is exemplary of what is possible through collaborative partnerships between tribal, federal and state agencies, culturally-appropriate problem solving and a community that is invested in addressing underlying root causes and focusing on positive outcomes and alternatives.

The department has spent this spring highlighting our efforts to improve reentry and this includes work that is being done with tribal communities:

•  a historic memorandum of understanding between federal, tribal and two state agencies in North and South Dakota to collectively provide community-based, culturally specific reentry services to the Standing Rock Reservation;

•  a BJA partnership with the Executive Office for U.S. Attorney's National Indian Country Coordinator to host three regional Intergovernmental Reentry Workshops to provide tribes interested in developing reentry initiatives with guidance based on evidence-based practices; an opportunity to learn from tribes with effective programs; and an opportunity to work with state and federal counterparts;

•  working with states to encourage successful re-entry by facilitating the process in which individuals obtain government-issued identification, which can be critical to accessing benefits, securing housing, employment, school registration and opening bank accounts; and

•  working with tribes that are exploring ways to ensure that members who are reentering have the identification they need to lead productive lives.

While we are proud of the department's and the administration's efforts to engage and empower tribal communities, we appreciate that our work is never done. Later this week, the Attorney General will travel to Alaska to deepen the department's commitment to Alaska Native issues. Attorney General Lynch will meet with tribal leaders to discuss the unique law enforcement and public safety challenges facing Alaska Native communities and she will engage with and hear directly from young people in the communities.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/blog/reducing-recidivism-and-promoting-community-safety-indian-country

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From the Department of Homeland Security

Terrorism and the Fire Service

by Derek DeLuca

Over the past decade, the fire service has undergone significant changes. Arguably, those changes are the result of the domestic terrorist bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City, OK in 1995. Although the typical call a firefighter responds to is not an act of terrorism, the fire service is now an integral partner in the War on Terror.

In an exclusive interview, Chief Keith Bryant of the Oklahoma City Fire Department said the threat of terrorism has changed the role of the firefighter.

“Whereas the fire service once focused solely on response to fire, emergency medical, hazardous materials and rescue incidents, the Firefighter now has to have an increased awareness of potential terrorist threats, the ability to recognize situations and circumstances as possible terrorist actions, and is increasingly involved in identifying potential targets in order to take preventive measures,” Bryant explained.

Since the fire service has a role in the fight against terrorism, training and preparedness must become integral to fire departments around the nation. Fire departments are now involved in identifying threats aimed at a range of targets, including critical infrastructure, such as bridges and tunnels, and public events, such as concerts, fairs, and sporting events. The fire service needs its training to evolve around incidents that may occur at those targets and in those venues.

Chief Bryant further explained that although there was no specific training in terrorism response before the Oklahoma City bombing, the city had experienced frequent natural disasters, including tornados, floods, wildfires, etc., and therefore was “well trained and experienced in responding to large scale, high casualty events.”

Fire departments across the United States, including Oklahoma City, have adapted their training from basic search and rescue operations to now include training in the use of specialized equipment. Firefighters are warned about the need to exercise additional caution, especially as it relates to secondary explosive devices.

Fire academies around the country, including the Monmouth County Fire Academy in New Jersey, which I attended, teach terrorism response courses in order to raise awareness of the heightened threats we face. This training includes responding to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive attacks, as well as secondary explosive devices, which are typically aimed at killing and injuring firefighters, as well as police officers, paramedics, and other first responders.

In a 2011 interview with FireRescue Magazine , Chief of Counterterrorism and Emergency Preparedness for the FDNY Joseph Pfeifer commented, “We sent all people through awareness training and what to do on particular events. Fortunately, we got some grant money to do that—it cost about $1 million an hour to train the entire department, but we wanted people to be fully aware of this new threat environment.”

Pfeifer added, “Since then, we've greatly enhanced the level of training, so [for example] we recently trained on a bus bomb incident where firefighters and EMTs had to determine, what would you do? How do you remove victims quickly? We've learned new techniques for moving patients, such as with a Sked. So we've developed new ideas on how to deal with this type of an event.”

Chief Bryant also sees training between the fire service and other agencies at all levels of government as “absolutely crucial.” He explained, “Our experience with natural and manmade disasters has taught us you need expertise, personnel and resources outside of our Department to efficiently manage these incidents.”

To that point, the fire service in New Jersey works in concert with the Regional Operations and Intelligence Center in order to better understand current threats. The reports we receive from them include everything from weather risks to emergency response to information regarding threats against critical infrastructure and first responders. Those reports allow us to be better prepared to respond to a multitude of events.

On December 7, 2015, 5 days after the San Bernardino terrorist attack, Marlboro, NJ experienced a terrorism scare. A passenger on a New Jersey Transit bus called police to report a suspicious man who was holding a bag with a clock on the front of it. The bus was evacuated and the man was questioned. Luckily, it was false alarm, but the response to the incident was massive.

Aside from the state, county and local police response, all four fire companies in Marlboro, including my own, responded to the scene and stood ready to suppress any potential explosion and treat victims. Fortunately, it did not come to that, but it was a relief to see how our fire departments, being all-volunteer, could respond quickly to a call out of our normal scope.

Going forward, Chief Bryant has concerns regarding how the fire service will be able to remain a critical component of the homeland security stakeholder community. In a word, that concern is “money.”

“I'm very concerned about the decreasing funding at the federal and state level in terms of that resulting in less training and equipment available in a time of heightened threats,” said Bryant. “The biggest need in my mind will always be in planning and preparedness which certainly includes training. All of the components of response to incidents of terrorism have to be in place to maintain the highest state of readiness possible.”

