Tag Archives: dilemma

It Only Cost a Dime…

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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 

 

 

 

Drastic Measures Must Be Taken

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I’ve been retired from the LAPD for about eighteen months now, and I often get asked how I like retirement. The standard answer I give is that I like retirement just fine, however…I’m working harder now than when I was working a full-time job.

I won’t bore you with the many tasks that take up my days and my nights. But, I will say if you think writers sit in front of their computers and dash off ten pages of a novel, then answer hundreds of fan letters, promote their books on television talk shows, and then go sit by the pool eating bonbons and drinking champagne, you’d be sadly mistaken. At least most of us don’t.

My ‘to-do’ lists often have sub- ‘to-do’ lists. It’s not unusual for me to have a numbered list of maybe ten things to get done during one day. However, as the day progresses, I find I’m adding things to the list – or stapling an additional list to the bottom of the first one.

Because I’ve been lucky enough to gain a following with my first two books, I feel pressure to get my next book out there. But I have to find more hours in the day to make that happen. So…

Drastic measures must be taken.

If you know me or you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I’m a big fan of reality television. Until I started to list the shows I regularly watch, I didn’t quite realize how much time my TV habit was taking out of my day – and it’s not just the reality shows.

Here is a listing of the shows I like to watch. They aren’t all on during the same time of year, so I’m not necessarily watching all of these shows every week.

American Idol
Dancing With the Stars
The Amazing Race
America’s Next Top Model
Big Brother
The Bachelor/The Bachelorette
Bachelor Pad (Yes, I’m hanging my head in shame)
Survivor
The Glass House (This was the first season of this show. I’ve only continued to watch because one of the players is a cop. I hope he wins.)

Then there are the non-reality shows I watch.

Southland
Dallas
Longmire
Shark Tank

Then there are the shows I sometimes watch when I happen to be flipping channels.

House Hunters
Storage Wars
Pawn Stars
Say Yes to the Dress
Keeping Up With the Kardasians ( I can hardly look at my screen while I type this. Watching these folks is a very guilty pleasure.)

Then there are the daily news shows.

KTLA Channel 5 (Mornings – sometimes for hours!)
KCBS Channel 2 (Usually 5:00 p.m.)

Most of the shows I save on the DVR so I can watch when it’s convenient and so I can zip through the commercials. But with my reality shows it’s tricky because if I’m not careful someone on Facebook or Yahoo will post the ‘dramatic’ results before I get a chance to watch the show.

Clearly, I need to cut down my list AND how much TV I’m watching.

Let’s start with the news. I can easily cut down in the morning. I don’t have to watch two or three hours of news to see what’s gone on overnight. I can probably par that down to about a half hour. Same goes for the evening broadcast.

The shows I sometimes watch I need to cut out completely – unless I’ve written my word/page count for the day. And then I should only watch them while I’m cleaning or something else where I can multi task. And to be fair, usually I’m watching these shows while I’m having lunch or dinner.

As for my non-reality shows I watch. This is where I’ll stand my ground. I don’t want to cut any of these shows. However, it makes no sense for me to be watching reruns of these shows, and sometimes I do. The endings don’t change.

But where I can make considerable impact on my time management is with my reality show viewing.

I’ve determined I’m only going to allow myself four – and one of those is on during the year when the other three are not. So, who will I be watching and who gets cut?

The four who made the cut are:

The Amazing Race
Survivor
The Bachelor/The Bachelorette
Big Brother

I’m sure I’ll find many more hours in the day if I can follow my new plan.

What about you? What are the shows you ‘must see?’ What are the shows you’re embarrassed to admit you watch? What television show could you give up easily?

Until next time,

KMA367

I’ve Got an Ace in the Hole

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For two weeks I’ve had my poker face on…and it’s been killing me.

Robert Gottlieb of the Trident Media Group is now representing me!

For those of you who aren’t involved in the publishing industry, I will just tell you that when I was previously looking for an agent, I took one look at the client list at Trident Media Group and skipped them as ‘being out of my league.’ I’d also previously heard Mr. Gottlieb described as one of the best and most powerful literary agents in the country.

So, you can imagine my surprise when, the very day I was leaving for the Romance Writers of America national conference, I had an email from Mr. Gottlieb. It turned out he’d read my book, A Deadly Blessing and was ‘enthralled’ and wanted to know if I had literary representation.

After a few e-mails back and forth I learned he was going to be in the area of the conference I was attending. By chance, his agency was having a party within walking distance of my hotel and he invited me to attend. We talked, and as they say, the rest is history.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about this move. I’ve enjoyed moderate success self-publishing my books. I’ve been able to make all the decisions regarding my books and my career. I like having control. But I also know there are other literary avenues available to me. I just don’t have the know-how, the connections, or the time to investigate those options.

