Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
I guess the money wasn't so important anymore
The court of public opinion (and most likely her fear of losing her job come next election) Mayor Peake has reversed her decision and is allowing Police Officers the right to pursue suspects on foot again.
There is a God!
My original post can be found here
Story courtesy of Policelink.com
http://policelink.monster.com/news/articles/122980-back-to-reality-sc-mayor-revokes-no-chase-call?utm_source=twitter&?utm_content=news
The AP via YellowBrix
Wellford Mayor Sallie Peake on Thursday told WSPA-TV she’s revoking her Sept. 2 ban.
She said a conversation with Spartanburg County prosecutor Trey Gowdy prompted the reversal, even though she still doesn’t want foot chases.
Gowdy sent a letter Wednesday to state Attorney General Henry McMaster, asking whether the policy violates officers’ duties to uphold the law. He says he feared the policy would hamstring officers and embolden criminals.
Earlier this week, Peake said she ordered the ban after a city officer was hurt chasing a “guy who had a piece of crack on him.” She said a drug possession charge was not worth higher insurance costs.
There is a God!
My original post can be found here
Story courtesy of Policelink.com
http://policelink.monster.com/news/articles/122980-back-to-reality-sc-mayor-revokes-no-chase-call?utm_source=twitter&?utm_content=news
Back To Reality: SC Mayor Revokes No-Chase Call
The AP via YellowBrix
September 25, 2009
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The mayor of a small South Carolina town says she’s allowing her police officers to run after suspects again.Wellford Mayor Sallie Peake on Thursday told WSPA-TV she’s revoking her Sept. 2 ban.
She said a conversation with Spartanburg County prosecutor Trey Gowdy prompted the reversal, even though she still doesn’t want foot chases.
Gowdy sent a letter Wednesday to state Attorney General Henry McMaster, asking whether the policy violates officers’ duties to uphold the law. He says he feared the policy would hamstring officers and embolden criminals.
Earlier this week, Peake said she ordered the ban after a city officer was hurt chasing a “guy who had a piece of crack on him.” She said a drug possession charge was not worth higher insurance costs.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
4 SWAT Officers Shot in Lakewood, NJ
Sorry it took me so long to get to this story, but i have been sick, and not near a PC.
The story broke on my local news station overnight, i saw it when i awoke from a medically induced state of sleep. I was glad to hear all 4 officers, though shot, are ok and expected to survive.
My thoughts and prayers go out to these officers, and all of their families.
After searching the net i found a good article with alot of detailed info to share.
This story courtesy of Gannet NJ on Mycentraljersey.com:
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20090924/STATE/90924002/0/ENTERTAINMENT/UPDATE--4-cops-shot-while-executing-search-warrant-in-Lakewood--suspect-critically-injured
Law enforcement officials were executing a "no-knock" search warrant at 2:25 a.m. at 1154 Mackenzie Court when four township officers from the SWAT team were fired upon from atop a staircase inside the two-story home, officials have said. Gonzalez was the subject of a year-long investigation into the illegal trafficking of guns, Ocean County Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford said at a press conference late this morning.
The no-knock warrant, which has to be approved by a judge, was used because authorities suspected weapons were in the house, Ford said.
The most seriously injured officer was Patrolman Jonathan Wilson. He was shot in the face and is undergoing treatment, but his injuries do not appear to be life-threatening, Ford said earlier, noting he is in good spirits and surrounded by his family.
Wilson was in stable condition when he was transferred from Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune to the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark at 6:05 a.m., a spokesman for Jersey Shore said. He remains in stable condition this afternoon at UMDNJ, a spokeswoman there said.
Lakewood police Chief Robert Lawson said Wilson is a "respected" and "decorated" member of the force which he has served on for six years. He is married with four children, Lawson said.
Lt. Gregory Meyer was shot in the foot, Ford said. He is in stable condition at Jersey Shore and will be admitted to the hospital, a spokesman said.
Sgt. Louis Sasso sustained minor shrapnel injuries from a bullet that struck him in his bulletproof vest. Patrolman Leonard Nieves Sr. was also shot in his vest. Sasso and Nieves were treated and released, according to Ford.
Lawson said it was the first-ever shooting of a Lakewood police officer.
Gonzalez sustained multiple gunshot wounds from returned fire from the officers, Ford said. He is in critical condition at Jersey Shore, a hospital spokesman said.
The gun he allegedly used was recovered at the scene, Ford said. The .357-caliber Magnum It was reported stolen out of South Carolina, according to a database of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, officials said at the press conference.
A second male who was in the house is "a person of interest" and is custody and being questioned. Ford would not confirm if the man was also a subject of the ongoing weapons investigation.
The investigation was also being conducted by the ATF's firearms task force, the State Police weapons task force, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Special Operations Group and the Lakewood Police Detective Bureau and Street Crimes Unit. Authorities did not say if any other weapons were recovered from the scene.
Lakekwood's SWAT, or tactical, team has 20 members, and 10 to 12 of them were on scene this morning to help serve the search warrant, Lawson said.
"The officers on the tactical team are a band of brothers,'' Lawson said.
"This affects every officer (on the 130-member township police force) to some extent," he said of the shooting.
The house targeted by police is a white, two-story Colonial, with an attached two-car garage, on a tree-lined cul-de-sac in a neighborhood near the intersection of Routes 9 and 70.
Ernie Caravello, who lives three doors down from the home, awoke to his dogs barking just after 2:30 a.m. and initially thought the commotion outside might have been someone trying to vandalize the RV parked in his driveway.
