Well, the Sun mentioned my humble blog in the paper on Sunday. See this link:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/ideas/bal-id.blog17feb17,0,265772.column.
It is important to note that Northern Illinois University "did all the right things", but the presence of their emergency notification system did not stop the killer nor help anyone in this case. If the killer was wandering around campus shooting people in different locations, some notification system would probably have been useful. The campus police arrived very quickly, but by the time they arrived it was all over. Is there a way to prevent these types of incidents? Probably not, as long as their is no quick and easy way to screen for mental illness.
Thank goodness these incidents, despite the hyped-up coverage, are very rare on campuses. Unfortunately, the more press coverage they get, the more likely it is that someone out there will try to get their day of fame.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Buz Crime Alert
Buz has learned that there has been a wave of burglaries of businesses in the Hampden area, including a number on "The Avenue"--36th Street. They generally have been overnight and through the backdoors. Taken has been anything which can easily be sold or pawned: jewelry, cash, etc. Many of the buildings in this area are old and the structures are not terribly secure. Plus, many of these small businesses are struggling, so they don't have sophisticated alarm systems. In one case a rudimentary alarm was easily disabled by the burglars, who apparently have some construction-type skills.
Sophisticated alarms are no guarantee, though. One Hampden business was broken into 3 times last year by the same burglar. He looked right at the sophisticated camera while he put the owner's gun down his unsophisticated pants. He did not care about all that noise the alarm siren was making, either.
(They probably cannot get construction-type jobs, for the most part, though, because they cannot pass drug tests, and have buried themselves with lousy criminal and work records.)
Buz suggests taking a hard look at your business security hardware, and think about how the burglar will get it to steal your hard-earned stuff.
Sophisticated alarms are no guarantee, though. One Hampden business was broken into 3 times last year by the same burglar. He looked right at the sophisticated camera while he put the owner's gun down his unsophisticated pants. He did not care about all that noise the alarm siren was making, either.
(They probably cannot get construction-type jobs, for the most part, though, because they cannot pass drug tests, and have buried themselves with lousy criminal and work records.)
Buz suggests taking a hard look at your business security hardware, and think about how the burglar will get it to steal your hard-earned stuff.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Policing the Inner Harbor: Get In On It!
Well, what can one poor ole retired cop on fixed income say about the performance of Officer Sal down at the Inner Harbor interacting with and messing with the teenage skateboarder. For sure, it makes police in general look bad, and especially for us Baltimore Police retirees out here in the mean, real world trying to make a living-whether by getting or keeping full or part time jobs or running small businesses.
Buz has already learned that some higher education institutions do not want ex-police on their campus security forces (with exceptions). And in any case it does not seem to be good public relations.
Buz had a similar, but less violent, run-in with Sal when I was a supervisor on the evening shift in security at a famous Baltimore institution. Sal was working in uniform off duty for the organization. I could not raise him on the radio for more than an hour. When I finally met him he was arrogant, nasty, and rude--just like on the video. He refused my request to check a building, and said he didn't care if he couldn't be radioed, and he could care less about me even though I was the supervisor on duty. He then blew cigar smoke in my face while he smirked. He said that if I had a problem with him, I should take it up with the organization, since he works for the organization, not for me.
My boss didn't want to do anything, even though Sal had acted the same way with him a year before. He didn't want to offend Sal or any of the other police that were working there--he needed their guns. (See my earlier blog post.) It's a shame when many businesses and schools in Baltimore feel they need the hired guns of the BPD because of the nature of the crime in the city. Thus, he had to be coddled, not fired. I left the organization a couple of weeks later. I learned yesterday that Sal is no longer there.
Poor Sal. I hope he learns to deal with his anger and hate.
I assure the readers that the vast, overwhelming majority of police try to do the right thing most of the time. Yeah, sometimes some of them lose it with suspects, but it's a stressful job and we have to view that in the context of that compassion without tolerating behavior which was too much. Sal had several times when he could have walked away, but kept coming back to have a few more words to say.
