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Police General Articles and Research
Suspect in Florida Shooting Captured After GunBattle
LAKE
COUNTY, FL:
LODD: Spokesperson Says Deputy Has Died in Shooting
LAKE COUNTY, FL: According to Sgt. Christie Mysinger of the Lake County, FL. Sheriff's dept., one of the deputies in the shooting incident described below has died as the result of his injuries sustained at a domestic dispute/shooting involving suspect Jason Wheeler. Law enforcement (LE) sources tell EmergencyNet News that an armored rescue vehicle has been dispatched to a wooded area where the suspect might be hiding. EmergencyNet News will bring you additional details as circumstances warrant...
09 Feb 2005 - 11:00EST
BOLO: Man Suspected of Shooting Deputies Wanted by Florida LE
LAKE COUNTY, FL: Lake County Sheriff's officers are requesting that the public call 9-1-1 in the event that they see: Jason Wheeler, age 29, who was involved in the shooting of three (3) sheriff's deputies earlier today. Three deputies were responding to a call for a "domestic dispute," at the time of the shooting. At least one of the deputies was transported by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel to a local hospital.
The suspect is thought to have escaped
the shooting scene of a "Honda dirt bike" and may be considered armed and
dangerous. The suspect's wife reportedly told authorities that "he has an
arsenal of weapons and that the property may have booby traps." ERRI law
enforcement analysts said that great caution is urged in the event the suspect
is encountered. It is recommended that no one approach the suspect
themselves...but, rather, call 9-1-1 and avoid any possible confrontation. The
initial incident occurred in the vicinity of the Ocala National Forest/Lake
Katherine, FL area.
Emergency Response Resource Locator:
The U.S. National Response Plan is now
available from DHS. The documents are as follows:
National Response Plan and Annexes
December 2004
(PDF, 114 pages, 2MB)
http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/NRPbaseplan.pdf
National Response Plan
December 2004
Full Version (PDF, 426 pages, 4MB)
includes all annexes, "Emergency Support Function Annexes", "Support
Annexes", and "Incident Annexes."
http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/NRP_FullText.pdf
Updated: August 10th, 2004 12:07:48 PM
DHS Bulletin: Potential Terrorist Use of Official Identification, Uniforms,
or Vehicles
Department Of Homeland Security
Information Bulletin
OVERVIEW: Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Information Bulletins are informational in nature and are designed to provide updates on the training, tactics, or strategies of terrorists. The following information is meant to advise the owners and operators of the nation's infrastructures about the possible use by terrorists of official identification, uniforms, or vehicles to gain access to sensitive facilities for purposes of planning or carrying out attacks. (In this Information Bulletin, 'official' refers to recognized implements of federal, state, and local governments and private sector entities.) While DHS possesses no information indicating an organized effort by extremist elements in the United States to illegally obtain official identification, uniforms, or vehicles in furtherance of terrorist activities, it has identified the recent theft or disappearance of large numbers of these items. Attempts to acquire official identification, uniforms, or vehicles would be consistent with the tactics and techniques of Al-Qaeda and other extremist groups, according to a variety of reporting sources.
DETAILS: Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups likely view the theft or other illegal acquisition of official identification, uniforms, or vehicles as an effective way to increase access and decrease scrutiny in furtherance of planning and operations. Although we possess no information that Al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups are systematically pursuing the illegal acquisition of the above referenced items, there is indeed precedence for the use of official identification, uniforms, or vehicles in the execution of terrorist attacks. Terrorist groups have utilized police or military uniforms to mask their identities and achieve closer access to their targets without arousing suspicion. This was illustrated in the December 2002, suicide bombings that targeted the Chechen Government Headquarters in Groznyy, Russia. Terrorists in South America, the Philippines and Pakistan have commandeered or stolen emergency medical services vehicles and uniforms (or cleverly designed imitations) to facilitate the execution of their attacks on key facilities.
In an effort to understand the extent of official identification, uniform, and vehicle thefts, DHS recently conducted a survey of selected members of the law enforcement community in five states. This survey revealed that from February to May 2003 hundreds of official identification cards, badges, decals, uniforms, and government license plates were reported stolen or lost. Additionally, a number of private companies have reported receiving suspicious inquiries about renting official delivery vehicles and emergency services representatives have received unusual requests for detailed vehicle descriptions. There is no historical baseline to compare recent theft or suspicious inquiry data, and the intent or resolution of many of the thefts cannot be determined.
The worldwide proliferation of individuals or 'companies' that traffic in high-quality imitations of official identification, uniforms, or vehicles is a related issue that increases the possibility such items could be used to facilitate future terrorist attacks and further complicates efforts to prevent their acquisition. For example, earlier this month the New York City High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force reported that it had identified a Japanese website selling near exact replicas of badges from law enforcement agencies such as the U.S. Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Marshals Service, and Los Angeles Police Department.
Several press reports this year have referred to the theft and sale over the Internet of a large number of United Parcel Service (UPS) uniforms. Although these reports proved to be false, they did bring to the public's attention the potential security concerns of missing or stolen identification, uniforms, or vehicles.
