Just a quick plug for the Iron Warriors MC Nation from the crew at CopTalk.info – Check out a local chapter and ride!

————————————————————————-

Welcome to Iron Warriors MC Nation, the national website of the Iron Warriors Motorcycle Club, representing approximately 600 members across the United States; 35 chapters in 17 States.

The Iron Warriors Motorcycle Club is a non-profit organization of current and retired law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other members of public safety. The Iron Warriors own and ride V-twin motorcycles made by American-owned companies.  The camaraderie of riding with like-minded individuals strengthens the dedication in providing assistance and support to our communities, departments, families and members. The IWMC membership contributes much of its free time toward the efforts of raising money to support the families of Fallen Police Officers and/or Firefighters. The IWMC additionally supports our Veterans of the military, as they have sacrificed much, and some sacrificed all.
The IWMC generosity is not limited to Law Enforcement, Firefighters or Veterans. Individual chapters will routinely seek out those struggles within their community, to show support and express their gratitude for the support given to them by our communities.  Support your local IWMC next time you see them hosting an event!

Suggestions or comments may be directed to ironwarriorsmcnation@cox.net

Full Featured:

http://www.tattletalealarm.com

INSTANT PROTECTION

Tattletale is a complete alarm system in one compact unit. Just plug it in. There is no installation, no wires and no appointments to schedule.

PORTABLE ALARM SYSTEM

You own it. You can move it from one location to another at any time.

WIRELESS SECURITY

Tattletale sends an instant wireless signal to 24/7 emergency dispatch. With the addition of long range wireless accessories tattletale can protect anything, anywhere, anytime.

THE FASTEST ALARM SIGNAL

Tattletale uses a wireless data link to send the alarm signal. This signal is a one-way data packet that travels over the digital data control channel of the existing cellular network. There can be no dropped calls!

NO PHONE LINE TO CUT

Thieves typically cut a phone line before entering a premise. Data packet technology is superior to conventional alarm systems because there is no phone line to cut. The digital wireless alarm signal also eliminates the chance that a power surge will cause a false alarm.

USE IT ANYWHERE; IT’S CELLULAR

Use Tattletale anywhere in the United States and Canada. There are no long distance and no roaming charges.

Affordable:

Radio Shack – Multiple Options

More Portable and inexpensive solutions – http://www.tbotech.com/homeprotection.htm

Just remember you get what you pay for in many cases, so base your investment in security on the items your are securing.

 Original Story from ktvu.com

RICHMOND, Calif. — The Contra Costa County School District began introducing a new high tech tracking system for preschool students Tuesday that alert teachers when their students leave campus.

Embedded in what looks like a tiny basketball jersey that each student will wear when at school is a radio frequency tag that also uses Wi-Fi. The tag provides a signal to sensors planted throughout the school.

The information from those sensors is displayed in a map of the school, thereby allowing teachers and administrators to know exactly

Parents will digitally sign in and sign out a child, saving teachers from hand filing attendance records required by the state.

“Now, when we feed the children lunch we just have to push a button and it’s done,” said teacher Simone Beauford. “We don’t have to check the papers, check the papers, check the papers…”

Sung Kim of the county’s employment and human services department said 3,000 man hours could eventually be saved with this $50,000 system, which was paid for by a federal grant.

“Within a year we could completely pay off this system from the savings we have with the staffing,” said Kim. “We are the first child care center that is implementing with this technology, but it is already proven technology.”

Sorry to all our listeners but we have to push the next episode to next week due to technical issues… As in my computer blew up and it will not be back till this weekend…

Sorry to disappoint but we will all be back next week to discuss the issues…and trust me there is a pile of them to talk about…

Send in your questions to get your copy of the book for free….

—–Original Message—–
From: Sue
Sent: Friday, July 30, 2010 8:58 AM
To: info@coptalk.info
Subject: Photo-ticket enforcement

In the process of moving from VA to MD I needed to drive through DC. While doing so, I’ve racked up several tickets from a photo-enforcement speeding camera (two tickets, both at the same camera set-up). Both tickets are on my VA plates and I’ve seen the photos of the infraction online. The way I know about these tickets is that I’ve received a failure notice and the fine has now doubled. I don’t know if it got lost in the mail or my mail-forwarding is slow. Anyway, I got on the DC site to investigate the ticket and learn I had the second one (no notification was sent to me). The delinquent notice, curiously, was directly addressed to me at my new address in MD). So the second ticket is now in danger of becoming delinquent, too. This is unfair.

Anyway, two days ago I gave up my VA license and car registration and now have MD plates and license. Will these tickets follow me to MD? DC will report them to VA, but will they report them to MD?

First off, I’d get all the documentation of your move together (locations, dates, etc) and contact the court. If you can prove that you were in the middle of a move and that you and the notices must have crossed paths while traveling, they might be sympathetic enough to waive the penalties. Being that you never received the original notice and yet the delinquent notice went to your new address shows that you notified the Post Office of your move and requested that they forward your mail. If you get a copy of the request of address change (or made a copy for yourself) that could help to show that you made an effort to get mail to your new address.  

In this economy, courts may not be as inclined to waive fees as much as they might have in the past but fair is fair. If you can prove that you were moving and never got the notices, I’d hope that they at least waive the penalties. It’s not like you just blew off the tickets.

As for one State notifying another of tickets, your VA license will show as surrendered to VA and when you apply for a license to MD, they will more than likely look up your license history there. Any violations you are convicted of will show up as violations against your VA license but will not show as violations against your new MD license. If you do nothing you will automatically be found guilty and a small warrant could be issued for your arrest from VA. Not that they’d extradite you for a small traffic violation but it could be on your record forever.

Best thing to do is to call the court, ask for a supervisor, explain your situation, and hope for a sympathetic ear. Some courts allow a judge to decide a trial by sending in a letter explaining your side of the story if you are unable to appear, such as being out of state. Call the courts and see what you can do. Let us know what happens.      

Some additional notes:

This could be different in your specific city, county or state. Some states like Arizona have banned Photo Enforcement or have very specific guidelines that pertain to how tickets need to be issued.

It is best to really look into your specific local laws to make sure our suggestions pertain to your specific area.

By Comcast Finance

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:15:24 GMT

Editor’s Note: This post by Jorgen Wouters originally appeared on June 21 on WalletPop.com.

The FBI is warning consumers to be on the alert for scammers who tie up their phone lines while emptying their bank accounts.

These "telephone denial-of-service" attacks are similar to ones that have been used by hackers for years to crash websites by flooding them with Internet traffic. But high-tech criminals are now using automated dialing programs and multiple accounts to overwhelm the phone lines of unsuspecting consumers and small- and medium-sized businesses.

The denial-of-service calls, which can include dead air, advertisements or phone sex menus, are actually diversionary tactics designed to tie up a victim’s phone lines. And while the lines are busy, the fraudsters — impersonating the victims — raid their bank accounts, online trading and other money management accounts.

The FBI first learned about this scheme through one of its private industry partners, which told the agency of a Florida dentist who lost $400,000 from his retirement account after a denial-of-service attack on his phones. So how does this "dialing for dollars" scam work?

Weeks or even months before the phone calls start, the FBI warns, a criminal uses social engineering tactics or malware to extract personal information such as passwords and account numbers from intended victims. These victims may have set themselves up by replying to phishing e-mails, inadvertently giving out sensitive information during a bogus phone call, or placing too personal information on social networking sites, which are constantly trolled by cyber criminals. Once the scam artists have enough information, they tie up the victim’s various phone lines and either contact a financial institution pretending to be the victim or siphon off funds from their online bank accounts.

Financial institutions typically call to verify such transactions, but can’t get through due to the denial-of-service attack. If the transactions aren’t approved, the criminals will contact the financial institution, pose as the victim and confirm the transactions. They can also add their own phone number to victims’ accounts, and simply wait for the bank to call and request approval. By the time the victim or financial institution realizes what has happened, it’s too late.

The FBI reports a surge in telephone denial-of-service attacks since April of this year, with reports of numerous incidents in several Eastern states.The FBI has teamed up with the Communication Fraud Control Association — a collection comprised of security professionals from communication providers — to educate the public, analyze patterns and trends of telephone denial-of-service attacks, and identify the con artists and bring them to justice.

The FBI urges consumers and small- and medium-sized business to take the following steps to avoid being a victim of this new scam:

• Never give out personal information to an unsolicited phone caller or via e-mail.
• Change online banking and automated telephone system passwords frequently.
• Check your account balances often.
• Protect your computers with the latest virus protection and security software.

If you think you may have been targeted by a telephone denial-of-service attack, contact your financial institution and your telephone provider, and file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

To check us out on Stitcher just download the application to your phone or device at www.stitcher.com

See the Internet Storm Center for Internet Updates

I just happened upon a CBS News video that gave me pause for thought.  This once posted back in April however

I missed it until now.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6412572n

The video talks about the fact that "modern" digital copy machines, those sold after 2002, contain a hard drive.  These hard drives store the images copied.  These machines are traded in for new models and then refurbed and resold. However, the hard drives more than likely are not getting scrubbed to remove the content. One of the copy machines in the video not only contained content on the hard drive but also still had documents left on the copy bed.

This brings up some interesting discussions.  What is on your copymachine hard drive?  When it is sent in for repair what information may be gleaned from a quick glance at the drive?  Is your copy machine another potential target to aid in identity theft?
Food for thought.  Should there be processes and procedures in place for the disposal of these devices? Do you know what other devices in your organization contain a hard drive or other storage device?  Is there a process for cleaning before disposal? What does your company do if anything to ensure that no confidential data is leaked by disposal of old equipment?

Deb Hale Long Lines, LLC

BURLINGAME, Calif. — On most days, you can find Chris Zwingle in his commercial pilot’s uniform behind the controls of a 767 jetliner. But at least once a month, he puts on a different set of blues — those of a police officer — and hits the streets on patrol. Call it extreme volunteering.

The Burlingame resident is among the thousands of reserve police officers in California, many of whom have the same training as full-time cops but work as unpaid volunteers.

Their reasons for doing it vary. Some are retired cops who aren’t ready to give up the job, others are trying to start a career and some just think it’s fun.

The reserve officer program, however, is a bit of a dinosaur on the Peninsula. As state requirements for reserve officers have become more strict in the past 25 years, reserve officer programs have shrunk. Spending reductions have also meant fewer officers to help train the reserve corps.

But as city governments try to avoid cutting public safety spending in order to balance the budget, there is no better time to resuscitate the reserves, police officials said. That will require effort and more funding.

For the love of it

Imagine a photo of two shady-looking guys standing in a dark alley. You can’t see their faces. The writing above the scene says "You wouldn’t go in there for a million bucks. A cop does it for a lot less. A reserve does it for free

This image, which is from a classic California Reserve Peace Officers Association poster, raises the obvious question: Why sign up for a dangerous job and not at least get paid?

Reasons vary but typically fall into one of three categories: community service, love of the job and trying to get hired. During a recent reserve officer meeting at the San Bruno police station, which like nearly every police agency in San Mateo County employs these volunteers, the reserves talked about why they do it.

"Some people hunt, some people work out," said Roger Elu, who spends his days as the chief engineer at AT&T Park. "We put on a uniform and ride around helping the regular officers."

Helping other officers can often mean "gopher work," said Burt Donlin, who has been a reserve since the 1980s. Reserves pick up prisoners, transport evidence or work security at public events. They might also take on the most heroic duty of all: writing reports.

But some reserves end up working a beat, and that can get physical, said Bill Miller, a contractor who has logged at least 5,200 volunteer hours with San Bruno.

"Sometimes it’s a rush," he added.

There is also a long tradition of officers coming on as reserves in order to eventually get a full-time job. San Bruno and Millbrae Police Chief Neil Telford got his start that way, but so have scores of other cops who work in the county.

"It’s a good way for them to see if they like you and the way you work," said Michael Arguel, who has finished the police academy but has yet to find a full-time job as an officer.

Training and lots of it

The people who work as reserves can’t just come off the street, throw on a uniform and go on patrol. The training required by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards & Training, the enforcer of state police regulations, is the same for regular officers and reserves who work on the street alone.

These people are called Level I reserves, and they have gone through the full police academy, psychological and physical testing, as well as a field training program with the department where they work. There are also Level II and III reserves, but they have less training and fewer police powers.

For a reserve to go through a full-time police academy, such as the South Bay Regional Public Safety Training Consortium, it takes a five-month commitment that costs about $4,000. Would-be reserves can also get their training on nights and weekends, said Michelle Schneider, who runs the police academy at College of San Mateo. Part-time training costs about half as much as the academy but takes twice as long.

