Region 11 News FlashREGION 11 NEWSLETTER
President Bob Killen
July-August / September-October 2015
As many of you already know the August meeting scheduled was cancelled; and the next meeting is scheduled for November 18th (Wednesday) at Bru’s Room where Region 11 has reserved the back room. I hope that many more will be attendance than the last meeting.
All of course are invited to come and socialize with your fellow member and friends. Also any special police interest group (PBA, FOP, RETIRED POLICE ASSOCIATION) are most welcomed to post their future meetings in the Region 11 newsletter. Forward such information to me and it will be posted in our future newsletter(s); with the next newsletter for November/December 2015. At this time it is still unsure if the Region will once again be hosting its annual (free) picnic as last years turn out was very small. The Board will discuss that option that so much favor. More volunteers are especially needed for that event as well as other events. The last organized event was the Panthers Hockey game in which the Region lost money as only half the tickets were sold. The panthers have contacted me for their up coming season, but advised them it’s a matter that will be discussed at future IPA meetings to obtain feedback interest. I am personally a big fan of social events for the members and definitely would like to see many more; whatever they may be; and of course suggestions are most welcomed.
I like to thank our 1st VP, Dirk Lowry and our Secretary, Bob Hurley for their recent Region reports that I will work from to do the Region Report for the Nationals. Once again Region 11 will have Region 43 carry our Proxy for the NDC in October in San Antonio. As none of the Region 11 Board members are able to attend because of commitments during that time.
The Board has all the proposed By-Laws and has voted on them and the results of the BY- Laws from the NDC will be published in the next newsletter (Nov/Dec). Region 11 needs more members to step up to the plate and volunteer. At this time there are only 3 Board members, which is the designated minimum set by the Nationals. I like to see individuals volunteer their services for the board, until the next election (November 2016).
Anyone with comments and suggestions are encouraged to forward them to me, and yes any gripes (B47irishnd@aol.com) (954-650-3451). The USA Section membership is down by quite a alarming #; and that includes Region (down by 50). The USA has appox 6,000 members from 12,000 a few years ago. Have we lost interest in the greatest Police Organization in the world at the cheapest price..?
You’re Just a Cop. For What It’s Worth.
What will it take to see the truth about law enforcement? Our Law Enforcement Officers are being murdered as well as laying down their lives on duty every 58 hours. They are being shot while sitting at traffic lights. Executed in coffee shops and on their lunch breaks. Lured into ambushes and blown away while removing debris from the roadway, or while responding to an alarm call which was a set up. They are being killed in their own driveways, while off duty. They are being shot inside their own precincts. If celebrities or professional athletes were being targeted, shot and murdered to the tune of one dead every 58 hours there would be an instant demand for answers and protection. There would be a national cry to stop the violence before it impacted reality TV or sports center. Regardless of proven statistics which tell us otherwise, our officers continue to get blamed as a whole for the actions of less than one percent*. Regardless of common sense in a world where we have all encountered a bad mechanic, doctor, plumber, we blame ALL cops for the few. Regardless of countless corrupt priests, teachers, crooked judges and lawyers, we do not condemn their entire profession, it’s asinine to even consider. But with law enforcement, it is instant condemnation of all. What exactly does an officer have to do for you to say his/her life has worth? What will it take for you to see the family waiting at home, praying theirs isn’t the next officer down? What will it take for the citizens of this country to say without them, who will make these sacrifices? Will you? Are you ready to be the target? Are you ready to line up your family and friends and know one of you will not come home every other day? Our law enforcement officers are humans. When will it be enough to say something’s got to give? Even for those who hate the police….you’ll be the first to dial 911 when you need them and you will expect them to run lights blazing to your rescue, after all, you pay their salary. What happens when they say, sorry, it’s too dangerous, you’re on your own. You hate us anyway, so do as you see fit. YOU stand in front of the bullet and protect your own family. You pry your mangled wife out of the wreckage you caused while drunk and give her CPR in front of your children.
