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While many of us are living well, too many still suffer under human slavery

As good as the world seems today, there are still many who are living horrid lives in the world today (https://www.goodnet.org/articles/10-good-things-in-our-world-that-are-getting-better). According to the US State Department, approximately 800,000 people are illegally trafficked across international borders every year (https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-human-trafficking).

Just think about the enormity of that number. That is nearly one million souls, destined for a horrendous life of slavery, in all illicit forms of human depravity. They will be owned by other humans who will treat them appallingly. They will have no rights whatsoever. They will live in fear, probably beaten, starved and raped. And out of these 800,000, some 80% are female and half are children.

These people in many cases are fleeing war torn countries. We only have to turn on our news programs to find some story of refugees trying desperately to reach a safer land. Their boat has capsized, or they suffered inhumane conditions, piled all together into the back of a lorry. Many dying from dehydration and heat exhaustion. The lengths these people go to, to find sanctuary. And most of the time we can sit back, feel sorry for them, and turn the television off. Because we can.

I too have done this, I cannot look at the images anymore, because it’s too upsetting.

More needs to be done to stop this. It is the 21st Century, and slavery is alive and well and doing a roaring trade. In this age of technology and better policing, why are countries not able to halt this?

There does not seem to be a single database that can be used worldwide, to keep track of humans missing, so every country can access it, and keep updating it. It is just too big, and with information in different languages, and much social media footage out there, we have not gotten around to creating a single, go to site, for this purpose – we have the technology, we have the cloud computing, biometrics, facial imaging, but sharing data is still a problem.

In the US the Polaris Project is a large website dedicated to helping human trafficking by offering services to combat this crime. There is a hotline for support, they are building a large public data set on human trafficking in the USA, learning how trafficking works, in real time, strategies that change entire systems to specify all trafficking, and they work with law enforcement and other public and private-sector partners to help to support survivors and to prevent and disrupt human trafficking.

They also supply statistics, blogs, videos, and initiatives to help women from Latin American countries, support for survivors, and to detect businesses that are disguised as legitimate and used to traffic vulnerable woman and children. To read more you can find it here https://polarisproject.org.

There are other websites based in the US too http://humantraffickingsearch.org and http://www.endslaverynow.org – both of these are worth checking out.

In Europe, where the problem is touching all European countries, particularly with the influx of refugees, and many going missing when the reach the country they are travelling to, the European Commission have on their site, all information about how they are tackling the problem, and also projects associated with and dealing with the massive problem that is in every city and town throughout Europe – see http://ec.europa.eu/anti-trafficking.

People can get involved, simply by being aware of any suspicious behavior, activity, whether with people or businesses, or anything that just does not look right, it is always best to be vigilant, because it really is all around us, we don’t see it, but it’s happening in front of us.

It’s time for us to start looking out for each other again. How did it ever get this bad. I thought the really bad days of slavery were behind us, but sadly they are not.

Let’s start to be kind again. We have all our creature comforts, we are contented, what more do we want….it really is the truest saying that “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”

Police Chief Explodes on Protesters: Pure gut-wrenching emotion ensues

Repost from LinkedIn on November 28, 2014.

Wow, if you don’t think that cops really care about their communities, please watch this video – Here’s two different sources:

• Milwaukee Police Chief Flynn’s take on crime, racial disparities goes viral – JSOnline http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/283504501.html
• White Police Chief Loses It and Tells the Blunt TRUTH About Black Crime [VIDEO] http://conservativetribune.com/police-black-crime/

Unfortunately, what Milwaukee Police Department Chief Flynn said is true (and very sad):

80 percent of my homicide victims every year are African-American. 80 percent of our aggravated assault victims are African-American. 80 percent of our shooting victims who survive their shooting are African-American.

Now they know all about the last three people who have been killed by the Milwaukee Police Department over the last several years but not one of them can name the last three homicide victims we have had in this city.

The fact is the people out here who have the most to say are absolutely MIA when it comes to the true threats facing this community.

The sentiment Chief Flynn so emotionally communicates in his message is similar with what I have said in other – we need to take better care of each other.

When I was little, I lived in NYC. On the edge of an Italian, Puerto Rican, and Greek community in Queens. Honestly, there was no way I could get away with anything close to what young people are doing today. If I tried to swipe something from the neighborhood candy store, that store owner was on the phone to my parents even before I left the store. On the street, my neighbors, my Aunt down the block, and even the postman was watching me.