I was taught that police really cannot put hands on people with certain minor exceptions unless you're arresting them. And I guess Sal missed that training. I read that he later calmed down and did talk to the kid's mom and gave the skateboard back.
I see, because of this video, a lot of anti-police venom coming out on the web. Sheesh. OK, it looks kinda bad, folks. But, ya know, the police are all we've got. Yeah, there'll always be nasty ones, but most are there for the job and want to do it in a righteous manner. If we did not have police, the criminals would really take over the city--more than they do already. I guess Sal was trying to make the Inner Harbor safe for us elderly retired people to walk around there.
The city is missing the boat with this. Tourists and locals too should get in on it. We could have bus tours following Sal around and watching and photographing his furnishing us with a safer city! All you bums, drunks, punks, skateboarders, artists, and other ne'er do wells watch out. It's gotta be at least as good as the Wire for Baltimore, or Homicide, or the Corner. Where's David Simon when we need him?!
Buz has already learned that some higher education institutions do not want ex-police on their campus security forces (with exceptions). And in any case it does not seem to be good public relations.
Buz had a similar, but less violent, run-in with Sal when I was a supervisor on the evening shift in security at a famous Baltimore institution. Sal was working in uniform off duty for the organization. I could not raise him on the radio for more than an hour. When I finally met him he was arrogant, nasty, and rude--just like on the video. He refused my request to check a building, and said he didn't care if he couldn't be radioed, and he could care less about me even though I was the supervisor on duty. He then blew cigar smoke in my face while he smirked. He said that if I had a problem with him, I should take it up with the organization, since he works for the organization, not for me.
My boss didn't want to do anything, even though Sal had acted the same way with him a year before. He didn't want to offend Sal or any of the other police that were working there--he needed their guns. (See my earlier blog post.) It's a shame when many businesses and schools in Baltimore feel they need the hired guns of the BPD because of the nature of the crime in the city. Thus, he had to be coddled, not fired. I left the organization a couple of weeks later. I learned yesterday that Sal is no longer there.
Poor Sal. I hope he learns to deal with his anger and hate.
I assure the readers that the vast, overwhelming majority of police try to do the right thing most of the time. Yeah, sometimes some of them lose it with suspects, but it's a stressful job and we have to view that in the context of that compassion without tolerating behavior which was too much. Sal had several times when he could have walked away, but kept coming back to have a few more words to say.
I was taught that police really cannot put hands on people with certain minor exceptions unless you're arresting them. And I guess Sal missed that training. I read that he later calmed down and did talk to the kid's mom and gave the skateboard back.
I see, because of this video, a lot of anti-police venom coming out on the web. Sheesh. OK, it looks kinda bad, folks. But, ya know, the police are all we've got. Yeah, there'll always be nasty ones, but most are there for the job and want to do it in a righteous manner. If we did not have police, the criminals would really take over the city--more than they do already. I guess Sal was trying to make the Inner Harbor safe for us elderly retired people to walk around there.
The city is missing the boat with this. Tourists and locals too should get in on it. We could have bus tours following Sal around and watching and photographing his furnishing us with a safer city! All you bums, drunks, punks, skateboarders, artists, and other ne'er do wells watch out. It's gotta be at least as good as the Wire for Baltimore, or Homicide, or the Corner. Where's David Simon when we need him?!
Friday, February 8, 2008
Guns on Campus
Some higher education campuses are moving toward an armed security force, at least partly as a result of the Virginia Tech shootings. Nice solution to the problem, but it did not help at Virginia Tech which had a sworn and armed campus police force. As in most of these campus shooting rampages, the suspect took his own life before police arrived on the scene.
Buz thinks most schools would be better off, and save a lot of money, if they did not introduce firearms to their security force. The cost and the risks are enormous--unless you are in a high crime area, and have a fairly large number of officers working as backup.
On the other hand, there are schools which should have armed police officers and don't. They don't because of philosphical objections or want to play the game of using off-duty police officers--so any liability gets thrown on the local jurisdiction where the officer is employed.
Buz thinks most schools would be better off, and save a lot of money, if they did not introduce firearms to their security force. The cost and the risks are enormous--unless you are in a high crime area, and have a fairly large number of officers working as backup.
