Crime Blotter Chronicles: October 2011

Saturday, October 15, 2011

'Bridenapping' - a growing hidden crime

In at least 17 countries around the world, girls are being abducted, raped and forced into marriage, writes The Independent's Emily Dugan.

Bride kidnapping, or 'bridenapping', happens in at least 17 countries around the world, from China to Mexico to Russia to southern Africa. Photo / Thinkstock

Last year, Asana, a 14-year-old from Somalia, popped out to get some meat and milk for her mother. As she walked in a Mogadishu market, a car with blacked-out windows pulled up, a door was flung open and she was dragged inside.

A man she had never seen before said to the driver: "This is my wife; we just got engaged."

The man was Mohamed Dahir, a leader of the terrorist group Al-Shabaab. Her money was taken, she was locked away and forced to become Dahir's wife.

Asana's story is echoed across the globe in a phenomenon that is still little reported or understood.

Bride kidnapping, or "bridenapping", happens in at least 17 countries around the world, from China to Mexico to Russia to southern Africa. In each of these lands, there are communities where it is routine for young women and girls to be plucked from their families, raped and forced into marriage.

Few continents are not blighted by the practice, yet there is little awareness of these crimes, and few police investigations.

The lack of reporting means there are no global statistics, but inquiries over many weeks by The Independent on Sunday have found anecdotal evidence that bridenapping is increasing.

Something that belongs more to the Middle Ages is growing in the 21st century.

The lack of awareness, and therefore of any worldwide campaign on the issue, leaves little hope for women such as Asana (her name has been changed to protect her from Al-Shabaab, who still send her death threats).

Now 15, and bringing up Dahir's baby son, she considers herself one of the luckier ones. She managed to escape to Kenya after Dahir was killed in a shoot-out. Her story, however, would not be considered "lucky" by many.

Sitting in a plastic chair that dwarfs her childlike frame, she describes her experience: "He beat me and locked me up for one and a half months in a house. He said, 'If you talk I'll kill you'. I was so afraid that I accepted. Even when I wanted to go to the toilet, he escorted me. He wouldn't let me do anything on my own. He also used force to get me to have sex with him; he tied each of my legs with rope so they were apart. It was every night at midnight."

Men such as Dahir are able to get away with the crime in Somalia thanks to a toxic combination of lawlessness, extreme Islamist values that give women no rights, and the shame of lost virginity.

Elsewhere, the practice has emerged from a twisting of a traditional culture that has made communities turn a blind eye, allowing it to thrive.

In Kyrgyzstan - one of the few places to collect data - the practice has been on the increase since the fall of communism. Some believe this violent subversion of a tradition (which was historically for show and done with the consent of the wife) has become popular to avoid the embarrassment of being unable to afford a dowry.

Up to a third of all ethnic Kyrgyz women in Kyrgyzstan are kidnapped brides, and some studies suggest that, in certain regions, the rates of bride kidnapping account for up to 80 per cent of marriages.

In six villages scrutinised for a recent survey, almost half of the 1322 marriages registered were from bride kidnapping, and up to two-thirds were non-consensual.

Earlier this year, two 20-year-old students committed suicide after falling victim to bridenapping. The deaths of Venera Kasymalieva and Nurzat Kalykova prompted demonstrations in their home province of Issyk-Kul, but little has changed.

Despite bridenapping being a criminal offence carrying a maximum three-year jail term, very few cases are brought, and most of those who are prosecuted get away with a negligible fine.

"Once bride kidnapping was characteristic mostly in rural areas, but it has become widespread everywhere, including the capital, Bishkek," says Gazbubu Babayarova, founder of the Kyz Korgon Institute, an organisation that campaigns to eliminate bridenapping in Kyrgyzstan.

Most people in Kyrgyzstan view the practice as a tradition rather than a crime. There is such a thing as "consensual" bridenapping, where the bride agrees to be taken as part of a custom, but a more violent version of this "tradition" has grown in the 21st century.

Russell Kleinbach, a professor at Philadelphia University who is an expert on the issue, believes it is only since the 1950s that this tradition has morphed into something that is widespread, brutal and non-consensual.

Ms Babayarova is herself an example of how this custom has spread to urban, educated Kyrgyz communities.

Seven years ago, she was kidnapped by one of her closest friends, who was a medical student. He did not accept her protestations that she did not want anything more than friendship and entered into an arrangement with both their parents to kidnap her.

Early one morning he stopped by her house in Bishkek with a friend and offered to give her a lift to work in his car. Instead of driving to her office, the car veered off in another direction. When she asked what was going on, they just laughed.

"I felt that I was like a fish caught in a net. I was horrified, worried and very angry," Ms Babayarova recalls.

Soon she arrived at his home in a small village, where around seven of his female family members were waiting for her, including both grandmothers.

She was only able to escape after promising to marry him the following autumn. When she got home - with no intention of marrying him - her own family started to telephone her, saying she had brought shame on them for abandoning the deal.

Nearby in Muslim Chechnya, the region's leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, gave a powerful speech last year urging his followers to "eradicate" the age-old practice.

"I declare ... that we will root out once and for all from our society the kidnapping of young women," he said.

Sadly, that promise has not been kept. Though bridenapping is outlawed under the Russian legal system, it is still widely practiced in the region.

A shortage of women in China, blamed on people having sex-specific abortions because of the one-child policy, has resulted in men being willing to go to extreme lengths to find a wife.

Future grooms pay kidnappers between £120 and £500 (NZ$242 - $1009) to find them a bride.

Dealers in wives will often go to Vietnam, where women are a less scarce commodity, capture young women, and smuggle them across the border to their new Chinese "husbands".

This violent practice is also spoken of as a tradition outside Asia and Africa.

Among the Tzeltal community in Chiapas, southern Mexico, women are routinely kidnapped for marriage. Often this is by men who have failed to find a mate. It is customary for such men to go out and capture a woman with the help of their friends, take her to the mountains, rape her, and hold her there.

Once the girl's father's anger is believed to have subsided, the kidnapper will come down from the mountains with his prize and "buy" her with traditional gifts of rum.

If a girl in her late teens or early twenties walks alone in the pastoral area of Umutara in Rwanda, and is caught unawares, she risks being raped and beaten by gangs of youths who aim to break her resistance so she will marry a boy who has chosen her.

The boy in question will then spend several nights with her - by which point she will be considered too tainted to marry anyone else.

After this, the young man will go to a ceremonial meeting with her family to apologise for having "stolen" their daughter - a ceremony which usually ends in his getting her hand in marriage.

The United Nations has been aware of stories like Asana's and Ms Babayarova's - not to mention ones with much more tragic endings - for decades, but admits that little has been done to tackle it.

Aminata Toure, chief of the Gender, Human Rights and Culture branch of the UN Population Fund, said: "What we really need is more research to come up with the level of the problem. For something to be registered as a crime, it has to be reported; that's the problem, because it's often seen as a cultural practice and not a crime. When it's not perceived as a crime, it becomes even harder for this practice to be registered as one.

"These are issues that sometimes it is problematic even to talk about. The bottom line is that women are considered as commodities - both by the husband who takes them and their own families who accept a deal."

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Crime by the numbers

Michelle Bemis, a self-described non-runner, blogs about her trek through training to run her first marathon.

Craig Farrand, a former managing editor of The News-Herald Newspapers, blogs about educational issues. As a former consultant to public school districts, an adjunct journalism professor and a part-time high school teacher, Craig has asked the question, "Why?" plenty of times. He hopes to elicit more of those questions - and some answers along the way, too - through this blog.

Matt Dudzinski, a stay-at-home dad, shares stories of raising his daughter and being not a homemaker, but a "domestic specialist." No advice or parenting tips here, just his stories. Some funny, some heart felt, and some raw and truthful.

Jennifer Pierson is a journalism student with a mission to record the goodness that lies within mankind, whether it be big or small. She hopes her blog will spread joy and enthusiasm through Michigan's hard times.

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New crime fiction by Penny, Woodrell and Mayor

The traditional mystery, when steeped in intelligence, sympathy, rich characters and lucid prose, has a stalwart champion in Louise Penny.

Penny's last book, "Bury Your Dead," won the prestigious Anthony Award for Best Novel, and this year "A Trick of the Light" (Minotaur,352pp.,$25.99) is up for the same honor.