I just don’t see evidence that neighborhoods today are like that – what I see are neighborhoods who seem to prefer having police officers to do it all, or worse, they turn a blind eye and hope it doesn’t affect them.

I agree with others in my field who believe that we need those affected communities to step-up and take action. Community leaders (with the support and encouragement of local law enforcement) must take responsibility to address the factors in their communities that lead to crime – violent, or otherwise. After all, if the communities themselves are not engaged, how can we possibly expect the police to be successful trying to turn things around on their own?

And, BTW, this is not anything new. This is really what community policing is supposed to be about – no, it’s NOT about putting little kiosks in 7-Elevens. (IMHO) community policing is all about the COMMUNITY getting involved, with the support of local police – I believe a good part of community policing is about the community policing itself.

This theory actually goes back 185 years, to 1829, when Sir Robert (Bobby) Peel, (considered the father of modern policing) penned nine Principles of Policing instructions that he gave to every new police officer. Specifically principle #3 said:

3. To recognise always that to secure and maintain the respect and approval of the public means also the securing of the willing co-operation of the public in the task of securing observance of laws.

These are VERY powerful words; let me break this down for you:

• In order for police to maintain respect and approval of the public…
• They must secure the willing cooperation of the public…
• To help to ensure that laws are observed.

So, for police to be respected, they must work to get communities to police themselves – a very profound statement.

Sadly, without a significant change in perspective on BOTH sides, the current situation will continue – police will do their best to fight crime, but they will not be successful (to the extent that Pell’s principle #9 calls out below) until communities step fully in the game and work to take better care of each other.

I leave you with the full list of Peel’s principles (yes, with the British spellings), and although I am not a police officer, if I were, I think I would still consider all nine of these principles still valid today – text in parentheses on a couple of them is my interpretation:

1. To prevent crime and disorder, as an alternative to their repression by military force and severity of legal punishment. (this is why police forces were formed – interesting that they were formed to PREVENT legal punishment – wow, this could be the subject of another posting)
2. To recognise always that the power of the police to fulfil their functions and duties is dependent on public approval of their existence, actions and behaviour, and on their ability to secure and maintain public respect. (in today’s always on video world, I would counsel every officer to behave as if there’s a camera on them 24/7)
3. To recognise always that to secure and maintain the respect and approval of the public means also the securing of the willing co-operation of the public in the task of securing observance of laws.
4. To recognise always that the extent to which the co-operation of the public can be secured diminishes proportionately the necessity of the use of physical force and compulsion for achieving police objectives.
5. To seek and preserve public favour, not by pandering to public opinion, but by constantly demonstrating absolutely impartial service to law, in complete independence of policy, and without regard to the justice or injustice of the substance of individual laws, by ready offering of individual service and friendship to all members of the public without regard to their wealth or social standing, by ready exercise of courtesy and friendly good humour, and by ready offering of individual sacrifice in protecting and preserving life.
6. To use physical force only when the exercise of persuasion, advice and warning is found to be insufficient to obtain public co-operation to an extent necessary to secure observance of law or to restore order, and to use only the minimum degree of physical force which is necessary on any particular occasion for achieving a police objective. (I’m not sure getting an MRAP is inline with this principle)
7. To maintain at all times a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public are the police, the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence. (Very interesting quote – “police are the only ones paid full-time to do what every citizen is responsible for doing..wow)
8. To recognise always the need for strict adherence to police-executive functions, and to refrain from even seeming to usurp the powers of the judiciary of avenging individuals or the State, and of authoritatively judging guilt and punishing the guilty.
9. To recognise always that the test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, and not the visible evidence of police action in dealing with them.

LEIM 37th Annual IACP: Tuesday May 21st 2013

This was my second year attending LEIM and certainly the most enjoyable as the setting for this year was the beautiful Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Hotel. Coming from a country (Ireland) that has been deprived of good summers for the last few years, I was overwhelmed by the glorious sunshine.

As I walked around the beautiful grounds of the Fairmont Princess, enjoying the heat, I took in the perfectly manicured lawns, the towering cactus displays and the perfect little bunnies. This was just heaven and so far away from the cold, rainy Dublin I had left some days previous.