On the other hand, there are schools which should have armed police officers and don't. They don't because of philosphical objections or want to play the game of using off-duty police officers--so any liability gets thrown on the local jurisdiction where the officer is employed.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Contract security guard companies
Considering using a contract security guard company for your business or organization? Buz, the security consultant, thinks, in light of the suspicion surrounding burglaries at the area's private schools, there are:
Some questions you should ask your security guard company (before you get one or of the one you have):
1.Do you do background checks on your guards, even if they come to you with a valid clearance card?
2.After you hire, do you ever check again? When? How often?
3.What are your standards for rejection, if any?
4.Do you do drug testing on your guards? Before hire? (Of course, they'll say. Buz recently ran into a security guard who is stationed at a school in the city. He said he's never had a drug test after working for them for more than 15 years.) Periodically? Randomly? For cause?
5.Do you pay your guards a living wage (Huh? What's that? Buz recently coached a woman who got a job as a security guard at a contract guard agency in Baltimore. They started her at $6.75 an hour. Think it might be a little easy to pay her a few bucks to look the other way? Would you really want anyone watching your assets or people who gets paid only $6.75/hour?)
6.What are your guards trained in? Anything? Or are they just bodies, a commodity, like say paper, or wood or electric.
7.Will you give me enough info on the guards proposed for my site to do my own background check if I wish? (social security number, date of birth, say)
8.If I don't want a particular guard for any reason (or no reason), can a different one be provided?
9.What are your guards' rules of engagement, say, if a fight breaks out?
10.When can they use their weapons (if they have any).
See how, if at all, they answer these questions.
Buz wonders if anybody out there has had any praise or criticisms for guards you may have run into.
Some questions you should ask your security guard company (before you get one or of the one you have):
1.Do you do background checks on your guards, even if they come to you with a valid clearance card?
2.After you hire, do you ever check again? When? How often?
3.What are your standards for rejection, if any?
4.Do you do drug testing on your guards? Before hire? (Of course, they'll say. Buz recently ran into a security guard who is stationed at a school in the city. He said he's never had a drug test after working for them for more than 15 years.) Periodically? Randomly? For cause?
5.Do you pay your guards a living wage (Huh? What's that? Buz recently coached a woman who got a job as a security guard at a contract guard agency in Baltimore. They started her at $6.75 an hour. Think it might be a little easy to pay her a few bucks to look the other way? Would you really want anyone watching your assets or people who gets paid only $6.75/hour?)
6.What are your guards trained in? Anything? Or are they just bodies, a commodity, like say paper, or wood or electric.
7.Will you give me enough info on the guards proposed for my site to do my own background check if I wish? (social security number, date of birth, say)
8.If I don't want a particular guard for any reason (or no reason), can a different one be provided?
9.What are your guards' rules of engagement, say, if a fight breaks out?
10.When can they use their weapons (if they have any).
See how, if at all, they answer these questions.
Buz wonders if anybody out there has had any praise or criticisms for guards you may have run into.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
campus safety after Virginia Tech
Many of my colleagues in the campus security community are feverishly spending money to buy various emergency notification systems, because, apparently the lessons learned from Virginia Tech, it is believed, include some kind of emergency notification system. Buz thinks that they might be useful, not so much to help in an incident such as this, but just so that the school can say they have it to defend itself in a lawsuit.
Even if such a system were in place at VT, it would not have been used because the police thought the incident was confined and under control. In fact there were officers in the dorm where the original two murders happened, but did not say anything about it to students who were entering and leaving. Besides, what would one say? Gee, we've got 2 people killed here, so watch out?! What should we do, Mr. Security!? Go to class? Go Home? Go to the dorm?
A cursory look at some of the uses of the emergency notification systems since VT show that they are only one tool of many and often are not terribly helpful.
The key component of any system such as this is: who makes the decision to send out the message and what message do they send out.
Only the largest schools, with some exceptions, want to spend the money to have skilled full-time professional-level people present or available to make the decisions quickly. Usually these incident happen very quickly and there is a sense of unbelievability and denial which accompanies it.
