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From the Los Angeles Times

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Once-controversial Islamic center opens in New York

The scene at Wednesday's official opening at the building on Park Place, about 2 1/2 blocks from the former World Trade Center towers, was far different from a year ago, when the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks became a platform for groups trying to prevent the center from going forward. Previously, the towering building housed a Burlington Coat Factory, which was damaged in the 2001 attacks and subsequently closed.

The new owner's decision to use the building for an Islamic center, including a prayer space, divided politicians and survivors of Sept. 11 victims, with some saying the project was an insult because it is so close to ground zero. They labeled the center the "ground zero mosque."

Others, who were supported by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, said the center was the ideal way to improve ties among New York's diverse groups and give Muslims a place to pray, see art exhibits, watch films and listen to lectures.

But the center is open to everyone, not just Muslims, its developer and the property's owner, Sharif El-Gamal, said Wednesday in an interview on CNN a few hours before Park51 Community Center, as the site is called, opened its doors.

"We are building a community center that's going to be open to all people. It is based on Islamic values and heritage ... just like a YMCA," said El-Gamal, whose history with the project was covered in this Los Angeles Times story. In fact, El-Gamal says he modeled the center after the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan's Upper West Side neighborhood, where he lives and takes his daughter.

El-Gamal acknowledged some errors in Park51's planning, especially regarding communicating the plans with relatives of people who died in the 2001 attacks.

"We did not know we had to ... discuss this project with them ... but going back, I wish we had engaged the 9/11 family members because our intention was never to hurt or to antagonize anyone," he said on CNN.

Later, at the photography exhibit that marked the center's grand opening, there were no signs of the animosity that once plagued the space. El-Gamal, between congratulatory hugs from well-wishers, attributed the earlier problems to an "incredible ocean of confusion and misconception" that led some people to fear the spot could become a breeding ground for Islamic militants.

Better public relations cleared that up, he told reporters as musicians provided background music and guests viewed the photography exhibit.

The show couldn't have been more benign. It featured photographs of immigrant children living in the United States. Passers-by stopped on the rain-slick sidewalk outside to watch through the windows as the (alcohol-free) gala went on inside. In the prayer space beside the exhibition rooms, men arrived for their evening prayers.

The photo exhibit will go on for about three months. The center also plans to offer lectures, films, youth programs, interfaith coffee hours and even yoga for children.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/

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Perils of the PTSD defense

As more people, especially veterans, are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, it's increasingly important not to let that be used unfairly as a defense in criminal cases.

September 23, 2011

Understandable sympathy for veterans traumatized by war is transforming the conduct of criminal trials. A recent story by Times staff writer David Zucchino reported that post-traumatic stress disorder is increasingly being cited by defense attorneys in arguing that a defendant lacked the intent necessary for conviction of most offenses. The implications for the criminal justice system are significant. Already, 170,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have been diagnosed with PTSD, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, which is not limited to veterans, is a recognized psychological ailment that is included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. But just because a person is diagnosed with it doesn't mean that he or she can't form the requisite intent to commit a crime. And the defense is not always successful. Zucchino told of Joshua Stepp, an Army infantryman convicted of killing his infant stepdaughter, who had cited post-traumatic stress disorder in his defense. (The jury deadlocked on whether to impose the death penalty.)

Stepp's attorney told the jury, "People with untreated PTSD do not have the same checks and balances, or brakes, that the rest of us hopefully do." It isn't unprecedented to argue that certain groups have a greater propensity to violence. Six years ago, in striking down the death penalty for juveniles, the Supreme Court remarked on "the susceptibility of juveniles to immature and irresponsible behavior." But it doesn't automatically follow that an individual defendant is unable to form intent to commit a crime because of his youth; so too a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder shouldn't automatically lead to leniency.

It isn't clear whether judges and juries are too tolerant of defenses based on post-traumatic stress disorder. But there is a danger that the mere invocation of PTSD, especially in a case involving a veteran, might substitute for a nuanced examination of the case for leniency. Experts should be closely questioned about the unique psychological factors that resulted in impairment for a specific defendant.

Like other defendants, veterans deserve to have mitigating factors taken into account by the criminal justice system. But there is the danger that post-traumatic stress disorder will become a talisman for leniency where none is justified — and a synonym for criminal tendencies. That would be unfair to other defendants and demeaning to the military.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-ptsd-20110923,0,87553,print.story

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From Google News

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Virginia

Purcellville Wins Community Policing Award

September 22, 2011

The Purcellville Police Department is the winner of the 2011 International Association of Chiefs of Police's Community Policing Award for communities with populations less than 20,000. The award is jointly presented with Cisco Corporation.

Todd A. Miller, chairman of the Community Policing Committee for the International Association of Chiefs of Police, announced five agencies have been selected to receive the 2011 Community Policing Award.

Purcellville Police Chief Darryl C. Smith and Lt. James S. Rust will receive the award Oct. 26 at the IACP's annual Conference Banquet in Chicago, IL.

In his five years as Purcellville's top cop, Smith has pursued a strong community policing program for the town's police department, instituting a number of initiatives and citizen-law enforcement partnerships, in which Rust has been a key player.

In a statement, Smith acknowledged the award as "a major accomplishment for our community" and thanked all the department's many partners. "Without their help we could not bring the outstanding programs to our town, partners like the Purcellville Eagles Club and Women's Auxiliary, Purcellville Women's Club, Grace Annex Methodist Church, the Purcellville American Legion, Purcellville Baptist Church, and our many other clubs, businesses and organizations," Smith said.

