New Website for Police Technology

On April 25, 2006, Hi Tech Criminal Justice Online launched a revised website for the text book, Police Technology (Prentice Hall, July 2004). According to CEO Raymond E. Foster the book is used in over fifty universities and colleges throughout the United States and is under consideration for adoption in at least sixty others. At the same time the book was in production the original website was also being developed. However, the initial website was parked as a sub-domain under Hi Tech Criminal Justice Online’s primary website.

Throughout the last 18 months the content of the website has grown as has the use by students and professors. The companion website offers students additional articles, resources, cases studies and web-based explanations for the key terms within the text. Additionally, behind a password protected site professors can find supplemental instructional material such as example syllabi, PowerPoint presentations for each chapter and hyperlinks to relevant videos, journals and web-based resources.

Foster said, “The tremendous success of the book and the website led us to secure an original domain for the book’s companion site and to expand the core content.” In addition to securing an original domain, Foster noted that the five additional PowerPoint lectures, new cases studies and unique student activities have been added to the revised site. Moreover, the site has been completely redesigned based upon student, professor and practitioner input. “The web enables us to be much more responsive than many other traditional text book publishers. Based on student and professor feedback we are constantly researching, updating and publishing.”
You can visit the new website at www.police-technology.net

When Your Child is Missing: A Family Survival Guide.

What do to if your Child is Missing provides parents with the most current information on, and helpful insights into, what families should do when a child is missing. The first edition of this Guide was written in 1998 by parents and family members who have experienced the disappearance of a child. It contains their combined advice concerning what to expect when a child is missing, what needs to be done, and where to go for help. It explains the role that various agencies and organizations play in the search for a missing child and discusses some of the important issues that need to be considered. The Guide is divided into seven chapters, each of which is structured to allow information to be found quickly and easily. Each chapter explains both the short- and long-term issues and contains a checklist and chapter summary for later reference. A list of recommended readings and a list of public and private resources appear at the back of the Guide. This third edition of the Guide was published in 2004.

A copy can be downloaded here.

The Age of the Patrol Vehicle Platform

The mobile office is on its way out. In the near future, the only way to describe a police vehicle will be as a platform. A platform is a combination of technologies with real-world applications. Thinking of your patrol car as a platform gives us a foundation from which to explore your vehicle’s future. It won’t just be your office, it will be another set of senses, operating independent of you, and providing you with real-time information on the world around you. More importantly, the Patrol Vehicle Platform (PVP) will significantly enhance your safety and ability to conduct law enforcement operations.

Very small partners for safety

Nanotechnology is a combination of scientific and engineering advances that allow the design, fabrication and manufacture of products at the molecular level. As this field becomes increasingly more cost-efficient a variety of law enforcement uses will be available. For instance, developments in nanotechnology will change the threat protection level of vehicle ballistic panels and even your personal body armor

Nanotechnology can create material that has the weight of plastic but is more than sixty times stronger than steel. Furthermore, material produced at the molecular level can be given a number of “smart” features. It will be possible to design the outer body of your police vehicle to not only weigh less and provide more protection, but it will be somewhat “smart.” As an example, if a bullet was fired at your police vehicle the nanotechnology would “sense” the impact and be able to react quickly enough to re-arrange itself to maximizes protection and the deflection and energy absorption factors. These developments will also find their way into your soft-body armor. In the future, the way your current body armor distributes the energy from a bullet will be considered “dumb” when compared with the ability of armor produced through nano-manufacturing. Further over the horizon is duty uniforms with protection of today’s ceramic plates.

Heads Up!

Most of the technological advancements in the future will be difficult for the patrol officer to manage with a new way of receiving information. The military solved some of the human problem of receiving, processing and managing information by providing pilots with “Heads Up Display” (HUD) technology. There are a number of police vehicles with rudimentary forms HUD technology being tested. Essentially, a limited amount of information about your vehicle (particularly speed) and some information from your current mobile computer are displayed on the interior of the police vehicle windshield. Typically, this information is being displayed near the top portion of the windshield, in the area that usually has additional tinting.

However, today’s experimental vehicles are very simple versions of tomorrow. By combining a number of technologies, the PVP will have to provide the police officer with additional information about the surroundings such as best travel routes to calls for service and targeting information. Yes, you will some day get targeting information. But, before we explore Offender Targeting Technology (OTT), we have to understand a few more advances and components.

They know where you are

Many agencies have implemented Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) technology. There are basically three types: Independent systems using radio frequency detection and finding, systems based on cellular telephone technology and systems based on Global Positioning Satellites (GPS). The first two are considered “ground based” whereas GPS obviously uses satellites in orbit around the globe. All three systems have their advantages and disadvantages.
However, when GPS is combined with a ground based system it becomes extremely accurate and can provide near real-time information on your vehicle and objects or people around you. Some States are considering a requirement that registered sex offenders wear GPS linked “bracelets.” How long do you think it will be before we consider making those on parole, probation and offenders convicted of certain crimes where a bracelet?

It won’t be very long before a police officer’s PVP will be constantly reporting the officer’s location and monitoring the environment. Probably through a central communications dispatch center, the PVP will be constantly comparing its location against the current, real-time, location of sex offenders, parolees and persons on probation. Like many other computers that monitor problems for people, the PVP will probably have some threshold wherein the officer is notified. For instance, it may be set to notify a nearby patrol vehicle whenever two or more GPS monitored offenders are in close proximity to each other. Or, perhaps, it will alert the police officer whenever a sex offender is near a school.

It may just be an HUD displayed map that shows GPS monitored offenders in the vicinity of your PVP. Furthermore, there will likely be some data threshold that not only reports the location of the offender, but as your PVP moves closer it will decide to give you data on the offender. Perhaps, his or her photograph, trait information and conditions of registration, parole or probation will be displayed. Essentially, the PVP is providing you with targeting information.

Scanning the environment

There are several experiments being conducted on Optical License Plate Reading (OLPR) technology installed in police vehicles. In fact, there are several types of OLPR that are in use for parking and access control. This technology is beginning to be widely used in the private sector. The technology uses Optical Character Recognition technology to scan license plates and then query a database. In the relatively near future, your PVP will also scan your environment and run licenses plates. You won’t realize this is going on until your PVP locates a stolen vehicle and provides you with the targeting information. Of course, your PVP will likely notify your dispatch center and other nearby PVPs that you have a felony situation.

In the more distant future, your PVP will be equipped with Facial Recognition Technology (FRT). There have been a number of experiments by law enforcement with FRT. Indeed, FRT is used regularly by casinos in locating and tracking undesirable patrons. However, there a number of technical challenges to the full information in the field. But, someday, your PVP will scan for GPS signals, license plates and the faces of people you pass. As with OLPR, the scans will be compared against a central database and you will be provided with information concerning wanted persons, or perhaps those on probation who are not required to wear a GPS bracelet. In fact, the FRT technology may alert your PVP that it has just scanned a face that should be wearing GPS technology. Clearly, a lot of information to process, manage and act on.

Up close scanning

There are police department that are experimenting with fingerprint scanning in the field. The police officer carries a very small, hand-held device that is used scan the offenders print, send it to and compare it against a central database. According to a police officer in Ontario, California, where this technology has been used, “The gang members know we have the device and when we put it out they just give up their real name.” Personal scanning devices will create Fourth Amendment and officer safety issues. Whereas scanning a license plate is fairly unobtrusive and the court is likely to hold that routine OLPR is Constitutional, fingerprint scanning requires a detention and the touching of a person. Again, not very intrusive, but if you are going to use the scanner it is probably because the offender does not have proper identification. And, they know if they are wanted and you don’t. Are you going to search them for weapons before you stand within arms length and scan them? Fingerprint scanning is going to require that police officers develop and articulate reasonable suspicion and that they employ certain tactics (like searching) in order to maintain safety.

