Archive for the 'Coptalk' Category
The future of GPS and your Safety
We ran across this article the other day and it seems that GPS in the very near future might be able to assist you with your safety.
Honda’s new GPS warns drivers when they’re about to leave their car in places where it is likely to be stolen, broken into or otherwise vandalized. The new technology, available from today if you live in Japan, links to local police stations and provides crime ratings by location, and if area is particularly dangerous it issues an alert. No indication of when or if this’ll come to the US. Originally posted at: InventorSpot
Well as you can imagine this system brings to the surface a huge potential for argument of what and where “High Crime” neighborhoods are and what constitutes a “high Crime” neighborhood but as technology moves forward it seems we will be seeing much more integration with this type of technology to add to our arsenal of items to help keep us safer in today’s world.
Kids and Cell Phones……
When I left my house when I was young, my parents would tell me to check in every hour. I had no cell phone, no pager, no way to check in other than use the house phone at a friends house or run to the local payphone and pop in a dime. Then pagers came along, then cell phones, and nowadays there are camera phones, text messaging, and internet, just about everything is accessible to kids on their phones.
I believe giving a child a fully loaded cell phone is the worst decision a parent can make. A plain cell phone with limited minutes or a pre-paid cell phone “just for emergencies” is fine but kids don’t use the phones of today “just for emergencies”. Parents buy their kids phones that enable the kids to access everything the parents may ban at home. Here are just a few examples of what kids are doing with their cell phones:
Sending explicit photos of themselves or messages to their friends.
Sending threats or rumors to others that usually end up in a fight.
Filming fights at school or gang fights and posting them on the internet site called youtube or myspace.
Disobeying school rules by sending text messages to each other across the room, campus, or even across town.
Causing automobile accidents by trying to read or send text messages while driving.
Notify each other of where the party will be, who has drugs for sale, where to meet when they sneak out, all without parent’s knowledge.
Text to each other late at night without parent’s knowledge that the child is even awake.
Access the internet and inappropriate web sites including porn sites.
Read the whole article by clicking below:
Graffiti & Gangs
Graffiti & Gangs
Graffiti. More than pretty pictures; it can signal a war ready to erupt in your neighborhood. It used to be kids with cans of spray paint spraying their names, or I love Judy on the side of a building. But graffiti has become the written form of language for gangs. The graffiti can be information about past, current, or future gang activities. Graffiti can signal many things. It can mark turf boundaries, threaten another gang or rival member, announce a gangs presence in a particular area, and many other things including death threats. Some people can not “read the writing on the wall”, in other words, the graffiti is not written in common words or sentences we are all used to. Usually, a gang will use a few words, phrases, numbers or symbols to represent their gang. Gangs usually also tag their moniker names, nicknames given to members (such as happy, joker, etc.) Graffiti can be anything from a simple one-color scribble of a symbol or initials, to an elaborate multicolor mural on the side of a building.
Aside from the gangs for a moment, there are taggers. Taggers may work alone or in a group at times, but they usually are not confined to a particular area, and usually are not associated with the same kind of street violence that the street gangs are known for. Near my area, there was a group of “taggers” working the area. This type of “graffiti artist” usually is just that, graffiti artist. Usually not associated with a street gang, the taggers usually just spray pictures or spray their moniker names in as many places as they can, usually just for recognition. The ones near my area used a train barrier wall to display their pictures. One thing that I’ve noticed is that some of these taggers are actually pretty good. If they replaced the spray cans and concrete walls with paintbrushes and paper, they could probably earn a living doing the same thing that most call vandalism now. It takes millions of dollars each year to cover the graffiti now displayed almost everywhere you look. I have passed by a location several times in a night while on patrol without seeing anything suspicious, but when first light hits in the morning, the same area is covered with graffiti. Although taggers are usually annoying and bothersome, they are usually harmless, not wishing to become involved in the violence associated with the street gangs.
Street gang graffiti is the graffiti to be very concerned about. I’m sure you’ve driven down a road and saw some writing on a wall, overpass, building, and not thought much about it. What you saw, probably meant nothing to you. But that may have been a threat of impending death to a rival gang. A slap in the face is for a rival gang to come into an area and cross out or deface a rival gangs graffiti, replacing it with their own symbols. In my area, the biggest gangs are Nortenos and Surrenos. These are usually identified as Norte and Sur, or XIV and XIII painted on the side of fences, garages, houses, etc. There are a lot of small gangs which have formed using their own gang name, usually reflecting the area or location where they live, but they are almost all in alliance with one of the above sects. The most common colors for the gangs are red or blue. I have seen innocent people shot for simply unknowingly wearing red or blue in a rival gang’s area. A lot of gangs have become aware of increased penalties for gang association, and some have gone to wearing neutral colors. But they wear the red or blue underneath the neutral colors, and most carry a bandanna with their color of choice in a pocket, able to be quickly displayed when needed. It doesn’t take long for a quiet, peaceful neighborhood to turn into a loud, noisy, and dangerous place to live with gangs, comes drugs, noise, graffiti, and gunfire. It is common to go into a gang infested area and see graffiti covering almost everything, bullet holes in houses, cars, and people afraid to come out of their houses. The scary part is seeing children playing in the same area. Unfortunately, gang members have children too, raising them in this dangerous situation. How did it get this way? People would rather hide in their homes instead of getting involved in neighborhood watch groups, getting police assistance, and rallying together to rid the neighborhood of the problem. You cannot do it alone, and the police cannot do it alone. But together, a gang infested neighborhood can be cleaned up. It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen.
