11/22/06, By Colleen P. Dunn, Staff Writer

Compassion, heroism and integrity. Those are three of many words Cindi Abele used to describe a New Jersey State Police sergeant who changed her son's life. Anthony Abele, of Millville, was 26 when he was critically injured in an accident on Route 55 in 2005. After nine surgeries and mounting bills, the Abele family held a benefit in September that was hugely successful, and, according to Cindi Abele, the sergeant deserves most of the thanks. He was anonymous but not anymore.

Sgt. Glenn Poeppel was among 10 local emergency services personnel and two citizens who were honored at the annual Heroes Luncheon held by the Bridgeton Area Chamber of Commerce Tuesday.

Also recognized were Bridgeton Police Ptl. Ryan Shinn and Ptl. Donald Wulff, Port Norris State Police Trooper Robert Bond, Bridgeton Fire Dept. Lt. Todd Bowen and firefighters Donald Simms, Brian Foote, Anthony Brago, Richard Martinelli and Alexander Centeno.

Civilian awards went to Downe Township resident Jim Adamini for giving his grandson CPR when he nearly drowned, and Lawrence Township student Kaitlyn Green for helping to scare off a would-be purse snatcher.

Poeppel was nominated for the Exceptional Duty Award by his lieutenant, John Cuzzupe. "He is a man with a heart as big as the Atlantic Ocean," Cindi Abele said to the crowd at the Cohanzick Country Club. "I am honored and proud to call him my friend," she said. It was only eight months ago that the Abele family didn't know Poeppel. The families will spend this Thanksgiving together.

Nearly $10,000 was raised at the benefit, and Cindi Abele said nearly all of it was profit because of Poeppel's efforts to get items donated for the event. He even did the cooking and donated the food. "My son and I will always and forever be grateful," she said.

Even at the banquet, the sergeant said he wanted to stay anonymous. But there was no more avoiding it. "Charity is not with a name," Poeppel said. "It's with a heart."

He added that he made a lifetime connection with the Abele family. "Something like this doesn't go away," he said. "We're friends till the end." "We better be," said Anthony Abele, standing with the aid of a walker.

Bond, who is now a trooper on the Garden State Parkway, was given the Meritorious Service Award for an incident in June in which he helped rescue two young girls from a home with a vicious pit bull that had already mauled its owner. "It wasn't anything that anyone else wouldn't have done," the modest man said. When he was called to the home in Commercial Township, he looked in and saw a 1-year-old girl being chased by the dog.  He tried to lure the animal out, but it ran to a rear bedroom so he went inside and got the young girl and her 3-year-old sister out. Bond went back inside and had to shoot the pit bull five times when it charged at him. "It's just scary when kids are involved, being that I'm a father myself," he said. "It amps everything up." As far as being called a hero, he doesn't think he is one but neither did anyone else at the banquet.

"It's just part of the job," said Shinn, who was been with the Bridgeton Police Department since 2000. He was given the Medal of Honor for shooting a homicide suspect in May 2005 after the man charged at him and struck him in the head with a large object. "I'm not (a hero)," Shinn said. "I don't feel like it at all. I was just doing my job." He added that he was honored to be recognized, but he accepted the award on behalf of the entire police department. "They all would have done the same thing."

Wulff was awarded the Purple Heart for critical injuries he received in a car accident while on duty in his patrol car in Bridgeton in 2005. Lt. Dan Mourning said his injuries were substantial and he hasn't fully recovered. It is possible he never will.

The members of the Bridgeton Fire Department, Engine 701 in particular, were honored for responding to a fire in May that trapped a disabled woman. "It's a team effort," Bowen said. "It's a test of their determination and dedication."

Both Brago and Centeno said they were honored, but that isn't what their job is about. They just want to help people, they said.

"We forget how dangerous their jobs are ... how quickly they can get hurt," said Carolyn Heckman, president of the BACC. "We want to thank you all for your acts of bravery and heroism every day."

© 2006  Bridgeton News, © 2006 NJ.com

Retrieved November 22, 2006 from http://www.nj.com/news/bridgeton/index.ssf?/base/news-1/116417408844060.xml&coll=10

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 12:52 AM | Permalink

11/21/06, CBC News

Regina police officers conducted a sting operation posing as a 16-year-old-girl in order to investigate one of their own officers, a hearing has been told.

A former Regina police officer wants to know more about the operation that led to his being fired last August.

Regina police Chief Cal Johnston says Roberto Armando Siguenza, 29, was fired because of "inappropriate" communications in e-mail.

According to the chief, Siguenza sent notes to a 16-year-old girl while he was off-duty. The girl's mother saw them and complained. Details of what was in the messages haven't been disclosed.

Police then set up an undercover operation with officers going online to pose as the girl in more e-mails. The goal was to see how far the officer would take the conversation, in what a lawyer for the police chief called "integrity testing."

During proceedings on Monday, Siguenza's lawyer said he wants to see the notes of the officers involved, but the chief's lawyer says that information can't be disclosed.

The issue will be decided by hearing officer Alma Wiebe. A ruling is expected in December or January.

After that, the hearing will resume. Dates are set for Feb. 20-22.

Retrieved November 21, 2006 from http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2006/11/21/girl-police.html?ref=rss

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 12:46 AM | Permalink

Dr. Kardasz:  Inevitably, taxpayer resources will be used to support the following ill-conceived endeavor. I dont know how the taxpayers or citizens or Muncie will benefit from this strange combination of law enforcement and hollywood.

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Muncie, Indiana - Celebrities might 'join' Muncie police force

Former Minnesota governor and pro wrestler Jesse Ventura and "Jackass" star Jason "Wee Man" Acuña are among the celebrities being considered for the series.

11/21/06, By Nick Werner, nwerner@muncie.gannett.com

Muncie, Indiana - As Muncie Central High School last week passed on hosting a basketball-based reality show, another production company was courting the city's police department.

An undetermined cast of celebrities will become Muncie police officers this winter for a CBS reality show, Mayor Dan Canan confirmed Tuesday.

"It's kind of ironic that Muncie gets zeroed in on for two entirely different reality TV shows," Canan said.

The celebrities will carry guns but will not answer emergency calls on their own, Muncie Police Chief Joe Winkle said.

They must first pass the same standards as any other reserve officer, Winkle said. Those standards include psychological and physical examinations and 40 hours of basic training in firearms and defensive tactics and other subjects, Winkle said.

Each star will be paired with a training officer during the entirety of filming, which is expected to begin in the next few weeks and last about a month, Winkle said.

Sources have said former television cop Erik Estrada, Jack Osbourne (son of rock star Ozzy Osbourne), former pro-wrestler Trish Stratus, former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura and Jackass dwarf star Jason "Wee Man" Acuña are in the running for spots.

Canan and Winkle both said they were not at liberty to identify any celebrities that might be involved.

News of the police show comes a week after Central High School administrators announced they were no longer interested in participating in a program for MTV that would follow the Bearcats basketball program through this season.

The CBS show is better-suited for the city, Canan said, because it does not exploit the lives of teenagers.

Producers have also agreed not to paint Muncie as a backwater town, Canan said.

The mayor agreed to the show mostly on the chance that future investors might get to know the city through its police department, he said.

"When you do economic development, it's all about name recognition," Canan said.

The show will be produced by Tom Forman, Winkle said, who was involved in Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Producers also approached the Delaware County Sheriff's Office about three months ago but ultimately passed on that agency, Sheriff George Sheridan said.

The sheriff and television crews are working on terms detailing how much access cameras will have in the jail should a celebrity make an arrest.

"If done right, and they maintain the integrity of the profession, this is a good thing," Sheridan said.

Delaware County Prosecutor-elect Mark McKinney, however, was not as optimistic.

"I sincerely hope they have enough protections in place so that we never would be in a position of relying on one of these individuals for testimony (in court)," McKinney said. "The possibility for bad things loom very large."

The reality show will provide internships for about 10 Ball State University telecommunications students who will provide behind-the scenes labor for production, according to Nancy Carlson, head of the BSU T-Comm department.

