The front page of today's Washington Post tells us that the Prince George's Facility has come under scrutiny after the sudden death of Police murder suspect, Ronnie L. White.
The Post lists a number of correction officers who have been investigated, suspended and even jailed for wrong doings. One 13 year veteran was convicted on second degree assault after he beat a woman so badly that he broke her rib. That was not his first violent outburst however. In the late '90s his then wife had to get three protective orders issued against him.
In 2004, he pleaded guilty to breaking a woman's rib. The woman whose rib he broke was pregnant with his child. A judge put him on probation for that assault and ordered him to take anger management classes. The child that the woman was carrying was not so lucky. She miscarried days afer the beating.
The jail which incarcerates 1500 inmates, is said to be overcrowded by Government reports. The jail was built to hold 1330 inmates. One hundred and seventy extra inmates is hardly a serious "overcrowding" problem. The reported number of correction officers at 450, means that the ratio of imates to officers is not even 4:1. Compare that to a place like Riker's Island in New York City where the ratio of inmates to officers is probably closer to 25:1 and you will see that the officers in Maryland should not have many reasons to complain.
Of course, they should not have any reason to break the law either, but they do. Take the case of Renardo Humphrey, for instance. He was jailed this week after being convicted of armed robbery. Along with four others, he held up a couple of teenagers. Then there is Officer Kenneth Paul St. Clair, who joined the Department in 2004. This oxygen thief was convicted of second degree child abuse involving an 11 month old baby boy.
According to Police reports, the baby suffered multiple rib fractures, a skull fracture, internal bleeding, bruises on his face, chest, forehead and a bite mark on his shoulder. If I ever receive a call from a telemarketer tying to solicit money from me to support the fine upstanding members of the Prince George's Correction Department, I will make sure I tell him the story of the the little baby boy that was brutalized by one of his clients.
You may wonder why supervisors do not take more action and do not closely monitor the staff who apparently have a lot of anger management problems. Some Departments admitted that they only do background checks when officers are going for promotion. Therfore, if an officer is prone to beating up little babies and pregnant women, he just might go about his merry way without ever coming to notice - just so long as he does not seek promotion.
It would seem that all is not well with the Maryland Penal system. Perhaps a good overhaul is called for. It is not too much for society to expect that those who are entrusted with great authority do not abuse that authority. If they do and start behaving like those who have been removed from society, then they too should suffer the same fate.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Are the Inmates Running the Jails in Maryland?
Sunday, July 20, 2008
What do High School Killers and Terrorists Have in Common?
Department of Homeland Security studies show that the Columbine High School killers and the Virginia Tech gunman planned those attacks using the same techniques used by terrorists.
The study talks about the "7 steps" that terrorists take prior to executing an attack. The steps begin with; Surveillance, Acquiring information, Testing security, Acquiring supplies, Appearance of being "out of place", Test run and putting everything into position for the planned attack/strike.
Is there much that ordinary civilians can do to thwart a Terrorist attack or High School killing spree? The answer is; MOST DEFINITELY. DHS advises that 25 possible school attacks have been prevented this year so far, due to attentive citizens noticing something that seemed unusual and then reporting it to Law Enforcement.
We should not be reluctant to report suspicious persons or circumstances. Every once in a while the media will run a story about a suspicious package being left behind in a taxi or public place. Many people will be afraid to report something like that in case it turns out to be a hoax. BUT YOU SHOULD REPORT IT, NEVERTHELESS. That "hoax" might very well be a "test/dry run" by terrorists to see if what they leave behind will be detected, or how long it will take to be reported. The terrorist/bad guy will most likely be timing the reponse as well.
Those of us who travel regularly can tell you how long an unattended backpack or shopping bag would be allowed to sit unattended in London or parts of the Middle East. A Police officer would never get angry at having to respond because; 1)they are happy to see it does not contain a life threatening device (that would threaten their life as well as the lives of the general public) and 2)they know that one day it will be the real thing and when that time arrives, they will be glad of the practice and the fact that the public are helping them to identify danger.
