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December, 2016 - Week 2

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Texas

Community-oriented policing: Chief explains vision for substations

by Matt Dotray

Police Chief Greg Stevens drew an organization chart on a piece of paper to show his vision of a decentralized police department with facilities across Lubbock. The headquarters was in the center, and it branched out to three substations, which each in turn branched out to more individual storefronts.

Stevens covered up the headquarters in the middle with his hand so it wasn't visible, and said what you see is what he cares about.

“The city is too big to run everything from one Taj Mahal, from one big hierarchical structure downtown,” the police chief said. “We're out of touch. ... If you live and work in the far reaches of the city, it's inconvenient for you to come and interact with your police. We've got to decentralize and get out in the community.” ”

As he's reiterated during four Community Engagement Task Force meetings the past few months, Stevens wants the police to better connect with neighborhoods, to be more visible and more communicative. He believes using substations, which he prefers to call community stations, is a needed step in that direction.

He's gotten the attention of the City Council.

After getting an update from the architects working on Citizens Tower, Councilman Steve Massengale, who's chairing a facilities committee made up of three council members, said the brakes have been put on the designs for the new police headquarters. Plans up until now have been that once city staff are moved into Citizens Tower (construction and renovations on the downtown high-rise could start as early as May 2017), renovations will be made on the current City Hall for it to become the new police station.

Massengale said they're instead going to consider a smaller police headquarters with potentially three substations across the city.

Stevens is now in the early stages of working out the details that he'll bring to the committee for discussion. He's looking at locations, interior needs, costs and organization structure.

He envisions a police network, with substations connected to fire departments in North, East, and South Lubbock to begin with. Not Southwest, because if Lubbock continues to grow then he said the network will be set up for a fourth location to go in West Lubbock.

“This is community-oriented policing,” Stevens said. “We have to get out and meet the public in the community. It's not good enough to drive up and down the street.”

Stevens said the community stations don't need to be elaborate, just accommodating to officers and the public. They'll need a front desk for walk-in visitors, a parking lot for the officers' vehicles, and then space for offices and fleet gear.

Simpler than that are these storefronts, or satellite stations, that Stevens wants to place around the city in connection with the substations. These would essentially just be rooms, at, for example, the mall, for walk-in visitors.

“If you're not comfortable to come to the fortress here, then I can rent a space at, say, MLK (Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) and Parkway,” Stevens said. “I'm writing reports, I'm checking stuff and the door right there is open. Come in and talk with me, tell me what's going on in your neighborhood.”

There will still be a headquarters (likely in downtown) where the administrative offices, senior officers and major crime detectives will work out of. The headquarters will also house records and ceased property, and police have said a new property warehouse is much needed.

But Stevens said the headquarters is in the back of his mind right now. While the plans for the headquarters at City Hall are on hold, Stevens said he's analyzing the substations and storefronts to present to the committee, with the potential to open one or two of the storefronts within the next few months. Stevens said he doesn't expect to have a set timeline for these things; he hopes to sort of piecemeal it together as the funds become available.

Massengale referenced the cost of the headquarters renovation when introducing the committee's decision to look at other options. The council got estimates from Vanir Construction Management in May, which at the time was the construction manager in charge of the projects. The new council voted to terminate the contract with Vanir.

At the time, the construction manager estimated a $16 million price tag for the renovations to City Hall, but Massengale said that didn't include the cost of the parking lot and the renovations to the building east of City Hall that was once a radio station the city now owns. Talk has been for that to house the municipal court since the architects said there wasn't room in CitizensTower. That brings the estimate to $21 million.

Then Massengale said when they include the fees for the general contractor and architects and factor in rising costs, he said the estimates are coming in closer to $35 million.

“That's why you take a step back and ask what the best long-term solution when we're faced with spending $35 million?,” Massengale said. “Another overarching concern is what kind of situation we're in when you can't start any of this until 2021.”

Stevens said the cost for substations could be somewhere around $2 million each.

None of these projects are funded, and Massengale said they could look and decide these substations aren't needed. But he said city leaders are going to see if money can be spent more effectively and if police can have a new facility sooner.

“The bottom line is that Lubbock is now a big enough city in population and land mass that community policing is what we're hoping to develop,” said Councilman Jeff Griffith, who's also on the facilities committee.

Griffith said this is a long-term plan, knowing the city will continue to grow. Since 2000, Lubbock has grown from just under 200,000 people to just over 249,000 in a 2015 census estimate.

“I'm very open to this and I'm excited for (Stevens) to bring this to us,” he said. “I don't know what the plan is. All I know is that I'm excited.”

Stevens said it's not just the facilities that will make a difference, but the philosophy of the department. He's already made changes aimed at moving in that direction.

Where it used to be shifts split during the time of day with a certain amount of captains, lieutenants and sergeants working the whole city for that shift, Stevens said now the organization is split geographically. Right now there are two section that are separated by 34th Street. A captain is in charge of each section, and then the captain has a set of officers below him. The officers are in charge of that location, and Stevens said he hopes that responsibility will translate to more active and more accountable officers.

These substations will work similarly, with a unit working a geographical location.

Massengale and Griffith didn't say the city was behind by not having substations, but they said it is reaching that point. Stevens said he believes the city was behind, and said he doesn't know of a city in Texas with a higher population without substations. But he knows of substations in cities with fewer people than Lubbock.

http://lubbockonline.com/filed-online/2016-12-11/community-oriented-policing-chief-explains-vision-substations#.WE1dzYWcFZU

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Florida

Police increase training, community outreach in wake of deadly shootings Variety of nonlethal weapons also at officers' disposal

by Joshua Silavent

Local law enforcement has taken steps to improve relations with minority communities and increase training after a spate of deadly shootings between police officers and black men this past summer.

But a mistrial last week in the case of a South Carolina patrolman charged with murdering an unarmed black man has left some in the African-American community wondering whether justice can be served in even the most egregious cases of misuse of deadly force.

The video was unambiguous: A white police officer fatally shot an unarmed black man in the back as the man ran away.

But the jury was unable to agree on a verdict of murder or manslaughter, with a lone holdout forcing the mistrial.

“I was really surprised,” said Kenya Hunter, a student at Brenau University who is active in the Black Student Association. “I thought it was a really straight-forward case.”

Unlike other cases in which white officers had killed unarmed black men, the circumstances in the Walter Scott case seemed cut-and-dried.

Scott, 50, was killed in April 2015 after he was shot five times. A barber on his way to work recorded the slaying on his cellphone.

Prosecutors quickly indicted Officer Michael Slager. They said they plan to retry him after the mistrial. Slager is also scheduled to be tried separately next year on federal charges that he violated Scott's civil rights.

North Charleston city officials approved a $6.5 million civil settlement for Scott's family earlier this year. Slager remains free on bail.

“If there's a new jury, I think that there's hope for justice,” Hunter said.

South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki Haley voiced her support for Scott's family, saying in a statement that justice “is not always immediate, but we must all have faith that it will be served.”

Though progress in improving relations with law enforcement and reforming criminal justice practices has been slow to develop nationally, Hunter said, she has been encouraged by the support Brenau administrators have given her and other campus activists.

“One thing we struggle with is how we can resist effectively,” Hunter said. “We've made clear we don't tolerate oppression of any sort.”

Hunter said she would like to see a citizen review board established in local communities to oversee deadly encounters between police and the public.

“I don't think police should police themselves,” she said.

As the cycle of police shootings spread through the country over the last few years, the Gainesville Police Department and Hall County Sheriff's Office took note.

Following the shootings in Louisiana, Minnesota and Texas this past summer, for example, clergy members joined officials from the Gainesville City Council, Gainesville Police Department and the Hall County Sheriff's Office for a public forum to address how to improve relations between law enforcement and the local community.

And learning from communities across the nation that have been affected by similar incidents is critical to keeping a lid on social unrest in Gainesville and Hall County.

“As our local law enforcement agencies work to crystallize their community relations visions in areas where trust has been eroded, the work that lies ahead is not solely their responsibility,” said Rose Johnson, executive director of the Newtown Florist Club, a local civil rights organization. “Real progress will be measured by our unified, collective efforts to be different and to do better in how we value human life.”

The Hall County Sheriff's Office regularly conducts training sessions that teach officers how to de-escalate hostile or tense encounters, particularly with mentally ill subjects, and their efforts to police the streets are balanced with community outreach, said Hall County spokesman Deputy Stephen Wilbanks.

And officers are equipped with a wide range of “less lethal” weaponry, such as Tasers, shotguns that fire bean-bag rounds, and a paint-ball type gun that shoots pepper spray balls for crowd control, to better prevent deadly incidents.

“Although we have many tools at our fingertips, our best tool and most valuable tool is our officers,” Gainesville Police Chief Carol Martin said. “The training of de-escalation has become a core theme for our agency's training program.”

This training includes “verbal persuasion tactics,” using distance, cover and time when appropriate, and a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training.

“De-escalation is the preferred, tactically sound approach in most critical incidents,” Martin said. “Community policing is not a program, it is a value system that permeates a police department, in which the primary organizational goal is working cooperatively with individual citizens, groups of citizens, and both public and private organizations to identify and resolve issues that potentially affect the livability of specific neighborhoods, areas or the city as a whole.”

http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/120776/

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Policing in 2025: How robots will change SWAT, patrol

The effectiveness of robotics on the battlefield may ease the path for Americans to accept robotics as a tool for policing in the near future

by Gregory Mar

For almost two centuries, weapons have been used for policing, with clubs, shields and edged weapons used well after the formation of the first Metropolitan Police Department in 1829. Over the years, the club was replaced with a baton. The firearm supplanted the baton. The most recent advancement in less-lethal weapon technology is the TASER, a CEW. With all these technological advances, society still experiences crime. In spite of advances in police weapons, criminals find ways to adapt. The advancement of robotic technology for law enforcement may prove to be the solution to this stalemate.

Rudimentary robots have been available for bomb disposal since their introduction in 1972. Inspired to spare future EOD casualties, Retired British Colonel Peter Miller invented the “Wheelbarrow” by modifying a garden mower with the addition of remote access controls [Smith, 2001]. Since 2000, with the increasing sophistication of “bomb robots” there has been the call for expansion of robotics in areas other than EOD. As robotic technology advances, their uses will also expand significantly for both military and law enforcement applications.

With the fast-paced advancement of computer technology and robotic mechanics and materials, smarter and faster mobile robots that can mimic human movement and function could be available for human exploitation in the not-too-distant future. Already, there is the use of fixed automated robots at European Customs and Immigration entry checkpoints. Microsoft invested in mobile surveillance robots to observe and report suspicious or illegal activities. Even in Japan, department stores have experimented using robotics for customer service, and China has used robots in restaurants and other customer services.

Future generations of robots will eventually possess similar refined motor skills of manual manipulation. Unlike the current rudimentary bomb robots on tracks and wheels, these future robots could apprehend suspects, physically restrain subjects, and deploy less lethal ammunition to protect the public. Similar to other industries, robotics may become a viable augmentation to officers in the field, with a distant possibly of replacing human officers altogether to meet the future challenges of policing.

The trajectory of the robotics industry

According to an article in the November issue of a consulting firm McKinsey and Company's McKinsey Quarterly, artificial intelligence and advanced robotics are capable of performing 45 percent of human job tasks. This has been evident since the beginning of the 20th century as automated functions replaced or augmented human labor in many production industries. At one time, companies had thousands of employees working on an assembly line to mass produce items, but overnight, many were replaced by mechanization which proved to be more cost effective, efficient, reproducible and relatively error free.

The exploitation of robotics has been used to improve the quality of the civilian workforce and is no different from robotics for military needs. Israel first used unmanned aerial vehicles successfully in their conflict with Syria in the early 1980s. It was not until the late 1990s that the U.S. military fully endorsed the use of UAVs for surveillance and conducting air strikes from a distance. The technology was widely used in the Gulf War conflict and is used in today's fight against al-Qaeda and ISIS. Traditionally, the military relied on soldier's “boots on the ground” for reconnaissance and artillery or air strike direction missions. This shift from traditional intelligence gathering and fighting has been spurred by the concern for U.S. troop casualties. The U.S. has accepted this technology to efficiently and effectively fight enemies with minimal collateral damage using a handful of trained servicemen miles away from their target.

The effectiveness of robotics on the battlefield may ease the path for Americans to accept robotics as a tool for policing in the near future in a manner similar to the U.S. military's adoption of UAVs. There are scientists and technologists, such as Stephen Hawking and Bill Gates, however, who caution the world of the potential dangers of artificial intelligence. Like ATMs, society may have to incrementally adjust before gaining the trust of robots, as we are not fully prepared to relinquish total control. Even as some fear an intrusion of robots into their lives, though, China has begun to develop the “AnBot” robot to patrol banks, airports and schools. Even though some may be frightened of the prospect of humanoid robots, they have already been with us for some time.

In early 2000, Asimo was one of the first rudimentary bipedal robots created in Japan. Recently Boston Dynamics has unveiled its atlas robot, which stands at 5-foot-9-inches and weighs 180 pounds. It has the ability of bipedal motion like humans and even uprights itself when it falls. These robots are able to lift and carry heavy objects. Furthermore, the robot has a self-sustaining energy source and wireless remote control. These machines could be used to augment a police department patrol force. They could take incident reports, go on patrol, or be deployed in hostile situations requiring force on force. As the ability to sustain a growing human police department is no longer economically feasible, robotics may become a viable economic alternative to augment a patrol force.