"I stepped out and I saw all the cops crouched down behind cars with shotguns. Then all of a sudden it was just 'Boom! Boom! Boom!'," he said. "I've heard shooting at ranges before but nothing like this. It was loud."
Over the next hour, he watched the scene unfold from his living room window, astonished his quiet, middle-class neighborhood was hosting a shootout between police and a suspect.
"This has been a very nice, very quiet place to live," he said. "These cops here in Lakewood are good guys. To hear that they were fired at and that four of them got hit, it just blew me away."
Wilson has been injured in the line of duty before. In May 2005, he was responding to a fire call on East County Line Road at about 10:10 p.m. with another patrolman when he was struck by a Jeep Cherokee while walking across the street. Wilson, who was 33 at the time, was thrown onto the hood of the SUV and received a cut to his head requiring 12 stitches, police said at the time.
Wilson graduated from the Ocean County Police Academy and began working as a Lakewood patrolman in January 2004, according to an Asbury Park Press report at the time.
No police officers was feloniously killed in the line of duty in New Jersey last year, but 2,572 police officers were assaulted while doing their jobs, according to the state's Uniform Crime Report.
Six officers in New Jersey were shot in 2008, according to statistics from the Uniform Crime Reporting Unit of the State Police. That year, there were 24 other cases that involved assaults with firearms, and those cases can include defendants who brandished weapons.
While the unit's numbers for this year have not yet been verified, preliminary statistics show six officers were shot in 2009, and there were 20 other cases involving an assault with firearms. Those 2009 numbers do not include this morning's incident in Lakewood.
The shooting comes more than two months after Jersey City police Det. Marc DiNardo was shot in the face storming an apartment where two armed robbery suspects were holed up. Four other officers were wounded in the gun battle and the suspects were killed.
DiNardo was taken off life support and pronounced dead one day before his 38th birthday.
The story broke on my local news station overnight, i saw it when i awoke from a medically induced state of sleep. I was glad to hear all 4 officers, though shot, are ok and expected to survive.
My thoughts and prayers go out to these officers, and all of their families.
After searching the net i found a good article with alot of detailed info to share.
This story courtesy of Gannet NJ on Mycentraljersey.com:
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20090924/STATE/90924002/0/ENTERTAINMENT/UPDATE--4-cops-shot-while-executing-search-warrant-in-Lakewood--suspect-critically-injured
UPDATE: Suspect in Lakewood cop shooting charged with attempted murder
By Margaret F. Bonafide • Gannett New Jersey • September 24, 2009
LAKEWOOD — The Lakewood man accused of firing at police who raided his home early Thursday morning as part of a gun trafficking investigation has been charged with four counts of attempted murder.
Jaime Gonzalez, 39, was also charged with possession of a handgun for unlawful purposes and receiving stolen property, in a complaint filed by Lakewood police Sgt. John Stillwell, head of police department's Street Crimes Unit.
Bail has been set at $2 million cash by Superior Court Judge Francis R. Hodgson, sitting in Toms River.Law enforcement officials were executing a "no-knock" search warrant at 2:25 a.m. at 1154 Mackenzie Court when four township officers from the SWAT team were fired upon from atop a staircase inside the two-story home, officials have said. Gonzalez was the subject of a year-long investigation into the illegal trafficking of guns, Ocean County Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford said at a press conference late this morning.
The no-knock warrant, which has to be approved by a judge, was used because authorities suspected weapons were in the house, Ford said.
The most seriously injured officer was Patrolman Jonathan Wilson. He was shot in the face and is undergoing treatment, but his injuries do not appear to be life-threatening, Ford said earlier, noting he is in good spirits and surrounded by his family.
Wilson was in stable condition when he was transferred from Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune to the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark at 6:05 a.m., a spokesman for Jersey Shore said. He remains in stable condition this afternoon at UMDNJ, a spokeswoman there said.
Lakewood police Chief Robert Lawson said Wilson is a "respected" and "decorated" member of the force which he has served on for six years. He is married with four children, Lawson said.
Lt. Gregory Meyer was shot in the foot, Ford said. He is in stable condition at Jersey Shore and will be admitted to the hospital, a spokesman said.
Sgt. Louis Sasso sustained minor shrapnel injuries from a bullet that struck him in his bulletproof vest. Patrolman Leonard Nieves Sr. was also shot in his vest. Sasso and Nieves were treated and released, according to Ford.
Lawson said it was the first-ever shooting of a Lakewood police officer.
Gonzalez sustained multiple gunshot wounds from returned fire from the officers, Ford said. He is in critical condition at Jersey Shore, a hospital spokesman said.
The gun he allegedly used was recovered at the scene, Ford said. The .357-caliber Magnum It was reported stolen out of South Carolina, according to a database of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, officials said at the press conference.
A second male who was in the house is "a person of interest" and is custody and being questioned. Ford would not confirm if the man was also a subject of the ongoing weapons investigation.
The investigation was also being conducted by the ATF's firearms task force, the State Police weapons task force, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Special Operations Group and the Lakewood Police Detective Bureau and Street Crimes Unit. Authorities did not say if any other weapons were recovered from the scene.
Lakekwood's SWAT, or tactical, team has 20 members, and 10 to 12 of them were on scene this morning to help serve the search warrant, Lawson said.
"The officers on the tactical team are a band of brothers,'' Lawson said.
"This affects every officer (on the 130-member township police force) to some extent," he said of the shooting.
The house targeted by police is a white, two-story Colonial, with an attached two-car garage, on a tree-lined cul-de-sac in a neighborhood near the intersection of Routes 9 and 70.
