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Guns likely for pilots by spring
 
It looks like pilots could start carrying guns into the cockpits as early as this spring as protection against terror attacks, it is expected that fewer than half will do so.

The homeland security bill that President Bush signed includes a provision allowing pilots on passenger planes to carry weapons if they're qualified and trained. The Allied Pilots Association expects more than 30,000 of the 100,000 U.S. airline pilots will volunteer to become "federal flight deck officers." Although most of the pilot unions have resisted the measure, polls show most Americans want pilots to carry weapons. No federal air marshal has ever fired a weapon on a plane, according to the Transportation Security Administration, created by Congress after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

That agency was given broad authority to set standards, develop a training program and write rules for what kind of weapons will be used. The new law also requires airlines to train the flight crew in self-defense.  

Have a plan for the dog

Now on the Defend University site is a story regarding an attack by a dog I encountered while on a Warrants detail that originally appeared in the national magazine “Guns and Weapons for Law Enforcement”.  The Nov. 2002 issue titled the story as “A Backup’sNightmare: A Pit Bull’s Got Your Partner, Make the Shot – Miss the Bystander!”  Click here for the full story.

No kidding: Identity theft real and could hit you

The recent uncovering of a $2.7 million East Coast identity-theft ring, reinforces the fact that identity theft is real, and a real threat to you.

The ID-theft ring broken up by the FBI involved a help-desk operator at a New York software company that catered to banks and other businesses. The crook obtained passwords used by the firm's corporate clients and used these to obtain and sell credit reports to at least 20 people of Nigerian descent.

Inside jobs are one of the big ways thieves steal sensitive information like account numbers and Social Security numbers to make fraudulent purchases, get into bank accounts or take out loans in your name. But sensitive information also can be obtained from more mundane sources like stolen wallets and purses and unshredded documents found in the trash.  I’ve seen one particular case where a political candidate who lost in the primaries simply dumped thousands and thousands of campaign contribution forms in a commercial dumpster.  These forms included an incredible amount of financial information from the poor slobs that contributed to her campaign.  This info included checking account numbers along with corresponding Social Security numbers which are routinely used to verify the voting roles.  Sheesh!

Burglaries and thefts of computers containing sensitive customer information at mortgage companies is a new problem being reported.  So are fraudulent cell phone accounts which are created online with your information.

Fraudulent use of credit cards, bank accounts and other foul play is often made possible by stolen mail, which is a major problem in community mailboxes in many new housing developments. 

One of the problems is that even if you take precautions, there are so many businesses, government agencies and other entities that have your information, it's virtually impossible for anyone to fully protect it.   And, like the politician noted above, many don’t safeguard your information.

Experts say a key way to protect yourself  is to order credit reports every six months and verify that the information on them is accurate.

Protect your trash and your mail

As noted in the story above, your trash can be a good source of personal and financial information on you.  I’ve seen a number of identity theft cases that are meth-heads diving through trash from houses and rifling mailboxes to steal information. 

In your trash you have tons of information floating around, particularly in the form of those unsolicited credit card applications and old bills and bank statements.  In your mailbox, you have both invoices from stores where you have accounts as well as checks you’re sending out to pay bills.  Your checks get “washed” and then are used to make fraudulent purchases.  If the check is paid out to something like the utility company, chances are you won’t know it has been stolen for at least a month when the utility sends you a late notice.

Surprisingly, your trash is not considered private anymore once you put it out on the curb.  When your can is on your side yard it is legally considered private property, but on the curb, it is considered city – therefore public – property.   You can either wait to put it out until right before pick up or you can make sure you destroy or shred any and all personal and financial correspondence.  Even the subscription labels on the front of your magazines reveal your name and address – and sometimes that’s enough to get a shrewd con man into your personal life.

For your mail, I would suggest that you mail all of your items in one of the secure U.S. Post Office mail boxes.  Don’t leave your outgoing mail in your mailbox or in one of those flimsy community boxes.  Thieves just pry off the back of the entire community box.  My strongest suggestion would be to have a mail forwarding service or to get a box somewhere other than your house.  Use that mail box address on all your correspondence.