You stand in the pouring rain in the dead of night on an expressway and protect your own car from being hit by a semi until the tow truck gets there. You unlock your own car you left your keys in. You change your own tire when 8 months pregnant in 102 degree heat. You stand in front of your own abusive husband and his weapon and his fist and tell him to leave your home without harming you. You get in your own car and race to stop someone who stole from you or hit your car a few miles back. You enter your neighborhood store and approach a masked man with a shotgun and reason with him not to kill you or those in the store. You go knock on the neighbor’s door who has a warrant, a house full of weapons and a sign on the door that says “don’t tread on me”. You watch for drunks out of control on the highway in an ice storm. You pray they don’t kill you. You respond to suicide calls and cut teenagers from makeshift nooses in their garages or scrape their brain matter out of the soles of your boots. You tell their parents what happened while they were out socializing, again. You walk into a house with no power in 105 degree heat containing the bodies of an entire family, including babies, now maggot infested and unidentifiable by anything other than the stench of rotten death. You walk up to cars who have nearly run you off the road only to be met with a gun in your face and no time to react. You try and coax a brutally beaten and savagely raped teenager the same age as your own daughter out of the closet where she was left to die as she holds a knife to her own throat. You convince her tomorrow will be better. You hate the police? You have no use for them? You think they’re worthless? Do it yourself. Worry about it all on your own. You surely can do better. You surely are wiser than those lazy, corrupt, doughnut eating fools you don’t give the time of day to when you hear they were gunned down while you went on about your business. Please, give them a rest and do it yourself. You might want to hug your family and have your affairs in order before you head out, there’s a very real chance you’ll never make it home, of course that’s no big deal….you signed up for that, and my tax dollars allow me to ignore your worth. After all, you’re just a cop. Oh, and you sure as hell better do it all perfectly, every single time. After all, you’re not human anymore. You’re just a cop. No one cares if you get it right…but you sure as hell better never get it wrong…because a good cop who did get it right will get his head blown off in an entirely different state if you screw up. That goes for you too, by the way. Better pray all 740,000 do right by that badge today, if not… It’s all on you, because all cops are bad cops, right?
Melissa Littles, Founder TPWL© 2014 The Police Wife Life, LLC *statistics based on FBI full year crime data reports based on latest three full years ended in 2012. This was originally published on 9/8/2014 and is reprinted with permission. – See more at: http://bethepeopletv.com/youre-just-cop-worth/#sthash.yaW8S6a3.F9lflAAR.dpuf
Summary
Since President Obama’s election the number of concealed handgun permits has soared, growing from 4.6 million in 2007 to over 12.8 million this year. Among the findings in our report:
In Florida and Texas, permit holders are convicted of misdemeanors or felonies at one- sixth the rate that police officers are convicted.
This is video from the dash cameras of the two deputies involved in a shooting at the Winn Dixie in Gainesville. They were assisting the Gainesville Police Department with the robbery of the US Post Office. FDLE investigated the shooting and the deputies were cleared by the State Attorney.
*The videos have been edited to compress the time.
From News4Jax: The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office released dash cam video showing the moments two deputies shot an armed robbery suspect 12 times on May 12 in Gainesville. According to police, 46-year-old Yowab Ben-Israel had pulled a gun and robbed the Post Office on North Main Street, then fled the area on a bicycle with an undisclosed amount of cash. Ben-Israel was taken to UF Health/Shands in stable condition. He has recovered and is in the Alachua County jail.
Click here: GRAPHIC: Sheriff Releases Video of Cops Shooting Black Man – NSFW – Breaking911
Split second decision time. The robber had his gun out and pointed before the police did.
JULY:
Robert Benuchi; Chris Bezio; Matt Boyd; George Franklin; Pete Geary; Art King; Dirk Lowry; Ron Myslinski; Craig Laufer; Ed Go;dbacht; A. Harlo
AUGUST:
D. Batley; Alex Barney; Russell Berke; Rich Koehn; D. Owens; John Phillips; William Sandman III; Rick Schulze; Bryon Sullivan; James Wakeup; Charles Snodgrass; Rich Slisher; Paul Yeager
SEPTEMBER:
Jay Alpert; Ed Mottola; Ribert Richter; Joe Squicdartul; Robert Furman; Wilfred Garrett Jr.; Rich Jessup; Hpward Gillespie; Nick Jacobs; Mike Lewis; T. Johnson; Tom McAndrews;
OCTOBER:
Tony Collier; Luis Gonzalez; Dave Jables; Francisco Trujillo; Kevin Tyrie; Trak Pascher; Art Peterson.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL ABOVE. If your name is NOT on the list of the above month(s) and/or name is spelled wrong.; kindly send an email to make to make it correct. And an apology if is.
Info for the guys that have, or are considering getting the the HR 218 (LEOSA).