In either case, a reserve who is carrying a gun, rides alone in a squad car and makes arrests has done at least 800 hours of state-mandated training. and they have paid for it themselves.

"You’re asking someone who has got a child, wife and a day job to put their life on hold for six months," said South San Francisco Police Reserve Capt. Mike Short. "They can’t do that."

The way of the dinosaur

Those training requirements are what pushed the Peninsula reserve programs toward extinction, police officials said.
Before 1979, there were no statewide education rules for reserves. But starting that year, the Legislature mandated they have 200 hours of training, said Ronald Wood, a state police accreditation official.

A lot of reserves who were working at the time were given a pass, because of the worry that the requirement would destroy small, rural departments that rely on them, Wood said. But the flow of contractors, store clerks or school teachers willing to sign on as weekend warriors and do months of expensive training slowed to a dribble.

Despite thinning the ranks, those interviewed for this story support the training requirements.

"When you give someone the power of life and death, you certainly want them to be trained," said Bill Curley, a retired San Mateo officer who works at the College of San Mateo police academy.

As the decades have passed, these unpaid police have dwindled in number on the Peninsula.

Redwood City police are down to about eight from 15 two decades ago, and San Mateo, which had 12 in the 1980s, now has about four. Other cities reported a similar reduction, but some agencies have maintained robust programs.

The Sheriff’s Office has held steady in its numbers, and it has about 21 reserve deputies at present. Just to the south in Santa Clara County, San Jose’s program has stayed strong at nearly 145 reserves. That department has 1,350 paid officers.

There are also police departments on the Peninsula that just don’t rely much on reserves.

Despite being the biggest police department in San Mateo County with roughly 109 paid officers, Daly City has only one reserve, said Sgt. David Mackriss.

He said paid officers there have in the past resisted the idea. They were concerned that a reserve, despite their training, could be a liability in dangerous situations. Daly City cops also get overtime or have side jobs working security at events and worried reserves could cut into that.

"Officers are wary when it comes to change," Mackriss said.

The future

Many police officials agreed that the reserves could be a big help as cities struggle to balance their budgets. But some also said there are limitations to what role a reserve can play.

Curley said reserves will never replace full-time officers but can be a highly useful resource to thinned-out police departments.

However, it costs money to recruit, train and keep reserves happy, he added. For departments that are already doing more with less, this requires some passion for having reserves.

"If you don’t have somebody who is really dedicated, it’s just not going to work," he said.

Reserve program coordinators from San Mateo, Redwood City and other police departments said they are stepping up efforts to recruit, and it is a good time to be looking for people. There are plenty of applicants, and few cities on the Peninsula are hiring full-time officers. And interest in police work, which carries steady pay, benefits and a pension, goes up when the economy goes down.

"The economy is helping our reserve program. Two years ago, we weren’t seeing as many applicants," said Redwood City police Sgt. Ashley Osborne. She said as long as other departments aren’t hiring, reserve officers will be looking to volunteer in order to keep their state certification active.

But any blessing brought by the economic recession could be a mixed one.

"They are going to come and stay a short time," said Osborne. "The economy will turn (up), and we’ll lose them."

Copyright 2010 San Jose Mercury News

QUESTIONS & IN THE NEWS!

• Whats the difference between city, county and state police?
• What happens if I have to miss my court date?
• If I decide to go to court to fight my ticket what should I expect?
• The cop is asking to search my car – Now what?
• My friend just got arrested – what can I do?
  

NEXT WEEK:

• What really ticks us off…….
• Arizona Immigration Law Sparks National Uproar - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/20/arizona-immigration-law-s_n_544864.html

GET A FREE BOOK IF WE USE YOUR QUESTION ON THE AIR!

Tom Bonnett, Sky News Online

A Thai police force has begun taking a monkey dressed in officer’s uniform on patrol each day to help improve relations with Muslim separatists.

Other forces are said to be considering enlisting a monkey to improve their image

The five-year-old pig-tailed macaque was adopted after policemen in Yaha province in southern Thailand found him injured with a broken arm.

Trainers taught Santisuk, which means peace in Thai, to pick up coconuts and he now lends a hand collecting the fruit with residents.

The monkey also helps supervise a police checkpoint and his boss says he has made it a much happier place.

Motorists now stop to play with Santisuk, rather than getting angry at the hold-up.

Other forces are now considering introducing monkeys to better their image in the troubled province.

Separatists are blamed for most of the attacks in Thailand’s predominantly Muslim deep south.

Buddhists and Muslims associated with the Thai state – such as police, soldiers, government officials and teachers – are often targeted.

It’s ok to laugh but in this time of uncertainty, increased crime and loss of respect to police in the field, new innovative thinking is essential. More power to our brothers overseas to think up creative new ways to establish good public relations with the citizens they server on a daily basis.

@coptalk

Description:

What is a Hero? This collection of short stories indirectly asks the question – what is a hero? Each of the 13 authors wrote about a specific person whom the author identified as an American Hero. Each author had a different take – some heroes were thrust into danger; others were comedic, yet heroic; still others were role models because of their heroic nature. While all different, there is a common thread: heroism.

Product Details

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: American Heroes Press (March 8, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1604815787
• ISBN-13: 978-1604815788

by Dana Dratch
Friday, March 19, 2010

Reposted from www.creditcards.com

Debit cards have different protections and uses. Sometimes they’re not the best choice.

Sometimes reaching for your wallet is like a multiple choice test: How do you really want to pay?

While credit cards and debit cards may look almost identical, not all plastic is the same.

"It’s important that consumers understand the difference between a debit card and a credit card," says John Breyault, director of the Fraud Center for the National Consumers League, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group. "There’s a difference in how the transactions are processed and the protections offered to consumers when they use them."

While debit cards and credit cards each have advantages, each is also better suited to certain situations. And since a debit card is a direct line to your bank account, there are places where it can be wise to avoid handing it over — if for no other reason than complete peace of mind.

Here are 10 places and situations where it can pay to leave that debit card in your wallet:

1. Online

"You don’t use a debit card online," says Susan Tiffany, director of consumer periodicals for the Credit Union National Association. Since the debit card links directly to a checking account, "you have potential vulnerability there," she says.

Her reasoning: If you have problems with a purchase or the card number gets hijacked, a debit card is "vulnerable because it happens to be linked to an account," says Linda Foley, founder of the Identity Theft Resource Center. She also includes phone orders in this category.

The Federal Reserve’s Regulation E  (commonly dubbed Reg E), covers debit card transfers. It sets a consumer’s liability for fraudulent purchases at $50, provided they notify the bank within two days of discovering that their card or card number has been stolen.

Most banks have additional voluntary policies that set their own customers’ liability with debit cards at $0, says Nessa Feddis, vice president and senior counsel for the American Bankers Association.

But the protections don’t relieve consumers of hassle: The prospect of trying to get money put back into their bank account, and the problems that a lower-than-expected balance can cause in terms of fees and refused checks or payments, make some online shoppers reach first for credit cards.

2. Big-Ticket Items

With a big ticket item, a credit card is safer, says Chi Chi Wu, staff attorney with the National Consumer Law Center. A credit card offers dispute rights if something goes wrong with the merchandise or the purchase, she says.

"With a debit card, you have fewer protections," she says.

In addition, some cards will also offer extended warrantees. And in some situations, such as buying electronics or renting a car, some credit cards also offer additional property insurance to cover the item.

Two caveats, says Wu. Don’t carry a balance. Otherwise, you also risk paying some high-ticket interest. And "avoid store cards with deferred interest," Wu advises.

3. Deposit Required

When Peter Garuccio recently rented some home improvement equipment at a big-box store, it required a sizable deposit. "This is where you want to use a credit card instead of a debit," says Garuccio, spokesman for the national trade group American Bankers Association.

That way, the store has its security deposit, and you still have access to all of the money in your bank account. With any luck, you’ll never actually have to part with a dollar.

4. Restaurants

"To me, it’s dangerous," says Gary Foreman, editor of the frugality minded Web site The Dollar Stretcher. "You have so many people around."

Foreman bases his conclusions on what he hears from readers. "Anecdotally, the cases that I’m hearing of credit or debit information being stolen, as often as not, it’s in a restaurant," he says.

The danger: Restaurants are one of the few places where you have to let cards leave your sight when you use them. But others think that avoiding such situations is not workable.

The "conventional advice of ‘don’t let the card out of your sight’ — that’s just not practical," says Tiffany.

The other problem with using a debit card at restaurants: Some establishments will approve the card for more than your purchase amount because, presumably, you intend to leave a tip. So the amount of money frozen for the transaction could be quite a bit more than the amount of your tab. And it could be a few days before you get the cash back in your account.

5. You’re a New Customer

Online or in the real world, if you’re a first-time customer in a store, skip the debit card the first couple of times you buy, says Breyault.

That way, you get a feel for how the business is run, how you’re treated and the quality of the merchandise before you hand over a card that links to your checking account.

6. Buy Now, Take Delivery Later

Buying now but taking delivery days or weeks from now? A credit card offers dispute rights that a debit card typically does not.

"It may be an outfit you’re familiar with and trust, but something might go wrong," says Breyault, "and you need protection."

But be aware that some cards will limit the protection to a specific time period, says Feddis. So settle any problems as soon as possible.

7. Recurring Payments

We’ve all heard the urban legend about the gym that won’t stop billing an ex-member’s credit card. Now imagine the charges aren’t going onto your card, but instead coming right out of your bank account.

Another reason not to use the debit card for recurring charges: your own memory and math skills. Forget to deduct that automatic bill payment from your checkbook one month, and you could either face fees or embarrassment (depending on whether you’ve opted to allow overdrafting or not). So if you don’t keep a cash buffer in your account, "to protect yourself from over-limit fees, you may want to think about using a credit card" for recurring payments, says Breyault.

8. Future Travel

Book your travel with a check card, and "they debit it immediately," says Foley. So if you’re buying travel that you won’t use for six months or making a reservation for a few weeks from now, you’ll be out the money immediately.

Another factor that bothers Foley: Hotels aren’t immune to hackers and data breaches, and several name-brand establishments have suffered the problem recently. Do you want your debit card information "to sit in a system for four months, waiting for you to arrive?" she asks. "I would not."

9. Gas Stations and Hotels

This one depends on the individual business. Some gas stations and hotels will place holds to cover customers who may leave without settling the entire bill. That means that even though you only bought $10 in gas, you could have a temporary bank hold for $50 to $100, says Tiffany.

Ditto hotels, where there are sometimes holds or deposits in the hundreds to make sure you don’t run up a long distance bill, empty the mini bar or trash the room. The practice is almost unnoticeable if you’re using credit, but can be problematic if you’re using a debit card and have just enough in the account to cover what you need.

At hotels, ask about deposits and holds before you present your card, says Feddis. At the pump, select the pin-number option, she says, which should debit only the amount you’ve actually spent.

10.  Checkouts or ATMs That Look ‘Off’

Criminals are getting better with skimmers and planting them in places you’d never suspect — like ATM machines on bank property, says Foley.

So take a good look at the machine or card reader the next time you use an ATM or self-check lane, she advises. Does the machine fit together well or does something look off, different or like it doesn’t quite belong? Says Foley, "Make sure it doesn’t look like it’s been tampered with."

Click here for the full article

Posted: Sunday, March 21 2010 at 06:00 pm CT by Bob Sullivan

Most people think they’ll never fall for a scam. In fact, that frame of mind is precisely what con artists look for. Those who believe that they know better are often the last to raise their defenses when criminals are nearby. Yes, Virginia, people lose money online. A lot of it. They wire cash to London, they can’t help investigating the one-in-a-million chance they really are related to a dead prince from Africa, and they sometimes even travel to Nigeria to find out. Just in case.

Many of the scams you read about are sensational, such as the silly "hit man" scam created by real amateurs (recipients get an e-mail that says send me all your money or I’ll kill you). And you’ve also seen lists that offer oddly skewed results, such as the recent FBI announcement that scammers pretending to be FBI agents are now the most prevalent Internet crime. You’d figure those numbers are a bit exaggerated because victims of FBI scams are a bit more likely to report those scams to the agency.

Fantastic stories like these only serve to convince many consumers to let their guard down even more, helping to increase the pool of marks for the professional scammers.

I know, because I hear from victims all the time. My inbox is littered with people whose notes say,"I know I should have known better, but …." And with that, they beg me for help restoring their ravaged bank accounts. In fact, every single victim I’ve ever interviewed says they had an inkling that something was wrong from the outset, but they ignored that feeling. That’s why the single most important factor in avoiding fraud is this: Learn to trust the feeling in the pit of your stomach.