The robot officer and police operations: 3 idea areas

Research indicates that three areas of expansion are surveillance/ intelligence gathering, controlled use to abate/mitigate human violence, and to take police reports.

Patrol robots could soon patrol the public streets, detecting and reporting crimes to monitoring human officers. With modern recording systems, these robots would accurately document the event and store this data for internal and external review. From a safe distance, human officers can safely assess a situation and develop tactical plans to apprehend suspects. Hostage negotiators would also have the ability to communicate with barricaded suspects from a safe distance. Robots could also be used to apprehend and physically restrain suspects using non-penetrating or lethal force. With today's rising concerns of officers using deadly force, this could be a viable option of safely apprehending offenders without endangering officers and others.

Online reporting is already a reality. Remote access robots can be an extension of today's officers, responding to a crime scene and, through a remote operator, taking an accurate incident report. Statements from the victims, witnesses and suspects would be electronically recorded without misinterpretation or human bias. The software capturing the data could then be recorded, and also downloaded in a database to develop a COMSTAT profile to be used as an investigative tool.

Positive outcomes of robotic policing

Every year, California taxpayers pay millions of dollars in claims for medical treatment and lost wages due to injuries of workers. In addition, every year the state will absorb the cost of early retirement (and replacement) of police officers permanently disabled due to work related injuries. For example, the City and County of San Francisco will invest, on average, $300,000 in training and equipment, expecting a thirty-year career in return. With robotic officers, none of these expenses would occur. As they begin to exceed their flesh-and-blood partners, it would only be a matter of time before wholesale change occurs.

Ready, aim, plan: The future robotic police department is in the lab

As robotic electronics become more energy efficient and battery technology advances, the powering of robots will be just like any other electronic technology (e.g. computer, cell phone, cameras and lights). Another area that will shape robotics is the type of materials that will be available in the present and future. Early robots, like earlier firearms, relied on the strength and durability of steel.

The law enforcement community should plan to incorporate this rapidly evolving technology. The upfront cost is outweighed by the costs associated with the future reduction of worker compensation claims, lawsuits, hiring and retention costs. The price of an “AnBot” is unknown at this time, but Chinese officials stated that if the manufacturer can bring the cost to 100,000 yuan/unit ($150,000 in U.S. dollars) then “it will sell big.”

Without advance planning, robotics will creep up on law enforcement like TASERs and body-worn cameras. Ten years ago, many said this was not likely to be the future for law enforcement. Today, the public's demand for police transparency and accountability has outweighed the civil rights concern and propelled these technologies for standards and best practices in law enforcement. Robotics is an extension of this current technological advance.

U.S. police agencies should start to advocate and lobby for funding to use robotics as a tool for officers on patrol. In the future, law enforcement will have to work with the community members and politicians to develop laws, policies, and procedures that require flexibility to account for technology evolution and future shifts in cultural and ethical beliefs.

If we start today, the future will be more predictable. If not, the emergence of robotic police will be one more surprise for law enforcement.

About the author
Gregory Mar is currently a Captain of Police with the San Francisco Police Department commanding the Forensic Services Division. He has been a full time member with the department since 1991. Prior to that, he served as a police reserve officer while pursuing a career in dentistry, but switched careers in 1991 to follow his passion for law enforcement. He has a Bachelor's of Science in Biological Science from the University of California, Davis, Doctorate of Dental Surgery from the University of the Pacific Dental School and a Masters of Art in Educational Psychology from the University of the Pacific.

https://www.policeone.com/police-products/Police-Drones/articles/247303006-Policing-in-2025-How-robots-will-change-SWAT-patrol/

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Turkey

38 killed, 155 wounded in twin blasts

by Arwa Damon, Max Blau and Ralph Ellis

Istanbul, Turkey (CNN)Thirty-eight people, mostly police officers, were killed and 155 wounded in Saturday's twin bombings in Istanbul, Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said in a press conference Sunday.

The explosions, one large blast followed by a smaller one, occurred about 11 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) after a heavily attended football game at Besiktas Vodafone Arena.

According to Soylu, a remote control detonated a car bomb for the explosion. Shortly afterward, a suicide bomber caused a second explosion at Macka Park. The two locations are less than a mile apart.

No group has claimed responsibility for the twin bombings but ISIS and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) have staged attacks in Turkey over the past year.

Thirteen people have have been arrested in connection with the blasts, Soylu said.

"The evidence so far points to the PKK, the ministry has some of the information on framework about how it was planned and organized but for the sake of the investigation please forgive that I won't share any details." Soylu said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, an ally to the United States in the fight against ISIS, issued a statement prior to the news conference saying Istanbul had once again "witnessed the ugliest face of terror stepping on all values and morals. ... Together with the help of Allah, as a country and a nation, we will overcome terror, terror organizations, terrorists and the ... powers behind them."

The Turkish prime minister's office said in a statement, a day of national mourning has been declared on Sunday, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.

Chaotic scene

Video showed a chaotic scene outside Besiktas Vodafone Arena as police converged on the area and emergency medical workers loaded victims into ambulances. Several blocks away, police towed cars parked at Taksim Square, a popular tourist area, as a precaution.

Of those killed, 30 were police officers, Soylu said. Seventeen people are presently undergoing operation for their wounds, according to Turkish Health Minister Recep Akdag, who also spoke at Sunday's press conference.

Istanbul's team Besiktas had played Bursaspor in a Turkey League game that night at the football arena. The arena, which seats more than 40,000 people, had been renovated and reopened in April.

The Bursaspor football club issued a statement saying the explosion happened "close to the away team stands where our supporters were. We have received the news that around five minutes before the explosion took place, our supporters left the premises."

Eyewitness accounts

Christopher James, a freelance writer and teacher living in Istanbul, told CNN he was at a hotel not far from the arena when the blasts occurred.

"We could hear and see the boom, and then after the boom the sound came back towards us," he said. "It sounded like gunshots reverberating and then my phone started buzzing like crazy."

Ramazan Hakki Oztan, a historian from Istanbul who was attending a casual gathering near the arena, also saw the explosions.

"We were at this hotel with this nice view of the old city by Taksim Square," he said. "We saw this huge explosion that happened by the stadium ... and 10 seconds or 15 seconds after there was another explosion. ... The second bomb was smaller in size."

He said he was near the arena earlier in the day and noticed a heavy police presence.

"I think they targeted the cops that were out there by the stadium who were protecting the spectators," he said.

Following the explosions, the US Consulate in Istanbul tweeted: "Please avoid the area, monitor local press reporting, and let friends and family know you are OK."

A violent year

Turkey has weathered a string of terrorist attacks over the past year and is still reeling from a bloody and failed attempt at a military coup in July.

Erdogan declared a state of emergency following the coup attempt and authorities carried out a large number of arrests.

ISIS is suspected in a June attack at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport that left 44 people dead and an explosion at an August wedding in Gaziantep, not far from the border with Syria, that killed at least 54 people.

Meanwhile, Turkish security forces continue to clash on a almost daily basis with PKK militants, mostly in predominantly Kurdish parts of southeastern Turkey.

The Turkish army suspects the PKK was behind a September car bombing that killed at least 18 people in the same part of the country. Other attacks have targeted Turkish police and army assets.

Beyond those bombings, the Iraqi and Syrian conflicts have trickled into Turkey, leading to a surge in violence as the nation plays has played host to millions of Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

The US government two months ago ordered all civilian family members of its Istanbul consulate staff to leave Turkey because of increasing threats from terrorist organization.

This past spring the Pentagon ordered family members to leave Incirlik Airbase in southeast Turkey and the State Department ordered families of employees of the US consulate in Adana to evacuate.

Bombings condemned

In an address on Saturday, Erdogan said, "It does not matter what is the name and the method of the terror organization who conducted the terror attack. Whenever Turkey takes a positive step towards the future the answer comes as blood savagery and chaos."

During his statement, he called out ISIS, PKK and a movement affiliated with US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen for targeting Turkey. Erdogan has accused Gulen's movement of being involved in the failed coup.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also condemned Saturday's attack. "I condemn the horrific acts of terror in Istanbul," he said. "My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones in the bomb attacks, with those wounded and with the people of Turkey. We stand united in solidarity with our ally Turkey. We remain determined to fight terrorism in all its forms."

UEFA, European football's governing body, said on its verified Twitter account: "UEFA would like to express its deepest condolences to the families of all the victims of tonight's bombing in Istanbul. We strongly condemn this horrible act and send our support to the Turkish Football Federation, Besiktas and Bursaspor football clubs."

http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/10/europe/istanbul-explosions/

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From the FBI

Task force works to stem flow of illicit drug trafficking

The tip came to an FBI agent in New Orleans from a source there involved with a violent Honduran street gang: A large shipment of cocaine ultimately bound for the U.S. was about to leave Costa Rica destined for Honduras.

That information was relayed to FBI personnel at the Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S) in Key West, Florida, a multi-agency, international alliance whose mission is to cover 42 million square miles of territory primarily in Central and South America to stem the flow of illegal drugs and to disrupt and dismantle sophisticated narco-trafficking networks. Much of that work is carried out on the high seas.

The Honduran traffickers had set out from Limón, Costa Rica. Their “go-fast” boat—a small, low-profile vessel favored by smugglers—was packed with 300 kilos of cocaine and a cache of military-grade weapons, including M16 rifles and grenade launchers.

When intelligence sources confirmed that the boat was in the water, officers on the watch floor at JIATF-S requested that the U.S. Navy launch a P3 surveillance aircraft to locate the smugglers, who were making their way up the east coast of Nicaragua toward Honduras. Because there were no U.S. Coast Guard cutters in the vicinity to make an interdiction, the watch floor commander called the Honduran liaison officer assigned to JIATF-S and asked for assistance.

In a matter of hours, radar-equipped Honduran aircraft had taken over tracking the vessel and Honduran navy patrol boats were under way. As the navy interceptors closed in, the four smugglers beached their craft and ran into the jungle, firing on their pursuers as they fled. In the end, the criminals were apprehended, along with the drugs and weapons. The four are currently imprisoned in Honduras.

From a single piece of intelligence provided to the FBI in New Orleans, an international response was quickly set in motion that kept a large quantity of drugs from entering the United States. At JIATF-S, scenarios like this play out nearly every day.

Since its creation nearly three decades ago, the task force—composed of every branch of the U.S. military, U.S. federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies, and 15 partner nations whose liaison officers work side by side—has proven to be remarkably successful in the fight against the illegal drug trade.

“If you take the average price of a kilo of cocaine on Main Street USA,” said Coast Guard Rear Adm. Christopher Tomney, JIATF-S director, “we have taken more than $6 billion worth of illicit profits out of the system. We're talking hundreds of tons of cocaine that have been intercepted.”

The challenges posed by narco-traffickers, however, remain enormous. “The threats we go against know no boundaries,” Tomney said. “These are threats that affect multiple agencies and multiple nations. It not only takes a whole government approach to go after these problems, it really takes a whole hemisphere approach.”

The task force succeeds by integrating intelligence gathering and sharing with streamlined and highly coordinated tactical operations. Partner nations significantly extend the reach of U.S. capabilities. Everyone works toward the common goal of stopping the illicit drug trade. As one task force member noted, “We all take the field as one team.”

Using intelligence largely supplied by the FBI, the task force detects and monitors the go-fast boats and difficult-to-detect semi-submersible vessels used by traffickers. Then, military and law enforcement personnel from the U.S. and partner nations step in to carry out the interdictions and arrests.

“It starts with narcotics, but the criminal networks are also smuggling weapons, bulk currency, trafficking humans, and using sophisticated money laundering techniques,” said FBI Unit Chief Brett Chianella, who heads the Bureau's staff at JIATF-S. “Those networks are organized, armed, and well-financed, and they have ties to corrupt public officials and even foreign terrorist fighters,” he added. “The drugs are one spoke in the wheel of all this organized crime activity.”

One of the task force's priorities is to stop the flow of drugs at their source of supply rather than after the contraband enters the U.S. and is distributed. “Either you deal with it 1,500 miles away or you deal with it after it crosses our borders,” said Chianella, who was recently appointed a JIATF-S vice director (see sidebar below).

Partner nations send their best and brightest officers to work at the task force for one- and two-year assignments, and when they return to their home countries—often to assume leadership positions in their organizations—they have built lasting relationships with their fellow liaison officers and U.S. contacts.

Lt. Col. Gustavo Alvarez, a Honduran Army officer, had just arrived in Florida as the JIATF-S liaison officer in March 2015 when he assisted with the FBI case out of New Orleans. He saw firsthand how the task force model of integrating intelligence and operations gets results.

“One of the biggest takeaways when you come here,” he said, “is that the foreign liaison officers are all just a few steps away, one office to the other.” That means information flows into the task force, Alvarez said, “but it also starts going between the other countries of interest. So the information flow really grows exponentially.”

