On Q Professional Investigations

The McAlester School Board voted to keep a policy that prohibits qualified teachers from carrying guns on campus.

The McAlester Public School board looked into the district’s gun policy Monday night after the legislature made changes to state law. The superintendent said guns don’t belong in the classroom, and ultimately, the board agreed.

McAlester Schools has its own campus police department consisting of Chief Chuck Campbell and one part-time officer. They are allowed to carry handguns on campus.

“It’s sad, but nowadays with the dangers in society and the way things have gone, it’s a necessity,” said Chief Campbell said.

But the school board was set to vote on whether qualified school employees, including teachers, could to do the same.

“Of course, safety’s always a concern for our students, and we’re a fairly small school district and if needed, Officer Campbell or Officer Moore are always close,” said McAlester Superintendent Marsha Gore.

“Having a police department as a part of our school system has worked well through the years, and as of right now, we feel that’s the best way to continue.”

In May, Governor Fallin signed a bill allowing certain personnel to carry handguns on school property. The law says school employees must have an armed security guard license or a reserve peace officer certification.

It’s up to each district’s school board to decide if employees can be armed on campus.

Right now there are four McAlester employees who meet the qualifications. None of them is a teacher.

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Chile’s Investigative Police, or PDI, arrested 14 people belonging to a gang that on Oct. 31, 2014 robbed an armored car that was carrying close to $1 million, officials said.

According to the PDI, the gang’s leaders and their partners are under arrest awaiting trial for making off with a mountain of cash from an armored car of the Prosegur company, which at the time forced the Carabineros militarized police to block traffic on Route 68, the main expressway to the seaside resort city of Viña del Mar.

Police operations were directed by the Robbery Investigation Brigade (Biro) of the Santiago metropolitan region.

PDI officials told EFE that the same gang was found to have carried out at least one other such assault. Previously, on Oct. 3, 2014, they held up another armored car and one of the thieves was killed in the process.

“Up to now we have established that the gang stole close to $1 million, though we have managed to seize several properties they acquired with the stolen money, but not the cash,” the police official said.

Gang members bought two homes in the city of Quinteros, one in San Antonio, another in Algarrobo and finally, one in El Quisco, all on the central coast of Chile, as well as 10 brand new vehicles.

In 2014, according to official records, 20 armored cars were looted for a total haul of $18 million, an amount 10 times greater than all the money stolen in similar crimes in 2013.

The most daring robbery last year was undoubtedly the one on Aug. 12, when eight criminals fooled the entire air terminal security force and got away with some $10.5 million after assaulting a Brink’s armored car in the loading zone of Santiago International Airport

Several of those robbers, of whom six are under arrest, went dressed as airport workers with fake IDs before the armored car arrived, and when the other gangsters joined them, they all put on ski masks and brandished firearms, including an assault rifle, witnesses said.

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Friday, Aug. 28, proved to be a very bad day for 24-year-old Demarcus Linwood. Sgt. Stan Seo with the King County Sheriff’s Office tweeted out at 11:24 a.m. that day “citizen arrested Demarcus Linwood in White Center this morning then called KCSO. Saw fugitive on Washington’s Most Wanted”.

Linwood, nicknamed “Charm”, is a level 3 sex offender and between Aug. 25 and Aug. 28 was a fugitive from the law. After pleading guilty to failing to register as a sex offender Linwood was granted release to attend a funeral. He never showed to his next court date after that and apparently went into hiding.

A citizen who watches Washington’s Most Wanted recognized Linwood in White Center and apprehended the sex offender. After restraining him this good Samaritan called the King County Sheriff’s Office and turned Linwood in.

At the time of his arrest Linwood was facing 43 months for the failure to register charge and an additional 43 months for a rape that he plead guilty to. Linwood has been in trouble with the law since he was 14 and his other offenses include attempted robbery, criminal trespass and multiple assault convictions.

According to Washington’s Most Wanted Linwood prefers his victims to be teenagers and attempts to befriend them on the bus, on the street or at a large event (concerts, gatherings, parties, etc.). Once he gained the victim’s trust he would brutally attack and rape them.

There are two victims that are known of and their cases are outlined in the Washington’s Most Wanted profile for Linwood. In 2013 police put out a bulletin on Washington’s Most Wanted asking more victims to come forward so they could build a larger case against Linwood.

