2021 Policing in America

Funny how the weak and worthless cowards criticize LE, but, ALWAYS from the sidelines…

 

Philadelphia Security Officer Killed With Homemade Weapon

 PHILADELPHIA PA October 2 2021 - Police say a gunman who fatally shot a security guard with a homemade weapon at a Philadelphia office complex later surrendered to officers inside a third-floor social services agency.

 Authorities were called to Logan Plaza on the 5200 block of Old York Road around 11:30 a.m. Friday for reports of an active shooter inside an office building.

 Investigators say a man armed with a "homemade weapon" shot a security guard in the head then proceeded to Pathways to Housing PA's third floor office.

A Contact Team from the Philadelphia Police Department entered the building and found the alleged gunman who surrendered after being ordered to drop his weapon, Deputy Commissioner Ben Nash said.

 "Anybody that was inside of the building must have been scared for their lives," Nash told reporters.

 Arthur Francis, who was on the third floor when shots rang out, said he came face-to-face with the gunman. He said the suspect was "adamant" about finding someone who worked at the office.

 "I was like ‘what’s going on, man?' and the gunman was like ‘aw man, they ruined my life!’ that's all he said," Francis told FOX 29 News.

Authorities have not identified the gunman at this time.

 The security officer victim was later identified as 25-year-old Nassir Day.

 In a Facebook post, Pathways to Housing PA said the gunman was previously charged for making threats against staff members but had not been in contact with the agency in over 18 months.

 "We are both grateful that our staff and participants are safe and full of grief to learn that a victim of today's shooting has passed away," the agency wrote. "Our hearts go out to the victim's family."

Source: https://www.fox29.com/news/police-respond-to-incident-at-logan-office-building

VT City That Defunded Police Now Paying Officers to Stay

September 30, 2021 • by POL Staff

Last June, a resolution was drawn up by the Burlington, VT, City Council to "address racial disparities in police interactions," declare racism a citywide crisis, and create more opportunities for residents of color. To fund the resolution's goals, the city set a new cap for the number of officers in the department at 74—30 percent lower than the previous one—and aimed to repurpose the money saved from the trim and hiring freeze for alternative responses to 911 calls, like unarmed social workers. Now the city is trying to pay its officers to stay.

In the 14 months since, the Burlington Police Department has dropped from around 90 officers, when the resolution was passed, to under 70 today. This is largely thanks, officials say, to cops leaving for higher-paying jobs in other departments or retiring earlier than expected. Kelly Devine, the longtime executive director of the Burlington business association, says she’s spoken to many disaffected cops herself, suggested some left town because of increased scrutiny on the department even as they faced greater workloads.

“Most of it was, ‘I gotta get out of here,’” she told The Daily Beast.

“It has led to a lot of backlash and outcry in the community for more police,” Jack Hanson, a progressive City Council member in Burlington, told The Daily Beast.

For her part, Devine told The Daily Beast, she’s convinced increased local concern about safety and crime in the normally tranquil oasis has a basis in reality, and specifically the city’s decision to defund the police.

The same Council that voted to defund its police voted unanimously on Monday to give nearly $1 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to the police department and effectively write each remaining officer a $10,000 check to stay on the job.

Source: https://www.policemag.com/619830/vt-city-that-defunded-police-now-paying-officers-to-stay?utm_source=email&utm_medium=enewsletter&utm_campaign=20210930-nl-pol-ontarget-bobcd210924003&omdt=nl-pol-ontarget&omid=1004349715&utm_content=01&tracking_number=bobcd210924003&oly_enc_id=4125f1769401e0y

S&T Tests FirstNet Push-to-Talk App in Real-World Scenarios

 

 

Article: S&T Tests FirstNet Push-to-Talk App in Real-World Scenarios

Release Date:
September 28, 2021

The ability for emergency responders to communicate across agencies and jurisdictions is essential for a timely and effective response. Crises can easily involve a broad range of disciplines (law enforcement, fire service, emergency medical service), various sectors (local, state, tribal and federal government), and multiple jurisdictions. The bottom line is that they need to be able to talk to each other—and the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) works tirelessly to make that happen.

S&T ensures that first responders and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) can exchange information such as voice, video or data through any medium and that interoperability across agencies is paramount upon transition to broadband communications networks, including FirstNet.

“The significance of interoperability to emergency response operations cannot be overstated,” said Russell Becker, director of S&T’s Office for Interoperability and Compatibility Technology Center. “Standards-based solutions are simply vital to multi-agency response and FirstNet is an important part of that. It’s the first high-speed, nationwide wireless broadband network dedicated to public safety.”

