Defend University Newsletter April 12, 2000

Welcome Defend University members. Thank you for subscribing to the
newsletter.  Defend U. will be adding a form for surveying visitors to see
which additional information and news is of most interest.

In addition, we are looking at adding QuickTime movies to the campus.
Standby for those.

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US BORDER PATROL IS HIRING:

The Border Patrol is currently hiring new agents.  A $2,000 sign in bonus
had been authorized.  For information, interested individuals may call
toll free 800-238-1945, or www.usborderpatrol.gov. First duty stations are
located along the U.S.-Mexico border.  Any questions can be sent to
usbp@mail.com. To apply online for an application package:
www.usajobs.opm.gov (Go to Border Patrol Online Application).

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HUNGRYMINDS.COM TAPS PARKER

Hungryminds.com, a major learning portal on the Web, has named Brad Parker
as its expert guide for the subject of self-defense.  There are a number
of articles which have already been completed and will be appearing on the
site.  In addition, there is a forum for the discussion of self-defense
subjects as well as links to other recommended sources.  You can reach the
site at http://www.hungryminds.com/subjectexperts/hlt016/

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MORE HOMICIDES GO UNSOLVED EVEN AS CRIME RATE DROPS

The drop in crime, which has been well-publicized in the past few years,
has pushed the homicide rate to its lowest level in three decades. Yet the
solution rate for murder has failed to make a similar dramatic
improvement. Three decades ago, 86% of all murders were solved. In 1998,
just 69% were cleared.  In other words, three times in 10, someone gets
away with murder.  Go to http://www.defendu.com/homicide.htm for more info.

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SUSPECT TRIES TO HIDE – NEAR 131 POLICE DOGS

An alleged deadbeat dad fled two detectives trying to serve him an arrest
warrant ran right into 131 police dogs and their handlers working at a
police dog competition nearby.  Detectives Dave Burr and James Searle of
the Atlantic County Sheriff's Department Fugitive Squad first tried to
serve 31-year-old James Cooper with an arrest warrant for owing $2,780 in
back child support.   Cooper bolted out a back window Searle and Burr in
pursuit. Once Cooper dodged into a wooded area, the detectives called on
the town’s K-9 unit -- which, along with dogs and handlers from across the
country and Canada, was a half-mile away competing in the annual United
States Police Canine Association National Field Trials. 

Needless to say, Cooper was quickly caught.  The K-9 credited for the
collar, Samson, received no extra points in the competition for nabbing
the fugitive. 

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CARJACKER DRAGS BOY TO DEATH 

A carjacker in Independence, Missouri, killed a 6-year-old boy when the
boy, entangled in a seat belt, was dragged to death outside of the stolen
car as it sped down a highway.  

Six-year-old Jake D. Robel of Blue Springs died before the driver of the
Chevrolet Blazer could be stopped by pursuing motorists. Witnesses said
the chase reached speeds of 80 mph. 

Robel’s mother left the car running while she went inside a sandwich shop.
The carjacker jumped into the Blazer and pushed the boy out of the car.
Motorists along Interstate 70 east of Kansas City saw the little boy
tangled in the belt outside of the Blazer and attempted to stop the
vehicle. The driver was finally stopped when four men in two trucks and a
car surrounded the Blazer at a stoplight.  The driver allegedly got out of
the vehicle, saw Jake's body, then jumped back in and tried to drive away.
Witnesses said the men wrestled the suspect to the ground and waited for
police to arrive; they also tied the suspect's legs with a rope when he
tried to flee. 

Moral of the story: please remember to lock your car doors and make sure
your children are the last items to be loaded when getting in the car and
the first items to come out when getting out of the car.

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COLUMBINE KILLERS HAD 95 BOMBS

The Associated Press has reported that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold  were
armed with 95 explosive devices when they launched their attack on
Columbine High School last spring -- a much larger arsenal than originally
reported. 

The explosives, enough to wipe out the school and hundreds of students,
included 48 carbon dioxide bombs, 27 pipe bombs and 11 1.5-gallon propane
containers. Most of the bombs did not explode.  The two Columbine seniors
also had seven devices with 40-plus gallons of flammable liquid and two
duffel bags containing 20-pound liquefied-petroleum gas tanks. 

These kids were so sophisticated that they had placed pipe bombs elsewhere
in the community to divert police.  These failed to detonate, although one
went off after a member of a survey crew kicked it. The two murderers also
placed bombs inside the school, in their homes and in their own cars,
parked in the school's lot. 

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 THE REAL CROCODILE DUNDEE KILLED IN GUNBATTLE WITH POLICE

In Darwin, Australia, the guy who inspired the movie character Crocodile
Dundee has been killed in a shootout with police.

Apparently, the guy, Rodney William Ansell, 44, was somewhat of a nut case
who might have been despondent because he did not reap many of the
benefits from the successful film based loosely on his exploits.  From a
concealed position along a highway, he ambushed and killed Sgt. Glen
Huitson.  Another officer returned fire, killing Ansell.  His barefoot
body was found with two high-powered rifles.

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 'Reverse 911' System Alerts Residents to Danger

In some parts of the country, there is a telephone system, called a
“reverse 911” system, which allows police to call citizens and alert them
to danger in their neighborhood.  Read more about it at
www.defendu.com/reverse.htm.

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Secret Service: School shooters defy 'profiling' Like assassins, threats
rarely made 
By Tamara HenryUSA TODAY 
SAN FRANCISCO -- Just two weeks before the first anniversary of the
Columbine High School shootings, Secret Service experts say the nation's
schools might be basing security efforts on misconceptions about which
students are most likely to turn violent. 
In a meeting here Thursday with school safety officials from across the
country, the Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center shared
early results from an ongoing study of 40 cases of school violence or
shootings over the past 20 years. 
Among findings so far: Students who are prone to violence tend not to make
explicit threats but do communicate their intent to peers. They
consistently keep adults out of the loop. And like political assassins,
there is no single profile of a school shooter. This could slow school
efforts to identify problems. 
Bryan Vossekuil, executive director of the center, said school shootings
share some of the same myths the Secret Service has discovered in its
studies of political assassinations. Assassins, the agency has found,
share no common demographic profile; are not always mentally ill or
deranged; and rarely make direct threats before attacks. 
Robert Fein, a psychologist with the Secret Service center, said the study
of violence-prone students has found that the students had been harassed,
and some sought help from school officials. 
The study also has found that none of the friends who knew of the plans
told an adult. 
Though it doesn't seem that medication played a role in the students'
decision to become violent, Fein said the students who became violent had
struggled with depression. 

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