Watching you, watching them, watching you watching them

Your PVP is going to become more adept and watching you and recording your actions. Currently, digital recording devices record only that information taking place in a set camera frame. As the technology becomes better, small and cheaper, it is likely that your PVP will direct your digital recording system to track the small microphone you are wearing. Indeed, your PVP may have several small cameras. It may track you, continue to watch the offender and of course, scan your environment. As your digital camera gets smarter it is not difficult to envision technology that watches the traffic violators vehicle while you issue the citation. If they get out, it may alert you. Indeed, your PVP may be developed to point wherein certain actions (data thresholds) cause your PVP to call for back-up. For instance, maybe the drawing of your firearm, an increase in your heart rate, or your position (on the ground) may cause your PVP to request back-up.

The mobile office is fading into history. Tomorrow’s police vehicle will be an integration of technologies and databases that work with the police officer. It will be the Patrol Vehicle Platform.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA is the author of Police Technology (Prentice Hall, July 2004); and the co-author of Leadership: Texas Hold ‘em Style (Quill Driver Books, September 2006), From NYPD to LAPD: An Introduction to Policing (Prentice Hall, January 2007) and, From Cold War to Flaming Hot War: Homeland Security and the Global War on Terror (Prentice Hall, July 2007). His complete CV can be viewed at Criminal Justice Profiles. Raymond can be reached on the Criminal Justice Online Forum or at mailto:raymond@hitechcj.com.

Who has your number?

Information about law enforcement officers readily available Online

The Internet is a double edge sword for law enforcement officials. Public records and commercial information has long been used as an investigatory tool by police officers. But, in the past you had to ferret out the information. Trips to court, county hall of records or to the “backwards book” would give you access to a suspect’s personal information. Now, that information is readily available online. Except, so is information about police officers.
ZABA is a website that acts as a portal to public and commercial databases. By combing the power of the Internet and relational databases ZABA has made a tremendous amount of information freely available. Indeed, the word ZABA is from the Greek word, "tzaba", meaning "free" or "at no cost." A free search will likely provide your home address, telephone number and possibly your date of birth. And, for a small fee someone can obtain extensive information about you.
Click here to find yourself on ZABA
After you visit the site and found out how much information is available about you and your family, come back and look at several steps you can take to limit the amount of information floating on the net about you.

1. Open a post office box. Have as much of your mail as possible directed to the post office box. Be sure you have credit card statements, utility bills and magazine subscriptions come to the box. This is probably the most effective and least expensive long term solution.
2. An unlisted number isn’t an unknown number. It is simply not in directory assistance or in the telephone book. It can be obtained. And, most of the time, you give it out. Especially when you fill out applications, etc. Get a new unlisted number for your home. Obtain caller identification technology and only give the number out to friends and relatives. Consider using a cellular telephone number, with the bill going to your post office box, as a means of controlling
the number of people and organizations who have your telephone number.
3. Do not fill out any form, for any company or organization that does not have a privacy policy. Make sure that they will not sell your information. If they do not have such a policy in place, do business with another firm.
4. You can try to file a written request with information providers, asking that your information be kept private or deleted from their database. Some will comply, many will not.
5. Start a family trust and conduct your business through that trust. If you are in a position to do so, you might also consider a corporation or DBA as a means to control the flow of your personal information.
6. Buy a shredder. Shred all credit card, mortgage reduction, charity solicitation and any mail that has your personal information on it.

Of course, bookmark ZABA. Its not going away and is an excellent resource for conducting investigations!

Management of Dead Bodies After Disasters

Management of Dead Bodies After Disasters: A Field Manual for First Responders

Management of the dead is one of the most difficult aspects of disaster response. It has profound and long-lasting consequences for survivors and communities. Globally, disasters claim thousands of lives each year. However, care of the deceased is often overlooked in disaster planning and the absence of guidance for first responders has recently been highlighted following several large disasters. This Field Manual for First Responders presents simple recommendations for non-specialists to manage the recovery, basic identification, storage and disposal of dead bodies following disasters. It also makes suggestions about providing support to family members and communicating with the public and the media.

This manual will be useful during the immediate response to a disaster and where forensic response is unavailable. Furthermore, it will be useful for those preparing mass fatality disaster plans. The recommendations are relevant for local, regional and national authorities as well as for non-governmental organizations. The principles outlined in this document are being implemented and promoted by a variety of organizations, including the Pan American Health Organization, the World Health Organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

You can download a copy of the manual here.

Training the SWAT Mind

As SWAT Officers we train for and prepare to provide a tactical resolution to a variety of high risk incidents. Ultimately SWAT must be prepared to use their training, equipment, and expertise to go head to head with an armed suspect(s). This is where there are no second chances, and very limited time to act. How then do we prepare ourselves to think on our feet, make quick decisions, and have the winning mindset?

Our traditional firearms training has placed the focus on ‘how to shoot’. It is now time to place our focus on improving our performance in applying our skills in real life deadly force encounters.

Basically put, we must win every time! How then do we not only train our skills but also train to have that “winning mindset”. To start we can look at professional athletes focusing mostly on those that constantly win. A statistical fact is that in competition ninety-five percent of all winning is done by only five percent of the participants.

Read the complete article at Training the SWAT Mind

Morale: Whose Job is it anyway?

Karl Von Clausewitz, a Prussian military general and military theorist, identified morale as a fundamental military principle. Since Clausewitz published “On War” morale has developed into a concept seen as critical to organizations, including law enforcement. Unfortunately, morale is difficult to define and in many circles has become somewhat synonymous with motivation. In this article we will look at a very different definition of morale, its potential effects and how the first line supervisor can affect it.

The beatings will continue until morale improves

Often times, people consider morale the same as motivation. But, morale is not about motivation. If it were, negative discipline could improve morale. There are times negative discipline is used to improve performance. Negative consequences can be a powerful tool in shaping behavior. So, if morale were about behavior or performance, negative discipline might be a tool for improving morale.

That is not to say that improved morale does not improve performance; it does. The point is that there is a clear separation between morale and motivation. High morale can be very motivating. High motivation can improve performance. There is a linkage between morale and motivation but they are not he same.
It’s not about individuals

Traditional definitions of morale include: the mood of individuals in the workplace; attitude or spirit; how a unit feels about itself and its abilities; and even, a state of individual psychological well-being. As you can see, these definitions go back and forth between the individual and groups. We all have good and bad days. Yet, as individuals who occasionally wake up on the wrong side of the bed we generally don’t affect the mood of the entire unit. As our personal attitude ebbs and flows, the morale of our unit is marching to a different drummer.

Morale is about groups and it might be defined as how a group feels about what it does. For instance, this group feeling can be an expression of how high or low the group values an activity. If a group of detectives has their job suddenly changed and they find themselves working in uniform and issuing traffic citations they may have lowered morale because they place a low value on working in uniform and issuing citations.

For the detectives, their normal working conditions do not involve uniformed activities nor issuing citations. The activity is outside their group norm and not highly valued. Morale is about sub-group norms and values and their alignment with larger organizational norms and values. For our hapless detectives, working in uniform and issuing citations is not the norm nor highly valued by the group. Therefore, when the larger organization imposes new norms and values, if the group maintains its previous norms and values there is a misalignment which manifests itself as low morale.

Norms, values and morale

Let’s explore how a well delivered “pep talk” before the big game can improve morale. What coaches tell players is that they can win, they are the best, winning is important, etc. During a “pep talk” a coach is not motivating players, rather he or she is reinforcing that the norm is victory and that it is highly valued. The job during a “pep talk” is to align team attitude with the larger organization norms and values. Again, morale is expressed as high or low alignment of norms and values between an organization and its sub-groups.

Of course, if the team doesn’t win it reverts to the norm of a losing and is out of alignment with the larger norm. The team’s morale is lower after the loss. Conversely, a win could serve to reinforce the team belief in the norm and value of victory. After a win, we would expect high morale.