Chances are that you live in a nice, quiet neighborhood without a gang problem. But it could change, wherever you live. A gang or gang member is probably living a lot closer to you than you think. Maybe right next door. And it doesn’t take much for the gang to start hanging out at a particular member’s house.
The first thing you might notice is increased traffic, cars, and people to a particular house. Then you might start seeing graffiti in the area. Usually a gang banger wont tag their own house, but they will tag the area. Walls, fences, even the street or sidewalk. (Although I did see a group of wanna be’s tag their own house. Might as well paint a target on it since it was shot up within 2 days).
Gun Control:
Gun Control:
I’m not going to get into the political aspects of gun control. I’m going to tell you how I feel.
Should a family be allowed to have a firearm in the home for protection? Yes.
Should that family have proper training before being allowed to possess a firearm? Yes.
Should that family take EVERY step possible to avoid accidents in the home? YES!
AN ACCIDENTAL DISCHARGE CAUSING DEATH OR INJURY IS NOT ACCEPTABLE!
Read the text on illegal weapons. Sometimes I scratch my head over the laws we enforce. They just don’t make any sense. You can have a police type baton or club in your car, and you are guilty of a FELONY charge. You drive around with a loaded firearm under the seat of your car, and you’re guilty of a slap on the wrist MISDEMEANOR charge. What’s the logic here? Let me remind you that the caliber of person we stop with guns under the seat, are those who have usually been bed and breakfast residents of the local county jail or state prison.
You tell me if this disgust you. While I was assigned to my departments felony arrest team, several of us went to a reputable gun dealer in the bay area, because our department had just authorized us to carry semi-automatic pistols. Although we had to buy our own, they were a great improvement over the antique revolvers we had been issued in the academy.
We were in the store and I saw 4 of our local gang bangers also in the store. Buying guns! They looked at us and just smiled. 2 of these subjects were suspects in numerous gang murders that happened in our district, but investigators were still putting the pieces together. How could these low lives be buying guns you ask? No valid driver’s licenses or identification, no legitimate address, no employer, no proof of validity to life at all.
But the 3 girls that they had met at a party last week had agreed to buy the guns for the guys, in exchange for money or dope. 3 girls who had not yet been introduced into the criminal justice system. 3 girls who had I.D and addresses, (with mommy and daddy) that could be verified. But mommy and daddy would never know because technically these girls were of legal age.
This goes on everyday. Everywhere! It is too easy to buy guns. The laws are too lenient in regards to possessing and transporting guns. PERIOD.
If you do not think this is a problem that’s cool. You’ll get no lectures from me.
But when you see on the news about the drive-by shooting that happened in your area tonight, where a young child was innocently gunned down. Or if you can envision your wife or girlfriend being the victim of the real life tragedy that occurred near my home around Christmas time, then think again. (Re-read our intro regarding that freeway off-ramp murder!)
Every action has a reaction. Change the action, then you’ll change the reaction.
Our Lawmakers have to be made aware that these laws MUST BE greatly increased in Severity.
Get involved and voice your opinion. It’s your society. Unless of course you think it’s ok for murderers to be buying guns fraudulently in public. I’m hoping that you’ll agree with us, THAT IT’S NOT OK!
JL
The “Have a nice night” Checklist
The “Have a nice night” Checklist
Revised for 2008 - here is the link to the new “have a nice night” checklist for the fridge. A quick check of this list on a nightly basis will keep you safer.
Download the checklist: Click here - .pdf file
Here is the text we attach to the checklist:
Thanks for looking into trying the Coptalk “Have a nice night!” Safety Checklist.
There is nothing on this list that goes beyond using common sense – however, we get so busy in our lives we often “forget” to take care of certain matters. Unfortunately, the safety of your family and home is not something that can be over looked.
We suggest you post this weekly checklist on your refrigerator door, and review it before you retire for the evening. After a while, you probably won’t need the checklist at all, or you may find you will modify it for your family’s needs.
Print out extra copies for a few months use – or use a copy machine if you are not using a computer. As we have stated in the media, our book “CopTalk” was written because of the public’s view that there is never a cop around when you need one.
If you and your family take this extra effort to secure your safety, and the safety of your property – I assure you – you will be freeing up hundreds of Officers to be actively patrolling the streets, instead of spending hours and hours of report taking for crimes that didn’t need to happen.
Doors Locked? Check all your doors to your residence. The front door, the back door, the side door, the door leading to the garage, sliding glass doors and patio doors.
If it’s a door - make sure it’s locked and secure.
Read more by clicking the link below:
