Wednesday, July 19, 2006, By Annette Lawless, Kansas State Collegian

Jessica* didn’t think anything of it, really. She thought she was talking to people she knew, teenagers she could relate to. She, after all, was just a part of an online community that many deemed safe. She, however, was wrong. It was four summers ago that Jessica, only 13 at the time, became a victim of an Internet stalker. At the time, Jessica said she felt no sense of anxiety about the situation.

Now at 17, Jessica works at a women’s center in her hometown and feels comfortable talking about the experience that could have cost her life. “He just seemed so nice. From what I knew, he was young and attractive — just like me,” she said. “But you just wouldn’t have guessed this behavior out of him, not after all of the deep conversations we had prior to that summer.”

Jessica had started to visit Web sites like www.xanga.com, Yahoo! chat rooms and other online forums. She said she wanted to be heard, and by June that summer, one teenager, Nathan*, started paying attention to her. The two met at an Internet chat room, where Jessica said she wanted to find other teens. With all her teenage troubles — puberty, peer pressure and the fear of not being accepted — the Internet was her outlet for fitting in.

“No matter where you went, it seemed you could find people exactly like you. And that’s how I found Nathan.” Jessica said. “We shared the same troubles. We listened to the same music. We were the same people. I felt safe knowing that there was someone else just like me, that I was normal.”  More than 19 million teenagers like Jessica confide in the Internet, befriending strangers from one end of the country to the next. While in some cases, these friendships are harmless encounters between teens, other cases have led to more serious consequences.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, nearly 15 million children in the United States received unwanted sexual material online in 2005. Of those, about 2.5 million received a sexual solicitation beyond simple conversation.

Jessica is one teenager who had to learn this fact the hard way. “He insisted on meeting me, but I was pretty hesitant,” she said. “My parents raised me to be a rather cautious girl.” After she refused to meet with Nathan, Jessica said he became pretty persistent, trying to guilt her into meeting him. She still refused. And before she knew it, she said Nathan continued harassing her on the Internet and had found her home address. She said she often received letters in the mail, with Nathan threatening to abduct her. Nathan also e-mailed Jessica sexually explicit photographs of himself — from which she first discovered Nathan’s true age: a man in his mid-40s.

At this point, Jessica started to confide in her mother for help. She said her mother, who refused to comment on the subject, was the resource she needed to help track down Nathan and prosecute him. For months they tried to track Nathan down, but at that point, he had moved on and has not been heard from since. Jessica said she hopes that, of all things, she was the last person Nathan had stalked.

From here on, Jessica said she plans to go to college and get a career in psychology so she can apply this experience toward helping others in life. Until then, she will continue to finish high school and work at the women’s center. “My family just wishes to move on, to grow stronger from this experience,” Jessica said. “I have so much to look forward to in life, to enriching the lives of others. I know that my experience, while terrible, will somehow help me connect to another victim out there. And it might just give me a chance toward saving someone else’s life.

*Names have been substituted to conceal the identities in this story.

Retrieved July 24, 2006 from http://collegian.ksu.edu/article.php?a=10448

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 04:54 PM | Permalink

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.

-Robert Frost
 

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 06:48 PM | Permalink

Former NYPD 'poster cop,' who survived '92 shooting, is remembered for his sharp sense of humor

July 23, 2006, By Jeff Harrell

Richard DeGaetano took the bullet that changed his life with him to his grave yesterday.

In a ceremonial farewell befitting a hero police officer, the body of the one-time poster cop, who survived a gunshot to the head in 1992 but succumbed to cancer last Tuesday, was escorted from Our Lady Queen of Peace R.C. Church in New Dorp to his final resting spot at Ocean View Cemetery, Oakwood.

Across from the church, officers in dress blue uniforms stood five-deep at attention in rows spanning nearly a block along New Dorp Lane while the Police Department's highest-ranking officials -- including Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who delivered the eulogy, and Staten Island Borough Commander Assistant Chief Albert Girimonte -- mingled quietly.

DeGaetano's casket, draped with the green-and-white striped NYPD flag, was led to the mass by a motorcycle unit followed by the somber muffled drums of marching bagpipers. Police helicopters performed a flyover salute.

Inside the church, filled to near-capacity with family, friends and DeGaetano's blue-clad colleagues, a framed poster, depicting DeGaetano on a street corner in the Police Department's "The Beat Cop Is Back" public-relations program, was placed in full view.

POPULAR POSTER

That poster was plastered on city buses, billboards and telephone booths during the 1990s. The poster boy from Brooklyn's 62nd Precinct was selected from among 26,000 officers to represent the department.

"Richie was many different things. He was a police officer, a poster boy, a husband, father, brother and a friend. He certainly was a hero," said the Rev. Robert Romano, NYPD's deputy chief chaplain. "Mostly," Father Romano said with a smile, "he touched us with his humor."

Romano recalled visiting the dying cop. After DeGaetano asked the priest if he would "say nice things about me" at the funeral, Father Romano replied, "You'll get the deluxe service." "What's the deluxe service?" DeGaetano asked. "It's free," the priest  answered. "Then I want the anchovies," DeGaetano told the priest.

That sense of humor was evident when DeGaetano returned home from 40 days in the hospital after he was shot above the eye by a deranged tenant inside a Brooklyn apartment in January 1992. The bullet, which lodged in his brain and robbed DeGaetano of most of his eyesight, remains for eternity.