As in all matters of government, funding will continue to remain an issue, and will become more pronounced as the fight against extremism escalates.

If the Oklahoma City bombing began the process of integrating terrorism response to the functions of the fire service, the attacks of September 11, 2001 cemented that process. However, since 9/11, the fire service has quickly adapted to its new role as an integral partner in the War on Terror, which still rages, fiercer than ever.

Derek DeLuca is a research assistant at Monmouth University and a volunteer firefighter. He holds a MA in criminal justice and homeland security and BA in criminal justice from Monmouth University.

Georgia

Man calls 911 on self, fires at responding Ga. deputies

The man fired between 40 and 50 rounds at arriving authorities

America ranked No. 103 on list of ‘most peaceful' nations on Earth

by Jennifer Harper

America, land of peace? Not necessarily. The U.S. no longer ranks in the top 100 most peaceful nations on Earth.

It stands at No. 103, according to the Global Peace Index, a comprehensive statistical analysis that quantifies the relative peacefulness of 162 countries. Such nations as Cuba, Gabon, Sri Lanka, Haiti and Bangladesh are ranked as “more peaceful” than America, the massive study found.

Released Wednesday, the tenth annual assessment is data-driven and measures such influences as internal crime statistics, political forces, refugee activity, population trends and other factors — including terrorism, the number of homicides and economic conditions.

The most peaceful spots on the planet? Iceland, followed by Denmark, Austria, New Zealand, Portugal, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Japan and Slovenia for the top 10.

Syria is at the very bottom of the list followed by South Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, Yemen, Central Africa Republic, Ukraine, Sudan, Libya and Pakistan.

China is ranked at 120, Russia at 151. An interactive map ranking the nations can be found here .

Issued by the Institute for Economics and Peace, an Australia-based think tank, the report stated that there had been a “historic decline in world peace” in the last decade, largely driven by conflict, terrorism and political instability in the Middle East and North Africa.

“ The breadth of terrorism is spreading,with only 23 percent of countries in the index not experiencing a a terrorist incident,” the analysis said.

A combative world is also an expensive one, the study found. The cost of military readiness and response, the impact of refugees, the cost of internal security and other factors adds up.

“The economic impact of violence on the global economy amounted to $13.6 trillion or 13.3 percent of the gross world product,” the analysis stated. The total for the last decade is $137 trillion.

“Terrorism is at an all-time high, battle deaths from conflict are at a 25-year high, and the number of refugees and displaced people are at a level not seen in 60 years,” the report said, noting that 60 million people — almost 1 percent of the world's population — are now displaced.

The report also had a warning. According to the study, political instability in Brazil is up by 15 percent, along with increases in police activity and incarceration — “a worrying trend just months before the start of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.”

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jun/8/america-no-longer-ranked-top-100-most-peaceful-nat/

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New York

Cop to bystanders after wild pursuit: 'We don't shoot people out here, bro'

Witnesses took cellphone videos of the incident as they screamed at officers to shoot the suspect

NEW YORK — Neighbors were stunned when they witnessed a wild police pursuit on their block.

NBC 4 reported witnesses took cellphone videos of the incident as they screamed at officers to shoot the suspect.

"It was insane," witness Eddie Moronta told the news site. "There were car pieces everywhere, side mirrors, headlights everywhere."

The pursuit began when police tried to stop the 2003 Land Rover for making an illegal turn. The SUV fled and went the wrong way down a one-way street.

“Shoot him,” bystanders scream in the video.

"He's putting lives in danger, bro," another witness tells the cop.

"We don't shoot people out here, bro,” the unidentified officer responded. “You know how that works. That's only in movies, bro. You shoot a tire, that bullet pops back up.”

The 35-year-old driver ditched the car during the pursuit and fled on foot. Officers later found and arrested him for several charges including reckless endangerment, aggravated unlicensed operation, leaving the scene of an accident, resisting arrest and criminal possession of a controlled substance/

http://www.policeone.com/community-policing/articles/188532006-Cop-to-bystanders-after-wild-pursuit-We-dont-shoot-people-out-here-bro/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Terrorism and the Fire Service

by Derek DeLuca

Over the past decade, the fire service has undergone significant changes. Arguably, those changes are the result of the domestic terrorist bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City, OK in 1995. Although the typical call a firefighter responds to is not an act of terrorism, the fire service is now an integral partner in the War on Terror.

In an exclusive interview, Chief Keith Bryant of the Oklahoma City Fire Department said the threat of terrorism has changed the role of the firefighter.

“Whereas the fire service once focused solely on response to fire, emergency medical, hazardous materials and rescue incidents, the Firefighter now has to have an increased awareness of potential terrorist threats, the ability to recognize situations and circumstances as possible terrorist actions, and is increasingly involved in identifying potential targets in order to take preventive measures,” Bryant explained.

Since the fire service has a role in the fight against terrorism, training and preparedness must become integral to fire departments around the nation. Fire departments are now involved in identifying threats aimed at a range of targets, including critical infrastructure, such as bridges and tunnels, and public events, such as concerts, fairs, and sporting events. The fire service needs its training to evolve around incidents that may occur at those targets and in those venues.

Chief Bryant further explained that although there was no specific training in terrorism response before the Oklahoma City bombing, the city had experienced frequent natural disasters, including tornados, floods, wildfires, etc., and therefore was “well trained and experienced in responding to large scale, high casualty events.”

Fire departments across the United States, including Oklahoma City, have adapted their training from basic search and rescue operations to now include training in the use of specialized equipment. Firefighters are warned about the need to exercise additional caution, especially as it relates to secondary explosive devices.

