On Q Professional Investigations

“After a spike in crime, two Chicago aldermen want to bring private security services to the Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods to supplement what police are already doing.
Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) and Ald. Joe Moreno (1st) proposed a plan to use the taxpayer surplus Special Service Area, or SSA, funds for guards to help Chicago police patrol the Northwest Side communities. On Friday, the aldermen and 14th District Police Commander Fabian Saldana brought together dozens of residents to discuss the proposal.
“It’s no different than snow removal, beautification or the other things that SSA does. I believe security is important, and it’s important to augment it, not replace it,” Moreno said.
Since May, 1700 crimes from battery to arson were reported in the area, but only 200 arrests have been made, according to the aldermen.
“We’re trying to get a handle on that with this proposal,” Hopkins said.
The proposed budget amendment would use $100,000 of the $1.2 million SSA budget, allowing for the hiring of off-duty and retired police officers for late-night patrols.
Some residents expressed support, saying it would be “egregious” to not do anything about the crime.
“It’s a really good idea, but we need to think about standards and oversight,” said community resident Gretchen Vermuelen.
Others were not enthusiastic about the idea.
“Police service is a fundamental service that the city should be providing on its own. We should not be providing that,” said Steven Lipe.
The SSA district overlaps three wards, with two of the three aldermen backing the private security proposal. Ald. Hopkins said the SSA funding will expire if not spent by the end of the year.
“If we’re not able to come to an agreement or some compromise, a willingness to work together, then really the entire $1.2 million is in jeopardy,” said Kimberly Bares of the Wicker Park/Bucktown Chamber of Commerce.
The aldermen said they hope to work out a solution within the next week.”

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“An off-duty security officer driving down a road sprang into action after being flagged down by a woman reporting a kidnapping in progress.
After getting off the light rail, the night turned to chaos after she says a man tried to grab her 7-year-old daughter.
Boone and her husband were able to keep the man away from their daughter, but they needed help and that’s when she flagged down a passing security guard.
“A woman who saw my patrol vehicle was jumping up and down and waving at me. I drove up and asked her if she needed help and she said ‘Yes, someone tried to steal my kid,’” said Security officer Casey Smith.
Smith says he was off-duty but that he wanted to help the Boones.
He confronted the man and tried to him down and keep him in the area until police could arrived but things turned violent, and the man tried to fight him. So Smith, who says he weighs at least 300 pounds, got him on the ground and held him until help got there.
“I just rolled the person over and then sat on them. Literally just jumped on his back and sat there holding his hands behind him until the police arrived,” said Smith.
Officers told him the guy may have gotten away if he hadn’t intervened.
“I would want someone to do the same thing for me. This day and age everything is so volatile. People are getting taken from different states and everything else and it’s just really hard not to help people,” said Smith.
The suspect now faces a charge of misdemeanor assault for pushing the husband. But detectives told Boone he’s not facing attempted kidnapping charges because he didn’t touch their daughter.
The man is not in jail. Phoenix police were not able to provide an update on the case Saturday night.

A local Phoenix news station has reported that the man has been arrested 54 times, mostly for public intoxication, drinking in public and assault.”

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“The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is giving the Transportation Security Administration an ultimatum on dealing with long lines at airports.

CBS2’s Christine Sloan reported the Port Authority is warning the TSA in a letter it will be replaced by a private security force.

“We can no longer tolerate the continuing inadequacy of the TSA passenger services,” the letter reads.

The letter states the long waits at John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International Airports are “prompting angry complaints from passengers, terminal operators, and airlines alike … citing inconvenience, delayed flights and missed flight connections.”

“Passengers have been waiting up to an hour in lines at security checkpoints.

“They’re pretty long,” one traveler said.

Travel expert Peter Trabucco said travelers should not be concerned if airports turn to private security forces.

“Not really, because the processes and the protocols are all set up,” Trabucco said. “They’re going to be doing the same, that’s why the lines are all long because of terrorism.”

Trabucco said the goal of privatization is to cut costs.

“Time would tell if it would work or not. It depends on the company, it depends on how serious they are. Some are good, some are bad,” Trabucco said. “I still feel the TSA itself has a very, very tough job.”

The TSA said it “will directly respond to the Port Authority.”

However, the agency is trying to get more money to hire extra screeners and pushing “pre-check,” a program passengers can sign up for that screens them before they travel.

“I can keep my shoes on. I believe I can keep my computer in my backpack. It’s easier with children,” traveler Denise Suri said.

Private security companies have already taken over 22 airports, including in San Francisco and Kansas City.”

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“TV and movies tell us security guards are bumbling fat idiots. They are the butt of a joke. Falling asleep with their feet up, they never pay attention to those security camera monitors while burglars steal gold or priceless paintings or stacks of cash. They’re easily distracted, easily gagged and tied up and — as in Die Hard or The Matrix or countless other action films — easily killed.

In real life, they work long, boring hours strolling the halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, waving metal detectors at Mets games, printing sticky visitor passes at commercial buildings, checking IDs at concerts, standing for hours and hours on end at public landmarks, department stores, colleges, pharmacies.