Ernie Caravello, who lives three doors down from the home, awoke to his dogs barking just after 2:30 a.m. and initially thought the commotion outside might have been someone trying to vandalize the RV parked in his driveway.
"I stepped out and I saw all the cops crouched down behind cars with shotguns. Then all of a sudden it was just 'Boom! Boom! Boom!'," he said. "I've heard shooting at ranges before but nothing like this. It was loud."
Over the next hour, he watched the scene unfold from his living room window, astonished his quiet, middle-class neighborhood was hosting a shootout between police and a suspect.
"This has been a very nice, very quiet place to live," he said. "These cops here in Lakewood are good guys. To hear that they were fired at and that four of them got hit, it just blew me away."
Wilson has been injured in the line of duty before. In May 2005, he was responding to a fire call on East County Line Road at about 10:10 p.m. with another patrolman when he was struck by a Jeep Cherokee while walking across the street. Wilson, who was 33 at the time, was thrown onto the hood of the SUV and received a cut to his head requiring 12 stitches, police said at the time.
Wilson graduated from the Ocean County Police Academy and began working as a Lakewood patrolman in January 2004, according to an Asbury Park Press report at the time.
No police officers was feloniously killed in the line of duty in New Jersey last year, but 2,572 police officers were assaulted while doing their jobs, according to the state's Uniform Crime Report.
Six officers in New Jersey were shot in 2008, according to statistics from the Uniform Crime Reporting Unit of the State Police. That year, there were 24 other cases that involved assaults with firearms, and those cases can include defendants who brandished weapons.
While the unit's numbers for this year have not yet been verified, preliminary statistics show six officers were shot in 2009, and there were 20 other cases involving an assault with firearms. Those 2009 numbers do not include this morning's incident in Lakewood.
The shooting comes more than two months after Jersey City police Det. Marc DiNardo was shot in the face storming an apartment where two armed robbery suspects were holed up. Four other officers were wounded in the gun battle and the suspects were killed.
DiNardo was taken off life support and pronounced dead one day before his 38th birthday.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Temptation
When you think you can get away with it it's a great thing to grasp a hold of, but when you don't know who's watching? you may find yourself feeling like a real tool.
POLK COUNTY:
In March, Polk County drug investigators raided the home of forty-three year old Michael Difalco near Lakeland, Florida.
Difalco has an extensive arrest record. He's done time in state prison for trafficking drugs.
On this day, members of a multi department drug task force claim they discovered drugs, weapons and stolen property.
A security camera they missed, showed detectives also discovered a fun video game to play, Wii bowling.
And over the course of the next 9 hours, the game was on.One detective bowled frame after frame after frame. Practice makes perfect.
And while one female detective lifted a couch looking for drugs, another detective focused on pin action
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd calls the display embarrassing.
"How do you explain it? Well you can't explain that, my deputies know that they shouldn't have been playing Wii while they were involved in that search warrant."
Detectives from the Sheriff's office, Winter Haven, Auburndale and Lakeland police department's all participated in the raid, and all caught on camera.
Judd says it was the supervisors who are at fault.
"That doesn't please me what pleases me less is the supervision that didn't say turn the television off."
Instead of ordering the video game and television turned off, this supervisor from Lakeland PD joined the fun.
Defense attorney Rick Escobar watched a sampling of the drug raid video "I've never seen anything like this. I find this very offensive. Shocking embarrassing I'm sure that the department is extremely embarrassed by this behavior. "
Records show 16 detectives spent 9 hours searching Difalco's property, the cost to taxpayers $4,000.
Escobar thinks this will not look good to the public. "All the citizens are thinking wait a minute we are paying these people to go out and protect us and here they are playing bowling on our time."
The sheriff argues there is always down time during searches, no tax dollars were wasted.
"The nature of a search warrant is hurry up and wait it just is, am i trying to defend the fact that they were bowling not at all, that was inappropriate."
The sheriff claims he launched an internal administrative investigation, and will wait for a final report before he decides if anyone will
Video
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/weird/Officers_Can_t_Resist_Wii_Bowling_During_Drug_Bust_All__National_.html
Officers caught Wii bowling during drug bust
Posted: Sep 22, 2009 7:33 AM EDT Updated: Sep 22, 2009 07:33 AM EDTIn March, Polk County drug investigators raided the home of forty-three year old Michael Difalco near Lakeland, Florida.
Difalco has an extensive arrest record. He's done time in state prison for trafficking drugs.
On this day, members of a multi department drug task force claim they discovered drugs, weapons and stolen property.
A security camera they missed, showed detectives also discovered a fun video game to play, Wii bowling.
And over the course of the next 9 hours, the game was on.One detective bowled frame after frame after frame. Practice makes perfect.
And while one female detective lifted a couch looking for drugs, another detective focused on pin action
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd calls the display embarrassing.
"How do you explain it? Well you can't explain that, my deputies know that they shouldn't have been playing Wii while they were involved in that search warrant."
Detectives from the Sheriff's office, Winter Haven, Auburndale and Lakeland police department's all participated in the raid, and all caught on camera.
Judd says it was the supervisors who are at fault.
"That doesn't please me what pleases me less is the supervision that didn't say turn the television off."
Instead of ordering the video game and television turned off, this supervisor from Lakeland PD joined the fun.
Defense attorney Rick Escobar watched a sampling of the drug raid video "I've never seen anything like this. I find this very offensive. Shocking embarrassing I'm sure that the department is extremely embarrassed by this behavior. "
Records show 16 detectives spent 9 hours searching Difalco's property, the cost to taxpayers $4,000.