"It is in my interest to get students as much experience as possible," Carlson said. "So we gladly cooperated."

The students, who will work for free, have been told to prepare for filming this Thanksgiving weekend, Carlson said.

Neither Forman Productions nor CBS spokesman Phil Gonzales returned phone calls Tuesday.

A casting crew was apparently in town Thursday and Friday interviewing police officers, according to a flyer distributed throughout city hall.

The source of the flyer was unclear. It ended with "Please Keep Confidential."

The companies have been very tight-lipped about the project, Carlson said, because they are concerned that once news leaks, paparazzi might make it difficult to film the stars in real-life law-enforcement situations.

Contact news reporter Nick Werner at 213-5832.

Retrieved November 21, 2006 from http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061122/NEWS01/611220336

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 12:31 AM | Permalink

Police report said investigation of drug squad would lessen chance of 'more damage'

11/22/06, By Alan Cairns, Toronto Sun

In an internal Toronto Police report written in the summer of 2001, professional standards Insp. Tony Corrie said calling in the RCMP to look into alleged wrongdoing by drug squad officers “may avert a public inquiry.”

An internal Toronto Police report written only months before an RCMP-led 25-member task force was formed to probe an allegedly rogue drug squad team suggests such a move "may avert" an embarrassing public inquiry.

Expressing fears that when allegations against numerous cops were "played out" in court, "the inevitable outcry may lead to a Public Enquiry" that would encompass officers from the rank-and-file to the top brass, Toronto Police professional standards Insp. Tony Corrie suggested that in creating a full-time task force, "the service will be seen to be making a commitment to getting to the bottom of all the issues.

"The faster the review is done, the less chance there is of committing more damage ... Taking these steps may avert a Public Enquiry," states a "business case" report written by Corrie in the summer of 2001.

Citing numerous problems, Corrie warned that if more "problematic" cases were revealed, there could be more civil court lawsuits and a "potential for a massive lack of trust in Police Officer testimony and also greater problems in confidential informant use and obtaining search warrants."

Corrie suggested a "Superintendent or above" should lead an internal probe with an "external component" to provide "greater credibility."

And he said a "sample audit must take place of other units to attempt to provide some assurance that it was just ...one team."

The "management" of the task force review should go to a "retired court judge," Corrie added.

Defence lawyers slammed the internal report as, at best, an inappropriate public relations strategy.

"It is a stunning and a shocking document," said Edward Sapiano -- who, along with other lawyers, including Clayton Ruby, complained to Toronto Police brass in 1999 about drug squad "theft by search warrant" allegations raised by clients.

Lawyer Peter Biro said the "whole memorandum is really an exercise in trying to develop a strategy to avoid public scrutiny ... avert a public inquiry."

At the time Corrie wrote his 2001 report, Toronto Police was awash in civil court allegations -- all of which have been denied -- that members of a Central Field Command (CFC) drug squad, led by Staff-Sgt. John Schertzer, had stolen drugs and money from dealers, had lied to get search warrants and had hid the identities of police agents by declaring them anonymous confidential informants. A total of 13 cops from the drug and Repeat Offender Program Enforcement (ROPE) squads faced criminal charges.

Former chief Julian Fantino appears to have heeded Corrie's advice almost to the letter in August 2001 when he named RCMP Staff Supt. John Neily to head a 25-member special task force to oversee a wider probe. Fantino gave Neily a mandate to flush out and review outstanding court cases.

Fantino said an objective probe was crucial to ensure "we don't lose the public trust and violate the integrity of the justice system."

Retired Ontario supreme court justice George Ferguson was recruited to review procedures.

Neily's appointment coincided with the release of Simon Yeung, a drug dealer who was freed from prison in July 2001 after he had served 18 months of a 45-month sentence. Saying a "miscarriage of justice" had tainted Yeung's guilty plea, Ontario prosecutors supported Yeung's appeal. It was later alleged that Schertzer's team never disclosed that a police agent had been used in the case.

In the ensuing months, prosecutors dropped about 250 drug cases they feared would be tainted, freeing some of Toronto's most prolific dealers.

Fink-fund charges against Schertzer's team were dropped because of the "ongoing" investigation.

After a three-year probe, the Neily task force charged Schertzer and five former subordinate drug cops with taking part in a conspiracy to obstruct justice on allegations that search warrants, memo books and court testimony were fabricated and that cash and drugs were stolen.

Another four ex-drug cops named as "unindicted co-conspirators" were not charged.

Schertzer, Steve Corriea, Ned Maodus, Ray Pollard and now-retired Joe Miched were committed to trial in June on conspiracy allegations and other charges. Rick Benoit was sent to trial on allegations that he took part in an assault.

All 10 cops face internal Police Services Act charges.

None of the allegations have been tested in court and all the officers involved deny any wrongdoing.

To date, the task force probe has cost taxpayers about $8 million.

If the accused cops are convicted, the union faces an estimated $6-million legal bill.

If they are not convicted, the City of Toronto faces an estimated $8-million legal bill, not including the potential for future legal costs in a $116-million "malicious prosecution" lawsuit filed by Schertzer and seven other officers. The suit names Fantino, Neily and more than 20 other cops, politicians and prosecutors.

Today, more than five years after the Neily task force was formed, the public perception of Toronto Police integrity hangs in the balance amid allegations by key task force investigator Sgt. Jim Cassells that "numerous incidents" uncovered during the probe were minimized, ignored or had gone unprobed amid police brass indifference and interference. Cassells, a 30-year veteran with the force, alleges that nothing was done when the issues were uncovered during the probe, nor was any action taken when he told internal affairs about the unresolved issues in November 2005.

As revealed in yesterday's Toronto Sun, a second ex-task force member, retired Sgt. Neal Ward, confirmed he penned a 14-point list of unresolved issues. Sources said the list included unprobed allegations of theft by a second CFC drug team and of a suspected cop cocaine ring.

The case took another twist this week, when the Sun revealed that a "procedural review" of Cassell's allegations led by York police has a "very limited" mandate and has focused only on procedures. It has not interviewed anyone on the Neily task force, excepting Cassells.

Blair -- who dismissed Cassells' allegations prior to calling the procedural review in May -- forwarded the report to Justice Ferguson for his input. Toronto Police say the finished review will go to the Toronto Police Services Board Nov. 28.

Board chairman Alok Mukherjee has said the results will be made public.

In his "executive summary" of the initial "fink fund" corruption review filed to police brass in the summer of 2001, Corrie noted additional areas of concern.

Previewing the "fink fund" trial of two ROPE cops in late 2001, Corrie told brass to prepare for media scrutiny.

He wrote that issues "sure to be addressed" would include supervision, ability to investigate misconduct, handling of informants, search warrants, control of informant funds, promotional and discipline practices, organizational structure and checks and balances.

"A preliminary review of the situation ... indicates that members ... may well say things that could cause embarrassment," Corrie wrote.

As "unpleasant" as it might be, it was important that all the facts be brought to the "forefront" so the service could understand what happened, repair the damage and regain any lost public trust, he wrote.

Corrie initially recommended that Fantino "immediately" order an internal administrative investigation in advance of a public inquiry and that the probe have "an external component that will provide greater credibility to the results."

In his report, Corrie also noted a previously unreported allegation that a "stripper" was used as a confidential informant while she was having an affair with a cop.

"There are suggestions of drug use by officers and this is being explored," he wrote.

Corrie warned of "potential" for many more "unsafe convictions" by Schertzer's team. "It is very clear that the review team has only touched the 'tip of the iceberg,'" Corrie said.

But successful prosecution of a drug cop for theft of crime cash "would be most difficult, if not impossible," he said.

Corrie said reviews beyond Schertzer's squad revealed "no indicators" of similar problems.

Yet a search of civil court records by the Sun shows there were three outstanding lawsuits filed against a second CFC team in 1999 and 2000.