DHS reminds all recipients to remain vigilant to the disappearance of, or unauthorized inquiries regarding, official identification cards, badges, decals, uniforms, government license plates, and vehicles and establish practices that account for missing items. DHS encourages recipients to report suspicious incidents to the proper authorities and to remain vigilant for any nexus to terrorism
PROTECTIVE MEASURES: Recognizing that possession of some combination of official identification cards, badges, decals, uniforms, government license plates, and vehicles tends to reduce suspicion and might allow an individual or vehicle greater access to sensitive facilities, the following protective measures are suggested:
-- Keep comprehensive records of all official identification cards, badges, decals, uniforms, and license plates distributed, documenting any anomalies and canceling access to items that are lost or stolen.
-- Practice accountability of all vehicles to include tracking vehicles that are in service, in repair status, or sent to salvage.1
-- Safeguard uniforms, patches, badges, ID cards, and other forms of official identification to protect against unauthorized access to facilities, to include stripping all decommissioned vehicles slated for resale and/or salvage of all agency identifying markings and emergency warning devices.2
-- Check multiple forms of valid identification for each facility visitor.
-- Verify the legitimate business needs of all approaching vehicles and personnel.
-- Improve identification card technology to eliminate reuse or unauthorized duplication. Alert uniform store vendors of the need to establish and verify the identities of individuals seeking to purchase uniform articles.3
-- Ensure all personnel are provided a security briefing regarding present and emerging threats.
* ERRI reference: http://www.emergency.com/safe-sec.htm
DHS encourages recipients of this Information Bulletin to report information concerning suspicious or criminal activity to law enforcement or a DHS watch office. The DHS Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection watch offices may be contacted at:
For private citizens and companies Phone: (202) 323-3205, 1-888-585-9078
Email: nipc.watch@fbi.gov
Online:
http://www.nipc.gov/incident/cirr.htm
For Telecom industry - Phone: (703) 607-4950
Email: ncs@dhs.gov For Federal agencies/departments - Phone: (888) 282-0870
Email: fedcirc@fedcirc.gov
Online:
https://incidentreport.fedcirc.gov
DHS intends to update this Information Bulletin should it receive additional
relevant information, including information provided to it by the user
community. Based on this notification, no change to the Homeland Security
Advisory System level (HSAS) is anticipated; the current HSAS level is YELLOW.
Security Experts Are Watching for Guns Disguised as
Mobile Phones
By ADAM ZAGORIN
24 June 2003
Virginia Police Officer Killed In Traffic Stop Shootout
VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA:
As Pocceschi walked toward the vehicle, the driver got out and began
firing at the officer, who shot back. A 21-year-old suspect died at the
scene. Pocceschi's bulletproof vest deflected one bullet but the officer
also was shot multiple times in areas unprotected by body armor. Police
arrested the 21-year-old passenger in the Explorer.
12 June 2003
FBI Says Cellular Phones Rigged To Set Off Bombs
WASHINGTON, DC:
Although the FBI said it has no information indicating any of the tens of millions of existing cell phones would be used by terrorists in the United States, the bulletin urged local officials to take precautions if a suspected device is found. The bulletin said that if officer encounter such a device, they should "immediately evacuate the area to a minimum distance of 300 yards. Radios, cellular telephones and pagers should not be used within 50 feet of the suspected device." The FBI said that terrorists also have used pagers and radio systems to detonate bombs by remote control.
The FBI bulletin included details of how a cell phone can become part of a deadly bomb. It requires use of a battery, a switch, an initiation device such as an electric match or a light bulb, conducting wires and explosives. The phone itself is not a bomb. When the phone receives an incoming call, "the electrical power from the telephone's ringer or vibrator activates the bomb's circuitry" causing an explosion. The bulletin warned that "law enforcement officers without specialized explosives training should never attempt to remove or disable a suspected device." ERRI analysts said that the FBI warning goes double for Fire/EMS or other first responders who don't have an extensive knowledge of explosive ordinance disposal techniques.
ERRI senior national security analyst Clark Staten said today that more needs to be done to
train all emergency responders in regard to the identification of Improvised
Explosive Devices (IEDs), that they may increasingly encounter in the United
States.
17 May 2003
U.S. Public Warned To Be On Alert For Truck Bombers
WASHINGTON:
Asking the public to watch for and report any suspicious activity, the alert listed several indicators or actions that could be a precursor to an attack, including:
-- Chemical fires, toxic odors, brightly colored stains or rusted metal fixtures in apartments, hotels, motels or self-storage units.
-- The rental of self-storage space for the purpose of storing chemicals or mixing apparatus.
-- The delivery of chemicals directly from the manufacturer to a self- storage facility or unusual deliveries of chemicals to residential or rural addresses.
-- The theft of explosives, blasting caps, fuses or certain chemicals used in the manufacture of explosives.
-- Small test explosions in rural wooded areas or the treatment of chemical burns or missing hands or fingers.
-- The modification of a truck or van with heavy-duty springs to handle heavier loads.
The alert noted that international terrorist groups have demonstrated the ability to plan and conduct complex attacks simultaneously against multiple targets. In the Riyadh attacks, it said, terrorists -- suspected of being linked to the al-Qaeda network -- assaulted three compounds occupied by Western guest workers using multiple vehicles. At least one vehicle in each assault team carried a large explosive charge, which was detonated by a suicide bomber.