Fire academies around the country, including the Monmouth County Fire Academy in New Jersey, which I attended, teach terrorism response courses in order to raise awareness of the heightened threats we face. This training includes responding to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive attacks, as well as secondary explosive devices, which are typically aimed at killing and injuring firefighters, as well as police officers, paramedics, and other first responders.

In a 2011 interview with FireRescue Magazine , Chief of Counterterrorism and Emergency Preparedness for the FDNY Joseph Pfeifer commented, “We sent all people through awareness training and what to do on particular events. Fortunately, we got some grant money to do that—it cost about $1 million an hour to train the entire department, but we wanted people to be fully aware of this new threat environment.”

Pfeifer added, “Since then, we've greatly enhanced the level of training, so [for example] we recently trained on a bus bomb incident where firefighters and EMTs had to determine, what would you do? How do you remove victims quickly? We've learned new techniques for moving patients, such as with a Sked. So we've developed new ideas on how to deal with this type of an event.”

Chief Bryant also sees training between the fire service and other agencies at all levels of government as “absolutely crucial.” He explained, “Our experience with natural and manmade disasters has taught us you need expertise, personnel and resources outside of our Department to efficiently manage these incidents.”

To that point, the fire service in New Jersey works in concert with the Regional Operations and Intelligence Center in order to better understand current threats. The reports we receive from them include everything from weather risks to emergency response to information regarding threats against critical infrastructure and first responders. Those reports allow us to be better prepared to respond to a multitude of events.

On December 7, 2015, 5 days after the San Bernardino terrorist attack, Marlboro, NJ experienced a terrorism scare. A passenger on a New Jersey Transit bus called police to report a suspicious man who was holding a bag with a clock on the front of it. The bus was evacuated and the man was questioned. Luckily, it was false alarm, but the response to the incident was massive.

Aside from the state, county and local police response, all four fire companies in Marlboro, including my own, responded to the scene and stood ready to suppress any potential explosion and treat victims. Fortunately, it did not come to that, but it was a relief to see how our fire departments, being all-volunteer, could respond quickly to a call out of our normal scope.

Going forward, Chief Bryant has concerns regarding how the fire service will be able to remain a critical component of the homeland security stakeholder community. In a word, that concern is “money.”

“I'm very concerned about the decreasing funding at the federal and state level in terms of that resulting in less training and equipment available in a time of heightened threats,” said Bryant. “The biggest need in my mind will always be in planning and preparedness which certainly includes training. All of the components of response to incidents of terrorism have to be in place to maintain the highest state of readiness possible.”

As in all matters of government, funding will continue to remain an issue, and will become more pronounced as the fight against extremism escalates.

If the Oklahoma City bombing began the process of integrating terrorism response to the functions of the fire service, the attacks of September 11, 2001 cemented that process. However, since 9/11, the fire service has quickly adapted to its new role as an integral partner in the War on Terror, which still rages, fiercer than ever.

Derek DeLuca is a research assistant at Monmouth University and a volunteer firefighter. He holds a MA in criminal justice and homeland security and BA in criminal justice from Monmouth University.

http://www.hstoday.us/briefings/daily-news-analysis/single-article/special-terrorism-and-the-fire-service/a66835849329f6e898ed9f4ff0db9d46.html

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DHS Components Lacked Coordination in Aftermath of San Bernardino Attacks

by Amanda Vicinanzo

The day after the deadly San Bernardino attacks in December 2015, Department of Homeland Security components, specifically Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), engaged in dispute over ICE's authority to detain a suspected terrorist. The incident could have led to “disastrous consequences,” according to a recent DHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report .

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee called for the DHS OIG investigation after whistleblowers brought the matter to his attention. The report from DHS OIG confirmed the whistleblower complaints.

“The refusal to allow armed ICE agents into a USCIS facility to detain a suspected terrorist could have had tragic consequences,” said Johnson. “Congress created the DHS to unify and improve coordination among agencies in defending our homeland. What happened in the San Bernardino USCIS field office on December 3 shows that work remains. I hope Secretary Johnson and DHS leadership take this independent watchdog report to heart.”

On December 2, 2015, Sayed Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, carried out an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California that left 14 dead and 22 injured. The following day, Farook's friend, Enrique Marquez, who police believe was the individual who purchased the two rifles used in the attack, was scheduled to meet with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the investigative arm of ICE, dispatched a team to apprehend Marquez. DHS OIG's report revealed they were confined to the lobby for up to 20 minutes, and then waited another 10 minutes in a conference room to meet with the USCIS Field Office Director. The agents told the Field Office Director they were looking for a man associated with the shooting, and that he could be in the building.

However, the Field Office Director told the agents they were not allowed to “arrest, detain, or interview anyone in the building based on USCIS policy.” She later denied saying this, despite several witnesses substantiating HSI's claim.

HSI also requested the USCIS file on Marquez's wife, Mariya Chernykh. The Field Office Director initially turned down this request. However, after HSI agents waited outside in the parking lot for over an hour, the USCIS Associate Director of Field Operations in Washington DC determined it was permissible for HSI to view the file. The agents were allowed back into the building to view and hand-copy relevant information from the file.

Marquez and his wife never showed up for their appointment.

Johnson, in a March 16, 2016 letter to Inspector General John Roth, commented that, “If accurate, these accounts reveal an alarming Jack of coordination between DHS components in the wake of the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11.”