Retrieved November 22, 2006 from http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/11/22/pf-2446682.html

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 12:28 AM | Permalink

The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 12:27 AM | Permalink

11/22/06, By Bonnie Hobbs, The Connection Newspapers (on line)

On Nov. 8, 2005, police charged a Centreville man with soliciting a minor for sexual purposes. Exactly one year later to the day, he pleaded guilty.

Vikram Jeet Singh Bajwa, now 21, of 5905 Spruce Run Court in Little Rocky Run, was among 10 people arrested following an online, sexual-predator sting conducted by the Northern Virginia-D.C. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.

His arrest came after an 18-day, online investigative operation orchestrated by 17 specially trained investigators from the Alexandria, Arlington, D.C.-Metropolitan, Fairfax County, George Mason University, Manassas Park and Prince William County police departments.

Virginia State Police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also participated. Investigators assumed the online profile of a pre-adolescent teen-ager and visited common teen chat rooms.

The task force's ongoing goal is to tackle the proliferation of child exploitation, pornography and predators via the Internet. Carried out at ICE Cyber Center Headquarters in Fairfax County, the sting operation ran Oct. 31-Nov. 10, 2005.

On Nov. 7 of that year, ICAC task force member Christopher J. McClure, a state police special agent, explained the case against Bajwa in an affidavit for a search warrant to seize and examine his computer.

He wrote about a Prince William County detective, also on the task force, who encountered Bajwa through Yahoo Chat. Using a screen name, the detective posed as a 14-year-old girl living in Woodbridge. McClure stated that, on Oct. 28, around 11:30 a.m., he saw the detective chatting online with someone with the screen name of juzblaze703.

"The subject proposed sexual acts, believing that he was in conversation with a 14-year-old girl," wrote McClure. He also alleged that Bajwa asked the "girl" if she would engage in oral sex with him.

"During the chat, I observed juzblaze703 send an invite to view his web cam," wrote McClure. He noted that he watched the detective open the cam and then they both saw Bajwa masturbate on that web cam. Through Yahoo and Cox Communications, authorities uncovered the subscriber information for juzblaze703 and determined it was Bajwa they were after.

On Nov. 8, 2005, McClure executed the search warrant at Bajwa's home, confiscating a Dell Dimension computer tower, a Kodak Easy Share camera with memory card, a USB adapter for a Web cam, a wireless router and a cable modem. Bajwa was charged that same day with using a communications system to facilitate certain offenses involving children.

The grand jury indicted him on Sept. 18 of this year, and he pleaded guilty Nov. 8 in Fairfax County Circuit Court. Judge Gaylord Finch then set Bajwa's sentencing for Jan. 26.

Retrieved November 22, 2006 from http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=74530&paper=62&cat=104

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 12:25 AM | Permalink

11/21/06, Tallahassee, Florida

An attorney from Bay County, Florida was arrested on multiple charges of producing child pornography, possession of child pornography and promoting the sexual performance of a child. Investigators with the Child Predator CyberCrime Unit discovered Paul Richard Parker, Jr.'s distribution and promotion of pornographic videos of children during an undercover online investigation.

Parker, 42, placed pornographic videos on the internet, where they were discovered by a Child Predator CyberCrime investigator who was able to trace them back to Parker. Search warrants executed at Parker's Panama City residence uncovered hundreds of images and videos of child pornography on his computer and other equipment. Investigators also discovered that Parker created child pornography by enticing young boys over the Internet to perform sexual acts via webcam. Parker would then video tape these acts and make pornographic videos from them. He was arrested by officers with the Child Predator CyberCrime Unit and the Bay County Sheriff's Office. Parker specializes in personal injury law.

Parker is currently being held at the Bay County Jail. He is charged with nine counts of using a child in the production of child pornography and two counts of promoting child pornography, both second-degree felonies, as well as two counts of transmitting child pornography and 233 counts of possession of child pornography, both third-degree felonies. If convicted on all charges, he could face life in prison.

The Child Predator CyberCrime Unit's mission is to protect children from computer-facilitated sexual exploitation. The unit does this by working cooperatively on a statewide basis with law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to provide resources and expertise, while preventing the spread of these crimes through education and community awareness. Parker's arrest is the 30th made by officers with the unit since its inception in October 2005. The Child Predator CyberCrime Unit is a member of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) of North Florida.

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 12:23 AM | Permalink

Dr. Kardasz: The following report by Alain Cairns of the Toronto Sun describes disturbing allegations by a Whistleblower - a.k.a. Lamplighter from the Toronto Police Department. For more information on the subject of whistleblowing see: http://www.kardasz.org/Whistle_Blowing.html

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Toronto, Canada - Veteran Toronto cop backs up corruption allegations

11/21/06, By Alan Cairns, Toronto Sun

A second Toronto cop who was on a corruption task force now makes public assertions that a list of serious issues have been either ignored or overlooked by police brass.

Retired only a few months after three years on an RCMP-led task force probe into allegedly rogue Toronto Police drug squad cops, former Sgt. Neal Ward told the Toronto Sun that self-professed "whistle-blower" Sgt. Jim Cassells is "mostly ... quite correct."

"I agree with Jim, that not all has been done that could have been done in certain situations," said Ward, a cop for more than 30 years.

Cassells, a 29-year veteran who worked with Ward and 20-odd other Toronto cops on a corruption task force headed by RCMP Staff Supt. John Neily, has asserted that "numerous" cases of possible corruption were either minimized, ignored, or swept under the carpet by indifference or interfering senior officers. Alleging Toronto Police is ignoring its own core values, Cassells has called for a public inquiry into the way it conducts internal probes.

As revealed in the Sun yesterday, a "procedural review" into Cassells' allegations -- ordered by Chief Bill Blair -- has a narrow mandate and no other cop who served on the task force has been interviewed.

Ward confirmed that nobody involved with the review had contacted him.

And Ward confirmed that it was he -- and not Cassells -- who authored a list of issues that was written on a chalk board mounted on a wall at the task force's former operations centre on Wilson Ave.

Ward suggested that Blair's procedural review of Cassells' allegations will be "probably incomplete" if it does not talk with him.

Ward said the task force list pinpointed 14 unresolved issues, which seemed to disappear into a black hole once they were passed on to superior officers at internal affairs.

Ward would not comment on specifics, but sources say the list expressed concerns which included a belief that alleged safety deposit box thefts by a second Central Field Command drug squad and the alleged thefts and use of seized cocaine by a number of drug cops were never fully probed.

Ward said while internal affairs was apprised of these concerns and many more during the task force probe, "we never heard of any Police Services charges, or criminal ... ever being laid ... we never, ever got anything back, never heard anything, never saw anything ... about these matters being fully investigated, or being investigated at all."

Ward said if Cassells says these complaints were never probed, then he is likely correct.

"Jimmy (Cassells) is a very honourable, forthright, truthful person. If Jimmy ... tells me nothing has been done, then until I hear different, I believe that Jimmy is telling the truth," Ward added.

The investigative phase of the Neily task force probe wrapped up in January 2004 with corruption-related charges against six ex-drug cops who worked in one of three teams in the Central Field Command. Staff-Sgt. John Schertzer and former subordinates Steve Correia, Ned Maodus, Ray Pollard, Rick Benoit and now-retired Joe Miched were committed to trial in June after a lengthy preliminary hearing. Another four cops were named as unindicted co-conspirators.

Upon sending the six to trial, Judge James Blacklock warned that prosecutors have "serious credibility issues" with witnesses. Internal charges were recently laid against 13 former drug cops.

None of the criminal or internal allegations have been proven in court.

Citing an unwillingness to derail the ongoing criminal case and fearing that he would lose his claimed whistle-blower status, Cassells spoke only in generalities when he went public with his complaints last spring.

Police Chief Bill Blair and Toronto Police Services Board chaiman Alok Mukherjee denied any cover-ups -- even before Cassells was asked to detail his concerns.

A procedural review -- ordered by Blair in the middle of a growing crisis -- is now complete. Blair and Mukherjee gave a promise that the "results" of the review will be made public.