Cmdr. Jose Jose-Vasquez, a JIATF-S liaison officer from the Dominican Republic Navy, agreed. “If I have to make a contact with the Colombian liaison, for example, I just have to look in the office. I don't need a passport or a visa or a diplomatic procedure. In a matter of minutes, we have the information needed to be successful.”

Perspectives

Where drug traffickers are concerned, minutes can make a difference. On the JIATF-S watch floor any time of day or night, targeting officers and intelligence analysts may be tracking dozens of vessels on the vast Pacific Ocean or Caribbean Sea suspected of carrying cocaine and other contraband. They must decide how to deploy limited military resources to track these vessels and to target them for interdictions.

Self-propelled semi-submersible craft (SPSS) are the most highly prized catches because they carry the most drugs, anywhere from eight to 10 metric tons of cocaine—that's roughly $300 million in street value. But these vessels are designed for stealth, with very little of the craft showing above the water line.

“It's very difficult to find them on radar, said Gerry Canavan, a retired Coast Guard officer who joined the FBI as an analyst helping to target vessels suspected of carrying drugs. “If it's not flat and calm, the radar probably isn't going to pick up an SPSS,” he said. The task force has other technical means at its disposal, but intelligence gained through human and other sources is critical to the process.

“The FBI doesn't have planes or ships at JIATF-S,” said Kevin Lopez, also a former Coast Guard officer who joined the FBI to work on the task force. “The Bureau provides information that will help the task force position its aircraft and ships to locate that go-fast or SPSS.”

As successful as JIATF-S has been, Chianella and others estimate that the drugs interdicted annually represent only about 20 percent of the total amount being smuggled into the U.S. “As long as there's a demand for cocaine or any illicit contraband in the United States,” he said, “the cartels and criminal networks will find a way to move their product.”

The drug trade, added the Dominican Republic's Jose-Vasquez, “is like an energy—you cannot destroy it; it only transforms in another manner. This problem is a reality that we have and that we have to work against,” he said. “Working together makes us stronger. Being in this organization provides us with better tools to work against these common threats.”

“We are fighting a transnational threat,” JIATF-S Director Tomney explained. “No one nation, including the United States, has all the tools, all the capabilities, and all the resources to go it alone. By working together,” he said, “we can bring stability to the region and keep more than drugs in check.

‘A Seat at the Table'

In December 2015, Special Agent Brett Chianella, who leads the FBI's team at JIATF-S, was appointed vice director of the task force—the first FBI fully integrated Department of Defense position. Chianella's new role is meant to further leverage the Bureau's intelligence gathering abilities and to acknowledge the important role the FBI plays in the continuing success of the task force.

The position underscores how unified the FBI is with the Department of Defense in carrying out the task force's mission—to monitor and detect the most violent illicit traffickers in the Western Hemisphere and to disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal organizations.

“This has been a win-win proposition,” said Rear Adm. Christopher Tomney, JIATF-S director. “The FBI vice director provides key insights and experiences that I just don't have as a senior Coast Guard officer. Nowhere in the command group, because we are such a melting pot of organizations, do we have that senior Department of Justice investigatory experience.” The vice director position, he added, will be “completely woven into the command structure of this organization.”

“The FBI and the military share the same philosophy on combating transnational criminal networks and organized crime,” Chianella said. “To have the FBI fully integrated within the Department of Defense to disturb and dismantle violent networks supports a whole of government approach and takes the fight to them, before it affects us at home.”

By the Numbers

The Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S) was created in 1989 to monitor and detect narco-trafficking and to disrupt and dismantle the criminal organizations that profit from the illicit drug trade. The Department of Defense-funded operation, which falls under the military's U.S. Southern Command, has responsibility for 42 million square miles of territory in the Western Hemisphere.

•  JIATF-S is composed of every branch of the U.S. military, U.S. federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies such as the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration, and 15 partner nations whose liaison officers work side by side at the task force headquarters in Key West, Florida. Five additional countries are in the process of joining the task force.

•  Since its creation, JIATF-S has intercepted hundreds of tons of cocaine worth an estimated street value of $6 billion. It is estimated that the task force has been responsible for half of all the cocaine interdicted in the world.

•  Within the last three years, nearly 700 non-U.S. persons were indicted and brought to the U.S. to face criminal charges as a result of task force operations. Some 150 criminal networks were identified during that same period, and 60 of those networks were dismantled.

•  In 2015, JIATF-S operations led to the interdiction of seven self-propelled, semi-submersible (SPSS) vessels. Designed specifically for smuggling, these craft carry anywhere from eight to 10 metric tons of cocaine with a street value of $300 million. The FBI provided intelligence and investigative resources in six of those seven cases.

•  For more information about JIATF-S: http://www.jiatfs.southcom.mil/

https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/task-force-works-to-stem-flow-of-illicit-drug-trafficking

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From the Department of Homeland Security

Third U.S.-China High-Level Joint Dialogue on Cybercrime and Related Issues

Joint Summary of Outcomes

On December 7, 2016, in Washington, D.C., Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, together with Chinese State Councilor and Minister of the Ministry of Public Security Guo Shengkun, co-chaired the third U.S.-China High-Level Joint Dialogue on Cybercrime and Related Issues. The dialogue aims to review the timeliness and quality of responses to requests for information and assistance with respect to cybercrime or other malicious cyber activities, and to enhance pragmatic bilateral cooperation with regard to cybercrime, network protection and other related issues. Both sides endorse the establishment of the Dialogue mechanism as beneficial to bilateral communication and enhanced cooperation, and believe that further solidifying, developing, and maintaining the Dialogue mechanism and continuing to strengthen bilateral cooperation in cybersecurity is beneficial to mutual interests.

The outcomes of the third dialogue are listed as below:

1. Combatting Cybercrime and Cyber-Enabled Crime. Both sides re-commit to cooperate on the investigation of cyber crimes and malicious cyber activities emanating from China or the United States and to refrain from cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property with the intent of providing competitive advantages to companies or commercial sectors. To that end, both sides:

•  Plan to continue the mechanism of the “Status Report on U.S./China Cybercrime Cases” to evaluate the effectiveness of case cooperation.

•  Affirm that both sides intend to focus cooperation on hacking and cyber-enabled fraud cases, share cybercrime-related leads and information with each other in a timely manner, and determine priority cases for continued law enforcement cooperation. Both sides intend to continue cooperation on cases involving online distribution of child pornography. Both sides seek to expand cyber-enabled crime cooperation to counter Darkweb marketplaces' illicit sale of synthetic drugs and firearms.

•  Seek to provide concrete and timely updates on cases brought within the ambit of the Dialogue.

•  Exchanged views on existing channels of multilateral cooperation, and intend to continue exchanges regarding this topic.

2. Network Protection. Both sides acknowledged the network protection seminar held in August 2016 in China, and believe that enhancing network protection is beneficial to both sides. Both sides suggest holding regular network protection working-level meetings, either remotely or in-person, the next of which should be planned for 2017. Both sides seek to promote the protection of our respective networks through multiple methods. To that end, both sides:

•  Plan to enhance network hygiene by promoting the cleaning and patching of malware infections in our respective networks and promoting best network protection practices.

•  Propose to engage in regular reciprocal sharing of malicious IP addresses, malware samples, analytic products, and other network protection information, and to develop standard operating procedures to guide network protection cooperation.

•  Seek to assess the effectiveness of information shared and provide substantive feedback to each side regarding the utility of that information.

•  Plan to provide Principals with regular summaries of network protection cooperation.

•  Intend to continue discussion on future cooperation concerning cybersecurity of critical infrastructure, and to provide timely assistance on cybersecurity incidents impacting critical infrastructure.

•  Intend to hold, as early as possible in 2017, a U.S.-China government and technology company roundtable to discuss cybersecurity issues of mutual concern.

3. Misuse of Technology and Communications to Facilitate Violent Terrorist Activities. Both sides acknowledged the seminar on misuse of technology and communications to facilitate violent acts of terrorism held in November 2016 in China, and decided to continue cooperation on information sharing in countering the use of the Internet for terrorist and other criminal purposes. Both sides will consider holding a second seminar in 2017.

4. Hotline Mechanism. Both sides welcomed the launch of the U.S.-China Cybercrime and Related Issues Hotline Mechanism, and decided to continue to use the hotline in accordance with the Work Plan. Both sides will conduct routine review of the use of the hotline.

5. Dialogue Continuity. Both sides recommend that the Dialogue continue to be held each year, and that the fourth Dialogue occur in 2017.

https://www.dhs.gov/news/2016/12/08/third-us-china-high-level-joint-dialogue-cybercrime-and-related-issues

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From ICE

ICE honors Human Rights Day

WASHINGTON – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC) commemorates Human Rights Day on December 10, the same day the U.N. General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights celebrates the proposition that freedom, justice and peace in the world are fundamental rights that all individuals are entitled to equality. This year, Human Rights Day calls on each person to reaffirm his/her common humanity and to stand up for the human rights of others.

“We are committed to ensuring the U.S. does not become a safe haven for human rights violators,” said Sarah R. Saldaña, ICE director. “Through the dedication of the women and men of ICE, we have had successful investigations leading to the prosecution and deportation of many human rights violators who mistakenly thought they could seek refuge in our country. We will continue leveraging our resources to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.”

The HRVWCC works in close collaboration with the FBI's International Human Rights Unit and other U.S. government and foreign law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, prosecute, extradite and remove from the United States individuals who have carried out genocide, torture, war crimes and other serious human rights violations. The HRVWCC has also sought to deny perpetrators of human rights abuses entry to the United States. While the United States welcomes refugees, asylum seekers and other persons who have been victims of war crimes and other atrocities, it will not be a safe haven to those who commit such atrocities.

Since fiscal year 2004, ICE has arrested more than 375 individuals for human rights-related violations under various criminal and/or immigration statutes. During that same period, ICE obtained deportation orders and physically removed more than 815 known or suspected human rights violators from the United States. Currently, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations has more than 140 active investigations into suspected human rights violators and is pursuing more than 1,735 leads and removal cases involving suspected human rights violators from 97 different countries.

Over the last four years, ICE's Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center has issued more than 70,350 lookouts for individuals from more than 111 countries and stopped 194 human rights violators or war crime suspects from entering the United States.

Members of the public who have information about foreign nationals suspected of engaging in human rights abuses or war crimes are urged to contact ICE by calling the toll-free ICE Tip Line at 1-866-347-2423 or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also email HRV.ICE@ice.dhs.gov or complete ICE's online tip form. All are staffed around the clock and tips may be provided anonymously.

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Florida

Opinion

Community policing answer to challenges in public safety

by Jeff Mata

As a college student planning a career in law enforcement, I have taken a keen interest in the current public debate surrounding the relations between police departments and urban communities. The lion's share of police officers are hardworking, law-abiding public servants who are often underappreciated and criticized for the actions of a few bad persons. Such criticisms and occasional mistakes are often amplified due to social media.

Part of the answer is community policing. A number of exciting and effective efforts are happening in departments throughout South Florida. Here are a few examples:

•  Chief Larry Rickard, head of Lynn University's Campus Safety, maintains that community policing has been a key to both keeping the campus and community safe, and in informing the public about such successes. Community policing works with business owners, neighborhoods and residents — all of whom function as the eyes and ears of their communities. By building relationships with these stakeholders, community policing encourages them to report suspicious activity. This helps the police do their jobs, but it is important that officers stay connected with, and engaged in their communities.

•  Some campus police departments hold events such as “Take Back the Night,” which promotes awareness of sexual assault, and community fairs that bring people together to meet police officers. Because social media often portrays officers in a negative way, it is important that departments use social media, and for officers to be cautious and sensitive to situations.

•  Capt. Matthew Duggan, of the Boca Raton Police Department, emphasizes that his department has a special community policing unit that exists to build relationships with citizens. Such efforts are effective when officers are assigned to certain areas. By getting to know the residents, they foster relationships with homeowners associations and informal leaders of neighborhoods. To work with these citizens, Boca Raton police attend public events, visit schools and engage citizens through social media.

With social media driving public perceptions, it is vitally important that we all support community policing, and encourage our elected officials and police departments to commit themselves to the practice.

JEFF MATA, BOCA RATON

Editor's note: Jeff Mata is a senior at Lynn University studying criminal justice.

http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/news/opinion/point-of-view-community-policing-answer-to-challen/ntLGB/

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New York

Effective Policing Comes at a Price

Community policing has the potential to transform communities, but what does it need to succeed?

by Petr Svab

NEW YORK—“It's a ray of hope,” said Abena Smith, as she greeted police officers by name and filled their plates with turkey, cake, and other goodies at a police precinct community meeting in Harlem in November.

Smith was talking about the rebirth of the community policing philosophy that encourages New York Police Department officers to get to know the people on their beat. Smith, a lifelong Harlemite, welcomes that. She even has some officers' cellphone numbers and email addresses.

She'd still call 911 to report a crime in progress, “but if there's something else that's going on … where I need to speak to an officer that I can trust … whether it's drug dealing, gambling, or something of that nature, I have access to that person,” she said.

Personal connections like this epitomize the NYPD's hopes for its community policing strategy, which aims to restore relationships with locals and patch the gap in law enforcement left by dialing back the use of stop-and-frisk tactics.