There are more than two times as many security guards than police officers in New York state and roughly 10 times as many guards as firefighters. While a lot of kids grow up itching to join the NYPD or the fire department, it’s hard to find someone who said they wanted to be a security guard when they grew up.

The guard who patrols a corporate plaza with an H&R Block and Chase Bank in Midtown wants to be a train conductor. The guard scanning IDs at a commercial office building near Grand Central dreams of a career as a stand-up comedian. The guard who works at a Duane Reade in the Upper West Side hopes to be a cop. The older guards who aren’t retired police officers, when asked what they think of a career in security, will shrug, as if to say, “It’s a job. It pays the rent.”

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“Covenant Security Services, the nation’s premier provider of comprehensive security services, was recently named by Forbes Media and Statista as one of America’s Best Midsize Employers in 2016. Covenant is the highest ranked security services company on the list and 66th overall out of 250 companies with over 1,000 employees.

As one of 250 companies receiving this recognition, Covenant Security Services was selected based on the attitude of its employees towards Covenant as well as the public perception of Covenant by industry employees. According to Forbes, the selection process is “based on an independent survey conducted by statistics portal Statista from a sample of 30,000 American employees working for large or midsize firms or institutions.”

“This is a great source of pride for Covenant Security Services,” Covenant President Greg Iannuzzi said. “Covenant does not exist without the efforts and hard work of our security professionals, and this is a true testament to our employee-focused culture.”

Covenant provides security services to over 150 client locations with nearly 4,000 security professionals throughout the country. Covenant is known within the security industry for its strong employee retention program, offering full medical, dental, and vision insurance along with free life insurance, a matching 401(k) program, flexible paid time off, transportation and commuter benefits, and career advancement opportunities.

In the survey conducted by Forbes and Statista, the most important metric of the assessment was the employees’ willingness to recommend their employer.”

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“The quick-thinking security guard who saved the life of a little girl choking on pasta has humbly insisted that he was merely acting on instinct.

Declan Kirk and colleagues rushed to the aid of the lifeless 18-month-old when they spotted her frantic father running through County Mall. Mr Kirk, a security officer at Boots, ran after the distressed man and his daughter who was struggling to breathe.

Using his six years’ worth of first aid skills he learnt as an Army Cadet, the 20-year-old managed to dislodge the food which the toddler had been choking on.

Speaking to the Crawley News, he explained that he was happy to be in the right place at the right time for what must have been the “scariest” situation for a parent.

Mr Kirk, who has only been working at the store for seven weeks, said: “I saw a male running down the escalator holding a young girl. At first I was concerned for the girl’s safety, the thought crossed my mind that it could be a kidnap situation.

“We made chase as the man quickly ran out of County Mall. We are told to catch up with someone rather than shout after them because we don’t want to cause a scene or anymore concern for anyone else in the area.”

Mr Kirk and one of his colleagues, Michael Senior, caught up with the dad outside Saxonbrook Medical Centre in Haslett Avenue West. They realised it was in fact a medical emergency.

Mr Kirk added: “The girl was like a rag doll and her eyes had rolled all the way to the back of her head. It was quite clear that she was in a very bad way.

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“Alabama Power security officer Greg Coleman had a 23-year career with the Birmingham Police Department, and always wondered why the Fire Department guys got all the love.
Now he knows.
Coleman awoke around 3 a.m. Feb. 5 to the cries of a neighbor on Blocker Drive in Bessemer shouting that a house two doors down was on fire and people were still inside.
“By the time I put my jeans on and got down there, an officer (Bessemer Police) was bringing out the woman who lived there, asking if anyone else was in the house,” Coleman recalled. “All she could say was she couldn’t get the door open. She was frantic.”
Coleman knew a young man with autism lived with the elderly woman, and he was nowhere to be found outside the house. So Coleman and a second Bessemer police officer went inside as the flames and smoke intensified.
“The fire was in the upstairs bedroom but smoke was pouring down the staircase,” Coleman said. “And there he was; just standing there at the bottom of the stairs.”
The 22-year-old man has autism and does not speak, according to Bessemer Fire Department Capt. Robert Washington. The woman is his caretaker, Janice Wallace.
Coleman didn’t know the two well, but had noticed a special needs bus taking the young man to and from school daily.
As the smoke billows enlarged and breathing became difficult, the Bessemer officer quickly shouted for the boy to come to them at the front door. He wouldn’t budge.
Coleman rescued the young man minutes before the Bessemer Fire Department arrived at this home.
“I just went over there and picked him up in my arms and carried him out,” Coleman said. “I don’t know if I threw him over my shoulder or what. We were just trying to get out of there.”
And get out they did. Within minutes the Bessemer Fire Department was on the scene extinguishing the blaze confined to an upstairs bedroom. Washington said the cause is still under investigation.
Coleman shuns the hero moniker, saying it was a team effort, starting with the neighbor, Lawrence Blocker, whose family gave the street its name, going from house to house crying for help, and the two Bessemer officers who arrived early on the scene and bravely went into the smoking house.
Coleman, who has been with the power company a year and a half, has seen his share of close calls and tragic events as a long-time member of the Birmingham Police Department’s Tactical Unit. He has been a canine and motorcycle instructor; a bomb-squad member; a SWAT team member; a hazardous materials specialist; and rode mounted patrol, among other things.