Usually, I can’t help restore those bank accounts. But I can help you, if your turn hasn’t come up yet. And even if you are convinced you’d never fall for any online con, someone in your circle of friends or family is vulnerable. Please forward this story to him or her.

Because I hear from so many victims all year long, I know what people really fall for. Here are the top 5 ways cyberthieves separate people from their money, based on my 12 years of writing about Net cons.

1.) Online dating scams

Anyone out there never done anything dumb for love? If you are raising your hand, congratulations. You may now relinquish your credentials as a human being. The rest of you should read on.

Love-based cons are the easiest to perpetrate. Why? Because love always involves a leap of faith — trusting something you can’t see or touch. Just like Internet scams. For years, criminals have made haunts out of dating services and lonely-hearts chat rooms. Broken-hearted folks are rarely in their right minds, so they make easy targets.

I once knew the FBI agent in charge of investigating cyber-love scams. He put it this way: Men could learn a lot from con artist lovers. They send flowers and candy constantly while wooing a mark (purchased with stolen credit cards, of course). Gifts really do put women in an agreeable state of mind, he assured me.

Some cons spend months grooming their marks, waiting until after several "I love yous" before asking for $800 to be wired to the passport office in London to help clear up a paperwork mess so he can come to America for a visit.

Yes, it all sounds ridiculous. It’s not. It’s so profitable that criminals actually pay monthly fees on some dating services. Generally, the more you pay for a service the fewer criminals you’ll see, and free Craigslist personal ads tend to be a cesspool. But I’ve heard from victims who never joined a dating service but were still conned into fake love from perfectly innocent-sounding places like Facebook groups or chat rooms devoted to hobbies like stitching or horses. It all starts with a simple e-mail, perhaps enhanced by a little Facebook research (“Hey, you love the New York Islanders and the Beatles, too! Wow”)

Since I’ve written about this scam many times, I’ve even heard from concerned family members who beg me to talk the deluded lover down off the cliff when he or she is about to send a bunch of money to a scammer. Usually, I fail. Love is blind; it’s also really, really stubborn.

In the latest flavor of the scam, when a deluded lover actually wises up and confronts the criminal, he or she admits to the crime but then adds this twist: "Yes, at first it was just a con, but while we were talking I’ve really fallen in love with you."

For a whole lot more on this insidious, more-common-than-you’d-believe crime, visit romancescams.org. The group, founded by former victims, has been fighting back for nearly 10 years. They post blacklisted photos there, e-mail addresses and typical opening lines from scammers , and lots of additional helpful scam-fighting tools. If you fall in love and have any doubts, visit the site.

2.) Fake or "rogue" anti-virus software

We’ve all seen the pop-ups: "Your computer is infected! Get help now!"

If you’ve ever clicked through such an ad (really, a hijacking), you know that the price for freedom is $20 or $30 a month. At first, the ads were clunky and the threats idle. But now, many pop-ups are perfect replicas of windows you would see from Windows or an antivirus product. Some sites actually employ so-called ransomware, which disables your PC until you pay up or disinfect it with a strong antivirus product. That’s why consumers forked over hundreds of millions of dollars to fake antivirus distributors in 2009, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Your best bet? Make a plan now. This is the one scam that just about anyone can fall for. The best protection of all is to back up your important files, so the day your computer is hacked, your digital life won’t be on the line. It’s also important to have a fire extinguisher nearby. A second PC or laptop is often your best help when disaster strikes. Many viruses disable Internet access, so you’ll need a second computer to research your infection and download disinfectant software. Have a flash drive nearby, too, so you can move the inoculation from one computer to the other.

Meanwhile, if you aren’t paying for antivirus software, at least employ one of the popular free products like AVG or Windows Defender

3.) Facebook impersonation

Facebook is no longer a Web site — it’s a full-fledged platform, rapidly approaching the scale of the Internet itself. Many young users spend more time on Facebook than on e-mail, and actually use Facebook as their e-mail service. That means scammers are now crawling all over the service, since they always go where the people go. There are hundreds of Facebook scams, such as phishing e-mails, Trojan horse infections, misleading advertisements and so on.

But the crime you should most worry about is Facebook impersonation. A criminal who hacks into your Facebook account can learn a staggering amount of information about you. Worse yet, he or she can gain trusted access to friends and family. We’ve seen plenty of stories that showFacebook friends can easily be tricked into sending money in response to believable pleas for help.

For this reason, it’s time to upgrade your Facebook password. Treat it like an online banking site, because it’s not a stretch to say that a criminal who hacks your Facebook account is only one small step away from stealing your money (“Hello, First National Bank, I’ve lost my password. But my high school mascot is the Owl and my mother’s maiden name is Smith. Oh, and my first girlfriend’s name was Mary. Can you reset the password now?”)

4.) Becoming a bot

You may not know it, but your computer might be a criminal. Botnets — armies of hijacked home computers that send out spam or commit other crimes — remain the biggest headache for security professionals. The various botnets ebb and flow in size, but at any given time, tens of millions of computers on the Web are under the influence of a criminal. No one thinks it’s their PC, of course, but look at the odds. If one estimate claiming 100 million infections is accurate, then about one out of every 20 computers in the world is infected. In other words, someone in your extended family is aiding and abetting a spammer.

How can this be? Victims typically don’t notice the criminal activity. Cyberthieves can easily use your machine without leaving a trace or slowing down your PC performance. They do not deposit e-mails in your sent items folder. Instead of sending 1 million e-mails from your machine, they send one e-mail every hour from 1 million infected machines.

Any honest antivirus company will tell you that there is so much new malicious software created every day that the good guys simply can’t keep up. The Web is jammed full of e-mails and Web sites that can turn your home computer into a bot. Your PC could very easily be safe today but at risk tomorrow. That’s why it’s so important to keep your computer’s security tools up to date. But you shouldn’t assume that this will keep you 100 percent safe. Avoid the Web’s seedier side, and don’t let the kids download illegal music or games, a main source of infections. And always keep on the lookout for strange programs, files or surprising hiccups from your machine.

5) The fakosphere

The Web is now littered with fake blogs, fake ads, fake acai berry products, fake work-at-home jobs and fake Web sites saying how great all these things are. You’ll even see ads for such products on all major media Web sites, as they’ve become the Web’s answer to late-night infomercials.

The FTC recently issued an opinion clarifying that fake testimonials on Web sites are a violation of federal law, and some of the over-the-top ads have disappeared. But the fakosphere is far from dead.

I know it’s tempting to obey one rule that will make your tummy flat, make your bank account fat or make your cancer disappear. But you can’t believe everything you read online. Never purchase a product without searching Google using this search term: "(Product name) scam" and "(Product Name) complaint." Then, spend three minutes familiarizing yourself with the reputation of the item you are about to buy and the price you are about to pay. One or two complaints might say one thing, but 500 complaints should certainly scream at you that you should put that credit card back in your wallet.

Here are a few other top scam lists worth checking:

* Top 12 scams at BillShrink
* The Times (UK) top scam list
* FBI top scams list

Summary:

• 55% of businesses reported experiencing fraud in the last 12 months, with 58% enabled by online banking activities.
• 80% of banks failed to catch fraud before funds were transferred out of their institution.
• In 87% of fraud attacks, the bank was unable to fully recover assets.
• 57% of the respondents that experienced a fraud attack were not fully compensated by their banks.
• 26% were not compensated for any part of their losses.
• 40% of defrauded businesses moved their banking activities elsewhere.
• 24% of businesses claim that their banks do not provide a policy explaining the bank’s responsibilities to secure and protect their companies’ accounts from fraud.
• 39% are unsure if such a policy exists.

"The data is clear – financial institutions’ are failing to protect small and medium business assets," says Terry Austin, CEO, Guardian Analytics. "This is crushing to the SMBs, which are at the heart of our economic recovery."

** Please make sure your small business is protected. Many small businesses are in the position where the CEO or General Manager is also the IT professional and with that comes the lack of time to accomplish all the security items needed in today’s society. Please take the time to make sure you are protected online **

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/kimkomando/2010-01-28-online-crooks_N.htm?csp=usat.me

Criminals are getting smarter and smarter. So, these days, it isn’t enough to just run security software on your computer. You need to keep up with the criminals’ latest tricks. Here are six threats to your security and tips for protecting yourself.

Flash drives

Flash or thumb drives provide an easy way to infect machines with malware. It’s no surprise that criminals are using them, particularly to target companies.

TECH TIPS: Ask Kim

Criminals use a flash drive with a company’s logo. They load it with malware and drop it in the company’s parking lot. An unsuspecting employee picks up the drive and connects it to his or her computer. What happens next is the scary part. Criminals gain access to the company’s network — and trade secrets.

Never use a flash drive that you find. If you find one at your company, alert the IT department. It can find the rightful owner or destroy the drive.

Facebook ‘friends’

Everyone seems to be on Facebook. It can be exciting to find new Facebook contacts. But pay close attention to who you grant access to your profile.

If you use your account for business, it can be a gold mine for competitors. You may unknowingly post information about projects that would benefit competitors. Even your contact list says a lot. It can give hints about an upcoming merger or partnership. It can also give criminals inroads at other companies.

That’s not the only danger. Information you post can be used for targeted phishing attacks. A criminal can post a link to a malicious site. It could be a phishing site or a site that installs malware.

Limit what others see and be careful about your posts. You may also prevent others from posting to your wall. Above all, be vigilant.

Clickjacking

Clicking on malicious links is known as clickjacking. It can happen anywhere online. Most notably, it threatens Facebook and Twitter users. A victim is lured to a malicious page. The victim’s profile page is opened behind the malicious page. The victim has no idea any of this is happening.

In the case of Facebook, clicking on the malicious page causes the victim to sign in to Facebook. The victim could then perform actions that compromise the Facebook account. Or, victims might be tricked into turning on webcams and microphones. They might even delete their Facebook accounts.

There is no certain way to protect against clickjacking. Your best bet is to watch for suspicious links or sites. Be alert.

Smart phone apps

Smart phone apps are hot. Criminals are looking to them to get your information. Apple checks apps before offering them to users. But other app stores may be less thorough.

For example, one developer recently offered banking apps for Android phones. The developer had no ties to the banks. The apps may have been password-stealing tools.

Although it’s less likely, apps could also infect a phone with malware. Even seemingly legitimate apps pose risks. They may collect location information or access information stored on the phone.

Watch out for unknown developers when installing apps. Read the developer’s privacy statement to understand what is collected and how it’s used. And understand the app store’s approval process. Read reviews.

If it is a third-party app, contact the service to which it connects. Make sure the developer is an approved partner. If in doubt, skip the app.

E-mail messages

E-mail has long been a popular method of attack. And e-mail attacks are improving. Obviously, beware of attachments. If you’re not expecting an attachment, call the sender. Verify that it is legitimate.

Watch out for links in e-mail messages as well. These can take you to attack sites. Links to videos are particularly popular. You may be prompted to download something to display the video. You can bet it’s a Trojan.

Remember that e-cards can lead you to malicious sites. So can e-mail messages telling you to check out pictures of yourself. These malicious sites often use drive-by downloads, targeting holes in Windows. Keeping Windows updated will generally protect you from malicious downloads.

Criminals are also targeting their attacks. Malicious messages may be personalized with information about you.

Remember that it is surprisingly easy to find someone’s e-mail address. Business addresses may be gleaned from company websites or directories. Marketing companies sell targeted lists. And, you can find personal e-mail addresses via Intelius.

A spam filter should stop most of these messages. But never underestimate the importance of vigilance.

Porn dialers

Porn dialers are making a comeback on cellphones. The dialers are Trojans posing as videos, software or utilities.

They affect phones that run Java. Many are found on porn sites. Once installed, they send premium text messages or call premium numbers without your knowledge. You’re hit with a whopping bill. The criminals behind the Trojans share in the proceeds.

Be careful about downloading software. Don’t download anything from unknown or untrusted sources. You could also receive links to premium numbers via text message. Be careful when texting or calling numbers sent to your phone.

Now that you are aware of the dangers, one thing should be clear. When it’s all said and done, the responsibility of not falling for these scams is on your shoulders. Keep your guard up.

Kim Komando hosts the nation’s largest talk radio show about computers and the Internet. To get the podcast or find the station nearest you, visit www.komando.com/listen. To subscribe to Kim’s free e-mail newsletters, sign up at www.komando.com/newsletters. Contact her at gnstech@gannett.com.

Original Article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8459898.stm

Many diallers lurk on sites hawking pornography

As mobile phones get more sophisticated, hi-tech criminals are dusting off some old tricks.

