"News of the Week"   Daily Local & Regional NewsWatch October, 2017 - Week 1

MJ Goyings ~~~~~~~~ Many thanks to our very own "MJ" Goyings, a resident of Ohio, for her daily research that provides us with the news related material that appears on the LACP & NAASCA web sites.

Louisiana

Trooper: Police officer fatally shot in Louisiana

by the Associated Press

LAFAYETTE, La. — Authorities say a Louisiana police officer has been fatally shot after he responded to a call at a convenience store.

News outlets report a Lafayette police officer was fatally shot at a Big Boy convenience store Sunday night.

Master Trooper Brooks David with the Louisiana State Police says authorities received a call about a battery and shots fired around 10 p.m. When the officer arrived, the suspect allegedly opened fire, which led to a shootout. The officer was pronounced dead at the scene.

David says two other people suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to hospitals.

Authorities say the suspect fled on foot, but was captured a short time later.

Investigators did not immediately give the identity of the officer or the suspect.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/trooper-police-officer-fatally-shot-in-louisiana/2017/10/02/07bf2388-a74d-11e7-9a98-07140d2eed02_story.html?utm_term=.f5772c206915

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

Minnesota

Be the Match launches campaign to encourage first responders to donate marrow

"First responders understand better than anyone the importance of stepping up when lives are on the line"

by PoliceOne Staff

MINNEAPOLIS — After LAPD officer Matthew Medina, 40, was diagnosed with aplastic anemia — a potentially life-threatening disease in which the marrow in the body stops working — his first responder family came through.

Medina, who is searching for a marrow donor, is currently being kept alive through blood transfusions. His search went viral and led to hundreds of people joining the national Be the Match registry, a press release said.

“The tremendous amount of support Matt has received from family, friends, our first responder community and even strangers has been unbelievable,” Officer Dante Pagulayan, Medina's LAPD partner, said. “Each person who joined the registry on Matt's behalf gives him and thousands of patients searching for a matching donor the strength and hope they need to keep fighting.”

The company was inspired by the first responders' commitment to saving lives every day and launched a campaign geared toward the first responder community called Register & Respond. The goal is to encourage more first responders to join the donor registry and in turn, inspire their communities to do the same.

“First responders understand better than anyone the importance of stepping up when lives are on the line,” Kim Allen, director, community engagement and national accounts, said. “When they get the call to donate, they'll be there to respond. That's why Be The Match is partnering with first responders across the country to host donor registry drives and raise awareness about the need for more young, committed marrow donors to join the Be The Match Registry.”

Medina is still searching for a match and his family and friends hope that he will find one, potentially in the Filipino community. His story has pushed dozens of people to join the registry. The company says that with more potential bone marrow donors on the registry, the more patients they can help.

Anyone can sign up to join the registry by going to bethematch.org/register2respond.

https://www.policeone.com/policeone-causes/articles/424422006-Be-the-Match-launches-campaign-to-encourage-first-responders-to-donate-marrow/

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

West Virginia

Drug overdose mapping tool to be discussed in W. Va.

The program will enable the identification of specific communities and neighborhoods at increased risk of overdose deaths or outbreaks

by the Associated Press

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A new program that tracks drug overdoses will be discussed this week at Marshall University.

West Virginia health officer Dr. Rahul Gupta and others will lead a presentation of the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program on Thursday at the Memorial Student Center on Marshall's campus in Huntington.

Jeff Beeson, deputy director of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Agency office for Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, says the program tracks overdoses in real time across jurisdictions and helps mobilize law enforcement and public health officials.

Gupta says the program will enable the identification of specific communities and neighborhoods at increased risk of overdose deaths or outbreaks. He says he looks forward to bringing the program to more counties in West Virginia.

https://www.policeone.com/drug-interdiction-narcotics/articles/424626006-Drug-overdose-mapping-tool-to-be-discussed-in-W-Va/

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

Nevada

Vegas hospitals respond to deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history that left 59 killed, 500-plus wounded

by Amanda Lee Myers

he victims just kept coming.

In private cars, in ambulances waiting four or five deep, from the walking wounded to the barely alive, they arrived in droves.

"I have no idea who I operated on," said Dr. Jay Coates, a trauma surgeon whose hospital took in many of the wounded after a gunman opened fire from a Las Vegas hotel window on a country concert below. "They were coming in so fast, we were taking care of bodies. We were just trying to keep people from dying."

As Sunday night led to Monday morning, the attack became the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history with 59 killed and 527 wounded.

University Medical Center of Southern Nevada was one of many hospitals that were overflowing.

"Every bed was full," Coates said. "We had people in the hallways, people outside and more people coming in."

He said the huge, horrifying wounds on his operating table that told him it wasn't just the massive numbers that made this shooting different.

"It was very clear that the first patient I took back and operated on that this was a high-powered weapon," Coates said. "This wasn't a normal street weapon. This was something that did a lot of damage when it entered the body cavity," Coates said.

He had seen similar wounds before but "of course never this many patients," he said.

The gunman, 64-year-old retired accountant Stephen Paddock , killed himself as authorities stormed his hotel room.

He had 23 guns — some with scopes — in the room at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino where he had been staying since Thursday. He knocked out two windows to create sniper's perches he used to rain torrents of bullets on the crowd of 22,000 some 500 yards away, authorities said.

Two guns were modified to make them fully automatic, according to two U.S. officials briefed by law enforcement who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is still unfolding.

At Paddock's home, authorities found 19 more guns, explosives and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Also, several pounds of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer that can be turned into explosives, were in his car, authorities said.

Authorities believe Paddock acted alone. While he appeared to have no criminal history, his father was a bank robber who was on the FBI's most-wanted list in the 1960s.

"I can't even make something up," his brother in Florida, Eric Paddock, said when asked what might have motivated his brother. "There's just nothing."

Authorities also had nothing to say about Paddock's motive.

"I can't get into the mind of a psychopath at this point," Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said.

At the concert, headliner Jason Aldean had just started his set shortly after 10 p.m. to close out the three-day Route 91 Harvest Festival when bullets started hitting people.

In the crowd there was gunfire, but no gunman. Some figured out where it was coming from through the cracks and muzzle flashes.

"It was the craziest stuff I've ever seen in my entire life," said Kodiak Yazzie, 36. "You could hear that the noise was coming from west of us, from Mandalay Bay. You could see a flash, flash, flash, flash."

Paddock appeared to fire unhindered for more than 10 minutes, according to radio traffic, as police frantically tried to locate him.

"We can't worry about the victims," an officer said on radio at 10:15 p.m. "We need to stop the shooter before we have more victims. Anybody have eyes on him ... stop the shooter."

The crowd, funneled tightly into a wide-open space, had little cover and no easy way to escape. Victims fell to the ground, while others fled in panic. Some hid behind concession stands or crawled under parked cars.

Faces were etched with shock and confusion, and people wept and wailed. Some of the injured were hit by shrapnel. Others were trampled or were injured jumping fences.

"It was chaos-people just running for their lives. People trying to get down. Trying to get to their loved ones that had gotten hit," said Shaun Topper. "It was just, you know. It was chaos."

Marie Langer, 16, of Las Vegas, got to the concert early so she could get to the very front of the venue, closest to the stage.

That meant she and her friends were among the last to get out, and could hear shots ringing and people screaming the entire time she was trying to flee. She finally had to climb a fence with points on the top of the metal bars designed to prevent people from getting over it.

"We had no other option," she said.

Tales of heroism and compassion emerged quickly: One man grasped the hand of a dying stranger as the man died, unable to pull himself away despite the danger. Another borrowed a flannel shirt from a man he didn't know to create a tourniquet for a girl he didn't know.

Couples held hands as they ran. The healthy carried the bleeding off the grounds. Strangers drove victims to hospitals in their own cars.

Bodies covered in white sheets were still being removed from the festival grounds more than 12 hours after the massacre, and the scene was covered with the abandoned bags and belongings of those who fled.

Coates, the trauma surgeon, said it was not for lack of preparation that lives were lost, though with smaller numbers they might have saved more.

"I will tell you that everybody that should have lived, lived," Coates said. "The ones that we lost, I think if they had been the only patients coming through the door that we would have been able to save them."

Authorities put out a call for blood donations and set up a hotline to report missing people and speed the identification of the dead and wounded. They also opened a "family reunification center" for people to find loved ones.

World leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull sent condolence messages to President Donald Trump.

Before Sunday, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history took place in June 2016, when a gunman who professed support for Muslim extremist groups opened fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 people. Historically, the United States has had a number of mass shootings surpassing Sunday's attack. For example, more than 100 black people were gunned down during a mass shooting in Colfax, Louisiana, in 1873.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-las-vegas-shooting-20171003-story.html

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

Missouri

(Three part series)

Part 1

Community policing: What it is, and why it's important

by Chip Cooper

The conversation in Columbia about the kind of police program we want for the future has steadily chugged along over the past few years. At times it's contentious, but it may be the most important conversation Columbia will ever have. It's important for our daily lives, satisfaction with government, the community's reputation, our economy and, at times, peace itself. Obviously, race relations can't be left off the list.

Several years ago, I was working on a column for the Tribune about the Columbia Police Department. In the course of my research the term “community policing” caught my interest and I wanted to see it in action for myself. The Lincoln, Nebraska Police Department (LPD) community policing program came highly recommended from several sources, so I contacted Tom Casady, the Lincoln Public Safety Director and previously the long-serving chief of police and chief architect of their community policing program.

When Tom consented to host me for a day I jumped at the chance. I was impressed with what I saw and learned that day and thought it could be a good fit in Columbia, a college town much like Lincoln. To make sure I hadn't had been the victim of a “sales job,” I contacted the crime beat reporter at the Lincoln Journal Star to test my impressions. He confirm that the LPD program was “as advertised” and Tom was highly respected for his leadership.