In these dangerous times, we should never forget that we are all in this together. There is no room for complacancy. Just because you think you are safe and on holiday - remember what happened in Bali. If you think you are safe because you are in a secured facility or an Embassy overseas, remember Oklahoma and the countless Embassies and Consulates where deadly attacks are becomming a daily occurance.
If something doesn't look or feel right to you, there is a reason that you feel that way. Like the animals in the jungle, we are able to sense fear/danger in order to assist us with survival. The next time you report a suspicious activity, the life you save just might be your own.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Things that happen in China when nobody is watching
Here is another reason to pay attention for your own safety when you visit China - especially during the Olympics.
The BBC World News ran a story yesterday of a local Beijing woman whose house was about to be torn down, leaving her homeless. Why was her home being demolished? The Government had decided that her house would not look nice enough to the foreign visitors coming to Beijing for the summer Olympics. They planned to plant flowers in the spot where her home stood.
Apparently, the authorities knew that the woman was not going to willingly accept this obvious abuse of power. A couple of Police vans watched the house from about a block away. Then the cameras left after interviewing the woman. When the television cameras came back the next day, the house was gone and so was the woman. The house had been torn down in the middle of the night when there were no witnesses. Nobody could say what happened to her as the flower planters went about the task of digging flower beds.
The BBC had obtained similar footage that had been covertly recorded earlier at another house. In this instance, a couple of the homeowners tried to resist the authorities tearing down their house. The camera graphically recorded two men who attempted to protest on the roof of their humble abode. A couple of "heavies" pulverised the seated men with vicious blows and kicks. One poor man was kicked full-force in the face and head several times. The camera shot him being taken away by ambulance and his whole face was swollen and lacerated. It seems that the Chinese Government are very serious when it comes to planting flowers. They certainly appear to have a higher regard for flowers than they do for human rights.
Our advice to you if you are visiting Beijing this summer - don't pick the flowers. I have seen how they treat people when they think nobody is watching. It isn't pretty.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Tips for those looking to stay out of trouble!
This is an invitation to those in and around the Washington D.C. area to hear a presentation on how to keep from getting sued and risking your business.
I will be presenting "Protecting your business by avoiding costly law suits" at the "Brown Bag University" series, hosted by the Vienna Tyson's Regional Chamber of Commerce on Friday the 18th of June at 11:30am. There will be opportunities to network before and after the presentation.
Seating is limited, so if anyone wishes to sign up, please send an e-mail to: president@sextonsecurity.com. Bring paper and pen as the Ideas and Tips will be flying!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Deadly Attack on U.S. Consulate in Turkey
Once again, we sadly report on a terrorist attack aimed at destroying American lives. Fortunately, no Americans were hurt, but our thoughts go out to the families of the three Turkish Policemen killed while protecting the U.S. Consulate.
It was obviously an anti-American terrorist attack. The Consulate is said to be one of the most secure buildings in Istanbul. Three terrorists died along with the three Policemen who were guarding the Consulate.
Once again, this shows the danger that U.S. visitors face when travelling overseas these days. Turkey has long been a favourite tourist destination. Good value, great climate, interesting bazzars, friendly people - all of the ingredients one seeks when spending their holiday savings. These days howver, visitors need to also weigh up the potential for attack because of their Nationality.
D.C. Police Detective Arressted for Propositioning a "Prostitute".
Some time clients call us up and ask if we can send them off-duty cops for Executive Protection assignments. My first inclination is to tell them why we are reluctant to use off-duty police.
Yesterday, WTOP radio reported that a Detective Wheeler from the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police had been arrested for trying to hire a Prostitute. Unfortunately for Detective Wheeler, the "prostitute" was an undercover Police Detective herself.
The story gets better, however. It seems that Detective Wheeler is assigned to the Vice Unit. For those of you who don't know what a Vice Unit does, they set up "stings" and dress female Police officers to look like prostitutes in order to arrest those who try and do business with "prostitutes". One wonders if Detective Wheeler should be charged with the prostituion charge or one involving gross stupidity.