While it has not been revealed how exactly the citizen that arrested Linwood went about it Washington State does allow for citizens to lawfully make arrests if the criminal is committing a felony or misdemeanor. Typically the few RCWs that applies to arrests made by citizens are applied to security guards or loss prevention officers.

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NEW YORK – The White House and New York City’s district attorney have pledged a combined $79 million on Thursday to help clear the tens of thousands of rape kits that have gone untested across the country.

The White House announced that $41 million in federal funds plus $38 million from the Manhattan prosecutor will go toward clearing backlogs in 27 states.

Local law enforcement agencies applied for the grants. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. is using asset forfeiture funds toward the effort.

Vance and Vice President Joe Biden announced the local authorities receiving funds at a news conference at the New York City medical examiner’s office.

Awards range from $97,305 to the Travis County Sheriff’s Office in Texas, which will test approximately 148 kits, to $1,999,982 to the Georgia State Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, which will test approximately 3,108 kits.

It’s estimated that tens of thousands of DNA samples taken after sexual assaults have gone untested. Part of the issue is the cost of testing the kits, which can run around $800 to $1,000 per kit. Some cities such as Detroit have turned to private donations to raise money to clear the backlogs.

The district attorney’s office said it has established agreements with two private forensic labs to secure competitive rates for testing kits. Kits tested through the initiative will cost less than $675 per kit, significantly less than the estimated nationwide average of $1,000 to $1,500 per kit.

In 2009, CBS News reported that investigators often ignore DNA evidence collected from victims in sexual assault kits. Thousands of these rape kits have gathered dust for years but the CBS News report and subsequent coverage have helped persuade some police departments to begin testing them

In one of those cities, Cleveland, once the kits were analyzed, they revealed 225 men were potentially linked to multiple rapes.

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A Birmingham woman was sentenced after pleading guilty to stealing social security benefits awarded to her grandmother—for more than two decades after she died.

Wendi D. Baldwin, 41, was sentenced to six months in prison and also six months of in-home detention, according to a news release from Joyce White Vance, the U.S. Attorney for Alabama’s northern district.

She pled guilty February to one count of theft of government property.

The benefits were deposited into Baldwin and her grandmother’s shared bank account from Jan. 1992 until July 2013, according to the plea agreement.

Her grandmother died in 1991.

The Social Security Administration became aware of the theft when it could not reach Baldwin’s grandmother after several attempts.

She was also ordered to forfeit $30,934 to the government and pay that much to the SSA

According to the release, Baldwin stole more than $155,000 in social security benefits, but the statute of limitations only allowed the government to recover five years’ worth of benefits.

A Birmingham woman was sentenced after pleading guilty to stealing social security benefits awarded to her grandmother—for more than two decades after she died.

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Drones are becoming a go-to tool for law enforcement — here are five ways your agency can use them

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), more commonly referred to as drones, have been a popular topic among both businesses and law enforcement agencies due to growing interest in their use in non-military applications.

Police departments can deploy drones to improve their ability to enforce the law and protect lives, all while saving valuable resources like police officer time and tax dollars.

1. Active Shooter
A bird’s eye view can enable police to gain a quick understanding of the scope of what is going on in an active shooter situation.

The view from a drone can not only provide the location of the shooter, but also an understanding of the surrounding area, offering valuable information such as the direction the shooter might be headed, escape routes for victims and the shooter’s firing line.

UAVs are also great tools for active shooter situations because they can be deployed from almost anywhere and stored in the trunk of a cruiser.

They can also access areas traditional helicopters cannot. UAVs have an ability to fly lower to the ground, get into tight spots, hover under bridges and structures, and even fly inside buildings in order to help the experts gather as much detail as they can.

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. —University of Louisville officials hope to have officers wearing body cameras by Oct. 1.The university purchased 50 body cameras for about $42,000, a school spokesman said.

University of Kentucky patrol officers started wearing body cameras in July. Forty-eight cameras were purchased for the University of Kentucky, using roughly $38,400.

“The key thing is that the university police, like most of the law enforcement agencies across the country, see that they are a beneficial tool, not just for the police but as a protectionary tool for the general public as well,” said Sgt. Aaron Graham of the University of Louisville police.

The move is a pattern seen nationwide, following several controversial incidents involving officers. Many students on campus said they want the cameras.

“I think it’s a good idea, not just me being a minority, but also for the police officers. It gives them a chance to show their side of the story as well, because a lot of them are getting in trouble and not everybody knows the whole story,” said Brandy Ray, a Louisville student.