The most important thing Tom shared with me that day was that the value of the LPD community policing program was most visible at times of crisis when the good will, trust and strong relationships it intentionally builds each and every day becomes the difference between a potentially violent eruption in the community and a serious, but manageable, problem to be addressed.

To share more about the Lincoln community policing program I'll simply share Tom's own words:

“Community policing is perhaps the most misunderstood and frequently abused theme in police management during this decade. In the past few years, it has become fashionable for police agencies to initiate community policing, often with little notion of what that phrase means. Indeed, all manner of organizational tinkering has been labeled community policing. But community policing is not a program.”

Instead, community policing is a value system which 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 which potentially affect the livability of specific neighborhoods, areas, or the city as a whole.

“Community-based police departments recognize the fact that the police cannot effectively deal with such issues alone, and must partner with others who share a mutual responsibility for resolving problems. Community policing stresses prevention, early identification, and timely intervention to deal with issues before they become unwieldy problems. Individual officers tend to function as general-purpose practitioners who bring together both government and private resources to achieve results. Officers are encouraged to spend considerable time and effort in developing and maintaining personal relationships with citizens, businesses, schools, and community organizations. Here are some other common features of community policing:

Beyond crime fighting a focus on livability

“Many police departments and police officers define their role primarily in terms of crime control. The very term ‘law enforcement agency' is certainly an indication of this focus. But policing is much more than law enforcement. Many studies have shown that dealing with crime consumes only 10-20 percent of the police workload. Officers in community-based police departments understand that “crook-catching” is only one part of their job, and a rather small one by comparison to the myriad of issues and problems they deal with each day. Officers freely accept a significant role in issues that might be derisively referred to as “social work” in traditional police departments. Officers understand that resolving a problem with unruly people drinking at a public park, working to reduce truancy at a middle school, marshalling resources to improve lighting in a mobile home park, and removing abandoned vehicles from streets, may all be forms of valid and valuable police work, which affect the livability of a neighborhood. Rather than treating these activities as diversions from “real” police work, officers understand that this is the essence of their work.

Citizen Involvement

“The police department strives to actively involve citizens in its operations, through a variety of means. Volunteers are widely used, whether college interns or retired seniors. Citizen patrols and crime prevention initiatives are welcomed and encouraged. Area commanders meet often with members of the public to solicit input and feedback. Many internal committees include public participation. Policy decisions typically involve opportunities for input from citizens, and the department has both formal and informal mechanisms for this purpose. Promotional boards include citizens. The department seeks to educate the general public about police work in various ways, including publications, web sites, public-access television, and town hall meetings. The department accepts and even encourages citizen review of its performance.”

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/20171001/community-policing-what-it-is-and-why-its-important

Community policing: How it works

by Chip Cooper

The conversation in Columbia about the kind of police program we want for the future has steadily chugged along over the past few years. At times it's contentious, but it may be the most important conversation Columbia will ever have.

Several years ago, I was working on a column for the Tribune about the Columbia Police Department. In the course of my research the term “community policing” caught my interest and I wanted to see it in action for myself. The Lincoln, Nebraska Police Department (LPD) community policing program came highly recommended from several sources, so I contacted Tom Casady, the Lincoln Public Safety Director and previously the long-serving chief of police and chief architect of their community policing program.

When Tom consented to host me for a day I jumped at the chance. I was impressed with what I saw and learned that day and thought it could be a good fit in Columbia, a college town much like Lincoln.

To share more about the Lincoln community policing program I'll simply share Tom's own words:

Geographic Responsibility

“The primary division of labor for the police is geographical. Officers identify with their area of assignment, rather than the work shift or functional division. Commanders are assigned to geographical areas and given wide latitude to deploy their personnel and resources within that area. Individual officers adopt even smaller geographical areas and feel a sense of ownership for that area. Officers commonly know many of the people who live and work in this area, and are intimately familiar with the area's geography, businesses, schools, and churches. Officers seek out detailed information about police incidents which have occurred in their area of assignment during their off-duty time.

Long-term Assignment

“Officers can expect to work in the same geographical area for many years. Officers' preferences for areas are considered in making assignments. Rotation of geographical assignments is rare. The organization values the expertise and familiarity that comes with long-term assignment to the same area.

Decentralized Decision Making

“Most operational decisions are decentralized to the level of execution. Field officers are given broad discretion to manage their own uncommitted time. Operational policies are concise, and serve as general guidelines for professional practice more than detailed rules and regulations. First line supervisors are heavily involved in decisions that are ordinarily reserved for command ranks in traditional police departments.

Participative Management

“The department employs numerous methods to involve employees at all levels in decision making. Staff meetings, committees, task forces, quality circles, and similar groups are impaneled often to address issues of internal management. Many workplace initiatives begin with ideas or concepts brought forward from line employees. Obtaining input from frontline employees is viewed as an essential part of any policy decision. The department has comparatively few levels of rank, and rank is seldom relied upon to settle disagreements. Supervisors view their role primarily in providing support to field personnel by teaching, coaching, obtaining resources, solving problems, and “running interference.”

Generalist Officers

“Field officers dominate the sworn work force. Officers are expected to handle a huge variety of police incidents, and to follow through on such incidents from beginning to end. Specialization is limited to those areas where considerable expertise is an absolute necessity. Even when specialists are used, their role is to work cooperatively with field officers, rather than assume responsibility for cases or incidents from field officers. Most specialists view their jobs as offering technical expertise and support to field personnel.

Police Leadership on Community Issues

“Senior police managers are deeply involved in community affairs. They speak out frequently and freely on issues of community concern, some of which are only tangentially related to law enforcement per se. Police managers are encouraged to pursue important community issues as a personal cause. Elected officials consult with police managers often. Police representation is obligatory on committees or study groups which are set up to examine significant issues on the public agenda, and it is not uncommon for police officers to serve in leadership positions in community organizations.

Proactive Policing

“The police department employs techniques to manage its workload in order to make blocks of time available for police officers to address identified problems. The police response to an emerging problem typically involves significant input and participation from outside the department. The department routinely uses a range of tactics other than responding to individual incidents, such as: targeted saturation patrol, bicycle and foot patrol, undercover/plainclothes/decoy/surveillance operations, educational presentations, coordination of efforts with other government or human service agencies, support to volunteer efforts, initiation of legislative proposals, and so forth.

“Rather than merely responding to demands for police services, the department employees a Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) approach: identifying emergent problems, gathering data, bringing together stakeholders, and implementing specific strategies targeting the problem. The police response to an on-going or repetitive problem seldom involves only police resources. The police are concerned not only with high-visibility crimes, but with minor offenses which contribute to fear of crime, and negatively affect public perception of city or neighborhood safety.

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/20171002/community-policing-how-it-works

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

Part 3

Community policing: What it's not

by Chip Cooper

The conversation in Columbia about the kind of police program we want for the future has steadily chugged along over the past few years. At times it's contentious, but it may be the most important conversation Columbia will ever have. It's important for our daily lives, satisfaction with government, the community's reputation, our economy and, at times, peace itself. Obviously, race relations can't be left off the list.

Several years ago, I was working on a column for the Tribune about the Columbia Police Department. In the course of my research the term “community policing” caught my interest and I wanted to see it in action for myself. The Lincoln, Nebraska Police Department (LPD) community policing program came highly recommended from several sources, so I contacted Tom Casady, the Lincoln Public Safety Director and previously the long-serving chief of police and chief architect of their community policing program.

To share more about the Lincoln community policing program I'll simply share Tom's own words:

Emphasis on Quality

“The police define success and accomplishment primarily by the results achieved and the satisfaction of the consumer of services, rather than by strictly internal measures of the amount of work completed. Thus, there may be decreased emphasis on common productivity measures such as clearance rate, numbers of arrests, response time, etc., and increased emphasis on outcomes. Thoroughness and quality are clear emphases, but “doing the right thing” is as important as “doing things right.” The department employs methods to assess public satisfaction with services, and both individual officers and managers think about ways to improve based on this feedback.

Recognition and Professional Development

“Officers receive frequent recognition for initiative, innovation, and planning. The department systematically acknowledges problem-oriented policing projects that achieve results. Seasoned field officers are highly valued for their skill and knowledge, and feel little pressure to compete for promotion to supervisory positions in order to advance their career. Commendations and awards go to officers for excellent police work of all kinds, not just crime control. Officers receive the respect and admiration of their colleagues as much for their empathy, compassion, concern for quality, and responsiveness, as for their skill at criminal investigation, interrogation, and zeal in law enforcement.”

What Community Policing is not?

“Despite the claims of some ill-informed critics, community policing is not soft on crime. Quite the contrary, it can significantly improve the ability of the police to discover criminal conduct, clear offenses, and make arrests. Improved communication with citizens and more intimate knowledge of the geography and social milieu of the beat enhances, rather than reduces, the officers' crime-fighting capability. Moreover, though some of these may be used as specific strategies, community policing is not: school resource officers, a grant, storefront police substations, a pilot program in a single area of town, foot or bicycle patrols, a specialized unit of neighborhood police officers, a citizen police academy.

“When an agency claims to have “implemented” community policing last week, that's a pretty good indication that it has not. Individual programs or projects that form part of this change may be implemented, but community policing is not implemented. You don't start it at the beginning of the fiscal year. It is a process that evolves, develops, takes root and grows, until it is an integral part of the formal and informal value system of both the police and the community as a whole. It is a gradual change from a style of policing which emphasizes crime control and “crook catching,” to a style of policing which emphasizes citizen interaction and participation in problem solving.