DHS OIG drew several conclusions for their investigation. First, the Field Office Director does not have authority to determine who can enter the building—that is up to Federal Protective Services, which operates USCIS buildings. Moreover, the HSI agents were rightly concerned that Marquez and his wife posed a threat to the safety on those present in the USCIS building.

“In any event, there is no authority – in law, regulation or policy – to support the Field Office Director's claim that she has the right to dictate who enters a federal building, particularly federal law enforcement on official business,” the report stated.

“A delay such as the one that occurred here could have disastrous consequences under different circumstances,” the report added.

Second, there is no USCIS policy preventing DHS law enforcement personnel from arresting, detaining, or interviewing anyone in USCIS facilities. Historically, HSI has made arrests in USCIS facilities.

Third, HSI does not need approval to access USCIS immigration files, so the agents should have been permitted to view the file in question.

The investigators did not, however, uncover evidence that anyone in ICE or HSI attempted to retaliate against a whistleblower for contacting the Senate. There was one instance in which an HSI supervisor in the field asked the recipients of an emailed executive summary whether they had forwarded it on to others. However,

DHS OIG determined that this inquiry was to gain an understanding of the situation rather than to identify potential whistleblowers.

Commenting on DHS OIG's report, Sen. Grassley (R-Iowa) said, “This is a classic example of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing in the Obama Administration's Department of Homeland Security. Agents we depend on to keep us safe, especially hours after a terrorist attack in San Bernardino, were blocked by officials within their own agency from conducting a routine law enforcement action to prevent a potentially dangerous situation at a federal building.”

Grassley continued, “This incident shows the disturbing lack of collaboration between the USCIS and ICE—two agencies tasked with enforcing our immigration laws. Thanks to whistleblowers and DHS OIG's report, these agencies can better understand their own policies, what went wrong and the need to prevent future breakdowns.”

http://www.hstoday.us/briefings/daily-news-analysis/single-article/dhs-components-lacked-coordination-in-aftermath-of-san-bernardino-attacks/b63b5f664e08e81e1663e95f7c771524.html

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From the Department of Justice

Justice Department and Dutch Authorities Announce Simultaneous Enforcement Actions Against International Mass-Mailing Fraud Schemes Targeting the Elderly

Thousands of U.S. Victims Defrauded Out of Over $18 Million Annually

The United States filed a civil complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York against an individual and two Dutch companies that allegedly engaged in multiple international mail fraud schemes that have defrauded elderly and vulnerable U.S. victims out of tens of millions of dollars, the Department of Justice announced.  The Department sought a temporary restraining order, which was entered by the court yesterday, as well as preliminary and permanent injunctions to prevent the defendants from further victimizing U.S. consumers.

According to the complaint, U.S. residents received fraudulent direct mail solicitations that falsely claimed that the individual recipient had won, or would soon win cash or valuable prizes or otherwise come into great fortune.  Victims sent payments through the U.S. and international mail systems to defendants Trends Service in Kommunikatie B.V. (Trends) and Kommunikatie Service Buitenland B.V. (KSB), both in Utrecht, Netherlands, and both owned and operated by defendant Erik Dekker, 54, of Langbroek, Netherlands.

At the same time that the Justice Department took this law enforcement action, Dutch law enforcement agents executed search warrants on the business address used by both companies and on Dekker's home address.  The Dutch authorities also took control of the Dutch P.O. boxes used by the defendants to receive victim funds.  The coordinated U.S. and Dutch enforcement actions seek to immediately stop the use of Dutch P.O. boxes to receive payments from fraud victims and to immediately stop the defendants from continuing to victimize the elderly.  Learn more about the actions taken by Dutch authorities at: https://www.om.nl/actueel/nieuwsberichten/@94702/fiod-and-us-doj/ [external link]

“Schemes targeting elderly victims are increasingly international in scope, but geographic distance will not prevent us from seeking justice and holding bad actors accountable,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Department's Civil Division.  “Dutch authorities have done a great service to U.S. residents and elderly victims worldwide by addressing fraud facilitated within their borders.  The Justice Department will continue to work with our international law enforcement partners to put a stop to fraud schemes that exploit vulnerable Americans.”

“As alleged in the complaint, defendants act as the clearinghouses for multiple international mail fraud schemes, taking money from thousands of elderly and vulnerable victims not only in this district but also throughout the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Robert L. Capers for the Eastern District of New York.  “Together with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and our international partner, the Fiscal Intelligence and Investigation Division of the Netherlands, we will track down, and stop, the schemes wherever they lead.” 

“No one should ever be told they must pay a fee, or make a worthless purchase, to collect a prize,” said Inspector in Charge Regina L. Faulkerson of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's Criminal Investigation Group.  “When that happens, it's fraud - plain and simple - and Postal Inspectors work to keep those falsehoods out of the U.S. mail.”

The complaint filed June 1 in U.S. federal court in the Eastern District of New York alleges that, since at least 2012, Trends, KSB and Dekker have used P.O. boxes in the Netherlands to receive payments from various predatory mass-mailing fraud schemes.  Solicitations are mailed from locations around the globe to residents in the United States.  The solicitations purport to be personalized to each individual recipient, even though they are form letters mailed to hundreds of thousands of potential victims.  Some solicitations instruct recipients to pay a processing fee in order to receive lottery winnings or other prizes; other solicitations urge recipients to purchase goods or services based on false promises that they will guarantee future lottery wins.

As alleged in the complaint, victims responded to the solicitations by completing a form and submitting a payment, usually around $15 to $55, via U.S. mail.  The solicitations contain pre-addressed envelopes in which victims send payments.  The envelopes are addressed to P.O. boxes in the Netherlands.  Trends and KSB operate more than 50 of these P.O. boxes.  Like other so-called “caging services,” Trends and KSB open the payment envelopes, remove the contents, enter payment and other personal information from the victims into a database and handle victim payments.  The U.S. government estimates that U.S. victims mail more than $18 million annually to the defendants' P.O. boxes.        