Security companies have noticed a rise in trojans known as diallers that used to be popular during the days of dial-up net access.

On a smartphone the diallers are being used to call premium rate lines leaving victims with a big bill.

Experts say the diallers are proving popular as a quick way for criminals to cash in.

Diallers were widely used during the days of dial-up net access when most people connected via modem.

Many diallers lurked on porn sites and, once they snared a victim, disconnected their modem and then placed a long distance call. Many victims were left with huge phone bills.

The economics of international calls meant that some of the cash spent on the call would be shared with the criminals. Some diallers were very sneaky in that they muted the speaker on a modem so victims could not spot when the overseas call was being placed.

Now, the security wing of software firm CA has said it is seeing a rise in diallers for smartphones. This time, instead of calling international numbers, the diallers call premium rate lines and land victims with the bill.

Writing on the CA security blog, Akhil Menon said it was seeing a “an increasing trend of trojan diallers”. Mr Menon profiled one such virus, called Swapi.B, which sends premium SMS messages.

“The messages sent out are in the typical format to invoke premium services and land the mobile user with heavy mobile bills without the user’s knowledge and consent,” wrote Mr Menon.

Many diallers, including Swapi.B, are contracted from porn sites which disguise themselves as software, video clips or helper programs.

Mikko Hypponen, head of research at F-Secure which makes security software for mobiles, said it had seen a “handful” of diallers in recent months.

They were popular, he said, because they get round one of the big problems facing anyone wanting to make money out of Windows viruses.

“PC malware can’t just directly steal money from your machine; it has to jump through hoops like keylogging your credit card number or sending spam,” he said.

“However, mobile malware can just instantly steal from you by making premium-rate calls or messages,” said Mr Hypponen.

Some creators of diallers were also working to ensure that it was hard to shut down the premium rate service they had set up to cash in.

Mr Hypponen said some diallers sent messages or rang many different numbers, including legitimate ones.

“The trojan can place calls to, say, 100 different premium-rate numbers, only one of which is his own number,” said Mr Hypponen.

“How would you fight this? Shut down all the numbers, including the innocent ones?”

In the pigeon drop scam, swindlers work in pairs or teams. One befriends an unsuspecting consumer, the "pigeon”, (usually an elderly person) while the other approaches them with money or valuables he claims to have just found. After some rehearsed conversation, the con artists agree to split the money three ways with you and arrange to meet at a lawyer’s office or somewhere else of their choosing. But can they trust you, they ask. To get your share, you’ll need to put up some "good faith" money, which they will return to you after the goods are divided. To prove yourself trustworthy, you turn over a large sum of money to them and later go to meet them at the designated spot. Soon after arriving, you realize the pair is long gone — and so is your money.

Unbelievably, a lot of people still fall for this scam frequently. The list goes on and on. People’s greed often makes them let their guard down or not follow their “gut” instincts. I just finished an investigation that EVERYONE needs to know about. It’s a scam that is claiming victims every day across the country. Here’s how it works:

“Buyers” are searching Craigslists ads all over the United States and responding to the ads telling people that they want their item (laptops, cameras, jewelry etc). The “buyer” tells the person that they will pay via PayPal, the online money transfer and banking site owned by eBay. The “buyer” tells the person that they will add an additional $80 or $100 to ship the item overnight.

The “buyer” often states that they are out of the country and request the item be shipped to a U.S. address. The “buyer” then sends the person a very realistic looking but fake PayPal notice stating that the buyer is a confirmed buyer with a verified address. The fake PayPal notice states that the money has been deducted from the buyers account and is being “held” until shipping confirmation is verified at which time the money will be credited to the persons account.

The scam I investigated was using an address in the city where I work. Unsuspecting victims shipped laptops, cameras, jewelry and all kinds of items to the requested address where a middleman resold the items and sent the “buyer” the proceeds after keeping a cut for himself. The money is usually sent out of the country, in my case, Nigeria. The sellers of the property never receive payment because the e-mail notice was a fake notice from PayPal.

I recovered 4 laptops, several expensive cameras and diamond rings at the residence. There were several empty boxes where the items had already been sold. All of the victims stated that the PayPal e-mail they received stating that the money would be deposited in their accounts after the item was shipped looked very official and real. I posed as the middleman and began corresponding with the “buyer” online who was telling me what items were being sent overnight; there was expensive jewelry, game consoles, more laptops etc. It was an unbelievable amount of merchandise that people were unsuspectingly shipping without any knowledge it was a scam.

I use PayPal myself, it is a fast, secure and protected way of making purchases or receiving money. But please be aware, there are scams using fake PayPal e-mails like the incident above. PayPal DOES NOT hold money until shipping is confirmed. Sometimes a transfer may show as pending but all purchases, transfers and pending transactions will show up on your PayPal account statement. If someone tells you they sent you money via PayPal, log on to your account to verify the funds were sent. You are protected by PayPal this way. Everyone that fell for the scam did not check their PayPal accounts until it was too late. PayPal could not help them because the transactions never went through PayPal, they were all fraudulent fake e-mails.

I see several “phishing” e-mails that try to claim victims. Scammers send out very realistic e-mails with logos from Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Bank of the West etc stating “your account was possibly compromised and your account has been temporary frozen to avoid fraudulent transactions. Please click on the link below to verify your information so we can unlock your account. We are sorry of any inconvenience this may cause you”.

These notices are VERY real looking because they have cut and pasted actual bank logos and wording from real banking websites. If you click on the link it requests your personal information including your PIN to “verify” your account. Your account is then quickly drained of all your money and you won’t realize it until you start getting overdraft notices or bounced checks.

NEVER NEVER NEVER give anyone personal information such as social security numbers, bank account information and PINS, or other personal information unless you know who you are talking to. Request a call back number and call it, call your bank to verify suspicious e-mails. Most sites are secure and trusted so beware of scams or e-mails using the same realistic looking logos asking for your personal information.

All banks and most web-sites have a security department. If you have any doubts, call your bank or send an e-mail to the security department of your bank to see if the e-mail is actually from them. Sites such as PayPal and most banks request that you forward the entire suspicious e-mail to them and they will let you know if it was a scam.

Certain things should raise red flags such as someone offering to pay an unusually large amount of money to ship an item overnight, saying they are out of the Country and asking to ship to a different address, e-mails stating the money will be held until the item is shipped, people selling electronics cheap in a parking lot, promises of large sums of money if you send good faith money, all red flags pointing to a scam.

These scams have been around a long time so none of this is new information for crooks. We are just trying to make innocent people AWARE of these scams and help them avoid becoming a victim of crime.

And follow the old rule; “if it seems too good to be true, then it probably isn’t true”…… Or else you might end up with a box of rocks instead of a TV…….

Mark
© Coptalk.info

Suicide Attempts: "5150"

I have been to a lot of suicide attempts in my career as a police officer. There are many reasons people have for trying to kill themselves. Some want attention, some may have a severe medical situation they want to end, some lose a loved one that they can not handle losing, and some are just drunk, stoned and stupid. Luckily, most people tell someone what they are planning to do, or someone catches them trying to attempt the act. Usually we respond out and put the person on a "5150" hold, which means that the person is sent to County Hospital for a mental evaluation by a professional doctor. The 5150 hold is good for up to 72 hours. Depending on the mental evaluation, the person is released, held longer, or referred to another hospital or psychologist. Very rarely does the police officer find out what happens to the person, unless the person is a chronic "5150" who often gets sent over to the hospital and released, only to be sent over on a weekly basis.

When someone makes a comment about killing themselves, whether or not they mean it, it puts the police officer in a bad situation. If the person tells an officer "I didn’t mean it, I was just angry", and the officer leaves, the officer is liable if the person follows through on his/her threats. Usually the person is sent to the hospital on a 5150 hold and a health professional will make the decision whether to hold the person or not. If someone actually made an attempt like overdosing on pills, or slashing wrist, it’s an automatic "5150" hold. These are the usual types of "5150′s" that I usually deal with. Tonight, I had one that made me think, and brought a tear to my eyes. (Yes, cops do cry at times. Most do)

It was 1809 hrs. (6:09 p.m.) when I got dispatched to a quiet street in my beat. A doctors office called stating that a out of state relative of a person named "Helen" (we will call her Helen to protect her Identity) called saying that they were on the phone with Helen, and that Helen was trying to commit suicide by asphyxiation with a plastic bag over her head. The relative said that Helen then dropped the phone and they tried to call back but only got a busy signal. I arrived moments later, and knocked on the door. No answer. I went around to the back, and saw a light on upstairs in the bedroom. I knocked on the walls, back door, and windows with my flashlight to get a response.

Still, no answer. I had my dispatch call into the residence but they still got a busy signal. I requested a supervisor since I thought I was going to have to force entry to check on "Helen" due to the nature of the call. I again pounded on the front door, and this time, an elderly woman dressed in pajamas answered the door. I asked the woman if her name was Helen, and she said yes. I asked if I could speak with her, and she was hesitant, but agreed to let me in. I explained to Helen why I was there, and she kept telling me to leave her alone, that she was busy. Helen was 90 years old, but still had all her faculties, able to walk, drive, clean her house, shop, etc.

Helen kept saying that her daughter was coming from out of state tomorrow, and for me to leave and come back to talk to her daughter. I told Helen that it was her that I was there to check on, and asked her about the threats. Helen said that she only told her daughter that she was going to suffocate herself to get her daughter to come visit from out-of-state. Helen said that she was lonely and depressed since her husband died years ago, and she had no local family nearby.

Helen went on to tell me about how her late husband used to practice medicine in the city for 40 years, and about her long, interesting life. Helen was almost convincing about just making the suicide comments to get her daughter out to see her. Helen said that she not feeling like hurting herself or anyone else, (a necessity for a 5150 hold). Helen kept telling me to leave; saying that she had things to do. As soon as my Lieutenant arrived, I began to check Helen’s house. Know what I found?

All of Helen’s financial papers were organized on the dining room table, along with attorney names, numbers, and will papers. All of Helen’s relative’s names, addresses, and phone numbers were laid out. A note to Helen’s daughter, with financial instructions. Upstairs, on Helen’s bed, a pad of paper with a note that was just started. Also on the bed, a large plastic bag with a string wrapped around it.

I had obviously interrupted Helen in her suicide attempt. As I banged on her wall, she put the phone back on the hook, put everything aside and answered the door. If we got the call 15 minutes later, it could have been a dead-body call. If someone didn’t call, Helen may not have been discovered for a week or more. Helen still denied wanting to hurt herself until I showed her the bag I found. Then Helen said, "90 is too old to live" You know, it’s sad. I see people in their teens try to commit suicide because of a failed romance. I see a lot of people try to commit suicide because they cant enjoy life like they used to do to a serious injury or illness. But here is Helen, 90 years old, still up and about, good health, driving, cleans her own house, all her senses. But she lost the will to live, because she had no one left to share life with. I admit, I got teary-eyed talking to this wonderful elderly woman, who knew exactly what she wanted to do. I thought about what she might have gone through. Each and every day, alone, no one to talk to, family out of state.

Helen had got all her financial affairs in order for her family, and she was going to "check out" of life. That is until I interrupted her. Helen was not pleased with me.

But I took Helen’s hand as she laid on the ambulance gurney, and I told her that although she may hate me now, I hope that she will appreciate it later. I told Helen that she was a wonderful, interesting woman, and that I was going to make a habit out of stopping by her house to visit her when she gets out. And I meant every word. I just hope that Helen re-thinks her situation and realizes how wonderful life can be. Because Helen seems like a determined person, I can only try to get her some help. To try to help her get rid of the feelings that are making her want to give up on life. Just because there is no one to share it with….

I’m lucky. I have a wonderful caring local family. I have both my parents in their 70′s who still go out, dance, dine, and have a great time. I couldn’t imagine having no one in my life. But a lot of people are in that situation. If you have a relative that is alone or lonely, please call them. You don’t want a call from a police department or coroner with bad news. Sometimes, just a phone call is just what it takes to let someone know that someone still cares. If you know someone who has made comments about hurting or killing themselves, don’t "blow it off" as false threats. You don’t want to live with a death on your conscious that you could have prevented. Even if it is in your own family, and you don’t want your family problems exposed, someone who is making threats to harm themselves is calling out for help. Let a professional make the determination if the threats are real or not. Don’t wait till it’s too late; don’t wait until someone "really" does it. Because it’s too late then.

Most thoughts of suicide, depression, despair, can be corrected through medication, counseling, or both. Whether you or someone you know is having suicidal feelings, please call. There are a lot of cops, paramedics, and professional people who care and who still get a tear in their eye trying to help.