“You can't tell whether community policing exists in a city on the basis of the press release, the organizational chart, or the annual report. Rather, it can best be discerned by observing the daily work of officers. It exists when officers spend a significant amount of their available time out of their patrol cars; when officers are common sight in businesses, schools, PTA meetings, recreation centers; when most want to work the street by choice; when individual officers are often involved in community affairs-cultural events, school events, meetings of service clubs, etc., often as an expected part of their job duties. It exists when most citizens know a few officers by name; when officers know scores of citizens in their area of assignment, and have an intimate knowledge of their area. You can see it plainly when most officers are relaxed and warmly human, not robotic; when any discussion of a significant community issue involves the police; and when few organizations would not think of tackling a significant issue of community concern without involving the police. The community-based police department is open — it has a well-used process for addressing citizen grievances, relates well with the news media, and cultivates positive relationships with elected officials.

“The Lincoln Police Department has been “implementing” community-based policing since 1975. Late that year, Chief George K. Hansen announced to the public our first tentative steps into something we called at that time “neighborhood-based team policing.” While similar projects in cities including Los Angeles and Cincinnati came and went, we continued. We are perhaps the only police department in the United States that has been involved so long and so thoroughly in a conscious effort to refine and enhance the community-based approach.”

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/20171002/community-policing-what-its-not

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

California

Calif. police, clinicians look to shift mental-health response burden away from LEO's

Police and county officials begun looking for new solutions

by Robert Salonga

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Jim Tourino watched helplessly as his 280-pound son, holding a knife above his head, charged at a San Jose police officer.

Staring at the 28-year-old mentally ill man coming toward him, the officer made a split-second decision: He fired his weapon, fatally wounding Tourino's son.

Time after time, Joseph, in the throes of a violent mental breakdown, had been brought to psychiatric emergency rooms, but he always calmed down enough to avoid being admitted. On May 2, his breakdown unfolded not at a hospital, but in front of police outside the Tourino home on Mt. Frazier Drive.

“From (ages) 18 to 28, I tried to protect him,” Jim Tourino said. “I tried to protect society.”

With increasing frequency, police across the country are the first and last resort for situations involving mentally ill people. Those volatile encounters can quickly turn deadly: One in four officer-involved fatal shootings nationwide involve the mentally ill, according to one analysis. In San Jose, nearly a third of the officer-involved shootings over the past decade involved this group.

As the deadly encounters continue, police and county officials have begun looking for new solutions. San Jose's officers already get crisis-intervention training to help them handle situations involving the mentally ill, but training can go only so far, they say. This year alone, six of the city's eight police shootings have involved people with mental illness.

“The onus to deal with mental illness right now comes down to a police officer, and that is unfair,” San Jose police Chief Eddie Garcia said. “In a perfect world, a clinician responds rather than a police officer with 40 hours of (mental health) training.”

Answering that call is the primary aim of new programs from Santa Clara County, including on-call response teams featuring mental health clinicians who can answer resident and police calls. Two teams, based in East San Jose and South County, are expected to go live by November.

“When a local law enforcement officer gets a 911 call and it appears that person has behavioral health issues, we want that officer to contact our mobile-crisis team,” said Toni Tullys, director of the county behavioral health department.

For more serious calls, the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team, set for a spring launch, will pair a licensed behavioral-health clinician and a crisis-trained law-enforcement officer. These ideas have garnered the support of police unions across the country.

According to a recent SJPD review of interactions with known mentally ill people, between mid-2012 and the end of 2016, city officers had repeat contacts with 5,800 people with known mental illness. Lt. Paul Spagnoli added that in 2016 alone, San Jose police referred 3,000 cases to the county's psychiatric emergency room at Valley Medical Center.

San Jose police encounters with people with known mental illnesses or experiencing mental-health crises accounted for at least 31 percent of the 54 officer-involved shootings since 2009, according to department figures analyzed by this news organization.

That's slightly less than the 40 percent estimated by the state and far less than San Francisco, which reported that during a recent nine-year period, 58 percent of the city's police shootings involved mentally ill people.

“We see de-escalation as a silver bullet, but that is based on the understanding that you're dealing with a rational person who will stop and listen to commands,” said Jim Dudley, a retired San Francisco police deputy chief and lecturer at San Francisco State University.

Vicki Showman welcomes the idea of having a clinician available in these tense encounters. Her daughter Diana was fatally shot by San Jose police in 2014, after approaching officers with a cordless drill painted black to resemble an Uzi, which she told 911 dispatchers she had.

“One of the frustrations we faced was we wanted our daughter in inpatient treatment,” Vicki Showman said. “We were told that when a crisis occurred, call 911. I would never call 911 again for any situation dealing with a mentally ill situation.”

She added: “Having someone less threatening who can offer creative solutions to whatever problem is occurring at the time could only help.”

Tullys said in October her department will open two new voluntary crisis residential programs — 15 beds apiece in San Jose and South County — that offer assessment, counseling, medication and therapy, and where the average stay would range from two to four weeks instead of the industry-standard 72-hour hold.

The agency is also unveiling an eight-bed crisis-stabilization facility in San Jose to provide immediate medical and psychiatric evaluation, treatment and monitoring for up to 24 hours to help the county's emergency facilities.

“We're trying to do things in the community to catch people before they need EPS,” Tullys said, referring to emergency psychiatric services, “and get people at a much earlier state.”

A couple of weeks before he was shot by police, Joseph Tourino tried to hang himself from a tree in his father's front yard. Police had a history of responding to calls involving the son. But his father recalled just one instance when someone recommended long-term psychiatric care, and it was ultimately rejected.

Jim Showman said his daughter Diana was admitted twice to EPS at Valley Medical Center, but that each time she was released within 24 hours after calming down.

“It was understandable that they would let her be released,” Vicki Showman said, “but the underlying issues needed to be observed over time.”

“This is where a lot of tragedies happen,” said Kathy Forward, executive director of the Santa Clara County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. “The flaw in the system is we wait for people to get so ill.”

The national police union push for more clinician help includes a legislative component to ease medical privacy restrictions so police and mental-health professionals can more readily share information and address one of Jim Tourino's biggest frustrations: different agencies had scattered pieces of his son's profile.

“The biggest failure, in my thinking, was that we could not put a picture together to say, ‘This is going to happen if we don't commit him,'” he said.

Jim Tourino is still looking for answers. He sympathizes with everyone who tried to help his son, every clinician, judge and police officer, including the one who shot Joseph.

“It's not systemic to one piece,” he said. “The system itself is overworked too, to the point where things fall through. When (Joseph) finally got to the point where he hanged himself, he should have never been back on the street.”

He added: “It should have been automatic. He has a history, we have time, let's put him in a safe, highly managed environment while we do a real good evaluation and figure out what to do.”

Garcia said his officers need to go back to being a last resort in these situations.

“This is about what services are offered to an individual when they are 5150'd, and who tracks this individual,” he said, referring to when someone is put on a psychiatric hold. “And what services are there before they get to these moments of crisis.”

It's what Jim Tourino has been thinking for a while. But he knows it hinges not only on freeing up resources but a broad public commitment.

If not for his son, then someone else's.

“I've got to believe that people like my son have a record,” he said. “Joseph is not a one-off.”

https://www.policeone.com/Officer-Safety/articles/426942006-Calif-police-clinicians-look-to-shift-mental-health-response-burden-away-from-LEOs/

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

From the FBI

National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2017

Protecting Yourself Online in an Interconnected World

As hacks, data breaches, and other cyber-enabled crime become increasingly commonplace, this year's National Cyber Security Awareness Month is an important reminder of the need to take steps to protect yourself and your family when using the Internet. Launched in 2004 by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance, the annual campaign held every October is designed to help the public stay safe online and to increase national resiliency in the event of a cyber incident.

“Cyber risks can seem overwhelming in today's hyper-connected world, but there are steps you can take to protect yourself and reduce your risk,” said Assistant Director Scott Smith of the FBI's Cyber Division. “The FBI and our partners are working hard to stop these threats at the source, but everyone has to play a role. Use common sense; for example, don't click on a link from an unsolicited e-mail, and remember that if an online deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. And overall, remain vigilant to keep yourself and your family safe in the online world, just as you do in the physical world.”

How can you protect yourself?

•  Learn about the IC3—and use it if you're ever a victim. The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a reliable and convenient reporting mechanism for the public to submit complaints about Internet crime and scams to the FBI. The IC3 uses the information from public complaints to refer cases to the appropriate law enforcement agencies and identify trends. The IC3 has received nearly 4 million complaints since it was created in 2000. Anyone who is a victim of an Internet enabled crime, such as an online scam , should file a complaint with IC3 to help the FBI stop hackers and other cyber criminals. Learn more about the lifecycle of a complaint submitted to the IC3.

•  Practice good cyber hygiene at work. When you're at work, you're a target. From personal data to financial information to company secrets, company networks are a gold mine for hackers and fraudsters. One common scam that victimizes companies is Business e-mail compromise , in which a hacker will gain access to a company official's e-mail to defraud the company or access employees' private information. Additionally, ransomware , in which hackers will place malware in digital files that demands ransom, is a serious threat to companies and other large organizations. Learn more about cyber hygiene to protect yourself and your employer.

•  Know the risks of the Internet of Things (IOT). Cyber security goes beyond your computer and phone. Many homes are now filled with Internet-connected devices, such as home security systems, connected baby monitors, smart appliances, and Internet-connected medical devices. All of these devices present opportunities for hackers to spy on you and get your personal information. Using strong passwords and purchasing IOT devices from companies with a good security track record are just a few of the things you can do to protect your family and home. Learn more about IOT devices .

•  Cyber savvy? Uncle Sam wants you. As the cyber threat continues to grow, the FBI is similarly ramping up its efforts to recruit cyber experts to work as special agents, intelligence analysts, computer scientists, and more. The FBI partners with universities and other educational institutions with a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) focus to encourage students to pursue an FBI career, whether as an agent investigating hackers, an analyst looking strategically at threats, or a scientist evaluating evidence. The FBI offers a rewarding career in thwarting cyber attacks and bringing hackers and other criminals to justice. Visit FBIjobs.gov to apply.