This spring, S&T collaborated with local and federal partners to field test FirstNet’s Push-to-Talk (FNPTT) application, which is a standards-based, mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT) app. The app allows voice, video and data communications with high priority and low delays with the press of a button—a necessity in critical events when reliable and quick access to information is vital.

Coast Guard Cutter Tern docked in the San Francisco Bay helped test how well the FirstNet push-to-talk app communicated offshore.Over the course of one month, 50 participants from S&T, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Oakland (California) Fire Department (FD) tested the app in different scenarios that reflected real-world responses. MCPTT is the public safety mission-critical standard set by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), which is responsible for LTE and 5G global standards. Representatives from the Joint Wireless Program Management Office (JWPMO) and FirstNet AT&T were also involved with the field test.

Many of the available apps in the marketplace are not standards-compliant, which poses a significant challenge for users of current push-to-talk solutions. It presents a barrier for interoperability and sustainability, with different proprietary solutions and associated costs. These stove-piped options can result in increased upkeep expenses and lack of competition. MCPTT includes key characteristics useful for public safety: high availability, reliability and low latency; 1:1 calls and group calls; emergency calling; device-to-device direct communication (unavailable due to lack of a chipset in the handset); and location reporting.

During the field test, two exercise scenarios tested the interoperability of the FNPTT app by demonstrating how different agencies can communicate. AT&T FirstNet provided devices loaded with the app for participants. The field test took place in three locations: with the CBP Office of Field Operations, HSI, USCG, and Oakland FD in San Francisco, California; with CBP in El Paso, Texas; and with HSI, USCG, and S&T in Washington, DC.

Screenshot of the FirstNet Push-to-Talk app interface shows a San Francisco Mutual Aid Talk Group communicating during one of the exercise scenarios. The group shared photos from boats in the water and location updates, which are all time-stamped.The first scenario simulated CBP agents inspecting cargo at the Port of Oakland and discovering narcotics and suspects, with one person jumping into Oakland Harbor and swimming out to a getaway boat. CBP engaged USCG and HSI to coordinate the response. Meanwhile, a 'fire' broke out at the port, leading to HSI calling 911 and CBP using FNPTT to contact Oakland FD. Throughout the scenario, participants used the FNPTT app to share photos and video for situational awareness, in addition to creating an ad-hoc group to pass along information on the case.

The second scenario involved a USCG Cutter responding to a simulated dive boat fire and medical emergency off the coast of San Francisco. In this scenario, the USCG boat crew engaged CBP and HSI via the FNPTT app, creating an ad-hoc group and making a group call to leadership for incident tracking. The app was also used to share photos when requesting medical support.

The two use-case scenarios took place at the field test kickoff over two days, after which the participants held onto the FNPTT devices to test during their regular duties over the remainder of the month. S&T collected feedback from participants to gauge their experiences with how well the FNPTT app performed. As the app depended on AT&T coverage during the scenarios, some participants noted issues with sending video files due to varying coverage, especially offshore. However, many participants successfully communicated through the app and experienced coverage when they were as far as 25 nautical miles from the shore. Participants expressed interest in having a location tracking feature to prevent blue-on-blue force incidents; location capability is planned for future releases of the app. Other participants provided input on voice quality and ease of use.

As one participant noted, the “application is not perfect, but there’s a lot of potential.” With the feedback received from users on the app’s performance under different conditions, further development can be refined to meet responders’ needs.

Currently, the three participating DHS operational components in the field test—CBP, HSI and USCG—all use different PTT solutions that are proprietary and non-interoperable. Using non-standard implementation, such as these three options, will not provide the interoperability, priority and higher quality of service that standards-compliant solutions offer. Most DHS operational components and public safety agencies use FirstNet AT&T or Verizon. FirstNet AT&T is the congressionally-created and dedicated broadband network for public safety borne out of the 9/11 Commission recommendations.

Pulling off the field test was an overall team effort, from designing the test plans, scenarios and use cases through evaluating FNPTT usability and performance as a standardized approach for all DHS components.

“Our partnerships make these field trials work,” said S&T program manager Sridhar Kowdley. “This allows us to really see how the FNPTT application performs in real-world situations and meets operational needs.”