The alert said media reports indicated that the attackers drove up to each compound, killing those guarding the compound gates with small-arms fire. Vehicles carrying the explosive charges were then driven into each compound and detonated. In one instance, the alert said, it appeared the terrorists attempted to breach the gate security checkpoint by ramming it with a sedan.
It is likely that those involved with executing the Riyadh attacks conducted extensive preoperational surveillance of the compounds selected, the alert noted, adding that meticulous planning to include surveillance is a hallmark of al-Qaeda terrorist attacks. While the ability to conduct multiple, near-simultaneous attacks against several targets is not new for terrorist groups such as the al-Qaeda network, the alert said the manner in which the Riyadh attacks were conducted indicated a more refined capability. The alert said that the split-second timing among the three attacks showed that a trained and dedicated cadre perpetrated the assault.
The Department of Homeland Security sent the bulletin warning the
operators and owners of various facilities in the United States to be
vigilant. The DHS sent the seven-page bulletin on Thursday to business
organizations, state and local governments, and state and local law
enforcement agencies. Source: Risk Assessment Division,
Information Analysis Directorate,
Department of Homeland
Security.
20:00CST - 20 Feb 2003
Six Police (SWAT) Officers Shot; At Least One Dead
ALEXANDRIA, LOUISIANA (EmergencyNet News) -- According to Police Chief Tommy Cicardo, a total of six police officers have been shot as they tried to arrest a suspect on charges of previously shooting at police. The incident reportedly occurred this afternoon near Overton and Warshauer streets in Alexandria. Preliminary reports say that three officers have been hospitalized in stable condition following a two hour stand-off and shoot out. The wounded officers were taken to St. Frances Cabrini and Rapides Regional hospital. At least one officer, so far unidentified, was killed during the incident...as was the suspect. Few other official details were available late Thursday and an investigation of the incident continues.
(Note: Later reports suggest that two officers died in this tragic incident)16 Feb 2003
Houston Standoff Ends With Six Dead
HOUSTON, TX:
Police went to the house on Friday evening as a follow-up investigation to a missing person case, because detectives had learned that the missing woman's boyfriend lived at the residence. As three detectives attempted to enter the home, one was shot in an exchange of gunfire with the man inside. Officers then surrounded the house for eight hours before finally entering it at about 0200 CST Saturday.
The man's body was found in a bedroom with a gunshot wound to the head.
The Harris County Sheriff's Department said the women and children -- 10
years or younger -- appeared to have been dead for days, and a diary in the
house indicated the man had shot them on Monday. Two of the children's
bodies were found stuffed in a barrel on the lower level of the two-story
brick house.
08 Feb 2003
The FBI released the following information on the individual that they
are seeking:
Mohammed Sher Mohammad Khan
Alias: Muhammad Shir Muhammad Khan; Mohammed Essagh; Ja'Far Al-Tayar; Jaffar Tayar; Jaafar Al-Tayyar; Ali Abdul Qadir; Abdul Qadir
Date of Birth: November 11, 1966;
Place of Birth: Swat, Pakistan
Height: 5'3" to 5'7"
Weight: 132 pounds
Hair: Black
Eyes: Black
The above individual, whose name and date of birth may be fictitious, is believed to have entered the United States illegally after September 1, 2001. Khan is an English speaker and sometimes has a beard. He is also asthmatic. Although the FBI has no specific information that this individual is connected to any potential terrorist activities, based upon information developed in the course of on-going investigations, the FBI would like to locate and question this person.
The FBI has been working with Homeland Security Agencies (U.S. Customs, INS, TSA) to locate this individual. The above information has also been disseminated to the appropriate law enforcement agencies around the United States and throughout the world.
A photograph of Mohammed Sher Mohammad Khan can be viewed on the FBI's
website:
www.fbi.gov.
Anyone with any information pertaining to this individual is asked to
contact their nearest FBI office.
07 Feb 2003
FRANCE:
22 Dec 2002
Bratton Plans To Overhaul LAPD
LOS ANGELES:
Bratton is said to be planning to appoint an old friend, John Miller, to
head the Homeland Security Bureau that will consolidate intelligence,
counterterrorism, major narcotics and organized crime investigations. Miller
was Bratton's deputy police commissioner for public affairs when Bratton was
commissioner of the New York Police Department in the 1990s. Miller, co-host
of the ABC News magazine "20/20," is the correspondent who interviewed
master terrorist Usama bin Laden in 1998...
03 Dec 2002
FBI Reports 142 Police Killings In 2001
WASHINGTON:
Of those killed at the World Trade Center, 37 were from the Port
Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, 23 from the New York
City Police Department and five from the New York Office of Tax Enforcement.
One New York City Fire Department fire marshal, one U.S. Secret Service
agent, one FBI agent and three officers from the State of New York Unified
Court System also perished in the trade center tragedy...
