Archives for October 2009

Cop shows and movies show you an unbelievable range of gizmos that can perform unimaginable tasks – such as bringing into focus a single voice from an otherwise muffled recording or computers that can zoom in on a tiny section of the image on the screen. Most of it is pure fiction. But one seemingly strange chemical that glows when it comes into contact with blood is for real. It’s called Luminol.

Luminol is a chemical that glows with a bluish light when it comes in contact with blood. It even reacts with years old traces of blood. An ultra-sensitive chemical, it can detect blood at one part per million. In simple language, this means that if there is even one drop of blood in 999,999 drops of water, luminol will glow. Hence, extensively used for criminal investigations, luminol has helped crack some pretty tricky cases of detection.

Victims of bloody, violent crimes cannot disappear without a trace – that is the basic assumption on which crime scene investigators function. No matter how hard the murderer tries to clean up the blood and dispose of the body, some tell-tale traces of blood will remain. Tiny blood particles can cling to most surfaces for years on end, without ever being seen.

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can now report crimes to police from the comfort of their homes, through their computer. Police have launched an online crime reporting function via a Thames Valley Police website for minor incidents and non-emergencies. By the end of January police hope victims will also be able to report some crimes via a text message from their mobile phone or by email.

Chief Superintendent Liam Macdougall, head of the control room at Thames Valley Police, said the system gave the public flexibility in reporting crimes. He said it was not designed for major crime or emergencies. e added: “It opens us up a whole new channel of communication, where the public choose their preferred method of contact with us.

“It also means that some sections of the community who may have communication difficulties will now find they can contact us and get help when they need it.” The online reporting service can be found on the websirte’s navigation bar at thamesvalley.police.uk Victims fill in a form listing details of the crime which appears on the screen of a call-handler who forwards details to the appropriate department or neighbourhood team.

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Go McGruff was created by child safety experts and operates under a partnership between the nonprofit National Crime Prevention Council and Parents on Patrol.  McGruff Safeguard protects children by alerting their parents in real-time to potentially dangerous behavior. It also alerts parents to situations involving sexual abuse, drug use, Internet predators, cyber-bullying and other threats.

The success of this program is evident from information right on the homepage, where live stats are listed: over 294 million Web visits tracked, nearly 318 million chat messages analyzed, and just over 5 million warnings sent to parents. In the "Features" section you can check out the highlights of the program. From ways to monitor online activity to alerts of improper internet use. The program is designed to simplify ways to protect your children. For example, the program educates parents on "kidspeak" which helps decipher some of the cryptic acronyms kids use these days.

McGruff Safeguard is also customizable by age group and alert topics, allowing parents to view a full 30-day log of activities of instant message conversations, internet use, search, social networks and more. On the site, you can also check out testimonials from users on topics like general parenting tips, sexual content, drug related sites, and general awareness of dangerous situations.

Colin Drane recalls an odd crime spree that unfolded near his home in Baltimore a few years ago: Neighbors' copper downspouts were suddenly disappearing. As the thefts grew, he reasoned that if his neighbors could see a map denoting exactly where the gutter bandits were operating, preventive action could be taken. Drane awoke one morning with the idea of using his car's global positioning system as a model--until he discovered that it, too, had been stolen. Since then, Drane, an informercial marketer and inventor of products like the Trunkanizer (organizes groceries in your trunk) and the Invisilift (enhances a woman's bustline) has watched his most successful invention, SpotCrime, rocket to success.

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The US is the latest country to join the ever-growing list of nations that condemn Sri Lanka for its violations of international humanitarian law, crimes against humanity and related harms in its fight against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is complicit in almost all the acts listed in the Rome statute of the international criminal court in its definition of crimes against humanity, according to evidence in a report published by the US state department for Congress on 22 October.

The report highlights deaths due to starvation as a result of the government's restriction of supplies. It also indicates that the supply of medicines to the injured, disabled and sick was restricted. None were spared. atellite images show hospitals being targeted, and there are images which indicate heavy weapon usage, aerial bombing and cluster bombs. Eyewitness accounts outline the targeting of civilian areas and surrendering unarmed combatants being shot in cold blood. Video evidence shows alleged military executions of young naked men.