Sources say that the procedural review could only examine the "process" by which decisions were made during the Neily task force investigation.

Blair confirms the review -- undertaken with the "outside" assistance of Insp. Mark Tatz of York Regional Police -- is now in the hands of retired Superior Court Justice George Ferguson, who former chief Julian Fantino selected to review the drug squad while the Neily probe was going on.

Police spokesman Mark Pugash said Blair will give the review to the board at its Nov. 28 meeting.

A LIST OF ALLEGATIONS BY WHISTLE-BLOWERS

- Police brass allegedly struck a "secret" deal that would allow former Northwest Field Command drug squad Const. Rob Kelly to keep his badge, despite a criminal conviction for drug possession after he supplied cocaine to a police informant. Kelly, who asserts he became addicted to cocaine while working as an undercover drug cop, never said where the cocaine came from. After his November 2001 arrest, Kelly went into intensive drug therapy. Kelly ultimately quit and recently filed a lawsuit in which he sued Toronto Police and two senior officers for "malicious prosecution."

- An allegation that "nothing was ever done" about a veteran cop who confessed a 10-year cocaine addiction and entered rehab within days of Kelly's arrest. The popular cop once headed a divisional major crime unit and a district drug squad. Sources suggest that the addicted cop's cases were not reviewed, nor was his condition ever disclosed to anyone who he arrested during his 10-year addiction. The cop has since quit the force.

- Suspicions that several officers linked with Northwest Field Command were involved in a cocaine ring. The informant in the Kelly case told police that he had consumed cocaine with four other Toronto cops other than Kelly. The informant alleged that the four officers supplied cocaine which he was led to believe was their "cut" from drug arrests. It was revealed at Kelly's preliminary hearing that internal affairs officers requested hair samples from the officers so they could test for cocaine use. They refused. Sources say little else was done.

- Two sergeants who were at 53 Division during the arrest, detention and alleged assault on drug dealer suspect Chris Quigley failed to report serious injuries that saw Quigley taken to hospital by ambulance. Internal affairs brass ultimately treated the pair's failure to record Quigley's injuries merely as a "training issue."

- Suspicions surrounding a second Central Field Command team that allegedly stole cash from drug dealer safety deposit boxes were never fully probed, it is alleged. Three separate drug dealers alleged that while they were still facing charges a total of almost $2.5 million went missing from safety deposit boxes. Sources say the team had a "prolific" record of opening safety deposit boxes and, in some cases, ordered managers not to supervise the openings. Some defence lawyers impeded any potential probes because they did not want their clients speaking with police while their cases were still before the courts.

- Questions of why Toronto Police continued to employ and pay ex-drug squad Const. Ned Maodus after his arrest for an off-duty incident at his Orangeville home in March 2002.

- Questions about the integrity of an internal probe into an internal affairs staff sergeant -- who allegedly tried to "piggy back" on an OPP search of Maodus' Orangeville home and then allegedly tried to browbeat a female cop. The internal affairs probe found it could not justify Police Services Act charges.

- A Northwest Field Command sergeant who altered sign-in sheets to cover for cops who were playing hockey the night that Rob Kelly was arrested.

- Several special task force briefs which outlined how there was sufficient evidence to lay Police Services Act charges against different cops were left sitting on an internal affairs supervisor's desk for more than six months -- the maximum time during which internal charges can be laid after the service first discovers an alleged misconduct.

Retrieved Novemner 21, 2006 from http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/11/21/pf-2432518.html

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 12:14 AM | Permalink

11/04/06

Suspect: Kenneth Victor Bell, w/m, age 54, In Custody on Probation Violation from Yuma County, AZ
Location of offense: Arizona State University (ASU), Fletcher Library, Glendale, AZ
Suspect’s residence: Central Phoenix, Arizona
Offense: Sexual exploitation of a minor (child pornography) (9 counts)

On 10/25/06 at 1315 hours, a staff member of Arizona State University’s Fletcher Library in Glendale received a report of a library computer user viewing inappropriate images of male children. The staff member observed a man later identified as Kenneth Bell looking at computer images of male children in underwear in provocative poses. The ASU Police were notified and responded. When Bell was first contacted by officers no images were visible on the computer screen. It was determined Bell is a registered sex offender with a prior conviction for sexual exploitation of a minor (child pornography). Bell was interviewed by Det. Lewis of the ASU PD ICAC and made admissions to the offenses. Bell’s probation officer was notified, an arrest warrant was prepared based on violations of his probation and he was arrested.

Bell is currently in the Yuma County Jail awaiting a hearing. A forensic examination of the evidence from the computer was conducted by Det. Lewis and evidence was recovered. The case was filed with the Maricopa County Attorneys office on 11/01/06 requesting 9 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor (child pornography)

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 07:44 PM | Permalink

A Nanakuli man, 43, faces at least a year in jail if convicted as an Internet predator

11/21/06, By Alexandre Da Silva, adasilva@starbulletin.com

A 43-year-old Oahu man who allegedly used his work computer to try to meet and have sex with a minor will be the first person prosecuted under a tougher state law requiring Internet predators to spend at least one year in jail.

Brian Y. Uejo, an accountant at Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co., was arrested outside the McCully-Moiliili Public Library on Wednesday and charged with one count of first-degree electronic enticement of a child, federal and state officials said yesterday.

Authorities said the Nanakuli resident planned to meet with someone he believed was a 15-year-old girl he met online. But the person Uejo had been corresponding with were agents posing as the teenager.

Uejo, who has no criminal record, was arraigned in Honolulu District Court yesterday morning. He was being held on $20,000 bail and has a preliminary hearing set for next week. If convicted, Uejo will spend one year in prison and face a maximum 10-year term. He would also need to register as a sex offender and have his information posted on a government Web site.

The stricter penalties for the crime were approved in the last legislative session. Before the law was amended, most of the 14 people prosecuted in the past three years for the offense have been able to get away with probation, said state Attorney General Mark Bennett, who lobbied lawmakers for the change in the law.

The highest sentence issued by a state judge, he said, was one year of probation, followed by another year in prison.

"This offense had been treated far too leniently," Bennett added, warning that authorities are closely monitoring the Internet for criminals. "You do not know if you are dealing with a child or with us. And if we find you, we'll get you."

Bennett said courts have not been punishing Internet predators more severely because they tend to be first-time offenders with clean backgrounds, but he noted that makes them even more dangerous.

Officials would not go into detail about how they were able to arrest Uejo. They confiscated Uejo's computer from his work and are investigating whether he might have had or tried to have previous meetings with other minors in the past.

Bennett said he is confident that "explicit" police evidence about Uejo's intentions to have sex with a minor "will be more than sufficient to find him guilty."

Bennett said people who want to protect themselves or their children against Internet predators can visit the Hawaii Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force at www.hicac.com.

WorldNow and KHNL, a Raycom Media station
Retrieved November 21, 2006 from http://starbulletin.com/2006/11/18/news/story05.html

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 06:21 PM | Permalink

Dr. Kardasz: The following article by Tresa Baldas describes some of the challenging issues regarding cybervigilantes. For more information on this subject see: http://www.kardasz.org/Cybervigilantes.html

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Sex Predators TV Show Raises Rights Issues

By Tresa Baldas, The National Law Journal, 11/13/06

The NBC television series "To Catch a Predator," which features confrontations with men allegedly seeking sex with minors online, may be popular with viewers, but not with criminal defense attorneys, who claim the show raises a range of civil rights issues.

Seating an unbiased jury when a client's face has been splashed all over national television is nearly impossible, they argue. Miranda rights and search-and-seizure issues are also compromised by the show, they add.

In the last two years, 183 alleged online sexual predators have been formally charged as a result of being caught on the show, which has run sting operations in California, Florida, Georgia, New York and Ohio with the help of an online predator-watchdog group. More than 20 of those cases have resulted in guilty pleas or convictions, with the remaining cases still pending.

'TOWN SQUARE' TRIAL?