I’m glad to say as I write this from my kitchen in Dublin; the sun is streaming in the window, and is bringing back memories of Scottsdale!

I discarded my swimsuit and dressed more appropriately for the Opening Ceremony of LEIM 2013. Scott Edson, the past year’s Chair, opened LEIM with a warm welcome for everyone and a brief outline of the next few days events and sessions. He was joined by Alan G. Rodbell, Chief of Police, Scottsdale and Bart Johnson, Executive Director, IACP; they too gave a brief introduction and welcomed all.

After the opening I went along to my first plenary session of LEIM, The Evolving Role of Technology in Policing. This sessions also included results from the previous days Information Technology (IT) summit. Tom Casady spoke about technology changes over the years and how it changed law enforcement.

• The telephone was a big innovation from the 1930’s, and is still a critical tool today.
• Cars and motorcycles changed everything for the average policeman patrolling the street on foot.. Harley Davidson credits Detroit, Michigan as being the first purchaser of police motorcycles as early as 1908. The use of cars and motor cycles by police was widespread by the 1930’s. 
• Two-way radio with the invention of the Motorola Police Cruiser Radio Receiver in 1936 again changed policing for the better. This was a rugged one-way car radio designed to receive police broadcasts. These have of course evolved into the Police Scanners we know today.
• In 1968 the first 911 call centre began where people could contact police on a simple but easy number to remember, in an emergency. This highly successful contact is still used to this day.
• The typewriter was used from the early 20th century and of course has evolved from the 1960’s, to the computers and laptops that are used today.
• Finally, in 1974, the stun gun was invented. It became an invaluable tool  to subdue fleeing or potentially dangerous persons, and gives officers a less lethal alternative to firearms in many situations. As many lives as it has saved, it is still a subject of controversy, as it’s use has been implicated in some instances of serious injury or death. But having seen its use over the years, and in particular, the British police recently using this device to subdue the two terrorists responsible for the killing of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich on May 22nd, I do agree with police being armed with them.

Of course technology has evolved from all this, to the brilliance of what we have today. From Cell phones, Laptops, Augmented Reality, Wearable Technology, i.e.: Cameras, Voice Recognition, Facial Recognition, Predictive Analytics, DNA Biometrics, Embedded GPS and to Social Media using Twitter and Facebook as a means of getting information from the public at the time and place of a crime or disaster.

There are a few articles and more information on this subject below:

• http://www.theiacp.org
• http://www.motorola.com
• http://lpd304.blogspot.ie/

Stay tuned for a couple more blog postings about the 2013 LEIM Conference.

Thanks…r/Mary

Addressing the Intersection between Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice Systems – Webinar, January 23rd

I had the opportunity to participate in a webinar on Wednesday (January 23) on the subject of Addressing the Intersection between Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice Systems. The three speakers were:

• Patricia A. Griffin, PhD, a senior consultant in Pennsylvania Mental Health and Justice Centre of Excellence;
• Bob Mann, RN, LSW, an Administrator of Mental Health Operations in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections; and
• Donna Bond, LPC, Manager of Correctional Criminal Justice and Re-Entry Services, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

Speaker #1

The webinar began with Patricia Griffin; she opened with some statistics:

• 16.9% of all jail admissions have a serious mental illness;
• Of this, 14.5% are male and 31.0% are female.

These numbers surprised me, in particular the fact that there were twice as many females with mental disorders than males. Patricia also spoke about the high rates of co-occurring substance abuse disorders and other challenges involving trauma, medical problems, and homelessness. When arrested and convicted, these people convicted face long stays in jail.

Patricia then informed us of a collaborative effort by the state of Pennsylvania (PA) to have an impact on this issue – they wanted to do something about the high number of inmates with mental issues.  It’s called The Sequential Intercept Model, a framework for understanding how people with mental illness interact with the criminal justice system.

• The term Sequential is meant to illustrate how people move through the criminal justice system in predictable ways;
• And, Intercept refers to the desire to examine the process to identify ways to intercept persons with severe mental illness.

The Westmoreland County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Program and multiple other local stakeholders requested the Pennsylvania (PA) Center of Excellence (CoE), Cross-Systems Mapping and Taking Action for Change workshops to promote progress in addressing criminal justice diversion and treatment needs of adults with mental illness in contact with the criminal justice system. They also wanted the CoE to provide additional information to help guide the implementation of newly received Day Reporting Center and Criminal Justice Liaison grants.