13 Nov 2002 - Wanted By FBI:
Amer El-Maati
Aliases: Amro Badr
Eldin Abou El-Maati, Amro Badr Abouelmaati
DESCRIPTION
Date of Birth Used: May 25, 1963
Hair: Brown
Place of Birth: Kuwait
Eyes: Brown
Height:
6'0" Complexion: Olive
Weight: 209 pounds Sex: Male
Source:
http://www.fbi.gov/terrorinfo/el-maati.htm
23 Oct 2002
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department To Form Homeland Security Arm
LOS ANGELES:
Series of
EmergencyNet News "Real-Time" Reports Concerning Multiple Murders in the
Montgomery County, MD Area -- 03 to 14 Oct 2002
(Updated
23:15:00CDT - 14 Oct 2002)
INSTANT Update 17:00CDT - 13 Sep 2002
Three Men Apparently Not Connected To Terrorism
Collier County, FL
INSTANT Update 08:00EDT - 13 Sep 2002
Two Vehicles Stopped; Bomb Squad Detonates Back Pack
NAPLES, Fla. — A bomb squad detonated a suspicious package early Friday morning in a car along Alligator Alley, the main East-West highway crossing the Everglades, after an all-night search for two cars thought to be involved in possible terrorist activity. Bomb-sniffing dogs alerted authorities to material in both vehicles, said E.J. Picolo of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Explosive charges were used to blast open what appeared to be a backpack taken from one of the vehicles. Three so-far unidentified suspects are reportedly in custody.
Get the latest details of this developing story...Click here for the latest from FOX News
23:30CDT/00:30EDT - 12/13/Sep 2002
Threat Advisory Issued For Miami, FL Area
Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, FL (EmergencyNet News) -- According to both media and emergency service sources, a BOLO (Be-On-The-Look-Out) has been issued for three men and two cars that may be involved in some sort of dangerous plot involving the Miami area. Few official details about the plot are currently available, except a description of the vehicles and people who are wanted for questioning. The men were last seen traveling south on I-75 from Georgia.
The description of the vehicles:
A Nissan Maxima: cream color with gold trim and a Carmax tag on the front of the vehicle.
A new Honda, black with Illinois plates.
The suspects' descriptions:
First: A man of possible Middle Eastern descent, 5'10'', 200 pounds, 20-30 years old, black hair, brown eyes, set wide apart, thick beard that extends past his collar.
Second man: again, possible Mideastern descent, 5'7'', 130 pounds, black hair that comes down to his collar.
The third and final man, also of possible Mideastern descent, 5'7'' 130 pounds, shiny black hair.
If you have any information about these men or
vehicles you are urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS
or in Broward call (954) 493-TIPS. Do
not attempt to intervene on your own, call the police at your earliest
opportunity. Reference: WSVN-TV -http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/S4873/
30 Aug 2002
Two Sheriff's Deputies Fatally Shot Near Washington
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD:
The victims were identified early today as James Arnaud and Elizabeth MacGruder, age 30. Arnaud, who had been on the force for almost 13 years, would have turned 54 on Saturday. MacGruder joined the force in February 2001.
Investigators were looking for one or two men who fled in a vehicle. It was still unclear for whom the psychiatric order was issued, who requested it and whether the home's owners or their two college-age children were involved in the incident at 9332 Lynmont Drive. MacGruder was hit in the back of the head. Arnaud was struck in the throat.
It was also immediately unclear what kind of gun was used. One deputy was shot in the living room, and the other was shot in a back bedroom. Arnaud died inside the house. MacGruder was pronounced dead at Prince George's Hospital Center. An extensive manhunt is underway at the time of this report...trying to locate two suspects believed involved in the incident.
The staff at ERRI/EmergencyNet News wish to send their prayers and
condolences to the family, friends, and co-workers of the slain
officers.
Note
to Orange County Sheriff's Office, Salt Lake City Police, or other Law
Enforcement agencies wishing to disseminate information or request
assistance from other emergency service agencies and/or the public in
general: Official agencies wishing public assistance with on-going cases may
send press releases or other information that they would like distributed
here or through EmergencyNet News channels by sending them in e-mail
addressed to
webmaster@emergency.com or fax them to 773-631-4703. We will do our best
to be of whatever assistance we can and redistribute requests from official
agencies as soon as they are received...just let us know how we can help...
12 June 2002
Radiological Survey Equipment Needed By Emergency Forces?
By Steve Macko, EmergencyNet News Managing Editor
CHICAGO, IL:
17:00CDT - 31 May 2002
Explosive Missing in California; Reward Offered
CALIFORNIA:
10 Apr 2002
Cop Kills Five People In New Jersey
DOVER TOWNSHIP, NJ:
The shootings started in Dover Township at around 22:00EDT Tuesday in two homes. Two of the unidentified victims were in a house located next door to Lutes' home and the other three victims were in a house across the street. A sixth person was wounded and taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River. It was not immediately known where the victim was at the time of the shooting.
Lutes later went to nearby Barnegat Township and shot Seaside Heights
Police Chief James Costello. He was hospitalized in stable condition at
Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune. Police could not give a motive for
the shootings...
28 Mar 2002
Man Accused Of Killing Eight Near Paris Reportedly Commits Suicide In Police Custody
FRANCE: Police said the suspect in a shooting rampage that left eight people dead at a city council meeting in suburban Paris killed himself on Thursday by jumping out a window. The 33-year-old man committed suicide while in police custody, jumping from a fifth-floor window of police headquarters in Paris. The suspect was accused of killing eight members of the Nanterre city council and injuring 19 others in a shooting attack early Wednesday.
The man, who was unemployed and allegedly suffering severe psychological
problems, had been in police custody since the attack. During a day of
interrogation, the suspect told police he often "thought about killing
someone and killing himself afterward." Television news reports said that
police found a 13- page letter at the man's home. In the letter, the suspect
recounted a failed life, saying he was disgusted with himself and with life
in Nanterre, and he wanted police to kill him.