The 32nd Precinct in central Harlem, where Smith serves as precinct community council president, became one of NYPD's first testing grounds for the program in September 2015.

Many police departments around the country employ a similar community strategy, hoping to solve a pressing conundrum: how to keep crime down without alienating minority communities.

As deadly ambushes on police soar to numbers unseen for decades, some experts believe the push for reconciliation needs to come from both police and the communities that distrust them. Others believe it needs to be the police who take the initiative.

Yet somebody urgently needs to start bridging the divide; otherwise, ever harsher law enforcement and growing retaliation against police will spiral out of control, according to Global Impact Strategies, a predictive analysis company.

Community policing offers one of the most promising solutions, experts say. But to work, the strategy needs so much manpower, training, and commitment, it's seldom attempted on a large scale.

Origins of Community Policing

Community policing developed out of a push for police reform during the crime surge of the 1970s and 1980s.

By that time, large police departments turned into bureaucracies, measuring their success by the speed of their response to 911 calls.

As crime rates went up, seemingly unaffected by police efforts, some cities started to experiment with new approaches to policing.

In 1983, the National Institute of Justice and the Harvard Kennedy School started regular meetings with police chiefs, mayors, scholars, and others to distill these new ideas into a strategy called “community policing.”

They concluded the following:

•  Officers must get out of their cars and become more proactive (not just wait for another 911 call).

•  Officers must focus on learning about and solving problems in communities, including quality-of-life issues that may lead to crime (rather than just focusing on arrest numbers and crime rates).

How to Make It Work

Community policing requires officers to talk to people, learn their problems, and figure out ways to fix them. That may vary dramatically from neighborhood to neighborhood. While Central Park South residents may complain about public urination, East New York residents may express more concern about gang violence and drug dealing.

Police can try to solve these issues with the usual methods of writing tickets, issuing summonses, and making stops and arrests. But they can also use softer methods, like getting drug addicts into treatment centers and the homeless into shelters, organizing midnight basketball games to keep youth out of trouble, or even helping an ex-convict get a job.

Their unique position of authority can make police very effective in connecting people with services.

“Law enforcement is a historically conservative entity that people are not used to saying no to,” said John Rosenthal, a real estate agent who co-founded a nonprofit that connects police departments with addiction treatment facilities.

The program gives drug addicts a chance to come to the police and be placed into treatment programs instead of getting arrested. More than 200 police departments across the nation participate. The program has significantly improved the reputation of police in their communities, Rosenthal said.

But the soft approach comes with a downside too, as it can force officers into the role of social workers, overtaking their responsibilities of fighting crime.

“Social services aspects that were kind of added on to community policing, some of that has to be done but can't become a primary focus of all the police aspects in the neighborhood,” Giuliani told The New York Times shortly after taking office in 1994.

Risk of Corruption

As part of the push to professionalize police since the early 20th century, officers were rotated through different areas. If officers stayed in one place, the fear was, local criminals could woo them into corruption.

Indeed, in the 1970s and 1980s, some NYPD officers developed relationships with drug dealers and ended up joining the trade.

Community policing, however, requires patrol officers to stay in one neighborhood and have broad discretion in using their authority—which opens the door to abusing that power.

Proponents of community policing say corruption can be mitigated by establishing strong values through training and leadership.

“Community policing is ultimately about values,” reads a 1994 statement by the U.S. Department of Justice. “Values must be ingrained in the very culture of the organization and must be reflected in its objectives, in its policies, and in the actions of its personnel.”

“The guiding values central to community policing are trust, cooperation, communication, ingenuity, integrity, initiative, discretion, leadership, responsibility, respect, and a broadened commitment to public safety and security,” the document reads.

Superheroes and Police Unions

Community policing requires officers to be nothing short of extraordinary. On one hand, they still need to be tough enough to handle a shootout—a situation beyond the imagination of the inexperienced.

“That feeling is so immense that it almost turns off all thought processes in your brain,” said Texas police officer Ed Pietrowski, recalling the first shooting he was involved in as an NYPD rookie.

On the other hand, officers have to be empathetic enough to defuse conflicts and creative enough to figure out solutions to problems in the community.

If everybody puts their arrogance down and just becomes human, and each person cares about another person, you'll have a change in the community.

— Eric Quarles, former Atlanta police officer

“You have to have the right kind of personality,” said Eric Quarles, a former Atlanta police officer who now drafts community relations policy at the Department of Homeland Security.

Rigorous screening and training helps, but inevitably, some officers will fall short of the standard over the long haul.

“There are some in the organization that shouldn't be here,” Bratton said at an October 2014 NYPD conference. “The brutal, the corrupt, the racist, the incompetent.”

Yet, such calls clash with union job protections.

Patrick Lynch, president of the city's police union, pushed back against Bratton's comment. “Police officers are entitled, like anyone else, to due process,” Lynch said in a statement, suggesting police officers should enjoy job protections comparable to those of other workers.

But police union contracts require an “extremely burdensome administrative process for punishing/terminating officers, or requiring arbitration before they can be fired,” said Adam Bates, criminal justice policy analyst with the libertarian Cato Institute, in an email.

Private sector employees enjoy no such protections, unless they claim discrimination.

But it's hard to argue for fewer union protections for police when other public servants, like teachers, enjoy similar protections, Manhattan Institute's Heather Mac Donald said. “Which do we want? Due process or not?”

Coming at a Price

A serious community policing program needs more officers on the ground, or at least more money for overtime, than conventional policing.

Officers need to spend time talking to people in their neighborhoods to learn their problems and then a lot more time to create solutions, tailor enforcement, and coordinate with other city agencies or people in the community to put the solutions into practice.

“It's really wonderful, but every time we do that, we're taking our cop off something else,” said Nick Selby, a Dallas-area police detective and author on police–community relations.

Deputy Inspector Michael Baker, the commanding officer of the 32nd Precinct in central Harlem, spoke highly about community policing, though he also received more personnel to carry out the program.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio last year started the process of adding 1,300 more officers and over 200 more traffic and school safety agents.

He has directed almost $2 billion into new equipment, training, overtime pay, and facility upgrades for the NYPD since taking office in 2014. Every officer has received a smartphone. Dilapidated precinct offices are currently undergoing long overdue face-lifts and technology upgrades.

Officers also go through regular training in defusing conflicts. The new Neighborhood Coordination Officers (NCOs) go through additional training specifically aimed at community policing.

And the results are starting to show. Just recently, the Harlem officers received a 911 call about a shooting on 133rd Street. By the time they arrived, the shooter had fled. The local NCO called a couple of his contacts in the area and soon received online access to a security camera at a nearby business. He checked the footage on his smartphone and not only recognized the suspect, but also spotted where the shooter disposed of the gun.

That's where community policing starts to make up for the decrease in stop-and-frisk policing. Officers don't need to stop dozens of people at random; instead, they get to know the people who cause trouble in the neighborhood and focus on them.

A few conversations on the streets of Harlem revealed that distrustful attitudes toward police are thawing, with caution.

“You got some [officers] that are real [expletive], and then you got some that are real nice, they'll listen to exactly what you have to say, not shut you down,” said Marcos Alvarado, local plastic bottle collector, acknowledging a little change in police attitude.

For Ronald Wilson, a former manager at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the NYPD still has a long way to go. “When you live in the suburbs, parents teach their kids that ‘Officer Joe is your friend,'” he said. “Here … Officer Joe's not a bad guy, but he's definitely not your friend.”

Moving Forward

Police departments across the country are using community policing, but it's hard to gauge how many are using it and to what extent. Most of the 18,000 police agencies in the nation are small town departments, with 10 or fewer officers, that only report some general statistics to the federal government on a voluntary basis. The U.S. Justice Department tracks some of the progress, showing initiatives are underway in major cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington.

Yet, since the strategy requires a high resource investment, departments tend to put in place only pieces of it, or roll it out gradually. NYPD runs its program in 44 of 76 precincts. It plans to extend the program to four more precincts in February, a spokesperson said via email.

Even if some departments across the country don't want to make community policing an official strategy, officers should still try to work with their communities as best they can, ex-officer Quarles said.

He encourages officers to spend downtime “just walking, speaking to people.”

It can feel awkward, he said, especially when trying to talk to people who may fear or loathe police. But he still feels officers should try to break the ice.

“It doesn't have to be an in-depth conversation,” he said. It can be, “Hey, how you doing today? Did you see the game last night?”

“If everybody puts their arrogance down and just becomes human, and each person cares about another person, you'll have a change in the community,” he said.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/2194372-effective-policing-comes-at-a-price/print/

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Virginia

McAuliffe announces award of Policing in the 21st Century grants

by The Augusta Free Press

Governor Terry McAuliffe announced the award of 36 community policing grants in support of his Policing in the 21 st Century Initiative.

The grants were approved by the Criminal Justice Services Board at a meeting today in Richmond. The grants will support training and equipment to enhance the recipient agencies' community inclusive policing efforts. Money for the grants will come from federal funds awarded to the Commonwealth from the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program.

“Since the beginning of my administration, my team and I have worked closely with local and state law enforcement agencies to develop strategies that build and strengthen their relationships within the communities they serve,” said Governor McAuliffe. “Strong police-community relationships are essential to protecting the safety of families and businesses in every community in our Commonwealth. I commend the agencies that are receiving this award for their outstanding leadership on these important issues. We will continue to ensure policing in the 21 st century is built on communal integrity across all corners of the Commonwealth.”

The focus of the funding offered for these grants was a response to the input the Administration received in four Law Enforcement and Community listening sessions in August and September. Convened by Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, Brian Moran, the sessions drew more than 300 people representing law enforcement and community groups. They offered a variety of ideas that communities could initiate with grant funding to strengthen relationships between law enforcement and their communities.

“These grant funds are a direct result of the constructive feedback and dialogue we heard from listening sessions we held across the Commonwealth,” said Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, Brian Moran. “My team and I look forward to working with all of the grant recipients as we pursue effective community policing efforts. These grants are a positive step forward as we continue to build bridges between law enforcement and the public.”

Director Fran Ecker of the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), which administers the grants, added, “The funds awarded by the Board will enable the recipients to expand on existing community policing efforts and add new ones as well. We applaud the recipients for their commitment to community policing.”

The grants will support a variety of efforts, including: one-on-one and small group mentoring for youths and their families; training for law enforcement officers in de-escalation and crisis communication strategies; equipment for a police department athletic program intended for at-risk youth; a community collaboration effort to reduce crime, involving law enforcement, the public schools, social services, the Commonwealth's Attorney and nonprofit agencies; and a public school-based youth outreach program to promote positive relationships with law enforcement.

The grants approved by the Board total over $756,000. Applicants were required to submit proposals describing their projects and providing budgets showing how the funds will be spent. The applications were reviewed by DCJS staff and by a committee of the Board.

Details on the localities awarded grants are on the site.

http://augustafreepress.com/mcauliffe-announces-ward-policing-21st-century-grants/

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Louisianna

Baton Rouge community group calls for new police training, support from elected officials

by Grace Toohey

Members of an informal committee looking at ways to improve Baton Rouge police and community relations called Thursday for better police training and appointing police ambassadors to act as liaisons between officers and residents of the neighborhoods they patrol.

But in the committee's third meeting to draft policy recommendations to the Metro Council, some members also called for those police ambassadors to live in the precincts to which they are assigned — a type of residency requirement that, so far, has met stiff resistance from police officials and many Metro Council members.

But with only one Metro Council member in attendance Thursday, event host Tara Wicker, the group wondered how their efforts could ever become city policy without support from other council members, of whom they need at least seven.

The group is working to provide guidelines to LSU and Southern University partners who will write policy recommendations in light of the fatal police shooting of Alton Sterling and later the ambush killing of three law enforcement officers over the summer. Barbara Freiberg, a District 12 candidate for Metro Council, also attended.

"I think they need to be in here; there has to be direct conversation with the people who are going to be voting on this stuff," said Walter McLaughlin, 35, a Baton Rouge resident who participated in the protests after Sterling's shooting and has become an advocate for better community policing. "There has to be some buy in."

Wicker asked the group to not get discouraged because she is continuing to inform the council of the group's progress and ideas, and other council members have attended previous meetings. About 30 people attended Thursday's meeting, including a Baton Rouge police spokesman, the mayor's spokeswoman, nonprofit leaders, attorneys, and other residents.

Since the fatal police shooting of Alton Sterling and later ambush killing of three law enfo…

The group decided to add improved police training to the key elements of community policing, and BRPD spokesman Jonny Dunnam said that is an area his department could improve.

"I think there's things like implicit bias that need to be added to our training," Dunnam said. "If this group can come up with certain trainings that we can implement, we would definitely be receptive."

The group also decided that certain police officers should be designated as "police ambassadors," who would work with designated "community policing ambassadors.". These police officers should live in the communities in which they are working, the group decided.

Measures to require Baton Rouge police officers to live within the city, or even the parish, have previously failed in the Metro Council.

But how these ambassadors are chosen, reimbursed and given duties remains up for discussion. And how the training sessions are created, performed and mandated also was undecided at Thursday's meeting.

Attendees also questioned how the group will measure the success of community policing efforts and how to get police to support their ideas.

"The conversation isn't stopping here; this is where we're stopping today," Wicker said. She had planned to create an official committee to work on the community policing issue, but decided against it so no potential voices are discouraged from joining the dialogue.