Montréal's perceptive Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, haunted by a raid that went wrong, is brought back to the present by a new case. In the deceptively bucolic village of Three Pines, an artist is implicated in the death of a childhood friend turned enemy. The body's found just in time to ruin the triumphant opening of the artist's breakthrough exhibit.

As in earlier books, plot takes a back seat to subtle character study here. The interplay of opposites — light and dark, friendship and bitterness — is an insistent and powerful motif in this heartbreaker.

"Once Boshell finally killed his neighbor he couldn't seem to quit killing him." The first sentence of the first story in "The Outlaw Album" (Little,Brown,176pp.,$27.99) tells us we're in Daniel Woodrell territory: violence and revenge simmering just below the surface of spare, vivid, Ozark-style storytelling.

Woodrell calls his books "country noirs." (They include "Winter's Bone," which became a stunning movie.) "The Outlaw Album" maintains his earlier work's ominous feel. As with many story collections, however, it's a mixed bag. Some pieces seem like just sketches, but the more substantial ones get under your skin. Standouts include "The Echo of Neighborly Bones," about a newcomer overstepping a boundary, and "Uncle," a wicked tale about a woman caring for an unusual baby.

Daniel Woodrell will read from and sign "The Outlaw Album" at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Capitol Hill Branch of the Seattle Public Library, 425 Harvard Ave. E. (206-684-4715,www.spl.org). HewillsignbooksatnoonTuesdayatSeattleMysteryBookshop,117CherrySt.,Seattle(206-587-5737,www.seattlemystery.com).Archer Mayor's sturdy body of work about Vermont lawman Joe Gunther just gets better. In "Tag Man" (Minotaur,290pp.,$25.99), Joe's on leave while grieving the death of his girlfriend. But he can't stay away from a case involving the Tag Man, who sneaks into upscale houses and leaves stickies reading "You're it."

We learn the Tag Man's identity early on, and about the shabby secrets he finds on his nocturnal break-ins. He steals only inexpensive mementos, and it's all relatively harmless — until he stumbles on two big secrets: scrapbooks indicating the work of a serial killer and evidence linking a repulsive rich guy with Boston mobsters.

Like Ed Gorman's other shrewdly plotted books about lawyer Sam McCain, "Bad Moon Rising" (Pegasus, 208 pp., $25) takes its title from a pop song. It's the summer of 1968, the Chicago Seven are frolicking at the Democratic Convention, and hippies — still exotic creatures — have settled near McCain's small Iowa town.

When a girl is murdered at the hippies' commune, her rich-guy father hires McCain to investigate. It seems like an open-and-shut case, but McCain thinks otherwise. (BTW, by my reckoning the timeframe's off a bit — the titular song didn't come out until early '69. But who's counting?)

Seattleite Charles Philipp Martin nicely evokes the fizzy chaos of modern Hong Kong in his engrossing debut, "Neon Panic" (Van-

tagepoint, 394 pp., $14.95 paperback). As police investigate a body washed up on shore, a symphony bassist hunts for a missing friend. There's also turmoil within the orchestra (which bears a suspicious resemblance to one the author, also a bassist, once played for). The bassist's ally in the search: a female reporter who rejoices in the name of Twinkie Choi.

Adam Woog's column on crime and mystery fiction appears on the second Sunday of the month in The Seattle Times.

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Murder is still a horrible crime even if the defendants look good

Meredith Kercher was a beautiful girl. She was 21 years old with dark, dancing eyes and glossy hair. She was clever and determined - she worked for months to raise the money to fund her year in Italy to study the language.

She was kind and much loved not just by her immediate family - her mother, her father, her sister and her brothers - but also by her many friends to whom she was known as just Mez.

Her mother Arline, who suffers from severe kidney disease, remembers her girl as "full of life. She loved music, she loved to dance. She was full of joy in her heart."

Meredith was murdered in Perugia in 2007. But in the years that have followed it is not her picture that instantly springs to mind when her horrific killing is discussed.

It is the image of her flatmate, Amanda Knox - Foxy Knoxy as she styles herself - the American student whose appeal against her conviction for the murder has attracted such enormous global coverage this week.

Amanda Knox may have been cleared of murder. But her despicable behaviour immediately after the savage killing of her flatmate, in particular her evidence against an entirely innocent man, her lies and her slander show her for the vile piece of work that she is.

Miss Knox is undoubtedly a looker.

She is rich and from a family with the clout to sustain, as they have done, an impressive PR campaign on her behalf.

But it is hard to escape the fact that it is primarily because Knox is female and good looking that this case has attracted such insatiable public and media attention.

Or that amid the acres of worldwide news coverage, Meredith Kercher, the victim, has been lost.

The verdict in the Knox appeal hearing this week was greeted with the sort of frenzy in the streets outside that would mark an Oscars award ceremony. Among the crowd was a supporter carrying a small statue of Amanda Knox cast in ceramic as if she was some latter day saint.

Or martyr.

Cameras flashed and crowds jostled for a better look as the defendants arrived. A pizza bar across the street was packed out as customers crowded round a television screening live pictures. Some jeered, booed and cried "Shameful!" as the verdict was announced.

Would the case have garnered even a smidgen of the coverage if Knox had been older and ordinary and male?

It's doubtful.

And let's be honest, this isn't just an Italian thing or an American thing. Locally would the case of Hazel Stewart have commanded such an avid audience had it not been for her looks? In fact we can even narrow it down in Stewart's case to that one memorable image of her tarted up for an evening out.

We don't think of murderers,or even those charged with the offence, as pretty people. Our brains tell us that, of course, attractive women can be criminal or killers. But somewhere deep down inside we're programmed to expect an almost cartoon vision of evil.

Charles Manson looked like a killer. Blonde hair, cleavage and high heels throws us. And, yes, it intrigues.

But should it be allowed to dazzle us to the point where we blank out the victims?

Trevor Buchanan. Leslie Howell. Those were the real victims in the Hazel Stewart case. But like Meredith Kercher they were eclipsed by the woman in the dock.

Meredith's poor family have carried themselves with such dignity.

But how much must it have piled upon their grief the circus that has surrounded - and will continue to surround - this case?

Their gentle, innocent girl has been all but forgotten. Foxy Knoxy looks set to make a fortune flogging her story.

To some extent interest in that story is understandable and human.

But when we lose sight of the victim - the real victim - it doesn't make justice look good.

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Friday, October 14, 2011

Birther Joe Arpaio Makes 92 Arrests in Maricopa County Crime Sweep

Arizona birther Joe Arpaio is known for his "posses" and swift crime sweeps that render several people in tent city wearing pink and eating green bologna. His most recent crime sweep netted over 90 arrests, many of which were illegal immigrants.

Sources report that Joe Arpaio's latest crime sweep focused on human smuggling, DUI and drug related charges. Over 23 illegal immigrants were also apprehended. Recently, Arpaio came under media scrutiny when he announced his plans of piecing together a birther posse to investigate Barack Obama's birth certificate and citizenship. Not only is this man a vile, hateful sack; he's feeble. Barack Obama showed his short-form birth certificate in 2008, and then showed his long form birth certificate earlier this year. Furthermore, it's been repeated by nearly every news source around and the photographic evidence exists, of newspaper announcements of the POTUS's birth in Hawaii.

Although it's good that Arpaio is doing his job of protecting Maricopa County from human smuggling and druggie filth, he should probably focus less time and money on his moronic birther ideas. They're nonsensical and a total waste of resources. Hopefully no taxes are being used in his stupid posse.

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©2011 Chelsea Hoffman is the Author of "Chloe and Louis," and the "Fear Chronicles," series of books. She also covers a myriad of true crime stories online. Click here to visit Chelsea Hoffman's official blog and contact website. Be sure to like the page to become a fan!

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Protests underscore Bulgarians' fear of Roma, organized crime

Houses set ablaze; far right activists and football hooligans chanting racist slogans; vigilantes arming themselves with swords, knives, and clubs; riot police charging through normally peaceful streets.

Last week’s ethnically-charged protests and riots in Bulgaria presented a series of grim images to the world. The country, which rarely makes waves internationally these days, even on the sports pages, is suddenly in the headlines, and it is not a pretty sight.