Moving forward, S&T plans to assess other PTT applications that provide off-network, device-to-device communication, when available, and Land Mobile Radio-to-LTE interworking, as well as assessments with other network providers and operating platforms. With the feedback from this field test and through collaboration with the partners, S&T aims to help DHS operational components, our federal partners (e.g., Department of Justice, Department of Defense) and first responders coalesce towards standard-compliant, mission-critical solutions.


https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/news/2021/09/28/feature-article-st-tests-firstnet-push-talk-app-real-world-scenarios

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Public And Private Security Operations Protect Celebrities, Big-Name Executives And Dignitaries

By Michael Fickes

End User Correspondent, SourceSecurity.com

The Pope’s visit to the United States reminds us that protecting big-name executives, celebrities and dignitaries is a highly specialized security function. Public and private executive protection groups begin preparing for the visit of major world figures months ahead of time. “It is a task of massive proportions,” says Tom M. Conley, CPP, CISM, CMAS, president and CEO of The Conley Group, Inc. “The Pope, presidents, presidential candidates and others want to meet people, and they often plunge into crowds.” Then again, Conley notes that unlimited public and government assets become available to protect major public figures like the Pope. Their safety is of the utmost importance, and public agencies invest huge amounts of time and resources in their protection.

National Special Security Events

According to the Secret Service, dozens of federal, state and local agencies combined forces to protect the Pope in his visits to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York City. The Department of Homeland Security designated the Papal visit to New York City a National Special Security Event. For such an event, the Secret Service acts as the lead federal agency for the design, implementation and oversight of the operational security plan.

The plan creates and secures perimeters around events, sets up security checkpoints to screen people for admission to facilities as well as parade routes. The plan also includes a long list of prohibited items that screeners will confiscate from people passing through the checkpoints. In addition, there are airspace restrictions and maritime restrictions enforced by the U.S. Air Force, Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security.

Public Agencies’ Combined Protection

“It is a huge task,” Conley says. “But public agencies have handled these kinds of security programs so often that they know how to do it well. Even more importantly, for high value individuals such as the Pope, agencies have access to unlimited public resources in terms of money and people.”

For example, every security operations force runs TTPs, an acronym for tactics, techniques and procedures, continues Conley. These are virtual toolboxes that combine surveillance and intelligence collection and analysis.

“The agencies combine assets and people to create a controlled environment — similar to battlefield dominance as it is called in the military,” says Conley. That is how public figures are protected. Protecting executives, celebrities and other private luminaries with private resources is quite different. “The private sector doesn’t have the manpower, technology or the government’s access to threat intelligence,” Conley says. “That can significantly hinder the effectiveness of a private protection detail.”

Private Executive Protection Challenges

Every private security company today must deal with the corporate demand to make some business contribution to the company. Executive protection firms are no different. “We have developed metrics to prove the business value that our corporate executive protection services provide,” says Robert Oatman, CPP, president of RL Oatman & Associates, Inc., and chair of the ASIS International Executive Protection Council.
 

Oatman’s new book, “Executive Protection: Smarter, Faster, Better,” makes a business case connected to travel time. “If we save an hour or more per day for the principal,” he says, “we can produce a true return on investment. “With that in mind, our firm’s mission is to provide executive protection as a security specialty focused on safeguarding the life, health, time, reputation and peace of mind of corporate executives and others who face elevated risk.”

 

Oatman also says that executive protection today no longer looks like bodyguards with guns. “No one wants in your- face protection,” he says. “Our clients want us to be more stealthy and under the radar — to get it done without any drama.” Oatman’s company provides executive protection and executive protection training for public and private companies as well as government entities.

“We recently established the first ASIS International Council on Executive Protection,” Oatman says. “Launched in October, 2014, the EP Council is now accepting membership.” Taking a cue from Oatman’s goal of serving corporate business purposes, the new ASIS Council aims to focus on executive protection as a business enabler to keep clients safe as well as productive.

Source: http://us.sourcesecurity.com/news/articles/public-private-security-operations-protect-celebrities-co-177-ga-co-13325-ga.18823.html

 

Conley Group Security Officers Continue Critical Skills Education and Training at the Des Moines Regional Police Academy

A class of Conley Group’s Security Officers recently completed the law enforcement level Oleoresin Capsicum (OC Pepper Mace) Certification Course and phase one of the law enforcement Defensive Tactics Qualification Course (DTQC) at the Des Moines Regional Police Academy.

According to law enforcement training experts, whenever an officer has to fight a suspect to get him or her into custody, 85% of the time, the scuffle will result in ground fighting.  The objective is always for the police officer or security officer to get the suspect into custody without the officer or the suspect being hurt or killed.  The skills learned in defensive tactics, in conjunction with the weapons our officers carry, such a OC (Pepper) mace teach our officers the proper tactics, techniques, procedures and methods needed give them the highest probability of accomplishing the aforementioned objective safely.