Just like the professionals I’ve hired to help me get my career to its current level, I’m thrilled to now be affiliated with one of the best agencies in the country to help me achieve even more.

I didn’t need any further confirmation I was making the right choice, but when I opened up the daily paper and saw my horoscope for the day I had to smile…

I won’t know until we actually start working together exactly how this collaboration will work. But I’m a gambling kind of gal, so I’m all in…and I think I’ve got a winning hand.

KMA 367

Things Are Just Ducky!

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So, last Thursday I had kind of a stressful day.

My husband was scheduled for a medical procedure where he would have to be put under complete sedation. Amongst other things, this test was to be sure he didn’t have anything ‘bad’ going on inside his body. I tried not to show it, but I was seriously worried.

Thankfully, the procedure went well and all appears to be under control. However, he did need some prescription medicine. So, after I got him home and resting in bed, I headed off to the grocery store to get his prescription filled and do a little grocery shopping. After picking up some meat, ice cream, cottage cheese, wine and milk, I headed home.

Forgive me while I go into details about the scene I’m going to describe. One of the main roads in my neighborhood is a four-lane street with a raised center divider. There are also left turn lanes at the intersections. This roadway is fairly busy and people drive way faster than they should. On each side of the road there is vegetation of grass, plants and shrubs. The center divider also has flowers, trees, and plants. It’s a lovely neighborhood.

I’m driving home from the market and see some road-kill in the street. I don’t look too closely, because it always breaks my heart to see the dead animals. I come to a signal-controlled intersection. The intersection is a ‘T’ configuration with the top part of the ‘T’ being on the four-lane road, and the ‘support’ section of the ‘T’ being a side street.
I’m in the number #1 (left) lane of the street. There is one car in front of me, and one car in the lane next to me. There is no one directly next to me. We are all stopped at a red light.

The light changes and the car in front of me surges ahead. Suddenly, a gaggle of ducklings veers from beneath that car and heads toward the car in the #2 lane that is now beginning to accelerate forward. I’m thinking I’m going to witness a duckling massacre, but the little guys were fast and got out of the way of that car in the nick of time by running back my way. I put on my hazard lights and put my car in park and start to get out of my car. Which sends the little guys back into the #2 lane.

I look in my rear-view mirror and I see a car fast approaching in the #2 lane. I did what any normal human being would do…I pulled my car across both lanes of traffic, which had the desired effect of slowing down and stopping all the approaching traffic. It would have been better if I’d been in a police car though. Anyway…

I’ve got traffic stopped in two of the lanes of traffic and I’m in the middle of this intersection trying to shoo the ducklings out of the traffic lanes. Another lady is on the sidewalk encouraging me, but she has a young daughter with her and I don’t think she wanted to have her daughter in the street.

I have to say, I haven’t lost my command presence since I’ve been retired. I had all four lanes of traffic at a stop, plus one poor woman on the side street. A lone duckling had gotten under her car and I kept telling her not to move. Thankfully, she was okay with that. Surprisingly, not one car honked or moved – even when the light changed.

Finally I got the ducklings up on the sidewalk, but not before I’d lost two who’d slid into the storm drain. Meanwhile, about seven other people had stopped to help – one of them being a woman who worked in an animal hospital. She had a crate where we began placing the ducklings after we caught them.

Meanwhile, I’m thinking of my husband – who needs his meds and worry that my ice cream is melting. I tell the crew I have to go, but I’ll be back.

I go home, my husband is on the phone, I throw his meds to him, and tell him I’ll be back. I get my groceries and throw the perishables in the freezer and fridge.

On my way back to the scene, I stop at the nearby fire station and begin banging on the door. No one came. Luckily a rescue ambulance returns to the station. I explain to the paramedics what’s going on and that we’ve got two ducklings in the storm drain. To my relief they seem eager to help out.

The paramedics get to the scene and make short work of opening the storm drain. One of the men lowers himself into the hole and after a few minutes comes up with one of the ducklings. Unfortunately, the other duckling was afraid and ran down an off-shoot of the storm drain.

In total, I think we rescued eight ducklings. Sadly, the ‘road kill’ was the mother duck and one duckling.

One of my fellow rescuers was going to take the ducklings to a wildlife animal refuge where the ducklings would be raised by hand until they were ready to be set free.