“It will help justify either the police actions of the actions by the civilians, when dealing with these types of situations,” said Tyler Snyder, a Louisville student.

Sophomore Shayan Khan recalled how a body camera video shaped the case involving a former University of Cincinnati officer, who is now charged with murder.

“If that were to happen, it would be easier to prosecute those people and bring them to justice,” Khan said.

Police said the body cameras will not record if the case involves a juvenile or a private situation that is not necessarily criminal in nature, but otherwise the cameras will be turned on.

“Anytime that we have general contact with any official duty, so any call for service, any report run,” Graham said.

Most LMPD officers are equipped with body cameras, except for officers in the sixth, seventh and eighth divisions.

Chief Steve Conrad said he hopes to have them there by the end of the year.

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BRANCHBURG, NJ — A New Jersey man has been indicted on burglary charges after police say he inadvertently dialed 911 and let authorities in on his plans.

Police say they heard Scott Robert Esser and an accomplice talk about breaking into homes, emptying drawers and stealing goods.

NJ.com reports Friday that officials described the call as an errant, open-line emergency cellphone call “commonly referred to as a ‘butt dial.’”

The 42-year-old Esser was indicted on burglary, theft and other charges in connection with burglaries in Branchburg and Stafford townships and Berkeley Heights.

He’s jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail. Information on his lawyer wasn’t immediately available.

Esser was arrested July 29 on the Garden State Parkway. Police say they found jewelry, electronics, $11,300 in bonds and a handgun in his car.

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ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —A Disney security officer won her civil lawsuit against Disney Friday in Orange County.

A jury ruled that the company discriminated against Camelia Joseph based on her national origin, which is Haitian.

Disney issued the following statement:

“We have a longstanding policy against workplace discrimination and believe none occurred here. We are pleased the jury awarded no damages.”

Joseph became emotional Wednesday as she testified that she repeatedly tried to earn a promotion in the security department at Walt Disney World and has worked there roughly 20 years.

She said she applied for promotions within the company at least seven times and was denied those advancements because of her Haitian background.

Joseph also testified that she saw workers who were less qualified than she earning promotions and higher salaries.

Disney officials vehemently deny that there was any discrimination, despite the fact that Joseph is one of six security department workers to bring legal actions against Disney in the past few years.

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Over 190.3 million people in the US own smartphones, but many do not know exactly what a mobile device can disclose to third parties about its owner. Mobile malware is spiking, and is all too often pre-installed on a user’s device.

Following its findings in 2014 that the Star N9500 smartphone was embedded with extensive espionage functions, G DATA security experts have continued the investigation and found that over 26 models from some well-known manufacturers including Huawei, Lenovo and Xiaomi, have pre-installed spyware in the firmware.

However, unlike the Star devices, the researchers suspect middlemen to be behind this, modifying the device software to steal user data and inject their own advertising to earn money.

“Over the past year we have seen a significant increase in devices that are equipped with firmware-level spyware and malware out of the box which can take a wide range of unwanted and unknown actions including accessing the Internet, read and send text messages, install apps, access contact lists, obtain location data and more—all which can do detrimental damage,” said Christian Geschkat, G DATA mobile solutions product manager.

Further, the G DATA Q2 2015 Mobile Malware Report shows that there will be over two million new malware apps by the end of the year.

During the second quarter of 2015, researchers saw 6,100 new malware samples every day. By comparison, in the first quarter of 2015, they saw about 4,900 malware apps per day, representing an increase of almost 25% quarter over quarter.

Additionally, the first six months of 2015 has already broken all previous malware records—over a million new Android malware strains (1,000,938) were discovered within just six months. In those six months, the analysts have already discovered almost as many Android malware instances as in the whole of 2013.

“An estimated 2.5 billion people worldwide use a smartphone or tablet to go online. Chatting, surfing and shopping are possible anytime, anywhere thanks to smartphones and tablets. At the same time, the number of mobile malware apps has sharply increased in the past three years,” added Geschkat.

In the second half of 2015, G DATA security experts expect yet another significant increase in Android malware instances—in tandem with that malware becoming more refined.

“Hacking Team, an IT company that develops a wide range of malware for intelligence services and governments, suffered a cyber-attack this year,” the report noted. “After this attack, corporate data and source code for an Android malware strain were published. G DATA security experts expect cyber criminals to exploit this easily accessible knowledge base and publish large numbers of more mature Android malware.”

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