Kelly recalled being at Bellevue Hospital when the wounded officer was brought there after he was shot. "He kept repeating, 'Don't let the shooter get my gun and harm others,'" Kelly said, referring to the cop's unselfish concern as "the infinite strength of human duration."

But DeGaetano struck a funny bone when he got out of the hospital and was greeted at home by well-wishers, including former Borough President Guy Molinari. "Guy Molinari asked if there was anything he could do," Kelly recalled. "You can babysit," replied DeGaetano.

LEGENDARY HUMOR

"He used his humor as a natural way to make people feel more comfortable," Kelly said. "His humor was legendary."

The flag that draped his coffin was presented to DeGaetano's parents, Vincent and Eileen. His wife, Cathy, 18-year-old son, Richard, and 16-year-old daughter, Lisa, stood alongside other family members as Father Romano led the gathering in graveside prayer. A final salute by the police troop gave way to raindrops as friends filed by the casket, dropping flowers in a basket on the ground. "This is a celebration of life, not a time to mourn," Father Romano said. "Richie is home."

Jeff Harrell is a news reporter for the Advance. He may be reached at harrell@siadvance.com.

2006 Staten Island Advance
Retrieved July 22, 2006 from http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1153660655155230.xml&coll=1&thispage=2

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 06:34 PM | Permalink

Dr. Kardasz -

Read the following report and consider:
1. Which typology of unethical behavior was exhibited by the accused?
2. Which decision making process might have prevented the accused from making the wrong decision?

Typologies of unethical behavior - http://kardasz.org/CorruptionTypologies.html
Decision making processes - http://kardasz.org/Decision_Making_Tools.html

------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Three Boston Cops Arrested In Miami for Drug Scheme

Juyl 21, 2006 , Shomari Stone, CBS4 News

Miami, Florida - Three Boston, Massachusetts police officers have been arrested in Miami, charged with a scheme to protect drug shipments. Prosecutors claim they accepted $36 thousand to protect a shipment of 100 Kilos of cocaine from Western Massachussetts to Boston.

41-year-old Robert Pulido was arrested Thursday by undercover FBI agents in Miami. In April, Pulido also allegedly accepted a $20,000 payment for helping facilitate a drug deal between two undercover police officers in Jamaica Plain.

"It's always a somber moment when it becomes necessary to arrest and prosecute a member of law enforcement who has abused his authority and crossed the line from crime fighter to criminal," said U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan.

Pulido first came to the attention of investigators more than two years ago. They say he became involved in a scheme to obtain fradulent gift cards from retail stores which were obtained from an identity theft ring.

Pulido allegedly pulled over motorists and obtained their license number and personal information to obtain lines of credit for himself.

Two other officers, Nelson Carrasquillo and Carlos Pizarro, were also arrested in Miami. It may take a week before all three are returned to Boston.

Acting Police Commissioner Albert Goslin released this statement in regards to the arrests of the officers:

"While I cannot comment on the allegations made against these officers, I would like to reiterate my faith in the men and women of this Department. I firmly believe that 99 percent of the officers in this Department do their jobs faithfully, with integrity and professionalism."

"This Department will continue to have no tolerance for corruption, as evidenced by the fact that we were part of the investigation� We will continue to work aggressively to uncover any form of criminal activity that may be conducted by members of this Department, sworn or civilian. We will not stand for anyone who does not uphold their oath of office."

CBS Broadcasting Inc.
Retrieved July 22 2006 from http://cbs4.com/local/local_story_202220847.html

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 01:22 PM | Permalink

ABC Channel 15  - Phoenix

MySpace Users who are Also Registered Sex Offenders

see the link:

http://www.phoenix360.com/news/investigators/index_story.asp?did=28411

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 07:03 PM | Permalink

Dr. Kardasz -

Read the following report and consider:
1. Which typology of unethical behavior was exhibited by the accused?
2. Which decision making process might have prevented the accused from making the wrong decision?

Typologies of unethical behavior - http://kardasz.org/CorruptionTypologies.html
Decision making processes - http://kardasz.org/Decision_Making_Tools.html

---------------------------------------------------------

Canadian top court sets tighter rules for corruption prosecutions

Jim Brown, Canadian Press, Friday, July 14, 2006

OTTAWA (CP) - The Supreme Court of Canada, saying there's a difference between being unethical and being a criminal, has tightened the legal rules to make it tougher to convict politicians and public servants of breach of trust.

In a 7-0 ruling Thursday, the court overturned a previous guilty verdict against Denis Boulanger, the former police chief of Varennes, Que. He was charged after asking a subordinate to write a traffic accident report that helped clear the chief's daughter of blame for insurance purposes.

Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, writing for the court, said there's no doubt the breach-of-trust law reflects an "ancient and important" principle - that public officials have a duty to use their offices for public good, not private benefit. "This duty lies at the heart of good governance. It is essential to retain the confidence of the public in those who exercise power." But that doesn't mean office holders are guilty of a crime every time they commit a transgression. "Perfection has never been the standard for criminal culpability in this domain."

The judgment marks the first time the Supreme Court has laid out detailed guidelines on breach of trust since the offence was written into the Criminal Code in the 1890s. The law is worded broadly enough to cover virtually every public servant and politician in the country, from the local dog catcher to the prime minister. But it has been interpreted by different judges in different ways for more than a century.

McLachlin said Boulanger was in a conflict of interest, may have violated the code of ethics for Quebec police officers, and could be subject to disciplinary proceedings. But the legal test for a criminal conviction should set the bar higher.