The government is seeking an injunction under the Anti-Fraud Injunction Statute immediately shutting down the defendants' role in the fraudulent schemes in order to protect U.S. victims from further harm.  The injunctions sought by the United States would enjoin the defendants from using the U.S. mail or causing the U.S. mail to be used, to distribute the fraudulent solicitations or to collect victim payments, and from selling lists of American victims who have responded to the solicitations.  If granted, a permanent injunction would allow the U.S. Postal Service to intercept mail heading to the defendants, and return that mail—along with any money being sent to the defendants—to U.S. victims.

U.S. District Court Judge I. Leo Glasser for the Eastern District of New York set a hearing on the preliminary injunction on July 18 at 10 a.m.

The Justice Department's case is being handled by Trial Attorney Kerala Thie Cowart of the Civil Division's Consumer Protection Branch, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Vagelatos of the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of New York and Postal Inspector Joseph R. Bizzarro of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

The claims made in the complaints are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

A copy of the complaint, case # 16-CV-2770, can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/863501/download

More information on fraud against the elderly is available here: https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice/.

Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts may be found at http://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch .

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-and-dutch-authorities-announce-simultaneous-enforcement-actions-against

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California

Monterey police launches new community policing plan

by Monica Jacquez

MONTEREY Calif. -- The Monterey Police Department is reaching out to the community in hopes of creating a safer city. On Monday, the department introduced a new community policing initiative that will assign an officer to a specific area of the city.

"I remember Monterey back in the 70's when we had an officer just walk the streets,” said Rick Johnson the executive director of the Old Monterey Business Association.

The Monterey Community Policing Initiative will be run by the Community Action Team. It's a special assignment of four officers. Each one will work directly with the businesses and residents in their area.

"I think it's a matter of the merchants having a certain feeling of trust but it's also the police trusting the merchants because they are your eyes and ears right on the street all the time,” said Johnson.

Monterey is already broken up into three beats that patrol officers are assigned to everyday but the department said this is different.

"It's designed to help supplement the patrol officers and tackle problems that they may not be able to address in one day,” said Monterey Police Sgt. Ethan Andrews.

The department said officers will work as a liaison between the department and the community. They will attend neighborhood meetings and focus on long term quality of life issues.

"They will be able to find resources very quickly because they'll have a lot of experience having worked in that area over a period of time as opposed to officers who are constantly rotating into different areas,” said Andrews.

Johnson said he's happy to hear an officer will be assigned to the busy downtown and he already has some ideas.

"We have a lot of international guests that may not always get that that's a one-way they are getting on and so we really need to stress the whole idea of hospitality, after all, that's what Monterey is known for,” said Johnson.

PREVIOUS: The Monterey Police Department has come up with a new program to reach out to the community. It's called the Community Policing Initiative. The department will assign an officer to a specific area in the city where they will address problems pertaining to that area.

We'll have more on the plan coming up on News Channel 5 at 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.

http://www.kionrightnow.com/news/local-news/monterey-police-launches-community-policing-plan/39930544

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Virginia

Lynchburg police officers on Community Action Team find a different way to help

by Tobi Walsh

Mia Baker was all smiles as three officers of the Lynchburg Police Department carried a couch into her apartment Friday afternoon, trying not to hit the light hanging in her hallway.

“This is exciting,” she said, beaming from ear to ear.

Bystanders outside couldn't help but watch as a Lynchburg Police Department truck pulled into an empty parking spot with an armchair and couch hanging out of the cab.

Sgt. J.J. Rater along with officers J.M. Pavia and L.M. Hughes are part of the Lynchburg Police Department's Community Action Team.

Made up of five officers, the team was launched in April to help build community policing initiatives within the city. After a string of recent vehicle larcenies the team knocked on doors in the Fort Avenue area alerting residents and giving tips on how to better protect themselves from theft.

This past Friday's visit was a little different than their typical outings.

Rater said the team participated in a walk around the James Crossing Apartment complex two weeks ago with the Faith Watch Program, as part of a partnership between police and the religious and faith communities to promote crime prevention strategies. He said that's how they met Baker, who was looking for furniture after being homeless for a long time.

Originally from Farmville, Baker said she bounced from home to home while trying to get back on her feet.

“This is my second apartment,” she said. “Now God's blessed me with a place.”

During the community walk, Baker said she spotted her old pastor and asked him if he knew of anywhere to get furniture. She said she told him she was sleeping on the floor and was in need of a bed.

Several churches came together to donate furniture to Baker, Rater said. The officers helped look for furniture for her too.

Now her once empty living room has two couches, a recliner and coffee table.

“This is all God,” Baker said as she looked around at the furniture. “Now I have everything to complete my living room.”

Rater said he hopes this shows officers are here to help the community, especially in an area like James Crossing, whose residents have at times had a tense relationship with officers.

“It lets them know we're not the enemy,” he said.

http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/lynchburg-police-officers-on-community-action-team-find-a-different/article_38fc2d7e-6178-5d24-ac0f-b08823c5ce16.html

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Connecticut

New Initiative Wants Hartford Police, Residents To Talk About Neighborhood Issues

by Vinny Vella

HARTFORD — Eliezer Mercado's method for addressing community policing is nothing if not straightforward. He's mixing community members with the police officers who serve them.