•  Learn how the FBI and partner agencies are protecting critical infrastructure. Terrorist groups and other adversaries view the U.S. critical infrastructure—ranging from the financial sector to hospitals to electricity grids—as high-value targets that would disrupt American life if attacked. The FBI plays a key role in thwarting these attacks by stopping plots against critical infrastructure and investigating cyber attacks. Protecting these targets is a team effort among federal, state, local, and private sector partners. Three of the key partnership organizations the FBI is a member of are InfraGard , the Domestic Security Alliance Council , and the National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance . These strategic relationships promote timely information sharing between the FBI and the private sector, which helps to keep critical infrastructure networks safe from hackers and terrorists.

NCSAM 2017
Weekly Links to Cyber Resources

Week 1: Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)

•  Infographic: Lifecycle of an IC3 Complaint

•  Public Service Announcements from the IC3

•  2016 Internet Crime Report

•  FBI, This Week podcast: IC3 Annual Report Released

•  StaySafeOnline.org: Online Safety Basics

https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/national-cyber-security-awareness-month-2017

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

Missouri

Mass arrests made after protesters briefly close Highway 40 in St. Louis

by Nassim Benchaabane

ST. LOUIS • Police took scores of people into custody Tuesday night after a group of protesters blocked the eastbound lanes of Highway 40 (Interstate 64) at Kingshighway.

The roadway reopened shortly after 8 p.m., when the demonstrators got off the interstate at the Jefferson Avenue exit. The arrests came as the protesters began marching north on Jefferson Avenue.

Protesters were nearing Market Street when they were met by a police line and they moved onto the sidewalk.

The protesters chanted: “We don't see a riot here. Why are you in riot gear?” and “Touch one, touch all.”

Police ordered protesters to the ground, then began systematically handcuffing them and packing them into about a dozen police vans.

After the sweep, police did not release any information on the number arrested or the charges, but St. Louis Alderman John Collins-Muhammad said 126 people were taken into custody.

A jail captain who was shift commander at 6 a.m. Wednesday said they had at least 120 people locked up. However, she said, at least three of them had already been released due to chronic medical conditions, such as heart problems. She said charges wouldn't be filed until the circuit attorney's office opened in a few hours.

Outside, a few dozen protesters whose friends were among the arrested spent the night on the front lawn and sidewalk of the Justice Center. They set up eight tents. Some had gone on a snack run before sunup. They said they were waiting to help bail friends out, once charges are filed.

State Rep. Bruce Franks, D-St. Louis, and the Rev. Starsky Wilson were apparently among those arrested.

Franks has been one of the leaders of ongoing protests that have followed the not-guilty verdict last month in the murder trial of former city patrolman Jason Stockley, who shot and killed drug suspect Anthony Lamar Smith in 2011, after a high-speed chase. Stockley is white and Smith was black.

Wilson was co-chairman of the Ferguson Commission, which was set up to offer suggestions for how to move forward in the wake of the unrest the followed the shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson in 2014.

Steven Hoffmann, a legal observer with the National Lawyers Guild, said he was also among those arrested. In a phone call late Tuesday from the St. Louis Justice Center downtown, Hoffmann said he did not know what charge he might face.

He said he was not part of the protest on the interstate and he questioned why he and others were taken into custody.

He said he was waiting for the protesters on the sidewalk on Jefferson Avenue. He said he never left the sidewalk during his time with them and that all the protesters were on the sidewalk when the arrests were made.

Hoffmann said police closed in at Jefferson and Market and gave the protesters no opportunity to disperse. He said he was “thrown down” by officers when he didn't immediately comply with their demand to sit on the ground.

He said he saw no one resisting arrest and no use of chemical agents such as pepper spray by police during the arrests.

The St. Louis Police Department had warned motorists on Twitter about 7:40 p.m. Tuesday to expect delays on Highway 40. City officers were joined by officers from St. Louis County and the Missouri Highway Patrol.

Traffic was stalled in both directions for several minutes because of the protest and the police response.

Police said the protesters drove their cars onto the interstate at about 7:45 p.m., and that some of them got out and were marching on the roadway. Authorities warned protesters at that time that they would be arrested if they did not leave the interstate, police said.

The protesters chanted, and some carried signs that said “Black Lives Matter.”

Police watched from the Compton overpass as the marchers linked arms and headed east toward Jefferson Avenue, and more officers appeared to be arriving as the march continued.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/mass-arrests-made-after-protesters-briefly-close-highway-in-st/article_be681e7d-db87-5754-8799-12406397ccb0.html

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

Tennessee

Tenn. sheriff: Machine guns, 900 rounds found during traffic stop

The suspect threatened the arresting officer and lunged toward investigators who tried to question him after he was taken to a detention center

by the Associated Press

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — Police in Tennessee say they found a large cache of weapons, including two machine guns, on a driver pulled over for speeding.

The Johnson City Press quotes Washington County Sheriff Ed Graybeal as saying deputies found a .357-caliber Magnum, a loaded .45-caliber semi-automatic, a .223-caliber fully automatic AR rifle, a .308-caliber fully automatic AR rifle, more than 900 rounds of ammunition, and survival equipment.

Graybeals says the discovery was made after the deputies stopped 43-year-old Scott A. Edmisten for speeding early Monday.

He says Edmisten threatened the arresting officer and lunged toward investigators who tried to question him after he was taken to a detention center.

Edmisten is charged with possession of prohibited weapons, speeding, and felony evading arrest. It's unclear if he has a lawyer.

https://www.policeone.com/investigations/articles/427063006-Tenn-sheriff-Machine-guns-900-rounds-found-during-traffic-stop/

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

Pennsylvania

Initiative brings police, citizens together

by Bill Wellock

WILKES-BARRE — Forgoing the usual tools of his profession, Wilkes-Barre police Officer Kirk Merchel reached back past his gun, stun gun and radio to pull out two of his most important tools — puppets.

With a purple bat on one hand and a green Frankenstein's monster on the other, he entertained a baby in a stroller at the McDonald's restaurant on South Pennsylvania Avenue as part of the department's “Coffee with a Cop” initiative.

“These were an impulse buy at Rite-Aid,” Merchel said of his two sidekicks, but he uses them often now on his beat walking downtown Wilkes-Barre.

Although each arm holds a monster at the end, they're meant to teach kids not to be afraid of officers, he said.

“It's important that they have a good relationship with police,” he said. “So should there be a need, they're not afraid to go to the police.”

Because of his beat, Merchel probably interacts with more people each day than most other officers. People see him and know him by name.

It's one component of the department's community policing efforts, which were highlighted at Wednesday's event.

Merchel, Wilkes-Barre police Chief Marcella Lendacky, other city officers and Pennsylvania State Police visited the McDonald's restaurant to chat with people over cake and coffee.

This was the department's second “Coffee with a Cop” event. It participated last year with the U.S. Attorney's office and other law enforcement agencies in a parking lot at Butler Street and North Pennsylvania Avenue.

The “Coffee with a Cop” initiative started in Hawthorne, California, according to coffeewithacop.com .

Police in that Los Angeles-area city were looking for ways to improve their community policing when they hit upon the idea of inviting residents to meet for coffee and conversation. Departments across all 50 states and in other countries have implemented the program.

At public events like the one Wednesday, people sometimes ask questions and sometimes simply say hello or thank the officers for their work, Lendacky said.

The events are a chance for police and the public to talk to each other outside of more formal events or emergency situations, which can be stressful or negative experiences.

Police are also busy going from call to call, especially now while the department is short six officers. So a chance to meet the public in a more relaxed setting helps make up for that, she said.

She encouraged people to call 911 for anything they think warrants police attention, including quality of life issues.

“It's all important to us,” she said.

The city has other community policing efforts, including an officer dedicated to that work, communications with several neighborhood crime watch groups, outreach to schools and local businesses, and a youth program.

Officer Robert Collins is the city's community policing officer, a position he came to after nearly a decade of policing.

Much of his work involves talking to students and organizing youth programs. Another part of his work is to teach the public how to respond to an active shooter. He's given presentations to city employees and other organizations about what to do in such a situation.

A major goal of the position is to make a long-term impact on the city's youth.

“I'm trying to bridge the gap between the public and law enforcement,” he said. As a Wilkes-Barre native who attended city schools, it's personal and rewarding work.

“I'm out there, in some of the rougher streets, building camaraderie,” he said.

What is Coffee with a Cop?

Coffee with a Cop is a program that lets the public talk to police officers over coffee about their work.

The program began in Hawthorne, California, in 2011, when the department there was looking for ways to interact more successfully with the citizens they served each day.

Departments across the country and in other countries have started Coffee with a Cop events, according to coffeewithacop.com.

“Community policing has long been considered a framework for establishing trust between the community and the police. However, over time the character and composition of our nation's communities have changed due to shifting demographics, more commuters, and the introduction of different communication methods, such as websites and social media,” the website says. “The key to Coffee with a Cop's growing success is that it opens the door for interactions outside of the crisis situations that typically bring law enforcement officers and community members together.”

http://citizensvoice.com/news/initiative-brings-police-citizens-together-1.2251144

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

Michigan

Mich. lawmakers target 'gypsy' cops accused of misconduct

Lawmakers voted Tuesday to prevent police misconduct from being kept secret when officers leave for a new job at another department

by David Eggert

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan lawmakers voted Tuesday to prevent police misconduct from being kept secret when officers leave for a new job at another department.

Legislation approved 105-2 in the House would require law enforcement agencies to keep records about the circumstances surrounding any officer's employment separation. The officer would have to sign a waiver allowing a prospective employer to ask for the records, and the department could not hire the officer unless it receives the documents.