To be found guilty of breach of trust, a public office holder must not only show a "marked departure"from acceptable standards of conduct, but also act with a conscious intent that smacks of "dishonesty, corruption, partiality (or) oppression."

In Boulanger's case, there was no evidence the police traffic report was inaccurate, fraudulent or misleading, even though it was clearly beneficial to the chief and his daughter. The chief's actions weren't serious enough, or his intent clear enough, to support a criminal conviction, said McLachlin.

She took pains to point out that breach of trust isn't the only sanction available to guard against official misconduct. There are a "range of regulations, guidelines and codes o ethics to which officials are subject, many of which provide for serious disciplinary sanctions." There is also a Criminal Code prohibition of influence peddling.

The most common use of that provision has been in cases of alleged bribery or other payoffs for the awarding of government contracts. Convictions have been notoriously hard to obtain, however, because of strict evidentiary rules. Politicians and public servants can also be charged with the same criminal offences that apply to everybody else, such as fraud or theft.

A celebrated recent example was Chuck Guite, the bureaucrat who ran the federal sponsorship program. He was convicted of fraud in connection with a number of contracts.

The Canadian Press 2006, CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Publications, Inc.

Retrieved July 14, 2006 from http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=11a196a5-2daf-4d9f-86f5-298ae1a8331d&k=19558

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 12:58 PM | Permalink

Dr. Kardasz -

Read the following report and consider:
1. Which typology of unethical behavior was exhibited by the accused?
2. Which decision making process might have prevented the accused from making the wrong decision?

Typologies of unethical behavior - http://kardasz.org/CorruptionTypologies.html
Decision making processes - http://kardasz.org/Decision_Making_Tools.html

---------------------------------------------------------

Cops indicted for drug case actions 

July 12, 2006, By Douglass Crouse, Richard Cowan and James Yoo

It was an "MTV lifestyle" no ordinary cop's salary could buy, authorities say.For months, investigators say, two drug-dealing brothers gave their police officer buddies access to a world of barroom parties, Ferrari rides and boat cruises, with women and drugs available at every stop. And when that world was threatened, the officers rushed to provide protection, according to a grand jury indictment issued Tuesday against six law enforcement officers in Passaic County. Authorities say "misguided loyalty" led the officers to tip off the twin brothers -- identified by law enforcement sources as Charles Post of Pompton Lakes and Robert Post of West Paterson -- when it became clear they were targets of an upcoming drug bust in August 2004.

In so doing, the officers violated their professional oaths, authorities said, and forced investigators to move up their raids by one day. On Aug. 8 and 9, 2004, the Post brothers and 17 others were arrested for allegedly being part of a network that dealt in steroids and prescription pills. But that still left investigators eager to know who specifically had given the Post brothers a heads-up. "You can't allow something like this to go unchecked," said Bruno Mongiardo, Passaic County's first assistant prosecutor. "The integrity of the entire process had been compromised and we had to get to the bottom of it."

Pompton Lakes Officers Dennis DePrima, Robert Palianto and Michael Megna had been hanging out and partying with the two brothers for a year before the 2004 drug raids, said Jay McCann, chief assistant prosecutor for Passaic County. In addition to the boats and cars, the brothers also shared OxyContin pills and the sleep aid Ambien, McCann said, terming it an "MTV lifestyle." "It wasn't really a drug-distribution for profit," McCann said. "It was more of a social relationship between the officers and the targets." McCann described the brothers as small-scale drug dealers from a wealthy background and said they had "actively gone out and cultivated relationships with law enforcement officers." They even had obtained volunteer deputy sheriff's badges, which were taken away after their arrest.

The Post brothers could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Both stand charged with drug-related offenses, but a grand jury has not yet heard those charges.Authorities say it was Ringwood Patrolman Paul Kleiber who alerted the Pompton Lakes officers in July 2004 that they had been caught in a wiretap. At the time, Kleiber was working undercover with the Passaic County Narcotics Task Force, investigating the alleged sale and use of steroids at the World Gym in Wayne, according to Tuesday's indictment. Authorities say the gym's owners were not involved. In the course of listening to wiretaps, Kleiber heard the Pompton Lakes officers, who were friends of his, speaking to targets of the investigation, the indictment says. Soon after, he let the officers know they had been recorded, and allegedly they, in turn, alerted the Posts. The calls continued to be recorded up until the raids -- perhaps, McCann said, because the targets didn't realize all their cellphones were tapped.

Pompton Lakes Police Chief Albert Ekkers said Tuesday's indictment was a psychological blow. And with DePrima and Palianto suspended and Megna facing the same fate, the department -- with 25 officers currently working -- remains shorthanded. "When one officer, two officers, three officers are accused of a crime, it reflects badly upon us," Ekkers said. "We hope we can go on and do the things we used to do." In addition to those three officers and Kleiber, the indictment targets West Paterson Officer Richard Beagin, a former narcotics task force member and an alleged social acquaintance of the Posts, and Gerry Ward, a retired corrections officer from the Passaic County Sheriff's Department. During the August 2004 raids, Ward helped Charles Post switch from his yellow Ferrari to a less conspicuous car to avoid detection by arresting officers, according to the indictment, which refers to the brothers only as C.P. and R.P.