Escobar thinks this will not look good to the public. "All the citizens are thinking wait a minute we are paying these people to go out and protect us and here they are playing bowling on our time."
The sheriff argues there is always down time during searches, no tax dollars were wasted.
"The nature of a search warrant is hurry up and wait it just is, am i trying to defend the fact that they were bowling not at all, that was inappropriate."
The sheriff claims he launched an internal administrative investigation, and will wait for a final report before he decides if anyone will
Video
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/weird/Officers_Can_t_Resist_Wii_Bowling_During_Drug_Bust_All__National_.html
Money Over Public Safety
I am totally taken aback by this article i read on officer.com this morning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
http://www.officer.com/web/online/Top-News-Stories/SC-Mayor-Bans-Police-Pursuits-on-Foot/1$48500
The mayor of Wellford, S.C. is defending a policy she issued earlier this month which bans police officers from chasing suspects on foot, according to WSPA-TV.
On Sept. 2, Mayor Sallie Peake issued a memo to all of the city's officers that read: "As of this date, there are to be no more foot chases when a suspect runs. I do not want anyone chasing after any suspects whatsoever."
Peake told the news station that she issued the mandate because several officers have been injured during chases, driving up insurance costs for the town.
The city is paying $20,000 annually in workers' compensation claims, much of which goes to the police force, she said. According to Wellford Police Chief Chris Guy, three officers have been injured during foot chases in the last two years.
Guy has told his officers to abide by the policy and says they can still protect the public.
"Just because a suspect may run does not mean we can't identify them, sign warrants, and catch them later," he said.
Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright disagrees with Guy's assessment, telling WSPA-TV that when a suspect gets away, there is always the chance he could hurt someone before officers catch up with him.
"If a bank robber or a drunk driver or a shoplifter or somebody with a warrant runs on foot, it's our obligation to do what we can do to bring them to justice," he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To be quite honest, if i lived in that town i would be raising hell with Mayor Peake. She is putting the town and the police department and the officer in a really bad situation should that suspect, hurt, injure, rape, kill etc. anyone after they start running. The costs for health care is far lower than it would be should a victim or their family sue the town, the police dept., and the officer(s). Is she that big of a moron?
Dollar signs should never come before the safety of officers and the public.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
http://www.officer.com/web/online/Top-News-Stories/SC-Mayor-Bans-Police-Pursuits-on-Foot/1$48500
S.C. Mayor Bans Police Pursuits on Foot
Posted: Monday, September 21, 2009
Updated: September 21st, 2009 03:39 PM GMT-05:00
Officer.com News
The mayor of Wellford, S.C. is defending a policy she issued earlier this month which bans police officers from chasing suspects on foot, according to WSPA-TV.
On Sept. 2, Mayor Sallie Peake issued a memo to all of the city's officers that read: "As of this date, there are to be no more foot chases when a suspect runs. I do not want anyone chasing after any suspects whatsoever."
Peake told the news station that she issued the mandate because several officers have been injured during chases, driving up insurance costs for the town.
The city is paying $20,000 annually in workers' compensation claims, much of which goes to the police force, she said. According to Wellford Police Chief Chris Guy, three officers have been injured during foot chases in the last two years.
Guy has told his officers to abide by the policy and says they can still protect the public.
"Just because a suspect may run does not mean we can't identify them, sign warrants, and catch them later," he said.
Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright disagrees with Guy's assessment, telling WSPA-TV that when a suspect gets away, there is always the chance he could hurt someone before officers catch up with him.
"If a bank robber or a drunk driver or a shoplifter or somebody with a warrant runs on foot, it's our obligation to do what we can do to bring them to justice," he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To be quite honest, if i lived in that town i would be raising hell with Mayor Peake. She is putting the town and the police department and the officer in a really bad situation should that suspect, hurt, injure, rape, kill etc. anyone after they start running. The costs for health care is far lower than it would be should a victim or their family sue the town, the police dept., and the officer(s). Is she that big of a moron?
Dollar signs should never come before the safety of officers and the public.
Monday, September 21, 2009
I don't think i've heard this one yet!
Story courtesy of nj.com
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/09/suspect_breaks_window_jumps_fr.html
Troopers Paul Costa and Avril Ruffin arrested two suspects shortly after 10 p.m. . Timothy Whitt, 24, of Hammonton was arrested for driving drunk, and his passenger -- still unidentified, but said to be in his early 20s and from Delaware -- was arrested for obstruction, State Police Sgt. Stephen Jones said.
Jones said the obstruction suspect, also believed to be drunk at the time, was handcuffed and placed in the backseat of Ruffin's car. While en route to the Morristown State Police barracks, the suspect unbuckled his seat belt, kicked out the passenger-side door window, and dove headfirst from the moving vehicle, Jones said.
The suspect, still handcuffed, ran into the woods, and additional officers -- including more troopers, a helicopter, a canine unit and local police -- were called to the scene. Officers found the suspect laying in high grass near the southbound side of the Turnpike, Jones said.
He said the suspect was brought to Cooper Hospital to Camden for observation. No information was released on his injuries.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/09/suspect_breaks_window_jumps_fr.html
Suspect breaks window, jumps from moving N.J. state police car, authorities say
By Chris Megerian
September 21, 2009, 12:04PM
EAST GREENWICH TOWNSHIP -- A suspect broke out of a moving State Police car after being arrested during a motor vehicle stop on the New Jersey Turnpike last night, a spokesman said.Troopers Paul Costa and Avril Ruffin arrested two suspects shortly after 10 p.m. . Timothy Whitt, 24, of Hammonton was arrested for driving drunk, and his passenger -- still unidentified, but said to be in his early 20s and from Delaware -- was arrested for obstruction, State Police Sgt. Stephen Jones said.