Mapping workshops were set up across the country to help communities address the problems; 27 counties in PA completed the workshops. The attendees were Judges, Law Enforcement, Social Services and local families whose members have been through this system. They serve as a springboard for counties to move forward and to improve their local services within their communities and to try to build better collaborative efforts.

Workshop participants got to understand what is happening at local level and begin to get a clear picture of what resources are available and how people work together. They learned from the workshops sessions that there was a clear pattern showing a lack of sobering service, detox facilities, medical assistance, and housing—this last one was a major concern for people who offend and re-offend. The workshop also found that there should be:

• More collaboration and communications;
• More training for staff; and
• Cross training between systems and expanding housing opportunities.

The workshops were a great success; participant evaluations showed that 94% of the participants would recommend the workshops to other counties.

Speaker #2

The second speaker was Bob Mann who talked about the Oklahoma Collaborative Health Program which started in 2007. This program is a collaboration of several Mental Health partners including: The Oklahoma Dept. of Corrections, The Oklahoma Dept. of Mental Health & Substance abuse, The Dept. of Human Services, The Oklahoma Health Care Authority, Social Security Administration and the Dept. of Rehabilitation Services – Disability Determination Division. The key elements contributing to the success of this program were:

• Benefit Planning – this helps people with high risk return in making sure that their benefits are in place to help them on release from prison; and
• Focus Groups – Looking at gaps causing people who return to prison.

About 50% of offenders have a history of, or are exhibiting some form of mental illness and 26% exhibit serious mental health problems. Also of note was the massive increase in people on psychotropic medication – from 1998 – 2006, there was an increase of 289%.

Speaker #3

The third speaker was Donna Bond. She explained how her inter-agency mental health re-entry program is unique in that the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health has taken ownership for the continuity of Mental Health services for offenders with the highest level of Mental Health need.

Discharge Managers (boundary spanners) receive considerable training and serve as part of the treatment team. The goal is for the individual to leave prison with Social Security benefits in place, a Medicare entitlement aligned so funding is in place for medical and mental health services following release. This process starts 120 days prior to offenders scheduled discharge.

Re-entry Intensive Care Co-ordination Teams (RICCT) meet with offenders a minimum of 90 days before the release date from prison, and they work with the offender in the community, until the offender has adjusted to life following incarceration. RICCT teams also work at helping getting the offender housed immediately on release, and also taking care of the offenders clothing and hygiene, and generally getting them a good start back into the community. Bob Mann said that 46.3% of most re-offenders return to prison within 36 months – the program has shown very good results – only 25.2% of offenders processed through the RICCT teams return.

My Thoughts

This is a subject that I am very interested in, and I’m curious why there are there more offenders today who have mental health problems, compared with thirty to forty years ago? A lot of these problems may stem from the natural percentage of the population who suffer mental illness and secondly from health problems connected to serious substance (drug) abuse.

The latter is a real and ongoing problem. From reading the stories in the newspapers we can see that drug abuse generally cause more crimes to be committed. There have been many recent news stories about crime committed by people with drug related addictions. A few examples below:

• Thomas Ashcroft, a homeless burglar in the U.K., started fires at hospitals so he could steal money to buy drugs. The fires caused a distraction so he could steal from the tills to help fund his drug addiction. He has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
• James Holmes the gunman who massacred 12 people in a cinema in Aurora, Colorado, was hooked on prescription painkillers. He started out life as a bright, quite brilliant young boy.
• In Sundays Irish Times, Jan 27th 2012, a story showed that Crime Figures for the Republic show a sharp rise in the number of sexual offences, kidnappings and drug related crimes between 2006 and 2010, according to Central Statistics Office figures recently published. Sadly, drugs are available everywhere in Ireland; young people have easy access to them, there is never a problem buying them or knowing where to find them.

It also seems like mental health problems are on the increase. We only have to open our newspapers each day to see tragic stories of people who have taken their own life, or have killed loved ones and themselves. Some were probably receiving treatment from mental health services, and then may have stopped attending clinics or they ran out of money to pay for treatment. We need to come up with better ways to take care of people with mental health problems. Not to “control” them, but to ensure they are getting appropriate treatment and to make sure they are taking their medicine.