"Ultimately, we want to get the community talking again," said Mercado, the associate pastor for the North End's New Life Worship Center. "Right now within our community, the way it's divided, people don't talk and are afraid to talk because of violence. We want to close that gap."

With the cooperation of Hartford police, Mercado has developed Know Thy Neighbor, a community relations initiative that is sponsoring "informal conversations" this summer in Clay Arsenal and Frog Hollow between residents and police.

The conversations in those neighborhoods — chosen by the group based on police data — come at a time when budgets have caused the department to collapse some units, such as the mounted unit, and fold other personnel, like school resource officers, back into a patrol model.

"There are people in those communities that truly care, that want to make a difference and be involved," Mercado said. "We hope to latch on to those people and create a domino effect. Have people say 'Hey, I want to be a part of this' and work to make solutions."

Late last year, Hartford police Chief James Rovella approached Mercado with interest in creating a way of "fostering relationships between communities, the police and houses of worship," Mercado said.

Planning started in January, with the first event taking place in Frog Hollow at the end of April. A similar event is scheduled June 18 on Mather Street, its exact location being worked out, according to Mercado.

They have a loose format, some food and an open dialogue about what needs to be changed to keep them there.

"One of the key features here is that it is driven by community, and not driven by police, not driven by me or Eli," said Richard Frieder, a community engagement consultant assisting with the effort. "The purpose is for the people from the community to decide what it is they want to focus on, not have someone tell them what they ought to be doing."

Community service officers attend the events, with moderators prompting them and the residents joining them with questions about a wide range of topics, from public safety to the portrayal of their neighborhood in the media.

After the events, Know Thy Neighbors' organizers schedule more formal meetings with "action teams" that can sit down and come up with concrete plans for bettering the neighborhood. Everyone is invited to the table.

"Sometimes people see the police as the enemy, but really the department is saying, 'We want to work with you,' " Mercado said. "Yes, they have a job to do, but they want to connect with people who care and make the neighborhood a better place."

http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-community-policing-group-0607-20160606-story.html

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Pennsylvania

Pa. police call out 'good cop is dead cop' sign writer

The anti-police sign was posted near a business

by PoliceOne Staff

FALLS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Police aren't backing down from an anti-cop sign posted in their community.

ABC 6 reported when officers saw the plywood sprayed with “Only good cop is a dead cop” outside of a business in their town Monday, they took to Facebook to confront the persons behind it.

“I know whoever did this, did it out of ignorance,” Lt. Henry Ward wrote on Facebook. “I would like to sit down with them and show them what we do as police officers so they can base their opinion on facts and not ignorance.”

The department asked those responsible to come into the department so maybe both parties could learn something from each other, but expressed their disdain for their actions.

“They hung the sign in the middle of the night like a true coward that I think they are,” Ward said. “I find it ironic that whoever did this did it on the anniversary of D-Day when thousands of young Americans died to make sure an idiot or idiots like this can express their opinions.”

The post garnered some sympathetic comments from users agreeing with police.

The incident was under investigation.

http://www.policeone.com/Officer-Safety/articles/188183006-Pa-police-call-out-good-cop-is-dead-cop-sign-writer/

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Ohio

Cop killer indicted, could face death penalty for shooting officer in head

Authorities say Lincoln Rutledge shot Columbus SWAT officer Steven Smith in the head April 10

by The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A man accused of killing a police officer could face the death penalty if convicted, according to a grand jury indictment Tuesday charging him with aggravated murder and other crimes.

Authorities say Lincoln Rutledge shot Columbus SWAT officer Steven Smith in the head April 10 while officers were trying to arrest Rutledge on an arson warrant. Smith, 54, died two days later.

Ohio law includes killing a police officer as a factor prosecutors can use in seeking a death sentence.

"Smith was an extremely dedicated officer and his death is a tremendous loss to our community," Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien said in announcing the charges.

Messages seeking comment were left with the public defenders who have been representing Rutledge.

Even if Rutledge was convicted and sentenced to death, an execution could be decades off because of lengthy appeals and the state's current lack of lethal injection drugs.

Smith was in the turret area of a SWAT vehicle when he was shot, part of a team of officers trying to arrest Rutledge on an aggravated arson charge alleging he tried to set his estranged wife's home on fire the day before.

Police records show the 44-year-old Rutledge, a computer network engineer at Ohio State University, was having mental health problems before the shooting, something that could affect whether he receives a death sentence if convicted. Ohio State said Rutledge had not been at work since Feb. 1 when he requested and was granted a leave of absence. His access to buildings was revoked March 23 "when he began to behave erratically while on leave," the university said.

Rutledge told a co-worker visiting him at his home in March that he was not taking his medication, made a comment about "eating a Glock" and accused his co-worker of being a federal agent, according to a March 22 report from the OSU police department.

During the co-worker's visit, "it became apparent that Rutledge may have been in the midst of a mental breakdown," the report said.

On March 28, Rutledge's wife told Columbus police he had been diagnosed with depression and "lately has been 'increasingly detached from reality,'" according to a Columbus police report.

A Franklin County judge had ordered that Rutledge receive mental health treatment, the report said.

Smith was the 54th Columbus police officer killed in the line of duty.

Mississippi

Bikes becoming effective community policing tool

by William Moore

TUPELO – Once only used by bigger cities, more small police departments are turning to bicycle patrols.

The Tupelo Police Department first started putting officers on bikes almost 20 years ago. When former TPD officer Randy Tutor became the Pontotoc Police Chief two years ago, he brought the idea with him. The New Albany Board of Aldermen recently gave Police Chief Chris Robertson the go-ahead to start a four-man squad.

