TSA's new policelike badges a sore point with real cops

TSA's new policelike badges a sore point with real cops
By Thomas Frank, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Screeners at the nation's airport checkpoints are going to start wearing police-style badges — but real officers aren't too happy about it.

Some sworn officers fear airline passengers will mistake screeners for law-enforcement officials with arrest powers.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is starting to equip its 48,000 screeners with 3-inch-by-2-inch, silver-colored, copper and zinc badges that will be worn on new royal-blue police-style shirts.

The attire aims to convey an image of authority to passengers, who have harassed, pushed and in a few instances punched screeners. "Some of our officers aren't respected," TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe said.

Actual airport police, who carry guns and have arrest powers, worry that their own authority will be undercut by screeners who look like police. Every major airport has its own police department or is patrolled by local police.

"A lot of cops at airports are not real thrilled about it," said Duane McGray of the Airport Law Enforcement Agencies Network, an airport police association. "It's another way of saying (to airport police), 'You're not important.' "

Network president Paul Mason, chief of the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport police, worries that passengers will mistake badge-wearing screeners for police and expect them to handle crimes. "There are going to be some growing pains on the part of the (screeners) and police," he said.

Agencies often give badges to workers who aren't law-enforcement officers. At the TSA, badges are carried by 1,200 inspectors who check that airlines, airports and others comply with security rules. The Environmental Protection Agency gives badges to its 250 workers charged with overseeing cleanups of oil spills and other hazardous releases, EPA spokeswoman Roxanne Smith said.

Airport screeners will get badges after finishing a two-day training program covering issues related to badges as well as how to talk to passengers in a calming manner. Unlike police, who often are required to carry their badges while off-duty, screeners will be barred from wearing them when they are not working, TSA Deputy Administrator Gale Rossides said.

"We coupled the badges with the communications training to make it clear to our officers that they're there to facilitate our passengers," Rossides said. She said the TSA has no interest in giving screeners law-enforcement power.

In April, Baltimore-Washington International Airport screeners became the first to get badges and blue shirts, which replace white shirts adorned with a yellow TSA patch. Screeners at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport will get them today.

A.J. Castilla, a screener at Boston's Logan Airport and a spokesman for a screeners union, is eager to get a badge. "It'll go a long way to enhance the respect of this workforce," he said.

2009 Amtrak Police Inuagural Badges?

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Amtrak Officer Shot In Foot With Own Gun During Scuffle

Amtrak Officer Shot In Foot With Own Gun During Scuffle


PHILADELPHIA -- A woman was in custody Sunday night in connection with the shooting of an Amtrak officer, NBC 10 reported.

The officer was shot in the foot by his own weapon, according to police. The shooting happened shortly before noon Sunday at a McDonald's restaurant inside 30th Street station.

A witness said a woman who appeared to be homeless had asked for a refill on her coffee. Workers said she had been there for hours and needed to pay for another one.

Police were called, and when an Amtrak officer arrived, the officer got into a scuffle with the woman, police said.

The officer was taken to Hahnemann University Hospital, where he is listed in stable condition.

German police dogs to wear shoes

Police dogs in the western city of Duesseldorf will no longer get their feet dirty when on patrol — the entire dog unit will soon be equipped with blue plastic fiber shoes, a police spokesman said Monday.

"All 20 of our police dogs — German and Belgian shepherds — are currently being trained to walk in these shoes," Andre Hartwich said. "I'm not sure they like it, but they'll have to get used to it."

The unusual footwear is not a fashion statement, Hartwich said, but rather a necessity due to the high rate of paw injuries on duty. Especially in the city's historical old town — famous for both its pubs and drunken revelers — the dogs often step into broken beer bottles.

"Even the street-cleaning doesn't manage to remove all the glass pieces from between the streets' cobble stones," Hartwich said, adding that the dogs frequently get injured by little pieces sticking deep in their paws.

The dogs will start wearing the shoes this spring but only during operations that demand special foot protection. The shoes comes in sizes small, medium and large and were ordered in blue to match the officers uniforms, Hartwich said.

"Now we just have to teach the dogs how to tie their shoes," he joked.

