Holidays Spell Danger for Law Officers
from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
A review of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) records shows that the Christmas and New Year's holiday season can be one of the most dangerous times of the year for law enforcement. Just consider that, throughout history, the chances of an officer being killed on New Year's Eve is 30 percent higher (65 total deaths) than the average day (50 total deaths), and on Christmas the number of line of duty deaths is 56 percent higher (78 total deaths) than normal. More

Department of Justice Announces Nearly $240 Million in Grants to Enhance Crime Prevention Efforts across the Country
from PR Newswire via the Portland Business Journal
Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey today announced nearly $240 million in grant awards that support communities and law enforcement in preventing crime. The Department also announced the launch of its new crime prevention initiative, Celebrate Safe Communities (CSC). In partnership with the National Sheriffs' Association and the National Crime Prevention Council, OJP is promoting the new event throughout the country. More

Corrections Alert: Small Device, High Security Risk
from CorrectionsOne
Technology is running amok in our prisons and jails. New technologies that help skirt the system are accessible like never before. Correctional officers must keep up or be mowed over. Each of us is trained to look for certain signs while we conduct our tours of duty. We are educated about inmate manipulation and we hope it will never happen to us. There is a new and potentially dangerous product being introduced to the U.S. market that could send the correctional system back to the Stone Age. More

Dogs Bust Inmates Using Cell Phones to Carry Out Crimes
from CNN
Cell phones have become the hottest contraband in prisons these days, authorities say. Maryland correction officials in June began one of the first programs using dogs to find the cleverly hidden phones. The program breeds and trains dogs to find cell phones hidden in the state's prisons.More

L.A. County Sheriff Vows Crackdown on Armed Deputies Drinking Alcohol
from the Los Angeles Times
Responding to a spate of shootings by allegedly intoxicated off-duty deputies, Sheriff Lee Baca plans to implement a policy banning deputies from carrying firearms when they are drinking. This is one of the nation's toughest policies barring deputies from carrying firearms when they are under the influence of alcohol. More

Law Enforcement to Pay Fee for Off-duty Use of Cars
from the Atlanta Journal Constitution
Alpharetta, Ga., is requiring its police officers to pony up for use of equipment and fuel during off-duty jobs. At least one officer has argued it amounts to a new tax on law enforcement. As of Saturday, police officers with take-home patrol cars will be required to remit 10 percent of their pay from "extra-duty jobs," said James Drinkard, assistant city administrator. The cities of Suwanee, Ga., and Holly Springs, Ga., assess similar fees, and Gwinnett and Cherokee counties are considering them, according to an internal Alpharetta police memo. More

Demand to Fill Security-related Jobs Grows as Economy Sputters
from the South Florida Business Journal via the San Francisco Business Times
Even though the nation’s unemployment rate is at a 14-year high, some South Florida companies are still looking to fill positions. Police departments, security and technology companies are trying to fill positions and some holiday oriented retail jobs are expected to materialize even though sales expectations are low. That contrasts with some other employers who are hunkered down and don't want to spend money on recruiting or training. More

Evictions by Deputies Bring Home the Housing Crisis
from the Omaha World-Herald
On the job, Brian Parizek comes face to face with the fallout from the nation's economic crisis 30 or more times each month. That's about how often Parizek, a Douglas County, Neb., sheriff's deputy, evicts people from their homes because they haven't paid the mortgage or the rent. While reliable national statistics on residential evictions are not available, more Americans are being removed from homes and apartments by law enforcement, the National Sheriffs' Association says, citing a slumping economy blighted by job losses, rising costs and tightening credit. More

Jail Officers to Try 12-hour Shifts
from the Atlanta Journal Constitution
Atlanta corrections officials have come up with an unconventional plan to slow the exodus of officers leaving the department -- 12-hour shifts. Not every day, officials say. The plan is to have officers work 12 hours on three consecutive days and then have at least two days off. More

Jailhouse Cop
from Newsweek
Standing 6 feet 5 inches in his jailhouse blues, with a square jaw and grey stubble, Mark Curran is the inmate in cell No. 2. He is also the sheriff. He hasn't been charged with any crimes. But Curran, the sheriff of Lake County, Ill., wanted to know the feeling of being caged. So he sentenced himself to a week in lock-up, in Waukegan. "People who have never been in jail," he says wryly, "don't know what it's like to sit on the toilet in full view of everyone." More