Jones said the obstruction suspect, also believed to be drunk at the time, was handcuffed and placed in the backseat of Ruffin's car. While en route to the Morristown State Police barracks, the suspect unbuckled his seat belt, kicked out the passenger-side door window, and dove headfirst from the moving vehicle, Jones said.
The suspect, still handcuffed, ran into the woods, and additional officers -- including more troopers, a helicopter, a canine unit and local police -- were called to the scene. Officers found the suspect laying in high grass near the southbound side of the Turnpike, Jones said.
He said the suspect was brought to Cooper Hospital to Camden for observation. No information was released on his injuries.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Justice Served (?)
Back in December 2008, I posted a story about a young man (Sean McGuirk) that killed Perth Amboy Police Officer Thomas Raji (see original post here)
Yesterday he was sentenced to 8 years in prison for pleading guilty to the charges in June by the Middlesex County Court.
News Article from mycentraljersey.com
New article with video from news12.com
RIP Officer Raji
Yesterday he was sentenced to 8 years in prison for pleading guilty to the charges in June by the Middlesex County Court.
News Article from mycentraljersey.com
New article with video from news12.com
RIP Officer Raji
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Abuse of power? those days are almost over...
Story courtesy of Policelink
Councilman's Daughter :'I'll Have You fired'
The Baltimore Sun via YellowBrix
September 17, 2009
BALTIMORE, Md. — After days of public displays of profanity and abuse – in Congress, at the U.S. Open tennis championships, during the MTV Video Music Awards – news came Wednesday of another such incident closer to home.September 17, 2009
Baltimore County police released details of the arrests of two women accused of dispensing an obscenity-laden tirade against a police officer who pulled them over Monday night in Randallstown after noting that a rear light on their car was not working.
The driver, Kelli Dorschell Oliver, 40 – whose father, Baltimore County Councilman Kenneth N. Oliver, pleaded guilty in July to two counts of campaign fund violations – was charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and second-degree assault after the police officer reported that she had bitten, scratched and kicked him as he tried to place her in handcuffs.
The passenger was Talaya R. Kirkland, 22 – Kelli Oliver’s niece and the councilman’s granddaughter – who was charged with obstruction and disorderly conduct for her role in the confrontation near her Greens Lane home.
Reached by telephone Wednesday night, Kelli Oliver would not comment on the arrest and referred questions to her attorney, whom she would not name. Kirkland could not be reached.
The officer, Gregory Graves, wrote in a report that as he approached the women in the Mitsubishi he was “immediately met with yelling and attitude over the traffic stop from both the driver and passenger.” Kirkland, he wrote, called him a “pig,” using an expletive as an adjective, and things escalated from there.
“Oliver exploded in anger, and said she wanted my badge number and supervisor’s name,” Graves wrote. “She stated she would have me fired in the morning.”
Kirkland took up that line, telling the officer “she is a relative of County Councilman Kenneth Oliver, and that he would get me fired,” the report said.
As Graves and another officer attempted to cuff Oliver, “she began kicking, scratching, screaming, and kicked my shin,” Graves reported.
The fracas became a public spectacle, the officer observed, in that “numerous vehicles were stopping on Old Court Road to witness the events.”
Even after being cuffed, Graves said, Oliver “refused to get up, and we had to carry her to a police vehicle.” The officer said he suffered “multiple injuries” in the melee and that Oliver was also injured.
Both women were freed on bail and are to appear before a judge on Nov. 18.
The Twitter Phenom
Disclaimer: I am in no way advertising or promoting the use of Twitter. I'm just sharing my experience with it.
A while back i blogged about the Facebook Phenom.. It is now the hub of my life! I love it there.
Now, i have come upon the twitter phenom. I've been a tweeter now for a couple of weeks. I've been finding some of my normal twitters to follow: HGTV, Wine, fitness, and just yesterday came upon the NYPD, NJSP, and the FBI and Homeland security. They twitter too!
Now some people might say.. yeah? so what? we hear about it in the news! yeah.. ummm.. no we don't.. The FBI is tweeting about stuff i would never hear about in the news because it hasn't happened in my area. The NYPD puts out tweets about suspects, i'm right over the water so i might actually come upon them. The NJSP does the same thing, along with traffic stops (that's cool!). Homeland security tweets about everything related to them: threat levels, why, where, what's affected etc.. it's great. Officer.com, Policelink, Amber Alert, and NLEOMF tweet as well. This is about as fast as you can get any story, unless you work with that news org.
On an off-law enforcement note: a very famous female trainer that trains on the biggest loser? she's a very negative person.. I've been following her tweets for shits and giggles, and quite frankly she's annoying! lol (just thought i would throw that in there lol)
A while back i blogged about the Facebook Phenom.. It is now the hub of my life! I love it there.
Now, i have come upon the twitter phenom. I've been a tweeter now for a couple of weeks. I've been finding some of my normal twitters to follow: HGTV, Wine, fitness, and just yesterday came upon the NYPD, NJSP, and the FBI and Homeland security. They twitter too!
Now some people might say.. yeah? so what? we hear about it in the news! yeah.. ummm.. no we don't.. The FBI is tweeting about stuff i would never hear about in the news because it hasn't happened in my area. The NYPD puts out tweets about suspects, i'm right over the water so i might actually come upon them. The NJSP does the same thing, along with traffic stops (that's cool!). Homeland security tweets about everything related to them: threat levels, why, where, what's affected etc.. it's great. Officer.com, Policelink, Amber Alert, and NLEOMF tweet as well. This is about as fast as you can get any story, unless you work with that news org.