The bill sponsor, Republican Sen. Rick Jones of Grand Ledge, said it targets officers who find other work after questionable conduct such as using excessive force. The legislation won unanimous Senate approval in March and should soon reach Gov. Rick Snyder's desk for his expected signature.

Law enforcement agencies often decide it is easier to tell an officer to resign rather than fire him or her, Jones said, due to expensive legal bills and a lengthy hearing process. And when a prospective employer calls to inquire about hiring the officer, the department typically provides little information for fear of being sued by the officer, said Jones, a former sheriff.

"It's just a commonsense way we hope to combat the gypsy cop," he said of the legislation. The state Freedom of Information Act exempts law enforcement personnel records from public records requests unless the public interest in disclosure outweighs nondisclosure.

Jones introduced the bill after he said an Eaton County deputy who was accused of making an abusive and improper traffic arrest resigned and quickly landed a similar job in Lenawee County, only to be sued for two alleged assaults that occurred in his new job.

Under the measure, agencies would be required to let a separating officer review the separation record and to submit a written statement explaining the officer's disagreement. The former employer would have to give a copy of the records to a prospective employer upon receiving a waiver.

The agency also would be immune from civil liability for disclosing the records in good faith.

The bill was backed by the Michigan State Police and the Oakland County Sheriff's Office. It was opposed by the Police Officers Association of Michigan, a union representing more than 12,000 law enforcement officers.

A 2015 national investigation by The Associated Press found that law enforcement officers accused of sexual misconduct had jumped from job to job because of a tattered network of laws and lax screening that allowed them to stay on the beat. There is a national index of decertified officers, but contributing to it is voluntary and experts say the database, which is not open to the public, is missing thousands of names.

Some officers are permitted to quietly resign and never even face decertification. Agencies also may not check references when hiring, or fail to share past problems with new employers.

It appears few states have laws addressing the movement of problem officers to other agencies. The National Conference of State Legislatures' website says Connecticut prohibits police departments from hiring any officer who was dismissed for misconduct or who resigned or retired while under investigation for misconduct. Colorado police departments are required to share information about the misconduct or misrepresentations made by officers seeking employment with another agency within the state.

https://www.policeone.com/legal/articles/427325006-Mich-lawmakers-target-gypsy-cops-accused-of-misconduct/

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

Rapid Response: 3 key takeaways from the Las Vegas massacre

The complex, carefully coordinated attacks of 9/11 have been replaced with a new kind of violence that is significantly harder to detect

by Rich Emberlin

What Happened

An active shooter located on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas opened fire on tens of thousands of concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest Festival on Las Vegas Boulevard. The gunman, identified as Stephen Paddock, killed at least 58 people and wounded over 500 in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. After breaching Paddock's hotel room, Las Vegas SWAT found he had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Why it's Significant

This tragedy reminds us that it's nearly impossible to prevent lone wolf attacks . The complex, carefully coordinated attacks of 9/11 – and their associated trails of bread crumbs - have been replaced with a new kind of violence that is significantly harder to detect.

Regardless of whether a nexus to terrorism exists, or the gunman simply went off the deep end, we must focus on prevention and encouraging private citizens to be “first reporters” who can improve law enforcement's ability to identify, investigate and potentially mitigate attacks or plots.

3 key Takeaways

1. Law enforcement trains extensively for active shooter response, but the criminal element keeps coming up with new ways to perpetrate mass killings.

Since the days of the Columbine High School shooting , law enforcement has trained extensively for rapid response to active shooter situations. Yet the idea of a gunman taking aim on a crowd from high ground outside an event's immediate perimeter reminds us that bad actors are always thinking outside of the box. They keep coming up with new ways to cause mass casualties. That thought should be appropriately haunting to us all.

By all accounts, Las Vegas law enforcement officers did their jobs exceptionally well. They responded quickly, identified the shooter's location and ran toward the gunfire, as they are trained to do. The Las Vegas Metro PD SWAT team was likely already on site to provide extra security for the music festival; our SWAT team in Dallas was often assigned to similar public events.

No one could have stopped this attack, no matter how good the security design principles were on the ground. Given the range, distance and cell phone video footage that has emerged so far, the shooter had fully automatic weapons and an arsenal of extra magazines. He likely transported the weapons into the hotel in a suitcase or a golf bag, so no one would have been the wiser. Hotel guest screening policies may be in for an overhaul after this tragedy, but screening every piece of luggage is not necessarily practical. Where does it end?

2. If it sounds like gunfire, move or take cover.

What can people on the ground do to save themselves? First, you have to recognize the sound of gunfire. People have described the sound as similar to fireworks, an engine backfire or even a helicopter. Sadly in this day and age, citizens should accept the fact that they may hear gunshots. Assume that's what the sound is, and move or take cover. Moving targets are harder to hit.

As a SWAT officer, when I set up on a structure, I always had cover and concealment. It's different when you're on the beat. During my patrol officer days, if I heard gunfire, I immediately sought cover . Cover is different from concealment; concealment simply hides you, while solid cover provides protection from the bullets. Concrete and steel are good options – think about engine blocks or the concrete jersey barriers that are typically set up for crowd control.

3. Private citizens should report suspicious or unusual activity.

We often find that 99 percent of the time after a shooting occurs, friends or neighbors come forward and say, “I always thought that person seemed strange.”

It remains unknown whether Paddock showed signs of unusual behavior leading up to the shooting, but certain behaviors can serve as indicators to alert family, friends and employers that something is wrong .

The fact that someone is in crisis - such as divorce, financial troubles, or job loss – means nothing in and of itself. However, a crisis taken in the context of factors such as increasing isolation, depression, aggression, abandonment of family and friends, or expressed hatred of an institution or individuals, may serve as a warning sign and require further attention.

Private citizens are law enforcement's first line of defense in identifying potential threats. We must remain vigilant on educating our communities not only on the important roles they can play, but how they can deliver intelligence information.

This heightened awareness, paired with resources such as the Department of Homeland Security's If You See Something, Say Something campaign and basic education, could provide the small edge necessary for law enforcement before an individual commits an act of violence. DHS offers a wealth of free printable materials that inform private citizens, businesses, and other organizations of what they can do to keep their communities safe. Make sure your community is informed.

What's Next?

Soft targets are, and always will be, inherently vulnerable. The combination of large population densities, open public access and limited security barriers present grave challenges in a new era of active shooter and terrorist attacks.

It is impossible for law enforcement to prevent 100 percent of lone wolf attacks. However, the private sector can contribute significantly to the identification and mitigation of these threats by staying vigilant, sharing information and reporting suspicious or unusual activity.

One of our best opportunities for preventing future attacks lies in understanding the behavioral matrix of the active shooter . By the time individuals like Stephen Paddock commit such a heinous act, they often will have exhibited red flags or suspicious behaviors that when looked upon, in hindsight, provided clues to their intentions.

About the author
Rich Emberlin is a 30-year law enforcement veteran who served most notably with the Dallas Police Department's elite units, including Dallas SWAT, the Criminal Intelligence Unit and the Office of the Chief of Police. During his 15 years in SWAT, Rich participated in thousands of missions, including counter-terrorist operations, hostage rescues, barricaded suspect situations, and arrest and search warrant executions. As a detective in the Criminal Intelligence Unit, he was responsible for investigating protest groups and threats against government officials and police officers. Rich retired from the Dallas Police Department in 2016 and remains active in the industry as a law enforcement expert and instructor. He has appeared on shows including A&E Networks' Live PD and Dallas SWAT, the Outdoor Channel's Elite Tactical Unit and NRA-TV. Rich continues to serve his community as a reserve deputy for the Tarrant County Sheriff's Department.

https://www.policeone.com/active-shooter/articles/426436006-Rapid-Response-3-key-takeaways-from-the-Las-Vegas-massacre/

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

New Mexico

NM governor renews call for stiffer penalties against criminals

Lawmakers have pushed to reinstate New Mexico's death penalty for certain criminal offenses and to broaden a rarely used "three-strikes" law

by Dan Boyd

SANTA FE, N.M. — Gov. Susana Martinez has renewed her call for stiffer criminal penalties, saying in a Tuesday social media post that career criminals are "terrorizing" New Mexico residents.

The two-term Republican governor, a former prosecutor, posted a photo of State Police officer Dwayne Simpson's badge, which was struck by a bullet fired by a suspect in Farmington during a recent traffic stop.

The officer was wounded in the incident, in which police shot and killed 26-year-old William Wilson, who had previously been arrested 17 times and was reportedly released from jail just weeks before the shooting after being fitted with an ankle monitor.

"Over and over again, I've asked the Legislature to end the revolving-door justice system, and year after year they fail to act," Martinez wrote on Facebook. "Officer Simpson's bravery highlights the need to act once and for all on tougher crime legislation."

Martinez and GOP lawmakers have pushed in recent years to reinstate New Mexico's death penalty for certain criminal offenses and to broaden a rarely used "three-strikes" law that mandates life in prison for some felons.

However, such attempts have been largely unsuccessful in the Democratic-controlled Legislature, with critics describing them as politically motivated and unwise given state budget constraints.

The governor, whose second term ends in 2018, will propose legislation during next year's 30-day session to enhance criminal penalties and give prosecutors and police more tools to combat violent crime, a Martinez spokesman told the Journal.

However, Rep. Gail Chasey, D-Albuquerque, suggested the proposals could face long odds in the Roundhouse.

"I think we're trying to be smarter on crime, as opposed to tougher on crime," said Chasey, chairwoman of the House Judiciary Committee. "If (the governor) wants to lock everyone up, that's going to cost more money."

She said investing more money in prevention programs, including early childhood initiatives, could be a more effective approach.

Meanwhile, Martinez also took aim Tuesday at pretrial detention rules issued in July by the New Mexico Supreme Court after state voters approved a constitutional amendment last year. District attorneys recently proposed changes to the rules, which are used to hold certain defendants without bail.