Another reason to not take the train

Another reason to not take the train


Another reason to not take the train
Amtrack now will conduct random baggage screening or you’re off the train
By Haywood Brewster
Weekly Press Staff
In this age of growing traveler inconvenience and loss of privacy, Amtrak has announced the deployment of what it calls its new specialized Amtrak Mobile Security Team. This "A" team will patrol stations and trains and randomly inspect passenger baggage. The Mobile Security Team is on top of ongoing patrols already in place by Amtrak, which are claims is to enhance the safety and security of passenger rail travel.  The deployment of the Mobile Security Team and the launch of random baggage inspection are supposed to further steps in Amtrak’s ongoing efforts to strengthen rail security as a means to minimize the risk of terrorist threats.  The Mobile Security Teams will ultimately be deployed nationwide.

"Keeping our customers and employees safe remains our priority," said Alex Kummant, Amtrak president and chief executive officer. "These new procedures will strengthen Amtrak’s overall security, and they are vital in our efforts to deter, detect, and prevent a terrorist incident on the rail system,"

Random baggage inspections have been found to be an effective security tool for deterring individuals who may pose a threat.  Since predictable security can be exploited, this random screening and patrols will be unpredictable and will appear at varied times and stations.

It should be known that Amtrack admits that these new measures are not in response to any new or particular threat. And they are assuring the public that they are in full coordination with the Department of Homeland Security. 

The Mobile Security Team’s squads may consist of armed specialized Amtrak police, explosives-detecting K-9 units and armed counter-terrorism special agents in tactical uniforms.  They will screen passengers, randomly inspect baggage and patrol stations.  These squads also may sweep through trains using K-9 units.

"The screening and mobile units were developed as part of Amtrak’s working hand-in-hand with domestic and international counter-terrorism agencies and experts to continually fortify Amtrak’s safety and security practices," said William Rooney, Amtrak vice president, Security Strategy and Special Operations. "Random inspections and armed special agent patrols are a prudent and necessary security enhancement and are similar to programs in New York, Boston, Madrid and London," Rooney stated.    

Passengers will have the right to refuse inspection.  However, if they do so, they will not be permitted to board the train and will be offered a ticket refund. 

The Mobile Security Team’s procedures will not affect train schedules.  Random passenger baggage inspection is a quick process and typically will take less than a minute.  The randomly selected boarding passengers can expect the Mobile Security Team to move swiftly and in a minimally intrusive manner to ensure passenger travel time is not affected.

The new procedures are an enhancement to strategic security measures already in place such as: Uniformed police and plain-clothes officers on trains and in stations, Security cameras, Random identification checks, "See Something, Say Something," passenger education program to promote involvement and raise vigilance. Investments in state-of-the-art security technology, Security awareness training for the entire Amtrak workforce and Behind-the-scenes activities that remain undisclosed. Information about the new procedures is available in selected stations, ticket counters, and on trains.

California Department May Rethink Taser Ban

California Department May Rethink Taser Ban

KRISTIN BENDER, The Oakland Tribune, Calif.
The Oakland Tribune (California)


Feb. 19--BERKELEY -- More than 450 police departments in California have equipped their officers with Tasers.

Berkeley isn't one of them.

But in the aftermath of a deadly shooting of a South Berkeley woman by a Berkeley police officer, city leaders said they may rethink their ban on the electroshock weapon.

"I think it's too bad that our police don't have other methods to subdue people," Councilmember Betty Olds said.

Anita Gay, 51, was fatally shot by Officer Rashawn Cummings outside her home in the 1700 block of Ward Street about 8 p.m. Saturday after police say she wielded a kitchen knife at an officer and family members. She died at the scene. Witnesses say she was shot in the back, but police brass say they are awaiting an autopsy report from the Alameda County Coroner, expected later this week, before releasing specifics about the shooting.

The officer fired his weapon at least twice, said police spokeswoman Sgt. Mary Kusmiss.

Based on a preliminary investigation, after reviewing three witness statements and the statement of the officer, Kusmiss said Monday "it appears the officer's actions were justified."

The officer, who has been on the force for five years, is on paid administrative leave while internal affairs conducts an investigation, which could take a week or longer.