On an off-law enforcement note: a very famous female trainer that trains on the biggest loser? she's a very negative person.. I've been following her tweets for shits and giggles, and quite frankly she's annoying! lol (just thought i would throw that in there lol)
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Men Accused of Ambushing Houston LEO
Story courtesy of ABC13 Houston
Sunday, September 13, 2009 | 10:49 AM
Four men were arrested for allegedly ambushing an HPD officer during a disturbance call. 
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Four men are in jail, accused of ambushing an officer inside a southwest Houston apartment.
Early this morning, an officer went to the Pelican Bay apartments on Bellaire and Rampart on a disturbance call. When he stepped inside, a man locked the door, and several men tried to hold him down. He managed to reach his radio to call for help. Multiple police cars arrived and stormed the apartment. Several men were hit with a Taser. The officer is OK.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Can you imagine? Imediately the movie Reservoir Dogs comes to mind. As f'd up and twisted as that movie was, you would never think that non-hollywood humans would do such a thing!
Is it gang initiation? or a bunch of movie idols? whatever the case me be i hope these jackasses never see the light of day again.
I think it's time to cry louder than the bleeding hearts do because our officers across the country are at risk! No chasing, no tasers (in NJ), can't do this can't do that.. why bother having cops at all?? People that are caught in the act (likes ones such as this) shouldn't even get a trial. Go directly to jail, do not pass go do not collect $200.00. I am SICK of law makers fudging up the system because some housewife or college kid somewhere cried and wrote a letter! it's absurd!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Walmart employees beat shoplifter to death
We should be able to do this here too! lol What a Crazy Place!
http://www.weirdasianews.com/2009/09/07/customer-beaten-death-walmart-employees/
It started out when one of the Walmart employees suspected a female customer of theft. The customer was then under surveillance for a few minutes before being approached by the staff.
The Walmart employee requested to search the customer’s bag and the female customer refused to hand it over, stating that it was a violation of her privacy.
Next thing she knew, more Walmart employees gathered around her and started beating her up.
The customer managed to send an alert to her family through her cellphone and when her mother and sister showed up at the store, the staff members were still pummeling her. They begged and pleaded for them to stop but to no avail.
Finally, the police showed up and put a stop to the incident and the victim was then rushed to the hospital.
Unfortunately, she died of wounds shortly afterwards.
So far, Walmart has not commented on the incident and it is unknown if any of the employees were arrested.
http://www.weirdasianews.com/2009/09/07/customer-beaten-death-walmart-employees/
Customer Beaten to Death by Walmart Employees
At Walmart, theft is not tolerated. At least not at the Walmart in Jingdezhen, China, where a customer died at the hands of Walmart employees who suspected her of stealing.It started out when one of the Walmart employees suspected a female customer of theft. The customer was then under surveillance for a few minutes before being approached by the staff.
The Walmart employee requested to search the customer’s bag and the female customer refused to hand it over, stating that it was a violation of her privacy.
Next thing she knew, more Walmart employees gathered around her and started beating her up.
The customer managed to send an alert to her family through her cellphone and when her mother and sister showed up at the store, the staff members were still pummeling her. They begged and pleaded for them to stop but to no avail.
Finally, the police showed up and put a stop to the incident and the victim was then rushed to the hospital.
Unfortunately, she died of wounds shortly afterwards.
So far, Walmart has not commented on the incident and it is unknown if any of the employees were arrested.
End of Watch: Patrolman Jerry Jones 9/13/09
As noted on the Officer Down Memorial Page:
http://www.odmp.org/officer/20065-patrolman-jerry-jones
Patrolman Jerry Jones
Charleston Police Department
West Virginia
End of Watch: Sunday, September 13, 2009
Biographical Info
Age: 27
Tour of Duty: 3 years
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire (Accidental)
Date of Incident: Sunday, September 13, 2009
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Shot and killed
Patrolman Jerry Jones was accidentally shot and killed by another officer following a pursuit which culminated with the suspect ramming several patrol cars.
Patrolman Jones was on patrol when he spotted a vehicle that had been involved in an earlier hit and run accident. Patrolman Jones attempted to stop the vehicle at the east end of Charleston, but the suspect failed to stop and a pursuit began.
Officer Jones was joined by three other officers who pursued the car to the area on Quick Road. The man then used his truck as a weapon hitting the police cruisers at full throttle. The driver then turned the truck around in the space where he was cornered, and once again rammed the police cars being used as barricades.
The officers, believing they were in grave danger, opened fire on the man. The gunfire hit the driver, but the crossfire also hit Patrolman Jones above his body armor right below his neck. The suspect and Patrolman Jones were both fatally wounded. Officer Jones was transported to CAMC General where he succumbed to his wounds.
Patrolman Jones was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served with the Charleston Police Department for three years. He is survived by his wife.
Agency Contact Information
Charleston Police Department
501 Virginia Street East
Charleston, WV 25301
Phone: (304) 348-6460
Please contact the Charleston Police Department for funeral arrangements or for survivor benefit fund information.
http://www.odmp.org/officer/20065-patrolman-jerry-jones
Patrolman Jerry Jones
Charleston Police Department
West Virginia
End of Watch: Sunday, September 13, 2009
Biographical Info
Age: 27
Tour of Duty: 3 years
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire (Accidental)
Date of Incident: Sunday, September 13, 2009
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Shot and killed
Patrolman Jerry Jones was accidentally shot and killed by another officer following a pursuit which culminated with the suspect ramming several patrol cars.