Counter to the security industry standard where guards are not trained nor able to protect themselves or others because they are restricted to “observe and report” only in situations, The Conley Group’s Security Officers are actually able to protect themselves and others, and, are fully authorized to do so.  In fact, our security officers are trained and certified to law enforcement standards with all less-than-lethal as well as with lethal weapons (firearms) they carry.  Our security officers being trained in defensive tactics, OC (Pepper) mace and other weapons and tactics is a critical part of our overall education, training and qualification process.

Exposure (being sprayed) is a highly painful, but required, part of the law enforcement certification course.  Conley Group Security Officers are trained and certified to law enforcement standards on all non-lethal weapons they carry.

See all photos at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Conley-Group-Inc/131270096949159

Conley Group Security Officers complete the law enforcement Defensive Tactics Qualification Course (DTQC) at the Des Moines Regional Police Academy

Des Moines Senior Police Officer Sone Cam instructs Conley Group Security Officers on the proper use of grappling techniques

A class of Conley Group’s Security Officers completed the Defensive Tactics Qualification Course (DTQC) at the Des Moines Regional Police Academy on February 6, 2014.

According to law enforcement training experts, whenever an officer has to fight a suspect to get him or her into custody, 85% of the time, the scuffle will result in ground fighting.  The objective is always for the police officer or security officer to get the suspect into custody without the officer or the suspect being hurt or killed.  The skills learned in defensive tactics, in conjunction with the weapons our officers carry, teach our officers the proper tactics, techniques, procedures and methods needed give them the highest probability of accomplishing the aforementioned objective safely.

Counter to the security industry standard where guards are not trained nor able to protect themselves or others because they are restricted to “observe and report” only in situations, The Conley Group’s Security Officers are actually able to protect themselves and others, and, are fully authorized to do so.  In fact, our security officers are trained and certified to law enforcement standards with all less-than-lethal as well as with lethal weapons (firearms) they carry.  Our security officers being trained in defensive tactics is a critical part of our overall training and qualification process.

Police defensive tactics are actually broken down into two areas: arrest/detention and control tactics and self-defense tactics.  Overall, defensive tactics encompasses the following topic areas:

• Striking and Close Quarter Defensive Tactics
• Pressure Point Control Tactics
• Weapon Retention
• Takedowns
• Ground Fighting and Defense
• Injury Prevention
• Edged Weapon Awareness
• Use Of Force

While the arrest/detention and control tactics and self-defense tactics areas are completely different, they sometimes run together depending on the situation.  Arrest/Detention and Control Tactics are the techniques and skills a police or security officer needs to safely and effectively take a suspect into physical custody.  The idea behind arrest/detention and control techniques is to use minimal physical force to secure a person.  Defensive tactics can also be broken down into two different areas: the skills needed to deal with a person who is resisting arrest/detention or trying to escape from being arrested/detained and the actual fighting skills needed to defend against a person who is physically assaulting or attacking an officer.  Some suspects will physically fight an officer so they can avoid arrest/detention.  This resistance can be anything from simply pulling away from a control hold to striking the officer or even using a weapon.  Most of the time, such resistance is overcome by applying more control with a physical hold or using less-than-lethal weapons.

Before security officers are able to be enrolled in the DTQC, each officer must successfully complete and be certified in the following domains:

• ASP Collapsible Baton Certification (http://asptraining.wikispaces.com/file/view/ABC+Baton+Manual+2010.pdf)

• Tactical Handcuffing Certification (http://asptraining.wikispaces.com/file/view/ABC%20Handcuff%20Manual.pdf/322926008/ABC%20Handcuff%20Manual.pdf)

• Oleoresin Capsicum (O.C.) Spray Certification (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepper_spray)

Once security officers complete the ASP Collapsible Baton Certification, Tactical Handcuffing Certification, Oleoresin Capsicum (O.C.) Spray Certification and DTQC, then and only they are then officially “Tactical Certified” at our company.

The Defensive Tactics Qualification Course is instructed by Des Moines Senior Police Officer Sone Cam.  Officer Cam is a state-certified police defensive tactics instructor and serves as a team leader of the Metro Special Tactics and Response (S.T.A.R.) Team.  He is also the lead defensive tactics instructor for all Des Moines Police recruits.

See all photos of the latest DTQC course completion by Conley Group Security Officers at: https://www.facebook.com/conleygroup