"Across New Mexico, we're seeing career criminals back on the streets -- sometimes even in a matter of hours -- terrorizing our citizens," Martinez wrote, adding she supports the prosecutors' plan to change how detention hearings are conducted.

https://www.policeone.com/Officer-Safety/articles/427863006-NM-governor-renews-call-for-stiffer-penalties-against-criminals/

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

California

Calif. becomes 'sanctuary state' as governor signs bill

The bill means police will be barred from asking people about their immigration status or participating in federal immigration enforcement activities starting Jan. 1

by Jonathan J. Cooper and Kathleen Ronayne

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Jerry Brown signed "sanctuary state" legislation Thursday that extends protections for immigrants living in the United States illegally — a move that gives the nation's most populous state another tool to fight President Donald Trump.

Brown's signature means that police will be barred from asking people about their immigration status or participating in federal immigration enforcement activities starting Jan. 1. Jail officials only will be allowed to transfer inmates to federal immigration authorities if they have been convicted of certain crimes.

California is home to an estimated 2.3 million immigrations without legal authorization.

"These are uncertain times for undocumented Californians and their families, and this bill strikes a balance that will protect public safety, while bringing a measure of comfort to those families who are now living in fear every day," Brown said in statement.

The Trump administration said the bill will make California more dangerous.

The state "has now codified a commitment to returning criminal aliens back onto our streets, which undermines public safety, national security, and law enforcement," Devin O'Malley, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice, said in a statement.

The measure came in response to widespread fear in immigrant communities following Trump's election. He railed against immigrants in his campaign and promised to sharply ramp up the deportation of people living in the U.S. illegally.

Democrats hope blocking police from cooperating will limit the reach of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

The bill "will put a large kink in Trump's perverse and inhumane deportation machine," Democratic Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon said at a press conference in Los Angeles celebrating the signing.

De Leon's bill cleared the Legislature with support only from Democrats. Republicans said it will protect criminals and make it harder for law enforcement to keep people safe.

The bill, SB54, originally would have severely restricted the authority of police officers to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. At Brown's insistence, it was scaled back to allow cooperation in jails.

Police and sheriff's officials, including jail officers, will still be able to work with federal immigration authorities if a person has been convicted of one of about 800 crimes, mostly felonies and misdemeanors that can be charged as felonies. But they will be barred from transferring immigrants to federal authorities if their rap sheet includes only minor offenses.

The changes convinced the California police chiefs association to drop its opposition, while sheriffs — elected officials who run jails — remained opposed. ICE Acting Director Thomas Homan has condemned the measure, saying California is prioritizing politics over public safety.

California's Democratic political leaders have enthusiastically battled Trump and his administration with lawsuits, legislation and fiery public rhetoric, particularly about immigration and the environment.

Some law enforcement officials say the impact of the sanctuary measure likely will be minimal because it bans immigration enforcement activities that few agencies participate in.

Immigrant rights advocates say it's important to codify restrictions with the force of law while adding new ones. For them, it's a rare victory during Trump's presidency.

The measure was dubbed a "sanctuary state" bill because it sought to expand so-called sanctuary city policies that have long been in place in some of California's biggest cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Brown and de Leon have said the bill does not give safe harbor to immigrants, particularly after the concessions Brown demanded.

https://www.policeone.com/chiefs-sheriffs/articles/428196006-Calif-becomes-sanctuary-state-as-governor-signs-bill/

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

Washington D.C.

Sessions relaunches Bush era Crime-fighting plan

Similar efforts fizzled in recent years due to funding cuts

by Sadie Gurman

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Thursday he is reviving a Bush era crime-fighting strategy that emphasizes aggressive prosecution of gun and gang crimes.

Similar efforts fizzled in recent years due to funding cuts and concerns that they focused too heavily on common street criminals as opposed to major players. But Justice Department officials insist they are drawing from lessons learned since Project Safe Neighborhoods was initially launched in 2001.

Part of the program's focus is on sending certain gun crimes to federal court, where they carry longer sentences in far-away prisons. The department will station 40 additional federal prosecutors in districts that are struggling with spikes in crime.

It's the latest move by the Trump administration as it enacts its tough-on-crime agenda and a cornerstone of Sessions' promised crackdown on violence. Sessions told the nation's federal prosecutors in a Thursday memo that they would be evaluated regularly based on their commitment to Project Safe Neighborhoods, which also emphasizes partnerships among local law enforcement and community groups.

"We cannot afford to be complacent in the face of violence that threatens too many of our communities," Sessions wrote in the memo, lamenting recently released federal data showing violent crime rose in 2016 for the second straight year. "We can never cede a single neighborhood, block or street corner to violent criminals."

The Justice Department has asked Congress for $70 million for the effort, but officials say it could be implemented without the money. The initiative will give local law enforcement faster access to technology that helps solve shootings and more quickly trace guns used in crimes. It also calls for U.S. attorneys to come up with a comprehensive plan for combatting violence in their districts that involves local police and prosecutors.

https://www.policeone.com/gangs/articles/428315006-Sessions-relaunches-Bush-era-crime-fighting-plan/

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

Louisiana

Hurricane Nate lashes Louisiana: Category 2 landfall expected

by Joe Sterling, Nicloe Chavez and Michelle Krupa

The outer bands of Hurricane Nate reached the Louisiana coast early Saturday afternoon, with the fast-moving system expected to make landfall as a Category 2 storm late in the evening southeast of New Orleans, the National Hurricane Center and CNN meteorologists said.

Wind and rain from Nate pounded Grand Isle and Port Sulphur, Louisiana, as the storm, with sustained winds of 90 miles per hour, sprinted toward land at 25 mph. It was still a Category 1 storm at 2 p.m. ET, when the hurricane center issued its most recent advisory.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards encouraged residents to prepare for Nate as if it were a much stronger storm.

"Everyone who has been told to evacuate or would like to do so (should) do it now," he said around 1 p.m. ET, adding that within three hours, everyone should stay put indoors.

The storm could make landfall Saturday night around Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana, near where Hurricane Katrina , which devastated New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, hit in 2005. The storm had been expected to slam the coast hours later, but predictions were altered as it sped up.

Hurricane warnings were in effect in New Orleans, including Lake Pontchartrain, and from Grand Isle, Louisiana, east to the Alabama-Florida border. A storm surge warning was in place from Morgan City, Louisiana to the Okaloosa-Walton county line in Florida, and along the northern and western shores of Lake Pontchartrain. And a tropical storm warning had been extended east to Indian Pass, on the Florida Panhandle.

Evacuation orders were in place outside levees in New Orleans and Plaquemines Parish, and along the Mississippi, Alabama and Florida coasts. President Trump on Friday declared an emergency in Louisiana ahead of Nate and ordered federal assistance.

Strong winds expected

The storm's reach will be wide, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said, with strong winds affecting population centers from New Orleans to Panama City, Florida. Biloxi, Mississippi, could experience gusts of 100 mph.

Nate was expected to knock down power lines and trees from Lake Charles, Louisiana, to the Florida Panhandle and possibly leave at least 1 million people without electricity.

"Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion in these areas, as tropical storm conditions will first arrive in the warning area this afternoon," the hurricane center warned Saturday morning.

Tornadoes could form beginning late Saturday afternoon over parts of the central Gulf Coast, the hurricane center said.

Nate could drop 3 to 6 inches of rain, with 10 inches possible in some areas, from the central Gulf Coast north across the Deep South, the eastern Tennessee Valley and the southern Appalachians through Monday, the hurricane center said. Flash flooding is a danger.

"Once it hits land, it looks like it's going to be very quick to move out of the area and then weaken," CNN meteorologist Jennifer Varian said.

New Orleans braces for impact

Nate would be the third hurricane to hit the US mainland in six weeks, after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma killed dozens of people and destroyed thousands of properties.

The storm had already carved a path of devastation in Central America. At least 25 people were killed Thursday in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras. Hundreds were rescued from floodwaters and mudslides. Many lost power and running water.

New Orleans could experience 6 to 9 feet of storm surge, Mayor Mitch Landrieu said midday Saturday, citing National Weather Service predictions. Storm surge is a gradual rise in the water level caused by a major storm's wind as it nears shore.

Landrieu already had ordered a mandatory evacuation of the Venetian Isles, Lake Catherine and Irish Bayou areas, which are low-lying or outside the federal hurricane- system that underwent a $14 billion overhaul after Katrina. He also had declared a state of emergency.

Anticipating the storm and overnight flooding, Landrieu on Saturday reiterated a mandatory curfew due to start that night at 8 ET and to end when the storm passes. At least 1,800 workers were on standby to reconnect power, if needed, he said.

First responders, sewer workers and residents also prepared for flooding, mindful of summer rains that exposed deficiencies in the city's unique drainage pumping system .

Of the city's 120 main drainage pumps, three major and eight smaller ones were offline Friday night, city records show . Also, all 24 major pump stations had backup generators, records show, as only three of five turbines that help power the city's oldest, most powerful pumps were available for service, a city water utility spokeswoman told CNN.

Edwards declared a state of emergency for all of Louisiana on Thursday and mobilized 1,300 National Guard troops, including some to help monitor New Orleans' drainage equipment, he said.

Storm surge feared along Gulf Coast

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency for six counties and any others that might be affected by Nate, the state's emergency management agency said.

In Biloxi, Mayor Andrew Gilich was especially concerned about storm surge.

"The storm surge is a big thing that really traps everyone," he told CNN.

Nate could usher in a storm surge of 7 to 11 feet into parts of southeastern Louisiana and along the Mississippi coast, the hurricane center said. That's far below Katrina's catastrophic 20-foot surge but still cause for precautions, possibly including evacuations, to be taken in some places.

Gilich said he hopes Nate's direction and predicted speed "ease the blow."