Patrolman Jones was on patrol when he spotted a vehicle that had been involved in an earlier hit and run accident. Patrolman Jones attempted to stop the vehicle at the east end of Charleston, but the suspect failed to stop and a pursuit began.
Officer Jones was joined by three other officers who pursued the car to the area on Quick Road. The man then used his truck as a weapon hitting the police cruisers at full throttle. The driver then turned the truck around in the space where he was cornered, and once again rammed the police cars being used as barricades.
The officers, believing they were in grave danger, opened fire on the man. The gunfire hit the driver, but the crossfire also hit Patrolman Jones above his body armor right below his neck. The suspect and Patrolman Jones were both fatally wounded. Officer Jones was transported to CAMC General where he succumbed to his wounds.
Patrolman Jones was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served with the Charleston Police Department for three years. He is survived by his wife.
Agency Contact Information
Charleston Police Department
501 Virginia Street East
Charleston, WV 25301
Phone: (304) 348-6460
Please contact the Charleston Police Department for funeral arrangements or for survivor benefit fund information.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Tributes to the Fallen
Every time one of our LE loved ones put their uniforms on and walks out the door to "Protect and Serve" they are putting their life on the line. I know I've blogged about this before, but it is a harsh reality that we have to deal with.
No one but us understands that feeling, that "they may not come home" feeling. The feeling we lovingly put aside in the back of our minds, and pray we never have to deal with it EVER.
When a Police Officer dies in the line of duty, it pains me to see the widow and the child(ren). I piece of me dies. Though, i do not know how that feels, i can imagine the fear, the anger, the lonely feeling that they must be going through. My heart and soul goes out to these women and their child(ren). Mostly i cry for them, i cry for the officer that had his/her life taken just because they were at work.
At work.
A concept most of their murderers don't understand. Their idea of work is selling dope on the street corner, or consuming so much alcohol on a full time basis then getting in their cars and driving. They have no respect for themselves, the law, or the people that enforce it. They kill in fear because they don't want 3 squares a day an i nice 8x5 cell with TV and phones and gyms and libraries.. oh God the horror! They kill the innocent that have families all for their own selfish fears.
I don't want to hear that they have no choice because it's all they know. They OBVIOUSLY know it's illegal or they wouldn't run and/or kill those that are upholding the law. Doing their J.O.B.
If this were to be my FH i don't know if i would be able to show restraint once the tears stopped flowing. I would expect my in-laws-in-blue to find them and hunt them like the animals that they are, and at no cost. I would fight the ACLU and everyone else that tries to stand in my way of a FAIR trial for my FH. By FAIR meaning HIS rights aren't being violated. Justice WOULD be served, and then i will go to Church to work on "forgiving them" but not a moment to soon.
The memories of those that have met their End of Watch never die. We have a National Memorial in DC, which is celebrated in somber yearly during Police Week. Each PD across this Nation and the World have their own in-house tributes for their fallen.
I am moved and touched by the temporary memorial/tribute for Miami-Dade's fallen, which can be seen here
Middletown Rhode Island PD has honored their fallen with a permanent tribute that all who visit HQ can see. click here
These are just examples of what some departments across our Nation are doing to honor their fallen.
What, if anything, does your home town PD do to honor their fallen?
No one but us understands that feeling, that "they may not come home" feeling. The feeling we lovingly put aside in the back of our minds, and pray we never have to deal with it EVER.
When a Police Officer dies in the line of duty, it pains me to see the widow and the child(ren). I piece of me dies. Though, i do not know how that feels, i can imagine the fear, the anger, the lonely feeling that they must be going through. My heart and soul goes out to these women and their child(ren). Mostly i cry for them, i cry for the officer that had his/her life taken just because they were at work.
At work.
A concept most of their murderers don't understand. Their idea of work is selling dope on the street corner, or consuming so much alcohol on a full time basis then getting in their cars and driving. They have no respect for themselves, the law, or the people that enforce it. They kill in fear because they don't want 3 squares a day an i nice 8x5 cell with TV and phones and gyms and libraries.. oh God the horror! They kill the innocent that have families all for their own selfish fears.
I don't want to hear that they have no choice because it's all they know. They OBVIOUSLY know it's illegal or they wouldn't run and/or kill those that are upholding the law. Doing their J.O.B.
If this were to be my FH i don't know if i would be able to show restraint once the tears stopped flowing. I would expect my in-laws-in-blue to find them and hunt them like the animals that they are, and at no cost. I would fight the ACLU and everyone else that tries to stand in my way of a FAIR trial for my FH. By FAIR meaning HIS rights aren't being violated. Justice WOULD be served, and then i will go to Church to work on "forgiving them" but not a moment to soon.
The memories of those that have met their End of Watch never die. We have a National Memorial in DC, which is celebrated in somber yearly during Police Week. Each PD across this Nation and the World have their own in-house tributes for their fallen.
I am moved and touched by the temporary memorial/tribute for Miami-Dade's fallen, which can be seen here
Middletown Rhode Island PD has honored their fallen with a permanent tribute that all who visit HQ can see. click here
These are just examples of what some departments across our Nation are doing to honor their fallen.
What, if anything, does your home town PD do to honor their fallen?
Thursday, September 10, 2009
End Of Watch: Patrolman Chad Spicer
My thoughts and prayers are with his families in their time of need.