Possible Truck Bomb Attack Warned By FBI
WASHINGTON: The Federal Bureau of Investigation is warning the public that terrorists may be planning a truck bombing. While not citing any specific threats have been made in or against the U.S., the bureau on Thursday published a list of telltale signs that people should watch for. Labeled "for informational purposes only," the FBI web site warning urged citizens to be alert for the following signs, which it said might indicate plans for detonation of a truck bomb:
--Theft of chemicals or explosives.
--Theft of respirators or chemical-mixing devices.
--Rental of storage space for chemicals.
--Delivery of chemicals to storage spaces.
--Theft of a van or truck capable of carrying more than one ton.
--Chemical fires or toxic odors in apartments, hotel rooms or self-storage
units.
--Small explosions in wooded areas, which could be bomb tests.
--Reports of hospital patients suffering losses of fingers or hands.
--Chemical burns or severed hands that remain untreated.
--Surveillance of potential targets.
--Efforts to obtain blueprints of potential targets.
In the event that you become aware of such activity, please notify your
local law enforcement agencies, at the earliest opportunity.
19 Mar 2002
Police Officer Killed in Shootout
CHICAGO, IL: According to police, a Chicago police officer was killed in a shootout that erupted when police attempted to make an arrest at a Northwest Side apartment on Monday night. A suspect was fatally shot by other officers who returned fire. The officer, 47-year-old Donald Marquez, was part of a group of officers attempting to make an arrest in the 2400 block of North Avers Avenue at around 22:00CST on Monday.
Marquez, an officer since February 1982, was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, and despite resuscitation efforts, pronounced dead at 00:25CST Tuesday. The officer was hit by several bullets. The man suspected of shooting the officer was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead late Monday.
17 Jan 2002
Virginia Law School Shooting Leaves Three Dead
GRUNDY, VIRGINIA: (EmergencyNet News) Officials said that the dean, a professor and a student were killed when a gunman went a shooting rampage at a law school on Wednesday afternoon. The shooter was said to be a student who had been suspended from the school. The suspect was overpowered by other students and held until police arrived. Three other students were critically wounded by gunfire.
The dean and a professor of the Appalachian School of Law were gunned down in their offices. A doctor who has a practice just half a mile from the school said that when he arrived on the scene, "there there were bodies laying everywhere." State police described the gunman as a Nigerian male who had flunked out last year and who had been suspended from school earlier Wednesday. The suspect is said to be 43-years-old and has a history of mental instability that school officials were aware of.
The dean and the professor were reportedly "executed" in their offices.
The gunman then went downstairs into a common area and opened fire on a
crowd of students, killing one and wounding three others. He was tackled by
four male students as he left the building. The weapon used was a
.380-caliber semiautomatic handgun. The three wounded students were
hospitalized in critical condition.
Police
Operations Archive Page - Chronology and Summary of Events:
05 Mar 2001 to 06 Dec 2001
Airline/Airport Safety & Security
10:00CST - 07 Feb 2002
Man Subdued With Fire/Rescue Axe During Plane Incident
Buenos Aires, Argentina (EmergencyNet News) -- United Airlines
Flt. 855, flying from Miami to Buenos Aires, was the scene overnight of an
unusual incident involving a man identified as a "young Uruguayan male."
According to witnesses on the plane, the man reportedly attempted to kick
his way into the cockpit of the flight. The suspect then struggled with
one of the pilots, at which time a pilot allegedly struck the assailant
with a fire/rescue axe. He was then subdued by the flight crew and is now
in police custody in Argentina. There is an unconfirmed report that the
suspect had "mental problems." Although official details are sketchy,
Argentinean officials are saying that they don't believe that the incident
was an attempted skyjacking. EmergencyNet News is monitoring events in
Argentina closely and will provide additional updates as circumstances
warrant...
08:00CST - 08 Jan 2002
Youth Finds Out Knives And Flares Are A No-No In Flight Carry-On
CHICAGO, IL (EmergencyNet News) -- A 20-year-old male has been turned over to federal authorities after security screeners at Chicago's Midway Airport found four pocket knives, a box cutter, two flares and a bottle of lighter fluid in his carry-on bag. Police said state charges had not been filed Tuesday against the youth. A CPD spokesman said: "The FBI is interviewing him. If he's not charged with anything federal, we'll take over, but for the time being, it's in the FBI's hands."
The suspect was heading toward a flight at the airport at about
16:00CST on Monday when security screeners spotted what appeared to be
"contraband" in the youth's bag when it was sent through an X-ray machine.
The screeners searched the man's bag and found the items. Police were called
and the suspect was taken into custody without incident. Police said they
did not know why the youth had those items in his possession.
06 Nov 2001
O'Hare Airport Security Lapse
By Paul Anderson, ERRI Analyst
Private security workers at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport are accused of allowing a man to pass through a security checkpoint with several knives and a stun gun in his carry-on luggage. The 27-year-old suspect was arrested attempting to board a United Airlines flight to Omaha, Nebraska, on Saturday night. He was charged with state misdemeanors of unlawful use of a weapon and attempting to board an aircraft with weapons.