A norm is the behaviors expected within a group of individuals. It is a belief shared by the group about what is normal and acceptable. In groups we establish norms so that we can anticipate and judge the actions of other group members. In law enforcement we have a strong safety norm. We expect our peers to be tactically sound and safe. We place a high value on this norm. Value is an expression of worth we place on an activity. In other words, groups can have many norms (safety and productivity) and they can place differing values on those norms. For instance, we generally value safety over productivity.

Changes from the top, within and outside

If your organization developed a new rule, policy or procedure that seemed to value productivity over safety morale would be lower. Employees would have the previous value scheme wherein safety was more important than productivity. They would not feel good about the change. Also, like the detectives who were asked to issue citations, if the organization rapidly changes the norm, employee morale falls. It is the imposed change in the value or norm that lowered morale.

Changes and challenges to sub-group norms sometimes come from outside the organization. If a police officer is killed, especially in the line-of-duty, many group norms and values are challenged. Daily, police officers face dangerous situations. The norm is that we, as individuals or members of a team overcome those dangers. The death can represent an inability to overcome danger thereby challenging the norm. Moreover, we value human life, the individual person who died and safety. An on-duty death can shake all three values. This outside challenge to the norm can lead to a lowering of morale.

Sub-group changes from within are somewhat more subtle. A sub-group with high congruence to organizational values can find itself drifting towards new sub-group norms and values and experience lowered morale. As an example, weak small-unit leadership can lead to deviant peer group behavior becoming the norm. Perhaps the leader allows a clique to grow within a watch. A clique will develop its own norms and values. Typically, it will value clique membership more than watch membership. This change in values leads to a change in normal behavior which manifests itself as a reduction in watch morale.

Alignment is more than motivation

When groups feel good about what they do, they experience high morale. Certainly, high morale can lead to improved productivity and quality. If we accept the proposition that morale is an expression of sub-group alignment with larger organizational norms and values an increase in productivity and quality makes sense. As an example, if the sub-group and the larger organization both value traffic citations, traffic citations will be issued.

For law enforcement, sub-group alignment with larger organizational norms and values is even more critical. Police officers work in a high discretionary environment. Basically, we choose when to intervene and what to do. The use of discretion is driven by our norms and values. In other words, our decisions will reflect our alignment with organizational norms and values. Consider the impact of norms and values alignment on high discretionary activities like the application of reasonable suspicion, probable cause, use of force, and vehicle pursuits. Simply put, high morale leads to greater group and individual integrity.

How small-unit leadership impact morale

Because morale is an expression of how well your unit has incorporated organizational norms and values morale is critical part of your leadership. First, you should seek clarity in understanding your organization’s norms and values. You should understand how your organization’s mission, goals or objectives support the norms and values. After it is clear to you, express it to your unit. Use your roll call time to incorporate a discussion on norms and values.

To lead a small unit you must be a story-teller. When you train or debrief during roll call emphasize how actions reflected your organization’s norms and values. Be specific. Every action can be interpreted through your organization’s norms and values. Let your people know specifically how their actions reflect positively or negatively on the overall norms and values.

The next time your offer praise consider that you are not praising the action so much as praising how much the action reflects the norms and values. In law enforcement, your unit is performing much of its critical work without the benefit of your on scene leadership. The only way you can influence them at critical moments is by reinforcing their understanding and commitment to your organization’s norms and values. It must be in their heart and only you can put it there.

You don’t have any control over outside influences. You are going to face the implementation of an unpopular change in the norm. Somebody is going to dictate a new policy or procedure. While you can’t control the outside influence you can control your unit’s interpretation of it. Minor changes are fairly simply. Introduce the new policy or procedure, provide your employees with as much background on why the change is necessary, train them and then follow-up with praise or sanction. Larger or dramatic changes are more difficult.

As with smaller changes to the norm, you must first seek clarity. Find out as much as you can why the change is necessary. Make sure you know as much as possible. I am always honest with my people. When I don’t like something or think a change is going to be difficult I admit it. As a follower, I have sat through too many gratuitous roll calls where the sergeant or lieutenant is giving us happy talk. I recommend you say something like, “I don’t like this anymore than you do. But, this is how we are going to do it.”

This admission is actually an emphasis of the norm of obedience to orders and the value of you place on it. After you have made this admission, adopt the new norm and place the appropriate value on it. Don’t undermine yourself or your organization by rolling your eyes or somehow expressing that you don’t believe the new change should be implemented. As with the minor change, provide your employees with background information, training and follow through.

It is very likely that by addressing difficult issues head on you will improve morale. Your leadership is a reflection on your ability to maintain alignment between your unit and the larger organization. By praising actions as an expression of organizational norms and values you will be providing your employees with leadership during whatever situation they face. Morale is your job.

About the Author
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster retired from the Los Angeles Police Department after 24 years of service. He is the author of “Police Technology (Prentice Hall, July 2004) and co-author of Leadership: Texas Hold 'em Style (Quill Driver/Word Dancer Press), and co-author of the upcoming book, From NYPD to LAPD: An Introduction to Policing (Prentice Hall) and number articles on technology, leadership, terrorism and policing. Raymond is a part-time lecture at California State University, Fullerton and a part-time faculty advisor at the Union Institute and University.

Raymond’s complete CV can be viewed at www.hitechcj.com/id55.html and he can be reached by email at mailto:raymond@hitechcj.com.

Iran, North Korea, China Emerging as Threats

After terrorism, the ongoing development of weapons of mass destruction is the second major threat to the safety of the U.S. and its allies, and Iran and North Korea are both emerging as potential dangers in that area, a top U.S. official told a Senate committee here today. Officials believe that Iran maintains offensive chemical and biological weapons capabilities in various stages of development, Army Lt. Gen. Michael D. Maples, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said at the hearing. Also, Iran is developing ballistic missiles with the capability to strike Tel Aviv, Israel, and even central Europe, he said.

(United States Department of Defense; 28Feb06; Sgt. Sara Wood, American Forces Press Service)

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Feb2006/20060228_4344.html

Al-Qaeda's Clandestine Courier Service

From Terrorism Focus - Jamestown Foundation

Sohail Abdul Nasir

The recent release of audio and videotapes from Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri call attention to al-Qaeda's couriers and how they transport tapes to major media outlets (al-Jazeera, January 21). Audiotapes, videotapes and the internet are the major mass media tools of al-Qaeda and are used to tilt and blur the realities of the locations of al-Qaeda leaders. They are an effective means to threaten the U.S. and the West. Al-Qaeda's videos are produced by the organization's in-house production team, al-Sahab, identified by the al-Sahab logo that appears in the videos. It appears that al-Sahab consists of multiple individuals and is not centrally located. While the videos have improved in quality, at its most basic level the videographers require computer images, e-mail transmission, and a production expert who uses a computer to compile it together in broadcast quality.

Read On

Blast Injuries - A New Resource for First Responders

A group of academic, university-based emergency physicians with an interest in blast injuries has launched a comprehensive web-based resources for first responders. Because first responders (in particular emergency medical technicians and emergency room physicians) have only limited experience in the evaluation and treatement of blast related injuries, Blast Injury.org has created the website as a one-stop educational and training resource.

As an example, one of their webpages includes information on Blast Injury Basics:

• Bombs and explosions can cause unique patterns of injury seldom seen outside combat.
• The predominant post explosion injuries among survivors involve standard penetrating and blunt trauma. Blast lung is the most common fatal injury among initial survivors.
• Explosions in confined spaces (mines, buildings, or large vehicles) and/or structural collapse are associated with greater morbidity and mortality.
• Half of all initial casualties will seek medical care over a one-hour period. This can be useful to predict demand for care and resource needs.
• Expect an “upside-down” triage - the most severely injured arrive after the less injured, who bypass EMS triage and go directly to the closest hospitals

Other resources on the site include historical perspectives, blast physics, selected injuries and a literature database. You can visit their website at www.blastinjury.org

About the Author

Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster retired from the Los Angeles Police Department after 24 years of service. He is the author of “Police Technology” (Prentice Hall, July 2004) and number articles on technology, leadership, terrorism and policing. Raymond is a part-time lecture at California State University, Fullerton and a part-time faculty advisor at the Union Institute and University. He has three current book projects. They are on terrorism, policing and leadership. Raymond’s complete CV can be viewed at Criminal Justice Profile and he can be reached by email at raymond@hitechcj.com or through the Criminal Justice Online Forum.

