Tag: Law

The new policy only allows a few exceptions for when employees can remove their ballistic vests

A new body armor policy, put in effect on Jan. 1, requires all Cleveland EMS personnel to wear a ballistic vest at all times, unless they are inside a station or hospital.

The Cleveland EMS general order on ballistic/body armor, issued on Dec. 21, 2015, directs personnel working in an operational capacity to wear body armor at all times while on duty unless the EMT, paramedic, captain or sergeant is engaged in tasks inside an EMS base facility, inside or on the grounds of a hospital, attending training at EMS headquarters, attending a court hearing, or at a medical appointment.

Employees are to wear the ballistic vests either under their shirt or inside an external vest carrier over their shirt.

Employees are also responsible for cleaning and inspecting their body armor.

Previously Cleveland EMS personnel were only required to wear body armor on specific call types, such as assaults and active shooters.

Cleveland EMS staffs 18 ALS ambulances and responds to more than 100,000 emergency calls per year.

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A man suspected of robbing a sandwich shop at gunpoint is now in jail thanks to DNA evidence he left behind.

Whitehall Police arrested Timothy Rogan, 31, on Wednesday in connection to the robbery at a Subway restaurant on Nov. 11.

Police say video taken by surveillance cameras shows Rogan point a gun at a worker at the restaurant while demanding cash. The victim is then seen wrestling the gun away from the suspect before he runs off.

Police say DNA evidence on the weapon led to the arrest.

According to a police report, Rogan approached the counter of the Subway on Main Street at 9:55 a.m. and pointed a .22 caliber Glenfield Model 75 at the man behind the counter.

The cashier grabbed the gun barrel and began fighting with Rogan. He told police he was able to pull Rogan halfway across the counter, and another employee came and tried to hit Rogan with a baking tray.

Rogan fled westbound through the parking lot, police say.

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As soon as next year, a driver’s license may no longer be enough for airline passengers to clear security in some states, if the Department of Homeland Security has its way.

Federal officials said they would soon determine whether Transportation Security Administration agents would start enforcing a 10-year-old law that required states to comply with a set of federal standards when issuing driver’s licenses.

The issue is quickly intensifying, and the debate over identification and privacy has grown after the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and California.

But some states have bitterly opposed these requirements out of privacy concerns, and more than a dozen have passed laws barring their motor vehicle departments from complying with the law, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The new standards require more stringent proof of identity and will eventually allow users’ information to be shared more easily in a national database.

Privacy experts, civil liberty organizations and libertarian groups fear the law would create something like a national identification card.

Federal and state officials have been arguing for years about the merits of the law, called the Real ID Act, which was enacted by Congress in 2005 on the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission. Its proponents argue that it is a necessary tool to reduce identity theft and fraud, and enhance the nation’s security.

The federal government cannot force states to adopt these identification standards, but it can gain compliance in other ways. In October, it began requiring that visitors to military bases, nuclear plants and federal facilities produce a driver’s license from a state that complies with the law, or show another form of government ID, like a passport.

But the biggest leverage the government has over the states is commercial air travel.

The Department of Homeland Security said it would provide a schedule by the end of this year for when airport screeners would start accepting only driver’s licenses that complied with federal standards. It said that 120 days’ notice would be given before starting to enforce the law at airports.

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VSP promotion makes gender history

The Virginia State Police is marking a milestone with the promotion of a woman to lieutenant colonel.

That makes Maj. Tracy S. Russillo the department’s highest ranking female. She’s succeeding Lt. Col. Robert G. Kemmler as director of the Bureau of Support Services in Richmond — also a first in the department’s 83-year history. Kemmler is retiring.

Bureau operations include communications, information technology and training divisions, among others.

Russillo is a native of Fredericksburg. She joined the state police in May 1989. Her first patrol assignment was in Spotsylvania County, followed by two years in Culpeper County.

Her promotion to lieutenant colonel is effective Christmas Day.

The promotion was announced by Col. W. Steven Flaherty, commander of the VSP.

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Corrections officer awarded Medal of Valor

A corrections officer at the South Central Correctional Center received the state’s highest public safety award for his actions in a 2014 inmate attack.

Nathan F. Box was one of nine officers from across the state who received the Missouri Medal of Valor honor from Gov. Jay Nixon during a ceremony last Wednesday in Jefferson City.

Officers who responded to deadly threats in 2014 represented Missouri police and EMS and fire departments, as well as the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Missouri Department of Corrections and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Box sprung into action on May 30, 2014, when a prisoner attacked a corrections officer with an 8-inch-long steel improvised weapon.

The offender had stabbed the officer multiple times, including in the jaw, back of the head and left torso when Box came to the officer’s aid.