The events, which started with the killing of a teenager on Sept. 23, are widely seen as the worst outbreak of ethnic tension in Bulgaria since the end of Communism in 1990. The death of Angel Petrov, run down by a van in what many claim was a killing ordered by a Roma underworld boss, sparked protests and riots that have led to several hundred arrests. As gangs of youths clad in Bulgarian flags took to the streets shouting anti-Rom and anti-Turk slogans, police have protected mosques and Roma neighborhoods. Gendarmes in riot gear have been gathering at major intersections in Sofia every evening.

Think you know Europe? Take our geography quiz.

Mr. Petrov’s death has been widely blamed on associates of Kiril Rashkov, a Roma clan leader from the same village, Katunitsa, near the central Bulgarian city of Plovdiv. Mr. Rashkov, the self-styled “Tsar [King] Kiro” has been linked to a range of underworld activities. He was convicted of illegal transactions during the communist period and is under investigation for tax evasion and bootlegging. Locals also accuse him of extortion and illegal appropriation of land. Several of Rashkov’s properties in Katunitsa were torched on Saturday night as villagers vented long-held grudges against the alleged kingpin.

The subsequent incidents have caught the attention of Bulgarians, who have been spared the ethnic conflict that tore apart other parts of the Balkans in the 1990s. Though, a particularly unpleasant government campaign against the country’s Turks took place in the 1980s, leading to (as was intended) many fleeing to Turkey.

Last week’s events should be put into perspective. The demonstrations gathered only a few thousand – a paltry 2,200 nationwide on Tuesday, according to local press reports, following a relatively small gathering of around 1,500 in Sofia the day before. The protestors are predominantly young, and the fringes of Sofia rally outside parliament on Monday evening had something of a party atmosphere, with people drinking and chatting, breaking off to chant “resign!” and jeer at police.

Since the Katunitsa blazes, there have been no major clashes, and the Roma vigilantes showing off blades on television have not been called into action to protect their homes.

More important are the issues in Bulgarian society that underlie the outpouring of anger: the exclusion and perceived impunity of both the Roma community and the power of criminal classes who have profited in the post-Communist era. In the popular imagination, Tsar Kiro is an avatar for what is wrong with Bulgaria, and Petrov a martyr for the ordinary Bulgarian, even though allegations are as yet unproven.

'Bulgarians are discriminated against'

Bulgarian Roma make up between 5 and 10 percent of the country’s population and are among Europe’s poorest and most marginalized people. Those who live in cities often inhabit gruesome ghettos, some of which are even walled off from roads and surrounding communities. Access to jobs tends to be very limited and attendance at school lower than the national average. On the other hand, relations in mixed-ethnicity villages and small towns are often very good, and differentiation between ethnic groups blurred.

But many – most – Bulgarians feel that the Roma have an easy ride. The latter are accused of not paying taxes or utility bills and of involvement in crime. Regular complaints are that the police will not press charges against Roma, and even that ticket collectors on public transport will give them a wide berth.

“If a Bulgarian kills a Gypsy, he’ll go to prison, but if a Gypsy kills a Bulgarian, he goes free,” Aleksandar Damov, a marketing manager leaning on his bicycle at Monday’s rally in Sofia told Christian Science Monitor. “Bulgarians are discriminated against. The police don’t do anything.”

Another demonstrator related that his grandmother had been attacked and left in the snowy street by Gypsies who stole her purse. “I’m not racist,” he said, “but I pay 120 leva a month for water and electricity bills, and pay taxes, while people who haven’t done a single day’s work get government money.”

These views are not the preserve of the far right and associated football hooligans, but are widely shared among the Bulgarian middle classes.

Wealth and crime

Bulgarians are also increasingly frustrated with successive governments’ inability to deal with organized crime and corruption. The European Union has suspended tranches of funding to Bulgaria over graft on several occasions. Stories about the wealthy’s ability to bribe their way out of trouble and buy political favors abound. It is alleged that local tax inspectors turned a blind eye to Rashkov’s expensive properties. Over recent years, a number of senior politicians have been accused of involvement in organized crime, from contract fixing to drug trafficking, forcing several out of office.

Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, who styles himself as a no-nonsense man of action in jeans, was elected on the strength of his promise to break the old, corrupt elites, but has himself been accused of being too close to business interests. Even the muscular “Big Brother Boyko” has proved unable to cut out the corruption, and protestors now see him as part of the problem.

“Enforcing the law against the rich and powerful has always been a problem in Bulgaria,” Daniel Smilov, of the Sofia-based think tank Centre for Liberal Strategies, told The Christian Science Monitor. “What is distinctive is probably the arrogance of the rich in living above the law, which in the case of Tsar Kiro and his associates became particularly visible. So, the unrest was in its core started as anti-oligarchic, but soon turned racist.”

Mr. Smilov is pessimistic for the future. As even many demonstrators agree, when the protests die down, Bulgaria will still be left with the challenges of race, corruption, and crime, with the background of a worsening European economy.

“Roma exclusion is grounded in the poverty of the minority and its poor education,” Smilov says. “The only conceivable solution to this problem is a massive, inevitably paternalistic, publicly funded effort to educate Roma children, and to increase employment in the Roma community. This effort must be sustained over a generation at least. No one is prepared to embark on such a policy. Moreover, the predominant economic fashion for fiscal discipline and rolling back the state excludes the possibility of such large scale public investment. So, the Roma problem will not be solved, and exclusion will most probably accelerate.”

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Crime Q&A: Murder trial of slain CSUS student's roommate starts Oct. 20

A Sac State student was killed in 2009 in his dorm room by his roommate. What happened to that roommate?

– Jays, Sac

Quran Muhammed Jones, 21, is in Sacramento County jail, accused of murder in the 2009 beating death of his roommate, Scott Gregory Hawkins, 23. According to Sacramento Superior Court online records, his trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 20.

According to a story in The Bee, Jones pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity in November 2010. He will still undergo a regular trial. If he's convicted, a jury would then have to decide whether he could understand right from wrong and the consequences of his behavior.

What is going on with the molestation charges against the Rio Linda pastor Tom (Tommy) Gene Daniels?

– SassyMommy, Sacramento

Tommy Gene Daniels, 49, remains in Sacramento County jail in lieu of $4.5 million bail. He is charged with committing lewd or lascivious acts with children under the age of 14, and according to Sacramento Superior Court online records, his trial is to begin Oct. 27.

Daniels, a Citrus Heights resident and senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Rio Linda, was arrested Dec. 9, 2010. He and his wife had been employed as foster parents and day-care providers.

The alleged acts took place between 2002 and 2007 and involved girls ranging from 5 to 13 years old, according to court papers and testimony. Daniels has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

There was a murder of a guy I went to high school with at a Valero gas station on Florin Perkins/French and Florin Road over a drug deal gone wrong. It has to have been four to eight years ago. Was the murderer and thief ever caught?

– Wondering in Sacramento

Four men are in state prison for their involvement in the murder of Clifford Thomas Owens, 22, of Sacramento.

According to stories in The Bee, Owens was shot in the head on the evening of July 26, 2005, during a struggle over a backpack at a Valero gas station in the 8400 block of Florin Road.

Owens' assailants, all in their late teens at the time, reportedly lured him to the station with an offer to purchase marijuana from him.

Juries convicted Daniel Perez, the shooter, and Adrian Frank Andrade of murder. Perez, now 23, was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole and is in Kern Valley State Prison in Delano. Andrade, 23, was sentenced to 25 years to life and is in Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City.

Christopher Leo Moyo, 23, and Michael Troy Montano, 25, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter. Moyo is serving an 11-year sentence at Soledad Correctional Training Facility in Soledad. Montano was sentenced to 12 years and is at High Desert State Prison in Susanville.

– Cathy Locke

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How A Good Drug Crime Attorney Can Protect Your Rights

You might not know what to do when you first find yourself in a situation where you are being charged for a crime involving drugs. You will find that there are many things you will need to do but finding a top Las Vegas drug crime attorney should be first on your list. You need to find someone that is going to be able to listen to your story to find any injustices that might have occurred as well as someone who is going to work hard to defend your rights.

There are many tips to finding a great drug crime attorney in Las Vegas. One of the things that you will need to do is some research to make sure that you are considering someone who can help you. There are no advantages for you when you are charged with a drug crime.

Once you are charged with a crime it is not easy to try and show someone that you did not commit such a crime. You will want an attorney who is going to work for you even when you need to hear that you are not going to do that well. The attorney should actually be able to show you what you can expect in the worse cases when it comes to being cross examined.