Five of the officers were arrested at different times in the months after the drug raid. Megna was charged for the first time in Tuesday's indictment. Megna, Beagin and Ward could not be reached. DePrima deferred comment to his attorney, who did not return calls. Palianto's attorney called the charges against his client "baseless." "His position has been all along that he was not involved in any way, shape or form and had nothing to do with any illegal conduct," attorney Miles Feinstein said. Each of the officers is charged with official misconduct and conspiracy, second-degree offenses that carry five to 10 years in state prison with a conviction. All also are charged with hindering apprehension. DePrima, Palianto and Megna additionally are charged with conspiracy to possess drugs. And Kleiber and Beagin also are charged with violation of the Wire Tap Act.

On Tuesday, Detective Macey David was standing outside the Pompton Lakes courtroom. Asked about the case, the Bergen County Sheriff's Department officer said law enforcers swear by a code of ethics and standards, and those who break it must pay. "If a cop's dirty, he deserves what he gets," he said.

E-mail: crouse@northjersey.com, cowen@northjersey.com and yoo@northjersey.com

2006 North Jersey Media Group Inc.
Retrieved July 12, 2006 from NorthJersey.com
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2OTYwMjEwJnlyaXJ5N2Y3MTdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5Mw==

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 10:42 PM | Permalink

Groveland's 'Energizer' chief

By Robert Sargent, Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer

July 12, 2006

GROVELAND (FL)- When Tommy Merrill started as chief of police nearly 38 years ago, he had no idea how long the new job would last nor how it would change his life. He was the department's only officer during the first six months. He got a desk at City Hall, a beat-up Chevrolet and a shotgun. He earned $120 a week to start. But eventually the work paid off for the career lawman. Merrill, 63, now is recognized as the longest-serving active police chief in the United States. The Florida Peace Officers Association presented him with an award Tuesday during its annual conference at the Mission Inn resort in Howey-in-the-Hills. "It is a great honor," said Merrill, who built up the police department to include 18 officers. He doesn't think much about his longevity because he likes the challenges of his job. "I enjoy going to work every day," he said.

Retirement is not a serious consideration. Merrill said he has more plans for the department, and would like to see the city open a new police station in the next few years. Besides, settling down to retire isn't his style. "Then what would I do? Be the greeter at Wal-Mart?" Merrill asked. Groveland City Manager Ralph Hester said the chief likes to stay busy. "He is still rarin' to go -- like the Energizer bunny," Hester joked. Lake County Sheriff Chris Daniels complimented Merrill's success at a difficult job that can have many pitfalls. "I think it is phenomenal -- probably something you may never see again," Daniels said. "It speaks to his integrity, and more to his character and his ethics."

After serving in the Air Force as a nuclear weapons specialist, Merrill became a police officer with Eustis in 1966. His family encouraged him to quit after he was involved in a gunfight that left a suspect dead. Merrill briefly worked at a car dealership in Eustis. Then former Lake County Sheriff Willis McCall suggested he look at heading up Groveland's police department -- a job he took. Merrill earned a reputation for hard work. He had a heart attack in 1986, forcing him to cut back on the long hours he had been working. Groveland has changed a lot over the years. The south Lake city has nearly 6,000 residents and expects to grow to about 17,000 in the next few years.

Merrill said one of his proudest accomplishments has been watching officers come up through his department and then secure jobs with bigger governments. Some now work in Ocala, DeLand and Martin County, he said. "It kind of makes you proud that you were able to help," Merrill said. Former Clermont police Chief Prentice Tyndal had similar longevity. When he called it a career in 1996, he was the longest-serving police chief in one place, serving 37 years.

Robert Sargent can be reached at rsargent@orlandosentinel.com or 352-742-5909.

Retrieved July 12, 2006 from http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/orl-lchief1206jul12,0,4842865.story?track=rss

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 10:34 PM | Permalink

Click the link below for reports of heroic acts by law enforcement officers in the United Kingdom:

 http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006320118,00.html

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 11:55 AM | Permalink

Friday, July 7, 2006, By Antonia Giedwoyn, kgw.com Staff

WEST LINN, Ore. - A convicted sex offender arrested for allegedly stalking a female Nordstrom employee and who police say created profiles of other possible stalking victims has a profile of his own on MySpace. Timothy Allen Cole, 34, secretly spied on as many as 30 women, monitoring their movements and gathering personal information including addresses and license plate numbers, according to police. Cole, who is the divorced father of a 7-year-old girl, graduated from Marshall High School in 1990, according to his profile on the popular social networking Web site. As media interest in the stalking case continued for the second day in a row Friday, one message posted by a friend Friday afternoon criticized Cole, presumably for his alleged crime.  “In the simplest of words and the nicest ones I can muster up right now you are a total idiot!! That is all I am going to say right now! You are a total idiot!!” the message reads. The sex offender and accused stalker portrays himself as an ordinary guy. “I'm a pretty easy-going guy that loves having fun and meeting new people. I love sports. I prefer playing them, but also enjoy watching them as well,” Cole states in his profile. It shows Cole is an Oregon Ducks fan whose heroes include "Batman, Superman, Spiderman, The Fantastic Four, He-Man, the Thundercats and the Transformers."
Cole lists his occupation as “Revenue Assurance.”

Retrieved July 10, 2006 from http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_060707_news_sex_offender_profile.3676a70c.html

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 04:14 PM | Permalink

Dr. Kardasz -

Read the following report and consider:
1. Which typology of unethical behavior was exhibited by the accused?
2. Which decision making process might have prevented the accused from making the wrong decision?