Triggering Muscle Memory

On Sunday, January 29th, a short high-speed pursuit ended when the suspect’s vehicle collided with a fence. By now, must of us have seen portions of a video tape depicting a Sheriff’s Deputy shooting the passenger. It is much too early and there is not public information to draw definitive, informed conclusions. However, even without full information we can use the incident to open discussions on our policies, tactics and training.

What is muscle memory?

Essentially, muscle memory is training yourself do to something without consciously thinking about it. Think about dialing an often used telephone number. Or, for those of us who learned to type, we tap at the keyboard, not consciously thinking about the keys. Trigger press is another learned muscle memory. How many countless times have you pressed the trigger, with live ammunition and dry-firing, just to get the perfect press? It is likely you have taught you index finger exactly what to do without thinking about it.

Early research into muscle memory presumed that what you were doing was creating permanent pathways between your brain and the muscles you would use for the repetitive activity. You were creating express lanes between the muscles and your brain. However, there is some research to suggest that muscle memory is much more complex. It may be that the memory for certain repetitive activities actually resides within the muscles you are using.

One suggested explanation is that when you decide to key in that often used telephone number your mind decides it is time to initiate the number sequence, sends the first digits and your fingers take over. How many times have you dialed a number that you knew had been changed? Have you every dialed the wrong number even though you reminded yourself that there was a new number? All sorts of trainers recognize the value of muscle memory. But are there hidden dangers?

Accidental discharges

Many people who have accidental discharges will tell you that the firearm “just went off.” It must have malfunctioned. Unfortunately, when the firearm is inspected by the department armor they tell you that the only way the firearm discharged was the shooter pressed the trigger. And, the shooter will insist they did not press the trigger. Is it possible to press the trigger without consciously thinking about it? Clearly, muscle memory makes that possible. Moreover, if the deeper research about muscle memory is true it may be possible for your index finger to press the trigger without a message from your brain. Perhaps the act of placing your finger on the trigger initiates a sequence within the cells of the muscles controlling your index finger and the finger follows through.

Even if your index finger doesn’t develop a memory of its own, once you place your finger on the trigger you have clearly initiated the first part of a repetitive sequence that ends with trigger press. Furthermore, it is plausible that since you have initiated this sequence if you don’t shoot, you must be consciously sending a “no shoot” message to your index finger. In a high-stress situation you are going to default to the level your training.

Tactical handling of firearms

Most, if not all, official ranges and good tactical shooters teach to you to place your finger along the frame. The only time your index finger moves to the trigger is when you are going to follow through and shoot. In the field, any time you draw your weapon you should only place your finger along the frame. Not until you decide to shoot should your finger move to the trigger.

While it is too early to know if muscle memory was in anyway contributory to the San Bernardino incident, it is a good time to revisit our basic firearm and tactical skills. We can use the incident to open a dialogue amongst ourselves about our policies, tactics and training without being early, ill-informed critics.

About the Author
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster retired from the Los Angeles Police Department after 24 years of service. He is the author of “Police Technology” (Prentice Hall, July 2004) and number articles on technology, leadership, terrorism and policing. Raymond is a part-time lecture at California State University, Fullerton and a part-time faculty advisor at the Union Institute and University. He has three current book projects. They are on terrorism, policing and leadership. Raymond’s complete CV can be viewed at Criminal Justice Profile and he can be reached by email at raymond@hitechcj.com or through the Criminal Justice Online Forum.

Terror Kills Over 1000 Police Officers in 2004

(Note: Tables and some endnotes removed to accomodate blog. They are available here)

While the United States has not experienced a major terrorist attack since September 11, 2001, there have been continual terrorist attacks around the globe. According to the National Counter Terrorism Centers (NCTC) Worldwide Incident Tracking System (WITS)[i], during 2004 there were only five terrorist incidents in the US (accounting for one injury). Conversely, during the same time period there were 3,192 terrorist incidents worldwide, resulting in 6,060 deaths and 16,091 wounded victims.

During 2004, 1,080 police officers were killed by terrorists and another 1,370 police officers were wounded by terrorists outside the US. Table one represents the number of officers killed and wounded versus the total number of people killed and wounded. The data seems to suggest that police officers who are victims of a terrorist act are much more likely to be killed (as opposed to wounded) than civilians who are victims of a terrorist act.
Police officers becoming victims of terrorist attacks appear to be a world-wide phenomenon. Table two represents a breakdown of those attacks by region. The information indicates, as we know, the Middle East and Southeast Asia are particularly dangerous areas. The third column of table two shows the percentage of police officers who are victims of terrorism. It is interesting to note that while police officers on average are targets of terrorism roughly 18.5 percent of the time world-wide, they are slightly more than 11 percent of the total number of victims.

Perhaps, though police officers may be targeted by terrorists, their training and/or equipment may prevent them from becoming casualties.

Are Police Officers Targeted?

The data from outside the US seems to indicate that police officers are specifically targeted by terrorists. Like the US, many countries rely on internal police organizations to pursue criminal investigations against terrorists. Simply put, the data indicates that police officers worldwide are on the front line in the War Against Terror. They are the ones making arrests, guarding critical facilities and responding to the scenes of terrorist acts. Indeed, a closer look at terrorist acts reveals that among the incidents involving police officers, fatalities occur during attempts to arrest terrorists[iii], guard duty of critical facilities,[iv] response to situations[v], the conducting of routine operations, such as traffic control[vi], and off-duty ambushes[vii].
It also appears that police officers may be targeted because of their occupation. First, they are one of the most visible forms of civilian government. Terrorists seeking to strike at a government may view police officers as symbols of that government. Perhaps more importantly, the public views police officers as symbols of order and peace. Recall that the definition of a terrorist act involves striking at non-combatants in order to generate fear. It may be that police officers are specifically targeted because citizens become even more fearful when they see the people who are armed and charged with the responsibility of protecting the community fall victim.

Although US policing has not experienced anything close to the carnage of our brothers and sisters worldwide, it may be instructive to use the information from those attacks to attempt to determine likely circumstances and weapons that would be used in an attack on police officers in other regions, then review tactics designed to increase officer safety. Table three classifies the attacks on police officers[viii]. Table four outlines the weapons used by the terrorists.

According to the NCTC, on September 3, 2004, in Khaki Forest, Giridih District, Jharkhand, India, militants detonated a bomb under a police vehicle, killing five police officers and wounding three others[ix]. In the early 1970s certain domestic terrorist groups (or militant groups as they were called at the time) detonated bombs that were either placed on the ground underneath or attached to the undercarriage of the police vehicle. One attack involved members of a terrorist group taping a hand grenade to the gas tank of a patrol vehicle while the officers were at lunch. An improvised device designed to pull the pin would have been activated by the officers driving forward from their parking spot. The officers lives were saved because they drove backward out of the parking spot, unaware of the device[x]. That incident led to the spread of the simple tactic of officers looking under their vehicle before they entered it any time they were away from the vehicle. This tactic led to the discovery of other devices and is a simple way to foil this type of attack.

Station Defense

According to the NCTC, on August 20, 2004, in Semdinli, Hakkari Province, Turkey, gunmen opened fire on a Turkish police station, injuring two police officers[xi]. Police stations have also been bombed[xii] and attacked with military style weapons[xiii]; however, the most prevalent type of weapon identified in all attacks was firearms (35%), followed by explosive devices (34%).

All agencies should consider implementing station defense plans and reviewing their station routines and structure for weaknesses. On how many summer nights have you found the back door to the station propped open? Can your desk officers be seen through a plate glass door from the street? How many police officers view desk duty as vacation from the street and do not wear their Sam Browne or other duty equipment? During the 1960s and 1970s, police stations in the US were attacked by terrorist groups. Revisiting the tactics and procedures implemented during those times may be a good starting point for improving station defense.

As we noted in previous articles, it is important to view our preparation and planning for terrorist incidents as all-hazards planning. The construction and remodeling of police stations should be conducted under the umbrella of all-hazards planning that includes potential terrorist attacks. A good starting point may be to conduct a Needs Analysis of your station. Recall that a Needs Analysis involves the determination of likely events, the state of current preparation and a determination of needs to completely prepare. What could happen and what could you do now to improve your response?

Ambush

According to the NCTC, on August 4, 2004, in Patnos, Agri Province, Turkey, unidentified gunmen fired at a police vehicle, killing one police officer and injuring one other[xiv]. It is clear from the data that ambush and station attack are the two primary terrorist incidents aimed at police officers. According to the NCTC data, ambushes against police officers overseas generally take on two forms: An explosive device is detonated as the police officers drive by, or gunmen assault the vehicle from positions of concealment. In the US, we should consider two additional variations on the ambush. The first variation is a false radio call that draws police officers into an ambush zone. The second variation is a terrorists committing a minor traffic violation in order to attack the officer during the stop.

Countering ambushes involves a re-examination of basic field tactics. During radio calls, officers should avoid parking in front of the location, be mindful of people who may be acting as lookouts, etc. For traffic stops, officers should attempt to select the location of the stop, position their vehicle tactically and be mindful of furtive movements by the traffic violator. Countering all ambushes means officers should know the difference between cover and concealment, practice moving into the cone of fire and move quickly away from the police vehicle because it is likely to draw fire. During Enforcement

According to the NCTC, On February 17, 2004, in the morning, in the Zavodskoy District, Groznyy, Chechnya, Russia, a bomb exploded during a search operation by OMON (Special Forces Police Detachment) officers, injuring the deputy commander[xv]. It is interesting to note that during enforcement operations like serving warrants and making arrests, police officers overseas seem to receive fewer injuries[xvi]. A likely reason is that they are in a heightened state of awareness and have pre-planned the operation. Both are extraordinarily valuable officer-survival tips. Training, awareness and preplanning are probably the best prevention. Indeed, when coupled with solid field tactics and well-maintained equipment, a police officers survivability surely increases.

Off-duty

According to the NCTC, WITS, on June 17, 2004, in the Arghakhanchi District, Nepal, gunmen fired upon a group of out-of-uniform police officers shopping at a local bazaar, killing two officers and wounding two others[xvii]. In another incident reported by the NCTC, WITS, on November 2, 2004, at night, in the village of Litter, Pulwama, Kashmir, India, armed militants shot and killed a police officer in his home[xviii]. Being off-duty should be the perfect undercover assignment. You blend in completely with everyone in your personal community. Avoiding wearing insignias on your clothing, appropriately concealing off-duty weapons and ensuring that your private data is protected are essential steps in avoiding off-duty conflicts. More importantly, before taking action, off-duty police officers should strongly consider that they lack the support and equipment available while on-duty; and that they are likely to bear the additional concern of exposing family and friends to danger.

Secondary Devices

According to the NCTC, On January 15, 2004, at approximately 3:20 PM, in Karachi, Pakistan, two bombs exploded within 15 minutes of each other at the Pakistan Bible Society building. The first blast damaged the building but caused no casualties. Later, a car bomb exploded, injuring three police officers and 12 civilians who had gathered to inspect the damage from the first blast and damaging 18 nearby vehicles[xix]. Secondary devices are intended to kill or wound first responders. A post-blast scene is NOT a safe scene. In addition to evidence collection and preservation and any unsafe conditions (like damaged structures and hazards chemicals), police officers must be mindful of secondary devices. Considerations range from suspicious, undamaged vehicles to the use of the police radio, which might accidentally detonate a device.

Conclusions

By examining and debriefing terrorist events overseas we are able to identify training, education and equipment needs in our own agencies and communities. News from overseas is an opportunity to ask What if that happened here? In our next article, we will journey further into homeland security and terrorism by examining how technology can supplement solid tactical training and increase your counterterrorism skills.

About the Author
bout the AuthorLieutenant Raymond E. Foster retired from the Los Angeles Police Department after 24 years of service. He is the author of “Police Technology” (Prentice Hall, July 2004) and number articles on technology, leadership, terrorism and policing. Raymond is a part-time lecture at California State University, Fullerton and a part-time faculty advisor at the Union Institute and University. He has three current book projects. They are on terrorism, policing and leadership. Raymond’s complete CV can be viewed at Criminal Justice Profile and he can be reached by email at raymond@hitechcj.com or through the Criminal Justice Online Forum.

Endnotes

[i] A synopsis of all 591 incidents can be viewed at http://www.hitechcj.com/id201.html.
[ii] All tabular data developed from the National Counterterrorism Center, World Incident Tracking System.
[iii] According to the NCTC, WITS, on April 3, 2004, in Madrid, Spain, suspected terrorists detonated several bombs in an apartment building, killing one police officer and wounding fifteen others. The suspects, who allegedly conducted the 11 March 2004 Madrid bombings, blew themselves up after police had surrounded the building where they were hiding, in order to avoid being captured. NCTC WITS ICN Number 200466399.
[iv] According to the NCTC WITS, on June 7, 2004, in the Kharar District, Logar Province, Afghanistan, militants attacked a government headquarters building, killing one police officer. NCTC WITS ICN Number 200458216.
[v] According to the NCTC WITS, on January 5, 2004, in Pattani, Thailand, an improvised explosive device strapped to a motorcycle in a park exploded as two technicians attempted to defuse it, killing both engineers. NCTC WITS ICN Number 200458454.
[vi] According to the NCTC WITS, on March 23, 2004, in Yala Province, Thailand, assailants shot and killed a police officer while he was directing traffic. NCTC WITS ICN Number 200458509.
[vii]According to the NCTC WITS, on January 6, 2004, in the Tetaria Village, Morang, Nepal, unidentified gunmen shot and killed an off-duty police officer. NCTC, WITS ICN Number 200460008.
[viii] There are a few caveats regarding the constructs of this table. The synopses provided by the NCTC were very brief. An incident was only classified as bombed a police vehicle if the synopsis mentioned the device being attached to the officers vehicle. It is likely that some of the attacks classified as unknown included these attacks. Also, an incident was only classified as an ambush if the synopsis had the word ambush. Many of the synopses were likely to have been ambush type attacks; and, some attacks, like those occurring off-duty, clearly were ambushes.
[ix] NCTC, WITS ICN Number 200459779.
[x] The information concerning this incident was obtained in a confidential interview of one of the involved officers.
[xi] NCTC, WITC ICN Number: 200461069.
[xii] According to the NCTC WITS, on January 14, 2004, in Ba'qubah, Iraq, a suicide car bomber attacked a police station, killing two civilians and injuring 26 local police officers. NCTC, WITS ICN Number 200458141.
[xiii] According to the NCTC WITS, on April 12, 2004, in Kirkuk, Iraq, unknown militants fired two mortar rounds at a police post, killing one Iraqi police officer and injuring four civilians. NCTC WITS Number 200464020.
[xiv] NCTC, WITS ICN Number: 200461045.
[xv] NCTC WITS, ICN Number 200460383.
[xvi] As noted by the data in Table three this accounts for the smallest number of police officers killed in the line of duty and third smallest number wounded.
[xvii] NCTC WITS, ICN Number 200459707.
[xviii] NCTC WITS, ICN Number 200461623.
[xix] NCTC, WITS ICN Number 200460780.

Naval Post Graduate School Police Training

Lesson outlines to the NPS basic training course. Interesting reading for anyone contemplating a career in law enforcement, or for any supervisor who is interested in designing roll call training.