ML

© Coptalk

Duh……

We try to remind people of this every year when the weather starts turning cold. When it starts getting brisk in the mornings, people take chances warming up their cars in the morning while they tend to other things in the house. Or, they pull into a 7-11 to grab something and leave their car running in the parking lot. Everyone believes it won’t happen to them; that is until it happens to them. If you leave your car running unattended to warm up or leave it running while you dash into a store, it’s not a matter of IF it will happen, it’s a matter of WHEN it will happen.

People always say “I was only inside for a minute”. It takes less than 5 seconds for someone to jump in the car and speed away. Not only with your car, but your laptop and purse or wallet on the seat too. Crooks cruise through neighborhoods on cold mornings looking for the telltale sign of steam coming from the exhaust of an unattended car. They dump a stolen vehicle they’ve driven a few days down the street and jump in yours, all warmed up and toasty for them. They’ll use it a few days and then go hunting for a “fresh” one. Or the school kids complaining about the long walk to school can’t resist a free ride already running and waiting for them.

When the weather gets cold we get calls EVERY DAY about vehicles stolen while they were running unattended. Everyone believes “it won’t happen to me”. It doesn’t matter where you live, affluent area or not, rural area or a tract home, it can and will happen sooner or later.

And don’t forget the expense and time to have the locks on your house re-keyed because the thief probably now has the keys to your home, business etc.

So the choice is yours; warm up your car by sitting in it a few minutes or by driving down the street slowly OR spend your morning calling the police, insurance company, banks, credit card companies etc………    

© Coptalk

Why does it work?

To understand the value of neighborhood watch in a community, you must first understand that your local law enforcement agency is limited in their available manpower. A neighborhood watch program in your community will greatly help your local police overcome their manpower shortage. This is done by the use of alert citizens within the community who are constantly observing their neighborhoods for suspicious activities.

On a national average, there is approximately ONE police officer for every 2,000 citizens.

Here’s an example; a police department in a city of 65,000 citizens might have a force of 85 sworn police officers. That may sound like a lot but remember that includes ALL personal including the Chief, captains, lieutenants, sergeants, administrators, evidence personnel, traffic officers, narcotic officers, detectives, etc. Those officers are not on the streets patrolling. A force of 85 sworn police officers may have a patrol force of only 35 officers that regularly patrol the streets. Of those 35 officers, they are divided into different shifts and work days. Depending on how many officers are assigned to a shift, there may be 6-8 police officers on duty during the busiest time of the day or evening. Take away officers for vacations, sickness, injury, court appearances, training etc and there might only be 4-5 officers on the street. As you can see, that’s not a lot for a city of 65,000.

Police officers in high crime areas or busy cities usually have to be reactive, responding to calls and incidents AFTER they occur. There is not much time to be proactive to try and PREVENT crime from occurring. I used to work a very busy graveyard shift running from call to call to call. High priority calls such as fights, robberies, injury accidents etc and most in-progress calls always take priority over a “cold” call where the suspect is unknown or already gone. I’d show up at “cold” theft or burglary call 2 hours after it was called in and the homeowner would be furious at our response time. I’d ask how many officers they thought we had on the street and people would usually say 20 or 25. They would be shocked when I told them that we only had 4 or 5 officers on the street and that there were over 15 calls still waiting to be dispatched.

That’s why neighborhood watch is so important. An alert citizen’s call can be the difference between police responding to an in-progress call such as a burglary and apprehending a suspect versus police showing up hours later to write a “cold” report with unknown suspects. Obviously there are many more citizens than there are police officers. Citizens become an extension of the police department’s eyes and ears.

Here’s an example;

A burglar pulls onto a residential street and cruises slowly through the street. A few open garages with tools and bicycles in view but no one around. He parks near a house and watches for a few minutes. After seeing no one around, he pulls up to an open garage, quickly grabs the toolbox and bicycles and drives off undetected. Or he might have even knocked on a door to see if someone was home, went into the backyard and broke in through a window. After taking jewelry, cash and a gun, he walks back out to his car and drives off unnoticed. The homeowner later arrives home from work to find their house ransacked. The police are called and check the neighborhood for witnesses and a few people say they saw some unfamiliar cars come and go during the day but they didn’t pay attention and couldn’t provide any information. The crime will be unsolved with the suspects unknown.

With a neighborhood watch group in place;

The same burglar pulls onto the same street and slowly cruises through. He sees some people looking out their windows watching him. He parks for a few minutes and he sees another person standing in their driveway writing down his license plate number. There’s no way he’s going to stick around and try to commit a crime with people watching him or with his license plate written down by a neighbor. He knows someone is probably calling the police to report a suspicious car in the area. He starts his car and drives off to find a victim on another street where he goes unnoticed.

Here’s something else: The license plate jotted down by a neighbor can help solve a crime committed elsewhere. Police may be investigating a burglary on one street and check a nearby street for witnesses or leads. A neighbor who reported a suspicious vehicle in the area earlier and provides a license plate number might be the one lead police need to solve the crime. Remember, a thief might cruise through your neighborhood and leave if he is noticed, but he will be going to another neighborhood, probably nearby. That one call of a suspicious vehicle or person in an area can make the difference between burglars being arrested or getting away and committing more burglaries.

How to form or join a neighborhood watch group:

Most police departments have someone assigned to set up neighborhood watch groups. If you are new to a neighborhood there may be one in place already. If there is no neighborhood watch group in place, the police department can help you set up a meeting in your neighborhood and have neighborhood watch signs installed on your street. A police officer assigned to that area or “beat” usually attends the meetings to update citizens of the crimes occurring in their neighborhood and to address the concerns of the residents.

Neighborhood meetings allow residents to get to know each other, know who drives which cars, know who should be home or not. This allows people to call in suspicious activity. For example, if a neighbor knows that you work during the day and that no one is usually home, they would be more likely to call the police if they see a strange vehicle in your driveway or people hanging around your home while you are gone. The police would rather respond to find out it was unfounded rather than get a call from the homeowner hours later reporting that their home was burglarized.

Neighborhood watch groups are not formed for people to take the law into their own hands; they are formed for the residents to be alert and to report any suspicious people or activity in their neighborhoods. Residents should refrain from interrupting suspicious activity and should call the police immediately as a witness. Have a notepad handy by the telephone or window. You might remember a license plate number for a minute or two but it could get mixed up trying to remember it later. Write down a description of suspicious vehicles or people in your neighborhood and save it for a few days. It may be nothing but then again, you may read about a nearby burglary in the paper a few days later and the license plate number you copied down just might be the burglar’s car. Calling the police department and providing the license number of a suspicious vehicle just might help solve a burglary that has occurred. Or an officer on patrol might spot the car “casing” a neighborhood and know from your call that the same car was called in as suspicious hours earlier in another neighborhood.

The bottom line is that neighborhood watch groups work as long as they stay active. Groups usually meet once a month at different residents homes to discuss the things occurring in their area. Some groups even have their meetings on the street during a neighborhood BBQ. Getting to know each other and knowing what belongs in the neighborhood and what doesn’t is the key to a successful neighborhood watch group.

If you don’t have a group formed yet, contact your local police department for information on how to form one. Most departments have booklets with all the information you need to get started!

© Coptalk

Here are just a few tips from NetCops:

· Thieves look for easy targets. Leave a car running in a driveway or parking lot with keys in it, how much easier than that can it get? Some thieves even walk through residential neighborhoods looking for just that. It’s easy, jump in and go. Take the extra few minutes to sit in the car while it’s warming up. If possible, keep the car in a garage. (It won’t frost up and you can warm it up by driving slowly away) It’s not worth the lost hours after losing a stolen car trying to gain the 2 minutes warming it up unattended. You can have an extra key made to lock it up while warming up but it is still risky leaving a running car unattended whether it is locked or not. An unattended running car is a fast getaway for a car thief.

· Alarms are a good idea. There are alarms that activate from vibration, sound and motion. There are alarms that deactivate a vehicles electrical system or fuel supply and render the vehicle inoperable. There are even talking alarms warning a thief that they are too close. (We do not recommend these types of alarms. They usually cause more problems than there are worth aggravating passerby’s to the point of keying your vehicle) Some alarms are defeated, but the majority work. Most stolen vehicle reports or recovery reports that I write had no alarm system. While not sure-proof, they are a good deterrent.

· Steering wheel locks, ignition disablers, fuel cutoff sensors are all good deterrents too. If a thief steals a car and it stalls in the road 1/2 mile away, he is not going to raise the hood or call a tow truck. He’s going to grab another car without a theft-deterrent device. There are alot of gadgets on the market to help guard against vehicle theft. Some more effective than others. They work if they are used. An alarm does not work well if it is not turned on. A steering wheel lock does not work if it is laying in the back seat. A ignition disabler does not work if Part A is left plugged into Part B. Wheel locks do not work left in the package in the trunk, etc.

· The more valuable stuff you leave in a car, the more temptation to take. A thief sees a whole tool chest full of tools in the back of your truck, or lots of cool stuff in the car (the pull-out stereo that is left in, the cell phone on the seat, the 10 nicely wrapped christmas gifts, the $2500 laptop computer in the back) Too much to carry, mine as well take the car to carry all this cool stuff away.

· While it is virtually impossible to make your car completely theft-proof, you have a good chance to make it a difficult target for a thief. Remember that a thief wants an easy target. They don’t want to spend alot of time stealing a car. They don’t want noise, lights, or witnesses.

· Motion lights in the driveway, locking your car, taking valuables out, along with one or more theft-deterrent devices on the market will help make a thief pass your car up for easier pickings. And don’t make it easy for a thief by leaving a car running unattended. For a thief, that’s almost impossible to pass up. The harder you make your car to steal, the better chance you have of finding it where you last parked it.

You can prevent this from happening by:

· Asking to see a solicitor’s permit issued by Your City or County. Some of these guys are smart and have bogus permits made up on a computer.

· Ask to see some identification. Most these guys never have identification to match the names on their company paperwork or receipt books.

· If the person is rude or overly aggressive call us immediately! This is a definite sign of a scammer.

· If you have young children at home after school, teach them to NEVER open the door for a solicitor. You would think that the kids should already know this but you’d be shocked at how often it happens.

· When you call us, try to make note of what the person was wearing, what they looked like, and what direction they went off to after leaving your house.

A few simple tips on reducing shoplifting:

· If your children come home with nice things that you know they can not afford, question them; find out how or where they got the items.

· Make your children aware of the consequences of theft. If they are with someone else shoplifting, they too can be detained. Make sure they know that theft is wrong, and to stay away from others if theft is involved.

· If you are shopping and see someone shoplifting, tell a clerk or security. Every shoplifter who is caught or stopped is less loss for the store, and fewer losses usually mean lower prices for us.

· Don’t try to stop a shoplifter or thief yourself. Some are armed and do not want to be caught. Tell security or copy down a license plate number. Be a good witness.

· HABITS: Keep track of your children’s habits. Do they usually take a backpack with them? Do you know the type of clothing they have in their closet? This can determine the difference between a runaway or suspicious circumstance. If a child is missing, and all belongings are still at home, it becomes more suspicious. If you see your child’s backpack is gone, along with all their favorite clothing, make-up, music tapes, c.d.’s, etc., it is more likely a voluntarily runaway.

· FRIENDS: Know your children’s friends. Most missing and runaway children are found at a friend’s house. If you have the names and addresses of your children’s friends, it makes our search much quicker. If you do not know the addresses of your children’s friends, have them write them down, or find out yourself and write it down. They might come handy one day.

· ASSISTANCE: Call the police for assistance with a runaway, even if you know their whereabouts. Do not try to get your child back yourself. You might be breaking the law yourself. There are a lot of states with some sort of crisis shelters for runaway juveniles. Somewhere where juveniles can go while parents and kids cool off. Instead of running away, the kids can go to these safe houses where there are licensed counselors staffing the house 24 hours a day. They can provide counseling for both teens and parents, and at least they are in a safe environment where parents don’t have to worry. There are requirements though, both parent and teen must agree to this, no violent teens, no drug or alcohol-impaired teens, etc. And these are only temporary shelters, usually only up to a few days. But it could be a start to a better relationship with your child. Call your local police department or juvenile facility for information.

· OFFICER FRIENDLY: Make sure your children trust the police. A lot of children are afraid of police from something mom or dad innocently said in a store or somewhere when they saw a cop. (be good, or that policeman is going to take you to jail, put that candy bar back, or I’ll have that policeman take you away, etc.) If your child is missing, or worse abducted, the last thing you want is for your child to be afraid of the police. I have seen children duck into bushes and hide as I go by, only to find out later on that one of the children was the one we were searching for. Make sure your children are officer friendly. Almost all cops love the opportunity to shake a child’s hand, hand out a plastic badge or cop trading card, or just make a friend.