It is going to be hard but you need to convince everyone when you are on trial that a crime did not occur. Charges might not stand if there was a violation of your civil rights so consider this option as well. There are a lot of things that your attorney will be able to tell you about your case after he has reviewed all of the information.

There are many different things that could occur so your attorney needs to be ready for all of them. You are going to have to consider the different things about your attorney like his qualifications and what types of cases he had tried and won in the past. This will help you to make sure that you hired the right attorney for your needs because if you hire someone without any experience in this area you are probably not going to be as successful.

It is also important when you choose an attorney that you find someone who is able to successfully win over a jury and judge. He needs to be able to make everyone relate to him without anyone feeling put out. Something else to look for would be that people believe him and that they like him for a number of reasons.

Another thing to make sure of with finding someone to represent you for a drug crime is that they know the drug laws well. You can ask a variety of questions and you should get answers without the lawyer needing to look things up or consult someone else. Also you want someone who has worked on and won cases like your own.

As you look for a Las Vegas drug crime attorney you need to realize that it is something that is hard. There are many things that you will need to be able to do in order to win your case and fight for your rights. If there is no chance of winning then you need to be made aware that a plea bargain with light sentencing will be a better bet for you.

If you have been arrested for simple possession or drug trafficking in Nevada you should hire an aggressive Las Vegas drug crime attorney immediately. Having good representation will make all the difference in your case.

Fighting Charges With An Experienced Drug Crime Attorney

When you are charged with a drug crime it is often a situation where you have no clue how to proceed. One of the first things that you will need to think of is how to find a Las Vegas drug crime attorney that you can consult. This attorney will not only be able to defend your personal rights but will also be able to listen to your side of the story and find out if any wrongful doings occurred.

You will want to know exactly what you should seek to find in a Las Vegas drug crime attorney. There is only a little bit of research that you will need to conduct in the process to find out how these things can work for you. No matter who you are after being charged with a crime related to drugs you are going to be at a disadvantage.

It is hard to convince someone that you did not commit a crime that you have been charged with. It is important that you actually find an attorney who is going to tell you the hard truth and not just what you want to hear. Your attorney should be willing to teach you everything that you will need to know even in the most intense cross examinations during trial.

The main thing that you are going to have to prove during your trial is that the alleged crime did not occur. You could also prove that although a crime did occur your civil rights were violated in some way in which the charges would not stand. Your attorney will be able to look at your case and your situation and be able to help you find the right way to proceed.

The attorney that you choose needs to be able to fully handle a variety of different situations and cases. It is very important that you fully understand your attorneys qualifications and whether or not they have tried and won similar cases to yours. It is hard to hire an inexperienced attorney when the stakes are high for you because you really need someone who knows what they are doing.

Your attorney also should be willing to fully win over the courtroom judge and jury. It is important that you choose someone who can speak to a variety of different types of people without offending or upsetting them. You will find it necessary win your case so you really need to have people like your lawyer and what he or she is saying.

Remember that a drug crime attorney should be well versed in drug crimes and drug laws. He should be capable of answering any questions that you have without having to seek further counsel. He should have already tried at least one case like yours and won.

There are many things that you will need to think about during the difficult time when you are looking to hire a Las Vegas drug crime attorney. One of the main things that you are going to need to consider is whether or not you are going to be able to fight and win your case. If you think that you are not and your attorney agrees then you are going to want to enter into some type of plea bargain in exchange for lighter sentencing.

When you have been arrested for a drug charge it is advisable to hire an experienced Las Vegas drug crime attorney to represent you in court. A good drug crime attorney can often get the charges reduced or dismissed.

Know About Cyber Crimes and Protect Yourself From Hackers

In the world of cyber crimes, one has to be very vigilant to prevent loss of highly sensitive information from their system. If you wish to protect yourself from online scams, it is essential to have knowledge about hackers and various cyber crimes.

Hackers

Hackers are individuals who intrude into others system without permission in search of information (hacking). They can be categorized into three groups depending on the degree of their ability to commit cyber crimes. Beginners are generally kids, who intrude for fun. The other two groups include intermediate and advanced where the advanced hackers are difficult to trace.

Cyber crimes

Hacking: Hacking means intruding into other's system without permission and this is the most common cyber crime we come across.

Process of Hacking:

To intrude into a system, the hacker follows the following steps:

·Identifies system that is vulnerable to hacking. In case of large corporations, hackers keeps dialing the extensions associated with that office to find out a phone that is connected to the computer. He uses that system for hacking sensitive information about the company.

·After identifying a vulnerable system, he makes attempts to break the password. If he succeeds in his attempts, he will have all the files of the company under his custody.

·To protect from being identified, the hacker deletes the log file of the system every time he intrudes the system.

In addition to hacking, there are many other cyber crimes that cause huge losses if unidentified.

Phishing cyber crimes:

These crimes are committed by setting up a site that is identical to a genuine bank site or sites like PayPal. Then, the phishing site sends out a mail requesting for bank or credit card details with link to the bank website. If the user clicks on this site, he will be directed to a phishing site which grabs all the details he enters. The hacker can make use of this information to carryout transactions.

Another phishing crime is to request the customers to purchase articles from a phony online store. The offender collects few orders and disappears without delivering the goods.

Trojan Phishing is a phishing scam in which the criminal sets up a connection with Trojan infected systems and continues to obtain information from the systems. He may even install software such as keylogging software, which provides information about each and every keystroke. This sort of cybercrime involving the keylogging software is highly dangerous.

The above cyber crimes can be prevented by practicing the below given two simple measures:

·Proper identification of the URL of the site before logging into the site.

·Use of updated versions of firewall, spyware, browsers and the operating system.

Last note, beware of hackers and avoid becoming victims of cyber crimes. Government bodies throughout the world are working together to identify solutions for cyber crimes.

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Crime Scene Investigation Basics

Nowadays, the rate of birth and death along with immigration and emigration increases, the rate of crimes are soaring as well. These are the major results of the continuous downfall of the economy that is caused by various factors such as unemployment, poverty and racial discrimination. That is why more and more people, wealthy people that is, establishments and even small stores are being affected which in turn resulting to investors not putting up businesses as well. That is why more and more criminals are popping up and making their victims suffer.

Crime scene investigation is what they call as a meeting point of science, law and logic. Interpreting a crime scene is a tedious and long process which consists of purposeful recording of circumstances at the scene as well as collecting any evidence that could probably illuminate what occurred and a hint to point out who did it. There are no common crime scenes, there are no typical bodies of evidence and there are no common investigative methods.

Crime scene investigators, at any crime scene, may gather dried blood from windowpanes, keeping in mind that he/she should not let his/her arm touch the glass whenever there are any dormant fingerprints there, lift the hair from a victim's jacket by the use of a tweezers so he does not disrupt the fabric for it will shake off any white powder in the sleeves, or maybe utilize a sledge hammer to penetrate through the wall which looks to be the origin of a terrible smell.

The physical evidence is just only a part of the problem. The main goal is that to find the perpetrator and have him/her pay for the crime. Meanwhile, CSI investigators are thinking all necessary procedures to keep the evidence in its present form, things that the laboratory can do with the evidence so as to identify the criminal or reconstruct the crime, as well as the legal issues regarding the assurance of evidence to be admissible in court while he gathers dried blood without disrupting any prints, lift hairs without disrupting any trace of evidence and smashes through a wall in the living room.

Share knowledge to the others who care to understand crime-scene-investigation. Go and visit crime-scene-investigation for free website to get plenty of information. Come and visit us at: http://crime-scene-investigation.org

Thursday, October 13, 2011

The Crime Scene Technician Career in the Criminal Justice Field

Are you considering becoming a crime scene technician?

This career calls for someone who is detail-oriented and doesn't mind a little gore. As someone who gathers evidence at crime scenes, you will definitely need to possess the ability to tolerate some gruesome images. However, if you feel this career is for you, then there is no reason why you should hold back.

One fact in particular that you may find especially exciting about becoming a crime scene technician is that your average annual salary will be between 40K and 60K per year. Obviously, it's very possible to live a comfortable lifestyle off of this type of salary. In addition, you may be required to work overtime, especially when evidence is needed as soon as possible, which means more money in your pocket at the end of the week.