Course # 101 - Police Department Duties and Functions
Course # 102 - Standards of Conduct
Course # 103 - Vehicle and Personnel Movement
Course # 104 - Loss Prevention/MSLR Program
Course # 105 - Jurisdiction and Authority
Course # 106 - Rules of Evidence
Course # 107 - Search and Seizure
Course # 108 - Uniform Code of Military Justice
Course # 109 - Self-Incrimination, Admissions and Confessions
Course # 110 - Apprehension and Arrest
Course # 111 - Traffic Control
Course # 112 - Traffic Collision Investigation
Course # 113 - Crime Scene Response and Security
Course # 114 - Crime Prevention Programs
Course # 115 - Crimes in Progress Calls
Course # 116 - Communications
Course # 117 - DUI Detection and Investigation
Course # 118 - Patrol Procedures
Course # 119 - Drugs of Abuse
Course # 120 - "Low Risk" Vehicle Stops
Course # 121 - Crowd Control
Course # 122 - Use Of Force
Course # 123 - Basic Marksmanship
Course # 124 - Emergency Vehicle Operations
Course # 125 - First Aid/CPR Certification
Course # 126 - Chemical Weapons Certification (DOC)

Internet/Cyber Crime Schemes

The following are current and ongoing Internet trends and schemes identified by the Internet Crime Complaint Center along with the description of the fraud or scheme:AUCTION FRAUDAuction fraud involves fraud attributable to the misrepresentation of a product advertised for sale through an Internet auction site or the non-delivery of products purchased through an Internet auction site.

Consumers are strongly cautioned against entering into Internet transactions with subjects exhibiting the following behavior:

The seller posts the auction as if he resides in the United States, then responds to victims
with a congratulatory email stating he is outside the United States for business reasons, family emergency, etc. Similarly, beware of sellers who post the auction under one name, and ask for the funds to be transferred to another individual.

The subject requests funds to be wired directly to him/her via Western Union, MoneyGram, or bank-to-bank wire transfer. By using these services, the money is virtually unrecoverable with no recourse for the victim.

Sellers acting as authorized dealers or factory representatives in countries where there would be no such dealers should be avoided. Buyers who ask for the purchase to be shipped using a certain method to avoid customs or taxes inside another country should be avoided.
Be suspect of any credit card purchases where the address of the card holder does not match the shipping address. Always receive the card holder's authorization before shipping any products. In addition, visit eBay and PayPal for additional security alerts and fraud prevention tips.

AUCTION FRAUD - RomaniaAuction fraud is the most prevalent of Internet crimes associated with Romania. The subjects have saturated the Internet auctions and offer almost every in-demand product. The subjects have also become more flexible, allowing victims to send half the funds now, and the other half when the item arrives.The auctions are often posted as if the seller is a United States citizen, then the subject advises the victim to send the money to a business partner, associate, sick relative, a family member, etc., usually in a European country. The money is usually transferred via MoneyGram or Western Union wire transfer. The Internet Crime Complaint Center has verified in order to receive funds via Western Union, the receiver must provide the complete information of the sender and the receiver's full name and address. The funds can be picked up anywhere in the world using this information. There is no need to provide the money transfer control number (MTCN) or the answer to any secret question, as many subjects have purported to the victims. Money sent via wire transfer leaves little recourse for the victim.The most recent trend is a large increase in bank-to-bank wire transfers. Most significantly, these wire transfers go through large United States banks and are then routed to Bucharest, Romania or Riga, Latvia.Similarly, the sellers also occasionally direct the victims to pay using phony escrow services. Sometimes actual escrow websites are compromised and other sites resembling them are created by the subjects. Once the funds are wire transferred to the escrow website, the seller discontinues contact..In addition, visit eBay and PayPal for additional security alerts and fraud prevention tips.

COUNTERFEIT CASHIER'S CHECK
The counterfeit cashier's check scheme targets individuals that use Internet classified advertisements to sell merchandise. Typically, an interested party located outside the United States contacts a seller. The seller is told that the buyer has an associate in the United States that owes him money. As such, he will have the associate send the seller a cashier's check for the amount owed to the buyer.The amount of the cashier's check will be thousands of dollars more than the price of the merchandise and the seller is told the excess amount will be used to pay the shipping costs associated with getting the merchandise to his location. The seller is instructed to deposit the check, and as soon as it clears, to wire the excess funds back to the buyer or to another associate identified as a shipping agent. In most instances, the money is sent to locations in West Africa (Nigeria).Because a cashier's check is used, a bank will typically release the funds immediately, or after a one or two day hold. Falsely believing the check has cleared, the seller wires the money as instructed.In some cases, the buyer is able to convince the seller that some circumstance has arisen that necessitates the cancellation of the sale, and is successful in conning the victim into sending the remainder of the money. Shortly thereafter, the victim's bank notifies him that the check was fraudulent, and the bank is holding the victim responsible for the full amount of the check.

CREDIT CARD FRAUD
The Internet Crime Complaint Center has received multiple reports alleging foreign subjects are using fraudulent credit cards. The unauthorized use of a credit/debit card, or card number, to fraudulently obtain money or property is considered credit card fraud. Credit/debit card numbers can be stolen from unsecured websites, or can be obtained in an identity theft scheme.Visit any of the three credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion, for more information or to place a fraud alert on your credit report.Visit the Federal Trade Commission for additional information on security andDEBT ELIMINATIONDebt elimination schemes generally involve websites advertising a legal way to dispose of mortgage loans and credit card debts. Most often, all that is required of the participant is to send $1,500 to $2,000 to the subject, along with all the particulars of the participant's loan information and a special power of attorney authorizing the subject to enter into transactions regarding the title of the participant's homes on their behalf. The subject then issues bonds and promissory notes to the lenders that purport to legally satisfy the debts of the participant. In exchange, the participant is then required to pay a certain percentage of the value of the satisfied debts to the subject. The potential risk of identity theft related crimes associated with the debt elimination scheme is extremely high because the participants provide all of their personal information to the subject.

PARCEL COURIER EMAIL SCHEME
The Parcel Courier Email Scheme involves the supposed use of various National and International level parcel providers such as DHL, UPS, FedEx and the USPS. Often, the victim is directly emailed by the subject(s) following online bidding on auction sites. Most of the scams follow a general pattern which includes the following elements:
The subject instructs the buyer to provide shipping information such as name and address.
The subject informs the buyer that the item will be available at the selected parcel provider in the buyer's name and address, thereby, identifying the intended receiver.
The selected parcel provider checks the item and purchase documents to guarantee everything is in order.

The selected parcel provider sends the buyer delivery notification verifying their receipt of the item. The buyer is instructed by the subject to go to an electronic funds transfer medium, such as Western Union, and make a funds transfer in the subject's name and in the amount of the purchase price.

After the funds transfer, the buyer is instructed by the subject to forward the selected parcel provider the funds transfer identification number, as well as their name and address associated with the transaction. The subject informs the buyer the parcel provider will verify payment information and complete the delivery process. Upon completion of delivery and inspection of the item(s) by the receiver, the buyer provides the parcel provider funds transfer information, thus, allowing the seller to receive his funds.

EMPLOYMENT/BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
Employment/business opportunity schemes have surfaced wherein bogus foreign-based companies are recruiting citizens in the United States on several employment-search websites for work-at-home employment opportunities. These positions often inv
olve reselling or reshipping merchandise to destinations outside the United States.Prospective employees are required to provide personal information, as well as copies of their identification, such as a driver's license, birth certificate, or social security card. Those employees that are "hired" by these companies are then told that their salary will be paid by check from a United States company reported to be a creditor of the employer. This is done under the pretense that the employer does not have any banking set up in the United States.The amount of the check is significantly more than the employee is owed for salary and expenses, and the employee is instructed to deposit the check into their own account, and then wire the overpayment back to the employer's bank, usually located in Eastern Europe. The checks are later found to be fraudulent, often after the wire transfer has taken place.

In a similar scam, some web-based international companies are advertising for affiliate opportunities, offering individuals the chance to sell high-end electronic items, such as Plasma television sets and home theater systems, at significantly reduced prices. The affiliates are instructed to offer the merchandise on well-known Internet auction sites. The affiliates will accept the payments, and pay the company, typically by means of wire transfer. The company is then supposed to drop-ship the merchandise directly to the buyer, thus eliminating the need for the affiliate to stock or warehouse merchandise. The merchandise never ships, which often prompts the buyers to take legal action against the affiliates, who in essence are victims themselves.

