Category Archives: Crime

It Only Cost a Dime…

Posted on by

I saw an Internet story about a sixty-eight year-old man who recently lost his job at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage for a crime he committed almost fifty years ago.

Back in 1963, Richard Eggers used a cardboard cutout of a dime in washing machine at a Laundromat. Apparently, he got caught and was convicted. The story I read said that Eggers called the escapade a ‘stupid stunt,’ and isn’t happy he got fired.

Making a long story a little shorter, the gist of the article reported that in May of 2011 and February of this year, new federal banking employment guidelines went into effect. The more stringent procedures were meant to weed out workers who were guilty of transactional crimes…identity theft, money laundering, breech of trust or dishonesty.

In the past, before the new regulations, banks construed federal rules to exclude misdemeanor crimes.

But what has happened in today’s environment is that financial institutions are afraid of penalties that might be levied by the FDIC. So, Richard Eggers was fired from his job over a fifty-year-old petty theft.

There is a waiver process that employee’s can follow to show they’re still suitable to work in a financial institution – however, one of the qualifications is that the applicant can never have spent a day in jail. Mr. Eggers served two days in jail and doesn’t qualify.

Mr. Eggers is learning a tough lesson.

It’s a lesson that parents everywhere should be telling their children. It’s a lesson that employers should be sharing with those they’ve hired. It’s a lesson for everyone. Let’s take a closer look. 

Even back in 1963, a dime wasn’t a lot of money. You could buy a candy bar with a dime. If you had three dimes, you could get a gallon of gas. So, the fact Mr. Eggers tried to use a fake dime in a washing machine was a petty crime, even back then.

But, the lesson to be learned is that we don’t know what the future will hold. Who would have predicted the vast advances that have been made in technology where banking would be done from your own home? Or, in 1963 who would have believe it, if you’d said there would be machines where you’d stick a piece of plastic inside, you could get money in return? No one. No one could have predicted how society would handle their money today. No one could predict the huge issues the world is facing due to identity theft and the like.

But one thing that does remain constant is that everyone should follow the law. While I am empathetic to Mr. Egger’s plight, I’m not sympathetic. I don’t know what prompted him to stick a cardboard dime in a coin-operated washing machine, but whatever the circumstances, he was breaking the law. He knew what he was doing was wrong.

With that said, if I’d been the police officer to respond to that call back in 1963, I probably would have given him a stern lecture about right and wrong, and sent him on his way. I’d love to know the full story of the dime in the washing machine –  my cynical mind tells me there was probably more to the story.

But, is it possible that those ‘common sense’ allowances made in those bygone years, helped to create an atmosphere where, people didn’t respect the law as much? Do you think that a teenager back in the early 1950′s who got caught shoplifting a dollar pair of sunglasses and then was only given a warning, might have figured nothing happened the first time, so why not try it again?

Today’s consumers are paying for those early ‘warnings’ given to thieves. Shoplifting is now an organized crime with crews of crooks going into stores and clearing merchandise completely off the shelves. In the 1970′s and 1980′s many stores started prosecuting shoplifters because the merchants were losing too much money. But although great strides have been made, the shoplifting genie is out of the bottle, and retailers are struggling to put it back. But I digress…

The bottom line is this: There is no way to predict how your actions today might affect you down the line. Look at people who lose their jobs over pictures posted on Facebook or other social media. 

The best course of action is to do the right thing and don’t intentionally do something you know is wrong or risky behavior…because the ‘dime’ cost of a reckless action might balloon into a million-dollar blunder fifty years from now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until next time,

KMA367 

 

 

 

Taking Off the Uniform – A Year Later

Posted on by

I’m writing this article on February 22nd.  It’s a beautiful Southern California day with temperatures expected to hit the low eighties.  I can tell you that February 22, 2011, was also a beautiful day.  The sun was shining and there was a light breeze in the air.

Now you’re probably wondering if I’m a living almanac.  I’m not.  On this date last year, it was a Tuesday and my last day of working for the LAPD.  My co-workers threw me a fabulous BBQ.  My retirement wasn’t official until February 26th, but that BBQ was my last day at Devonshire Station.  Oh, I snuck back in and did my last Basic Car meeting on Wednesday, but I was in plain clothes and it was more of a party than a meeting.