To top it off, this job is full of excitement. Some of the required job duties include physical evidence examination and analysis, taking pictures of crime scenes, collecting various forms of evidence, fingerprint analysis, as well as working alongside local and county special agents and police officers. In many ways, a crime scene technician career is very similar to that of a crime scene investigator.

Fortunately, there are quite a few ways that you can train to become a crime scene technician. A lot of schools now offer this program. Another one of the ways you can train is by becoming a police officer. However, in order to become a police officer, you need at very least an associate's in criminal justice. A lot of people are quick to attempt to skip over the required educational requirements only to find that no matter where they turn, they run into the same barrier.

You'll need to understand how to analyze evidence, fingerprints, etc. Obviously, unless you're able to receive training through your job as a police officer, it's highly recommended that you go for your bachelor's degree instead.

Although it generally takes four years to obtain a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, you can always begin work as an intern as you work on completing your associate's. Unfortunately, interns are not paid, but nevertheless are able to snag the highest-paying starting salaries when they are hired.

The majority of crime scene technicians also take certification courses such as evidence collection, fingerprinting, forensic science, as well as numerous other courses to ensure they are prepared for their future career. Regardless as to how you choose to go about working your way into this career, keep in mind that you have more than one option.

According to the US Bureau of Labor, there are over 6,000 new crime scene technician jobs available each year. Fortunately, this number is expected to rise in the future. A lot of people may shy away from this particular career due to the requirements.

However, if you're looking for something exciting, fun, and nevertheless, interesting, this might be the perfect job for you. You can rest assured that if nothing else, everyday will be a new adventure.

Note: Please feel free to reprint or republish this article. The only requirement is that the links be live links.

Copywrite Kenneth Echie. Kenneth is a Writer, Expert Author, and Publisher. He currently writes for Criminal Justice Schools. Get free scholarship report and find Crime Scene Technician Schools by visiting.

Busting Up Corporate Crime

The more dramatic violent types of crimes tend to get far more attention in the press then corporate crimes. Despite this, the fact of the matter is that there are thousands of corporate crimes in some form committed every year. The numbers continue to climb each year with no end in sight. If you want to protect your company against these kinds of crimes or hold an investigation after this kind of crimes have been committed, then you need to hire a company that offers services in criminal corporate investigations.

A company that has these kind of services can often offer a number of different types of investigations to meet all of your needs. Some of the things that many of these companies can look into include corporate fraud, theft of intellectual property, and bribery. These three types of common corporate crime are something that if serious enough, can bring a company completely down. You do not want to have the good name of your company dragged through the dirt because of the actions of some rouge employee.

It is common public relations knowledge that you need to grab control of a story as quickly as possible in order to be able to control the story. You cannot allow a crime to be committed without an immediate investigation. What you need is a corporate investigation to turn up the individual or individuals responsible so that you might be able to show them to the public for what they have done. Being able to pin the blame of some crimes on those who actually committed them will likely help to save your company. The image of your company might be temporarily damaged, but this is something that you can work on over the long term to repair.

Corporate investigations are necessary in many cases because the crimes committed are just far too complicated to try to understand by yourself. Many of these corporate crimes are done by creatively shifting money around in many forms within your company. One of the services that many companies offer to prevent this is something known as asset tracing. Asset tracing is a process by which the company tracks your funds as they mutate into all its different forms within your company. It keeps track of it each step of the way so that you do not have to worry about trying to figure this out for yourself. Doing this will help you to have the red flag raised if something appears to be wrong. This is something that you may not have caught yourself for years down the road if ever.

Hire a corporate investigations company to work for your company today if you have had crimes committed within, or if you are just looking to prevent those crimes.

Know more about corporate investigations and how legal assistance can help you more.

Why Do People Plead Guilty to Crimes They Did Not Commit?

Recently a curious phenomenon has risen to the attention of the American public. Why do people plead guilty to crimes then profess their innocence? Or, to put it another way, why would someone plead guilty to a crime they did not commit?

Several bankers from England recently plead guilty to a Federal indictment and received prison sentences. All of the bankers plead guilty and did not go to trial. As part of their plea agreement they were permitted to serve their prison sentences in England. Why does this case matter?

None of the bankers agree that they committed a crime. They now claim that the only reason they plead guilty was to avoid the risk of going to trial and facing a prison sentence in the US. The press in England is paying attention to this case and so should we.

In another case that received scant press attention, an executive tried to plead guilty to a crime. He did not want to go to trial because he feared receiving a lengthy prison term. The judge would not accept his guilty plea. This man walked into court expecting to be sentenced to prison. He had been charged with a crime that he did not think he committed. He knew that he had very little chance of being acquitted in today's environment. He knew the prosecutors had no concern whether he may actually be innocent. And he surely did not want to risk getting a prison sentence that would have ruined his life. So, he marched into court to plead guilty. The judge rejected his plea deal when he admitted that he did not think he committed a crime.

So this poor guy is now going to have to go to trial under circumstances where his chances of prevailing are almost nonexistent, in a system that most fear gives longer sentences to those who go to trial.

The statistics for the percentage of people charged with a federal crime who end up spending time in prison are overwhelming. Over 90% of all people charged with a federal crime end up convicted. Virtually everyone who goes to trial looses. And over 80% of everyone convicted of a federal crime spend time in prison. Those numbers are staggering.

Even more staggering is the risk of lengthy prison terms. And whether true or not, the belief is that courts issue higher sentences to those who go to trial rather than accept a plea deal.

Under the federal system, one of the most important factors in determining the length of a prison term is the amount of money involved. In drug cases there are mandatory minimum sentences, usually over 10 years. In cases involving money -- business cases, investment cases, anything involving property -- it doesn't take much money to send sentence lengths soaring. And the requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt does not apply when determining the amount of money involved in a crime.

For these reasons, reasonable people will agree to plead guilty to a crime they did not commit. The risks of going to trial, the risk that a court can find that your supposed crime involved substantial amounts of money, are too great.

The bottom line is that, if you are charged with a federal crime, you are probably going to go to prison. Guilt or innocence are luxuries. If you have been charged with a federal crime your first thought should not be that you are going to fight because you are not guilty. And heaven forbid, if you are guilty, you should not risk going to trial. Your first thought should be how to keep your prison sentence to the absolute minimum. Leave the question of guilt or innocence to the academics. Make sure your sentence is short enough so you can pick up the pieces when you are released.

FederalPrisonInc.com

We Prepare White Collar Defendants

310-560-8000

What Is A White Collar Crime?

White collar crimes involve non-violent actions that are committed by a public official or business person that typically involve the use of deception. No weapons or violence is used in white collar crimes, so the evidence takes the form of a "paper trial," which can be followed to discover the true details of the crime.

If you have been charged with a white collar crime, it is in your best interest to contact an attorney immediately to learn more about your legal options. Lawyers who understand the complex legal process and have extensive experience handling white collar crime cases will be able to provide you with superior legal representation.

Types of White Collar Crime

Below are several examples of white collar crimes. This list is not exhaustive by any means.

Embezzlement - occurs when the person entrusted with someone else's property takes it without consent.

Bribery - occurs when someone either gives or takes a bribe.

Larceny - occurs when someone takes someone else's property without payment and does not return it.

Extortion - is also referred to as blackmail.

Fraud - occurs when someone uses deception to gain access to other people's information in order to steal it or benefit from it in some way.

Obstruction of Justice - occurs when someone interferes with the criminal process by impeding an investigation.

Perjury - occurs when someone lies while under oath in a court proceeding.

Prosecution of White Collar Crimes

Depending on which laws have been broken by the defendant, white collar crimes can be prosecuted at the state or federal level. Conviction most often leads to large fines, jail time, and restitution to the victims of the crimes.

If you have been charged with a white collar crime, a conviction could have a seriously negative impact on your reputation, family life, and career opportunities. Hiring a skilled white collar crime attorney will ensure that you receive the fair trial that you deserve. When it comes to your freedom and reputation, you need an experienced lawyer to aggressively fight for your rights.

A Lawyer Can Help

If you or someone you love has committed white collar crimes such as securities fraud, embezzlement, computer fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, among others, contact a white collar criminal defense lawyer immediately. A knowledgeable and experienced lawyer will work to build a solid defense on your behalf. Contact a white collar criminal defense lawyer to learn more about the protection of your rights.