Even if such a system were in place at VT, it would not have been used because the police thought the incident was confined and under control. In fact there were officers in the dorm where the original two murders happened, but did not say anything about it to students who were entering and leaving. Besides, what would one say? Gee, we've got 2 people killed here, so watch out?! What should we do, Mr. Security!? Go to class? Go Home? Go to the dorm?
A cursory look at some of the uses of the emergency notification systems since VT show that they are only one tool of many and often are not terribly helpful.
The key component of any system such as this is: who makes the decision to send out the message and what message do they send out.
Only the largest schools, with some exceptions, want to spend the money to have skilled full-time professional-level people present or available to make the decisions quickly. Usually these incident happen very quickly and there is a sense of unbelievability and denial which accompanies it.
Marc Steiner and his firing
The firing of Marc Steiner reminds me of the firing a number of years ago of Davey Johnson, one of the strongest managers the Orioles ever had. He was one of the few who would get in the face of these spoiled, childish, superstar athletes and make them perform in a team-like way. However, the owner of the team, Peter Angelos, and Johnson clashed and Davey was shown the door.
I don't think the Orioles have had a winning season since.
Same thing happened in New York when Giuliani's Police Commissioner, William Bratton, became more popular than him.
Buz believes that Steiner was a truly outstanding jounalist who knew a lot of the players in the city; I'm sure that the right-wing fire-breathers on the other talk shows hated him. But he really had some great shows: his five-part series on Vietnam was very moving and enlightening, and his interview with Felicia Pearson, Snoop, was thought-provoking.
I think WYPR will go the way of the Orioles. Their big mistake, in my most humble opinion was expanding to 50, 000 watts and buying stations on the Eastern Shore and Frederick. People, listen, ain't nobody in Ocean City or Frederick gonna care about what happens in Baltimore--which they all hate and fear. People interested in listening to public radion in YPR's format don't really care what's going on in Frederick or OC, either. Management just drove up their fixed costs to satisfy the mantra that bigger is better, and missed their niche of the sophisticated urban, urbane listener. There are plenty of suburban oriented stations to cater to those audiences.
Oh, I'm sure Marc could have been a difficult fellow to handle, but he was your main, maybe only big product.
By the way, the introduction of this show the Signal, on Fridays in Marc's time slot, was the beginning of the end. This poor dumb retired guy could never figure out what they were talking about: I guess one had to be one of the Creative Alliance types to really get into it. I dunno.
By the way of crime tip: don't go walking too far north of the Creative Alliance at the Patterson at night. It's bandit country.
I don't think the Orioles have had a winning season since.
Same thing happened in New York when Giuliani's Police Commissioner, William Bratton, became more popular than him.
Buz believes that Steiner was a truly outstanding jounalist who knew a lot of the players in the city; I'm sure that the right-wing fire-breathers on the other talk shows hated him. But he really had some great shows: his five-part series on Vietnam was very moving and enlightening, and his interview with Felicia Pearson, Snoop, was thought-provoking.
I think WYPR will go the way of the Orioles. Their big mistake, in my most humble opinion was expanding to 50, 000 watts and buying stations on the Eastern Shore and Frederick. People, listen, ain't nobody in Ocean City or Frederick gonna care about what happens in Baltimore--which they all hate and fear. People interested in listening to public radion in YPR's format don't really care what's going on in Frederick or OC, either. Management just drove up their fixed costs to satisfy the mantra that bigger is better, and missed their niche of the sophisticated urban, urbane listener. There are plenty of suburban oriented stations to cater to those audiences.
Oh, I'm sure Marc could have been a difficult fellow to handle, but he was your main, maybe only big product.
By the way, the introduction of this show the Signal, on Fridays in Marc's time slot, was the beginning of the end. This poor dumb retired guy could never figure out what they were talking about: I guess one had to be one of the Creative Alliance types to really get into it. I dunno.
By the way of crime tip: don't go walking too far north of the Creative Alliance at the Patterson at night. It's bandit country.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