As family members and friends grieve Gay's death, and Oakland civil rights attorney John Burris prepares to file a wrongful death suit, there is no doubt

subduing Gay with a Taser could have saved her life.

Some models of the electroshock weapon can deliver a 50,000-volt jolt from 25 feet away, effectively subduing a person by disrupting superficial muscle functions, but generally not killing them.

"If (the police) had a Taser the person may be alive," said City Councilmember Gordon Wozniak, who has been on the council for five years. "I know the police internally have been looking into Tasers, but the City Council has never received a report on that. I encourage the department to look into it. There's some danger in using them, but they are a lot less dangerous than using a gun."

Many Bay Area police departments, including Oakland, Livermore, Pleasanton, Fremont and Union City, have Tasers as part of their arsenal.

Kusmiss said she spoke to police Chief Doug Hambleton on Monday about the issue, and the chief said there have been discussions about getting Tasers.

"Yet up to this point, there has not been the political will to further those discussions," Kusmiss said.

Kusmiss said there have been situations in which police have had to use physical force -- putting themselves and the suspect or suspects in serious danger.

"We have experienced many situations or incidents in which a Taser as an option may have been extraordinarily helpful in subduing a violent suspect and preventing injuries to both the suspect and officers," she said.

Three years ago, a Berkeley man, Howard Street, shot Officer Darren Kacelek in the chest during a chase and standoff in West Berkeley. Kacelek's badge deflected the bullet, and he was not seriously injured.

"But that shooting may have been a circumstance where the event could have ended very quickly if a Taser had been available," Kusmiss said.

Harry Stern, an attorney with Rains Lucia Stern, which represents the police union, said the Police Officers Association has asked for Tasers for years.

Berkeley police also do not have their own police dogs or helicopters.

A proposal from police four years ago to resurrect a canine police unit after more than

70 years, was shot down. Critics worried about the potential for accidental injuries from dogs and that a canine unit would unnecessarily rehash memories of police dogs attacking African-Americans in the South during the Civil Rights Movement.

Like the police dogs, Tasers have their fair share of critics.

According to Amnesty International, from June 2001 to June 2007, 245 people died in the United States after being shot with a Taser. Several of those Taser-related deaths were in the Bay Area.

Allen Jackson, the president of the Berkeley branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he doesn't see Tasers as being an alternative for police.

"Especially since they have proven to be lethal," he said.

Meanwhile, he said the Berkeley branch of the NAACP is calling for a federal investigation to determine whether the civil rights of Gay were violated. In a statement released Monday, the group said a "non-lethal method of apprehension could have been applied" to Gay.

"However, it is apparent that the only thing in the mind of a Berkeley police officer is to kill any African-American that they can," the statement said.

Both Gay and the officer who shot her are African-American.

Saturday's deadly shooting began to unfold about 6:40 p.m. when police were called to the 1700 block of Ward Street following reports of someone breaking windows. Police found a broken window at a residence next door to Gay's but no incident in progress and left.

Called back at 8 p.m., police found Gay on her porch with a knife and proceeded to "challenge her at gunpoint," Kusmiss said. Neighbors said Gay appeared intoxicated and may have been drinking or on prescription medication.

Then, Kusmiss said, Gay's two daughters came outside and Gay waved the knife at them.

"Given the proximity, the officer thought there was imminent threat," Kusmiss said.

Neighbors and witnesses, however, said Gay had either dropped or released the knife by this time and had her hands against an outside wall, per the officer's request. They said she then turned to walk up her stairs, at which point the officer shot her.

Oakland civil rights attorney Jim Chanin, who served on the Berkeley Police Review Commission in the 1970s, said Tasers can be an effective law enforcement tool, but they need to come with proper training.

"The problem historically has been they are overused and there are people you can't use them on, like people with heart conditions." he said.

Electric shock from a Taser could cause problems in someone with a heart condition or a heartbeat made irregular by drugs, medical professionals say.

Chanin said with the right training and limited uses, "I have no problem with it. When it becomes a substitute for verbal persuasion then I do have a problem with it."