Apparently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation thought that being charged with state misdemeanors wasn't serious enough with what the man was allegedly trying to pull and after being released on bail on those charges early Sunday, he was rearrested by FBI special agents when he returned to O'Hare to retrieve his checked-in luggage and was charged with a federal felony count of attempting to carry a weapon on an aircraft.
Seven security workers, including one supervisor, failed to detain the suspect after two folding knives were discovered in his pocket when he passed through a metal detector. The security workers did not notice seven other knives, an electronic stun gun and a can of Mace when the suspect's bag went through an X-ray machine. Instead, they were found by United Airlines employees in the gate area who searched the man's carry-on bag.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said on Monday: "I consider the O'Hare failure a case of dramatic dimensions and I am recommending the FAA begin enforcement actions that could lead to a substantial fine against United Airlines." The security company responsible for the security failure is contracted by United. The screening workers were hired by Atlanta-based Argenbright Security Inc, which operates the screening operations at United's terminal. The FAA is investigating the incident.
It was not immediately clear why the man tried to take the weapons aboard the airplane. In a statement, the FBI said "there was no allegation that terrorism was involved."
In a television interview, the suspect said the whole thing was an misunderstanding triggered by his haste to catch the flight. He also said he had the stun gun because he was living alone and was "totally insecure."
ERRI risk analyst Steve Macko said on Monday: "Does this security lapse
surprise me? No. In 1996,
ERRI published a number of reports outlining serious security problems
at the nation's airports. In one report, we focused on the problems with
screeners. This incident, nor how the hijackers were able to get aboard
planes on September 11th with box-cutters, doesn't surprise me in the least.
Something needs to be one to professionalize security operations at the
nation's airports."
TODAY'S CENTRAL FOCUS:
DoS Officials Point To Drugs-Terrorism Ties In The Americas
WASHINGTON: Two senior U.S. State Department officials have documented the symbiotic relationship that exists between drug trafficking organizations and terrorist groups in Latin America and other regions of the world. In joint testimony submitted on Wednesday, Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Rand Beers and Ambassador-at-Large for Counterterrorism Francis Taylor detailed the mutually beneficial results that accrue to terrorists and traffickers who cooperate with each other. The two officials appeared before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Technology, Terrorism, and Government Information.
Taylor said: "Drug traffickers benefit from the terrorists' military skills, weapons supply, and access to clandestine organizations. Terrorists gain a source of revenue and expertise in illicit transfer and laundering of proceeds from illicit transactions."
According to the two officials, a "historic link" exists in the Western Hemisphere between various terrorist groups and narcotics trafficking. Three specific geographical areas of concern were listed: Colombia, Peru, and the frontier area of Paraguay near the city of Ciudad del Este that borders both Argentina and Brazil.
Beers said: "The linkage between drugs and terrorism in Colombia is one that particularly concerns us and one that we watch carefully." The officials said that the country's three main insurgent groups -- the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the National Liberation Army (ELN), and the United Self-Defense Groups of Colombia (AUC) -- are all tied to narcotics trafficking.
Some FARC units throughout southern Colombia raise funds through extortion of both legal and illegal businesses, protection of cocaine-refining laboratories, and involvement in local drug-trafficking activities. Colombian territory under the influence of the ELN includes areas used to grow opium poppy and cannabis. Although the ELN expresses a disdain for illegal drugs, it "does take advantage of the profits available."
The AUC, which includes many Colombian paramilitary forces, has admitted using the cocaine trade to finance its activities. In their statement, Beers and Taylor noted that the head of the AUC, Carlos Castano, said in 2000 that "70 percent" of AUC operational funding was derived from drug money.
In Peru, the remote geographic areas in which Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) guerrillas historically operated, combined with the group's reliance on violence to protect safe havens, made Sendero Luminoso "a natural to engage in protection and extortion rackets involving coca and cocaine." Beers and Taylor observed that after having "cut a brutal swath through Peru" from the 1980s through mid-1990s, Sendero Luminose waned in the late 1990s. They said that by 2001, however, the group had a "slight resurgence" in areas of Peru where coca is cultivated and processed, an indication that remnants of Sendero Luminoso are probably financing their operations with profits derived from the drug trade.
Beers and Taylor pointed to Paraguay's tri-border region as a final
area of concern in Latin America. They indicated that members of radical
Islamic groups there are reported to be engaged in drug trafficking, money
laundering, intellectual property rights piracy, alien smuggling, and arms
trafficking.
Robbers Target Pharmacies Near Boston For Oxycontin
Police said that an armed robber targeted a Somerville, Massachusetts, Brooks Pharmacy late Sunday afternoon and took off with the store's entire supply of oxycontin, the theft being one of several pharmacy holdups of the powerful prescription pain drug in one day. Oxycontin is a very strong pain reliever that is now being illegally sold on the streets. Police said that a white man, about 20 years old, wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses pulled out a gun at the pharmacy on Somerville Avenue. He demanded that the pharmacist open the store safe and then took the oxycontin supply. No one was reported hurt.
Oxycontin is a powerful pain killer used primarily to treat cancer patients or others with intractable pain, but is now being sold on the street as a substitute for heroin. The Somerville robbery followed a similar robbery in the Boston suburb of Woburn on Sunday morning. The robbery happened at Wells Pharmacy.