When I got home, I apologized to my husband and explained where I’d been. When I got to the point in the story about getting out of my car, stopping traffic, and duck wrangling, he clapped his hands and said, “Good for you! You did the right thing.”

I still worry about the duckling that ran down the storm drain. In fact, I’ve been back several times to see if I could see him/her. Yes, I’ve got a soft heart…but don’t tell anyone!

KMA 367

From Cop to Writer – Different But the Same

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One of the things an applicant for the Los Angeles Police Department has to do in the hiring process is to be interviewed.  In my day, there were two police sergeants and a civilian on each interview board, and part of their duty was to determine if a person ‘had the right mindset’ to be an LAPD officer.
I know that one of the first questions I was asked was: Why do you want to be a police officer?  My reply, in part, was about wanting to help people. Not surprisingly, ‘helping people’ is a very common thread in applicant replies to the question, about why a person wants to become a cop.
With my new career of writing stories, if I’d been asked why I wanted to write, my reply would have been: I want to entertain people while giving them a glimpse into the world of the LAPD.
Little did I know that my writing career would achieve the same result as my police career.  Through my writing I’ve touched someone. I’ve helped someone.
I got this letter from a young woman and I was so impacted by her story and her words I asked her if I could share them with you.  She agreed.
The lesson to writers: If you think what you write can’t or doesn’t make a difference…think again.
This is the actual letter by the young woman I’ll call, Miss H…
Reading is by far not my specialty. I’m about three grade levels under my own on reading skills. Sure I can read your average every day children’s book but anything over 100 pages puts my heart in shock. In other words, I don’t read much.  
When I bought my Barnes & Noble Nook Color, I for sure thought, “I just wasted a perfectly good 240 bucks!” 
See this is where I was wrong. I ran across your book, A Dozen Deadly Roses, one day while sitting on my couch listening to the bickering and arguing of my dysfunctional family.  
At first I just skimmed over it then I took a second look. I decided to buy the book and open a page or two to see if it was worth reading. My journey through your book began slow, to slow. Then something caught my eye, Jade.  
Shockingly, we have much in common; a remarkable, strong willed mother, filling her duties as a cop in everyday life. It was everything I dreamt of being.  
I felt a strong connection with her and Donnie. My father is an alcoholic, I knew exactly what Jade was going through.  
Although Jade became a new idol in my world, I felt myself many times screaming at her, “why won’t you tell Mac that he’s the father, why?!” Then I realized it was for the better. It opened my eyes to that you shouldn’t always do the expected but rather do what’s best in that situation for you and others involved.
I also love the fact that you use to be an actual LAPD cop. When I read that about you, my heart skipped a beat. I felt like I had even more of a connection with your book because for once a fiction book wasn’t so fiction anymore. Your book had more life in it; it wasn’t “just a book” anymore. I loved that.  
My desire to be a cop has been a dream of mine for a long time. However, my mom and others like to crush that dream. Jade gave me a lot of courage in reading this book. She showed me that I need to be brave and stand up in what I dream and love. Jade also gave me the strength in my heart that seemed so broken from others. She made a light shine in me like no one has ever done before.  
Reading your book has changed my life.  
I was doubting my future before I read your book; here I had planned my whole high school diploma based on wanting to be a cop, and then it was just gone, like it wasn’t even worth any of the time I gave it. 
I felt lost, like a loser in a big ocean of popular people. 
Jade’s character made me open my eyes and realize that it’s my life and I can do anything I want to do if I believe I can.  
I thank you, Kathy Bennett, for not only changing my mind but showing me a new way of life. 
I will read your book again and enjoy every page turning chase it gives me. I assure you that you book was so worth every minute I put in it.
Kathy here – Needless to say I wrote back to Miss H and we’ve corresponded a few times. I found that when I wrote back to Miss H I’d put on my  ‘police officer’ hat and tried to offer advice, encouragement and compassion.  And you know what?  I was glad to wear that hat again.
Miss H feels I’ve changed her life with my book. Little does she know how much she’s changed mine.
Until next time, 
KMA367

What’d You Do At School Today?

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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 

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

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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

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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: A Recent Foot Pursuit

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The other day I did something completely out of character.  I did something spontaneous.  Here’s the set up…

With only minutes to spare until I was late to my hair appointment, (and I HATE being late anywhere) I was driving down my street and was approaching the corner.  Then I saw a pit bull dog running with abandon down the sidewalk on the street in front of me.  A few seconds later I saw a man who obviously ISN’T a runner chasing the dog…and the man was falling behind.