Amtrak to Step Up Security Measures

Amtrak to Step Up Security Measures

Amtrak police officers Douglas Davison, left, and Keith Goerz, demonstrate the equipment they will carry as part of new security sweeps that will be effective this week at Union Station, in Washington. (JACQUELYN MARTIN / AP / February 15, 2008)



By SARAH KARUSH | Associated Press Writer
February 18, 2008
Article tools
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Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Fark Google Newsvine Reddit Yahoo Print Reprints Post comment Text size: WASHINGTON - Amtrak will start randomly screening passengers' carry-on bags this week in a new security push that includes officers with automatic weapons and bomb-sniffing dogs patrolling platforms and trains.

The initiative, to be announced by the railroad on Tuesday, is a significant shift for Amtrak. Unlike the airlines, it has had relatively little visible increase in security since the 2001 terrorist attacks, a distinction that has enabled it to attract passengers eager to avoid airport hassles.

Amtrak officials insist their new procedures won't hold up the flow of passengers.




"On-time performance is a key element of Amtrak service. We are fully mindful of that. This is not about train delays," Bill Rooney, the railroad's vice president for security strategy and special operations, told The Associated Press.

Nor will the moves require passengers to arrive at stations far in advance, officials said. Passengers who are selected randomly for the screening will be delayed no more than a couple of minutes, Amtrak chief executive Alex Kummant said.

"We're very conscious of the fact that you're in an environment where commuters have minutes to go from train to train," he said.

Concern about Amtrak security has been mounting since the 2004 bombings of commuter trains in Madrid that killed 191 people. Trains also have been bombed in London, where 52 people were killed in a series of blasts in 2005, most of them on subway trains, and in Mumbai, India, where 200 people were killed in 2006 on commuter trains. Russia also has had several bombings on subway, commuter and long-distance trains.

The new procedures draw heavily on measures being used in the New York City subways, Rooney said. That model has been upheld in court challenges, he noted.

Amtrak plans to roll out the new "mobile security teams" first on the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston, the railroad's most heavily used route, before expanding them to the rest of the country.

The teams will show up unannounced at stations and set up baggage screening areas in front of boarding gates. Officers will randomly pull people out of line and wipe their bags with a special swab that is then put through a machine that detects explosives. If the machine detects anything, officers will open the bag for visual inspection.

Anybody who is selected for screening and refuses will not be allowed to board and their ticket will be refunded.

In addition to the screening, counterterrorism officers with bomb-sniffing dogs will patrol platforms and walk through trains, and sometimes will ride the trains, officials said.

Tim Connors, director of the Center for Policing Terrorism at the Manhattan Institute, said rail systems require a completely different approach to security from the one used in aviation.

"Rail moves a lot more people than air does," he said. "It's designed to be an open system that can move a lot of people fast."

One of Congress' biggest advocates for passenger rail, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said the security initiative makes sense as long as it doesn't cause delays.

"Given that terrorists have chosen passenger rail as one of their targets of choice, provided this doesn't slow things down or require additional longer lines and waits, this plan is certainly worth trying," he said in a statement.

Connors said random screening could be effective.

"A random approach is actually more effective than a constant one," he said, adding that when procedures don't change, it's easier for would-be terrorists to find weak spots.

Amtrak hopes the new force can serve as a powerful deterrent to would-be terrorists.

"What we are trying to do is make sure the bad guys know we're out there but don't know where we'll be, or when," Rooney said.

Amtrak did not provide figures for the program's cost, but said its total security budget -- including police, security strategy and emergency preparedness -- is about $60 million. The railroad has about 400 security personnel, including about 300 sworn police officers, Kummant said.

Amtrak's previous passenger screening consisted of sporadic identification checks by train conductors, which the railroad says it plans to continue. Passengers also are required to show ID when buying tickets from station agents, though there is no such requirement from passengers buying tickets from self-serve kiosks.

The Transportation Security Administration is also expected to continue sporadic deployments to stations around the country.

Amtrak has received a number of federal grants aimed at boosting security, but officials said there was no specific mandate to implement the changes.

"There is no new or different specific threat," Kummant said. "This is just the correct step to take."