In South L.A. what you say or how you look could get you killed

Residents here watch the smallest detail, for the wrong word or clothing can spark a gang killing.  

With gangs, there is a code that says that no insult can be ignored or left unanswered.  And an “insult” can be where you go, what you wear, what you say, even how loudly you play your car stereo.

Residents here have these tips for surviving:

• Don’t leave your house at night;
• If you hear gunfire, drop to the ground and get away from windows;
• Don't wear blue and red;
• Wear black or gray; neutral colors that will not attract attention;
• Don’t wear loud colors that draw attention;
• Don’t wear expensive athletic shoes;
• Don’t wear jewelry;
• Don’t take side streets;
• Stay on major thoroughfares;
• Don’t stare at someone or look too hard at them;
• Watch your slang in certain neighborhoods;
• Don’t play your car stereo too loud so that it might drown out someone else’s;
• Don’t get out of your car until there are no vehicles moving on the street;
• Don’t stand around on street corners or on sidewalks in front of parties;

Thankfully, most everywhere else you can name on the planet (with notable exceptions like Afghanistan, Columbia, etc.) is safer than South L.A. 

Deaths of law enforcers way up

Sept. 11, 2001, was the single deadliest day in the history of U.S. law enforcement when 72 officers were killed. Yet last year almost as many died in non-terrorist incidents as violence against U.S. police rose to a four-year high.

Besides those killed on Sept. 11, 70 other law enforcement officers were killed by criminals around the country in 2001, the highest number since 1997 and a 37 percent increase over the 51 slain in 2000.

A FBI report says seven officers were killed simply because they were police officers. Seven other killings involved cars used as weapons, including three officers who were dragged to death, two who were intentionally run down and two whose cars were rammed by other vehicles.

Of the non-terror cases, 73 suspects were identified and 52 arrested, although the statistics do not show whether they were convicted of a crime.

Ten suspects were shot and killed, two by officers who later died themselves. Five assailants killed themselves.

The 142 law enforcement killings occurred in 29 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Give Teens and Juveniles a Wary Eye

Don’t ever underestimate the power of a group of juveniles or teens.  You might think because you are older, bigger, or stronger, that youths will automatically back down.  You might think that they should respect you.  You might be making a fatal mistake.

Take the “wilding” in New York’s Central Park a few years ago where a female jogger was chased down, gang raped and then beat over the head with a pipe.

Or another example in October where, in Milwaukee, a mob of youths used everything from broomsticks to strollers to bludgeon a man to death, then wandered through the neighborhood to eat fried chicken and get rid of evidence.

The horrific beating death of Charlie Young Jr., 36, was an example of how the numbers, athleticism and viciousness of a group of male teens can take a relatively minor incident and turn it into a homicide.

Young confronted a youth that had hit him with an egg.  The confrontation escalated to where Young hit the teen in the mouth, knocking out a tooth.   

Word spread in the neighborhood of the incident and a group gathered, attacking Young with metal poles and 2x4s and other objects.  They dragged him onto the porch and continued pounding on him, stomping on his head.

 A 16-year-old told police how he jumped back each time he struck Young with a shovel handle so the blood wouldn't get on his clothes. Eventually, the shovel handle split in two as he bashed Young over the head with it.  He said he stopped on his way home to lift up a sewer cover and dump his shoes below. Two brothers say they went home together and ate fried chicken as they watched TV.

One of the boys said he held Young in a wrestling move he learned on Smackdown Wrestling, called a "cripple cross face hold," so the others could beat Young in the face. (And John McCain worries about the UFC's effect on kids...)

 The youngest member of the group arrested was 13 years old.

 I have seen studies that show that assaults are more likely to escalate into homicides when groups of juveniles are involved.  The moral of these stories is don’t let your guard down because they are “just kids”. 

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