Typologies of unethical behavior - http://kardasz.org/CorruptionTypologies.html
Decision making processes - http://kardasz.org/Decision_Making_Tools.html

---------------------------------------------------------

Investigator outlines more details of Denison probe

By Terry Dillman Of the News-Times

A bank account, donated vehicles, a property agreement, laptop computers, and a dead horse figure prominently in conclusions drawn by a state ethics commission investigator looking into allegations of misconduct by Toledo Police Chief Don Denison.

After a lengthy preliminary review of complaints filed by Toledo area residents Mary Johnson and Lowell Neal in January, Oregon's Government Standards and Practices Commission decided in April to proceed with a more in-depth investigation into six of the 80 allegations lodged against Denison. Don Crabtree, GSPC's investigator issued two reports - a 14-pager on his findings about Neal's allegations, and 17 pages detailing his findings from Johnson's complaints.

Neal's complaint and Crabtree's findings pertaining to it appeared in the July 5 edition of the News-Times.

Johnson's more extensive complaint focused on a variety of issues. The GSPC staff sifted through Johnson's allegations, ending up with only five under the commission's jurisdiction.

Outside bank account
Denison provided oversight for the Explorer Scout, Star Tech, and Challenge Camp youth programs in the Toledo area. Star Tech provides participants with experience and training in computer use and repair, and Challenge Camp is an annual two-week event on property owned by James and Betty Denison.

According to the report, City Manager Pete Wall told Crabtree that Denison "made all the decisions" in managing those programs. Wall also said the police chief "did not, at any time, submit a written notice to him disclosing ... a conflict of interest with regard to any of his actions."

Funding for youth activities derived from private donations and public funds from the city and Lincoln County.
"It appears that some funds were used to buy and sell state and federal surplus property," Crabtree noted. "Some money from surplus property transactions and surplus equipment were used to support youth activities."

Prior to June 22, 2004 Denison managed funds for the Explorer program under the police department's forfeiture/seizure accounts, with the city finance department maintaining and auditing account records. On that date, he opened a personal business account under the name "Toledo Police Explorer Program - Don Denison," using his personal Social Security number. Although Denison and Maria Waldrip were both authorized to sign checks from the account, it "required only one signature on checks."

During a June 8 discussion, Waldrip told Crabtree she did not sign any checks drawn from the account.

"It is unclear whether the idea for the account was Mr. Denison's or that of the city manager Mr. Wall," Crabtree stated. "They both refer to discussions they had before the account was opened." What is clear, according to the report, is an admonition from Wall and City Treasurer Polly Chavarria, advising Denison such an "outside" account "must not be linked to the city." No city money could go into the account, and checks from the account "were to require two signatures."

Crabtree cited Denison's "understanding of these conditions" in an April 4, 2004 e-mail message to Wall.

In May 2005, when Wall and Chavarria "discovered that city/county funds had been deposited into the 'outside' account, they ordered it closed." They returned the account balance to city-managed accounts and into city financial records.

After reviewing pertinent documents, Crabtree "identified several transactions and actions ... relevant to provisions of GSPC statutes. Denison signed five checks (a total sum of $872.74) in November and December 2004 made payable to four different relatives for "travel expenses" and "labor." Crabtree focused on an itemized list of travel-related expenses Denison submitted to the city finance department "on or about" Dec. 8, 2004.

"Most of the expenses were incurred by both Mr. Denison and Mr. (Oliver) Johnson during the course of acquiring and transporting surplus equipment," the report noted.

Crabtree found itemized expenses for Johnson "were the same as" those Denison had already paid Johnson in November from the outside account. A city check for $1,146.77 issued to Denison Dec. 16, 2004 included the $472.74 already paid. Prior to closing the outside account, Denison deposited $550 on May 26, 2005. Denison's written explanation to the finance department "indicated the deposit included payment for a computer and the return of the duplicate reimbursement."

Conclusion: Each of the five checks issued to relatives constitutes a violation of ORS 244.040(1)(a), and failure to notify the city of "an actual conflict of interest" in writing those checks resulted in "five distinct violations" of ORS 244.120(1)(c).

Denison's two-check $472.74 reimbursement to his father-in-law from the outside account, followed by obtaining a personal reimbursement from the city for the same $472.74, then returning the money six months later as part of a$550 deposit into the outside account "resulted in Mr. Denison gaining an interest-free loan from the city for approximately six months," and added another "distinct violation" of ORS 244.040(1)(a).

Donated vehicle sales
Denison solicited and accepted vehicles as donations to help fund the Explorer program, selling them through Oregon's surplus property sales program.

"Most of the donated vehicles" belonged to either Denison or his relatives, Crabtree noted. "When a vehicle was sold, the surplus sales office sent the proceeds to the city after deducting a service fee." Denison "submitted a statement to the finance department, designating what to pay to the donors, and the balance remained in support of youth programs." Vehicle donors received "on average" 80 percent of the proceeds.

Crabtree's report listed payment requests totaling $7,704 from seven vehicles sold by Denison and two relatives between March 1, 2004 and June 9, 2006.

Conclusion: "Five memorandums prepared by Mr. Denison requested payments to him and/or relatives," the report stated. Failure to notify his "appointing authority" in writing about the conflict of interest in making the requests resulted inn five separate violations of ORS 244.120(1)(c).

Property use agreement
City Manager Pete Wall provided background information on the agreement between the city and James and Betty Denison for the use of their property for the youth Challenge Camp and other activities.

According to Crabtree's report, Wall "indicated he has never met James or Betty Denison, nor did he discuss the agreement with them. He has never been out to the property."

Denison approached Wall in 2003 with the idea of an agreement. Wall, City Attorney Jim Ruggeri, and Denison "discussed the proposal and drew up an agreement" that Wall and Denison's parents eventually signed. Denison "acted as the intermediary," taking the agreement to his parents for signatures, then returning it to the city. Wall signed the document Aug. 14, 2003, and the Denisons signed it two days later. The effective date for the original two-year agreement was July 1, 2003, subject to annual renewals after 2005.

Crabtree referred to excerpts from the agreement stating the city would make "certain limited improvements" to the property "for the benefit of the camp and the owners" - citing brush removal, pasture improvements, mowing, and recreational equipment installation. The property owners also "acquire ownership over any improvements, recreational equipment, storage buildings, or other improvements remaining on the property" when the agreement ends.

Wall told Crabtree that Denison "managed and oversaw all of the activities that occurred under this agreement" and "managed the expenses." As far as Wall knew, volunteers provided most of the labor, and he "did not believe city personnel or equipment had been used out at the property."

The city finance department provided copies of receipts and documents Denison submitted indicating the cost of equipment and materials for improvements made on the property.

During Crabtree's preliminary review, Denison "provided his explanation" of the agreement, and "described its uses."

The 60-acre site located about 18 miles outside of Toledo features a horse pasture, tree farm, and 12 acres historically used as a campsite. In addition to Challenge Camp (initiated in 1999), church groups, scouting organizations, the Sheriff's Posse, and Denison's "extended family" use the campsite each summer.

The city's Explorer Post raises funds for the Challenge Camp, and the city provides "soft costs" such as staff time.

Denison said he is "the ultimate decision-maker" regarding improvements on his parents' property. According to a summarized list he submitted, those improvements include annual mowing, re-seeding grass, removing blackberry plants, widening the roadbed, sloped ground for an amphitheater, eight picnic tables, benches, a fire pit, river bank stairs, fence relocation and repair, a four-stall horse paddock, and a skid-mounted storage shed.

Crabtree's report listed 19 items and services - provided between 2000 and 2005, with a combined value of $20,260 - "purchased with city funds or obtained as state or federal surplus by the city." The largest expenses covered a tractor with a brush hog (acquisition value $6,640), tractor shipping ($5,100), and tractor repair ($4,126.97). According to the report, Denison referred to the property as "the SWAT training and Challenge Camp facility."

Lt. Dave Carey, patrol commander with the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department, told Crabtree the county's Interagency SWAT, Interagency Narcotics Task Force, or the Sheriff's Posse never trained at the property. "He recalls Mr. Denison indicating that the property would be available for that purpose, but he never pursued the matter because he did not believe it offered any training potential," Crabtree added.

The investigator interviewed Sheriff's Deputy Chris Miller - a former Toledo police officer who served on the SWAT team while at Toledo and remained on it after joining the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office in September 2005 - and Ken Real, a former Toledo police officer now with the Newport Police Department. "Both told me they knew of no police training, including SWAT, being provided on the property," Crabtree noted.

Conclusion: "When Mr. Denison used his official position to gain the agreement between the city and his parents, then made decisions regarding maintenance, improvements, and equipment acquisitions for the property, he committed one violation of ORS 244.040(1)(a)," Crabtree declared.

Denison also had a conflict of interest when he participated in discussions with city officials about the agreement with his parents. Normally, failure to declare such a conflict in writing is a statute violation. In this case, Crabtree cited insufficient evidence, because "in his discussions with the city manager, the content of the conversation" focused on the agreement and the city's use of his parents' property, which verbally satisfied the disclosure requirement.

Laptop computers
Two used HP Pavilion laptops purchased in 2003 for $3,210 had glitches resulting in the loss of "critical data." After warranty repairs, Denison "decided to have his children test the two laptops at home" by using them for schoolwork and computer games "to test the reliability." Denison told Crabtree he currently uses one of the laptops for police work, taking it home to do department work during off-duty time. He acknowledged the children's games and schoolwork remained on one of the computers, but "it did not interfere with" its use for official business.

When Denison tried one of the laptops in a patrol car as a way of providing officers with "a mobile data terminal," others discovered the personal files on it.

Sergeant Mark Fandrey, former officer Ken Real, and Toledo Fire Chief Will Ewing all reported seeing the information. Fandrey said he deleted the personal information after Real complained about it, then set the laptop aside because he and other officers "do not use laptops in their work."

Conclusion: Denison "admitted, and others confirmed" that he took one or more laptop computer from the police department "for his children's personal use," resulting in a single violation of ORS 244.040(1)(a).

Horse burial
Veterinarian Dennis Smialek, working for the Newport Animal Clinic headed by Steven Brown, DVM, euthanized a horse belonging to the Denison family on June 11, 2004. Using a city backhoe operated by city employee Dale VanNatta, and a police escort, Denison buried the horse on a farm off Christiansen Road near Toledo.

According to the investigation report, Denison cited the burial as an emergency occurring during a weekend.

He also said the city has a fee schedule of rates charged to citizens for use of city equipment, providing a list indicating a cost of $40 for a backhoe and $25 for the operator as outlined under Toledo Resolution No. 1150. "While it was not his intention at the time,' Denison cited funds he has donated to the city explorer program and Challenge Camp - $750 on Dec. 17, 2003, $417 on April 21, 2004, and $30 on June 30, 2005 - as "sufficient reimbursement" to the city for what he estimated as about 40 minutes of equipment and operator time.

Brown said the horse "was lame and had difficulty standing." The normal practice for disposing of a horse carcass is to use a backhoe and bury the horse "near where it dies."

Smialek - now in Bennett, Colo. - told Crabtree the call to put the horse down was not an emergency procedure. All such cases he handled for Brown were scheduled appointments.

"He believes the euthanasia was probably scheduled at least 24 hours in advance," the report noted.

By the time Smialek arrived, the backhoe operator had almost finished digging out the burial pit. He and another person coaxed the horse near the pit, where he "put it down." He and several others moved the dead horse into the pit, and the backhoe operator filled it in.

Herb Jennings, former public works director, said Denison asked VanNatta to use the backhoe for the burial. VanNatta "sought permission from his supervisor George Harden, who was relatively new to public employment," the report stated. After getting permission, VanNatta drove the backhoe to the site, with a police car escorting him "at some point." When Jennings found out about the incident later, he told Harden such use of city equipment "was not permitted," noting that "the city does not run a rental service."

Wall said he later told Denison such use of city equipment "was inappropriate."

Conclusion: Denison "used his position to gain the use of a city backhoe, city police car escort, and a city employee to bury his daughter's horse on a farm outside the city limits," Crabtree stated, noting those actions as a violation of ORS 244.040(1)(a).

"There is a preponderance of evidence to indicate that Mr. Denison committed 9 violations of ORS 244.040(1)(a) and 10 violations of ORS 244.120(1)(c)," Crabtree concluded.

The first statute prevents public officials from using or attempting to use their positions to gain a financial benefit that would otherwise be unattainable. This also applies to financial benefits for other family members. The second statute requires public officials to disclose any conflicts of interest, preferably in writing, to an "appointing authority."

Deliberation by commission members began at 9 a.m. today (Friday) in Salem. Crabtree said they would either dismiss the matter, or send it on to a "contested case" hearing.

Because the investigation had not reached the contested case level, Friday's session was not open to "lengthy argument," L. Patrick Hearn, GSPC's executive director, stated in a June 28 letter notifying Johnson, Neal, and Denison's Portland-based attorney Stephen A. Houze about the pending decision.

Hearn told them they might have permission to make "brief oral statements" under GSPC rules.

(NOTE: This is the second of two stories detailing the GSPC investigator's findings. An account of the commission's decision and the potential ramifications will appear in the July 12 issue.)

Terry Dillman is a reporter for the News-Times. He can be reached at 265-8571, ext. 225, or terry.dillman@lee.net

Retrieved July 8, 2006 from http://www.newportnewstimes.com/articles/2006/07/07/news/news04.txt

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 05:40 PM | Permalink

By Andrew Glazer, Associated Press. July 6, 2006

Some of the country's most notorious street gangs have gotten Web-savvy, showcasing illegal exploits, making threats, and honoring killed and jailed members on digital turf. Crips, Bloods, MS-13, 18th Street and others have staked claims on various corners of cyberspace. "Web bangers" are posting potentially incriminating photos of members holding guns, messages taunting other gangs and boasts of illegal exploits on personal Web sites and social networking sites.

"I'm just being real and I ain't got nothing to hide," said Kristopher "Kasper" Flowers, 30, a professed member of the 18th Street gang with facial tattoos of "18" and "666." The main 18th Street gang Web site has a link to "Kaspers World."

Gangs once only roamed the streets of big cities but now can be found in 2,500 U.S. communities, according to the FBI. Police departments suddenly faced with the unwelcome arrivals are looking for help anywhere they can get it, including the gangs' own easy-to-find Web sites. George W. Knox, director of the National Gang Crime Research Center, said he has trained hundreds of police officials in how to cull intelligence on gang membership, rivalries, territory and lingo from these Web pages. "In order to understand any subculture, be it al-Qaida, witches, devil worshippers or gangs, you have to be able to know their own language," Knox said.

The tendency for gang members to brag about their exploits on Web pages such as the popular networking site Myspace.com has in some cases helped investigators make arrests. Chicago police recently arrested a teenager accused of spraying his gang nickname on a church by tracing the moniker to his Myspace.com account. His online profile included his address, photo and real name.

A Northern California judge ruled earlier this month that two teens charged with beating a boy into a coma could be tried as adults after prosecutors showed photographs of the two from Myspace.com. In the images, they flashed the hand signs of a local gang.
Myspace.com representatives could not be reached for comment.

Deputy Tom Ferguson of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's gang investigation unit has identified a number of graffiti writers who posted to a public Web site photos of themselves in front of their work. "Maybe they think we don't look at it," Ferguson said. "But we're out there gleaning information on them."

Knox said it's important for police to learn how to read between the lines on gang Web sites and blogs. Just as time on the streets has given gang investigators the ability to read the hieroglyphics of wall graffiti, time on the Web helps them understand arcane Web clues. Gang identifiers, such as tattoos, graffiti tags, colors and clothing often are embedded in each site. "You can study gang blogs and, an hour or two into it, pick up on subtle word choices," Knox said. "These are holy words to them."

Knox and others fear gangs are using the Internet to recruit new members, who can be influenced by the secret handshakes, clothing and slang of gang cultures. "There may be a lot of wannabes out there," said Kenneth Davis, a school resource officer for the Yonkers Police Department in New York and an expert on gang graffiti and Web sites.

Flowers, a Hollywood tattoo artist who says he has sworn off violence, said he gets e-mails from wannabe gangbangers from far reaches of the Web but usually does not respond. "If I do, I tell them to get a life and do your own thing and don't try to be part of something else," he said.

Retrieved July 6, 2006 from http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060707/ap_on_re_us/web_gangs;_ylt=AvJlBNEeVRasxx86rtNrZ1FH2ocA;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MjBwMWtkBHNlYwM3MTg-

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 10:57 AM | Permalink

Yesterday is ashes; tomorrow is wood. Only today does the fire burn brightly.

-Old Eskimo proverb

Retrieved July 7, 2006 from http://www.beliefnet.com

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 06:03 PM | Permalink

When your heart is dark as iron,
steadily polish yourself
that the heart may become a mirror,
a beautiful shine relecting from within.
Although iron is dark and dismal,
polishing clears the darkness away.

-Rumi, "Mathnawi"

From "The Bounty of Allah," translated by Aneela Khalid Arshed. From the Croosroad Publishing Company, New York. Retrieved July 4, 2006 from http://www.beliefnet.com
 

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 04:16 PM | Permalink

Dr. Kardasz -

Read the following report and consider:
1. Which typology of unethical behavior was exhibited by the accused?
2. Which decision making process might have prevented the accused from making the wrong decision?

Typologies of unethical behavior - http://kardasz.org/CorruptionTypologies.html
Decision making processes - http://kardasz.org/Decision_Making_Tools.html

---------------------------------------------------------

Jun 30, 2006. by Magee Hickey. (CBS/AP) New York.

More than 18 months after his Homeland Security nomination sank over ethics questions, former police commissioner Bernard Kerik pleaded guilty Friday to accepting tens of thousands of dollars in gifts while he was a top city official.

Kerik pleaded guilty to a pair of misdemeanors in state Supreme Court in the Bronx in a deal that spared him any jail time. Kerik was instead ordered to pay a total of $221,000 in fines at the 10-minute hearing.

Kerik acknowledged accepting $165,000 worth of renovations on his Bronx apartment from a company attempting to do business with the city -- a New Jersey construction firm with alleged links to the mob. And he admitted failing to report a loan as required by city law.

The plea bargain allows Kerik to continue his new career as a security consultant in the Middle East. Prosecutors had considered bringing felony bribery charges against Kerik based on allegations that in exchange for the renovations he helped the company, Interstate Industrial Corp., seek business with the city.

Through his attorney, Kerik had previously denied any wrongdoing, saying that he paid every bill he received for the job -- about $30,000 -- and that he never intervened for Interstate. The home, bought in 1999 for $170,000, sold in 2002 for $460,000 after real estate advertisements described it as a "gem" adorned with marble and granite.

Kerik first drew national attention while leading the New York Police Department's response to the Sept. 11 terror attacks. By late 2004, President Bush wanted him for homeland security chief, but he withdrew after acknowledging he had not paid all taxes for a family nanny-housekeeper and that the woman may have been in the country illegally.

More problems surfaced last year when the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement filed court papers seeking to revoke Interstate Industrial's license to work on casinos in Atlantic City. The papers cited testimony by mob turncoats that owners Frank and Peter DiTommaso were associates of the Gambino organized crime family.

The civil complaint also detailed Kerik's cozy relationship with an Interstate official. In 1999, he sent a series of e-mails to the official that "indicated his lack of sufficient funds to both purchase and renovate his new Bronx apartment" and "indicated he would provide information to Frank DiTommaso regarding New York City contracts," the papers said.

In recent months, a grand jury in the Bronx has heard conflicting testimony from the DiTommaso brothers -- who denied paying for the renovations -- and from a contractor who said they picked up most of the tab. Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a close friend of Kerik, also testified.

CBS Broadcasting Inc.  The Associated Press contributed to this report. Retrieved July 1, 2006 from http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_181064633.html

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 11:28 AM | Permalink

WOAI.com

A Jacksonville (TX) man says he was duped and robbed by two girls after attempting to meet with a woman he met on the Internet.  The victim says he chatted online with a woman, known on her MySpace.com profile as “Natalia”, for two weeks before deciding to meet with her. He says her profile showed sexy photos, and a blurb which said “just lookin’ for something fun”. That brief, friendly description was all he knew about her before they planned to meet.

"She sent me a message saying she thought she met me somewhere," says the victim. They decided to meet at what she called her home at the Bentley Green Apartments. “I went to [the apartment] and knocked on the door, and there was no answer. So I called her and said, ‘I'm here’ and there was no answer."

That is when two girls who were 14 and 15-years-old, approached him saying they knew Natalia, the girl he thought he'd be meeting. They also said they knew where he worked at what car he drove. "This was not the girl that the picture was of on MySpace," the victim said.

Now sensing something was wrong, he was ready to take off, but was stopped by a shocking discovery. "[One of the girls] took [a] gun out and put it to my head and told me to empty my pockets."

The girls didn't get much because the victim had forgotten his wallet. They let him go, unharmed, and he called police. Police did a search of the area and found the two teens with another male suspect. They searched a purse and found two loaded handguns.

Myspace.com may have been developed for friends and music, but this victim had to find out the hard way that not everyone is logging on for the right reasons. The so-called Natalia did tell the victim that she was 18, so he was shocked to learn he was actually talking to a 14-year-old. He says he has since removed personal information from his MySpace profile, like his salary and the kind of car that he drives. Those teenagers are now charged with armed robbery and carrying a concealed firearm. 

2006 Clear Channel Broadcasting, Inc. Retrieved June 30, 2006 from http://www.woai.com/common/printstory/default.aspx?content_id=7f710484-5201-42e7-934b-d86cf9e6b65f

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 12:04 AM | Permalink