Cop. Did I Say Cop? I Meant Truck Driver

BIDDEFORD, Maine (AP) — Maine state police have charged a man who managed to get free rides on Amtrak's Downeaster by impersonating a trooper. Paul Rumery, 32, of Biddeford, told Amtrak personnel he was a state police sergeant and needed a ride from Saco to Boston for official business, authorities said.

The ploy worked four or five times dating back to November until Rumery was nabbed over the weekend by a real trooper outside the train station in Saco, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Public Safety Department.

Rumery got the free rides by telling Amtrak ticketing agents that he was a state trooper riding the Downeaster to look for trouble spots along the route, McCausland said. Real troopers don't accept free rides, the spokesman added.

A search of Rumery's vehicle and his apartment turned up no police paraphernalia such as fake identification or badges, McCausland said. Rumery, a truck driver employed by Labbe Construction of Arundel, has never been a law enforcement officer.

He is free on $300 bail after being charged with impersonating a public servant and theft of service. He's scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on March 5.

Full Metal Elf

Interview with a Suicide Bomber

South Carolina Officer Pulls Woman from Car in Train's Path

http://www.officer.com/videonetwork/index.jsp?showid=426898

Click here for the police dashcam video

GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. --
A Williamston woman is alive, thanks to the quick response of a police officer who got her out of her car seconds before an Amtrak train slammed into it -- and it was all caught on camera.
Every night, Greer police Officer Marcus O'Shields meets an officer from the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport to exchange information. Tuesday, just after midnight, O'Shields went to the meeting place near the Norfolk Southern tracks along Highway 80 near the Poinsett Bridge.
That's when he spotted a car driven by Betsy Devall stopped on the tracks.
Devall was on the phone with a friend. It took O'Shields nearly a minute and a half to convince Devall to get out of the car and away from the vehicle -- just 17 seconds before the train crashed into the car.
“You’ve seen the video,” O’Shields told WYFF News 4’s Mandy Gaither. “It tells the whole story. It's pretty graphic, and we don't see the rest of it, with the car catching on fire on down the track. It gets your nerves going pretty good.”
The Crescent Line train was headed to New York, and had just left the Greenville depot loaded with 180 passengers.
By the time it smashed into Devall's car, the 854-foot-long train was traveling more than 70 mph.
The incident was caught on camera by one of the officer's dashboard cameras. On tape, you can hear Devall thanking O'Shields for saving her life. She told him she wasn't familiar with the area.
Three passengers on the train were treated for minor injuries -- two for smoke inhalation and one for an ankle injury.
Devall said that she had been to visit a friend after work, and was on her way to another friend's house when she got lost and stopped to call for directions. She said she didn't realized that she had turned onto the tracks.
Doug Bryson with Spartanburg Emergency Management said that if Devall hadn't gotten out of the car, she wouldn't be alive.
"The condition of her car -- there's no way she should have survived that type of impact," Bryson said.
Bryson agreed that the officer ending up at his usual meeting place at the usual time made all the difference.
"He was in the right place at the right time," Bryson said, "Like I said, there would have been a much different outcome if he or any other witness had not been here to see that."
Police said the use of the cell phone was clearly a contributing factor in the crash, but at this time, no charges have been filed.
Copyright 2007 by WYFF4.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Man dies after leap from train car

Man dies after leap from train car

By Venita JenkinsStaff writer

LUMBERTON — A man died Wednesday before dawn after he jumped from an Amtrak train in Robeson County.
Authorities have not identified the jumper.
The incident happened on N.C. 211 near Mount Tabor Road about 12:30 a.m. Passengers said they saw the man remove an emergency window before leaping from the train, an Amtrak spokesman said.
The jumper’s relatives were notified, the Amtrak spokesman said. But Amtrak could not release the man’s name because it does not provide information about its passengers, the spokesman said.
Robeson County deputies initially responded, but the investigation was turned over to CSX and Amtrak.
One of the conductors searched for the man, according to a report filed at the Sheriff's Office. His body was found after about an hour about a mile from where the train stopped. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:45 a.m., the report said.
The man was riding Amtrak train 98 from Miami to New York. The train was delayed more than two hours after the jump. A southbound passenger train in Fayetteville was also delayed, as were two CSX freight trains.