"Without question, it tramples on their constitutional rights to due process and a fair trial," said Blair Berk of Tarlow & Berk in Los Angeles, who is representing a doctor featured on the show that aired on Oct. 6. The man allegedly showed up at a house hoping for a date with who he thought was a 13-year-old girl he met online. People v. Wolin, No. SCR 495892 (Sonoma Co., Calif., Super. Ct.).

Berk likened the show's tactics to "trying someone in town square without giving them due process.

"How do you, with a ratings-driven TV show, with a client as the poster child for the theme of the show -- which is that everyone featured on the show is a sexual predator by definition -- how do you have any chance at securing that person the presumption of innocence, due process or the right to a fair trial?" Berk said.

"They are being tried on TV from a purely prosecutorial prospective."

"Dateline NBC" correspondent Chris Hansen denied claims that the program fails to guard against entrapment and violates defendants' right to a fair trial. He noted that the sting operations always start with the alleged predators initiating the contact with the decoy, not the other way around.

"We are very cautious about this. We understand that everybody is due their day in court," Hansen said. "But at the end of the day, it's no different than if [the alleged predators] walked into an investigation that was run by law enforcement."

He said that "the reality is that the proof of intent in many cases is in the chat log. And the chat logs speak for themselves."

Gary Bostwick of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton in Los Angeles, an attorney for NBC Universal Inc., was unavailable for comment.

Chat logs spoke loud and clear to one federal judge who, in August, convicted Maryland Rabbi David Kaye -- snared in an NBC investigation -- of traveling across state lines to have sex with who he thought was a 13-year-old boy he met on the Internet. U.S. v. Kaye, No. 1:06 cr205 (E.D. Va.).

In his opinion, U.S. District Judge James C. Cacheris cited chat logs as "providing more than sufficient evidence that defendant persuaded, enticed and induced the young boy to engage in a sexual act."

According to court documents, Kaye's lawyers argued that Kaye was " simply dirty talking," and that Kaye was induced and enticed by the sting volunteer.

Cacheris rejected both arguments. Kaye is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 1.

Steven Harmon, who is defending five California men caught on the NBC show, including a lawyer, a homeland security officer and a teacher, said his main concern is whether or not he can get a fair trial.

"I'm just anticipating that dreadful moment of being in the courtroom when the judge informs the prospective jurors that this is one of those 'Dateline NBC' cases, and hear all the groans and see the rolling of the eyes and stares at my client," said Harmon of Harmon and Harmon in Riverside, Calif. "It's going to be very difficult to find a jury that will be able to listen to the whole story."

But "To Catch a Predator" doesn't tell a full story, argued Ian Friedman, an Ohio criminal defense lawyer whose firm is currently representing some men featured on the show.

To do so, Friedman said, "they'd have defense lawyers on who can explain to the viewers that this isn't a one-sided story."

Friedman, of Ian N. Friedman & Associates in Cleveland, said his firm has represented and advised about 100 men arrested in online predator stings, including a handful caught on the NBC show.

"This show makes our jobs more difficult, just like 'CSI' makes a prosecutor's job more difficult," Friedman said, referring to a popular CBS television show about crime scene investigations.

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 02:58 PM | Permalink

Ex-Aide Sentenced in Online Sex Case

11/17/06 - Bartow, Florida (AP)

A 56-year-old former Homeland Security press aide was sentenced Friday to five years in prison after he pleaded no contest to sending sexually explicit Internet messages to someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl.

Brian Doyle, who resigned shortly after his April 4 arrest, also will have to serve 10 years of probation and register as a sex offender. "I am profoundly sorry for everything. How I feel inside can't be described," Doyle told Circuit Judge J. Dale Durrance. Doyle was immediately taken into custody.
 
The April arrest of Doyle, who had access to sensitive Homeland Security information, raised doubts about the agency's ability to ensure the security credentials of its own people. Doyle pleaded no contest in September to seven counts of using a computer to seduce a child and 16 counts of transmitting harmful material to a minor.

Prosecutors said Doyle, of Silver Spring, Md., wrote graphic descriptions of sexual acts in online chats with a 14-year-old named "Ashlynne," who was actually a character created by sheriff's detectives.

According to court records, Doyle also bragged about his government connections, provided his government-issued phone numbers and showed off his department ID.

The Associated Press

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 02:53 PM | Permalink

Dr. Kardasz: Dr. Gilmartin's contributions to the field of ethics have been significant. I was very surprised to learn that he himself was the victim of ethical misconduct by officials of the Tucson Police Department and pleased to learn that he prevailed in the lawsuit described below.

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City vows to appeal $3M judgment against police officials - Top cops 'conspired against contractor, lawsuit says

Daqvid L. Teibel, Tucson Citizen,11/17/06

The city will fight a $3 million civil judgment in a case that involves alleged bid-rigging by the current chief of police and a former chief.

Even if the award stands, police Chief Richard Miranda will not be personally liable, said City Attorney Michael Rankin.

A federal jury ruled in September that three police administrators conspired against Kevin M. Gilmartin in not awarding a $110,000 contract to Gilmartin's counseling group in 1998.

Gilmartin claims he is being punished for 1997 testimony that angered then-police Chief Douglas F. Smith. He said Smith ordered Miranda not to renew Gilmartin's contract, and that Miranda lied about Smith's influence.

Miranda denies Gilmartin's claim.

The city has filed motions seeking a new trial on the grounds that U.S. District Judge Frank R. Zapata made errors in law during the trial. Rankin expects the motions to be heard in federal court within two months.

If those motions are unsuccessful, Rankin said, the city will appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Rankin said the city will appeal both the amount of the award to Gilmartin and an associate, John Harris, and the verdict itself.

Jurors found that Smith, Miranda and now-retired Assistant Chief Jesse Ochoa conspired in 1998 to not give Gilmartin's group a counseling contract, said Richard M. Martinez, lawyer for Gilmartin and Harris.

Martinez said he is confident the award and verdict will be upheld. Martinez said the amount of the award grows at a rate of 10 percent a year, even while it is under appeal.

Gilmartin's group had provided counseling services to police for five years before it lost the contract to Sonora Behavioral Health Associates in 1998. Gilmartin is a nationally known police and organizational psychologist, providing lectures and seminars to state, local and federal law enforcement agencies across the country.

After losing the contract, Gilmartin and Associates filed a protest with the city claiming Smith was so "infuriated" with Gilmartin's testimony in another suit against the department that he told the contract evaluators, including Miranda and Ochoa, not to award the contract to Gilmartin. The contract went to rival Sonora.

The city found nothing inappropriate in the award to Sonora. Gilmartin then filed suit. Smith could not be reached this week for comment, but at the time the protest was filed he said, "The allegations are ludicrous."

Reached Wednesday in Honolulu, where he was working with the Honolulu Police Department, Gilmartin said the testimony that angered Smith came in a suit filed by members of the department's air support unit alleging misconduct in the unit.

Gilmartin said he was asked a question based on a hypothetical situation about the ethics of city employees repairing privately owned aircraft on city time. His testimony that it "apparently" would be unethical, angered Smith, Gilmartin said.

Gilmartin and Martinez said Wednesday that Miranda, Ochoa and Smith lied about the contract award.

"They took an oath and went into federal court and lied on the stand," Martinez said. Speaking of Miranda and Ochoa, Gilmartin said, "They placed themselves on a public bidding review committee.

"On two occasions they signed documents, under oath, that they were under no influence.

"Miranda admits under oath, at trial, he was ordered, that Smith gave an order that any group I was associated with not be given the contract," Gilmartin said.

Miranda told the Tucson Citizen that was not the case.

He said Smith told him Gilmartin and Associates was no longer eligible to have its contract renewed without the city putting it out to bid, and that Smith ordered that the contract not be renewed and that bids be solicited for the work.

Miranda said he and Ochoa were truthful in all documents they signed and in their court testimony. "At no time was I under the influence of Doug Smith, and I was fair and honest in my evaluation of the proposals," Miranda said, adding he and Ochoa voted to award the bid to Sonora because they thought that group had submitted the best proposal."My conscience is clear," Miranda said.