I made the turn and saw the dog further down the block sniffing around some bushes and ‘marking the territory’.  I drove down to the man and asked him if it was his dog.  He said yes, so I continued down the road.  I pulled along side the dog, got out of my car and made my approach.  I got within two steps of the dog and he took off again.  I called out to the man, who was now breathing heavily and walking, and asked him the dog’s name.  He said he wasn’t sure.  Huh?

The dog was at a full run now continuing down the hill toward a major thoroughfare.  I returned to my car drove down the hill, past the dog and got out to wait for the dog to reach me.  The man had picked up speed and was talking on the phone, running down the hill after the dog, yelling at me the dog’s name was Cheyenne.

I wondered if I should even be messing in this situation having previously seen the damage a raging dog can do.  And rightly or wrongly, this was the most notorious breed of dog out there.  AND…I was going to be late for my hair appointment!

The dog approached – his eyes wild with the excitement of running loose.  I bent down and held out my hand as the dog bounded closer.  “Cheyenne, come here boy,” I called in my most enticing ‘doggie’ voice.  To my surprise the dog ran right up and came to a stop in front of me.  I slipped my fingers around his collar and the wayward dog was in custody!

The man came huffing and puffing up about a minute or so later.  “Thank you, thank you!  It’s my boss’s dog and I’m taking care of him this weekend and somehow he got out.”  I wondered how you could volunteer to take care of a dog for a weekend and not know the dog’s name.

I told the man “no problem”, and hurried to my car where, luckily, I had some wet wipes…the dog had slobbered all over my leg.  Leaving the man and his house guest to make their way back up the hill, I ‘drove with purpose’ to my appointment.

But as I drove, I realized it wasn’t that I was being spontaneous.  I was doing what comes naturally to me.  I was helping someone in trouble – which is what I did for twenty-one years as a cop.  You know what ‘they’ say:  You can take the girl out of the uniform…but you can’t take the job out of the girl.

Are you spontaneous?  What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve done?

Until next time,

KMA367

Here’s a Hot Topic!

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In Southern California we’re just entering our wildfire season.  We’ve got the water-dropping airplanes at the ready – in fact, they’ve been deployed at least once – and the fire season is young!

We’ve experienced a mild summer.  But that doesn’t mean the brush is any less dry or has grown any less.  Fires have been big news all across the country, so everyone needs to be prepared.

Those of you who live in the foothills who have properties backing the wilderness need to get the brush cleared from behind your homes if you haven’t already done so.  I remember a few years ago, when the Station Fire wound it’s way to Granada Hills, the news showed a cul-de-sac in the height of the firestorm.

The fire department had its hands full trying to save homes in that neighborhood.  I watched on TV as the media speculated that the fire department’s resources were so short, they actually had to choose which homes they were going to try to save on that street.  And guess what?

Firefighters and their equipment were positioned at the homes where the brush had been cleared from the back.  That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t try to save every home, but the homeowners who’d done brush clearance had made protecting their property an easier task for the responding fire personnel.  Even if you don’t live in the foothills, it’s important to be ready.  Another way to prepare for brush fires is to have an evacuation plan.  Here are some tips to get you started.

Listen to your radio or television for updated reports and evacuation information.

Confine pets to one room and make plans to take care of them in the event of evacuation.

Arrange for temporary housing with a friend or relative whose home is outside the threatened area. Leave a note in a prominent place in your home that says where and how you can be contacted.

If your home is threatened by brushfire, you will be contacted and advised by law enforcement officers to evacuate. If you are not contacted, or you decide to stay and help defend your home, evacuate pets and any family members not needed to protect your home.

Remove important documents, mementos, etc. from the possible fire area.

When evacuating, wear protective clothing: sturdy shoes, cotton or woolen clothing, long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, gloves, and a handkerchief to protect your face.

Choose a route away from the fire. Watch for changes in the speed and direction of the fire and smoke.

Take a disaster supply kit containing:
A supply of drinking water;
One change of clothing and footwear for each member of the family;
A blanket or sleeping bag for each person;
A first aid kit that also includes any prescription medications;
Emergency tools including a battery-powered radio, flashlight and extra batteries;
An extra set of car keys and credit cards, cash or traveler’s checks;
Extra pairs of eyeglasses and other special items for infant, elderly or disabled family members.
Don’t forget food for your pets.
Do not jeopardize your life. No material item is worth a life.

Even if you aren’t able to put together an emergency evacuation ‘kit’, at least make a list of things to take when an emergency strikes and you need to evacuate.  Being prepared can make the difference of how well you live through any emergency – not just brush fires.  Now, get off the computer and start making your list and putting your evacuation kit together!


Until next time,

KMA 367