Clearing the record

Clearing the record

Philadelphia Inquirer,

A story yesterday about the seizure of 8.4 pounds of heroin in Northeast Philadelphia called the amount a record. The story should have made it clear that, according to Philadelphia police, it was a record for the department. In 1991, Amtrak police seized 17 pounds of heroin aboard a New York-bound train while it was at 30th Street Station.

What’s with the Amtrak dogs?

Nobody wants to hate on homeland security dogs. They’re heroes, too. They risk their lives to sniff for explosives. And that’s no joke. But to deploy dogs to eject Union Station patrons is another story. There’s just way too much room for error.
This week I have a story on two high school kids who were ejected from a Union Station’s men’s room by a pair of Amtrak cops and a dog. In interviewing the two teenagers, they recounted several other instances of questionable dog practices at the commuter hub. One time, they watched an Amtrak police dog used to evict an old homeless man from the McDonald’s. They say the man was just trying to buy a burger. After he was refused service, the dog was called into action.
Another time, a cop was walking his police dog just outside the station. The dog repeatedly barked, growled, and scared any child that passed. After complaining to the cop about his dog, the cop just replied that the dog doesn’t like kids.
An Amtrak spokesperson says that the dogs are often used on routine patrols.
Do you think Amtrak uses their dogs too much? Have you all had any run-ins with Amtrak dogs?

Study: Tasers Safe for Police Use

Study: Tasers Safe for Police Use
Posted: October 10th, 2007 09:47 AM EDT

By TIM KLASS
Associated Press Writer

SEATTLE --

Tasers and similar stun guns, increasingly popular among law enforcement agencies nationwide, are generally safe for police to use, according to new research.

In what was called the first large independent study of injuries from Tasers, researchers reviewed 962 cases in six locations. Nearly all the cases they found resulted in no injuries or minor ones such as scrapes and bruises.

"This is the first time we've got an accounting of how likely it is that you'll be seriously injured by one of these devices," said lead researcher, Dr. William P. Bozeman, an emergency medical specialist at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

He presented the research Monday at a meeting of the American College of Emergency Physicians in Seattle.

While the research found that stun guns are safe, Bozeman cautioned, "These are serious weapons. They absolutely have the potential to injure or kill people."

In the cases reviewed for the study, two people died, but autopsies found neither death was related to use of a Taser. Three people were hospitalized after being zapped, two with injuries from falls. It was unclear whether a third hospitalization was related to the use of a stun gun, according to the researchers.

Stun guns deliver temporarily disabling bursts of electricity for several seconds. Police say they help avoid hand-to-hand struggles that can injure officers and citizens. They have become common in recent years, with the weapons in use by thousands of law enforcement agencies.

Taser use by police drew national attention recently after video circulated widely of police shocking a university student in Florida who persistently questioned Sen. John Kerry during a forum and refused to yield the microphone.

Taser critics say the devices are prone to misuse by police who fire them too readily at people who may be mentally ill, high on drugs or vulnerable because of medical conditions.

"Those statistics were surprising to me, considering the number of injuries, including to police officers, that have been reported," said Lauren Regan, executive director of the Civil Liberties Defense Center in Eugene, Ore., which opposes the weapons.

By July, Amnesty International USA had tallied 250 cases in six years in which people died after being stunned with Tasers, but the group didn't track the individual causes of death.

According to the manufacturer, Taser International Inc., the devices have been listed as a contributing factor in about 12 deaths.

Dr. Robert R. Bass, executive director of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems and a leader in the college's Tactical Emergency Medicine Section, said he was familiar with an earlier analysis that covered 597 cases.

He said he found "somewhat reassuring" the findings that the devices are safer than individual reports of death and injury would suggest.

The cases in the study were compiled by six law enforcement agencies ranging in size. Each had a defined policy on Taser use and injury reporting, and a doctor who works with officers and anyone who is subdued with the devices.

The doctor was responsible for submitting each case to the research team.

The cities were not identified.

The study was paid for by the National Institute of Justice, the Justice Department's research and development branch. But the institute had no part in the study's design or analysis, Bozeman said.

___

On the Net:

American College of Emergency Physicians: http://www.acep.org

Taser Inc.: http://www.taser.com