According to police, two men walked into the Woburn pharmacy wearing bandanas and pointing guns. They told everyone to get down. While one suspect tied the pharmacist and a technician's hands, the other went straight for the drugs, stealing all the narcotics in the pharmacy including oxycontin. Police said that the pharmacy has been hit several times in the past few years, including a robbery last October.
On Friday, Boston police arrested a 21-year-old male and charged him with
an oxycontin robbery at a Lynnfield, Massachusetts, pharmacy. Police in
several Boston-area communities are working together to try and solve the
many oxycontin robberies in the area.
Mexicans Identified As Top Drug Lords
The United States government has included seven Mexican nationals in this year's list of the world's top suspected illegal drug traffickers. The list, compiled by the White House, is aimed at imposing financial sanctions on the individuals and penalizing companies that do business with them. The Mexican nationals in the list include the suspected leader of the Gulf Cartel, Oscar Malherbe de Leon, and Miguel Caro Quintero - one of the alleged leaders of the Sonora Cartel. The other five suspects include two Pakistanis, one Afghan national, a Korean and a Philippine national. This is the second such list issued by the US government since the introduction of the Foreign Drug Kingpin Designation Act in 1999.
21 Feb 2001
Dangerous Drug Advisory:
Police Say Ecstasy/PCP Mix Can Be Deadly
FAIRFAX CTY, VIRGINIA:
03 Nov 2000
CALIFORNIA:
Task Force Makes Ecstasy Seizure
A major drug interdiction effort in Southern California appears to have paid off. This week, agents from an Inland Empire anti-drug task force arrested more than a dozen people allegedly responsible for importing huge quantities of the drug ecstasy, a hallucinogen known for its popularity at all night parties called "raves."
According to authorities, it took months to build a case against the drug ring, which amassed a sizable fortune from its underground enterprise. Expensive cars, high-priced jewelry, weapons and large sums of cash were seized during this week's sweep. It was the task force's second big sting since December, when more than 700 pounds of ecstasy were seized. Authorities said most of the pills are smuggled into the U.S. from Belgium, France and the Netherlands.
Charles Stewart, age 31, was reportedly one of the individuals arrested by the task force. Investigators allege that Stewart is one of the leading suppliers of ecstasy in Southern California. He's also a party promoter.
According to the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, there were 476 drug-induced deaths in Los Angeles in 1998, and some of those were directly tied to ecstasy consumption.
12 Oct 2000
BOSTON, MA:
DEA Says New Club Drug Can Kill
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is warning of a new drug gaining popularity with club-goers. Chemically similar to the rave drug ecstasy, the drug PMA is blamed for several deaths in the club scene. The DEA said that Boston is a prime target area for PMA dealers, as it has a large student population and youths with disposable income. Since February, PMA use has increased in clubs and raves in Florida, Illinois, Michigan and Canada.
Special Agent John Gartland of the DEA said: "Two of the most serious side effects of it are increased pulse rate and elevated body temperature. It's my understanding that in one of the deaths that's been recently reported, the person that died had a body temperature of almost 117 degrees." Elevated temperature can lead to organ failure and death.
Officials said that PMA is responsible for two deaths in Chicago and seven more in central Florida. Like ecstasy, PMA is manufactured in illicit labs. DEA agents said that the dealers themselves might not always be aware that they're not selling ecstasy. Both drugs give users a euphoric high, and those who buy it may believe they are buying ecstasy.
29 Sep 2000
ORLANDO, FL:
Imported Dangerous Drug ALERT: New Fatal Drug Hits Nightclubs
Able to fry a person's brain like an egg, a new drug being sold on Central Florida's nightclub scene has set off a statewide alert after being tied to six deaths. Orange-Osceola Medical Examiner Dr Shashi Gore said on Wednesday that the pills burn out users' central nervous systems by raising body temperatures to as high as 108 degrees (F).
Costing as little as $10, each dose is white, slightly larger than an aspirin and is stamped with three diamonds in the shape of a Mitsubishi logo. The pills, which have no connection with the Japanese company, apparently came from illegal labs in Germany and Denmark. They appeared in the United States last spring and caused the deaths of three young people in the Chicago area.
According to drug agents, Paramethoxyamphetamine (PMA) is the latest in a series of illegal drug-related health threats in greater Orlando that began with crack cocaine in the mid-1980s and continued with heroin, Ecstasy and GHB in the 1990s. The so-called Mitsubishi pills contain a mixture of Ecstasy and PMA. Authorities do not know when the pills first arrived in Central Florida, but the drug was first detected in July after Wuesthoff Reference Laboratories in Melbourne ran comprehensive drug screens on a suspected Ecstasy overdose victim. On Tuesday, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration issued a warning that routine drug screens may not detect PMA.
The Wuesthoff tests showed that five of seven Ecstasy-related deaths in Orange and Osceola counties this year involved PMA. Two of those five deaths came during a triple overdose Labor Day weekend. Two young men died after being ejected from a Lee Road nightclub. The third survived. In addition to those five victims, a woman who died in Lake County, Florida, may have bought the drug in Orlando. PMA in her blood was found by a laboratory in Gainesville.