ESCROW SERVICES FRAUD
In an effort to persuade a wary Internet auction participant, the perpetrator will propose the use of a third-party escrow service to facilitate the exchange of money and merchandise. The victim is unaware the perpetrator has actually compromised a true escrow site and, in actuality, created one that closely resembles a legitimate escrow service. The victim sends payment to the phony escrow and receives nothing in return. Or, the victim sends merchandise to the subject and waits for his/her payment through the escrow site which is never received because it is not a legitimate service.

In addition, visit Escrow.com for security alerts and fraud prevention tips.

IDENTITY THEFT
Identity theft occurs when someone appropriates another's personal information without their knowledge to commit theft or fraud. Identity theft is a vehicle for perpetrating other types of fraud schemes. Typically, the victim is led to believe they are divulging sensitive personal information to a legitimate business, sometimes as a response to an email solicitation to update billing or membership information, or as an application to a fraudulent Internet job posting.
In addition, visit the Federal Trade Commission for additional information on security and fraud prevention tips.

INTERNET EXTORTION
Internet extortion involves hacking into and controlling various industry databases, promising to release control back to the company if funds are received, or the subjects are given web administrator jobs. Similarly, the subject will threaten to compromise information about consumers in the industry database unless funds are received.

INVESTMENT FRAUD
Investment fraud is an offer using false or fraudulent claims to solicit investments or loans, or providing for the purchase, use, or trade of forged or counterfeit securities.

LOTTERIES
The lottery scheme deals with persons randomly contacting email addresses advising them they have been selected as the winner of an International lottery. The Internet Crime Complaint Center has identified numerous lottery names being used in this scheme.
The email message usually reads similar to the following:

"This is to inform you of the release of money winnings to you. Your email was randomly
selected as the winner and therefore you have been approved for a lump sum payout of
$500,000.00. To begin your lottery claim, please contact the processing company
selected to process your winnings."

An agency name follows this body of text with a point of contact, phone number, fax number, and an email address. An initial fee ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 is often requested to initiate the process and additional fee requests follow after the process has begun. These emails may also list a United States point of contact and address while also indicating the point of contact at a foreign address.

NIGERIAN LETTER OR "419"
Named for the violation of Section 419 of the Nigerian Criminal Code, the 419 scam combines the threat of impersonation fraud with a variation of an advance fee scheme in which a letter, email, or fax is received by the potential victim. The communication from individuals representing themselves as Nigerian or foreign government officials offers the recipient the "opportunity" to share in a percentage of millions of dollars, soliciting for help in placing large sums of money in overseas bank accounts. Payment of taxes, bribes to government officials, and legal fees are often described in great detail with the promise that all expenses will be reimbursed as soon as the funds are out of the country.

The recipient is encouraged to send information to the author, such as blank letterhead stationary, bank name and account numbers, and other identifying information using a facsimile number provided in the letter. The scheme relies on convincing a willing victim to send money to the author of the letter in several installments of increasing amounts for a variety of reasons.

Visit the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to learn more about combating financial and economic crimes in Nigeria.

PHISHING/SPOOFING
Phishing and spoofing are somewhat synonymous in that they refer to forged or faked electronic documents. Spoofing generally refers to the dissemination of email which is forged to appear as though it was sent by someone other than the actual sender. Phishing, often utilized in conjunction with spoofed email, is the creation of a website to make that site appear as the legitimate business website. Once the fraudulent email has been launched, the spoofed websites attempt to dupe the unsuspecting victims into divulging sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, and bank account information.

Visit the Anti-Phishing Working Group, for more information on phishing and email spoofing.

PONZI/PYRAMID
Ponzi or pyramid schemes are investment scams in which investors are promised abnormally high profits on their investments. No investment is actually made. Early investors are paid returns with the investment money received from the later investors. The system usually collapses. The later investors do not receive dividends and lose their initial investment.

RESHIPPING
The "reshipping" scheme requires individuals in the United States, who sometimes are coconspirators and other times are unwitting accomplices, to receive packages at their residence and subsequently repackage the merchandise for shipment, usually abroad."Reshippers" are being recruited in various ways but the most prevalent are through employment offers and conversing, and later befriending, unsuspecting victims through Internet Relay Chat Rooms.
Unknown subjects post help-wanted advertisements at popular Internet job search sites and respondents quickly reply to the online advertisement. As part of the application process, the prospective employee is required to complete an employment application, wherein he/she divulges sensitive personal information, such as their date of birth and social security number which, unbeknownst to the victim employee, will be used to obtain credit in his/her name.

The applicant is informed he/she has been hired and will be responsible for forwarding, or "reshipping", merchandise purchased in the United States to the company's overseas home office. The packages quickly begin to arrive and, as instructed, the employee dutifully forwards the packages to their overseas destination. Unbeknownst to the "reshipper," the recently received merchandise was purchased with fraudulent credit cards.

The second means of recruitment involves the victim conversing with the unknown individual in various Internet Relay Chat Rooms. After establishing this new online "friendship" or "love" relationship, the unknown subject explains for various legal reasons his/her country will not allow direct business shipments into his/her country from the United States. He/she then asks for permission to send recently purchased items to the victim's United States address for subsequent shipment abroad for which the unknown subject explains he/she will cover all shipping expenses.

After the United States citizen agrees, the packages start to arrive at great speed. This fraudulent scheme lasts several weeks until the "reshipper" is contacted. The victimized merchants explain to the "reshipper" the recent shipments were purchased with fraudulent credit cards. Shortly thereafter, the strings of attachment are untangled and the boyfriend/girlfriend realizes their Cyber relationship was nothing more than an Internet scam to help facilitate the transfer of goods purchased online by fraudulent means.

Visit the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to learn more about combating financial and economic crimes in Nigeria.

SPAM
With improved technology and world-wide Internet access, spam, or unsolicited bulk email, is now a widely used medium for committing traditional white collar crimes including financial institution fraud, credit card fraud, and identity theft, among others. It is usually considered unsolicited because the recipients have not opted to receive the email. Generally, this bulk email refers to multiple identical messages sent simultaneously. Those sending this spam are violating the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (CAN SPAM) Act, Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1037.

Spam can also act as the vehicle for accessing computers and servers without authorization and transmitting viruses and Botnets. The subjects masterminding this Spam often provide hosting services and sell open proxy information, credit card information, and email lists illegally.

THIRD PARTY RECEIVER OF FUNDS
A general trend has been noted by the Internet Crime Complaint Center regarding work-at-home schemes on websites. In several instances, the subjects, usually foreign, post work-at-home job offers on popular Internet employment sites, soliciting for assistance from United States citizens. The subjects allegedly are posting Internet auctions, but cannot receive the proceeds from these auctions directly because his/her location outside the United States makes receiving these funds difficult. The seller asks the United States citizen to act as a third party receiver of funds from victims who have purchased products from the subject via the Internet.
The United States citizen, receiving the funds from the victims, then wires the money to the subject.

You can file a complaint and receive more information about these types of fraud at the Internet Crime Complaint Center.

These crimes and other internet/technology related law enforcement issues are regularly discussed on Criminal Justice Online.

Seven Signs of Terrorism

Below is a link to an information video entitled, "7 Signs of Terrorism." The video was researched, developed, and produced by the students, staff and alumni of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora, Illinois. The video, commissioned by the Illinois Terrorism Task Force was produced at no cost to taxpayers of the State of Illinois.

The purpose of the video is make citizens aware of the seven signs they should look for if they suspect a terrorism plot is being planned or underway. The video is also designed to assist citizens become active participants in protecting our homeland effort. Subject matter presented in the video includes information about terrorists conducting surveillance, acquiring supplies, and going through trial runs of an attack.