City Manager Mike Hein said, "I have complete confidence in the chief."The chief," Hein said, "has unquestionable moral compass."

Ochoa onThursday deferred to attorney Michael B. Smith for comment. Smith could not be reached.
Miranda, Smith and Ochoa will not have to pay $2.9 million out of their pockets. If the award stands. It will come from a city fund managed by the Department of Risk Management for such
things as liability awards, Rankin said.

"They are indemnified because they are acting in the course of their employment," Rankin said, adding, "It continues to be my position and our decision that Chief Miranda didn't do anything wrong."

Retrieved November 19, 2006 foom http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/32926.php

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 04:49 PM | Permalink

Dr. Kardasz: Nice work by the North Florida ICAC Task Force.

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High Springs, Florida - ICAC Local case leads to many sex abuse arrests

11/18/06, by Christa Desrets, Herald Writer

HIGH SPRINGS – What began as a single arrest of a High Springs man on sex crime charges in 2005 now has led to the arrest of five more people nationwide on related charges and an international effort for more arrests.

The information used to make the arrests came from the seized computer equipment of Gary James Norsworthy, 49, of High Springs, who was arrested in July of 2005 on charges of child pornography.

Norsworthy then was charged with 17 additional crimes, including attempted capital sexual battery of a child, voyeurism, video voyeurism and production and dissemination of child pornography.

He is now serving a 40-year sentence in prison.

After a long investigation and a forensic examination of Norsworthy’s computer equipment, child pornography images and more than 3,000 pages of chat logs were recovered and used as evidence for additional arrests, according to Gainesville Police Department Det. Mitch Nixon.

During the investigation, detectives realized that they were uncovering cases that dealt with individuals who were sexually abusing children and posting images on the Internet.

“The frightening thing about this is that all of these guys networked together via chat,” Nixon said. “They even went as far as to have live Web-cam views while abusing children.”

Nixon is the coordinator of the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Based out of the Gainesville Police Department, the task force is one of 46 task forces nationwide that strive to work together to solve such cases.

He said that the arrests were a collaborative effort that began with the High Springs and Gainesville police departments and the Santa Fe Community College Institute of Public Safety.

After High Springs police officers were able to get the evidence that they needed to charge Norsworthy, they handed over the evidence to the ICAC unit, according to Det. Sgt. Gordon Fulwood with the High Springs Police Department.

“We were able to obtain all the information that was needed for the ICAC unit to follow up on throughout the country and get these children out of harm’s way,” Fulwood said. “It was truly a team effort.”

The investigations that continued involved hundreds of law enforcement officers from municipal, county and state police departments as well as national offices including the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“We do not have the manpower or the expertise to follow that up,” Fulwood said. “They (ICAC) did an excellent job. Numerous accolades need to be given to them.”

Although police often had only an Internet chatroom screen name from which to base their cases, Nixon said, officers were able to work together to make five arrests.

Officers concentrated on arresting those individuals who were actively involved in the sexual abuse of children.

The defendants come from five different states, and their occupations ranged from a construction worker and a jewelry maker to a man in the Army and a second grade teacher.

“All of them had indications that they actually had live victims,” Nixon said. “The kids range in age from 15 years old down to 15 months old.”

Another man from Kentucky who was suspected of sexually abusing his 15-month old son while broadcasting live over a Web-cam committed suicide when he learned that police suspected him, Nixon said.

Also as a result of the investigation, police filed a sworn complaint against John Patrick Shannon, a previous associate dean from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, on charges of possession of child pornography.

Aside from the five arrests, Nixon said, police also have leads in four more states and one foreign country.

But police believe they have arrested all who were suspected of abusing children, he said. Any additional arrests likely will be on lesser charges, such as possession of child pornography.

“There’s still investigations ongoing with this, but were at the point now where we can release the information without jeopardizing our investigations,” Nixon said.

And more clues keep coming in, he said. At least one of the arrests already has led to additional investigations that could lead to more charges.

Fulwood said he is proud that the High Springs Police Department was able to have a part in the arrests of so many alleged criminals.

“This was something that was a lot larger than we first thought it was,” Fulwood said. “We’re left with the feeling that we were able to make an impact nationwide. But it’s all due to the agencies coming together and working toward a common goal.”

Retrieved November 19, 2006 from http://www.highspringsherald.com/articles/2006/11/17/news/news03.txt

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 04:15 PM | Permalink

Dr. Kardasz: The following article about ethics was written by Randy Sutton. For more information on ethical decision making see: http://www.kardasz.org/Decision_Making_Tools.html

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Ethical Survival: Officers must prepare for not only physical danger but ethical danger as well

By Randy Sutton

An LAPD honor guard stands tall and represents everything that’s right about police work. Ethics allegations hurt everyone who wears a badge.

On a dreary autumn morning seven years ago, Sgt. Philip Ross stuffed his fully loaded 9mm SIG into his waistband and headed into the wooded area behind his home. He thought of his wife, his daughter and his 14 years at the police department where his fellow officers were more like family than co-workers. A note in his pocket said, simply, “I’m sorry, please forgive me.” Attached to the note was a New Jersey grand jury indictment bearing his name.

Fortunately, Ross’ wife was home. Running into the woods, she came upon him in time to stop him from his planned suicide attempt. Back at the house, he showered and dressed, and together they drove to the court for his sentencing.

Now, seven years later, with pain still etched on his face, former police Sergeant Phil Ross told me, “For years I trained . . . firearms, tactics, officer safety, and in the end I destroyed my own career and almost my life with one stupid decision.”

What was that decision?

Ross had bolstered the strength of a case against a major narcotics trafficker by claiming in an investigative report that narcotics found in the suspect’s residence were discovered after a search warrant was issued. In reality, the evidence had been discovered during a protective sweep before a search warrant was issued.

Ross’ motives were noble — he wanted justice to prevail in a case where the suspect was clearly guilty — but by lying, he violated his oath of office. Noble-cause corruption is still corruption.

The New Survival Challenge

Physical danger is among the most fundamental aspects of law enforcement, and so, in order to survive, we train to protect ourselves both physically and mentally. Yet the last decade has seen a leveling off of line-of-duty deaths of law enforcement officers. Most point to better equipment, body armor and training, and as a police trainer for one of the largest police agencies in the United States, I must agree. The training budget in most police departments is geared heavily toward firearms training, tactical training and officer safety, and, accordingly, those are the concerns in the minds of our nation’s law enforcement officers each day as they pin on their badges and strap on their gun belts.

But ethical danger, as Ross experienced, can also prove fatal, at least career-wise.

For example, in my department alone, for every officer lost in the line of duty in the last five years, 70 were fired for ethical misconduct. And unlike those who died honorably, these officers are alive but disgraced.

The Concept of Ultimate Responsibility

I recently saw an interview with a corrections officer caught on video forcing prisoners to abuse one another sexually while he watched. He denied he was in the wrong, claiming no written rule forbade his behavior.

This ignorant justification, a denial of personal responsibility, rings closely to what every law enforcement officer hears on the street every day. The constant exposure to the array of excuses that spew from criminal suspects contributes to the hardened cynicism in street cops. But we cannot allow either the I’m-not-responsible mindset or unchecked cynicism to pollute the perspective guiding our actions.

Our job entails a great amount of discretion and autonomy; we must accept a degree of responsibility commensurate with our positions. If I make a decision, however big or small, I am accountable for it. Ownership of each decision, from the mundane to the life changing, lies with the one who makes it. This is the concept of ultimate responsibility. If we embrace this basic idea, we can avoid myriad ethical pitfalls.

Take the case of Officer John Black, a three-year police officer in a large urban police department. Black came under investigation for logging out for an unauthorized coffee break during a follow-up investigation. When questioned, Black compounded his mistake by denying taking the coffee break, unaware he had been observed by another officer. Thus, where he had faced minor disciplinary action, he now faced — and received — termination.

He made a mistake he compounded by not being accountable.