Next meeting, the group hopes to bring in a representative from the police union to discuss avenues for improvement. The group wants to see the creation of a civilian review board for police and change their promotion policy, but Dunnam warned there are many obstacles from both the union and current police policy.

"BRPD has a huge issue in how we make promotional rank; it's strictly seniority ranked," Dunnam said. He said he wishes it was based more on merit.

The group will next meet at 4 p.m. Dec. 15 in room 801 of City Hall, 222 St. Louis St.

http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/crime_police/article_b25c4808-bda0-11e6-9deb-1f91f0f77c90.html

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Georgia

Black clergy and Columbus police join forces against black-on-black crime

by Alva James-Johnson

A group of black ministers stood in solidarity with the Columbus Police Department Friday in response to black-on-black crime plaguing the community.

The impetus for the occasion was the death of Peggy Gamble, an 83-year-old church matriarch slain in her home on Eight Street a few days after Thanksgiving.

At a press conference called by the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, the ministers stood at a podium in the community room of the Public Safety Building. Also in attendance were Police Chief Ricky Boren, other police officials, and the homicide squad that solved Gamble's murder.

“We are grateful for the quick resolution, making this community feel safe,” said IMA president, the Rev. Ralph Huling. “We're also grateful that we live in a city, it's not like many other cities where the anarchy exists, where the pastors and the police do not have a relationship. We come here today to throw our full support behind Police Chief Boren and his staff.”

Huling said many of the pastors in attendance had gone through the CPD's Pastoral Police Academy and developed a good relationship with police in recent years. He said the IMA would continue to work with the police department to solve crime in the community.

The ministers said they're working with the Muscogee County School District on an after school and summer program called YStep (Your Solution to Every Day Problems) to teach at-risk youths conflict resolution and other life skills.

“We realize that it takes community policing to be successful and that's where the IMA wants to establish a relationship with you all,” Huling said. “... We're trying our best to do what we can as it relates to fighting crime.”

Gamble, a long-time member of Greater Shady Grove Missionary Baptist Church, was found slain in her home Nov. 28. On Thursday, Angelo Short pleaded guilty to the fatal stabbing in Recorder's Court. Judge Michael Cielinski ordered Short, who didn't testify or have an attorney present, held in the Muscogee County Jail without bond. The case was bound over to Superior Court.

Short is the stepson of Gamble's daughter, Miriam Short. He pleaded not guilty Dec. 1 to taking Gamble's beige 1988 Toyota Corolla from her home following her death and obstructing police during his arrest. During that hearing, he also pleaded not guilty robbery and aggravated assault charges related to a Piggly Wiggly robbery he allegedly committed the morning after Gamble's body was found.

After listening to Huling's remarks at the IMA news conference, Boren called the homicide unit to the podium to be recognized for their tireless work in solving the case. He said it took cooperation between police and community to make the arrest.

“I want to thank the pastors in that area and in our community as well as all of our citizens in the East Wynnton area and other communities that pushed aside the no-snitch policy that we normally encounter when we go out on investigations,” he said, “where people know what took place and they will not come to the police and they will not come to their pastors and they will not relate that information so that we can properly investigate those cases and bring those cases to a successful conclusion.”

“We did not experience that in this one,” he said. “Everybody worked hand-in-hand, arm-in-arm with the police department, and as a result of that we made an expedient arrest in this heinous crime.”

Boren said Gamble was loved in the community. She had a large supportive family, and that helped with the investigation. He said there are other cases in the community that still need to be solved, and he hopes people with will come forward with information.

“We have a couple of outstanding homicides today that people in our community know exactly what happened,” he said. “The victims are sons, daughters, uncles of citizens in our community, and they deserve answers as to what happened to their loved ones.”

Minister Stephen Muhammad, local representative for the Nation of Islam, said

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/article119937948.html

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In Milton, greater police presence reducing crime

Grants fund new vehicles, K-9, equipment

by Maddy Lauria

Pay raises. New vehicles. Reduced crime.

Those are among the enhancements Milton Police Department Chief Robert Longo has acquired since he arrived eight months ago.

Before Longo was hired in April, the Milton Police Department was without an active commander for nearly two years. Former Chief William Phillips took leave due to illness in August 2014 and officially retired the following year.

During that time, an ad hoc committee was considering disbanding the municipal force in favor of Delaware State Police to save town funds.

Those days are long gone.

“If you don't have a love for this job, people can see right through it,” Longo said. “We have in this department a servant's love. Our job is public service. Our mission here is to protect Milton, and we want to participate with the community to do that.”

Now the department is almost fully staffed, officers are enjoying competitive salaries and the force is increasing its presence in the community. Longo wants to initiate a citizens' police academy and citizens' patrol, and increase the department's community outreach events, especially in local schools.

“I am big on community policing,” the 53-year-old chief said. “You have to educate your community. They want to know what you're doing. They want to know where their tax dollars are going. And this is what we're doing.”

Longo said the department also has placed a new focus on traffic safety, increasing patrols that have resulted in a 61 percent increase in traffic tickets compared to 2015.

By working more closely with the community, Longo said the department has been able to home in on hot spots for drugs, traffic violations and other major crimes.

“If we know that we're having loud parties, disruptive people, moving violations, drug activity, we're going to focus on that area,” Longo said, pointing to a recent reduction in assaults, burglaries, thefts, weapons offenses and criminal mischief within town limits. “Eventually, that person supplying drugs isn't going to take the risk of coming into Milton because they know that there's more eyes out there.”

Longo said police responded to 48 assaults in 2015, but only 18 since the beginning of 2016. Domestic disputes have also dropped from 54 in 2015 to 20 in 2016.

Longo credits more cops on the street, and more cooperation and communication with residents and businesses, as the main reasons crime is down. He secured more than $35,000 in three state grants to help cover overtime costs for extended patrols of crime hot spots reported by Miltonians.

“When criminals know people are watching, you're a dumb criminal if you want to continue to violate the law,” he said. “The more eyes out there, the less likely people are to commit the crimes.”

Longo also has made a serious investment in the department's equipment, securing more than $100,000 in grants to purchase four vehicles – three Dodge Chargers and one Ford Explorer.

“Every vehicle we had had over 100,000 miles,” he said. Two of the vehicles were purchased brand new while the other two came from other agencies with about 40,000 miles on each.

By taking advantage of a $25,000 grant provided by Sussex County every year, Longo said he plans to replace one vehicle each year.

“If I can get a grant to buy a piece of equipment and save Milton taxpayer dollars, I'm going to do that,” he said.

Longo said he also is seeking state accreditation for the department, a recognition enjoyed by only five other law enforcement agencies in Delaware. While redoing the police policy manual isn't nearly as sexy as a new fleet of vehicles, it's another step he hopes will bolster the small department's efficacy.

“It shows that the officers have met these standards, which are basically standards of excellence that are outlined by the state accreditation commission,” he said. “It raises their level of professionalism and holds the individual officer in the entire department to a higher standard. I want us to be the best little town police force in America.”

Longo said the recent successes of his department all go back to community policing and the force's efforts to increase their presence in Milton.

“I want to have a pulse on the community,” Longo said. “I can't do this alone. We need to earn the respect of the community. I think we've done that with some of the community, but we still have a ways to go. This department is stepping up to the plate.”

Milton welcomes Xena, warrior police dog

Patrolman Christopher Whitehouse has always wanted a K-9 partner. Xena, an 18-month-old black Belgian Malinois, has helped him reach one of his major career goals.

“I love dogs. I love animals,” said Whitehouse, who grew up with a black Lab. “But it's different – it's really hard.”

The 26-year-old officer started with the Milton Police Department in September 2014 after graduating from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a criminal justice degree. But it wasn't until Chief Robert Longo joined the force that the department decided to get a second K-9 officer.

“I think it's a great resource for the town, and it's an opportunity for officers to grow in their career,” Longo said. “People might stand off a SWAT team, but they'll surrender to a dog.”

Whitehouse said while he's always wanted to be a K-9 handler, he didn't realize exactly how hard the job would be. It took four months of training before the department got Xena, followed by another 4-week course and regular refreshers.

“She knows how to do her job,” Whitehouse said. “It's about me learning how to handle her.”

Xena is trained for both narcotics detection and patrol, meaning she can sniff out anything from heroin and cocaine to several other drug and also assist officers with tracking and building searches.

She playfully inspects and chews anything within her reach – especially flags or towels, Whitehouse said – but when it's time to go to work, Xena is not messing around.

“She has a very high drive, and she's very protective of me,” Whitehouse said. “Not all police dogs are vicious, but they have a job to do. She is a police officer, too.”

Xena joined the department thanks to grant money and community donations, Whitehouse said. Normally, it costs thousands of dollars for a police dog and handler training, Longo said. A recent donation from Blue Heron Agility Dogs of Delaware has also helped defray the cost of a vest for the new K-9 officer.

“We're going to use her a lot for community policing. So far she's been a hit,” Whitehouse said.

Since Xena is so new to the job, she still has a lot of training to do. Whitehouse and his partner will focus on repetitive training as she tries to catch up with Finn, Milton's 9-year-old veteran K-9 officer, who also is a Belgian Malinois.

Whitehouse said with Milton's small force – the department currently has eight full-time officers – any additional help is welcome.

“It's a great deterrent to have a dog,” Whitehouse said. “She's going to benefit Milton with just her presence. She'll be a good asset.”

http://www.capegazette.com/article/milton-greater-police-presence-reducing-crime/121700

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Georgia

Officer slayings 'wreaked havoc' on rural Ga. community

A domestic disturbance erupted in violence as two responding officers were struck by deadly gunfire

by Russ Bynum

AMERICUS, Ga. — What started as a 911 call reporting a domestic disturbance erupted in violence as two responding officers were struck by deadly gunfire, leaving a rural Georgia community grieving and on edge as police hunted the attacker.

The manhunt lasted barely a day. A telephone tip Thursday morning led police to a home where a SWAT team found the suspected gunman dead inside — apparently having shot himself as officers arrived following a telephone tip.

But the pain and anxiety aren't over for residents of Americus, a city of about 17,000 people in rural southwest Georgia. They are still mourning Americus police Officer Nicholas Smarr, who died in the Wednesday morning attack, and his lifelong friend, university campus Officer Jody Smith, who clung to life for a day after being critically wounded but died from his injuries Thursday.

Police said Smith left the campus of Georgia Southwestern State University to give Smarr backup when he was dispatched to nearby apartments on the domestic fight call.

Fellow officers weren't surprised Smith would rush to help. The men had been close since grade school and both became law enforcement officers in 2012. They shared a house together in surrounding Sumter County. Sheriff Pete Smith, who once employed both men, said they were engaged to marry their respective fiancees in the coming months.

"It's tough," said Sheriff's Office Lt. Chuck Hanks, who knew both officers for years. "We're a small community. You see these people every day. You work with them every day."

Smith died Thursday evening, hours after a SWAT team found the body of the suspect, 32-year-old Minquell Lembrick. Lembrick died from "what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Americus Police Chief Mark Scott told a news conference.

During the roughly 24 hours after the shootings that Lembrick remained at large, police warned residents to consider him armed and dangerous. The Georgia Southwestern campus and other nearby schools were placed on lockdown. Law enforcement agencies pooled $70,000 in reward money to offer for information leading to the suspect's arrest.

"He was a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and he wreaked havoc on the community," said Vernon Keenan, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Lembrick had an outstanding arrest warrant charging him with kidnapping and other counts when Smarr and Smith encountered him Wednesday morning at an apartment complex where a domestic dispute had been reported, Scott said. But the officers didn't know whom they were dealing with when they responded to the 911 call.

Within an hour of the shooting, posts on Lembrick's Facebook page seemed to indicate he didn't want to be taken alive. One message posted from the account read: "other life gone not going to jail."

It was soon followed by a four-second Facebook Live video showing a young man partly concealed by shadows saying, "I'm gonna miss y'all folk, man."

GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles confirmed the Facebook page was Lembrick's. It was taken down soon after the messages were posted.

After the shootings, Smith was airlifted with critical injuries to a Macon hospital, where he underwent surgery. But Georgia Southwestern State University President Charles Patterson said in a statement Thursday evening that Smith had died from his wounds.

"He heard that call over the radio and he took it upon himself to respond and back up his friend," said Scott, the Americus police chief. "I can't say enough about them. They are model officers. They're both heroes in my opinion."

https://www.policeone.com/Officer-Safety/articles/247647006-Officer-slayings-wreaked-havoc-on-rural-Ga-community/

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Illinois

Chicago agencies to team up on patrols

The partnership comes after police were shot at six times in two weeks

by PoliceOne Staff

CHICAGO — Chicago police are teaming up with the Cook County Sheriff's Department to combat violence in the city.

ABC7 reported that Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said the partnership will place Cook County deputies in the patrol cars with officers in violent neighborhoods.

"We are going to put a Cook County sheriff's officer in a squad car with a Chicago police officer so that both entities can come together and help us tackle this crime because there are some things Cook County brings to the table that we just don't have, and vice versa," Johnson told the news station. "Like domestic issues they can arrest people for that we generally don't."