In Alabama, the Port of Mobile closed Saturday, meaning the Carnival Fantasy cruise ship would not be "making its scheduled call" there Sunday, the Mobile Alabama Cruise Terminal said.

The Bankhead Tunnel, a downtown major thoroughfare that passes under the Mobile River, was closed because of Nate, emergency officials and a reporter with CNN affiliate WPMI tweeted.

In Mobile, city workers checked storm drains for debris, took measures to avert power outages and deployed critical equipment.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who had declared a state of emergency in 29 counties, said Saturday that evacuation orders were in effect Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, with shelters open for those seeking higher ground.

"This is not the time to be complacent -- do not risk your life or the life of your loved ones," he said in a statement. "Even if your home is not in the direct path of this hurricane, everyone in the Panhandle should be ready to follow your emergency plan and stay vigilant to weather alerts and updates from local officials."

Across the central Gulf Coast, beaches closed as the storm neared.

Airports close as Nate nears

Nate's projected landfall also was having an impact on air travel.

In Alabama, where Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday signed a statewide emergency declaration, the Mobile Regional Airport planned to close Saturday afternoon and reopen Sunday at noon, an airport official said.

In Florida, the Pensacola International Airport planned to cease operations Saturday night and remain closed throughout Sunday, airport officials said.

Meanwhile in Mississippi, the Air Force Reserve's 403rd Wing relocated its aircraft to Texas and Arkansas.

"We are moving aircraft as a precautionary measure ahead of Tropical Storm Nate, and so we can continue the mission," said Col. Jennie R. Johnson in a statement.

Kessler Air Force Base in Biloxi was not evacuated, officials said.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/07/us/hurricane-nate-forecast/index.html

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

Nevada

Las Vegas shooting: What was killer's motive? FBI to appeal to public for answers

by the Associated Press

LAS VEGAS -- After five days of scouring the life of Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock and chasing 1,000 leads, investigators confessed Friday they still don't know what drove him to mass murder, and they announced plans to put up billboards appealing for the public's help.

In their effort to find any hint of his motive, investigators were looking into whether he was with a prostitute days before the shooting, scrutinizing cruises he took and trying to make sense of a cryptic note with numbers jotted on it found in his hotel room, a federal official said.

So far, examinations of Paddock's politics, finances, any possible radicalization and his social behavior -- typical investigative avenues that have helped uncover the motive in past shootings -- have turned up little.

"We still do not have a clear motive or reason why," Clark County Undersheriff Kevin McMahill said. "We have looked at literally everything."

The FBI announced that billboards would go up around the city asking anyone with information to phone 800-CALL-FBI.

"If you know something, say something," said Aaron Rouse, agent in charge of the Las Vegas FBI office. "We will not stop until we have the truth."

Paddock, a reclusive 64-year-old high-stakes gambler, rained bullets on the crowd at a country music festival Sunday night from his 32nd-floor hotel suite, killing 58 and wounding hundreds before taking his own life.

McMahill said investigators had reviewed voluminous video from the casino and don't think Paddock had an accomplice in the shooting, but they want to know if anyone knew about his plot beforehand.

Investigators believe Paddock hired a prostitute in the days leading up to the shooting and were interviewing other call girls for information, a U.S. official briefed by federal law enforcement officials said. The official wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The official also disclosed that Paddock took at least a dozen cruises abroad in the last few years, most of them with his girlfriend, Marilou Danley. At least one sailed to the Middle East.

It is unusual to have so few hints of a motive five days after a mass shooting. In previous mass killings or terrorist attacks, killers left notes, social media postings and information on a computer -- or even phoned police.

"The lack of a social media footprint is likely intentional," said Erroll Southers, director of homegrown violent extremism studies at the University of Southern California. "We're so used to, in the first 24 to 48 hours, being able to review social media posts. If they don't leave us a note behind or a manifesto behind, and we're not seeing that, that's what's making this longer."

What officers have found is that Paddock planned his attack meticulously.

He requested an upper-floor room overlooking the festival, stockpiled 23 guns, a dozen of them modified to fire continuously like an automatic weapon, and set up cameras inside and outside his room to watch for approaching officers.

In a possible sign he was contemplating massacres at other sites, he also booked rooms overlooking the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago in August and the Life Is Beautiful show near the Vegas Strip in late September, according to authorities reconstructing his movements leading up to the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

His arsenal also included tracer rounds that can improve a shooter's firing accuracy in the dark, a law enforcement official told AP. It wasn't clear whether Paddock fired any of the illuminated bullets during the high-rise massacre.

Paddock bought 1,000 rounds of the .308-caliber and .223-caliber tracer ammunition from a private buyer he met at a Phoenix gun show, a law enforcement official not authorized to comment on the investigation said on condition of anonymity.

Tracer rounds illuminate their path so a gunman can home in on targets at night. But they can also give away the shooter's position.

Video shot of the pandemonium that erupted when Paddock started strafing the festival showed a muzzle flash from his room at the Mandalay Bay resort, but bullets weren't visible in the night sky.

Investigators are looking into Paddock's mental health and any medications he was on, McMahill said.

His girlfriend, Danley, told FBI agents Wednesday that she had not noticed any changes in his mental state or indications he could become violent, the federal official said.

Paddock sent Danley on a trip to her native Philippines before the attack, and she was unaware of his plans and devastated when she learned of the carnage while overseas, she said in a statement.

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2017/10/nelly_rape_washington.html

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

Washington D.C.

2016 plot to target New York concerts, landmarks foiled, feds say

by Tal Kopan

Federal officials on Friday unsealed charges against three men accused of a thwarted plot to attack concert venues and landmarks around New York City in 2016, according to court documents -- a case that comes on the heels of a mass shooting at a concert in Las Vegas.

The three men allegedly used internet messaging applications to plot bombings and shootings in Times Square, the New York subway and concerts during Ramadan last year, according to a news release on the unsealed court documents from the acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Charged in the case are Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, 19, a Canadian citizen; Talha Haroon, 19, a US citizen living in Pakistan; and Russell Salic, 37, a Philippines citizen, the release said. According to prosecutors, all three have been arrested and El Bahnasawy has already pleaded guilty following his May 2016 arrest. Haroon and Salic have been arrested overseas, and the US is seeking to have them extradited to stand trial here.

El Bahnasawy allegedly traveled to New Jersey to carry out the attacks, purchased bomb-making materials and helped rent a cabin for building the devices, the news release said. Haroon is alleged to have planned to travel from Pakistan to New York to help and met with bomb experts in Pakistan. Salic is charged with wiring money from the Philippines to further the plot.

El Bahnasawy and Haroon allegedly communicated with an undercover officer posing as an ISIS supporter about their plot and declared their allegiance to ISIS in the communications, according to investigators.

The news of the foiled plot comes shortly after the mass shooting in Las Vegas that killed 58 people and injured hundreds more who were attending a concert. There has been no evidence linking that incident to foreign terrorist groups. The alleged plotters also referenced an ISIS attack on a concert venue in Paris in 2015 that killed 130 people and wounded hundreds more.

The complaints lay out in chilling detail the lengths the men went to plan attacks in crowded areas with maximum casualties, and allege they spoke numerous times of killing as many people as possible.

According to the court documents, El Bahnasawy and Haroon claimed to the undercover agent to have contacts with an ISIS branch known as Khorasan Province, which is active in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

El Bahnasawy wrote of wanting to "create the next 9/11," investigators said, and Haroon wanted to "cause great destruction to the filthy (disbelievers) by our hands."

Targets included the subway, Times Square and concerts -- inspired by the Paris attack. One message also mentioned targeting a Jewish neighborhood.

"(W)e seriously need a car bomb at Times Square. ... Look at these crowds of people!" El Bahnasawy said in one message. He also talked of a desire to "shoot up concerts cuz they kill a lot of people. ... (W)e just walk in with guns in our hands. ... That's how the Paris guys did it."

Haroon called the subway a "perfect" target and spoke of killing as many people as possible on a "very busy day," not stopping even if there were "women or kids."

That would be followed up with explosions, Haroon said, adding, if they "get trapped" or "when we run out of bullets we let the vests go off."

"No mercy is rule one," Haroon said.

"I wanna kill . . . them in thousands," he added later. "(W)e have to make a ocean out of their blood(.) Leave no one standing."

El Bahnasawy bought bomb supplies including 40 pounds of hydrogen peroxide, a key ingredient in triacetone triperoxide (TATP), which is commonly used in improvised explosives, and he also bought batteries, Christmas lights, thermometers and aluminum foil, the court documents said. He then rented the cabin they would use to build the bombs.

Salic was introduced to the undercover agent by El Bahnasawy as a trusted supporter of ISIS who would help fund the operation. Using an alias, Salic then contacted the operative about transferring the money, and also said he was "desperate" to join ISIS in Syria. He wired just over $400 in mid-May to support the attacks.

As planned, El Bahnasawy traveled to the New York City area on May 21, 2016, under monitoring by Canadian and US law enforcement, unbeknownst to him. He was arrested that night in New Jersey. He pleaded guilty to seven charges that October, and his sentencing is scheduled for December 12.

Haroon was arrested in Pakistan in September 2016 and Salic was arrested in the Philippines in April 2017. Both have extradition cases pending.

The charges carry sentences of up to life in prison. All told, the charges could carry three life sentences and up to 70 years in prison.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/06/politics/new-york-concert-terrorism-indictment/index.html

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

Oklahoma

Community Policing Key To Turn Around Tulsa's Homicide Rate, Officials Say

by Emory Bryan

TULSA, Oklahoma - - Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said community policing is the way to turn around the city's growing homicide rate.

Bynum and Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan updated the public about the progress Friday toward having the department focus on a more community-aimed approached.

Jordan said it could take three years to fully implement community policing in Tulsa, but the department and city are committed.