A few tips to avoid robberies:

· When you pull up to the drive thru, restaurant or bank, look for suspicious people loitering about. If you see something that makes you nervous, follow your hunches and leave.

· Leave yourself room in front of yourself in a drive thru. If the car in front of you blocks you in, you do not have much of a choice. If you leave yourself a bit of room, you have a possible route of escape if needed or possible.

· If you enter a business, store, restaurant, etc., look through the doors before you enter. You do not want to walk in on a robbery in progress; you can be hurt or robbed yourself.

· If you are confronted, even with just the threat of a weapon without seeing one, think of the consequences of your actions. If a dirtbag holds a knife up at 30′ away, chances are you could drive off safely without injury. If the dirtbag points a gun at you, you are in danger for blocks if you drive off. I would personally rather lose a few dollars or a jacket rather than risk serious injury or death. The choice is yours in this one. There are TOO MANY variables to consider what is right or wrong to do in a case of a robbery. But we can tell you that the odds of injury or death increase with resistance.

· If a victim, the best thing you can do is also become a great witness. Try to notice the height, weight, hair color, length, and most important, clothing and vehicle description if appropriate. Most robbery suspects can be caught shortly after a robbery if a DETAILED description of clothing and vehicle are available.

· If at an ATM machine, avoid using it if a suspicious person is nearby. Avoid counting out your money after the machine spits it out chances are you are not the only one counting it.

· Remember that resistance usually meets with injury or violence. Use good common sense, and NOTICE YOUR SURROUNDINGS when in a public place. Suspects are lurking everywhere waiting for their next victim. From a car thief, to a pickpocket, to an armed robber, to a kidnapper, Keep alert, and you will go home without becoming a victim.

· If you happen to be in a situation that you see is escalating into a demonstration or riot, get out quickly. If you can not get to your car, walk out of the area. Do not stay to watch. You can quickly be trapped in an area, or in your car, and you risk injury from flying debris.

· Whenever possible, leave the area or try to go into a safe place until the violence is over. If you stand in a group to watch and the police have ordered everyone to leave, you could be arrested!

· In serious situations police use tear gas or water cannons. You don’t want to get caught up in those. Common sense is the important thing here. A recent shooting at a large County fair nearby resulted in numerous people being trampled by fleeing crowds. Keep an eye on your surroundings, don’t stay in a situation that you see is deteriorating.

· Like I have previously stated, keep aware of your surroundings. If you see subjects nearby getting intoxicated or unruly, it’s time to move. Don’t stay in a deteriorating situation. If violence breaks out, don’t stay to watch. Walk the other way, Fast. The sooner you can get away from a situation going bad, the safer you will be.

· If you get caught in the middle of a situation, find the safest spot you can (in a store, building, etc.) and be a good witness.

· If violence breaks out you can be of great assistance to the police in identifying who the suspect is, or assist in identifying the persons responsible for inciting the disturbance.

Some rapes are random, spontaneous type rapes. Most are planned, where the rapist has watched you before, maybe knows your schedule, whose home at what time, etc. There are also Date Rapes, where the rape occurs on a planned date, with a known person. Whichever the case, a rape is a serious crime. A felony. Not to mention the trauma a victim is put through.

· Rape, like alot of crimes, is a crime of opportunity. If the opportunity exist, a suspect will try. If the opportunity is not there, the suspect will try elsewhere or at another time. Like I mentioned earlier, no tips can make you 100% safe. But they can reduce your chances of becoming a victim. O.K., here we go, lets go for the most obvious ones:

· Lock your doors. Even if it’s just the screen door. Believe it or not, a locked door can stop a rapist. Most will not draw attention to themselves by breaking in. They would rather just walk in quietly and surprise you. If they break in, a neighbor may call the police, or it gives you time to scream, yell, or call 911.

· Close your blinds. Even if your in a second story floor, someone can see you changing. Nothing attracts attention more than a naked or barely clothed female.

· Like in most of NetCops tips, be aware of your surroundings. When you gave the department store directions to your house for furniture delivery, you didn’t see the guy standing behind you, did you? (He got the directions too)

· When you wrote out the check at the hardware store, the guy in line behind you was looking at the address on the check too, guess you didn’t see.

· A guy knocks on your door, asking to use the phone; his car is broke down. Too bad you didn’t notice that he’s the same guy you saw driving through the neighborhood several times prior while you were washing your car. Once he’s in your house, it’s a little late.

· Left your car unlocked at the store? While you were shopping, the suspect looked at your registration and got your address. Maybe even your garage door opener.

· The noises at your back door the past few nights? Must have been the wind, right? Are you sure it wasn’t someone who "watched you" and is now trying to find a way in?

· Don’t be afraid to call the police to check out suspicious sounds, activity, vehicles or persons. We would rather check out a person in front of your house than to come back an hour later seeing you traumatized from a rape. If you go on a date, and the "date" is not leaving, or is making advances faster than you like, call us. We will make them leave. Once the police have all their information and know who they are, the chances of you becoming a victim greatly decrease. Who is going to commit a crime when they would be the obvious suspects? Then it’s up to you to lock doors, watch your surroundings, and call the police. There is not much you can do to guard against becoming a victim of a random spontaneous sex crime. But luckily the planned assaults can be avoided if you keep alert and aware.

· If by chance you become the victim of a sex crime, call the police as soon as possible. We understand you have been violated, and alot of times a victim will take a shower or clean up to feel cleaner, but that destroys evidence. Evidence needs to be collected to send the suspect to prison, where they deserve to be. If you do become a victim, call the police and do not do anything until a police officer arrives to assist you.

· By using common sense, and being aware of your surroundings, hopefully you will not need any NetCops tips from this category.

Some NetCops tips to guard against purse snatching:

· Be aware of your surroundings, people, places, vehicles, sounds……etc.

· If your purse is grabbed, be careful about resistance. Resistance is usually met with violence.

· Have an accurate, current list of credit cards, numbers, etc., to provide to the police. This will also enable you to report your stolen cards quickly to the company without delay.

· Try not to keep expensive items such as jewelry, excessive amounts of cash, irreplaceable items such as heirlooms, in your purse.

· Keep a tight hold or control of your bag or purse, chances are the thief will try for an easier target than one that is being closely guarded.

· Try not to flip through a wallet accidentally showing a potential thief all the credit cards you have, and try not to write your ATM PIN number on the card, or even in your purse. Thieves are smart at times, and if your PIN number is written somewhere in your purse, the crook my figure it out and be a few hundred dollars richer before you even remember to report it.

· A stolen purse usually means the thief now has your address. Be aware of suspicious activity around your residence or business. Along with addresses, the thief may have a key. Usually all your keys are in your purse!! What more could a thief ask for. You’re at work and he has your address and keys to the place. Your purse-snatch can easily turn into an expensive burglary. Don’t hesitate to change the locks in your house or car if your keys are stolen along with personal info such as residence, work, vehicles, etc. The price of changing locks is far less than trying to replace valuables taken.

· Call in any suspicious activity or persons. So you were not a victim. Your call may save the next victim. Maybe a friend or relative of yours or mine can be spared the reality of becoming a victim, simply because you or me were observant. The guy hanging around the ATM machine, the guy loitering around the grocery store entrance, etc.

· A simple action or preventative measure by you can spell the difference between becoming a victim or not. A few preventative measures will take only a few seconds. Trying to replace a loss or recovering from a loss can take forever…..The choice is yours. Be smart and be safe. NetCops will try to help you with tips to avoid becoming a victim, and to avoid being hurt if you do become a victim. It’s a dangerous world out there now, and you can use all the tips you can get to avoid needless loss or injury. That’s where NetCops comes in. Were passing along information we have seen, experienced, tried, and proved, to help you beat the odds of becoming a victim.

So if you are serious about being a police officer, how can you prepare yourself and get ahead of those competing against you? The answer is simple: start researching and doing the things will best prepare you for the police training and possess the skills that will impress the hiring board. A great resource for learning www.Policehow.com, a site that provides excellent training recommendations.  The website can also be quite helpful for those interested in similar types of careers, including the FBI, CIA, security, firefighter, etc. Check it out and see what you can get started on today.

Check out: http://www.policehow.com for tips and info

September 11th 2001 Posted to Stories

Horrific – Reads the headlines…

Heroic – Are the people…

Our love and prayers go to the hero’s of New York. The Firefighters and Police Officers who lost their lives in the rescue attempt at the World Trade Towers. The Paramedics and EMT’s who responded to the initial calls for help. And to the heroic efforts of citizen volunteers who risked their own lives to save the lives of others.

I was touched but not surprised to hear countless statements made by eyewitnesses at the scene, who had escaped the carnage.

“We couldn’t believe those guys (the firefighters and cops), we were all trying to escape down the stairwell and get the hell out of there, and those guys just kept passing by us as they climbed the stairwell to help the injured”.

Incredible Bravery – Incredible Heroism – Incredible people.

Yes it really happened. We’ve all seen the pictures, the news coverage, the personal stories of tragedy and loss. We are hopeful that the current investigation taking place to identify the responsible parties in this senseless tragedy will be swift, thorough, and complete. Our hope is that retaliation measures will be equally as swift and thorough.

Where a tragedy such as this brings a country together, it is amazing to me to listen to talk radio and hear some callers say how war is not the answer. How we should not put ourselves on the level of terrorist causing senseless destruction and death. We need to be civil….

It would not be appropriate to comment on just how misinformed these people are. I will only say this. “Every action has a reaction.” Our Nation’s reaction to this terrorist action will determine what kind of message we send to the world as to how much tolerance we have towards terrorism.

I heard a talk show radio host say he supported arresting the responsible persons, bringing them to justice, and locking them away forever. Uh huh…

When you think about these animals watching Cable TV in prison for the rest of their lives, working out in the weight room, eating 3 meals a day, and writing daily letters to their comrades back home, think about something else.

Think about being at work in the World Trade Center having your morning cup of coffee and the nose of a 767 jetliner being flown by terrorist smashing through your office and ending your life and the lives of thousands in an instant inferno.

Think about being the Husband or Wife of the Firefighters or Police Officers who lost their lives in that carnage.

Think about your daughter on the street below pushing the baby stroller with your brand new grand daughter in it, being crushed by falling debris.

Think about being a passenger on one of those 4 planes.
Think about having a relative on one of those 4 planes, calling you on a cell phone to say goodbye for the last time.

Think about looking out an office window and having to make the decision of burning to death, or jumping 110 stories down to your death. Think about the targets that could have been anywhere in the United States.

The bottom line is, think about this having happened to you, or near you.
Hey, it doesn’t matter that this happened in New York and that you may not have known any of the victims personally.

It happened to all of us. In an unexpected second, it happened to each of us who calls ourselves an American. We all became victims of terrorism and we must all remember this could have happened anywhere in the United States.

Terrorists are like a cancer. If not treated properly and swiftly, a cancer can quickly take over a body and death is soon to follow. This cancer must be removed completely and swiftly. It has nothing to do with being “civil”. It has everything to do with establishing one thing and one thing only that these people will understand. Force and Fear.

I will say it again…. these people will understand one thing and one thing only. Force, and fear. In this case, all bets are off. It’s a case of being “an eye for an eye”. Not a pleasant thought for a “civilized nation” to think about but our reaction must set a tone of zero tolerance…or we will be experiencing these tragedies on a much more regular and severe basis.

God Bless our Firefighters and Police Officers who lost their lives. God bless their families and loved ones. God bless those who lost their lives in this tragedy, and for those who are trying to do so much to help.

To sum it all up…God Bless America, and help us stay strong.

Jim Lambert
Netcops PSI

Please help them by doing the following:

· If you see someone panhandling on a roadway, at an intersection, or at a business, call the Police. We will come out, identify the person, and determine if they have any criminal history and offer alternative resources and options for their situation.

· Don’t give these people money. Every time you do, you are contributing to the problem not the cure.

· Donate to a local shelter. That will be far more beneficial to these people than by you giving them cash and the shelters accept a wide variety of donations besides money.

· Report immediately, any threats or intimidation displayed by a panhandler. This will not be tolerated!

One of the most beneficial tools to law enforcement and crime solving.

· If you do not have a neighborhood watch group in place, contact your local police or sheriff’s department for information on how to form one. Most law enforcement agencies have some form of community policing in place.