If I had to describe my retirement in one word, I’d say: hectic.

One of the main reasons I retired was because my mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.  I spent most of March taking Mom to various doctors for various issues.  I’ve been driving over 70 miles three times a week to spend time with her.  

I also needed to catch up on my own periodic doctor appointments.  Some of those doctor visits were in relation to the back injury I’d suffered in an on-duty traffic collision. 

In addition, I began to get phone calls from friends who all wanted to have lunch, since I had ‘nothing but time on my hands.’ I didn’t want to burst their bubble about what retirement is all about, so I went.

I’d already made my decision to self-publish my debut novel and was working with a cover designer to get the cover ready. I also took an online class to learn how to make a book trailer (much like a movie trailer) for my book.  I also tried to learn how to format my manuscript for e-reading devices (Kindle, Nook, etc.)  I joined two other writing groups and started reading up on how to promote my book and myself.

June was a huge month for me.  I launched my book on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.  My second career had begun!  But it wasn’t just the book launch that made the month special.  I also had been approved for an epidural shot to help ease the pain in my back.  I had that procedure done in mid-June.

The month of July was a blur to me.  I spent as long hours at my computer self-promoting my book by requesting reviews from book reviewers and book bloggers.  I attended the Public Safety Writer’s Association yearly conference in Las Vegas as a speaker.  The only problem was, that I’d arrived a few days early and, by the time the conference rolled around I was seriously ill and had to go home.  What a way to make a good impression.  Thankfully, to my knowledge, no one else got sick. 

In August, my book ‘took off’ on the Barnes and Noble website and I was in their Top 100 of all their books being sold.  It wasn’t long and I hit the Top 100 at Amazon as well.  This was another month of heavy book promotion.  You have no idea how many book-related websites there are on the Internet!

However, August was also a sad month too.  Over the few months I’d been stopping in three times a week to care for Mom, I’d come to realize that Mom’s condition was way more advanced than either my sister or I realized.  We came to the conclusion Mom would have to go into an assisted living facility. 

The arrangements were made to get Mom moved and comfortable in her new place.  I spent the first two days with her to help her get oriented and continue to visit her three times a week. None-the-less, it was one of the hardest decisions my sister and I had ever made.

In September, I taught an online writing class.  It was also time for Mom’s scheduled visits to her doctors and I was still seeing a group of doctors regarding my back.  Oh, and have I said that during this whole time I was revising my second book, A Deadly Blessing?

October found me teaching another on-line writing class and taking Saturday’s to go cheer at my granddaughter’s soccer games.  I was still revising my next book and began working with new website designers to give my website a facelift.

I was still spending about six hours a day self-promoting my book in November.  I guess I should clarify here that when I say self-promoting, I was also reading the tons of articles to keep abreast of the vast changes in the writing scene.  I also ‘ran away’ for a few days to a hotel where I could lay out the 300+ pages of my revised book and see how it all was flowing.

I don’t really need to say anything about December.  It was the holiday season, filled with more events, obligations and merriment than usual.

The first of this year has been spent revising and editing A Deadly Blessing and I’m keeping my fingers crossed it comes out in March. The manuscript is in the hands of beta readers right now.

But what about my former life?  My life as a cop.  What about that?  It doesn’t happen often, (mostly because I dot have time to think about it), But sometimes I ache to be driving the black and white and wearing my uniform and badge. I’ll see LAPD officers on a traffic stop, but now, instead of being their back-up, I’m a typical rubbernecker.  Driving to where my mom lives for a visit, I’ll see the LAPD helicopter racing to a call somewhere or orbiting over a ‘hot’ call.  I want so badly to know what’s going on and to be ‘in’ on the action. 

I wanted to find a way to cope with those feelings.  So, when I see police activity that tugs at my memories, I try to think of possible circumstances of the incident that I can turn into a scene in a future book.  Admittedly, it doesn’t always cure the melancholy, but it leads to some really interesting pages on my computer.

Until next time,

 

KMA367       

 

What’d You Do At School Today?

Posted on by

It’s a horrifying disgusting story that strikes fear in every parent.  And if the original revelation wasn’t bad enough, there was more.  What am I talking about?   A news story that broke last week when a third grade elementary school teacher was arrested for felony child abuse.