The partner patrols come after Chicago officers were fired upon six times within two weeks, according to the Chicago Tribune.

ABC7 reported there is no target date set for the program to begin.

https://www.policeone.com/Officer-Safety/articles/247740006-Chicago-agencies-to-team-up-on-patrols/

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Utah

Utah cops use 'mannequin challenge' to send distracted driving message

Orem first responders are telling teens to put their phones down

by PoliceOne Staff

(Graphic video on site)

OREM, Utah — Many police departments are using the latest viral trend to spread important messages to younger audiences.

Orem police and fire are the latest to use the mannequin challenge to warn drivers of the dangers of distracted driving, FOX13 reported.

The video shows teenage drivers frozen in place in a violent car accident. One teen holds a phone, stuck mid-text while others are injured from the impact.

“Please don't be afraid to ask your friends to put their phone down,” video text reads. “Don't become a statistic. You are too important. Pass it on.”

The departments said more than 3,000 teenagers die yearly nationwide due to distracted driving.

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Tennessee

Two juveniles charged in Smokies wildfire investigation

by Mike Donila, Becca Habegger and Kendall Morris

GATLINBURG - Authorities have charged two juveniles in connection with the fires that started last month in the Chimney Tops area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and swept through Sevier County, killing 14 and injuring more than 130.

The juveniles were charged with aggravated arson, but could face additional charges later. They are currently being held at the Sevier County Juvenile Detention Center.

"Everything is on the table," James Dunn, district attorney general of the 4th District.

During the coming days, a judge will determine whether to grant the two bond and - if so - how much.

They also could be tried as adults.

“Numerous hours have gone into conducting interviews and investigating this incident from every angle," said Mark Gwyn, director of the TBI, adding that local and state agencies “have been working tirelessly."

Officials said little about the identities of the juveniles other than they were not from Sevier County but were from Tennessee.

Knoxville attorney Bob Jolley, who worked as a prosecutor with the state for nearly 25 years, said the prosecution will have to prove that someone intended to burn property they didn't have permission to burn, and as a result, someone received serious bodily harm.

"Arson cases are relatively rare," Jolley said. "They are hard to prosecute."

The cases often rely on someone talking, giving a witness account, or providing a statement, he said.

Jolley said it is also rare that a case is transferred from juvenile court to adult criminal court. A person must be 16 or above, he said, or have specific offenses if under 15.

Circumstances that will be looked at to determine moving the case to adult criminal court are proof of the offense, mental or psychological problems, and the community's demand for the transfer, Jolley added.

"This would be a case that the last factor is probably something that would be relatively easy to prove," he said.

The judge will also look at six specific factors in considering the transfer, Jolley said, including the type of juvenile record a person may have and whether that person may be able to receive treatment in the juvenile court system that may not be available in adult court.

The two juveniles charged with aggravated arson in the Chimney Tops fire are entitled to a detention hearing within the next 72 hours, officials said at Wednesday's 3 p.m. announcement. At that hearing, a juvenile court judge will determine whether or not they will be held without bond, held with bond, or released.

Gatlinburg mayor Mike Werner the news that two juveniles are arrested and charged with starting the deadly fire is "heartbreaking."

"You can't figure out, you know, how something like this could happen, but I think it does bring some closure to some people," Werner said.

Over at the Pigeon Forge Fire Department, chief Tony Watson said, as the father of a 16-year-old, he wonders about the future of these two young people.

"Could there be more charges? Will they be held responsible for those deaths of those innocent folks?" he said. "That is such a tragedy."

Pigeon Forge, like so many East Tennessee fire departments, has been battling wildfires off and on, for months.

"You know, a lot of these fires that we've faced over here all year long...they've had a human component," Watson said. "And it's such a hard crime to prove....My hand and my heart goes out to those investigators out there, whoever it may be, that worked that. I'm proud of them."

The arrests, and the reopening of Gatlinburg Friday, may mark the beginning of closure for some.

"People are just going to be glad to get a little bit back to normal," Werner said.

That may be a "normal," however, that, for some, will be very different than before.

That includes for Werner and his family.

"We lost our home, we lost our business of 31 years, you know, like a lot of personal things that you can never get back," he said.

As the county heals, Werner said, officials plan on looking at anything that can be improved - including the warning system and local codes - in order to prevent anything like this from happening again.

"I think that there's a lot of things that can be improved, and we've done everything we possibly could at the time, but we always want to say that if we can make improvements, that's what we want to do," he said.

According to a press release, speakers at the press conference will include Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Director Mark Gwyn, 4th District Attorney General James Dunn, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park Chief Ranger Steve Kloster.

The press conference is set for 3 p.m. at the Sevier County Courthouse in Sevierville. You can watch it live on WBIR and WBIR.com.

The Chimney Tops 2 fire started on Nov. 23 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and officials said it was "human-caused." No charges have been filed and no suspects have been named so far.

That fire spread rapidly, fueled by strong winds, on November 28, into developed areas of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Fourteen people were killed as the fire spread and sparked new ones, dozens were injured, and 1,785 structures were destroyed, displacing thousands of people.

The Chimney Tops 2 fire is still smoldering in the park, burning 17,006 acres so far, but it is now 85% contained. A second fire, called the Cobby Nob fire which started the night of the fires in Gatlinburg, covers 803 acres and is 53 percent contained. Thanks to the rain, those fires have not increased in size in the past few days, but they are not completely out.

http://www.thv11.com/news/two-juveniles-charged-in-smokies-wildfire-investigation/366029166

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South Carolina

Manhunt for life-sentence escapee who may have stabbed officer several times

by CBS News

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina authorities are searching for an escaped maximum-security inmate who's suspected of stabbing a police officer.

Dexter Lee of the South Carolina Department of Corrections say 47-year-old Michael Allen Williamson escaped at around 8:50 p.m. Wednesday from the McCormick Correctional Institution.

Later that night, Columbia police officials say a female officer responding to a shoplifting call was stabbed inside a Walmart store in Columbia, South Carolina, about 80 miles east of McCormick.

CBS Columbia affiliate WLTX-TV reports the officer was stabbed several times as she was walking a suspect in the shoplifting out of the store.

Lee says authorities think Williamson stabbed the officer but are still investigating. Police said in a news release that the officer is recovering from her injuries.

Williamson began serving a life sentence for armed robbery and assault and battery with intent to kill in 1997.

Lee says authorities are still investigating how Williamson got out of the prison, but CBS Augusta, Georgia affiliate WRDW-TV reports prison officials think he may have slipped out in a food truck.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/inmate-serving-life-term-escapes-south-carolina-prison/

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Pennsylvania

Community policing to be tested in Lancaster's Southwest neighborhood

by Susan Baldrige

Dick Hecker is determined to make community policing work in the Southwest neighborhood of Lancaster City.

He's not an officer or an elected official. He's just a dedicated neighbor who has lived on Cabbage Hill for all of his 67 years.

Hecker and other residents are part of the Southwest Neighborhood Leadership Board, which is launching a five-year campaign to revitalize their neighborhood.

After a neighborhood survey showed the top concern was safety, members of the board set a goal to get local police officers involved in their efforts to improve it.

They are hoping to receive a $1.25 million grant in the spring from Wells Fargo that would help fund everything from street lighting and trash removal to housing and economic revitalization.

But installing better lighting and cleaning up the streets are only the beginning. Residents want their sector officers to play a larger role in the neighborhood.

“We don't want the only time we see police is when there is trouble,” said Hecker.

Hecker was named the head of the Community Safety Committee at the board's organizational meeting Nov. 30.

He said city police Sgt. Glenn Stoltzfus has been involved in the neighborhood efforts for years, but residents want their more localized sector police to get involved as well.

The city is divided into nine sectors with four officers assigned to each sector. The Southwest neighborhood is patrolled by eight officers covering two sectors, five and six.

Public safety

Community safety is one of the biggest issues that need to be addressed, said Jim Shultz, program development director of the Lancaster Housing Opportunity Program, which is staffing the neighborhood effort.

He said the if sector officers are involved in the community's plan, there is a better chance to build a rapport between police and residents, which helps when it comes to crime-solving.

National policing groups agree.

“Law enforcement agencies should schedule regular forums and meetings where all community members can interact with police and help influence programs and policy,” states the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing.

A recent LNP survey of residents and community leaders in all areas of the city found few people knew the police assigned to the sectors where they lived.

A police spokesman said the sector officers will come to the Southwest neighborhood meetings if they are invited and they are available.

“Absolutely. It's absolutely a priority to attend meetings that neighborhood groups host,” said Sgt. Bill Hickey.

“Some groups meet on a regular basis, and we go to those meetings,” Hickey said.

An LNP review of 4,400 emails to sector officers from July 1 through Sept. 1 found several occasions in which neighborhood groups invited police to attend a community event but didn't receive a response from the sector officer.

“I can't speak specifically to those requests, but if they are available and are not tied up elsewhere with a crime scene, they would come,” Hickey said of the sector officers.

He added that officers have been in the middle of meetings when a high priority emergency call came in and they needed to leave. “We always welcome the people who are interested in making their neighborhoods better. Without strong foundations, nobody wins,” he said.

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/community-policing-to-be-tested-in-lancaster-s-southwest-neighborhood/article_8511bc48-bcc4-11e6-a607-ff043ac0b76e.html

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Pennsylvania

Opinion

We must focus more on community policing

by Jim Walsh

It's time for Pennsylvania to encourage police departments to be more responsive to the needs of our communities through local and regional police departments adopting the community policing model of law enforcement.

Community policing is a well established concept where police proactively involve themselves with the community they serve on an ongoing basis, not just when called for service. The U.S. Department of Justice, Harvard University and many other governmental and nongovernmental think tanks agree that community policing provides the framework for good policing.

The concept is that police should not just respond to calls (reactive policing) but be involved with the community they serve (proactive policing). The police must know their community but equally or more importantly, the community must know their police.

This concept is not new but harks back to the days before police patrolled in cruisers responding to calls and were "beat cops" working a particular neighborhood. Policing today, in many departments, involves going from one call to another and keeping up with paperwork. It does not allow for follow-up or follow-through to become problem solvers in the community. We need local officers solving local problems in a collaborative effort with the community.

The implementing of community policing requires a different way of thinking both by police administrators and governing bodies but also by the public. The normal measures of gauging police effectiveness such as the number of arrests made or citations written need to be replaced by evaluating decreases in crime incidents and traffic accidents. This shift will require sufficient staffing to not only allow for response to calls for service but also have officers out in the community they serve, listening to problems and hopefully being able to help resolve some of them. It does not mean a single officer is designated a "community police officer"; the entire department must follow the model.

In order to do this we need police departments that are "right sized" to serve their respective communities, keeping it local but large enough to be efficient. Pennsylvania, by and large, is made up of many small communities. It may not be cost effective for each to have its own department, but regionalization provides a cost-effective way of keeping the departments local. Regionals can have sufficient resources to allow for community policing and be more efficient eliminating redundancies in administration, purchasing and capital costs.

The state currently has programs to encourage regionalization, and there are federal grants for community policing; these must be maintained and if possible increased. Local governments that invest in local or regional police, that implement community policing, should be given additional resources to encourage their development.

Finally, the state must provide the tools the community police officers need to assist their communities. Those tools could include readily accessible drug treatment, family counseling and mental health services. Most of our police officers want to make a difference in their communities. Let's give them the means to do that.

http://www.ydr.com/story/opinion/columnists/2016/11/08/we-must-focus-more-community-policing-column/93469388/

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Michigan

Prosecutor drops charges in death of Detroit college officer

Prosecutors dropped murder charges Wednesday against a man in the killing of a Detroit college police officer who was shot in the head

by Jeff Karoub

DETROIT — Prosecutors dropped murder charges Wednesday against a man in the killing of a Detroit college police officer who was shot in the head while on duty, but did not elaborate on why they no longer consider him a suspect.

DeAngelo Davis' defense attorney said authorities lacked evidence and "dropped the ball" in their handling of the case.

Police and prosecutors say they're committed to finding the person who shot Wayne State University officer Collin Rose on Nov. 22.

"As you can imagine, the officers from the homicide task force, including the Michigan State Police and the Detroit Police Department, have been working diligently and literally ... around the clock, along with members of my office, on this case," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said at a news conference where she announced charges against Davis were being dropped. "We all remain deeply committed to making sure that justice is done in this case, making sure that the perpetrator for the killing of Officer Rose is brought to justice."

Davis, 31, of Detroit, had been jailed without bond since his arrest the night of the shooting. He faced charges of first-degree murder and murder of a police officer. Worthy did not say why the charges were dropped and did not take any questions from reporters during the news conference.

In a statement after he was charged, Worthy said Davis was riding a bicycle when Rose stopped him. Rose was shot shortly after requesting help from other officers.

Davis' attorney, Nicole James, blasted police and prosecutors in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, calling her client's arrest a "rush to judgment."

"The murder of Sgt. Rose was a tragic loss to the community and law enforcement, but it was also wrong to snatch Mr. DeAngelo Davis off the street and try this case in the media despite a lack of evidence connecting him to the crime," James said. She went on to add that "in the case of Mr. Davis, law enforcement officials dropped the ball."

James said Davis will speak publicly later.

