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From the Los Angeles Times

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UCLA medical officials say patient information data stolen

The UCLA Health System is warning thousands of patients that their personal information was stolen and they are at risk of possible identity theft, officials said in a statement released Friday.

Officials don't believe the information has been accessed or misused but are referring patients to a data security company if their name and credit are affected.

Altogether, 16,288 patients' information was taken from the home of a physician whose house was burglarized on Sept. 6, according to the UCLA Health System.

The physician works for UCLA Faculty Practice Group, whose doctors see patients at the outpatient clinics and the four inpatient hospitals: Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center and Orthopedic Hospital, Mattel Children's Hospital and Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital.

The stolen patient information included first and last names as well as some birth dates, medical record numbers, addresses and medical information, officials said. It did not include Social Security numbers, credit card or insurance details. The patient information was from 2007 through 2011.

The data were on the physician's external hard drive, officials said. Though the hard drive was encrypted, a piece of paper with the password was nearby and is also missing. The physician notified UCLA the next day and officials began identifying patients affected.

The theft is not the first breach at UCLA. Between 2005 and 2009, hospital officials were repeatedly caught and fired for reviewing, without authorization, the medical records of dozens of celebrities, including Britney Spears and Farrah Fawcett. That prompted a state law imposing escalating fines on hospitals for patient privacy lapses. State regulators later fined Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in connection with privacy breaches involving the records of Michael Jackson.

In the statement, UCLA officials said they would review the hospital's policies and make any fixes necessary. They have contracted with a data security firm to work with patients and notified the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, which has previously investigated privacy violations at the hospitals.

"UCLA's concern for its patients is absolute, and we deeply regret any breach of confidentiality and the stress and concern it might cause our patients," the statement said.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/

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O.C. teen gets life in prison for murder committed when he was 14

A Santa Ana teenager was sentenced Friday to 40 years to life in prison for a fatal shooting he committed when he was 14.

Andrew Cervantes, now 15, was tried as adult and will begin his sentence at the California Youth Authority before being transferred at age 18 to state prison.

Prosecutors said Cervantes shot Manuel Orozco, 17, on June 22, 2010, after a gang-related confrontation in Santa Ana.

Cervantes and his friend, Jose Baldemar Moreno, 15, rode their bikes by Orozco, a rival gang member, who was sitting in a parked car. One of the defendants made a hand gesture toward Orozco, who got out of the car and called out to the younger men. An argument erupted, and Cervantes pulled out a gun and shot Orozco in the chest.

Orozco died at the scene, two doors down from his home. Cervantes fled to Stockton, where he was later arrested.

In September, a jury found Cervantes guilty of second-degree murder and street terrorism.

Moreno, who was also prosecuted as an adult, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact and was sentenced to three years in custody.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/11/teen-sentenced-to-life-in-prison.html

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From Google News

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California

Public Defender Jeff Adachi calls for zero tolerance of police who lie and steal

by Larry Roberts

San Francisco – Revealing evidence of a fabricated police report, excessive force against a blameless merchant and police theft, San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi called Thursday on the SFPD to: 1) launch an immediate investigation into new reports of police misconduct, and 2) to institute a zero tolerance policy for officers who steal or who lie in police reports.

Police then pushed Tran without provocation, slapped his hand, yanked his arm behind his back, handcuffed him, threw him against a wall and kicked his legs out from beneath him, causing him to fall to the pavement. Tran was then handcuffed on the ground for 15 minutes in front of his store before being released.

The report describing the incident was signed by police under penalty of perjury. In an apparent attempt to justify the excessive force, the report falsely described Tran as balling his fist and taking a fighting stance against the officer.

This description cannot be reconciled with the video. Tran and his family filed a complaint against officers today with the Office of Citizen Complaints. The officers involved in the incident are Joseph Filamor, who used excessive force, and Kevin Ison, who wrote the false report.

“The manner in which Mr. Tran is treated by officers is unconscionable and unconstitutional. Creating a false report compounds the injury to Mr. Tran,” Adachi said. “It is further evidence of a police department culture that ignores residents' rights and permits officers to perjure themselves in order to justify their conduct. The Police Commission recently ratified its commitment to community policing; abusing business owners at their place of work flies of the face of the stated policies of the department.”

Today's evidence follows a series of surveillance videos released by the Public Defender's Office in March through May of this year showing systematic misconduct among officers, including illegal searches, excessive force, theft and perjury. The revelations spawned an ongoing federal investigation.

The public defender renewed his call on the chief and the commission to establish a zero tolerance policy for officers found to have lied in police reports or to have committed theft. “In any other workplace, employees lose their jobs for lying and stealing. We should hold police officers to at least the same standard as the general public.”