What makes this case so despicable are the details.  A film developer at a Southern California CVS store called police when the developer noticed 40 pictures they were processing  allegedly depicted children who were blindfolded and sometimes gagged. The pictures allegedly showed children who had insects (cockroaches) on their faces.  If that wasn’t bad enough, the photos also allegedly revealed children being fed fluid from a plastic spoon or being given a cookie to eat.  The cookies were allegedly covered in a similar-looking fluid.

The investigation revealed the mysterious fluid in the plastic spoon and on the cookie was actually bodily fluids, (semen) allegedly from the teacher.  This teacher taught at the school for over 30 years!  At this time, the investigation has revealed 23 alleged victims ages six to ten covering the period between 2005 and 2010. 

Even for unflappable Los Angeles, this is a highly disturbing story.  But it gets worse.  The teacher accused of these crimes was arrested last Monday.  On last Friday, a second teacher was arrested at the same school for allegedly committing lewd acts with a child.  At this time, it doesn’t appear the two cases are related.  

In the second situation, two students came forward alleging their teacher had fondled them in the classroom.  I saw one news story where one of the girls had allegedly been molested by both teachers. 

So, now you have a little background…which brings me to the true point of my blog today. As parents, it is imperative that you talk to your children about inappropriate behavior by anyone.  Because, sadly, the fact today is that a molester can be anyone.  

Parents, it’s up to you to teach your children about boundaries and about what is acceptable behavior and what is not.  And don’t think just because you’ve talked to your kids once that’s enough.  There are molesters out there who ‘specialize’ in different ages of children, so your child is vulnerable at any age.

I know my mother talked to me on numerous occasions about different dangerous scenarios I might find myself in and how I’d respond.  By bringing up things that might possibly happen to me (and I’m betting her examples were from local news stories) it allowed us to discuss how I could protect myself from such situations and what to do, if despite my best efforts, I was in danger.

While it sounds dark and ominous and like a real kill-joy to time spent with your child, I didn’t view it in that light.  I felt better prepared, when at age 13, a man pulled up next to me and wanted me to get into his car.

You don’t have to spend an hour each day lecturing your kids…but you do need to open that line of communication and get your children to realize there are bad people in the world who may try to prey on them.  How many times do you ask your kids what they did at school today and they say something like: “The same old thing.  Nothin’.”  And, because you’ve got twenty other things on your mind, you’re satisfied with that answer.

Apparently, in the first situation, the teacher had allegedly told the students they were playing a game and many of the kids didn’t think this type of behavior was odd or unusual. Now, imagine this…You pick your child up from school and ask them what they did that day.  They tell you their teacher blindfolded them and gagged them and took pictures of them with bugs on their faces.  Wouldn’t this set off alarm bells in your mind?  You bet it would.  And this is what I’m trying to get you to see.  You’ve got to, not only talk to your children, but engage with them.  Get them to open up – no easy feat, I know.

As a parent, it’s easy to think, My Johnny (or Sally) is too smart to be taken in by some pervert.  Don’t fool yourself!  With the advent of the internet, many of these creeps share information about how and where to find victims.  They discuss what works and what doesn’t.  They also discuss how to get children to not alert their parents of what’s going on. These sickos live and breathe for their next opportunity to victimize a child.  Don’t let it be your child.  Talk to your kids about boundaries.  Let your children know you will believe them if they come to you if they are victimized – no matter who the suspect is.  

I know you’re busy.  I know it’s uncomfortable.  But if you aren’t willing to put in the time with your children, there are plenty of molesters who are.

Until next time…

KMA367 

Playing With Fire

Posted on by

We can always count on Hollywood for igniting interesting headlines that race across the country.  And for the past few days, Tinsel Town has been in the spotlight once again.

 

No, it wasn’t a shocking divorce that took the limelight…well, unless you count Katy Perry and Russell Brand – but who was really surprised by that split?  No, it wasn’t Katy and the comic’s split, and it wasn’t a new sex tape revealed, or a young up-and-comer busted for DUI or drugs. 

 

Hollywood is in the news for something more sinister and dangerous. There is a person or persons running around the streets of Hollywood and West Hollywood lighting cars on fire; cars that are usually parked in carports underneath apartment buildings.  Fortunately, as I write this blog no serious injuries have been sustained by the citizens or firefighters.  But the potential for injury or death has certainly been there.