Click to see the “Homeland Security Begins at Home”

About the Author

About the AuthorLieutenant Raymond E. Foster retired from the Los Angeles Police Department after 24 years of service. He is the author of “Police Technology” (Prentice Hall, July 2004) and number articles on technology, leadership, terrorism and policing. Raymond is a part-time lecture at California State University, Fullerton and a part-time faculty advisor at the Union Institute and University. He has three current book projects. They are on terrorism, policing and leadership. Raymond’s complete CV can be viewed at Criminal Justice Profile and he can be reached by email at raymond@hitechcj.com or through the Criminal Justice Online Forum.

Cellular Telephone Purchases Raise suspicions

In both California and Texas, the purchase of prepaid cellular telephones by suspicious person has been reported to local and federal authorities. On December 31, 2005, store employees in Hemet, California reported the purchase of 150 prepaid telephones to local and federal authorities. Early that month, in Midland, Texas, store employees reported that six suspicious individuals attempted to purchase 60 telephones.

A copy of the incident report (unconfirmed) prepared by the Midland Police Department is available here.

According to ABC new, federal authorities have begun an investigation into the purchase of large quantities of pre-paid or disposable cellular telephones. Retail and online outlets offer sales and activation of pre-paid cellular telephones which do not require a contract or credit check. The ready access and anonymity offered by these devices make them attractive to criminals and perhaps even terrorists.

As a means of communication pre-paid telephones offer several tactical advantages. First, they provide high-tech, virtually untraceable, communications gear. Because they do not require a contract or credit check, almost anyone can purchase one, under almost any name. Tracing back a number to an individual may well become virtually impossible. Furthermore, the low price provides the additional tactical advantage of secure communications because criminals and/or terrorists can change devices and numbers thereby avoiding traditional wiring taps.

An additional threat to American security may be the use of cellular telephones as a means to remotely detonate explosives. Remote detonation gives terrorists other tactical advantages. Remote detonation can occur by either re-wiring the cellular telephone so that when it is called instead of ringing the electrical current is used for detonation. Also, the alarm clock we typically use to remind us of the time can be used as the timing device for the detonation.

Remote detonation is used to time events, allow for a target to pass near a pre-positioned device, allow a device to be moved into position, or provide a delay in activation for escape. It is suspected that cellular telephones were used as a means of remote detonation in both the Madrid and London bombings. Remote detonation does not necessarily preclude a suicide bomber. By remote, it is meant that the time of detonation is pre-determined. It may well be that the London bombers were so well synchronized because the explosions were remotely timed by pre-setting a cellular alarm clock.

Law enforcement officials use a number of devices to investigate and counter the tactical advantage. For instance, Triggerfish is a relatively old-style technology that can home in on a cellular telephone when they are in use. However, this still requires that law enforcement know the cellular telephone number they are trying to track. Again, this highlights the difficulty in pursuing investigative leads on disposable cellular telephones. Additionally, there is technology available and in use which creates a limited cellular telephone dead zone. This technology might be useful in creating a “dead zone” under certain circumstances. As an example, a dead zone can be created by jamming the cellular frequencies after one attack in order to prevent secondary devices. Unfortunately, jamming on interrupts all incoming and outgoing calls – it doesn’t discriminate between terrorists and first responders; and, jamming does not effect timing devices.

As it develops this information will be updated at Criminal Justice Online in the open source intelligence section of the forum.

Marine Corps Intelligence

Part of the mission of Criminal Justice Online is to cull through the Internet and bring you timely, interesting and useful open source intelligence. Recently, the United States Marine Corps published its Marine Corps Intelligence Civillian Career Development Guide.

Excerpt from the guide:

In this 21st century, the Marine Corps faces mission and management challenges that call for a new responsiveness to career development. Decreasing resources and rightsizing are just two of the challenges mandating that the human resources of the organization be developed and managed to meet increasing workload expectations.

It is imperative that all members of Marine Corps Intelligence maintain and expand theirprofessional skills to maximize individual and collective potential. A career developmentplan is essential to ensure employees’ training and development activities are strategically aligned to the mission.

The Marine Corps has established procedures and tools to educate, train, and retain its workforce to ensure that its staff has the ability to provide timely, objective, and cogent military intelligence to the nation’s warfighters, policy makers, and acquisition community; to ensure that employees have the opportunity to pursue fulfilling and challenging careers; and to maximize the potential of its people through planned career development.Both supervisors and employees share the responsibility for developing a workforce with the skills to make an expanded contribution to the mission—a contribution linking individual work satisfaction and performance to accomplishing goals and meeting the challenges of Marine Corps Intelligence.

To be successful employees are expected to take a positive approach to career development. Marine Corps Intelligence offers a competency-based training curriculum that is linked to the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for successful job performance. All employees are encouraged to participate in scheduled training courses, workshops, seminars, and on-the-job developmental assignments designed to assist them in reaching their full potential.

Employees are also encouraged to work with mentors who can help guide them along their chosen paths.This guide provides information on the Career Development Program, as well as other educational opportunities available to both civilian and military personnel.

The entire guide can be downloaded here.

I wanna be a detective!

That’s something a police sergeant or lieutenant hears from every street cop. It seems few want to spend their career pushing a black and white around their beat. While working the streets is a great job, eventually you come a point that you want to do something else. Perhaps, you want to be a detective. Here’s some good advice on getting a detective spot.

You’re career is under your control. If it is drifting it is because you are letting it drift. So, take the wheel. A great first step is to get an undergraduate degree. Take a look at my article Criminal Justice: Why and How. Then, consider, an interview panel doesn’t care what courses you took. They aren’t going to ask you about your undergraduate class in criminological theory. However, they are going to know, and you are going to tell them that an undergraduate degree says:

1. You can work independently.
2. You can work in groups.
3. You can manage competing resources.
4. You can manage a long term plan.
5. You are capable of research
6. You can read and write at the college level.
7. You were exposed to different cultures

Doesn’t that sound like a first class detective? While you are working on your undergraduate degree work on your skills as a police officer. About halfway through my probation on the department I responded to a homicide scene. A man had been stabbed to death on a street corner. Like the typical blue suit, I put the tape up, started the log and called the detectives. They came and investigated. Even though it happened in broad daylight – no one saw a thing.

The detectives detected and then went away. I spent the next few weeks going back to that street corner. There were several retired men who hung out nearby. Even though I was a much younger and a different race, I talked to them everyday. We chatted about boxing, cars and other stuff. I knew they knew who did the murder. After several weeks of chatting I asked the question. One of the men said, “Officer, if I knew, I’d tell you.” He emphasized the you. Another man said, “You would?” The second man told me everything. In 24 hours, the suspect and the weapon were in custody. The point is that detective work is about talking to people. Hone your skills now.

Go into the detective squad bay and ask for some work! Ask them if there is a witness you can interview during your shift or something simple you can do. At first they will have you running down supplemental property reports between radio calls. But, after a while they will give you very cool stuff to do. And, they will remember. You are putting in your time, learning the ropes and making contacts. If you work graveyards, before you go home, go ask.

Think about working traffic. Traffic investigations are relatively unknown fast-track to detectives. Every traffic accident is a crime scene. You recover evidence, interview witness, make diagrams, draw conclusions, etc. But, unlike your typical patrol investigation, a traffic investigation is often handled from crime scene to filing by the traffic cop. And, a fatal traffic accident is a potential homicide. Where else can you get homicide experience working in uniform?

So, you wanna be a detective? You can, but you have to work for it.

About the Author
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster retired from the Los Angeles Police Department after 24 years of service. He is the author of “Police Technology” (Prentice Hall, July 2004) and number articles on technology, leadership, terrorism and policing. Raymond is a part-time lecture at California State University, Fullerton and a part-time faculty advisor at the Union Institute and University. He has three current book projects. They are on terrorism, policing and leadership. Raymond’s complete CV can be viewed at Criminal Justice Profile and he can be reached by email raymond@hitechcj.com or through the Criminal Justice Online Forum.