“When the video scandal surfaced, SFPD brass promised more honest policing. The termination of four officers this week suggests that the Commission will hold officers accountable for their actions. We therefore expect that the Commission will move swiftly to address these serious new charges.”

“In any other workplace, employees lose their jobs for lying and stealing. We should hold police officers to at least the same standard as the general public.”

The Public Defender's Police Misconduct Unit released information today in five cases involving alleged theft by officers. The complaints implicate Mission Station officers – including Ricardo Guerrero, Peter Richardson, Jacob Fegan, Kevin Healy and Robert Sanchez – in the thefts. Those officers were implicated in previous cases of misconduct, including an incident in which Guerrero is caught on video carrying a duffel bag filled with personal items out of a man's hotel room. The man later reported the items missing and they were never booked into evidence.

The Public Defender has compiled a body of information corroborating their statements. Two have passed a polygraph; we were unable to obtain conclusive results on three others. None were found to be deceitful. Further corroborating information is available upon request.

Statement of Charles Tran

The purpose of my presence at this press conference is to talk about the abusive behavior of certain police officers while they were on duty. I am sure all of you have seen the incident depicted in the video which has been just shown to you. Mr. Rorty also read you the police report written by the officers, but the report is not telling the truth. They lied about what happened.

This incident occurred on Aug. 16, 2011, on the sidewalk of Clement Street and Fifth Avenue in San Francisco. Around 12 noon that day, I was detained and abused without any particular reasons by several police officers. I was released about 15 minutes later.

After the incident, I was traumatized and mentally collapsed. It has been affecting my work and my life, and I feel as if I am constantly living under the shadow of what happened to me on that day.

I feel fortunate that I have the opportunity to be heard and tell my side of the story in this press conference today. I hope I can soon untie this knot in my heart and wish that such unfortunate incidents will not happen to others in the future.

Finally, I want to thank all my friends and family who have been supporting and encouraging me. I especially want to thank my public defender, Mr. Adachi, and his colleagues for their help. You can all witness today their devotion to their work for the public and they voice the opinions for the people.

I especially want to thank my public defender, Mr. Adachi, and his colleagues for their help. You can all witness today their devotion to their work for the public and they voice the opinions for the people.

Thank you, and I hope you all have a nice day.

http://sfbayview.com/2011/public-defender-jeff-adachi-calls-for-zero-tolerance-of-police-who-lie-and-steal/print/

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Colorado

Sign up for community safety volunteer academy

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office is pleased to announce the dates for the 7th Community Safety Volunteer Academy - March 13 - May 17, 2012. The Community Safety Volunteer Program began in April, 2006 and has since graduated 58 (34 still active) Douglas County citizens who are involved in supporting the work of law enforcement professionals in the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.

The Community Safety Volunteer program is community policing in its most basic form - a structured way for citizens to participate in helping provide for the safety and security of their own community. CSVs support the major activities of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office -- Patrol, Investigations, Detentions, Civil, and Community Resources - and activities where their unique expertise and or life experience are of benefit. CSVs are citizen volunteers who attend a training academy consisting of over 100 hours of field and classroom instruction and contribute a minimum of 16 hours of volunteer time each month after graduation. A CSV since 2007, Bill Wilson states "It provides me and others a real opportunity to give back to our community and hopefully contribute to providing a safe environment for the families of Douglas County."

Since inception of the program, CSVs have made significant contributions to Douglas County by volunteering thousands of hours. Some of the areas accounting for the over 82,000 hours of volunteer time include:

Patrol - VIN inspections; traffic control for accidents; abandoned vehicles; neighborhood, park, and elementary school patrols; vehicle impounds; found property and criminal mischief reports; vacation housewatch

Investigations - County liquor code inspections

Detentions - Intake administrative duties such as setting up inmate files, bonding, fingerprinting; GED instruction, alcohol and drug recovery and religious classes

Community Resources - Colorado Life Trak program; Christmas for Kids; National Night Out; community safety fairs and events, business information/contact forms

CSV Larry Walters, graduate of the 2010 CSV Academy, says, "The camaraderie enjoyed among the group of people from widely varying backgrounds is fun. The quality and attitude of its members, the good leadership and the appreciation shown by the Sheriff's Office are some of the reasons I enjoy being a CSV. This is a most satisfying way to serve the citizens of Douglas County."

If you are interested in becoming a part of this outstanding group of individuals and contributing your time and your unique life experience and expertise in support of law enforcement in Douglas County, visit the DCSO website at www.dcsheriff.net and click on the Community Safety Volunteer link for personal requirements and additional information. Interested individuals should submit a completed application as soon as possible since the background investigation may take from 2-3 months to complete.