Wayne State, which has more than 27,000 students, employs about 65 officers. Rose, 29, died a day after the shooting and was posthumously promoted to sergeant. He is the only Wayne State officer killed in the line of duty.

Detroit Police Chief James Craig said at the time that Rose was investigating possible thefts of navigation systems from vehicles. On Wednesday, he said "the investigation did not stop" despite Davis' arrest.

https://www.policeone.com/investigations/articles/247086006-Prosecutor-drops-charges-in-death-of-Detroit-college-officer/

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Georgia

1 Ga. officer killed, 1 critical; shooter at large

A manhunt is underway

by The Associated Press

AMERICUS, Ga. — A man fatally shot one Georgia police officer and wounded a second before fleeing an apartment complex near a college campus that went on lockdown as a precaution, authorities said. They said the suspect is believed to be armed and dangerous.

The shooting took place when the two officers were responding to a domestic dispute in Americus, about 130 miles south of Atlanta, Americus police Chief Mark Scott said.

Americus police Officer Nicholas Smarr, 25, died and Georgia Southwestern State University Officer Jodi Smith was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition, Scott said. Both had been officers since 2012.

"It's a tremendous loss to our family," Scott said of Smarr's death. "It's a tragedy beyond words. One of our family members has been taken from us."

The suspect, 32-year-old Minguell Kennedy Lembrick, was still at large and local, state and federal law enforcement officers were searching for him, Scott said.

Scott urged anyone who sees Lembrick to call police but warned, "Do not attempt to approach him. He is armed and dangerous."

GBI Director Vernon Keenan said his agency and the FBI are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to Lembrick's arrest. Later Wednesday, the Peach County Sheriff's Office, Byron Police Department and Fort Valley Police Department contributed another $10,000 to the fund.

"This is a very dangerous individual. We need to have him off the streets," Keenan said. "We need him arrested so he can face the courts."

Lembrick already had outstanding warrants for kidnapping and other charges related to a previous domestic incident, but the officers didn't know whom they were dealing with when they responded to the 911 call, Scott told reporters.

Shortly after the shootings Wednesday, a message posted on Lembrick's Facebook page read: "other life gone not going to jail."

Also posted to Lembrick's account was a four-second Facebook Live video showing a young man partly concealed by shadows saying, "I'm gonna miss y'all folk, man." The final message on Lembrick's page read: "Love yall."

All three posts had Facebook timestamps between 10:13 a.m. and 10:41 a.m. The video was removed a few hours after it was posted.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Nelly Miles confirmed to The Associated Press that the Facebook page belongs to the suspect.

The university issued an alert on its website saying the shooting occurred off campus but that the campus was on lockdown. University interim President Charles Patterson told reporters the lockdown remained in effect late Wednesday afternoon.

At least five other Georgia law enforcement officers have been killed by gunmen in the line of duty this year.

—A deputy U.S. marshal, Patrick Carothers, was fatally shot Nov. 28 while trying to serve a warrant at a home in rural Long County, about 55 miles southwest of Savannah. Law officers with Carothers returned fire and killed the suspect, Dontrell Montese Carter. Carothers was deputy commander of the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force for the U.S. Marshals Service.

—On Nov. 6, two Peach County sheriff's deputies were shot while responding to a report that a middle Georgia man used a rifle to threaten people riding a motorcycle and a four-wheeler near his property. Sgt. Patrick Dondron and Deputy Daryl Smallwood died from injuries suffered in the attack near Byron, about 16 miles southwest of Macon. Ralph Stanley Elrod was charged with murder and aggravated assault on a police officer.

—Eastman Patrol Officer Timothy Smith died after being shot Aug. 13 while responding to a call of a suspicious person with a gun in the rural city about 60 miles southeast of Macon. Royheem Delshawn Deeds was charged with murder in the case after he was caught hiding in the trunk of a car in Florida.

—Riverdale police Maj. Greg Barney was killed Feb. 11 after he was shot four times while chasing a fleeing suspect as drug investigators searched a metro Atlanta apartment building. Jerand Ross was charged with murder after another officer shot and wounded him.

https://www.policeone.com/officer-shootings/articles/247069006-1-Ga-officer-killed-1-critical-shooter-at-large/

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California

Bill aims to ban police from notifying feds about immigrants

The bill wants to bar police from sharing information with federal deportation agents about immigrants being released from custody

by The Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The leader of the California Senate wants to bar police from sharing information with federal deportation agents about immigrants being released from custody.

Democratic Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon said Wednesday that he has introduced a bill to prevent law enforcement from heeding requests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be notified when immigrants are being released from local jails.

The bill would also ban federal agents from interviewing inmates for deportation purposes.

State Democratic lawmakers have proposed a series of bills aimed at protecting immigrants from President-elect Donald Trump's plans to expand deportations.

Federal immigration agents began asking police to notify them when immigrants would be released from jails after many jurisdictions — including California — started refusing to honor agents' requests to detain inmates for deportation.

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

California

Los Angeles Metro terror threat from abroad leads to heightened security

by CBS News

LOS ANGELES - The threat of a terror attack against a busy commuter rail station in the Los Angeles area has prompted authorities to increase security throughout the region and urge commuters to report any suspicious behavior they see.

“Information was relayed this morning to the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force from our international partners that there was a potential threat,” Deirdre Fike, assistant director of the FBI's Los Angeles office, told reporters Monday night.

She said the caller threatened to carry out the attack sometime Tuesday at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Universal City rail station, which is near Universal Studios.

“We are right now looking at the credibility of the threat,” she said.

Although authorities tend to receive such threats more often during the holidays, Fike said, they chose to tell the public about this one because of its specificity and because the attack was threatened for the next day.

The Universal City Red Line station is adjacent to Universal CityWalk, an area filled with restaurants, nightclubs and other entertainment activities and often crowded with tourists. Universal Studios and several high-rise hotel and office buildings are nearby.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies could be seen patrolling the area with dogs Monday night.

Mayor Eric Garcetti urged people to go about their business Tuesday, but to also expect to see more security at every commuter rail stop in the region.

“My advice right now is that everybody should go about their normal day tomorrow,” he said. “In fact I'll be boarding the Red Line myself tomorrow morning at Universal City.

The line carries commuters from Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley to downtown's Union Station. About 150,000 riders a day take it and the Purple Line, which covers some of the same route.

Police Chief Charlie Beck and Sheriff Jim McDonnell said stepped-up security would include additional uniformed officers, including some with dogs, as well as officers in plainclothes.

“This could be real, it could be a hoax. But we must remain calm but vigilant,” McDonnell said.

Both he and Beck encouraged anyone who sees anything suspicious to contact authorities immediately.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/los-angeles-metro-terror-threat-from-abroad-heightened-security/

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Georgia

Armstrong State University ramps up community policing efforts

by WJCL

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Recent violence involving law enforcement across the country has a local university taking action this week with Armstrong State University's Police Department ramping up efforts to be more visible on campus.

Officer Tracy Braun said the new community policing effort gets officers out of the their patrol cars and onto campus.

"We're just more approachable instead of being stuck in a squad room," said Braun, "somewhere where we aren't approachable by anyone who might need us or just stop by and say hi, we're sitting right there with them."

Inside Armstrong's student union, officers set up a station where they can write reports and interact with students.

Armstrong police said it's all about trust between officers and students. Braun said there has been a lot of animosity between law enforcement and the general public.

She chalks it up to a smartphone addicted culture.

"No one knows how to speak person to person," Braun said."Everybody knows how to speak with their phones."

Braun said it's more important than ever to invest in a conversation and build relationships.

"We try to be not just police officers, but more like family members," Braun said.

In a time when trust is hard-earned, she said a familiar face can ease any tension, build cooperation and create a community -- the goal of the Armstrong's policing effort.

"Anything that will break some grounds between us and them, open a common pathway that's what we're looking for," explained Braun. "So far, it seems to be working."

http://www.wjcl.com/article/armstrong-state-university-ramps-up-community-policing-efforts/8468642

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Connecticut

Can you spot the signs? Sandy Hook nonprofit launches gun violence PSA

The group says that recognizing the signs of potential gun violence could stop an attack

by PoliceOne Staff

(Video on site)

NEWTOWN, Conn. — A nonprofit founded by family members who lost loved ones in the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre have launched a new gun violence PSA.

The video depicts a new relationship forming at a high school school. Hidden in the background of the scenes, a student can be seen plotting an attack. Sandy Hook Promise told Fox61 that the short film was based on research on practices that help protect children from gun violence in their communities.

The news station reported that the group's intent “is to honor all victims of gun violence by turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation by providing programs and practices that protect children and prevent the senseless, tragic loss of life.”

“Almost 4 years after the tragedy that struck Sandy Hook Elementary School, there continues to be no reduction in the number of gun violence acts committed each and every day,” a statement from Sandy Hook Promise read.

Sandy Hook Promise Managing Director Nicole Hockley told the news station that she believes the PSA could prevent future school violence.

“Knowing that my son's death was preventable but no one recognized the signs and was able to connect them to give the shooter help, that's part of what drives me to ensure that other families don't suffer this same tragedy,” Hockley said.

https://www.policeone.com/school-violence/articles/246412006-Video-Can-you-spot-the-signs-Sandy-Hook-nonprofit-launches-gun-violence-PSA/

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From the FBI

Joint Cyber Operation Takes Down Avalanche Criminal Network

Servers Enabled Nefarious Activity Worldwide

It was a highly secure infrastructure of servers that allegedly offered cyber criminals an unfettered platform from which to conduct malware campaigns and “money mule” money laundering schemes, targeting victims in the U.S. and around the world.

But the Avalanche network, which was specifically designed to thwart detection by law enforcement, turned out to be not so impenetrable after all. And late last week, the FBI took part in a successful multi-national operation to dismantle Avalanche, alongside our law enforcement partners representing 40 countries and with the cooperation of private sector partners. The investigation involved arrests and searches in four countries, the seizing of servers, and the unprecedented effort to sinkhole more than 800,000 malicious domains associated with the network.

It's estimated that Avalanche was responsible for as many as 500,000 malware-infected computers worldwide on a daily basis and dollar losses at least in the hundreds of millions as a result of that malware.

“Cyber criminals can victimize millions of users in a moment from anywhere in the world,” according to Scott Smith, assistant director of the FBI's Cyber Division. “This takedown highlights the importance of collaborating with our international law enforcement partners against this evolution of organized crime in the virtual.”

The investigation into the highly sophisticated Avalanche network, initiated four years ago by German law enforcement authorities and prosecutors, uncovered numerous phishing and spam campaigns that resulted in malware being unwittingly downloaded onto thousands of computers internationally after their users opened bad links in e-mails or downloaded malicious attachments. Once the malware was installed, online banking passwords and other sensitive information were stolen from victims' computers and redirected through the intricate network of Avalanche servers to back-end servers controlled by the cyber criminals, who wasted no time in using this information to help themselves to other people's money.

One type of malware distributed by Avalanche was ransomware, which encrypted victims' computer files until the victim paid a ransom to the criminal perpetrator. Other types of malware stole victims' sensitive banking credentials, which were used to initiate fraudulent wire transfers. And in terms of the money laundering schemes, highly organized networks of money mules purchased goods with the stolen funds, enabling the cyber criminals to launder the illicit proceeds of their malware attacks.

How did these cyber criminals hear about the Avalanche network in the first place? Access to the network was advertised through postings—similar to advertisements—on exclusive underground online criminal forums.

Because most cyber schemes cross national borders, an international law enforcement response is absolutely critical to identifying not just the technical infrastructure that facilitate these crimes, but also the administrators who run the networks and the cyber criminals who use these networks to carry out their crimes.

The FBI—with its domestic and international partners—will continue to target the most egregious cyber criminals and syndicates. But U.S. businesses, other organizations, and the general public need to do their part by protecting their computers and networks from malware and other insidious cyber threats. Don't click on links embedded inside e-mails. Don't open e-mail attachments without verifying who they're from. Use strong passwords. Enable your pop-up blocker. Only download software from sites you trust. And make sure your anti-virus software is up to date.

Each of us securing our own devices—coupled with a coordinated law enforcement effort to combat ongoing cyber threats—will go a long way toward protecting all of us in cyberspace.

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Maryland

County police chief touts community-based approach

by Megan Brockett

Anne Arundel County Police Chief Tim Altomare pushed the need for stronger partnerships between police and community members, particularly those who live in underserved areas of the county, during a talk at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis on Sunday evening.

Altomare was the guest speaker at the church's AWAKE Talks event, which drew about 50 people. Modeled after the famous TED Talks, the program invites speakers to share different perspectives and stories of hope and transformation, the Rev. John Crestwell said.

Altomare's talk focused, in part, on community policing, which the chief said his department has been working hard to bring back after years of budget challenges.

"(Community policing) works in every community because it's built upon the paradigm of shared trust and responsibility, and the realization that cops can't do it all on their own," he said.

The department's approach to community policing includes having beat cops who are more intimately familiar with the communities they police and encouraging members of the department to visit local churches, schools and community meetings.

It is a way for officers to "get back out into the community," Altomare said.

The chief opened his talk Sunday on a somber note, saying his police department was struggling after a civilian was injured last week by police gunfire.