It could be stated they should keep a copy of this with them in the vehicle when traveling out of state for those coppers who have no idea what the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act is. http://le.nra.org/leosa/frequently-asked-questions.aspx
“signature required” CitationFor those unaware, the delivery of traffic citations to offenders for the most part, only requires the officer to indicate the citation was delivered to the person cited and the officer giving a copy of the citation to that person. There is an exception to that. One of the examples of a “signature required” citation is speeding 30 mph or over, which requires a mandatory court hearing. If you fail to get a signature for the qualifying citation(s), it will be grounds to dismiss the citation.
Please read below.
318.14 Noncriminal traffic infractions; exception; procedures.—
(1) Except as provided in ss. 318.17 and 320.07(3)(c), any person cited for a violation of chapter 316, s.320.0605, s. 320.07(3)(a) or (b), s. 322.065, s. 322.15(1), s. 322.16(2) or (3), s. 322.1615, s. 322.19, or s.1006.66(3) is charged with a noncriminal infraction and must be cited for such an infraction and cited to appear before an official. If another person dies as a result of the noncriminal infraction, the person cited may be required to perform 120 community service hours under s. 316.027(4), in addition to any other penalties.
(2) Except as provided in ss. 316.1001(2) and 316.0083, any person cited for a violation requiring a “mandatory hearing” listed in s. 318.19 or any other criminal traffic violation listed in chapter 316 must sign and accept a citation indicating a promise to appear. The officer may indicate on the traffic citation the time and location of the scheduled hearing and must indicate the applicable civil penalty established in s. 318.18. For all other infractions under this section, except for infractions under s.316.1001, the officer must certify by electronic, electronic facsimile or written signature that the citation was delivered to the person cited. This certification is prima facie evidence that the person cited was served with the citation.
(3) Any person who willfully refuses to accept and sign a summons as provided in subsection (2) commits a misdemeanor of the second degree.
The attached photos are of an object found on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks near Knox Ave. in St. Louis, MO. The object is a soda straw with a .380 cartridge taped to it with a marble or a ball bearing taped to the back of the cartridge. It appears that the device is made to throw detonating the cartridge. These type devices have been used against riot police and are nicknamed CROTCH BUSTERS. The straw gives the device better flight when thrown. Another form of this device is a 12 gauge shotgun shell with a cardboard tube tapped over the discharge end of the shell, which has a ball bearing or marble tapped over the shell?s primer. When thrown the heavy end strikes the ground first causing the primer to be struck and discharging the shell. Without a barrel to restrict the shot the shell becomes a homemade grenade. The device is being kept at the BNSF police office.
This may look familiar as we have issued this bulletin previously. Please review as a reminder.
Some of the key points are:
You respond to a person down in auto. You locate a car in the empty parking lot of a business and see a person inside who appears to be asleep or unconscious. You walk up to the car and knock on the window. The motorist does not respond to your knock on the window. What action do you take? Will you hurry to make access? You make access, a rush of warm air comes out of the vehicle and you smell a sharp odor. You have just become a victim, and have been exposed to hydrogen sulfide, a possibly fatal gas.
What should you have done differently? How should you respond to this type of incident?
Get away from the “IF” this happens I would… Mentally prepare by adopting the WHEN, this happens, Iwill…
1. Do not become complacent! Your response should be similar on every call.
2. Be well trained, know your job, do your job.
3. Start your size-up from the time a call is dispatched. Mentally prepare.
4. Control the scene.
5. Do not go rushing in.
6. Survey the scene. Does the scene look routine? Do you see anything unusual? (Example: a note on the window, containers inside the vehicle, taped vents)
7. Develop a plan of action and coordinate activities.
Some basic practices we should review.
When you are sent to an alarm, disturbance, suspicious event, any call where you have to approach a structure, pre-plan where you will park your vehicle. We all know it’s not safe to park in front of the location. If you find yourself mistakenly parked in front, adjust. Back up, drive past and get out of the clear line of danger. Reinforce your situational awareness: No matter what you are doing or who you‘re talking with, your situational awareness is critical so you can respond in a moment’s notice. Don’t place yourself in a vulnerable spot, whether you’re parked in your patrol car, speaking with a citizen or stopped at an intersection. Watch the person you are speaking with, scan the area, formulate a strategic response if attacked, recognize an escape route, recognize ambush points and repeat this cycle. This should be a loop cycled through your brain as you conduct everything you do while on duty. Probably the single most contributing cause of officer assaults and deaths is complacency. Once we allow this monster to seep into our routine tasks, it begins to saturate into every part of our performance until it becomes a point of exposure. Complacency affects all of us at some point in our careers, sometimes sooner than later, but it does manage to enter our mindset and performance eventually and we must be aware of it. Continue to practice safe police work. For instance, responding to alarm calls, domestics, etc. should be mandatory 2 officers, period. If you let up once, you’ll let up again. And the more it happens, the more it’s expected from other officers. What if this is “that” call? Stay alert.