And the university police departments at both the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University make extensive use of pedal power to patrol their campuses.

In late 1998, the Tupelo PD rolled out a four-man unit that patrolled the mall parking lots during the holiday season and helped at festivals across the city. While the unit has seen fewer activities over the years, Tupelo Police Chief Bart Aguirre sees a future for bikes with a growing number of festivals and events downtown in Fairpark

“We still have some bicycles and are looking to reorganize and bring that unit back,” he said.

Tutor saw the benefits of bike patrols when he was at Tupelo PD and after becoming Pontotoc Police Chief in July 2014, one of the first things he looked for were bikes.

“Our bikes were donated from another department,” Tutor said, “so our only investment was the training and bicycle certification.

“While it is a great enforcement tool – we use them to work traffic at downtown events and 5k runs – the officers on bikes are more approachable than officers in a car. People will stop them, ask about the bikes and just have a conversation.”

By their nature, bicycles allow officers to react and respond to certain situations better than patrol cars. There was a medical call last year during the July 4 celebration in Howard Stafford Park. While patrol cars were blocked by traffic, Tutor watched the bike patrol zip over the grass to quickly respond and use radios to relay the situation to medical personnel.

On the trail

Pontotoc PD also uses the bikes to patrol and monitor the Tanglefoot Trail, the decommissioned railroad converted into a 44-mile walking and biking trail that runs from Houston north to New Albany. More than 4.5 miles of the trial is inside the Pontotoc city limits.

“I jog on it myself,” Tutor said. “The foot traffic is big everyday in town and people come from everywhere to use it on the weekends, especially Saturday.”

Having the Tanglefoot's northern trail head just 50 feet from the New Albany Police Department was one of the reasons Robertson started looking for a bike patrol.

“Up until recently, it wasn't (economically) feasible for our small department to have a bike unit,” Robertson said. “The city board recently passed an ordinance limiting downtown parking to two hours.

“There was a lot of discussion about how to enforce it and the idea of a bike patrol came up. Because of the close proximity of downtown, the Tanglefoot Trail, the Park along the River and the SportsPlex, it would be easy to create a patrol zone.”

After getting the nod from the board last month, Robertson ordered the bicycles and equipment. He also has four officers who have volunteered and will be going to bicycle training the third week in July.

Before officers can hit the street on a bicycle, they must pass 40 hours of specialized training that will not only familiarize them with their bike, but also show them how to handle urban obstacles like curbs and stairs.

“Going up stairs is all about technique,” said Pontotoc Bike Patrol Officer Brad Owen. “You shift your weight and raise the front wheel and momentum will get you easily up four steps.”

While he initially volunteered for the bike patrol as a way to stay fit, Owen loves the interaction it allows with the community.

“We get to meet people in a new way,” Owen said. “And where kids might shy away from an officer in a patrol car, the kids will stop you on a bike just to talk. They love the patrol bikes.”

http://djournal.com/news/bikes-becoming-effective-community-policing-tool/

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Michigan

Mich. legislature crafts opioid bills to stem addiction

In 2015, Michigan State police seized 8,221 grams of heroin — nearly double the amount in the year prior

by Michael Gerstein

LANSING, Mich. — People addicted to drugs in the remote Upper Peninsula city of Escanaba have a rare group of people to turn to for treatment: the police.

The opioid epidemic sweeping Michigan has only recently hit the isolated community of about 12,000 people, where the problem is now so desperate that the city's soon-to-be police director Lt. Robert LaMarche says they're "finding needles all over the city." In response, Escanaba police have agreed to not arrest people who enter the station voluntarily seeking addiction treatment if drug possession is their only crime; police have helped six people since the ANGEL Volunteer Program started in February.

The program is one new tactic to combat the widespread and intractable epidemic that has worsened over the past decade. The Legislature has its own plans to stymie the problem, the biggest push so far being a $2.5 million overhaul of the state's prescription tracking database. Supporters of the measure, which the House approved last month, say a big part of the problem is unreliable prescription statistics for doctors. The legislation also could make it easier for family members to get drugs that could rescue someone overdosing.

In Michigan, opioid-related overdose deaths have tripled since 1999, and more than 1,700 people died in 2014 — a year with more drug overdoses nationwide than any previous year on record, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Police say many heroin addicts first become addicted to pain pills and switch to heroin because it's much cheaper to buy on the street. Lawmakers and some doctors say a push in the late 1990s and early 2000s to treat pain more effectively may have contributed to the epidemic, and police agree.

Data from the Michigan Automated Prescription System shows that more than 21 million prescriptions for controlled substances were written in 2014, about four million more prescriptions than were written in 2007. The bill sponsor, Republican state Rep. Anthony Forlini, said the prescription database leaves doctors with stale information that isn't updated in real time.

Prescription drug diversion costs the health care industry about $70 billion a year, according to the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud.

Changing the state's prescription tracking system is the "centerpiece" of more than two-dozen recommendations in a report from an opioid addiction task force created last year by Gov. Rick Snyder, according to Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, who leads the task force.

"It can't happen too soon," Calley said. "Basically doctors are asked today to practice blind. You would think in this day and age that a doctor that is evaluating a patient for pain management would be able to look on a system and be able to tell whether or not that patient received a similar prescription in the next emergency room over. But the truth is, they can't."

The House recently approved legislation that would expand a 2015 law to allow anyone to report an overdose from a controlled substance without fear of legal consequences.

In 2015, Michigan State police seized 8,221 grams of heroin — nearly double the amount in the year prior, according to Det. First Lt. Frank Keck, the narcotics section commander for the state police. He said one gram is enough to shoot up ten times.