A 67-year-old woman from Glen Burnie was struck in the head and neck when gunfire broke out Tuesday during a standoff situation at her neighbor's home.

"Our family on the police department has been kind of destroyed this week," Altomare said. "We're the good guys, and that's very important to us. And – there's no way around it – the good guys took action this week, and an innocent person who didn't deserve to be even involved in the situation was hurt."

The victim is expected to make a full recovery.

Later in the evening, Altomare pointed to situation as another reason there is a need for positive police involvement in the communities.

"The goal is to get to such a place of trust and respect between … the citizens we serve and us that on that bad night, where we've made a huge withdrawal from our checking account of trust in our community, I still have a positive balance," he said.

Altomare said he believes the department is at that point.

He also touched on racial profiling, a term he said the department "works very hard" to make sure is not a part of its lexicon. He said the department has undergone training on "fair and impartial policing" and will continue to do so each year.

"Police need to police fairly and impartially to be gifted of the trust and respect I was talking about earlier," he said.

Crestwell, of the church's AWAKE Ministries program, said Altomare was asked to be a guest speaker to share his perspective with members of the congregation.

The two have had breakfast together several times, and their talks helped him to understand a lot of the teachings and principles behind what police have to do, he said.

"We're a Black Lives Matter congregation; some of us have very strong opinions about law enforcement," he said. "I wanted to bring a more balanced approach. I wanted them to hear not just our opinion on Black Lives Matter and the movement itself, but I wanted to also hear the police opinion."

http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/annapolis/ph-ac-cn-altomare-talk-1205-20161204-story.html

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Illinois

Chicago tops 700 homicides

The 701 homicides through Wednesday marked a nearly 56 percent jump from the 450 killings in 2015

by Jeremy Gorner

CHICAGO — In a year of relentless violence, Chicago has hit another grim milestone, exceeding 700 homicides for the first time in nearly two decades, according to official Police Department records.

The 700 mark was reached about 6:20 a.m. Wednesday when a 25-year-old man was shot in the abdomen and back as he drove, crashing into a bus shelter in the 9300 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue on the South Side, said Frank Giancamilli, a police spokesman.

Then at about 8 p.m., a 22-year-old man was found shot and killed as he walked in a gangway near 68th Street and Cornell Avenue in the South Shore neighborhood, he said.

The year got off to a violent start with 50 homicides in January and rarely let up even after the end of the summer -- the peak season for shootings.

The 701 homicides through Wednesday marked a nearly 56 percent jump from the 450 killings a year earlier. With one month still to go, that represents the most homicides since 704 in 1998. There were 761 homicides in 1997.

Through Wednesday, nearly 4,050 people have been shot, a 50 percent jump from 2,699 victims a year earlier, according to the department statistics. Shooting incidents rose by comparable figures, to 3,315, up 49 percent from 2,224 a year earlier.

The Police Department statistics do not include about an additional 20 killings on area expressways, as well as police-involved shootings, justifiable homicides or death investigations that could later be reclassified as homicides.

The surge in violence has come at a time of upheaval for the Police Department amid an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Justice Department in the past year's fallout over the video showing the fatal shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald by an officer.

Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, who was a surprise appointment in March after his predecessor, Garry McCarthy, was fired in the blowup over the McDonald shooting, said his department is doing all it can to combat violence rooted in poverty and hopelessness.

On Tuesday, following a speech to the Union League Club, Johnson called this year's homicide totals "unacceptable," blaming what he called "a small subsection of citizens" for the violence. The department has compiled a "strategic subject list" -- a computerized algorithm designed to zero in on about 1,400 mostly gang members considered most likely to shoot someone or become a victim of violence.

"The police are doing their job," Johnson told reporters. "What we need help in is holding these repeat gun offenders accountable for this gun violence, and until we do that, we're going to continue to see the cycle of violence."

Homicides peaked in Chicago at more than 900 a year in the early to mid-1990s. This year has seen homicides soar month after month to levels not seen in about two decades. The 92 homicides in August alone marked the most the city had seen for a single month since July 1993. By early September, Chicago surpassed the homicide toll for all of 2015. The Halloween weekend ended with 69 people shot, 17 fatally, the deadliest weekend of 2016. And in the just-completed November, homicides totaled 77, the worst for that month since 78 in 1994.

The city's violence continues to far outpace both New York and Los Angeles combined even though their populations far exceed Chicago's. According to official statistics through about Nov. 20, the most recent that are publicly available, New York and Los Angeles had a combined 565 homicides, less than Chicago's total. In addition, there were a combined 2,117 shooting victims in the two cities, close to half of Chicago's total.

Crime experts caution about making year-to-year comparisons of homicides, arguing that long-term trends give a better understanding of how the level of violence in a city has changed over time.

Police officials have blamed much of Chicago's violence on the flow of illegal firearms through dangerous neighborhoods and an intractable gang problem. The gangs, once highly structured and hierarchal, have fractured into small factions. Petty disagreements and personal disputes can quickly turn violent with social media, crime experts have said.

Another factor contributing to the violence could be a drop in morale among Chicago police officers because of heightened scrutiny in the fallout over the McDonald shooting as well as a new law requiring detailed reports be filled out for every street stop because of concerns over racial profiling. In interviews, officers recently told the Chicago Tribune that they had taken a more cautious approach to their work, concerned they could end up in a viral internet video, sued or fired.

So far this year, the bulk of the violence has been concentrated in neighborhoods on the South and West sides that have been plagued by decades of poverty, entrenched segregation, gangs, rampant narcotics sales and other social ills.

Two of the city's historically most violent police districts -- Harrison and Englewood -- account for almost one-fourth of Chicago's homicides and shooting incidents.

Harrison, a West Side district that includes communities such as West Garfield Park and North Lawndale, has recorded the worst violence in the city. Through Nov. 27, homicides totaled 88, an 87 percent increase over the 47 people slain a year earlier, official department statistics show. Shooting incidents rose to 440, up 75 percent from 251 a year earlier.

Through the same time period, homicides in the South Side's Englewood District skyrocketed to 82, a 148 percent rise from 33 a year earlier, the department said. Shooting incidents totaled 342, a 36 percent rise from 251 a year earlier.

And in the Austin District on the city's far West Side, homicides doubled to 54 from 27 a year earlier, the statistics show. Shooting incidents went up by even more, to 293, a 117 percent jump from 135 a year earlier.

The violence has also spiked in the Chicago Lawn, Deering, Gresham and Grand Crossing police districts on the South Side.

The Rev. Marshall Hatch, pastor of the New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in West Garfield Park, said he talks to young people in the community about staying in school and earning a legitimate living. But he knows it's not easy for them.

"It's really a culture of death," he said. "There's a lot of fear and a lot of assumption that they're not going to live long."

On Thursday afternoon at Ms. B's European Hair Weaving, a barbershop across the street from where Chicago's 700th homicide took place a day earlier, employees and customers were disturbed to learn from a reporter of the killing's significance.

"If this was my place, I'd have bulletproof windows, a buzzer on the door," said Rowan Weaver, 43, who has worked at the shop in the South Side's Burnside neighborhood for eight years.

"We got sort of immune to this stuff because it happens so much," said another barber, who identified himself as Marcus Johnes, 33.

Johnes, a comb in one hand and clippers in the other, speculated on the causes of the seemingly runaway violence.

"Definitely social media has a big influence on the killings," he said. "(Kids) ain't got nothing to do. Drugs."

"I'm trying my best to raise my kids," his customer, 35, said in an irritable tone, with a smock covering his body and shaving cream on his face. "Once we leave the house, what do we do? It could be me or one of my daughters."

"Seven hundred murders?" he asked incredulously. "That's heartbreaking

https://www.policeone.com/Officer-Safety/articles/246040006-Chicago-tops-700-homicides/

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How to explain to the public why cops don't shoot to wound

Some people continue to believe that shooting a dangerous subject in the hand or the leg is not only feasible, but preferable to shooting center mass

by Doug Wyllie

With a jaw-dropping remark about what the police response should have been during Ohio State terrorist attack, a political pundit named Nomicki Konst proved what little she knows about law enforcement.

Instead of rapidly ending the threat posed by the knife-wielding assailant on the OSU campus, Konst said on the “The Kelly File” on Fox News that Officer Alan Horujko should have sought to wound the man so he could be questioned later.

Officer Horujko had faced a subject who had just struck innocent students with a car, and subsequently emerged from his disabled vehicle and stabbed more victims with a knife. The statements Konst made imply that Horujko should have kept the attacker alive — which would have risked the lives of an untold number of bystanders — so he could be interrogated later.

The vulgarity of spreading misinformation

Show host Megyn Kelly had asked Konst about Tim Kaine's tweet about the attack being more “gun violence” when indeed the attacker used a car and a knife to send 11 people to the hospital.

Konst said, “Senator Kaine should not have rushed to judgment, should have waited for the facts to come in, as should have the police that were there who ended up shooting — who we now know is someone who aligned himself with ISIS.”

Kelly replied, “Did you say the police should have exercised more self-control?”

Konst then said that police should have ensured that the attacker survive “so they can question him, especially if there is some sort of terrorist affiliation.” She added, “You find a way to injure them, harm them, knock them down, so that you can still keep them alive to question them.”

With all due respect to Ms. Konst, I will quote a popular television advertising spot: “That's not how this works. That's not how any of this works.”

Fortunately for the benefit of the viewing public, Dana Loesch was there to counter. “You have no idea what you're talking about, Nomicki. The officer is a hero. He absolutely is a hero,” Loesch said.

The vagaries of public misunderstanding

Some members of the public continue to believe that shooting an armed and dangerous subject in the hand or the leg is not only feasible, but preferable to shooting center mass.

Not only is shooting to wound not feasible, it is not preferable, and this persistent perception is probably the result of what Force Science Institute Executive Director Dr. Bill Lewinski calls “training by Hollywood.”

Fictional cops with superhuman capabilities enable more dramatic endings to police procedurals. Scenes in which a gun is shot from the hand of a menacing bad guy simply do not reflect real-life human abilities.

What Lewinski said back in 2006 remains just as true today: “Hands and arms can be the fastest-moving body parts. For example, an average suspect can move his hand and forearm across his body to a 90-degree angle in 12/100 of a second. He can move his hand from his hip to shoulder height in 18/100 of a second.”

Lewinski then said “The average officer pulling the trigger as fast as he can on a GLOCK — one of the fastest-cycling semi-autos — requires 1/4 second to discharge each round. There is no way an officer can react, track, shoot and reliably hit a threatening suspect's forearm or a weapon in a suspect's hand in the time spans involved.”

Lewinski added, “If an officer manages to take a suspect's legs out non-fatally, that still leaves the offender's hands free to shoot. His ability to threaten lives hasn't necessarily been stopped.”

The realities of stopping violence

First and foremost, we must continually educate the public that cops are not trained to “kill” — they are trained to stop a threat of death or great bodily harm to themselves or another person. That means putting rounds in center mass until that threat is on the ground and neutralized.

It should be noted that an assailant who is on the ground may continue to present a threat — shot doesn't equal dead. A downed gunman can still squeeze off rounds. A man with a knife can still stab at officers approaching to handcuff him.

Put simply, ending violence frequently requires violence — sometimes, a considerable amount of it — and violence never looks pretty.

Cops are also trained in the Failure Drill — also known as the Mozambique Drill — when body shots do not end the threat. The next target is the head, ideally in an eye socket. Head shots are more difficult than center mass, but they are immensely effective at ending a deadly threat — ask the Tulsa officer who saved this toddler's life recently.

Further, it should be noted that cops are also trained to attempt life-saving first aid following such an incident, but their legal, moral and ethical obligations are secure the scene to render aid to the victims first, not the subject.

We must educate the public about the priorities of life. For responding officers, the highest priority is the victim(s). The next priority is the lives of other uninvolved citizens. Then it's their fellow cops. In the very last place is the assailant. American cops know this — some of the American public does not.

Finally, we must continue to educate the masses about Graham v. Connor , in which the Supreme Court of the United States declared quite clearly that:

“The Fourth Amendment ‘reasonableness' inquiry is whether the officers' actions are ‘objectively reasonable' in light of the facts and circumstances confronting them, without regard to their underlying intent or motivation. The ‘reasonableness' of a particular use of force must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, and its calculus must embody an allowance for the fact that police officers are often forced to make split-second decisions about the amount of force necessary in a particular situation.”

The finalities of deadly force encounters

It is on us — law enforcement professionals, trainers, educators and leaders — to teach the public, the press and the politicians about the fundamental tenants of law enforcement. We cannot stop trying, even in the face of people who are misinformed.

The American public is in desperate need of help. The vast majority of Americans have never even heard of SCOTUS decisions like Graham v. Connor or Tennessee v. Garner . Even if they have, most could not fully articulate or understand their meanings.

However, this is not really their fault. Civics class hasn't been taught in public schools for decades. We cannot expect students to know about lessons never taught.

This makes us the teachers we need today.

In an age of TV dramas and Hollywood movies, American law enforcement has the opportunity to educate the nation about real-world deadly force encounters — most importantly, why cops don't “shoot to wound.”

https://www.policeone.com/police-trainers/articles/245523006-How-to-explain-to-the-public-why-cops-dont-shoot-to-wound/