· Most law enforcement agencies offer street signs or window signs advertising that a particular area is a neighborhood watch area. See what your local law enforcement agency has to offer. It’s a proven fact that neighborhoods with active neighborhood watch groups suffer less crime than other neighborhoods.

· If you see a suspicious person or vehicle in your area, call the police. Copy down the license plate of a suspicious vehicle. It may be nothing, but then again, it may solve a crime.

· Be aware, be alert. Know what the “normal” is for your neighborhood.

· A neighborhood BBQ, party, or neighborhood watch meeting may be all that is needed to get a caring, watchful neighborhood working together to prevent or solve a crime.

· With a shortage on cops, and a surplus of criminals, an active neighborhood watch program may be just the solution to reduce crime in your neighborhood.

· It’s a proven fact that criminals have a information network amongst themselves. If word gets out that your neighborhood is difficult to get away with crime, that cops are called on the first sign of suspicion, then crooks will go to easier pickings.

· This weekend, do a complete inventory of all your valuable property room by room. Bedroom, Living room, garage, computer room, every room! List the item, it’s description, and an approximate value. Document it on paper or computer disk, and store it in a safe place.

· Use a camera or video camera to correlate with the list you’ve made. Keep the list and the photo’s or video tape locked in a secure fire proof safe, or in a safety deposit box at your bank.

· Last but not least, RECORD the MODEL and SERIAL numbers of all expensive equipment in your home and vehicles. Many police departments loan out “engravers” that can be used to engrave your drivers license or social security number on your belongings.

This takes away ANY DOUBT when your property is recovered after being stolen!

Televisions

Stereo’s

Computers

Firearms

Power tools

Bicycles

Cell phones

· Anything with a model and serial number that you would like to have back if it was ever stolen, needs to be recorded so that we can record it in our data banks.

· Enroll in a FIRST AID and CPR course provided by the Red Cross, American Heart Association, or sometimes even provided by your local Fire Department. You can even find these courses offered by Community educational classes.

· These classes are VITAL for both parents and children. I’ve been to hundreds of calls, where each age group has been saved by the other. Make it a family thing and involve the entire family.

· BUY a first aid kit for your Home and one for Each Vehicle.

If you ever need it, you’ll have it. That by far exceeds “Not having one when you need it.”

· If you live in an area prone to disasters like floods, hurricanes, tornados, or earthquakes, BUY not only an elaborate FIRST AID kit, but a DISASTER KIT as well. Disaster kits are now available for vehicles, school lockers, and for the office.

There is nothing more terrifying than being involved in an emergency situation, calling for help, and not having anybody show up. Anyone that has ever been caught in the middle of a disaster KNOWS that emergency public safety resources are quickly depleted and you are left “on your own.”

· Make sure that ALL family members know how to either use the 911 system, or what emergency number to call to summon police, fire, or medical experience. Kids also need to be made aware of the importance in NOT playing with the phone and making bogus 911 calls.

· If you have bills to mail out which contain checks, or something extremely important. Don’t trust it unattended in your mailbox. Give it straight to the mailman, or drop it off at the post office or local mailbox on the corner. Inconvenient you say? I know there has to be a mail collection box within a mile of every house, they’re all over (and alot more secure). It may be inconvenient to drive a block to find a secure drop box, but think of the inconvenience of straightening out your credit if your checks get stolen, forged, and cashed.

· If you throw anything in the garbage with any kind of information about you or your family, cut or tear it up first. Better yet buy yourself a shredder. Every credit card or loan offer you throw away whole can provide a crook with information about you. Take a second to rip them or cut them up. No credit card company is going to issue a card with an application that was taped together from a bunch of little pieces. Or at least they would call to verify the application. This goes for anything you discard with your information on it. You’d be shocked at how many crooks go through garbage looking for things they can use. They don’t work; this is their job. And some are good at it.

· Destroy ALL receipts that have credit card information on it BEFORE you throw it away. All a crook needs is your credit card number, expiration date, and the name on the card. (All listed on the statement form or store receipt you just tossed away) With this information, (they don’t need the actual card), the crooks can order merchandise by phone and have it sent to a bogus address. Weeks later, you get a huge bill, and the crooks made a nice bundle of cash selling the stuff. You cancel the card and the crooks go on to another victim.

· Electronic bill paying. Some banks offer home banking, where you can do basic banking and bill paying by computer. You install a program (free from the bank) on your computer, set up a private password, and you can pay almost all your bills by e-mail. I pay my phone, cable, PG&E, house payment, telephone, almost every bill I have I pay by computer. Secure, and even saves on postage. If you can pay by computer, it takes alot of risk out of paying bills.

· If you suspect mail theft, contact the police or postal authorities. Don’t wait until bills start to mount up from unauthorized use. We don’t chase lost mail, but if you see someone suspicious in the area, taking mail from a mailbox, get a good description of the person and car, and call the police. Chances are we will catch them with alot of other people’s mail, maybe yours.

· Get your mail as soon as possible. The longer it sits, the easier it is to become a target. Most of the time, mail delivery is about the same time every day, give or take an hour. Try to get your mail, or have your children grab your mail as soon as possible after delivery. If your going to go away, make arrangements to have it picked up, or notify the post office to stop delivery during the time you’ll be away.

· Put your outgoing mail out close to the pickup time, or give it directly to the mailman. (We can all hear a mail truck coming up the street; they have a distinctive sound) That little red flag you raise up on the mailbox not only alerts the mailman that you have mail to go, it also alerts the crooks. Thieves actually drive through residential areas looking for raised red flags on mailboxes. Raised red flags usually mean outgoing checks. Like we said, if it is important, drive a block to a secure mailbox.

· If you close out a checking account, burn or destroy (at least cut up) all the unused checks. Don’t assume that just because the account is closed, someone can’t use the checks and create a paper trail leading back to you. Happens all the time. I still get dispatched to forgery cases with forged business checks from a business that closed over 2 years ago in my city; the bad checks are still around.

· Don’t ever give out personal information over the phone. A crook may call claiming to be a representative of a company, asking you personal information such as bank account numbers, social security numbers, credit card numbers, or even password numbers. Don’t give this information out unless you know for sure whom you are talking to. Ask for a call back number, or employee number. Then call back and ask for a supervisor to verify the procedure if you feel uncomfortable about it.

Here are a few tips if you suspect gang activity in your area. (If gang activity is already heavily established in your area, it is harder, but not impossible, to get rid of).

· Don’t ignore a problem. A problem will get bigger if ignored. If allowed to “hang out”, a gang will quickly claim the area as their turf. It won’t be long before graffiti covers everything and gunshots ring out. If you see people starting to hang out at a location, drinking, gambling, and even illegally parking call the police. You can remain anonymous, and if the problem people get “harassed” by the police enough, they will leave for another location where everyone looks away and allows them to terrorize the neighborhood.

· Don’t be intimidated. Gangs work on intimidation and violence. In most areas, people are afraid to stand up to the gangs. I have been to the scene of a shooting where 40-50 people witnessed the shooting, but not one will talk to the police. (Some will come to the police station or call in a tip anonymously later). This intimidation is what fuels a gang and gang activity. By no means should you stand up to a gang physically; you do it through the police and as a neighborhood group. A gang will not remain in an area if their intimidation does not work, where they are constantly reported, where they can be driven out.

· Call your local police department. In this day and age, almost every police department has a gang task force, or at least a gang expert. Talk to the gang unit; tell them of your observations, any graffiti you see forming. They are the experts in your area, and they can tell you if this might be a kid playing with a spray can, or if it is a serious problem forming that they need to be aware of. Gangs forming in an area are like a health problem. If it is caught early enough, it can be solved rather easily. If allowed to grow and fester, it is harder to get rid of.

· If you see graffiti, report it immediately to the owner of the property, the police, or your local code-enforcement division if you have one in your city. If allowed to stay, it invites more graffiti, rival gangs coming in to tag their names, and a turf war erupts. The police know this and they don’t want gangs infesting neighborhoods either.

· Control your temper. The angrier you get, the more of a chance of a confrontation. Go ahead and say what you want inside your vehicle, but don’t flip off or confront the other driver. Don’t get into a stare-down or any type of confrontation. Chances are, if you ignore the other driver, they will just pass you by.

· If someone gets behind you, starts flashing lights or tailgating you, pull over to the next lane when possible and let them go by. Don’t get into a stare down or flip off confrontation. Let them go by to get on someone else’s nerves. Chances are, if you let them go by, you’ll forget about them in moments. If you get in a confrontation, it will bug you and have the opportunity to escalate into more if the situation persist.

· Always Remember: Don’t do something out of anger that you will regret later. It’s just not worth the risk nowadays.

· If by chance someone does start following you, whether from a vehicle incident or any type of incident, DON’T drive home. Drive to the nearest Police station. If you don’t know where a police station is, pull into a gas station, store, anywhere there is alot of people around. Usually, the other person will leave because they don’t want to be identified. If they don’t leave, yell for someone or the clerks to call for the police.

· I still get angry if someone tailgates me, especially if I see someone tailgating my wife. It’s human nature to have pride or to defend our families or ourselves. But it’s when pride overrides common sense when we get into trouble. It’s gotten to be a violent world at times and it’s not worth the risk to show our anger over minor traffic altercations. Take a deep breath, pull over, let the idiot go by even if he’s flipping you off. Then you can laugh a few miles up the road when you see him pulled along the side of the road with a police vehicle with flashing red and blue lights behind him. Revenge can be sweet at times.

· Vacation house check requests are another free service provided to you. We strongly urge you to call us when you are leaving your house unattended. It only takes a minute or two to fill out the card over the phone, and it gives the officer working your neighborhood valuable information, not to mention we know how to reach you or a family member if there is an unexpected emergency.

Do yourself a big favor. Do us an even bigger favor. Follow these steps when you go into a bar or drink at a friend’s house.

· Drink as much as you want. And then call a cab or a friend for a ride home. You should never go out drinking unless you have enough Cab money in your purse or wallet for a ride home. If you don’t set that money aside you’ll be tempted to drive. My dad used to always tell me to put a $100.00 bill under my license in my wallet for emergencies. I do it to this day. You can modify that practice to avoid a D.U.I. arrest. Put a $20.00 bill under your license and keep it there for emergency cab fare. That 5 or 10 dollar cab fare WILL save you thousands of dollars. I’m not going to beg you to believe me. If you’re smart, you’ll put a 20.00 bill in there right now. If not, and you should decide to take a chance on driving, YOU WILL GET STOPPED AND ARRESTED. It’s just a matter of time.

(Just so you know, drinking coffee before you drive is nothing more than a myth. It does nothing to sober you up. You don’t see me sticking my neck out by saying it’s OK to have only one drink and then drive.) That’s because everyone’s metabolism is different. Amount of sleep, food intake, medications, medical history, and tolerance to alcohol, all play a part in how much one can safely drink in a time frame. The truth is, in an era where there is zero tolerance to drunk driving, it does not take much alcohol at all, to get up to California’s limit of .08. Zero tolerance means zero options if you never want to get arrested for D.U.I. The only safe option is to not drink and drive. Period!

Here are some safe options to LIVE BY: (Nothing that you haven’t already heard.)

· Use a designated driver! (One that totally refrains from drinking. It’s embarrassing when the designated driver gets arrested and blows a .10 on the machine!) I knew a group of guys that had just gotten out of college that loved to live it up on the weekends. 5 of them. They rotated designated driving responsibilities EVERY friday night when they went out. They always had a blast, and they often offered rides to others that were intoxicated and planning to drive. They were ALWAYS RESPONSIBLE and I respect that.

· Drink non-alcoholic beverages. You can still go to a bar, socialize, throw darts, dance, meet people, and have fun. If you’re driving home afterwards, you’d best heed this advice or your fun is going to be very short lived. There is nothing wrong with drinking non-alcoholic beer, 7-up, ginger ale, juice, ice water, or whatever.

· I see numerous people walking home at 2:00am from our downtown area, and I worry about them being able to walk in a straight line but, I’d rather see that, over them getting behind the wheel of a car!

If I don’t have anything going on I try to reward these people with a quick ride home. If you have no other alternative and you live reasonably close by, then WALK instead of Drive!

· I’LL often cruise through the parking lot of some of the bars after they close and I’ll see a car or 2 with the windows fogged up. Sometimes with the engine running for heating purposes. The driver is sound asleep inside. The intent is good but is it a recommendation. No.

All to often the sleeping intoxicated driver will wake up in discomfort and decide to drive home. Still Intoxicated! Plus you never know who is going to be knocking on your car window at 3am. What if it was someone other than a cop checking on your welfare? What if it was someone who saw you as being an easy target? Sleeping it off in your car? We don’t recommend it.