People with mental health illnesses need care and attention, and people in their family and local community should be aware of their problem and “look out” for them. If they should need help, families and people in the community should know who to contact if they feel something is not quite right.

The Oklahoma program is a good example of this, and the statistics show that this is a successful approach. The hard work of people like Patricia Griffin, Bob Mann and Donna Bond is crucial in the success of such program. They are committed and passionate about their work in helping to re-habilitate people, to keep them from a life of crime, and help them to adjust to a happier life without re-offending. It’s important for everyone to become more aware and supportive of community efforts like this, and to help, where we can.

until next time…Is fhearr fheuchainn na bhith san duil

Mary

Wrap up of 112th Congress Justice and Public Safety bills signed into law

Here’s a quick wrap up of Justice and Public Safety related bills passed by the 112th Congress…r/Chuck

• Katie Sepich Enhanced DNA Collection Act of 2012 authorizes grants to offset states’ costs for testing the DNA of arrestees. The new law does not require states to collect DNA from arrestees, and participation in the grant program would be voluntary.
• Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act of 2012 bans the use of synthetic marijuana, known as “K-2” or “Spice,” and other synthetic drugs, such as bath salts. The bill adds the cannabimimetic agents and several hallucinogenic substances to Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act. The law also extends the period for which the Attorney General may temporarily schedule a substance to two years with a one-year extension. Previously, a substance could only be put temporarily on the Schedule I list for one year with a six-month extension. The bill passed as an amendment to the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act.
• SAFE DOSES Act increases the federal penalties for the theft of drugs, medical devices and infant formula before the products reach store shelves. The goal is to target criminal organizations that steal sensitive goods for resale in the wholesale drug market. Under the new law, the maximum sentence is 20 years, or up to 30 years if the offense resulted in serious bodily injury or death.
• Residential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act of 2011changed the way about 10 percent of all presidential appointments are handled, thereby reducing the burden on the Senate and the time spent getting new appointees approved. Under the new law, the President will appoint, but the Senate will no longer need to confirm, the directors of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Bureau of Justice Statistics, (BJS), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Office of Victims of Crime (OVC) and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).
• Resolving a long-standing priority of the emergency management and law enforcement community, Congress passed a bill allocating to public safety the D Block section of the nation’s telecommunications spectrum. In addition to designating the D Block for public safety, the bill set aside $7 billion for the build out of a nationwide public safety broadband network and provides for the governance of the spectrum and for the preservation of the 700 MHz narrowband voice spectrum.
• Child Protection Act of 2012 increases the maximum penalties from 10 to 20 years for child pornography offenses that involve prepubescent children or children under the age of 12. The new law allows a federal court to issue a protective order if it determines that a child victim or witness is being harassed or intimidated and imposes criminal penalties for violation of a protective order. The Act also reauthorizes for five years the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Forces, a national network of investigators who have arrested more than 30,000 individuals involved in child exploitation since 1998.
• Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012 authorizes the Attorney General or Secretary of Homeland Security, at the request of a state or local government, to assist in the investigation of violent acts and shootings occurring at schools, colleges, universities, nonfederal office buildings, malls, and other public places, and in the investigation of mass killings and attempted mass killings. The new law defines “mass killings” as three or more killings in a single incident.

Signs, signs, everywhere are signs: We have to take better care of each other

Pop quiz…what do the following have in common:

• Bradley Manning, US Army soldier who released 750,000 documents to wikileaks
• Jacob Tyler Roberts, another young man who shot up an Oregon mall
• Adam Lanza, young man who killed 26 at a Newtown, CT school
• Marijana Bego, NYC art gallery owner who jumped to her death yesterday

The answer? One or more people knew something was wrong BEFOREHAND.

I am now convinced that EVERY incident, whether it is a tragic shooting, a terrorist act, espionage, or a sole suicide, there were signs ahead of time that something was not quite right with the individual(s) involved.

So what can we do? We have to take better care of each other. When we see signs that someone isn’t quite the way they used to be, call them on it. Ask questions. Take action BEFORE something bad happens.

Scared that you’ll embarrass them? scared you’ll embarrass yourself? If so, just think how you will feel if you don’t take action and something even worse happens…how will you feel then?