While lawmakers in Lansing craft plans to curtail the addiction problem, Christine Gagnon, who was once addicted to pain pills and methamphetamine, volunteers at the Escanaba ANGEL Program. She recently drove someone to an addiction treatment center outside of the city.

"I told her it's not gonna be easy," Gagnon said. "It's gonna be scary. It's gonna be the hardest thing you've ever done in your life."

Delta County, which contains Escanaba, had 286 court cases involving controlled substances in 2014, prosecutor Phil Strom said. That statistic includes all illicit drugs because the county doesn't report them in separate categories. Those cases climbed to 338 in 2015 and are already at 102 this year, putting them on track to have more than 400 by the year's end, Strom said.

"Everybody's worried," said Julie Gudwer, the wife of an Escanaba police officer. "I just think that there is a darkness out there that's trying to keep people away from the peace."

http://www.ems1.com/addiction/articles/96981048-Mich-legislature-crafts-opioid-bills-to-stem-addiction/

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States Look to Raise the Age as Legislative Sessions Wrap Up

by Sarah Barr

The number of states that automatically send teenagers younger than 18 to criminal court continues to dwindle as states wrap up their legislative sessions.

Louisiana lawmakers on Thursday approved “raise the age” legislation that would allow teenagers to remain in the juvenile justice system until their 18th birthdays, rather than being prosecuted as adults in criminal court.

The Republican-controlled House cleared the bill, SB 324, by a vote of 97-3, the last major hurdle before it heads to Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat who has championed the change.

“We know that at 17 a young person's brain is still developing. We recognize this when it comes to voting, joining the military, or even buying a lottery ticket. Appropriately, under this bill district attorneys retain the authority to decide, case by case, whether to prosecute an individual as an adult. We are no longer giving up on our young people; rather we are giving them a chance to get their lives back on track,” Edwards said in a news release.

The Senate approved the bill in May by a vote of 33-4, but will consider it once more because the House made technical amendments to the bill.

The action in Louisiana comes on the heels of passage of a similar raise the age measure in South Carolina, which Gov. Nikki Haley is expected to sign. The Michigan House also passed raise the age legislation that should reach the Senate before the end of the session.

All but nine states treat teenagers as juveniles until they turn 18.

Supporters of raising the age make their case based in part on adolescent brain development research that says teenagers are different than mature adults when it comes to their willingness to take risks, understand their offenses and change their lives. Raising the age brings older teenagers into a system that is better able to focus on rehabilitation, they say.

The Louisiana bill didn't encounter much opposition. The Louisiana District Attorneys Association originally raised concerns about how quickly the bill would be implemented but now is satisfied with a compromise timeline that would phase in the changes over several years, said Pete Adams, executive director of the association.

The association will keep a close eye on the implementation process, he added.

“We're still concerned that adequate resources will be in place to make this work, but we're assured by the governor and others that they will be,” he said.

Louisiana House lawmakers are also expected to approve today a bill that would give prisoners who are serving life sentences for crimes committed when they were juveniles a chance for parole. The Senate passed the bill this week, and the House passed a slightly different version in early May.

The bill would allow prisoners to qualify for a parole hearing after serving 35 years.

http://jjie.org/states-look-to-raise-the-age-as-legislative-sessions-wrap-up/255638/

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Maryland

Youth Need Substance Abuse Help in Communities, Experts Say

by Sarah Barr

BALTIMORE — Adolescents with substance abuse problems too often cannot access treatment unless they land in the juvenile justice system, experts say.

The juvenile justice system has developed some effective interventions for adolescents dealing with substance abuse, but they would be better served accessing treatment outside the system, said Evan Elkin, national executive director of Reclaiming Futures.

“We have to move these evidence-based treatments and approaches out of the justice system and back into the community,” he said Wednesday at a panel discussion hosted by the Open Society Institute-Baltimore.

Relying on the justice system to treat substance abuse also means treatment is rooted in racial divisions, Elkin said. Youth of color are disproportionately represented in the juvenile justice system.

“We operate two public health systems in America. One is for people of color and one is for the white population. Public health is mediated through the justice system,” he said.

Hoover Adger, director of the Substance Abuse Assessment/Intervention Team at the Johns Hopkins Hospital Adolescent Program, said he sees a greater awareness of the science behind addiction, for adolescents and adults.

But youth do not often have a voice in the political conversations that dictate whether treatment is offered or whether it's accessible. Communities have to work on behalf of young people, he said.

“We need you to hang in there and speak loudly,” he said.

What works

Treatment programs should not take a punitive approach, Elkin said. Teenagers shouldn't wear a label of addiction but instead be able to consider their strengths and what they want for themselves, he said.

“The idea is to plant a seed to trust them as decision makers,” he said.

Treatment also cannot end too soon, Adger said. No doctor would offer a diabetes patient insulin for only a few weeks, then call the patient a failure when they got sick again.

The science shows addiction treatment can work as well as medical interventions for other chronic conditions, but protocols don't always reflect that, he said.

“There tends to be a disconnect between the science and what we actually do,” he said.

Treatment also should consider the role of a whole family, not just the person dealing with addiction, said Carin Callan Miller, founder of Save Our Children Peer Family Support Group.

“When families come together and they find a safe place to share without shame, they can learn and heal,” she said.

Elkin said after the panel that he does see a shift toward community-based treatment options, such as use of the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment model to identify and refer substance abuse problems. As more programs are built up, communities will be in better position to help youth.

“If you have options, it changes your ability to make decisions,” he said.