Nothing about the taste or initial euphoria from taking a diamond pill alerts drug users they may be on the verge of a fatal experience. According to the Journal of Analytical Toxicology, PMA shares hallucinogenic qualities with mescaline and Ecstasy. The first sign of impending death is a soaring temperature. Stupor can follow within an hour. By then, widespread bleeding of the brain and internal organs may have begun. Prompt emergency medical care does not guarantee survival.
In two Orlando deaths, drug agents said, the victims were found thrashing on the floor like fish out of water. All of the local PMA victims consumed more than one drug, which is typical of overdose victims associated with the nightclub and rave scene. The other drugs included alcohol, Valium and marijuana. It`s possible the combinations and taking more than one dose contributed to their deaths. There is no known safe dose for PMA...
02/03 Aug 2000
UNITED STATES:
Feds Arrest 148 in Speed Drug Bust
Federal law enforcement officials on Tuesday announced the arrest of 148 people across the United States for the alleged illegal trafficking in chemicals used to make methamphetamine, known on the streets as speed.
Announcing the results of Operation Mountain Express, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno told a news conference federal agents had arrested 36 alleged laboratory operators and another 112 people suspected of distributing the chemicals. Reno said speed posed a serious threat across the country and likened its use to that of crack cocaine.
A DEA spokesman described the arrests as the "largest pseudoephedrine bust in recent history". The suspects in Los Angeles, Denver, Orlando, Houston and other cities were indicted on various counts for handling pseudoephedrine, a precursor chemical used to manufacture the stimulant methamphetamine.
Authorities also seized $8 million, and ten metric tons of pseudoephedrine, which is a precursor chemical that when altered, could be used to produce about 18,000 pounds of methamphetamine. A DEA spokesman said: "It is the first time that the DEA with the assistance of other law enforcement officer were able to arrest Mexican methamphetamine producers and pseudoephedrine sellers and distributors at the same time."
29 Mar 2000
CARIBBEAN REGION:
Major Drug Operation Nets 2,300 Arrests
United States drug agents said on Wednesday that police arrested more than 2,300 suspects and seized tons of drugs in U.S.-coordinated narcotics raids in 24 Caribbean and Latin American nations and territories. During the 17-day sweep this month, anti-drug units from Ecuador to Haiti executed more than 7,300 search warrants against suspected traffickers. Authorities seized nearly 12,000 pounds of cocaine, 120 pounds of heroin and destroyed 94 cocaine laboratories. Police also seized 150 pounds of hashish oil, 30 pounds of morphine base, 172 vehicles, 13 boats and 83 weapons...
24 Aug 2002
Special ERRI Gang Crimes Report
Salvadoran MS-13 Gang Rated Among The Most Violent; Street Gangs Trained as Guerillas
FAIRFAX, VA: Gang experts say the MS-13 gang, a network of street thugs and paramilitary guerrillas from El Salvador, is one of the most dangerous Hispanic gangs in the United States, having killed three federal agents and shot several law enforcement officers in recent years. Unlike other U.S. street gangs, MS-13 maintains contact with its factions in El Salvador, as well as throughout the United States, according to a 2000 report by the Orange County, California, District Attorney's Office. EmergencyNet News reported on 16 August that the gang sent about 20 of its members from California to Fairfax County, Virginia, last month to kill a county police officer at random.
According to an Officer Safety Alert issued by the Washington Metropolitan Police Department on 20 July, the Leesburg, Virginia, Police Department had learned that the California members "are upset with the local MS-13 gang because a Fairfax County police officer has not been killed." George Knox, director of the nonprofit National Gang Crime Research Center (NGCRC), said his agency ranks gangs from 1 (least dangerous) to 3 (most dangerous). MS-13 is a 3, he said, adding that "the level of violence for MS-13 is extraordinary."
The Orange County district attorney's report, which is posted online at www.nagia.org/mara_salvatrucha.htm, states that MS-13 members "have been responsible for the execution of three federal agents and numerous shootings of law enforcement officers across the country." Local law enforcement officials said the gang has active members throughout the greater Washington area. On 31 July, 15 suspected members of MS-13 were arrested in Leesburg and charged with committing an act of violence by a mob and malicious wounding after a 25-year-old Leesburg man was struck with a machete.
MS-13, which stands for Mara Salvatrucha, originated in the late 1980s,
when refugees with La Mara, a street gang in El Salvador, joined forces with
Salvadoran guerrillas, known as "salvatruchas."
KALISPELL, MONTANA:
Law enforcement officials said on Wednesday
that a militia organization based in northwestern Montana "was plotting to
assassinate as many judges, prosecutors and police officers as possible."
The group had collected an arsenal that included fully automatic weapons and
30,000 rounds of ammunition. Flathead County Sheriff Jim Dupont, who was one
of those targeted, said: "We found weapons, ammunition, survival equipment,
booby traps, body armor, explosive, bomb-making equipment, you name it. It
all certainly supports the theory that there was going to be big trouble.
The last I heard, it didn't take 30,000 rounds of ammo to kill a turkey."
Dupont said the "hit list" included his name and those of County Attorney
Tom Esch, Kalispell Police Chief Frank Garner, state District Judges Kitty
Curtis and Stewart Stadler, various deputies and police officers and family
members where possible...(Article continues in ERRI
EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT-Thursday, February 28, 2002-Vol. 6, No. 059)

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