Article found on the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund blog
http://nleomf.blogspot.com/2009/09/rarity-in-delaware-officer-is-fatally.html
Article found on the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund blog
http://nleomf.blogspot.com/2009/09/rarity-in-delaware-officer-is-fatally.html
The NLEOMF joins with the Georgetown, DE, Police Department and the state's entire law enforcement community in mourning the death of Patrolman Chad Spicer. Patrolman Spicer was shot and killed last evening after he and his partner had stopped a vehicle on U.S. 113 that had been involved in an earlier shooting. As the three suspects exited the vehicle, one of them opened fire, killing Patrolman Spicer and critically wounding his partner. A four-year law enforcement veteran, Patrolman Spicer is the first member of the Georgetown Police Department to be killed in the line of duty.
Line-of-duty deaths—in particular, deaths resulting from gunfire—are extremely rare in Delaware. There are currently 33 officers from the state whose names are engraved on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC, dating back to Delaware's first known death in 1863. Only New Hampshire (33) and Vermont (19) have experienced fewer officer fatalities.
Delaware’s last line-of-duty death occurred more than five years ago, in July 2004. State Police Corporal Christopher Michael Shea was killed in an automobile crash caused by a drunk driver. The last officer from the state to die in the line of duty from a gunshot wound was Dover Patrolman Daniel Schneible. He was shot in October 1969 while searching for a shoplifting suspect in a vacant house. He died 24 years later, in December 1993, from complications related to his injuries. Before that, the last officers shot and killed were Delaware State Troopers Ronald Carey and David Yarrington, who were gunned down in January 1972 by the female accomplice of a suspect they were struggling with. Of the 33 Delaware officers currently on the Memorial, just nine were killed in firearms-related incidents. Patrolman Spicer is the 10th.
As we grieve over his tragic death, we also salute all of the fallen heroes of Delaware law enforcement. Their service and sacrifice will always be remembered on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
Police Officer JOHN F. BAYLIS, 09/09/1863, Wilmington P.D.
Police Officer ANDREW T. PETERSON, 06/27/1885, Wilmington P.D.
Patrolman FRANCIS X. TIERNEY, 03/06/1915, Wilmington P.D.
Patrolman THOMAS L. ZEBLEY, 11/13/1919, Wilmington P.D.
Officer FRANCIS RYAN, 11/02/1922, Delaware State Police
Matron MARY T. DAVIS, 05/11/1924, Wilmington P.D.
Patrolman HOWARD P. ATWELL, 06/29/1926, Wilmington P.D.
Patrolman MILTON A. WIMBROW, 12/31/1931, Wilmington P.D.
Patrolman WILLARD E. PRUITT JR., 07/07/1944, Wilmington P.D.
Trooper PAUL H. SHERMAN, 10/16/1945, Delaware State Police
Detective THOMAS P. CONATY JR., 12/26/1946, Wilmington P.D.
Corporal LEROY L. LeKITES, 01/13/1950, Delaware State Police
Trooper RAYMOND B. WILHELM, 05/30/1951, Delaware State Police
Patrolman HARRY PASSMORE CLOUD, 07/02/1955, Delaware River & Bay Auth.
Trooper WILLIAM F. MAYER, 08/08/1955, Delaware State Police
Trooper HAROLD B. RUPERT, 04/19/1962, Delaware State Police
Trooper ROBERT A. PARIS, 10/17/1963, Delaware State Police
Patrolman JAMES HENRY HILL, 07/10/1970, Seaford P.D.
Trooper WILLIAM C. KELLER, 01/22/1971, Delaware State Police
Auxiliary Police Officer WALLACE A. MELSON, 08/21/1971, Ocean View P.D.
Trooper RONALD L. CAREY, 01/05/1972, Delaware State Police
Trooper DAVID C. YARRINGTON, 01/06/1972, Delaware State Police
Trooper GEORGE W. EMORY, 06/03/1972, Delaware State Police
Corporal PAUL JOHN SWEENEY, 11/30/1972, New Castle County P.D.
Trooper DAVID BRUCE PULLING, 11/18/1987, Delaware State Police
Trooper KEVIN J. MALLON, 03/20/1990, Delaware State Police
Trooper GERARD T. DOWD, 09/11/1990, Delaware State Police
Corporal ROBERT H. BELL, 09/07/1993, Delaware State Police
Patrolman FRANCIS T. SCHNEIBLE, 12/20/1993, Dover P.D.
Patrol Officer VINCENT A. JULIA, 02/09/1996, Delaware River & Bay Auth.
Trooper SANDRA MARIE WAGNER, 04/05/1996, Delaware State Police
Corporal FRANCES MARIE COLLENDER, 02/06/2001, Delaware State Police
Corporal CHRISTOPHER MICHAEL SHEA, 07/18/2004, Delaware State Police
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Inspirational message
I ran across this blog this morning from Tony Horton. Very inspirational, thanks Tony!
Holding On and Letting Go
Holding On and Letting Go
Newark NJ
Everyday there is a new story in the local news about a shooting, robbery, police chase in Newark NJ. I would like to give this place a new name, but cannot think of one.. It reminds me of some country that's in constant turmoil and fighting and rioting and all that crazy stuff..
For the heck of it this morning i decided to Google 2009 Crime for Newark NJ and i am completely shocked by what i found!
Check this out! This is from 1/01/09 to 9/02/09.. quite sickening
You can get the details of each event here: http://spotcrime.com/nj/newark
I have to give the cops credit. How do you work in a warzone? They should just call in the National Guard.
For the heck of it this morning i decided to Google 2009 Crime for Newark NJ and i am completely shocked by what i found!
Check this out! This is from 1/01/09 to 9/02/09.. quite sickening
I have to give the cops credit. How do you work in a warzone? They should just call in the National Guard.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