"The beat officer being able to talk to people on the street and having the time to talk with store owners and residents, be in the neighborhoods more. We get a tremendous amount of intelligence and information about what's happening," Jordan said.

The key, according to the department, is having officers available.

The department is hiring 90 officers this year and building up the force by 160 over time.

Bynum and Jordan spoke at a forum on mental health and emphasized how community policing can help de-escalate situations involving people with mental illnesses.

Officers working downtown use some of the techniques and it's showing promise around 61st and Peoria.

"The community feedback has been awesome and the crime rate in the area we're working is down. Our goal was 25 percent and we're at 22 percent in six months, and even though we wanted to reach that goal in two years, it's down 22 percent in six months," said Tulsa Police Officer Popsey Floyd.

Bynum said body cams, more officers and better training are just part of the changes that will transform policing in Tulsa, and he's convinced it all will help stop crimes.

"No one is more frustrated with crime in Tulsa right now than me, but I hope that people see the things that are going to fix that are in the works. They're funded," Bynum said.

And the bulk of the cost for community policing is the extra officers, and that money is coming from the vision public safety sales tax.

http://www.newson6.com/story/36542594/community-policing-key-to-turn-around-tulsas-homicide-rate-officials-say

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

Missouri

What does public distrust in the justice system cost us? Regional Chamber calls for community policing, civilian overview, court reform

by Joe Reagan

As the leader of our region's Chamber, I have fielded many questions by local and national media about the economic impact from the disruption following the verdict in the Jason Stockley case. The types of economic costs are clear: damaged property, cancelled events, lost wages for employees, lost cash receipts for businesses, and increased costs to local and state government. In the short term, it's hard to put a number to these costs. These are significant and unfair costs for the businesses, employees and homeowners impacted.

But the more important question to ask is this – what is the long-term economic impact of racial disparity, including the distrust many in our community have in the justice system?

“Forward Through Ferguson” estimates we've lost $14 billion in regional GDP due to racial disparity in income based on work done by experts at the University of Missouri St. Louis. That was over two years ago, and the number is likely over $23 billion now.

Inequities are apparent in the justice system as well. Deep mistrust exists and community hurt abounds from our current system. These inequities have been well documented in numerous ways. We must support systemic changes to break this cycle of mistrust.

Just over two years ago, Forward Through Ferguson proposed a number of calls to action to make lasting positive change in St. Louis. These calls have served as an important input and driver for the Chamber as we advocate for forward-thinking economic policies. We actively supported a number of the calls to action – outlawing “taxation by citation,” setting operating standards for municipal courts, and bringing Missouri's “use of force statute” in line with federal standards.

Our top legislative priority in Missouri for the past two years has been implementation of a state Earned Income Tax Credit, an Opportunity to Thrive call to action that puts more money in the pockets of our working families and helps grow our economy. We've taken accountability to get this done – not by ourselves – by unifying public and private sector leaders to make it happen.

Together, we have made progress, but clearly not enough.

The Ferguson Commission process was about hearing from everyone in the community who wished to add his or her voice to the conversation. It was about sharing experiences with those who did not have the same experience, and often it was about having difficult conversations about what was needed to bring about positive change in our region. It was about putting forward meaningful solutions.

We believe the Ferguson Commission report remains the region's best roadmap. It will be ours. In particular:

We must take the Forward Through Ferguson Calls to Action and come together to define what we expect from community policing. We have an opportunity in the hiring of a new police commissioner for the City of St. Louis to ensure commitment to this law enforcement best practice. The Chamber will advocate with elected officials and the Citizen Advisory Committee to reinforce that a community policing mindset comes from the top and should permeate all policies and training.

We will continue to advocate for laws requiring that regional law enforcement agencies achieve professional accreditation to ensure residents are provided high-quality policing and that law enforcement officers have clear guidance and access to best-in-class training. We support consolidation of training facilities and departments where appropriate to improve training quality and government efficiency.

We will work with legislators and stakeholders on legislation that will combat racial profiling in law enforcement in a meaningful and effective way in order to restore community trust in the police.

We must work with the judicial watchdog groups in our region to ensure that our municipal courts are following the existing minimum standards, and demand that further consolidation and adoption of model standards occur.

We must provide transparent and fair civilian oversight of our police and create an unbiased approach to investigating law enforcement use of deadly force cases. Our police officers work hard every day to protect us. Independent review will provide accountability and honor the work of so many who serve us well.

After many of the accounts over the past few weeks, we must ensure that police procedures and responses to mass demonstrations across our region are proportional and consistent with the highest professional standards. We welcome the call of Mayor Lyda Krewson and Interim Chief Lawrence O'Toole for an independent investigation into allegations of disproportionate response by police on peaceful demonstrators. This must be swift and transparent.

We as a community must recognize that holding our law enforcement professionals to the standards we expect requires appropriate compensation and training. Our police have a very difficult job. We must support better pay, equipment and training. That includes world-class training in social interaction, implicit bias, and cultural awareness.

Let's face our reality together as one community. It should not take occurrences like these to renew our focus on racial equity. This must be our urgent and ongoing work. These words of Martin Luther King, Jr. describe our reality:

“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there "is" such a thing as being too late. … this is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.”

If our political and civic willpowers align now, our elected and appointed leaders can move this agenda forward by introducing specific legislation, regulations and policies in the appropriate governing bodies. With this “vigorous and positive action” St. Louis will begin 2018 on a more certain path to restore trust in the justice system.

No one leader can make this happen by themselves. Any one leader can step forward to lead us.

Addressing the reality of racial disparities and mistrust in the justice system with bold, united action will create momentum for St. Louis toward true economic development and regional growth.

The opportunity cost of inaction for St. Louis is staggering – over $13 million in lost GDP per day and rising.

So the most important economic impact question to ask is: “Why not now?”

http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/what-does-public-distrust-in-the-justice-system-cost-us/article_5208584e-aaa2-11e7-a601-d74bb6081906.html

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

California

ICE official: Agency will arrest at Calif. worksites

The comments came a day after Gov. Jerry Brown signed bill SB 54, or sanctuary state legislation

by Olga R. Rodriguez

SAN FRANCISCO — In another sign of escalating tensions between President Donald Trump's administration and California, the nation's top immigration official said Friday his agency will have "no choice" but to arrest immigrants who are in the country illegally in California's neighborhoods and worksites.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement will also likely have to place immigrants arrested in California in out-of-state detention centers, ICE Acting Director Thomas Homan said in a statement.

Homan's comments came a day after Gov. Jerry Brown signed bill SB54, or sanctuary state legislation.

Starting Jan. 1, police will be barred from asking people about their immigration status or participating in federal immigration enforcement activities. Jail officials only will be allowed to transfer inmates to federal immigration authorities if they have been convicted of certain crimes.

"Ultimately, SB54 helps shield removable aliens from immigration enforcement and creates another magnet for more illegal immigration, all at the expense of the safety and security of the very people it purports to protect," Homan warned.

Federal immigration officials already carry out sweeps targeting immigrants in sanctuary cities and transfer many of their detainees to out-of-state facilities.

In his signing statement, Brown noted the bill does not stop ICE from operating in California. His office declined to comment further on the ICE statement Friday.

"They are free to use their own considerable resources to enforce federal immigration law in California," Brown wrote.

Democratic Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, who carried the bill, said Homan's statement "exemplifies the fearmongering and lies that guide this Administration."

"The Trump Administration is once again making heavy-handed threats against California because we won't help them tear apart families and our economy in the process," de Leon said in a statement.

Democratic lawmakers in California have worked to create barriers to Trump's campaign pledge to step up deportation efforts. They have also approved money for legal assistance and college scholarships for people living illegally in the U.S., and made it harder for businesses and government agencies to disclose people's immigration status.

Trump first put the spotlight on sanctuary cities as a candidate in 2015 after the killing of Kate Steinle, who was fatally shot in San Francisco pier by a Mexican national who had been deported five times.

Trump referred to the case several times while campaigning as a reason to toughen immigration policies. The case has frequently been invoked as part of the immigration debate.

He has threatened to withhold federal funding to sanctuary cities, several of which have filed lawsuits to prevent that from happening.

California is home to an estimated 2.3 million immigrants without legal authorization.

https://www.policeone.com/chiefs-sheriffs/articles/428651006-ICE-official-Agency-will-arrest-at-Calif-worksites/

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

From the Department of Homeland Security

Commodities Flow to Disaster Survivors

WASHINGTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been providing critical life-saving and life-sustaining commodities to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, in response to Hurricane Maria, as part of a broad federal response to assist the islands.

To date, more than 11.5 million meals, 8 million liters of water, and 30,000 tarps have been transported and delivered to the islands as part of the federal response to Hurricane Maria.

Through a coordinated and phased delivery process, FEMA is continuing to supply meals, water and tarps to Puerto Rico for local leadership to disperse to the survivors. The commodities are transported by the National Guard and FEMA contractors from the ports and delivered to federal incident support bases (ISB) and staging areas, located throughout Puerto Rico. From the ISB, commodities are delivered to regional staging areas serving all 78 municipalities in Puerto Rico, and using points of distribution in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The government of Puerto Rico is working with Mayors to arrange pickup of supplies from the staging areas whereupon they distribute the commodities to the public.

In addition to these commodities, many voluntary agencies are operating shelters and providing meals and cleaning supplies to disaster survivors. National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster members including voluntary, non-profit, and faith-based organizations also are working closely with the affected communities to assist. The American Red Cross is working with volunteer organizations and federal partners to ensure that fixed feeding kitchens are opened in numerous locations throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

While the catastrophic impact from Hurricanes Irma and Maria led to serious logistical challenges, we're working closely with our federal partners and Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands officials to continue to sustain lives and restore routine. Through focused efforts, and this whole community unified response from federal, local, and territory governments, along with local officials and volunteer agencies, progress is underway for the residents of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.