• In Bradley’s case, the Army knew there were reasons NOT to put him in a position of trust, and they did anyway!
• In Jacob’s case, his own roommate said he acted weird and talked about moving and selling his possessions!
• In Adam’s case, the school district security officer knew he had disabilities!
• And, in Marijana’s case, many people around her knew she was erratic and not happy.

I would hate to be in any of those person’s shoes…

so, for 2013, let’s try and take better care of each other, and vow to intervene early, maybe we can save a life.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

r/Chuck

LEIM 36th Annual IACP: Baltimore Police Department Incorporating Video Technology to Reduce Violence

This is one presentation I definitely wanted to attend at LEIM. Yes, the real Police of Baltimore were here. Not McNulty and his gang from The Wire, but Deputy Commissioner John Skinner and members of the Baltimore Police Force came to discuss how they are combating violence in Baltimore using video technology.

Deputy Skinner opened up the presentation to tell us that quite a few years ago, Baltimore was America’s Murder capital. In 1995, there was an estimated 1 homicide per day in Baltimore. By 2011 this was down to 197 in a year. Since 2007 they have achieved a 35% reduction in non-fatal shootings and juvenile homicides have decreased since 2008. By using technology, Baltimore Police have achieved historical lows in violent crime, whilst reducing budgets they have redirected the resources they have at the Police Department.

Gayle Guilford, Systems Director for Baltimore PD explained the Side Partner Project. This initiative came out in 2009. The aim was to ‘get Police out of their cars and back into the community’. Gayle spoke about years ago, when Officers would ‘walk the beat’, and be an integral part of the community. They knew people by name, and would walk around the neighborhoods, speaking to people and generally being involved in the daily life around them. This was comforting for people, and they trusted their Police.

Since taking police of the streets and into patrol cars, citizens have become distanced from the police and possibly lost the trust that was once had. To combat this and to get the Police back onto the streets, Blackberry phones with a “Pocket Cop” application were handed out to the Officers. With the phone in their hand, they can carry out checks on warrants, driving records and photographs. It also tells them who they should be looking out for, and what their daily priorities are.

The system also allows Officers to start taking evidence such as photos and streaming video before the forensic teams arrive. This is very useful in domestic violence situations. They can immediately upload evidence and get information out to other officers who can assist if they are nearby, if they have to look for a suspect, they will have a photograph to help them.

The application is also wired up to GPS and Google maps. This can tell Police dispatchers where officers are located and their availability to respond to a situation. Gayle hopes that future budgets will allow that every Police Officer will have a blackberry in the next few years.

Next to speak was Lt. Hood, Director of Law Enforcement Operation for CitiWatch in Baltimore PD. Lt. Hood is one of those types of people that are immediately likeable, and when he began his presentation on CCTV, I was enthralled.

The CitiWatch program is one of America’s most sophisticated surveillance networks in operation. It started off with 50 cameras and now has over 500 across Baltimore City. The cameras are monitored by the Criminal Intelligence Watch Center inside the Baltimore PD, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by specially trained CCTV operators, mainly retired Police Officers.

Extra staff are used at weekends to monitor the busiest times, especially at night. Lt Hood likes using retired Police as they have the knowledge and are also trained on a variety of subjects including radio communications and uniform crime reporting.

CitiWatch cameras records footage, which is stored for 28 days and then archived off site. Video footage is crucial in identifying suspects and capturing evidence in many crimes. Lt Hood then proceeded to show us some footage, in which the Police were able to make subsequent arrests and help also to prevent certain criminal acts.

In many instances where a crime was being committed, it was monitored by staff, and Police were alerted to see who was the nearest to where the crime was taking place. They could then go to the scene and take control of the situation.

Many would feel that we have reached the ‘Big Brother is watching you’ stage considering how many cities around the world are using camera technology, but in reality those cameras are not there to spy on the public, but instead are there to help us and keep us safe by watching out for the bad guys.

Lt. Hood and his team proved this. I spend a lot of time in Baltimore, and I am happy that Lt. Hood is watching out for us, and I for one walked away from that presentation feeling a little bit safer.

For more information and to find out more about Baltimore Police check out:

www.baltimorepolice.org

Till next time…

r/Mary

LEIM 36th Annual IACP: A First Timer’s Perspective

Hi everyone,

My Name is Mary Wood and I recently joined NOWHERETOHIDE.ORG as a Research Analyst. I am from Dublin, Ireland, and new to Public Safety, so be gentle with me! These first few blog postings will tell the story of my experience at the 2012 Law Enforcement Information Management (LEIM) conference that I attended from 19-23 May 2012.