“I would always kid with the guys at the Fire Department I’d rather be in a gun battle any day than a burning house,” Coleman chuckled. “But when I saw that boy standing in that burning house, I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. I know now why everyone loves firemen.”

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“This week, the Arizona State Legislature has scheduled hearings for several important pro-gun bills. Bills scheduled for hearings include:

Senate Bill 1266, sponsored by state Senator Steve Smith (R-11), would improve the state firearms preemption law to ensure consistency throughout the Grand Canyon State. This would be done by providing a mechanism to declare unlawful regulations null and void in addition to providing penalties for knowing and willful violations by localities. SB 1266 is a much-needed protection that will help law-abiding gun owners ensure they are in compliance with the law. SB 1266 is scheduled for two hearings on Wednesday, February 3. The first hearing is at 9:00am in the Senate Public Safety, Military and Technology Committee and the second at 2:00pm in the Senate Government Committee.

Senate Bill 1257, sponsored by state Senator John Kavanagh (R-23), makes changes to existing law and expands the list of places where law-abiding gun owners can exercise their fundamental right to self-defense to include some additional public areas where certain security measures are not in place. SB 1257 is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Government Committee at 2:00pm on February 3.

House Bill 2446, sponsored by state Representative David Livingston (R-22), makes necessary revisions to Arizona’s current definition of a “prohibited weapon” to exclude all firearms or devices that are legally possessed in compliance with the National Firearms Act (NFA). The technical correction made by HB 2446 changes the registration of NFA items from the Treasury Department to the appropriate Federal Agency in order to be compliant with current federal law. HB 2446 is scheduled for a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee at 9:00am on Wednesday, February 3.

House Bill 2494, sponsored by state Representative Steve Montenegro (R-13), would offer a tax credit for the costs incurred during the taxable year for training courses taken by the taxpayer, a spouse or a dependent, in order to apply and qualify for a permit to carry a concealed weapon in Arizona. HB 2494 was scheduled for a hearing in the House Ways and Means Committee​ yesterday, and is now being held in committee for further consideration.”

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A hero cop saved a man’s life by asking him a simple question: do you want a hug?

Officer Christian Campoverde was Christmas shopping with his family at Queens Center Mall last week when he heard a distraught man mumbling that he wanted to kill himself, according to the NYPD News.

Campoverde, who was off-duty at the time, noticed something didn’t seem right with the man and followed him to a balcony area where the man had one leg over a railing. There, Campoverde began to talk to him about why he wanted to end his life and as both strangers connected, he said “Is it OK if I give you a hug, do you want a hug?”

The man replied with a yes and was taken safely by EMS for evaluation.

“I just saw somebody who needed help,” Campoverde, who finalized the NYPD’s Crisis Intervention Team training the week prior, said.

The training focuses on assisting officers on how they can recognize signs of mental illness, respond to such calls and helping someone in a crisis.

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Erie Community College is on the map for helping to keep our country safe. The school is now training TSA agents throughout the northeast to help crack down on Homeland Security-related issues.

TSA is pushing for many of its students to obtain a mini-certification, taking multiple courses at ECC. The local community college is now training agents at some of the biggest airports in the northeast.

ECC began teaching counter-terrorism related issues in 2005, as a result of the September 11th attacks. From there, the Homeland Security Certification Program began at its Law Enforcement Training Academy.

In 2009, ECC and TSA teamed up to offer certain courses for 18 agents with the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Those courses include Introduction to Homeland Security, Intelligence Analysis & Security Management and Transportation to Border Security.

TSA then approached ECC about making courses available online for its agents at smaller airports throughout New York State. It then expanded to New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont.

This semester however, the program grew by leaps and bounds. TSA allowed employees from JFK, LaGuardia and Logan Airports in New York City and Boston to enroll in ECC’s courses.

“We’re the only homeland security certificate on the board at SUNY, and it increases are enrollement, plus it gives us marketability,” said Richard Washousky, ECC’s Vice President of Academic Affairs.

In all, ECC teaches students from 38 different airports in six states. Instructors include a former FBI agent, a former Naval Intelligence Officer and a Buffalo Police captain with post 9/11 training.

Current enrollment is at 150, but the school hopes to increase that by 20 percent by next fall.

One of the big challenges remains altering the courses to current events, in an era when counter-terrorism concerns are on the rise.

“I’m sure it’s incorporating in their discussion forms what happened, what failures were made, what are the cracks on the system so we can safeguard against this,” said Ed Hempling, the Academy Director of the Law Enforcement Training Academy. “They’re going over those issues, what we can do to better secure our country.”

Hempling explains that even the way terrorists strike has changed. “The well-planned well thought out attacks that preceded 9/11 that went on for a couple years, to these lone wolf attacks inspired by extremists,” Hempling stated.

The TSA pays for its agents tuition and class related costs as long as they have been employees for at least six months and are in good standing. Agents are then able to take other online courses to obtain the 30-credit Homeland Security Certification.

A fourth course is expected to be added in the fall of 2016, focusing on leadership in emergency management.

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