Joseph Devine

The 3 Things You Must Do or Know Before Becoming a Crime Scene Investigator

There are many people who dream of becoming crime scene investigators (CSI). Who can blame them? This job can be fun. If you don't believe me, just watch the television show, CSI: Miami.

But reality can be different. The role played by crime scene investigators on TV can be different from real life. This is why some things need to be set straight about the CSI career. This article will address the 3 things all aspiring crime scene investigators must know before they become one.

1. Those aspiring to be crime scene investigators must know that not all law enforcement agencies will hire a civilian CSI. There are various reasons for this.

One of the reasons is that the agency may not be big enough to dedicate a person to doing this job. So what these types of agencies do is have a police officer to play the role of CSI. This way, the officer can be doing other things when he or she is not collecting crime scene evidence.

Another reason is that the budget is just not there to support the position of a CSI. Like everything else in life, money is also an issue for law enforcement agencies. They have budgets and limited resources they have to live under. What these law enforcement agencies do when there is a crime is request for the help of a CSI from other friendly law enforcement agencies. This way, they save the cost of having a CSI on staff.

2. A CSI must be available to work 24/7. Crime has no appointed time. It can happen any minute or hour of the day. It does not know the weekend.

So, somebody who wants to work as a CSI must avail themselves at all times. You may be called in the middle of dinner or in the middle of your kid's birthday party. You have to be ready and willing to pick up and go to the crime scene.

3. In the past, most crime scene investigators were trained in-house by law enforcement agencies. Thanks to television, this is changing. You now have colleges offering CSI education. You can get anywhere from certificate to masters degree in crime scene investigation.

But keep in mind that all the education will not replace the additional training you will receive by the law enforcement agency that employs you. There is nothing like real life training and guidance from real life CSIs. But the education you get from college will definitely give you an advantage, both in getting the job and performance after you get the job.

I have covered the 3 things I believe you should know before becoming a crime scene investigator. There are of course other things you have to know. Covering every little thing is beyond what I can cover in a short article like this. I encourage you to continue to expand your knowledge if you aspire to become a CSI.

Note: You are free to reprint or republish this article. The only condition is that the Resource Box should be included and the links are live links.

Copywrite Kenneth Echie. Kenneth is a writer for Criminal Justice Degrees. Get free scholarship and grant report and learn all the things you need to become a Crime Scene Investigator by visiting.

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White Collar Crimes Can Be Committed By Blue Collar Individuals

The term white collar crime was originally defined to mean "a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation." In modern times, this category of crime is not defined by the social or professional status of the violator, but rather the nature of the crime itself.

No matter what type of white collar crime you are being charged with in Florida, a Miami criminal defense attorney can help. There are many potential defenses your attorney can use to help you fight these charges, based on the specific circumstances involved. While it's not always possible to have your charges dropped or reduced, it's always in your best interest to have a Miami criminal defense attorney help protect your legal rights during the proceedings.

Types of White Collar Crime

White collar crime is a term, not a criminal offense with which you can be formally charged. However, there are many non-violent crimes referred to as white collar.

The most common types of crimes referred to as "white collar crime" include:

• financial fraud (bank, credit card, bad checks, etc.);

• forgery;

• identity theft;

• mortgage/real estate fraud;

• money laundering;

• mail fraud;

• healthcare fraud;

• racketeering;

• tax fraud;

• Medicare fraud;

• securities fraud;

• wire fraud.

Defenses Against Charges of These Crimes

There are many potential defense strategies available against these types of charges. Depending on the actual crime for which you are being charged, your Miami criminal defense attorney can explain your options, as well as the strengths and challenges of your case. The evidence for most white collar crime generally involves heavy paperwork, making an experienced Miami criminal defense attorney all the more important to keep things in order.

If this is your first offense, a Miami criminal defense attorney may be able to argue a reduced sentence, since you do not have a history of this type of behavior. Smaller charges such as passing a single bad check may be dropped on the basis of a single mistake or miscalculation as the reason for the error.

With the large number of offenses considered white collar crime, it's important to hire a Miami criminal defense attorney with a history of handling cases similar to yours. If you need to fight the criminal charges against you, a trustworthy attorney is a huge asset to your case.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Protecting Small Businesses From Crime

Action Against Business Crime was formed by the Home Office and the British Retail Consortium as a response to rising levels of crime in shops and other small businesses around the country. Crime problems for businesses had been made more difficult by police concentration on national key objectives such as domestic burglary, personal robbery, car crime and violence. With acquisitive crime increasing as the recession takes hold, now is the time for all businesses to ensure they protect their future from theft, burglary, robbery and violence.

By forming business crime reduction partnerships in cities, towns, shopping centers and other areas with concentrations of business, much has been achieved in reducing crime and anti-social behavior in many areas. It is far better to develop a structured response to crime before it happens than to have to call police after it has happened.

By getting retailers and other businesses to communicate with each other by radio, sharing information about local criminals and alerting each other to suspicious people and transactions, a great deal more can be done to reduce the opportunity to commit crime. Remember, thieves operate best when their behavior is anonymous and not known to other people. By working together, it reduces that anonymity, exposes criminals to greater risk of being detected and reduces their opportunity to commit crime.

Working together will not eliminate crime, but it will bring positive results as known local criminals and anti-social elements know they will be identified and that their details will be passed to other businesses. It also means that local police have a better chance of dealing with these people because they will have much more evidence of the actions and behaviour of those people who cause most trouble locally.

As part of its work, AABC now provides better and more cost-effective security systems for small businesses, which suffer higher levels of burglary and, in many cases, do not have adequate security. Bells only alarms are not normally responded to by police, so something better is required to give small businesses that level of protection provided by police response systems affordable generally by bigger businesses at far greater cost.

Working with a security provider, AABC has developed a key holder response security system, which is monitored by a central security center in the same way as a much more expensive police response system. The security center can listen in to hear if anyone is on the premises after the alarm is activated and advise the keyholder accordingly. The system also has a lone worker alert, which allows staff to contact the security centre who will listen in and who can speak to the lone worker and provide assistance if required. The security system also features a smoke detector as fires frequently mean that effected businesses never recover.

To reduce the financial burden, there is no up-front capital outlay for the system. All that is required is a three year agreement that covers the cost of the hardware, the monitoring and maintenance, all this has been price pointed at £35 per month plus vat - or £38 per month plus vat with smoke detection, - that's about £9 a week for first class security which is considered affordable to almost every business. This provides protection which is seen as being far more effective than bells only by your insurer and which will ensure you obtain the best insurance deals as well as protecting your future. On there web, you can check for online insurance quotes.

For more information visit http://www.businesscrimereduction.org to see the full range of security systems on offer - shop, office and unit.

UK Relocation, Crime Statistics and House Prices

"Burglaries rise fast as economy goes slow"was the headline on the front page of the London Times newspaper on 29th June 2011.

This much anticipated 'recession crime wave' is set to have a significant impact on both domestic and international relocation services.

According to the Metropolitan Police there were big increases in robbery, burglary and motor vehicle crime in the past 12 months, with other Forces' Chief Constables claiming clear signs that burglary and robbery are "on the turn", with commentators anticipating that crime rates can only worsen as unemployment increases.

A couple of days after the Times article appeared, the figures covering May 2011 for the whole of England and Wales were published on the Police UK website. Type in your postcode and you will be shown a map detailing the month's crimes broken down into various categories.

Not for the faint hearted, particularly for urban dwellers. The stark data can make genteel Hampstead or Holland Park look like Beirut on a bad night, and pointing out that a certain level of crime is inevitable, particularly in built up areas, does little to reassure those of a nervous disposition.

Or indeed anyone relocating and researching destination areas.

Publication of these crime statistics started in December 2010, so we now have a full six months worth to analyse. So what can it tell us and how does it impact on relocation services?

On the face of it, not much. Unsurprisingly, built up areas tend to have more crime than rural ones.

However, if one analyses the increase in crime rates nationally between December 2010 and May 2011 and then compares any target area against this benchmark, a different picture emerges in many parts of the country with, in many instances and counter to generally held beliefs, greater increases on crime in the rural rather than urban areas.

Furthermore, if one establishes national benchmarks for crime rates in areas of similar population density i.e., comparing like with like, thereby putting the 'Beirut effect' into context, you can get a real indication of whether an area is on the up or the slide.