Since this was my first time attending LEIM, I didn’t really know quite what to expect. What I experienced was a whirlwind three days of educational sessions and networking opportunities – I really enjoyed everything about this conference and learned so very much!

I was also in awe of being in the presence of the brave men and women who put their lives in danger every day just to keep the rest of us safe – that in itself was daunting. But as I walked around, amongst Officers, Chiefs of Police, federal agents, and even a British Lord!, I was stuck by the camaraderie and incredible respect they had for each other. I really love Americans, and have always found them to be extremely polite and well mannered, and these three days showed just that, and also an enthusiasm for learning, meeting new people, and sharing of their experiences with dealing with information management in the public safety arena.

I found myself learning something new with each presentation/workshop that I attended. I was very impressed by the high standard of presenting styles and the way most people I encountered delivered their information in a very understandable (essential for a first timer!) and enjoyable way.

I learned quite a bit – using CCTV effectively, getting essential data into systems so Police Departments in other states can access it, predictive Policing, Social Media and how law enforcement agencies use the social media sites to gain information, the latest License Plate readers, what happens when a Police Officer wears a camera, and many more interesting ways that technology is used everyday.

Yes, law enforcement information management has come a long way from the pencil and notebook. Today the paper and pencil has been replaced by an iPhone or Blackberry to access/enter information, to take video and pictures, and to share information. I have learned that it is all about getting information and sharing that information to get the bad guys of the streets.

For any first timers to the LEIM conference next year, I would highly recommend that you arrive early enough to attend the First Time Conference Attendee Orientation and ABC’s of IT for Law Enforcement. This session will help answer any questions first timers may have about the conference. The LEIM Board of Officers together the LEIM Chairperson put on a very informative and straightforward presentation. They will also answer any questions put to them.

Ed Posey, the 2011-2012 Chairman, spoke about his work as a Captain in Gainesville Police Department. He spoke about the Law Enforcement Information Exchange (LInX) Lynx project and answered general IT questions put to him. Lance Valour talked about the way the Police Service works in Canada, and the differences between America and Canada (I loved his Canadian accent!), and Lance should know with 33 years in Ottawa Police Force behind him. They also explained how 9/11/01 changed everything in terms of security and getting essential information and sharing it, so everybody can work together and understand the situation they are dealing with. N-DEx was one of the information sharing systems that was created after 9/11/01. It is designed to share federal, state and local law enforcement information. The types of data being exchanged varies from police case files, arrest reports, warrants, Canadian and Interpol databases, and corrections data.

On the first day there are also other preconference workshops presented, along with the first timers conference. They are each three hours long, but are a must to explain any questions you have or any guidance you need to get you through the three days.

I have grown up, watching cop shows that show us how it’s done. We think we know it all, but it’s a lot different when you are in the presence of the people who really know how it’s done. I came away from my three days with a lot of information and pages and pages of notes, and also had the pleasure of being in the company of people who really do make a difference by making our world safer.

Over the next few blog postings I will share some stories about specific things I learned about…stay tuned.

Thanks for reading…r/Mary

Eastern Maryland: Free “State of-the-Threats for the Hospitality “Industry”

A free InfraGard Maryland training seminar:

Date and Time: Monday, October 4, 2010, 8:30am-1:00pm in Ocean City

Location: Holiday Inn, Oceanfront @ 67th Street, 6600 Coastal Hwy., Ocean City, MD 21842

AN AUTHORITATIVE “NEED_TO_KNOW” ON THE STATE-OF-THE-THREATS MATRIX FOR THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY – with Lessons Learned from Mumbai & BEYOND

Jointly presented by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and InfraGard’s Maryland Chapter, with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Maryland Coordination & Analysis Center (MCAC) and Eastern Maryland Regional Information Center.

Speakers

Major General Kalugin, The former Chief of KGB Foreign Counter-Intelligence whose job it was to penetrate all hostile intelligence and security forces worldwide. Now one of Russia’s “Most Wanted,” General Kalugin just celebrated his 7th year as a U.S. Citizen. He is the ultimate insider, whose fascinating autobiography, SPYMASTER*, documents secrets from his 32-year career.