He first deployed pepper spray at the attacker, but it had no effect.

Because corrections officers do not carry guns, Tasers or other weapons, Box physically engaged the attacker, attempting to pull him away from the injured officer. The attacker remained violent and began attacking Box.

In subduing the attacker to protect his wounded colleague, Box suffered a stab wound and a fractured jaw. Despite his injuries, Box was able to subdue the attacker and recover the improvised weapon.

The wounded officer who was originally attacked was treated at a hospital and released. Box was also treated, including requiring surgery on his jaw.

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2014 Expanded Crime Statistics Released

National Incident-Based Reporting System Includes More Detailed Data

Today, the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program released details on more than 5.4 million criminal offenses reported by law enforcement through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) during 2014. According to NIBRS, 2014, 6,520 law enforcement agencies—charged with protecting more than 93 million U.S. inhabitants—reported 4,759,438 incidents involving 5,489,485 offenses, 5,790,423 victims, and 4,414,016 known offenders.

Among the report’s highlights:

Of the offenses reported during 2014, 63.6 percent involved crimes against property, 23 percent involved crimes against persons, and 13.4 percent included crimes against society (so-called “victimless” crimes like gambling).

There were 4,414,016 known offenders, meaning that at least one characteristic of the suspect—such as age, sex, or race—was known. Of these offenders, nearly a third (32.3 percent) were between 16 and 25 years of age, the majority (63.9 percent) were male, and more than half (57.1 percent) were white.

Concerning the relationship of victims to known offenders, 52.7 percent of the 1,273,602 victims knew the individual perpetrating the crime but were not related to them. Nearly a quarter of the victims (24.8 percent) were related to their offenders.

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He wasn’t a doctor, but Michael Troyan, a physician assistant in Riverhead, Long Island, had the authority to write prescriptions.

And Federal agents said he wrote thousands, since 2011, to drug dealers — who wanted to sell painkillers on the street, mostly Oxycodone pills, which are highly addictive opioids.

Troyan was arrested Wednesday and charged with conspiring to illegally distribute Oxycodone. If convicted, Troyan, who operated East End Urgent and Primary Care in Riverhead, faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

The United States Attorney for the Eastern District, Robert Capers, said Troyan was captured on video writing phony prescriptions for Oxycodone and receiving large quantities of cash at his Riverhead office for prior illegal sales.

The indictment against Troyan charges he was receiving half of the profit from the sale of the Oxycodone pills.

DEA Special Agent in charge, James Hunt, pointed out, “People who are addicted to opioid painkillers are 40 times more likely to be addicted to heroin,” adding, “DEA and our law enforcement partners will continue to identify the diverted painkiller suppliers, be it an oxy street dealer, a rogue doctor, or a greedy physician’s assistant.”

Since 2012, there have been a series of federal prosecutions under the Prescription Drug Initiative — 160 federal and local cases.

Troyan was expected to face a judge at federal court in Central Islip on Wednesday afternoon.

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NEW YORK (AP) — The New York City Council is expected to pass a bill requiring the school system to disclose how many students must pass through metal detectors to get to school.

The Council will vote Wednesday on amendments to the 2011 Student Safety Act.

That law requires the police and the city Department of Education to issue reports twice a year with information including how many students are arrested and how many are suspended.

The amended law will require additional information to be reported including how many schools have metal detectors.

Authorities will also have to report how many students are placed in handcuffs or other restraints.

Backers of the amended law rallied at City Hall on Tuesday.

City Council Member Mathieu Eugene says the new data-reporting rules will increase transparency.

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Gun Control Not Associated With Reducing Suicides

Throwing all manner of mud at the wall to see what might stick, Michael Bloomberg’s number-crunchers and whoever produces “reports” for the Brady Campaign nowadays have decided, as gun control supporters do, to try promoting gun control as the solution to suicide.

From their perspective, it makes sense to give it a try, since firearm murder and firearm accident death rates are at historic lows, the American people increasingly say that firearms help protect people from crime, and each of the anti-gunners’ attempts to promote gun control in knee-jerk reaction to high-profile crimes has motivated Americans to buy more guns.

A new study by researchers at Bloomberg’s Center for Gun Policy at Johns Hopkins University contends that if you juggle the numbers a certain way, suicide rates might hinge on whether a state requires a permit to purchase a handgun, while the Brady Campaign tries to link suicide rates to gun availability in general.

Dealing with the subject of suicide requires the anti-gunners to get creative, however. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, which cover years 1981 through 2013—incidentally, a period in which Americans acquired an additional 195 million firearms—the firearm suicide rate (the number of suicides per 100,000 population) decreased five percent, while the non-firearm suicide rate increased 27 percent.

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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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