Clearly this is precisely the sort of qualitative information a relocating family, whether moving domestically or coming in from abroad, would want to know.

Not only is it highly relevant to the issue of lifestyle choice, but also, given the coming recession crime wave, property values. Areas where crime rates are increasing faster than elsewhere, or are greater than neighbourhoods with similar characteristics, could quite easily experience a negative impact on property values. All very pertinent information when deciding where you are going to make your biggest investment.

And, if Additional Housing Cost Allowance (AHCA)/Mortgage Disparity Assistance/Housing Cost Disparity payment is part of the relocation package, it is now surely essential that this is becomes factored into the calculation.

Traditionally the concept of 'neighbourhood desirability' (as defined by the Differential Suppliers) has been based on the relatively static assessment of the residents' demographic profiles. Potentially, the much more volatile crime data turns this assessment on its head.

The data is out there for anyone to access and, given the current economic climate, it is bound to increase in significance. Fortunately, with regular and meaningful analysis, it should develop into a valuable tool not only for the relocating family, but also the relocation professional.

For more information about this and to see mapped examples, please visit our website at www.prsco.co.uk

Nick Draycott
Director
PRS Consultants
Property Price Disparity Data Consultants
http://www.prsco.co.uk

You Cannot Reduce Crime by Changing Outside Support Systems!

I began carrying a loaded pistol with me every day when I was about 13-years-old. Durham police frequently stopped me to confiscate my concealed weapons that always included a pistol and frequently a "hawk bill," a curved blade knife that ripped flesh as it cut. Why, some of them asked, can we always stop you and get weapons off you? "Because," I always replied, "I'd rather you catch me with it than for some of the people I run with to catch me without it." Taking my guns and knives didn't encourage me to stop doing crime. I just bought other weapons. They were always readily available. Sometimes local police also confiscated whatever cash I had on me, sometimes hundreds of dollars. They instictively knew I had stole the money, but they couldn't prove it, so they took it. I never knew what they did with the money. I assumed they kept it. Did taking my money motivate me to change? No! I just went and either stole more money, or property I could easily convert into cash, or I got in a series of gambling games until I won what I thought I needed.

Recently, I read a suggestion by David Gorman, a loss reduction specialist, who suggested that the government should take the $100 bill out of circulation because, from his perspective criminals favor those specific denominations to transact their various businesses. Will that slow down criminals? Will they transact less business? Will criminals conclude the following: "Well, they've taken our favorite money denomination out of circulation, so I guess we just gotta stop doing crime?

Given my personal experiences, plus almost 40 years of research into how criminals think, I conclude that David Gorman's suggestion is flawed at best Gorman's suggestions were published in the Providence (RI) Journal. It's interesting that almost everything Gorman wrote is true. For example: "The underground economy and criminal economy thrive on paper cash, especially the $100 bill." That's right! "In fact, the payment of choice by drug cartels and terrorist organizations is the $100 bill because it is easy to store, launder and transport." That's true, too. "Because 100s are difficult to change, and are risky and unnecessary for law-abiding Americans to carry, the functional use for the $100 bill has been declining while its demand in the underground economies is booming." Now, I don't know if that's true or not, but I concede the point.

However, I take exception to Gorman's sweeping conclusion. He wrote: "By simply demonetizing the $100 bill, we can do more to undermine terrorist and other criminal activity without any expense to the taxpayer and no harm or loss of life to law enforcement and our troops. In fact, it would be a peaceful and nonviolent method for preventing crime, drugs and terrorism and will assist law enforcement in their crime-solving efforts." That's not true, not by a long shot!

There's no easy way out of this mess!

Recalling my 20 years as a criminal--from five-years-old until 25-years-old--it was quite a time before I got my thieving hands on a $100 bill. Yes, I liked $100 and $50 bills during my criminal lifestyle. But I also liked $20s, $10, fives and ones just as much. Therefore, I don't believe that demonetizing $100 and $50 bills will do anything to reduce crime and terrorism. Certainly, it will not prevent it.

Now, I'm not trying to discourage anyone from taking these bills out of circulation. Go ahead, do it! But please let's not kid ourseleve into believing that somehow that alone will prevent potential criminals from becoming full-fledged offenders. Do not believe that operating criminals will walk away from the lifestyle in frustration because they can no longer get their greedy hands on these two denominations of money.

Let's hear the truth!

First of all, we are all stakeholders in this vision of crime reduction in our society! I define the stakeholder groups as: criminals, crime response professionals (police, judicial officials and correctional professionals), citizens--who, by the way, pay the total bill for crime and its responses,--careerists, change advocates, change activists and change conquerors. Crime reduction occurs when a criminal becomes a change activist, and continues a long and arduous transformation process along the Change Continuum until he or she becomes a change conqueror. Other stakeholder groups must learn how to support this transformation process that begins inside and demonstrates itself in the outward behavior of change activists. For example, crime response professionals must learn to recognize and promote small and quick flashes of desires to change in criminals. Citizens must insist on change as the only equitable return on their prodiguous investment in crime and the criminal justice system. Careerists--the people who determine who works--must learn to recognize the difference between changing and conning. They must stop refusing jobs to former criminals just because they've been convicted. Change advocates must learn how to become catalysts for change and not enablers of criminal thinking. For example, we must sacrifice a particularly silly belief that by completing a prison sentence, a criminals pays his or her death to society.

Consider the scenario. A thief burglarizes your home! Who paid for the stuff the thief stole? You know! You did! You report the crime to the police. Who pays the police? You again, right! The police arrest and jail a suspect. Who pays for the nation's jails? Yep, that's you again. So on the day, you go to court to testify against this cad for invading your space and stealing your stuff, you pay the judge. Worse, you pay the prosecuting attorney to do his or her best to send this thief to prison, while simultaneously paying a public defender or court appointed lawyer to help the thief avoid prison. Let's suppose now that the court gets a conviction, however it occurs, and the thief goes to prison. Well who pays for the nation's prisons? You know the sickening answer--you do! So when did the criminal pay, and precisely what did he or she pay? Actually, when released from custody, all the criminal did was outlive a court sanction.

So if the current criminal justice system fails in its attempt to foster widespread change among criminals, how it the world will demonetizing two demoninations of money: " . . . undermind terrorist and other criminal activity . . .?"

Change is hard, hard, hard work! As a 40-year change activist and currently a change conqueror, I know firsthand how challenging it is to transform from criminal to community contributor. But I also know that the payoff, the outcomes make all the challenges, the obstacles, even the frustrations worth the struggles.

So Mr. Gorman, let's roll up our sleeves together and begin working hard to help criminals change. Transformed criminals don't do crime. That's the vision! Let's get on with it!

I have spent almost 40 years mastering the principles of how to stay out of crime and prison. I am now an expert and I want to share this expertise with others. For more information, please visit [http://www.miltoncjordansr.com/index.cfm?id=4901&fuseaction=browse&pageid=55]

A History of Crime

Most people would accept the fact that are vast, significant, and major differences between modern society and societies of the past. Over time, humans have continually shaped and reshaped their lives, their surroundings, and their societies to reflect new attitudes, changing beliefs, and pressing needs. As a result, human society continuously is in flux.

Of the many elements of human society, however, some things have remained constant. The need to provide food, water, and shelter, for example, are common throughout time. So is the desire to be social. Another one of the elements of society that has existed throughout time is crime. From the very beginnings of society thousands of years ago, people have had to deal with crime and criminals.

From the time of large civilizations of the ancient Chinese, Aztecs, and Greeks, to the tribal communities of North America, Australia, and Africa, all communities have had ways to deal with crime. In the past, before large-scale, established societies came into existence, humans would use violence to deal with criminals. After communities began to be established, more codified ways of dealing with crime were put in place, but violence was still used. For example, to deter crime and criminals, some societies would kill thieves. Others would put them in prison. Another step that some communities in Africa have used in the past was to outcast criminals. Anyone who stole from anyone else would have to leave the tribe, group, or community. In some Native American communities of North America, societies would try to reconcile thieves and the people from whom they stole.

As time progressed and societies changed, crime was always something that people had to be concerned about. In general, punishments for crime likely stayed constant. Prison, death, ostracism, and even fines remained the norm for dealing with people who committed crimes. In Europe, though, around the 17th century, the Enlightenment began to change how crime would be dealt with. The punishments would remain the same, but they would become more codified. As many European nations began to make written law a part of their societies, people who committed crimes were seen not just as bad members of society but as people who had broken the law. As a result, criminals were not seen just as bad members of society but as people who had broken the law.