Statistically, law enforcement agencies across the country are seeing higher rates of termination for truthfulness issues than ever before. Regrettably, in many cases, had the officers not lied about the initial conduct under investigation, they would not have been terminated.

Aside from basic ethical duty, a number of pragmatic reasons indicate why law enforcement agencies nationwide increasingly hold officers strictly accountable for truthfulness, including public awareness of officer conduct and oversight scrutiny provided by citizens’ review boards. Court decisions, such as U.S. vs. Henthorn, that allow a judge to examine a law enforcement officer’s personnel file in order to determine an officer’s credibility pose another factor. If an officer has a truthfulness issue on record, their usefulness as a witness is basically forfeited.

Preparing for Ethical Survival

Lack of truthfulness, however corrosive, is not the most potentially destructive enemy of an on-duty law enforcement officer: complacency is. Complacency means more than dropping your guard. It means shortchanging yourself and the quality of your life by doing only the minimum necessary to get by. Ethical survival requires preparing the psyche with the same vigor you use to prepare for tactical survival.

I asked a highly respected and decorated 20-year police veteran how he had escaped ethical pitfalls during his career. He said simply, “I know myself, and I respect who I am.” He discovered one of the most important strategies in mental preparation: self-definition.

Each of us is unique in our life’s experience, personal values and goals. But few of us take the time to reflect on who we truly are. How can we do this?

Complete a Personal Inventory

This isn’t as easy as it sounds. A personal inventory requires taking a long, introspective look at your personal traits and characteristics.

Ask yourself:

What are the qualities I like about myself?

What are the aspects of myself I am not proud of?

When I look at my actions and interactions with others, am I honest and compassionate? Or am I selfish and petty?

Who you are is not a matter of chance but a matter of choice.

If you like what you see, you can probably clearly visualize the hard road of self-evolution you traveled. If, however, there are areas you feel need improvement, this is the opportunity to identify those aspects and consciously change them.

Believe

Religious belief and spirituality have long played a vital role in guiding the decision-making of those who contribute to their communities. Our nation’s law enforcement officers come from every religious background known, and many have been drawn to the profession because of the corresponding values that law enforcement represents. The label you attach to your set of beliefs isn’t as important as the existence of those beliefs; those officers who have strong belief systems are far less inclined to stray ethically than those without.

Honor Yourself & Your Co-Workers

Law enforcement officers are special people. Unfortunately, we honor ourselves rarely, typically for funerals and retirements. But each day, heroic actions are commonplace.

How often have you watched a professional sports game in which a player accomplishes a difficult play? More often than not, teammates acknowledge the player with encouraging words and vigorous pats on the back.

Law enforcement is the ultimate team sport. When another officer accomplishes a good arrest or makes a positive difference in someone’s life, celebrate it. Be vocal, congratulatory, encouraging. Honor your co-workers, and, when your moments come, they will honor you.

Conclusion

Law enforcement continues to lose dedicated, talented officers to ethics-related mistakes. Just as we prepare ourselves tactically for physical threats, we must prepare ourselves mentally for ethical threats. By embracing the concept of ultimate responsibility — the principle of accountability — we take charge of our own professional destinies. By equipping ourselves with self-knowledge, we protect ourselves with the armor of values and professional honor. Otherwise, as Ross can attest, it’s a long and lonely walk into the courtroom for sentencing, but it’s an even longer walk into the woods.

Lieutenant Randy Sutton is a 29-year police veteran, serving 10 years with Princeton (N.J.) Police Department and the past 19 years with Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He is the author of True Blue: Police Stories by Those Who Have Lived Them and the autobiographical collection of stories, A Cop's Life, released in 2005 by St. Martin's Press. Contact him through his Web site at www.policingwithhonor.com.

Retrieved November 19, 2006 from http://www.policeone.com/writers/columnists/lom/articles/129744/

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 04:05 PM | Permalink

The Associated Press - 11/06/06 - Terell, TX - Former Kaufman County District Attorney Louis "Bill" Conradt Jr. killed himself Sunday as police tried to serve an arrest warrant for soliciting sex with a minor, authorities said.

Police who entered Conradt's home when he refused to answer the door heard a shot and found Conradt fatally wounded with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at a Dallas hospital.

Murphy police Sgt. Snow Robertson said Conradt had solicited sex from a decoy posing online as a 13-year-old. Murphy police were attempting to serve a search warrant for his computer and the arrest warrant when Conradt shot himself.

The Dallas Morning News reported in its online editions Sunday that the sting that resulted in Conradt's arrest warrant was a joint operation between Perverted Justice, an Internet watchdog group, and NBC's "Dateline" that lured men seeking sex with children to a house in Murphy.

Murphy police said Conradt had not gone to the house there but they believed he would. Robertson said there was nothing police could to do prevent Conradt's death. "When somebody decides to do this, there is nothing you can do," he said.

Conradt had worked for the Kaufman County District Attorney's Office for more than two decades before giving up the position of district attorney to run an unsuccessful campaign for judge. He was chief felony assistant district attorney for Rockwall County.

Murphy Mayor Bret Bishop told the newspaper that he hopes Murphy won't be used again as a trap for child predators.

"We're going to do whatever we need to do to make sure this doesn't continue," he said. "I think it's a noble cause, but our police department is hired to serve and protect our citizens, and not to expose them to outside threats."

The Associated Press

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 09:31 PM | Permalink

The Montgomery County Police Department recognized officers for meritorious service during a Quarterly Awards Ceremony. While every officer honored considers his/her heroics to be just part of the job, each has a compelling story of putting another person’s life before his or her own.

The Lifesaving Award is the second most prestigious award given by the Department and was given to eight officers. The Lifesaving Award is given to the employees who make a major contribution toward saving the life of another by providing essential medical treatment prior to the arrival of Emergency Medical Service personnel.

4th District Officer Christopher D. Cadigan: On March 28, 2006, Officer Christopher Cadigan responded to the intersection of Emory Road and Georgia Avenue for the report of a disabled vehicle in a parking lot. Officer Cadigan observed a middle aged female sitting in the vehicle who appeared to be sleeping. He observed a black hose protruding from the female’s mouth and the other end of the hose connected to the vehicle’s exterior tailpipe. Officer Cadigan called for assistance from Fire/Rescue and pulled the hose out of the tailpipe. He broke out several windows to unlock the vehicle and allow fresh air inside. Officer Cadigan pulled the unconscious female out of the vehicle and placed her at a safe distance from the vehicle. Fire/Rescue responded several minutes later and transported her to Montgomery General Hospital where she was treated for exposure to the deadly carbon monoxide fumes.

The Award states that: “Officer Cardigan’s courage, resourcefulness and quick response to what is normally a low priority call, certainly saved this citizen’s life.”

4th District Officer Philip F. Meyer and Officer Matthew B. Vendemio: On March 15, 2006, Officers Philip Meyer and Matthew Vendemio responded to an address on Hillsboro Drive for the report of a suspicious situation. When the officers arrived, they discovered an unresponsive female lying on the floor of the residence. After an initial assessment, the officers initiated CPR and continued those life saving measures until Fire/Rescue arrived and relieved them. The female was transported to Holy Cross Hospital where continued resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful and she was regrettably pronounced dead.

The Award states that: “Officers Meyer and Vendemio are to be commended for their quick actions and professionalism while attempting to save the victim’s life.”

1st District Officer Justin T. Brown and Officer Samuel A. Mrvos: On February 2, 2006, Officer Justin Brown and Officer Samuel Mrvos responded to a 911 disconnect call with an open line at a residence on Traville Gardens Circle. When Officer Mrvos arrived, he knocked and a frantic woman opened the door. Officer Mrvos entered the apartment and discovered an unconscious elderly man lying on the floor. During a quick assessment, Officer Mrvos determined that the man was not breathing, but did have a faint pulse. At that time Officer Brown arrived and both officers initiated CPR. Lifesaving efforts were continued until Fire/Rescue personnel arrived and relieved them. The victim was transported to an area hospital where he eventually succumbed to a heart attack.