Broward Sheriff’s Office Healthcare Clinic NOW OPEN to all BSO employees with BSO Coventry Group Health Insurance dependents 18 years or older 100 NW 82nd Avenue, Suite 201 Plantation, FL 33324
Hours of operation: Monday Friday 8:30 am – 5:00 pm Phone Number for appointments: 954.320.2877
ADVANTAGES of using BSO Healthcare Clinic:
SAME DAY APPOINTMENTS available
No copays, deductibles or out of pocket expenses apply
On site digital x-rays Convenient lab drawn, urinalysis, and glucose testing performed on site
Annual physicals Minor surgical procedures Electrocardiogram (EKG) Vaccines (Flu, Pneumonia, Tetanus etc.) PPD (Tuberculosis Testing) Wound Care (Cuts, Abrasions, Burns, and Rashes) Diabetes, hypertension, thyroid disease, respiratory illnesses (COPD, asthma, etc.) management Vision screening Dedicated BSO Coventry Insurance Representatives (located in BSO PSB – Employee Benefits Office): 954.321.4329 954.321.4967
Generally, police must have a warrant to conduct a search, unless the search falls under a constitutional exception to the warrant requirement. One such exception is voluntary consent. In the recent case of Thompson v. State, the issue was whether consent to search had been given, but often the issue is whether consent was given voluntarily. The Third District recently considered whether a trial judge erred in finding that consent had not been voluntarily given, even though the police had not been rude or aggressive, in the case of State v. Hall.
The police in Hall were on a “be on the lookout” alert (“BOLO”) for two burglary suspects and a vehicle when they discovered a car parked in a driveway about a mile from the burglary and two men meeting the description of the suspects. Three police cars pulled up, with one blocking the driveway. Several officers, wearing clothing that identified them as police officers, got out of the vehicles. They all had holstered guns.
The officers testified that the men did not seem nervous when they arrived. One of the men was the homeowner, and the other man owned the vehicle in the driveway. While one of the officers talked to the homeowner, some of the others patted down the vehicle owner, took his keys, and asked to search his car. The man agreed to the search but was upset. Although two officers found nothing when they searched the car, a third officer found a taser and a small bag of rock cocaine. The vehicle owner was charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
The police officers testified that they stopped because of the BOLO and they had been searching for some jewelry boxes taken during the burglary. The defendant agreed that the stop was legitimate but argued that his consent to search his vehicle had not been voluntarily given. The homeowner testified on behalf of the defendant. He stated that they had submitted to the search because there were three or four police cars, one of them blocking the driveway, and several police officers present. The officers had taken the men’s identification cards and keys. Although the homeowner testified that the officers had not been rude or aggressive, he stated he did not feel that he was free to leave or go inside his home, or refuse to do what they asked. The trial court found that the stop had been justified but that the consent to the search was not voluntarily given. In considering the totality of the circumstances, the trial court found that a reasonable person would not have believed he or she was free to leave or refuse the police request. The court granted a motion to suppress the evidence found in the search of the car, and the State appealed.
To determine if consent is voluntary, the court must consider the totality of the circumstances. An encounter is not consensual if a reasonable person in those circumstances would not feel free to leave. The burden is on the State to prove that consent was freely and voluntarily given. Here, although the police did not verbally or physically threaten the men or otherwise act aggressively, the circumstances were coercive. There were several police cars. One of the cars blocked the driveway. The officers patted down both men and took their IDs and keys. They did not find anything in the car until they searched it a third time. The appeals court determined that, under the totality of the circumstances, it could not find that the defendant would have felt free to leave or refuse the request. The appeals court affirmed the trial court’s order granting the motion to suppress the evidence. The courts protect defendants by excluding evidence obtained through unconstitutional searches. As this case shows, a search can be improper even when the person agreed to it, if that person reasonably believed that he or she was not free to leave or free to refuse.
Guns This explains why there has never been an attempt on Obama.
Clearly, there is a problem with Democrats and guns. Not one NRA member, Tea Party member, or Republican conservative was involved in any of these shootings and murders.
SOLUTION: It should be illegal for Democrats to own guns. …
Best idea I’ve heard to date!