Let me back up a little bit.  Last Thursday night, one person was arrested and charged with arson relating to three fires set in Hollywood.  That was the lead story for the news on Friday morning.  It was an interesting story and got major play on the local TV stations. The LAPD called a tactical alert, which means that officers on duty must stay after their regular shift-change, AND that the only radio calls that will be handled are high priority calls.  So, if you’ve got a group of kids blasting music in a car in front of your house, the police won’t be responding. 

 

Even with a suspect in custody, the police deployed extra officers to the Hollywood area.  There was a joint effort between the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Office,(who cover West Hollywood), LAPD, and the LA County and LAFD.   

 

But overnight on Friday, there were another twenty-one fires set.  Some in the Hollywood area, but some were set in the San Fernando Valley. The MO was pretty similar for the fires…torch a car parked in a carport with the result being several cars destroyed along with damage to the building.

 

Saturday night netted more arson fires.  The authorities are saying the total for the spree is now up to 39 fires intentionally set.

 

Not unexpectedly, the ‘brass’ of the police and fire agencies have been updating the public and offering advice.  ‘Report any suspicious activity.  Turn on your lights in the carport areas.  Be alert.’  Our camera-hound mayor voiced his concern at a press conference as did a city councilman and county supervisor.  The story made national news.

 

So the question has to be:  Are these fires being set by one person?  An ‘arson crew’?  A bunch of copy-cat arsonists? 

 

I’m wondering why, when the police had a suspect in custody, they felt compelled to deploy officers back to the same area the next night.  We’re they anticipating there might be copy-cat or further fires…or did they have other information?  (I’m guessing they figured with all the media attention they could have problems the next night too.)

 

Either way, there is still someone out there on the streets ‘playing with matches.’  They haven’t gotten caught yet, but I can tell you every cop that’s working the street really  wants to be the one to nab the bad guy/s.  And once the pyromaniac/s are caught, their 15 seconds of fame will fade…faster than Kim K’s wedding vows.

 

**UPDATE**  When I got up this morning, I learned the police had detained ‘a person of interest.’  Reports are, that the police found an incendiary device in the man’s vehicle.  But like one arson victim stated, “Who knows if this was the only guy?” 

Until next time,

KMA367

LAPD and Occupy L.A. – One Size Does NOT Fit All

Posted on by

So, it’s been a few days since the City of Los Angeles decided to take back the park outside of City Hall from the Occupy L.A. protesters. 

As a former LAPD officer, watching on TV as the operation unfolded, I must say it’s essential to commend the LAPD for the well thought out plan that appeared to be executed with the utmost of precision. The world was watching (as usual) to see how the LAPD was going to handle the Occupy LA situation.  The media commented over and over again how the city and the LAPD didn’t want a repeat of the May Day ‘incident.’  And to that end, the procedure was a huge success.  However…

It’s important to remember that these protesters were very well behaved and not a typical large crowd that law enforcement usually encounters.  Additionally, the city and the LAPD had bent over backwards to cater to the group…ignoring the fact people were blatantly smoking marijuana, drinking alcohol in public, violating the Health and Safety codes, to say nothing of the intentional damage (vandalism) caused to the grass, irrigation systems etc.  Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa along with a couple of L.A. City Councilmen even passed out rain ponchos to the protesters in the early days.

While I’m glad the whole thing turned out peacefully – what kind of a price did the citizens of Los Angeles pay – I mean literally.  I’ve heard the number $400,000.00.  I don’t think that amount would cover the resources used at the event.  In fact, at least one City Councilman, Mitch Englander, doesn’t think so either, and had motioned for a report of all of the costs the City of Los Angeles incurred  because of the Occupy L.A. protest encampment.

But it’s not just the monetary aspect of the protester removal that I’m worried about.  Yes, the LAPD set a standard that some other police agencies weren’t able to achieve.  But what concerns me is that now the general public will expect a similar result for all types of crowd control issues.  But crowd control isn’t ‘one size fits all.’

Whether society likes it or not, police work is, at times, out of necessity an uncompromising entity.  Law enforcement officers are paid to enforce the laws and protect the well-being and peace of the community.  Sometimes that job is not fun and often it isn’t very pretty. 