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Imagine walking out of your front door and leaving it open, whilst you jet off on holiday for a week. Or parking your car in central London and leaving all of the windows open and your laptop on the front seat. Or even walking around town with your wallet hanging out of your pocket and your iPod on so loud that you couldn’t hear an airplane, let alone a pick pocket walking behind you.

You are probably thinking, “Why would I do that, I am not stupid. It is true to say, the majority of us would never do any of the things mentioned in my opening paragraph, because they are the basic security measures of life. Lock your front door, keep your windows closed when away and don’t leave anything worth pinching in your car.

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If you have ever watched those old movies on Hong Kong, then you would know that the Hong Kong Police seriously had their work cut out. Trying to save innocent children from the clutches of man eating tigers, high speed boat chases to nab sea pirates and going incognito to infiltrate drug cartels were everyday duties for them. The history of the Hong Kong Police Department and the crime stories of the country are chronicled at the Police Museum that is situated at the former Wan Chai Gap police station at the Peak.

The predecessor of the Hong Kong Police was the Police Historical Records Committee which was set up in 1964, this committee had collected a significant amount of artifacts pertaining to the police force which necessitated the setting up of a museum to house them.

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In 1994, Legislation was passed which paved the way for the Violence Against Women Act. This Legislation provided $1.6 billion to enhance investigation and prosecution of the violent crimes perpetrated against women. However, the heinous crimes against women continue to increase each year. Preliminary results for the first half of 2006 revealed that there was a 3.7 percent increase in all violent crimes compared to the first half of 2005.

Here are some appalling statistics in the U.S. Every three minutes a woman is attacked in the United States. Women are 10 times more likely than men to be victimized by an intimate partner. Conservative estimates indicate that two to four million women of all races and classes are battered each year. An estimated 572,000 assaults were by intimate partners. Every day four women die in this country as a result of domestic violence, which approximates 1,400 women a year according to the FBI. Every year approximately 132,000 women report that they have been victims of rape or attempted rape, and more than half of them knew their attackers. It's estimated that two to six times that many women are raped, but do not report it. Every year approximately 1.2 million women report being forcibly raped by their current or former male partner. Approximately 17 percent of pregnant women report being battered. The results of the battering include miscarriages, stillbirths and a two to four times greater likelihood of the baby having a low birth weight.

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The war on drugs is a war on terror and the war on terror is a war on drugs. They are interwoven and law enforcement believes they are inseparable. The Taliban and Al-Qaeda  are growing poppies and producing heroin in Afghanistan and distributing those drugs via ships, aircraft and ground mules to Iraq, Turkey, Europe and Mexico to help raise cash.                                   

Countries in South America like Columbia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia are growing, producing and distributing cocaine to Mexican drug cartels that in turn have Mexican and American gangs distribute throughout the United States, Europe and other countries around the world.

According to Michael A. Braun, DEA Chief of Operations, says that the drug trafficking and middle eastern terrorist groups are a "Growing Nexus."  He indicates that there is a growing nexus between international drug trafficking organizations and international terrorism.  Mr. Braun believes it is a new hybrid organization funded by international drug trafficking and dedicated to terrorism.

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Teen allegedly steals $30 in condoms A 17-year-old Flint man was arrested for allegedly stealing nearly $30 in condoms at 9 p.m. Oct. 12 at Wal-Mart.

According to the police report, the man concealed the condoms and left the store without paying for them. His mom identified him for police.

He was given a court date for the offense and released. Vehicle stolen from driveway, recovered in Flint

A 60-year-old Burton woman called police when her blue 1992 Pontiac minivan was stolen from her driveway between 10 p.m. Oct. 13 and 8 a.m. the next morning near Atherton Road and Dort Highway.

She said the left the car unlocked overnight because the locks were broken.

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