This trend of codification continued to the present-day. As a result, people who commit crimes today have to deal with laws, courts, and lawyers.

Laws today can be very confusing and complex. For more information on laws and crimes, contact the Milwaukee criminal defense attorneys of Kohler & Hart. They can be reached at 414-271-9595 or they can be sent a message from here.

Joseph Devine

Cyber Crime Definition

Today, definitions for cybercrime cross over multiple spectra. The following information is a collaboration of definitions built to answer your questions about this growing threat to individuals and organizations.

Many of the cyber crime articles available on the Internet today can appear outdated as they fall short of a uniform categorization or specific steps on methods for fighting cybercrime or even how to support cyber crime victims. These barriers also create difficulty for those attempting to report cybercrime. With today's rapid growth of technology, as well as updates to cyber law cannot stop cyber crime from growing and updating in kind. Internet fraud is certainly the area that most personal computer (PC) users are concerned about, and cyber crime study, continues to be left to amateurs or veteran criminologists. It is critical today that both users and organizations comprehend and teach what is cyber crime and how to stop it. The broad meaning of cybercrime can be narrowed down by looking at specific crimes that are most common.

Cyber Identity Theft and Computer Hacking, considered by experts as the most common forms of cybercrime, involve the theft of personal information that is attainable through computer systems and computer networks. Phishing and pharming seem to have the most success as potential victims of these crimes do not think twice when sites that veil their criminal intent, or even look identical to sites familiar to Internet users, which makes it easy for cyber criminals to collect critical online identity information:

Full Name
Phone Number
Address
Login
Password
Credit Card/Bank Account numbers

Cyberspace crime involves much more than Identity Theft, and, today, does not even require Internet use. The growth of interest in topics such as cyberbullying, commonly perpetrated through the use of cell phones, is on pace to achieve Identity Theft's level of notoriety. Current Wiki Leak and Hactivist news items have also shown the Global nature of cybercrime, while broadening the cyber crime definition. Protection from these and other cyberspace crimes are quickly becoming popular subjects.

Xander is leading contributor to Cyber Wiki Blog and Cyber Wiki, two sites committed to providing answers to the growing list of Cyber related questions.

Article On Saint Louis Crime And Violence

Who Has The Answer To Stop Crime?

Over the years, the entire metropolitan area of St. Louis has had multiple problems with street crime. An organization, such as the St. Louis Federal Research Agency reviewed St. Louis Crime Statistic Reports, and learned that the city is gone mad. The behavioral problems in this city are unmanageable. The crime percentage in St. Louis averages highly above most cities in the United States.

There are more than 19,000 cities within the United States. Out of more than 19,000 cities, when it comes to street crime and violence, St. Louis has proven to be one of the most violent and treacherous. It is a war zone in St. Louis city. What violent crime will be committed next?

When a city is ranked number 1 or number 2 for crimes, that means, all types of felonies and misdemeanors are performed throughout it. Also, a city posted number one for crimes is a region where much foul play has been in session.

The city is filled with a bunch of people who continually double cross one another. Due to the double crossing acts, this city not to be played with. This city is off the chain; and I now see why mothers dread of taking their children to the neighborhood playground.

The North side, the Southside, the Westside, and the Eastside have become fields of war. How can it be safe, when all four sides of a city is filled with raging conflict. When all four sides of a city is active in crime, there is nowhere to run, nor is there a place to find refuge. This society has become an evil turf.

In these last and evil days, people are claiming spots as their territory. The days are called, "evil" because iniquity has abounded. Nothing in the area is owned by them, but they claim it, as if they have purchased it. They call this territory, "My Turf". It has to be something from within that makes people claim what they do not own.

Many innocent people have been victimized. The phrase you know it to be is, "Innocent Bystander". Innocent lives are destroyed everyday. Many people woke up one morning feeling good about life. The day was normal, and perhaps it was Friday's payday. The innocent walked out the front door, with thoughts on going to pick up a fat earned bi-weekly paycheck. Then, all of a sudden, someone brought a felony into this innocent person's presence. As this innocent person was about to get inside the car, a crime worker shot and robbed him. It is amazing how just one wrongdoing can mess up a person's life. This act is called, "pre meditated bodily injury", or "aggravated assault".

Crime has become the city's burden and affliction. People are taking on yokes with their own strength. Normally, human beings are subjects of obtaining burdens and afflictions. But St. Louis, which is a city, has conceived that same damaging effect. The body of Jesus suffered much affliction from crime led people, and St. Louis is suffering badly from the same ungodly movement (crime committing).

If St. Louis had a mind to think for itself, its thoughts would be filled with misery all day long. All the times, St. Louis would have ongoing anxiety attacks. Since St. Louis is a city, which means it cannot think for itself, it has neither emotions nor feelings. The longer people allow crime to be their focus, the greater the burden and affliction the city will feel.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

How To Become A Real Crime Scene Technician

The popularity of those true-crime and crime scene technician programs on television have not only attracted a large audience of loyal fans, but have also inspired thousands of students to enter criminal law, forensic sciences, and law enforcement schools, all in hopes of joining the ranks of forensic lab and field technicians across the country. Because the field is so varied, the training can literally come from a host of different sources, and will continue on past gaining the necessary degrees or certifications, so that they can readily keep up with the ever-changing technology.

The skills you will learn in school to become a crime scene investigator are so needed these days that any certification or degree will easily lead to a career that is much in demand. Law enforcement, legal practices and even the federal government have openings for dedicated forensics professionals from all walks of life, and education.

Where to Begin Your Crime Scene Technician Training

There are so many different ways to begin your training in forensic science. Enrolling in any technical school that offers classes in criminal justice is one way to begin. Attending an accredited college or university program is another. And, these days, you can even begin your job training online, at your own pace, allowing you to take care of your beginning classes, and formal training over whatever period of time you require.

Beginning with criminal justice training is the smartest way, as you will be learning everything that you will need to be part of law enforcement, the largest employers of technician anywhere. This type of background is essential to your formal training to work in the field gathering evidence, securing crime scenes and interviewing potential witnesses as part of your daily job description.

Career Education Requirements

Before you can get into the science of forensic technology itself, you should have a good knowledge of the physical sciences, chemistry, biology, math and anatomy physiology. Along with this course of study, outside of the technology itself, the best school to enter after the general courses are behind you, is the school of criminal justice.

Because most crime scene investigator and technician positions are actually filled within law enforcement, it is essential that any student planning on having this kind of specialized career study the first couple of years as if they were becoming a police officer in the field. In some jurisdictions, the CSI functions as operating police officers in emergency situations, so all of this training will come in handy, even if the television shows may tell you otherwise.

Criminal Justice Training

You can either attend an actual criminal justice school, or complete the necessary criminal justice courses online while you complete the technical and science requirements at a university. However you wish to do so the bulk of your criminal justice training should include as many of the following courses as you can complete for the full spectrum of training available:

Criminal Law

Crime Scene Evidence

Criminal Investigation

Crime Scene Photography

Evidence Collection

Evidence Analysis and Interpretation

The next set of courses only requires that you show a proficiency in, so that you can work with law enforcement agencies, while pursuing your main career:

Shooting

Defensive Tactics

First Aid

Fingerprinting, including applications, techniques and interpretation

Bloodstain Analysis

Forensic Photography

Footwear Identification Proficiency

Employment Outlook and Opportunities

There are a large number of crimes that occur unfortunately on a regular basis that will require the specialized expertise of a crime scene technician. Assaults, burglaries, rapes, kidnappings, suicides, vehicular crimes, and murder will all allow you to utilize every skill you have learned so that you can be an important part of the investigation team.

Job opportunities for professional technicians can be found in law enforcement, fire departments, pathology labs, hospitals, medical examiners offices, and even insurance and detective agencies. This means that the current outlook is very good, and the number of openings is expected to grow over the next few years, as the field expands.

Here's your chance to join the real CSI teams and become a true crime solver! Visit [http://www.theforensicssciencecolleges.com/] and discover the careers in forensic science. Learn how you can get started in these specialized careers.

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Saturday, October 15, 2011

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Tuesday, October 11, 2011