Just becaause a Police officer carries a gun, does not mean that this qualifies him or her to do everything security related. While most of them are decent, hard working indivduals, there are also some who break laws and circumvent the system for their own benefit. When you hire an "off-duty cop", you do not know what you are getting. Perhaps you will get a bad apple(s) who will do more harm than good. Afterall, what way is there to vet them?
A professional security company like ours, train their own people and enforce from day one a strong sense of Ethics. We have a zero policy for any behaviour that might be detrimental to us or the client. On the rare occassion when someone does something that we do not condone, they are terminated. There is no room for Union intervention or "three strikes, you're out" or any other delaying tactic.
Our reputation is too important. Then again, we do not have "jobs for life" but must instead earn buisness by constantly performing. The next time you need a security person, keep this in mind.
Work-place violence kills many U.S. workers every year.
Our company is hired regularly to make sure that fired employees do not come back to work and kill a supervisor or fellow colleagues.
When people hear that Corporations hire bodyguards to work in their Corporations pending and following company terminations they are surprised. This surprises me. Every year, workplace violence makes the "top ten" list of serious concerns facing U.S. businesses.
Yesterday, on WTOP radio station I heard the phrase; "Desk Rage" for the first time. Unfortunately it is very appropriate. Some people have very bad tempers and an argument or decision at work can lead to them getting a weapon and committing homicide. This was evidenced a couple of weeks ago in Kentucky when five factory workers were killed by an employee who had been slightly reprimanded.
Employers do have a responsibility to ensure a safe work place environment. That is the reason companies hire us. If we are called in and are onsite when a violent worker returns intent on hurting people, we will be the ones to stop him or her from committing the act.
Fellow workers should report incidents involving any type of inappropriate behavior, especially instances where people are likely to get hurt, or worse. Very rarely does an employee just go ballistic or "postal" for no reason. The most common cause of work place homicides are domestic situations. An employee with a dangerous spouse/significant other who has just been arrested on domestic violence charges or has been served with a protective should be brought to a supervisor's attention immediately.
With so much rage in schools, on the road and in the home, the Police have their hands full just reacting to situations where many times the SWAT team will be called in. Private security companies are a great resource to the business community as Police do not have the resources to sit for days and wait to see if something will happen.
Be part of the solution. Report all potentially dangerous situations in the workplace to a supervisor.
Young Canadian Model Murdered in Shanghai.
This is a very sad story. It needs to get out so other young girls and their parents can learn from this tragedy.
I traveled to China last year on a two week business trip. One of the thoughts that struck me was that it appeared to be a very law abiding society. Then when I visited Tiananmen Square, I was reminded of the scene when Government tanks turned on young student protestors and masacared them. There is much about China that lays beneath the surface.
Diana O'Brien was a young model from Canada who was lured to China with promises of "catwalk" modelling opportunities. Once she arrived there, the opportunities became offers to dance in bars. Apparently, many young girls go to China thinking they are breaking into the big time when in reality, many of these modelling agencies inlvolve little more than an apartment and a cell phone.
The JH model managment company that Diana worked for disappeared when news of her murder broke. Their website was taken down on Thursday. Although an official from the State Security Bureau would not comment, her murder seems to have been committed by a street criminal who stabbed her to death near her apartment for her belongings.
Young women and the parents of young women, need to know what they are getting themselves into before they travel to a strange place and put their lives in the hands of people who see them merely as a way to make money. This coming in the wake of the summer Olympics might cause some to question their own saftey in Beijing. Some of the age old principles still hold true; Beaware of your surroundings, Never travel alone - always have at least one companion at all times, Always let people know where you are going, Carry a cell phone (and pepper spray it is is allowed)to enable you to call for help.
In the streets of Beijing and Shanghai, people will approach you all of the time trying to get you to buy; fake watches, perfume, stamps and many other things. Most of these people are legitimately trying to make a sale but you do not know who are the ones that may be trying to pick-pocket you or surround you to rob you or lure you off a busy street where you won't be seen so easily. Walk briskly past them and ignore them. You should shop whee you are not being hassled and therfore can concentrate on your safety.