Carl D. “Dave” Dalton, Former 29-year veteran LAPD, a sought-after source in the Security Industry for executive protection, high-profile/high-risk event security, emergency & disaster preparedness, Mr. Dalton has weathered unimaginable events: from the LA 1984 Summer Olympics and first-ever Papal visit in 1987, to the 1992 LA Riots; the Northridge Earthquake; firestorms, floods, and mudslides; epic structural fires; and major crime scenes. Heavily involved in the community in various key Security & Emergency Preparedness roles, he was personally invited by the Government of the People’s Republic of China to help prepare the Chinese National Police and Military to provide security for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

Darryl Kramer, Public-Private Sector Partnership Coordinator, Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence & Analysis. Mr. Kramer draws on a deeply informed and credentialed background in military and other sectors to bring a substantial breadth of understanding and resourcefulness in speaking to a State of the Threats Briefing and overview of the DHS Public-Private Sector partnering program – how it works, & how businesses can benefit.

Registration & Attendance: This invaluable event is FREE to Attend

REGISTER NOW at http://secureeastmd.eventbrite.com

Surviving Budget Cuts: You need to give up control to gain control

I just returned from the 2009 International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference that was held in Denver, CO.  It was a very nice conference. I attended my usual CJIS and LEIM meetings, sat in on a few very informative workshop sessions, and (of course) reconnected with many friends and collegues.  One  particular conversation topic that came up many times was the budget problems state and municipal jurisdictions were facing and how many law enforcement agencies had or were about to lay off staff to accomodate fair-share budget cuts imposed by state, county, or city managers.

What made this matter of particular interest to me was that one of my law enforcement friends was considering paying back a grant they received to hire additional officers becuase they would (within a year) end up having to lay-off an equal number of officers to accomodate a nearly $3,000,000 budget cut the City was going to impose on the agency. I asked him what his Chief was doing to build a case to prevent from having to take the cut? From the tone of his response, it didn’t sound like they were confident that such a strategy would be successful. He then remarked how unfair it was that when the local Fire Department asked for a new station, they received the money to build it without question…but when the police department makes a comparable request, it fails to pass.

So, I looked him in the eye and asked him…”So what is YOUR firehouse?”

An agency’s budget is built (for the most part) on a political processs pretty much based on the old value equation. In other words the level of agency funding is based on the percieved public safety value of the actions and materiel to be funded; (VALUE=BENEFIT/COST).  Agencies that want to protect or enhance their budget must take strategic (and political) actions to build the case that cutting their budget would be detrimental to sustaining safe communities.

Just as a Fire Department can easily show the value of a new fire truck or firehouse, law enforcement agencies must be able to articulate the consquences of either cutting their budget or failing to fund new initiatives, and they must do it in a way that captures the political will necessary to support their cause. Unfortunately, many agencies try to make the best of the situation and strip their internal capacity and/or reduce their services in other areas to compensate for the cuts, leaving themselves open to public criticism.

I suggested to my friend that instead of “sucking it up” and accepting the cut, that he (and his chief) figure out a strategy to build public and (if necessary) private support for either finding alternatives to the budget cut or (at a minimum) reducing the amount of the budget cut they are expected to take.

I am a big believer in the “shifting the burden” strategy whereby the law enforcement agency (or any agency for that matter) would layout the public safety problems faced by the community, the operational strategies required to address those issues, and an estimated cost of the resources (by budget category) to undertake those actions (performance based budget), and then present that to the County Manager/Council, City Manager/Council, etc., and let them decide what will be funded or not funded. The key here is to SHIFT THE BURDEN TO THEM TO SAY NO TO ADDRESSING PARTICULAR CRIME CONCERNS.

Unfortunately, many agencies will be uncomfortable with this strategy and would instead perfer to set their own priorities–some may disagree with me, but agencies that do this (in my opinion) leave themselves open to the risks associated with being held to those objectives without being given the resources to be successful. I also see the “shift the burden” strategy as a) a way for agencies to hold their state, county, city leadership accountable for fully funding public safety initiatives and b) as a strategy to prevent those same leaders from cutting initiatives they originally agreed to fund–this puts the burden for establishing the value of law enforcement in the hands of those with the checkbook, and…

What politician is going to want to tell their constituants that they want less public safety?

Your thoughts and comments welcomed..r/Chuck