One of my favorite sayings is that “Every Action causes a Reaction.” This holds true for everything in life. In regards to drunk driving your actions decide on how your night will go.

Use discretion, common sense, and follow some of the simple suggestions listed above and you’ll never, I repeat never have any problems getting home in one piece. (Unless a drunk driver runs into you.)

Disregard the law, use poor judgment, utilize poor common sense, and present a hazard to innocent motorist and pedestrians? The answer comes in the form of a very accurate bumper sticker.

“You Drink and Drive – We’ll provide the CHASER!”

What can you do to prevent being victimized by the drunk driver? You can help yourself by helping us in getting drunk drivers off the road.

· Don’t let your friends or relatives drive drunk. Take the keys, drive them home, call them a cab, or as a last resort call us. You’re not snitching your friend off, and we’re not looking to make an arrest unless your friend makes it onto a roadway.

What can you do?

· Contact your local Police or Sheriffs Department to arrange a neighborhood watch group.

· Report ALL suspicious activity or EXCESSIVE traffic to houses all hours of day and night.

· Odd or unusual smells of chemicals in neighborhood (before I was a cop, I lived right behind a methamphetamine lab without realizing it. It could have taken out 4 square blocks of houses if it blew up including my wife’s day care)

· Call in a DETAILED description of people you suspect of dealing drugs on the street. A DETAILED description will give the officer the right to approach a specific person.

· Report where drugs are being stored. Dealers often keep their dope nearby but not on them. Usually in a trash can, a bush or a vehicle. If we get a good description of the dealer AND where the dope is, (even anonymous) the dealer goes with me in handcuffs.

· Watch for groups gathering or forming near your house. Gangs are usually unmistakable in the clothing they wear, but with increasing gang enhancement penalties, some try to avoid police detection by only wearing some articles of clothing that shows their "colors". Such as a blue bandanna, a red belt, etc. Tattoos and graffiti are big with gangs, usually 13 or 14, or XIV or X111, are signs of gang activity. There are so many branches and trickle-down gangs formed; it would be impossible to even try to name them all. Gangs can be any race, age, sex, or combination.

· If you see groups hanging out, especially if "tagging" starts to occur, (tagging means spray painting or marking walls, fences, etc. with gang logo), this is a dangerous start. The gang is "marking their turf" and your neighborhood becomes a battlefield if rival gangs come into the area.

· Keep an eye out for drug activity in your neighborhood. If you notice dealers starting to loiter on the street corners, or in front of a drug house, call the police. Once dealers become established in the area, they are hard to get rid of. The neighborhood also becomes the target of a hostile and often deadly takeover. Drug dealers are only after one thing. $M$O$N$E$Y$. And if your neighborhood is producing alot of sales, which translates into money, it becomes a prime target for drive-bys to claim the area.

· Call the police, form neighborhood watch groups, keep control of your neighborhood. Drug dealers and gangs will only gather where they are allowed to. We don’t expect you or your neighbors to move the groups on, or to confront the groups, that would be dangerous. Call the police; explain if you have suspected gang members gathering, or if you have drug dealing going on in front of your house. Report any weapons or drugs seen, and who is holding drugs or weapons, or where they are hidden. You can remain anonymous.

· Believe me, if the dealers or gangs have the police moving them along, or arresting them everytime they gather in your neighborhood, they will find somewhere else to gather. Somewhere people don’t care, where they can peddle their dope, shoot off their guns, gamble and drink in the streets. Somewhere where no one calls the police. The choice is yours. Gangs and drug dealing almost always invite shootings, violence, noise, fights and the decline of a once nice neighborhood.

· It’s never too late to take back your neighborhood, I see it all the time. When the pressure is on, the gangs and dealers move on to easier pickings.

· Contact your local Police Department or Sheriff’s Office for more information on neighborhood watch programs. A good neighborhood watch group with neighbors who care really does work. Besides, whose neighborhood is it? Yours, or the drug dealers from across town trying to set up shop? You CAN make the difference………

Here are some tips on domestic violence:

· Abuse can be verbal. Just as painful and damaging as physical abuse. Don’t let verbal abuse drag you down where you lose self-confidence or self-respect. Eventually, the abuse will turn physical. Without self-confidence, the situation will be harder to get out of. If you are in a situation with verbal abuse, get help now before it gets worse.

· With physical abuse, once is too much. Don’t let a “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again” satisfy you. It WILL happen again, it is just a matter of time. Call someone; report the incident to the police. Even if you do not want to prosecute, you can document the incident in case of future incidents. Some states have a Must Arrest law regarding domestic violence, where if you are injured, the responsible spouse will be arrested.

· Don’t let fear control you. You CAN get out of an abusive relationship. There is help with everything from child care to financial assistance to shelters. The longer you stay in an abusive relationship, the harder it will be for you to get out. Like I have said many times, NO ONE deserves to be in a relationship where there is verbal or physical abuse.

· If you do not feel comfortable going to the police, tell a friend, a relative, a priest, anyone. Let them make the call. Domestic abuse is a crime, and ever since the famous O.J. Simpson case, domestic violence laws have been updated with increased penalties.

· If you are in an abusive relationship, remember that you are not the problem and you are not alone. It is not your fault. So many people in abusive relationships eventually believe that they are the cause of the abuse, that they deserve the abuse. This is when it makes it difficult to escape an abusive relationship.

· Call for help. There are phone numbers in phone books, at police stations, and sheriff departments. Help is only a phone call away. Have a friend or relative give you assistance.

· Remember that domestic violence is a crime, it is against the law. It is a vicious cycle that will repeat itself over and over if allowed to do so. Let’s not have our children grow up thinking that violence and abuse is a way of life.

I received an ipod as a gift from my older brother on my birthday in November 9th, 2007. That Friday night I left the ipod in my dining room cabinet. Monday morning I could not find my ipod anywhere. But I was informed my brother brought one friend over that weekend. I didn’t accuse the friend immediately, until I found out he has stolen many ipods, even from people I have known. Two years have passed, and my brother hung out with this friend again, and he had the same type of ipod that I had, and even some songs that were unusual for him to have as a guy (ex: Britney Spears songs that I clearly remember uploading in my ipod). I want to know what I can do about this! Thank you!

Answer:

Unless there is proof that the friend stole it, there’s not much you can do at this point. If you didn’t have some distinctive markings on the ipod (initials, name, etc) or you know the serial number where you can positively identify it as yours, there’s no absolute proof. Another problem is that it’s been so long.

If you are close to your brother, I’d have a talk with him explaining your suspicions. Maybe your brother can ask to "borrow" the ipod from your friend to examine it closer. If there are still distinctive songs that you loaded on the ipod (not just one Britney Spears song, he may actually like Britney Spears) and several of these songs are still on the ipod 2 years later, it becomes more than a coincidence that it could be your old ipod. But again, 2 years later causes some problems and it’s still not enough proof to just take it back. If you see a lot of the same songs on the ipod that you loaded 2 years ago, I’d see if your brother can squeeze his friend a little to see if he admits that it is yours.

In the meantime, keep your valuables in a safe place where someone cant be tempted to take them. I know you said it was in a dining room cabinet but that is still an area where anyone visiting the house could have had access to. I’ve seen "friends" steal money, CD’s, electronics etc from their own "friends" or even other family members because the opportunity was there and temptation set in. Better yet, carve or engrave identifying information such as your initials, name, driver’s license number etc on valuables when you get them. Then there is no question as to who they belong to if they get stolen and it greatly increases your odds of getting your valuables back. 

Mark
Coptalk.info

· Leaving or Moving from the area is the safest bet but without intervention from the cops this behavior is encouraged to continue because nothing gets done.

· Use common sense. Just because someone challenges you to fight it doesn’t mean you have to be lured into a fight. In this day and age, a fight usually ends up involving the use of a gun or knife by the instigator.

· From noise complaints to challenging another to fight, Disturbing the Peace is a broad category that Cops respond to continually throughout their shifts.

· Use common sense, walk away, and call us when you see trouble starting. Let us get into the confrontation. That’s what we get paid for!

I’m still seeing a lot of fake e-mails from scammers trying to lure people into disclosing their financial information. Not just the guy in Nigeria who wants to split $10,000,000.00 with you if you just send him "good faith" money, but e-mails from what appear to be genuine notices from major banks and credit unions. And some of these e-mails look extremely real. There are many scams on the internet from crooks trying to get peoples personal information and believe it or not, some people actually fall for these scams. If someone banks at Bank of America and they get an e-mail stating that their account will be frozen unless they update their personal information, some people actually enter their account numbers, PIN numbers, Social Security numbers, etc thinking that they are keeping their accounts active. What they are actually doing is providing a thief all the information they need to drain their bank account and open new accounts in their name. Identity theft is the fastest growing crime nationwide. And if you become a victim of identity theft, it takes years to try to straighten out your tarnished credit history. You could be the victim of identity theft and not know about it until your credit history is ruined. A few tips to avoid identity theft:

NEVER, NEVER give out personal information on the internet unless it’s a site you initiated, know and trust. Even then, most just ask for names, addresses and credit card info. Be leery of sites asking for name, date of birth, social security numbers and other personal information. I never give out my social security number unless it is absolutely necessary and I know and trust the company I am dealing with. Most companies have a contact phone number if you are unsure. Banks, credit unions etc will never ask you to update your personal information over the internet. Also be suspicious of phone calls threatening interruption to your phone or utility service unless you verify your personal information over the phone. If in doubt, call your bank or utility company to verify.

Get a copy of your credit report from the three major reporting agencies at least once yearly and verify that all the information is correct. You can get one free copy of your credit report each year by checking with the credit reporting agencies. There are also companies offering services that you can purchase which monitor your credit history and notify you whenever an inquiry is made to your accounts or new accounts are opened in your name.

NEVER give out your PIN number to anyone and do not write it on the back of your card or keep it in your wallet or purse. If someone finds it they can clean out your account. If you need to write the PIN number down to remember it, hide the PIN in a false phone number. (example: if your PIN number is 4419, write a number down such as 516-4419. It looks like a phone number to anyone else but you’ll know the last four digits are your PIN #. Cover the keypad numbers with your hands when entering the PIN number in a store, store clerks already has access to your credit card or ATM number; don’t let them see what your PIN is too.

If a purse or wallet is stolen or lost, report the loss to the credit card companies, banks and DMV immediately. A 2 hour delay can clean out your accounts. I once had a case where $20,000 was charged on various cards within 2 hours of a purse theft. Also report the loss to the local police department if credit cards and a driver’s license is stolen. 

And back to what we originally spoke about, fake e-mails. I’ve seen these for Bank of America, Bank of the West, ebay, PayPal, Wells Fargo, several Credit Unions and many others. They send them out whether you actually bank at these establishments or not, hoping that it will reach some people that will actually fall for it. And they look EXTREMELY real because they use the company’s logos, graphics and other information. Most say there is suspicious activity on your account and your account has possibly been accessed by an unauthorized person. They say your account will be frozen unless you update and verify your personal information by clicking on a link and filling in the information. No matter how real they look DO NOT click on the link or put in your personal information. If in doubt, call your bank or account holder to report the suspicious e-mail. Many companies request that you forward the entire fake e-mail to their security departments.        

I could go on for hours on the topic of identity theft and the nightmares it creates but just use common sense to protect your personal information. Check out the rest of our web-site for lots of FREE safety information. While your browsing our site, check out our book "Coptalk" to find out how to keep yourself and loved ones from becoming victims of crime. In this day and age, there is no Mayberry left. Protect yourself and keep yourself safe.

Mark
Coptalk.info

· Know where your kids are at night. Don’t think or assume. KNOW!

· Know who they are with. If they are at a friends house, MEET the other parents! The biggest thing we hear in the middle of the night is "She’s supposed to spending the night with the Cleavers". Guess what, THE CLEAVERS ARE OUT OF TOWN!

· Meet the friends they are out with. You can tell a lot about whether or not your kid’s friends have the same morals and ethics you are trying to instill.

· Use a phone or a pager. Stay in contact with your kid. There’s nothing wrong with asking to speak to the other parents if you think something’s up. A clue is the sound of cars going by or the sounds from the local video arcade in the background.

· Make sure your kid knows the consequences of lying to you or for getting into trouble. Loss of privileges, restriction, loss of phone or car usage, loss of allowance, and the BIGGEST one of all, LOSS OF YOUR TRUST!

· Be supportive of the efforts of your local Police department. We don’t get any enjoyment from seeing your kid in trouble. We get enjoyment from seeing you do something about it and not seeing your kid out on the streets again.