So, while the city leaders and the LAPD can bask in a job well done, I say to everyone:  Don’t expect that every protest and police action will be handled with so many resources, with such a strategic plan, and with the officers ‘wearing kid gloves,’ because the true nature of police work is not usually so refined or gracious…and often people’s lives depend upon that fact.

 Until next time,

 KMA367

 

 

 

 

A New Scam – Fake Grandkids

Posted on by

The phone rings and you answer it.

“Grandma?  It’s your granddaughter, Cindy.”

Delighted that your teenaged granddaughter who lives out of state is calling, you’re happy to hear from her.  “Hello, Cindy.  How nice to hear from you.”

Cindy’s voice takes on a somber tone.  “Grandma, I’m in trouble.  I went on a school trip in the Caribbean with my friends.  We were goofing around and I had too much too drink.  I got arrested for being drunk in public and now the court says I have to pay a fine of $1000 or they won’t let me out of jail.”

You’re dismayed your sweet little granddaughter was arrested – and for public intoxication!  You wonder why she is calling you.  “Well, dear I think you need to talk to your mother and father about this.  They’ll know what to do.”

“No Grandma!  I can’t tell them about this.  Mom and Dad will kill me, and they’ll never let me go anywhere again.  I was hoping maybe you could wire me the money.  You mustn’t tell anyone – not Mom, Dad and not Grandpa Mark either!  I was hoping it would be our little secret; and I promise; I’ll pay you back every dime.  I’ve got a job at McDonalds, so I can pay you back.”

Poor little Cindy sounds so desperate, and what kid hasn’t gotten into a little trouble?  Besides, you can’t stand to think of your precious granddaughter stuck in some jail.  “Well, I don’t know, dear; I’ve never kept anything from your Grandpa; and that’s a lot of money.”

“Pleeeease Grandma?  It’s really dirty here and the food has bugs in it.”

You sigh.  “Okay Cindy, I don’t like it, but I’ll do it.  What do I have to do?”

Then Cindy gives you very detailed directions on how to wire the $1000 to the court.  “Remember     Grandma,” she warns, “you can’t tell anyone about this!”

 With a heavy heart you follow the directions and wire the money to an unknown location in the       Caribbean.

Congratulations!  You’ve probably just been the victim of one of the latest scams being used against the elderly.

You see, slim-ball crooks have learned that the elderly are easily fooled by a young voice claiming to be the grandchild of the senior citizen…especially when those grandkids live out of state and, most likely, aren’t seen too often in person.

But how do the crooks know whether or not a senior has grandchildren?  We’re giving the information to the bad guys ourselves via the internet.  Many of the larger social networking sites are perfect hunting grounds where criminals can find pictures or search profiles of grandchildren so they know the child’s age and sex.


Phone numbers are easily accessible as well.  Have you ever done a Zabasearch of yourself at Zabasearch.com?  Do like genealogy?  What information do you enter into those sites to round out your family tree?   It’s disturbing to find what kind of information is available about you via the internet to everyone in the world.

The key to this scam is the secrecy element.  The ‘child’ in trouble begs their ‘grandparent’ to not contact their parents or anyone in the family.  Why?  If the grandmother in this scenario contacted Cindy’s parents and said, “I understand Cindy is on a school trip in the Carribbean.”  The whole scam would fall apart because the mother would probably say something like, “What are you talking about?  Cindy is sitting in the family room playing video games on the TV.”

Worse yet, our elderly citizens who DO fall victim of this and other scams often don’t come forward because they’re embarrassed they got swindled.

Knowledge is power.  Talk to the seniors you know.  Tell them this story.  Be sure they understand that the criminal element has figured out that senior citizens are excellent targets for all kinds of scams – and this is just one of them.

Until next time;

KMA367

Kathy Bennett Reports On: Domestic Violence

Posted on by

One of the most common types of calls police officers respond to is domestic violence.  I can’t tell you how many times a woman with obvious physical injuries will proclaim her love for her abuser and how he did mean to hurt her…or worse yet, she’ll deny her abuser caused the injuries.


October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and I guarantee that you know someone who is being abused – you just may not know it.