The 2012 CSV Academy will begin March 13, 2012 and run for 10 weeks. It will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6pm-10pm and 4 Saturdays from 8am-5pm. Graduation is set for May 17, 2012.

If you have questions or require further information, please contact CSV Coordinator Walt Wohlgemuth at 303-814-7063 opt. 1 or send an e-mail to CSV@dcsheriff.net

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From the White House

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Holiday Mail for Heroes

In the Hall of the historic American Red Cross headquarters, I heard from several current and former members of the military who spoke poignantly about what it meant to receive a touch of home during the holiday season. I was inspired to sign my own card and now want to make sure to let the American people know how they can participate in the program, too.

If you'd like to make a hero feel special this holiday season, please consider sending a card to

Holiday Mail For Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

All cards must be postmarked no later than Friday, December 9.

If you'd like to help us spread the word about this program, or to find tips for getting your friends, church members, scout troops, and family together to make and send cards together, the American Red Cross encourages you to visit their blog. Over the last four years, millions of cards have been sent to support our services members. By joining forces, our military will continue to get the support we all want them to feel this holiday season and throughout the year.

Brad Cooper is the Executive Director of Joining Forces

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/11/04/holiday-mail-heroes

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From the FBI

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FBI Counterintelligence National Strategy
A Blueprint for Protecting U.S. Secrets

11/04/11

Espionage may seem like a throwback to earlier days of world wars and cold wars, but the threat is real and as serious as ever.

We see it—and work hard to counter it—all the time. It's not just the more traditional spies passing U.S. secrets to foreign governments, either to fatten their own wallets or to advance their ideological agendas. It's also students and scientists and plenty of others stealing the valuable trade secrets of American universities and businesses—the ingenuity that drives our economy—and providing them to other countries. It's nefarious actors sending controlled technologies overseas that help build bombs and weapons of mass destruction designed to hurt and kill Americans and others.

In late October, in fact, we took part in a multi-agency and multi-national operation that led to the indictment of five citizens of Singapore and four of their companies for illegally exporting thousands of radio frequency modules from the U.S. Allegedly, at least 16 of these modules were later found in unexploded improvised explosive devices in Iraq.

As the lead agency for exposing, preventing, and investigating intelligence activities on U.S. soil, the FBI continues to work to combat these threats using our full suite of investigative and intelligence capabilities. We've mapped out our blueprint in what we call our Counterintelligence National Strategy , which is regularly updated to focus resources on the most serious current and emerging threats.

The strategy itself is classified, but we can tell you what its overall goals are:

• Keep weapons of mass destruction, advanced conventional weapons, and related technology from falling into the wrong hands —using intelligence to drive our investigative efforts to keep threats from becoming reality. Our new Counterproliferation Center will play a major role here.
  
  
• Protect the secrets of the U.S. intelligence community —again, using intelligence to focus our investigative efforts and collaborating with our government partners to reduce the risk of espionage and insider threats.
  
  
• Protect the nation's critical assets —like our advanced technologies and sensitive information in the defense, intelligence, economic, financial, public health, and science and technology sectors. We work to identify the source and significance of the threats against these assets, and to help their “owners” to minimize vulnerabilities.
  
  
• Counter the activities of foreign spies —whether they are representatives of foreign intelligence agencies or governments or are acting on their behalf, they all want the same thing: to steal U.S. secrets. Through proactive investigations, we identify who they are and stop what they're doing.

One important aspect of our counterintelligence strategy involves strategic partnerships. And on that front, we focus on three specific areas:

• The sharing of expertise and resources of the FBI, the U.S. intelligence community, other U.S. government agencies, and global partners to combat foreign intelligence activities;
  
  
• Coordination of U.S. intelligence community efforts to combat insider threats among its own ranks; and
  
  
• Partnerships with businesses and colleges and universities to strengthen information sharing and counterintelligence awareness.

Focus on cyber activities. Another key element of our counterintelligence strategy, according to FBI Counterintelligence Assistant Director Frank Figliuzzi, is its emphasis on detecting and deterring foreign-sponsored cyber intelligence threats to government and private sector information systems. “Sometimes,” he said, “the bad guys don't have to physically be in the U.S. to steal targeted information…sometimes they can be halfway around the world, sitting at a keyboard.”

The FBI's Counterintelligence National Strategy supports both the President's National Security Strategy and the National Counterintelligence Strategy of the United States.

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/november/counterintelligence_110411/counterintelligence_110411

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