The Award states that: “Although the ultimate outcome was unfortunate, these officers are to be commended for their efforts and commitment to provide aid to a person in distress. They were calm, compassionate, and professional during a time of great stress and crisis.”

3rd District Officer Edward E. Paden, Officer Brandon E. Pellecchia, and Officer Scott D. Roth: On March 18, 2006, 3rd District officers were dispatched to a shooting that had just occurred on Quebec Terrace. When officers arrived, the scene was quickly secured and Officers Edward Paden, Brandon Pellecchia, and Scott Roth began to assess the victim’s condition. The victim suffered a gunshot wound that was close in proximity to his spine. Officers realized they could be dealing with a spinal injury. Officers Paden and Pellecchia began applying dressing and direct pressure to the wounds in order to control excessive bleeding. Officer Roth assisted by holding and demobilizing the victim’s head and back to prevent further injury. Fire/Rescue transported the victim to Med-Star Hospital, where he underwent lifesaving surgery.

The Award states that: “If it were not for the quick, initial stabilizing actions of these first responders, this victim may have succumbed to his injuries.”

The other award categories included: 4 National Defense Awards, 3 Unit Citations, 15 Commendations, and 1 Supervisor of the Year Award. Two officers who recently received awards from other organizations were also recognized.

Retrieved November 17, 2006 from http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/Apps/Police/News/NA_details.asp?NaID=2932

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 01:04 AM | Permalink

Dr. Kardasz: The following report from the Institute for Global Ethics describes the continuing dilemmas faced by those who are brave enough to report the misconduct of others.

see also:  http://www.kardasz.org/Whistle_Blowing.html

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Enron Collapse Caused Also by Those who Looked the Other Way: Whistle-Blower
Lynn Brewer details ethical dilemmas during college appearances

Indianapolis - An Enron whistle-blower recounted the moral dilemmas involved in exposing the situation during a recent series of college business-school appearances, noting that for her, the decision involved balancing the desire to tell the truth versus giving up as much as $30,000 per day in stock options.

Former Enron executive Lynn Brewer told an audience at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business last week that she was strongly tempted to ignore what was happening at Enron, according to a report from the campus newspaper the Indiana Daily Student.

"Some days I was making $20,000 or $30,000 per day. I didn't even have to go to work to make money," she said. "I began to realize that I'd been given twice as many stock options.... I realized that I'd become Enron at that moment because I chose to look the other way for the financial benefit of the stock options, something that [former Enron CEO] Jeff Skilling and [former Enron chairman] Ken Lay were doing every day," she said, according to the paper.

Indianapolis television station WISH reports that Brewer, who worked for Enron for more than three years before going public, noted that she was rebuffed by her supervisor when she first reported irregularities.

She then confronted the additional dilemma of what would happen if she went public with the details, reports WISH, including exposing herself to legal retaliation and the possibility, later to come true, that exposing the fraud would eventually bring the company crashing down.

Brewer also repeated a theme stated during a speech at Penn State earlier in the month, noting that the biggest lesson coming from Enron was not about corruption; instead, she said, it was about the hundreds of people who observed corruption but looked the other way, according to the Penn State Collegian.

Sources: San Francisco State University News, Nov. 6 -- WISH-TV, Indianapolis, Nov. 6 -- Indiana Daily Student, Nov. 6 -- Penn State Collegian, Nov. 1.

Retrieved November 15, 2006 from http://www.globalethics.org/newsline/members/issue.tmpl?articleid=11130619261545

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 12:29 PM | Permalink

Excerpted from Ethics Newsline - (www.globalethics.org/newsline/), 11/13/06

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Ethics was Most Important Issue in U.S. Elections: Polls

After trumpeting 'culture of corruption' theme in successful bid to take control of Congress, Democrats now say they will introduce reforms

WASHINGTON -Ethics was more important than any other issue, including the war in Iraq, in last week's U.S. midterm elections, according to polling data.

CNN reports that national exit polls showed that when asked which issue was "extremely important" to their vote, more voters specified corruption and ethics in government than any other concern.

Last week's vote, which overturned Republican control of the House and the Senate, appeared to reflect voter dissatisfaction on a number of key moral concerns, according to an analysis from Bloomberg reporter Jonathan D. Salant.

"Democrats ousted three House Republican incumbents with ties to Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff," Salant wrote. "They won all three seats vacated by Republicans who resigned because of scandals involving Abramoff and former Representative Mark Foley of Florida. They also defeated two Pennsylvania Republicans with ethical problems."

The Canadian Press notes that polls showed the religious right, an important sector of the Republic base, also reflecting disenchantment with government ethics, including the handling of the revelation that former Republican congressman Mark Foley sent sexually charged emails to teenage pages.

In the aftermath of the election, presumptive House speaker Nancy Pelosi, who trumpeted the "culture of corruption" theme during the run-up to the election, promised to reintroduce lobbying and ethics reform within the new Congress's first 100 hours, according to a report from the Medill News Service.

Sources: Medill News Service, Nov. 11 -- Canadian Press, Nov. 10 -- CNN, Nov. 9 -- AP, Nov. 9 -- Bloomberg. Nov. 8.

Retrieved Novemer 15, 2006 from http://www.globalethics.org/newsline/members/issue.tmpl?articleid=11130619214725

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 12:17 PM | Permalink

Dr. Kardasz -

Read the following report and consider:

1. Which typology of unethical behavior was exhibited by the accused?
     a. Why did you choose that typology?

2. Which decision making process might have prevented the accused from making the wrong decision?
     a. Why did you choose that decision making process?

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

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Bluffton, South Carolina - Ex-police captain accused of lying - Candidate for Bluffton council says training sessions were legitimate

By Ben Crites, The Island Packet, 11/14/06

Bluffton, South Carolina - A former Bluffton police captain who's running for Town Council was forced to resign over how he handled training for the department, according to a report released Monday.

The report, which sums up an internal investigation of Willis Latham, states that he lied about the amount of training that officers received and didn't conduct training sessions according to state law. Latham, 56, said Monday night that he didn't do anything wrong. He said he conducted training as it had always been conducted in smaller departments, and Chief David McAllister wanted him out.

Latham resigned April 4 after 10 years with the department, McAllister said. Latham told The Island Packet at the time that he wanted to spend more time on ministerial work and real estate.

The report, released in response to a public information request from the Packet, identifies six instances of Latham failing to properly record training, seven instances of not properly conducting training, 15 instances of falsifying official documents and one case of gross negligence.

According to the report, several officers who were required to receive training by watching videotapes said they never received the training. But training documents signed by Latham said they did. "I didn't lie on those documents," Latham said. "It was a trust issue. You tell the guys to watch the tapes. In the meantime, you got the paperwork ready."

Latham said because smaller departments can't afford to take officers off the road for training, they are given the tapes to watch at home during free time. But McAllister says Latham has admitted to signing documents that weren't true, and once an officer lies he can no longer work in law enforcement. "The integrity of the criminal justice system is based on the fact that police officers are truthful," the chief said. "The court has been very clear that if you lie, you can't be a police officer."

The report states that one training document indicates that a detective, whose name was not released, received 24 hours of training in one day. The detective said he had not received the training.

Latham, who has filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, said it was the officers who lied during the internal investigation, probably because they were afraid of losing their jobs. "Every officer knows they are responsible for getting their training down and watching the videotapes," he said. "If they didn't like the way we were doing it, we could have changed it."

Latham, Charlie Wetmore and Thomas G. Heyward are running for two open seats on Town Council in the Dec. 5 election. May Pro Tem Jacob Preston and Lucille Mitchell aren't seeking re-election. The events leading up to Latham's departure from the police department were not his motivation for running, he said. He wants to work on affordable housing in the area and help preserve the May River.

"I don't hold any animosity against McAllister or the Bluffton Police Department," he said. "I'm a team player. But I don't agree with the allegations and I wish they would have handled this another way."

Retrieved November 15, 2006 from http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/6230955p-5441785c.html

Posted by Dr. Kardasz at 12:18 PM | Permalink