"The philosophy of community policing is more relevant and necessary today than ever before," Miller said in a statement announcing the selections. He cited the limited resources available to most agencies in current economic conditions. The assistance law enforcement officers receive through community policing practices and partnering with citizens results in "the most effective means of making our communities safer."

This year's five winners and seven finalists were recognized as examples of community policing best practices. The population categories ranged from under 20,000 to more than 250,000. The annual award was developed in 1998 by the IACP's Community Policing Committee to recognize outstanding community policing initiatives by law enforcement.

http://www.leesburg2day.com/news/towns_villages/article_4b30c9e8-e52d-11e0-ad64-001cc4c03286.html

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Opinion

New Jersey

Why Do We Need A Neighborhood Watch?

Do you want to know the key to preventing crime? It's a Good Neighbor!

The kids in my neighborhood stuck together and everybody's parents knew everyone else's. Someone was always home in the neighborhood and watching what was going on and trouble and mischief seldom went unobserved or unreported, much to our own chagrin. These were the days before the Internet, cell phones and even computers.

Today things are different. Many families have two working parents leaving their homes empty during the day. While the Internet and social media have opened our access and knowledge all over the world, it has caused parents and their children to become more shut in and more isolated from their immediate surroundings.

We don't hang out in our neighborhoods. We have play-dates. Instead of playing a game of home-run derby or tag football in an empty lot or field, we have organized sports and travel teams. The lives of my children are much different than what I experienced.

I know who my neighbors are but I'm ashamed to say I don't know my neighbors.

Then the events of Sept. 11, 2001 changed our world forever. No longer could we feel secure in our own homes, neighborhoods or even our country. In many ways the world is presenting us all with a new, unpredictable and seemingly hostile environment, so in order to ensure our safety and the safety of our children we must be ever
vigilant.

One of the best ways to accomplish vigilance and create security is by linking up with our friends and neighbors and working together to create safe neighborhoods and communities. By monitoring and reporting unusual activities and individuals in a responsible manner we send a clear message to criminals and terrorists, we protect our country from the bottom up.

You have chosen wrong if you believe that we will be deterred or cowered by deviate or lawless behavior. If you choose to break the law and terrorize, then do it somewhere else. By watching out for each other's children and property neighbors become active protectors of the homeland. Together, we can do it one block at a time.

What is it?

Neighborhood Watch is a crime prevention program that enlists the active participation of residents in cooperation with law enforcement to reduce crime in their communities. It involves neighbors getting to know each other and working together in a program of mutual assistance.

Residents are trained to recognize and report suspicious activities in their neighborhoods and the implementation of crime prevention techniques such as homeland security surveys. Its neighbors looking out for each other!

Why Neighborhood Watch?

Nationwide, millions of crimes are committed every year and the number is still growing. There can't be a law enforcement officer on every corner so citizen involvement is essential to combat crime. By cooperating with each other and law enforcement, people can help fight crime in their community the most effective way – before it begins.

One Livingston neighbor who feels there is a need for a neighborhood watch is Komal Panjabi.

Panjabi is a resident of the small 30-home community of Hillside Heights. She met with Officers Gary Mankowitz and Joy Klapal in the Community Policing Office to discuss how she can start a neighborhood watch in her community.

“My neighbor's car was stolen from her driveway right across the street, which made me nervous and there have been other incidents as well. We need to be more vigilant. We all have little kids on this block and sometimes I fear for their safety,” Panjabi said.

When asked how she heard about the Neighborhood Watch she said, “Our family went to the National Night Out event at the Oval and I picked up a flyer at the Community Police booth. When I saw the Neighbor Hood Watch flyer, I said, I'm in.”

She went back to her neighbors and started talking to them about forming a watch group and the response so far was positive. Panjabi told Officer Mankowitz that she believes they need to have better communication between her neighbors, to talk about things going on, even if it just for social reasons and to keep in touch.

Officer Mankowitz informed Panjabi that some of the benefits of forming Neighborhood Watch groups were that it will give her and her neighbors access to experts in areas crime prevention, cyber-bullying, traffic safety as well as officers from the Livingston Police Department coming out to their homes and conducting Home Security Surveys and specialized training on how to be a good witness.

“It's all about being observant,” added Officer Joy Klapal who also works in the Community Policing Unit. “We would rather you call and we'll come and check things out and it be nothing than you never call at all and it turn out to be something we should know about. Please call.”

When she was told by Officer Mankowitz that she was going to be named “Block Captain” for the Hillside Heights group, Komal Panjabi had just one question, “Can I get a hat?” The answer is yes, AND a whistle!

Helping the Livingston Police in reaching the community and helping to form local Neighborhood Watches will be Heather Shulman. She will be acting as the Program Coordinator, assisting the police as the liaison between the Block Watch Captains and the police.

How to get started:

If you want to get involved, you can start a Neighborhood Watch. It's a simple process that can make a big difference in your community. Here's how to get started:

• Form a small planning committee. Decide on a date and place for an initial neighborhood meeting.
  

• Contact the Livingston Police Community Policing Unit and request that an officer come to your meeting to discuss your neighborhood's problems and needs.
  

• Stay in touch. Open the lines of communication between you and your neighbors and keep the police informed of any illegal or suspicious activity in your neighborhood.

For more information on how to get involved, call the Livingston Community Policing Unit at (973) 992-3000 ext. 3600 and tell them that you are interested in joining or starting a Neighborhood Watch group.

Law enforcement officers can't be everywhere at once, but you and your neighbors can. Use your eyes and ears and then the telephone. If you see something suspicious then call the police immediately at (973) 992-3000.

http://livingston.patch.com/articles/why-do-we-need-a-neighborhood-watch-41e5b1f7

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