Let’s start with what domestic violence is.


Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over          another person with whom an intimate relationship is or has been shared through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence. Domestic violence happens when one person believes that they are entitled to control another.


Domestic violence may include not only the intimate partner relationships of spousal, live-in partners and dating relationships, but can also include familial, elder and child abuse in a violent home. Abuse generally falls into one or more of the following categories: physical battering, sexual assault and emotional or psychological abuse, and generally escalates over a period of time.

Here are some of the indicators of domestic violence.


Victims of abuse may experience punched walls, control of finances, lying, using children to manipulate a parent’s emotions, intimidation, isolation from family and friends, fear, shame, criticism, cuts, crying and afraid children, broken bones, confusion, forced sexual contact, manipulation, sexist comments, yelling, rages, craziness, harassment, neglect, shoving, screaming, jealousy and possessiveness, loss of self esteem, coercion, slammed doors, abandonment, silent treatment, rape, destruction of personal property, unwanted touching, name calling, strangling, ripping, slapping, biting, kicking, bruises, punching, stalking, scrapes, depression, sabotaging attendance at job or school, brainwashing, violence to pets, pinching, deprivation of physical and economic resources, public humiliation, broken promises, prevention of seeking medical and dental care, ridicule, restraining, self-medication, forced tickling, threats to harm family and friends, threats to take away the children, threats to harm animals, threats of being kicked out, threats of weapons, threats of being killed.


That’s quite a list isn’t it?  And abusers usually use a number of these tactics to gain control of their victims…and they tend to pick the ones that they know will bring the biggest fear and distress as well.


Here’s the number for the National Domestic Violence Hotline 1 (800) 799-7233 and they can direct you to help in your area.  If you’d rather look at their site online, here’s the link http://www.thehotline.org/.  However, computers CAN be monitored, so if you suspect your abuser could be tracking your internet activity, find a way to call.


Domestic violence is serious business.  If you’re a victim, I know it’s scary and it’s not easy to admit you’re a victim, but get help.  You’ll be glad you did.


Until next time,


KMA367

Kathy Bennett Reports: Cop TV Shows

Posted on by

I became an LAPD cop for one reason.  I watched Jack Webb portraying Joe Friday in the television show, Dragnet.  Webb’s monotone monologues about the evils going on in the City of Los Angeles and his declaration of: “That’s when I go to work, and I carry a badge,” let me know that before the half-hour was over somebody would be going to jail.

Each week I watched Joe Friday and his partner, Bill Gannon round up burglars,   robbers and rowdy kids.  But for me, the best part of the show was when the      suspect would give Friday some attitude, and he’d come out with his verbal guns  blazing.  You knew when Joe got to lecturing the bad guy in his machine-gun-  style speech the crook was going to be standing in the ‘line-up of shame’ at the    end of the show.  You remember; that’s when the announcer came on in a voice-  over and told the viewer that the bad guy was sentenced to 4 years for Petty  Theft or some other minor crime.

Side note:  Those kinds of sentences aren’t handed out anymore – if they were, maybe we wouldn’t be paying such high prices in stores to make up for all the shoplifting that goes on. (Sorry, couldn’t resist my soapbox)


Anyway, I liked how Joe Friday and his partner let people know why their crimes hurt society, put those people away so they couldn’t continue their wrong-doing , and made the city safer…all in a half-hour.


 So Joe Friday and Dragnet is why I became a cop.  But that’s a cop show from a long time ago.   Today’s cop shows are faster paced and certainly show the violence officers and detectives can face on the streets.


 Do you like the older police stories: The Andy Griffith Show, Highway Patrol, Police Story, The FBI, Starsky and Hutch, etc.?

Or…do you prefer the newer shows:  Law and Order, CSI, Southland, The Closer, Castle, et al?

Until next time…

KMA 367



Cops Who Gave Their All

Posted on by

Over the weekend, two undercover LAPD officers were shot as they happened upon a gang shooting in progress.  Both officers received injuries and one of them was shot in the face and may have permanent damage to one of his eyes.  Thankfully, they will both live.  At the time I write this blog, two suspects are in custody, and the search is on for the two suspects outstanding.

It was just a little over a month ago (August 29th) that I wrote a blog entitled, ‘When Did It Become Open Season on Cops’.  In that blog I talked about the increase in attacks against police officers.

Saturday night, it just so happened I saw a Twitter post that caught my eye.  You know they say a picture is worth a thousand words.  Take a look at this link.  It demonstrates so much better what I was trying to say on August 29th.  Please share this post.  We all hear the news when an officer is killed in the line of duty, but this link puts the whole thing in proper perspective.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150348623600244.591896.181135410243

Until next time,

KMA367

Did You Notice?

Posted on by

I’m doing a first on my blog today.  I’m re-running a previously published blog post.


I AM going to add a little to the beginning here, by asking a question.


Were any of you nervous yesterday…the tenth anniversary of 9-11?  I was, but then I’m aware of the potential for terrorist attack everyday.   More on that in a second.


I was concerned that with all the attention on the fact there was credible information there would be a car-bomb attack in the New York and/or Washington D.C. area, that people elsewhere throughout the country would let down their guard.  But I know that wasn’t the case here in the Los Angeles area because of a small thing I observed.  As I traveled extensively on the freeways of Los Angeles, I noticed there were  Metro tow trucks scooping up stranded and abandoned vehicles as fast as they could.  Those tow drives usually work Monday through Friday during rush hour to keep traffic moving.  Over the weekend they were, in their own way, fighting potential terrorism.  I’m sure their mission was part of a much bigger plan that I wasn’t privy to, but by seeing that small sign of planning, I knew our leaders were as ready as they could be for the worst.


But that brings me to my previously posted blog.  I mentioned that I’m cognizant of, and vigilant for, the potential of a terrorist attack. Are you?   If not, please read my blog I first posted last year in November.  There ARE people here in this country plotting to kill Americans on the soil of the United States.  We DO become complacent.  That is what the terrorist forces of evil want from us.  Don’t give it to them.  Please read on.


iWatch – Do You Watch?

Some time ago the Los Angeles Police Department started a program called iWatch.  Its purpose is to provide a way for the public in Los Angeles to report suspicious activity that may be related to terrorist activities.

In light of the recent events of packages containing explosives being mailed from Yemen to the United States, it’s imperative that, as a nation, everyone be diligent about watching for, and reporting, possible terrorist related activities.

Here are some tips for you to keep in mind.  While these suggestions were created for the iWatch program in L.A., they make perfect sense no matter where you live.

TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS
We rely on our senses every day of our lives.  If a behavior or activity makes you feel uncomfortable, report it.  Here are a couple of examples of suspicious activities reported by citizens that saved lives:

If it doesn’t LOOK right, report it. A video store clerk SAW anti-America material on a DVD he was asked to copy.  Police captured and arrested individuals planning a bomb attack.

If it doesn’t SMELL right, report it. A grandmother SMELLED bad odors from a neighboring apartment and noticed the empty apartment was frequented by various people.  Police discovered a poison gas factory.

If it doesn’t SOUND right, report it. Residents were concerned with a person’s threats of violence.  Police captured and arrested a group planning a subway attack.

IMPORTANT PLACES TO WATCH
You should be aware of your surroundings all the time, but here are some places to be especially vigilant.  Government buildings, religious facilities, amusement parks, sports/entertainment venues, high-rise buildings, parades, fairs and other mass-gathering locations, schools, hotels, theaters, shopping malls, bridges, and public transportation.

WHAT SHOULD I REPORT
Give as many details as you can.  Here are some of the things we’d like to know.  The time of day, where it happened, what you witnessed.  We’d also like a description of who was involved – male or female, how tall, build, hair color, skin color, and age.  Was there a car?  Provide a license plate number if you’re able to.  Have you seen this activity in your neighborhood before?

HOW DO I REPORT?

Nationally:

You can file an online report at https://tips.fbi.gov/
Call 911 for an emergency
In Southern California:

You can file an online report at the joint Regional Intelligence Center website at www.jric.org
Or you can call JRIC at (562) 345-1100
Call 911 for an emergency

In Los Angeles:

Report online at www.iWATCHLA.org
Call 1-877 – A –THREAT (1-877-284-7328)
Call 911 for an emergency

The prevention of terrorist activity is everyone’s business, so do your part because iWatch, and  you need to watch too!

Until next time,

KMA 367