Georgia Animal Advocate Honored by National Animal Protection Organization

In recognition of those in law enforcement who made the most meaningful progress against animal abusers in the last year, The Humane Society of the United States honored law enforcement agencies from across the country during its third annual Humane Law Enforcement Awards ceremony on Saturday.

"Jane Berry is a tireless animal advocate, and she is not afraid to get her hands dirty to help animals and to put their abusers behind bars," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS. "We are proud to present Jane with this award for her remarkable commitment to civic engagement and the rule of law."

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FBI Releases Preliminary Statistics for Law Enforcement Officers Killed in 2008

The FBI today released preliminary statistics indicating that 41 of our nation’s law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty in 2008. By region, 20 of the victim officers were killed in the South, nine in the Midwest, nine in the West, and three in the Northeast. The number of officers feloniously killed was 17 fewer than in 2007.

Of these felonious deaths, 10 occurred during arrest situations, eight officers were killed during traffic pursuits/stops, seven during tactical situations, six while investigating suspicious persons/circumstances, six were as a result of ambush situations, two officers were performing investigative activities, one was responding to a disturbance call, and one was handling, transporting, or had custody of a prisoner.

Firearms were the weapons most often used in these slayings. Of the 35 officers killed with firearms, 25 were killed with handguns, five with rifles, four with shotguns, and one officer was murdered with an unknown type of firearm. Four officers were killed by vehicles, and two officers died from injuries as a result of a bomb.

At the time of their deaths, 30 of the law enforcement officers were wearing body armor. Ten officers fired their weapons, and four of the officers attempted to fire their weapons. Six officers had their weapon stolen, and four officers were killed with their own weapons.

The 41 law enforcement officers were killed in 38 separate incidents. All 38 incidents have been cleared by arrest or exceptional means.

The number of officers killed in accidents also dropped from the previous year as 67 officers were accidentally killed in 67 separate incidents while performing their duties in 2008. This represents 16 fewer officers killed in accidents than in 2007.

The FBI will release final statistics in the Uniform Crime Reporting Program’s annual report, Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, which will be published on the Internet in the fall of this year.

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LifeLock® and FBI-LEEDA to Educate Georgia Law Enforcement to Combat Identity Theft

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Located in the heart of the Southeast, Atlanta is well known for its civil war battlefields, sports & entertainment events, and a myriad of other tourist attractions. While the Peach State is the ninth largest state in the U.S., it is a prime target for identity thieves. In 2008, more than 38,000 Georgia residents filed identity theft or fraud complaints with the Federal Trade Commission, placing the state 7th in the nation for identity theft.

A March 19 Identity Theft Summit, hosted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association (FBI-LEEDA) and LifeLock®, aims to arm local and regional law enforcement officials with information about rising trends in identity theft. The summit is part of a series being offered under a unique partnership between FBI-LEEDA and LifeLock.

“This program is part of extensive efforts we have made in educating law enforcement through our partnership with FBI-LEEDA,” said LifeLock CEO Todd Davis. “Identity theft is a crime that has no boundaries, and by forging relationships with those in law enforcement, we all become better equipped to fight these criminals. LifeLock has a history of partnering with those who share the vision of empowering consumers to protect themselves, and our partnership with FBI-LEEDA brings us even closer to our ultimate goal — eliminating identity theft."

Participants in the program will learn about identity theft and its economic, personal and employment impacts, as well as hear stories from others who have been affected by this crime or have worked to combat it. Law enforcement officials will also have opportunities to network with other agencies to improve inter-agency communication, which can aid in tracking down identity thieves.

“Participants will really be surprised by the number of stories about identity theft,” says Wayne Ivey, a 27-year veteran of law enforcement and the keynote speaker of the Identity Theft Summit. “The key to stopping identity theft is education and awareness. The connections officers will make with other agencies by participating in the summit will be the most valuable thing they come away with, which in turn, will help greatly in their investigations.”

The Atlanta summit is the sixth in an ongoing series spanning the nation. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Atlanta Marriot Alpharetta, 5750 Windward Parkway, Alpharetta, Ga. To register, contact Paige Pedersen at paige@lifelock.com. The summit is open to chiefs, sheriffs, investigative supervisors, fraud unit investigators, patrol officers and community policing personnel.

“The positive response from our summits has been overwhelming, and we are excited to bring this important training to our law enforcement community,” said Tom Stone, Executive Director of FBI-LEEDA. “By joining together and opening avenues of communication through information and education, we gain the ability to share effective policing strategies and connect identity theft cases from several cities and states to ensure that these criminals are brought to justice. It’s refreshing to have a private organization like LifeLock recognize the need for this training and to support it across the nation.”

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Number of Law Enforcement Officers Killed in the United States Falls Sharply in 2008

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 2008 is ending as one of the safest years for U.S. law enforcement in decades. The number of officers killed in the line of duty fell sharply this year when compared with 2007, and officers killed by gunfire reached a 50-year low.

Based on their analysis of preliminary data, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) and Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) found that 140 officers have died in the line of duty so far this year, a 23 percent reduction from the 2007 figure of 181. Other than 1996, when 139 officers were killed, 2008 represents the lowest year for officer fatalities since 1965, when 136 officers died in the line of duty.

This year's reduction includes a steep, 40 percent drop in the number of officers who were shot and killed, from 68 in 2007 to 41 in 2008. The last time firearms-related fatalities were this low was 1956, when there were 35 such deaths. The 2008 figure is 74 percent lower than the total for 1973, when a near-record high 156 law enforcement officers were shot and killed.

"2007 was a wake-up call for law enforcement in our country, and law enforcement executives, officers, associations and trainers clearly heeded the call, with a renewed emphasis on officer safety training, equipment and procedures," said NLEOMF Chairman and CEO Craig W. Floyd. "The reduction in firearms-related deaths is especially stunning, given the tremendous firepower possessed by so many criminals today. The fact that law enforcement has been able to drive down the crime rate, and do so with increased efficiency and safety, is a testament to the hard work and professionalism of our officers," Mr. Floyd added.

"Concerns of Police Survivors is pleased to see the reduction in officer deaths for 2008 and hopes this is a trend we will see year after year. But we also know that for each of the surviving families and co-workers, their one officer is one too many," said C.O.P.S. National President Jennifer Thacker. "These families, co-workers and agencies are struggling to cope with life without their officer and will need support from C.O.P.S. before, during and long after National Police Week. C.O.P.S. will continue its efforts to provide life rebuilding support and resources for 2008 surviving families and affected co-workers, as well as past year survivors to help them rebuild their shattered lives. We will embrace these families and affected co-workers and assure them there is no fee to join C.O.P.S., for the price paid is already too high," she said.

In 2008, for the 11th year in a row, more law enforcement officers, 71, died in traffic-related incidents than from gunfire or any other single cause of death. Mirroring the nationwide drop in traffic fatalities among the general public this year, the number of officers killed in traffic incidents was down 14 percent from 2007. Last year, a record high 83 officers died on our roadways. Of this year's traffic-related fatalities, 44 officers died in automobile crashes, 10 died in motorcycles crashes and 17 were struck and killed by other vehicles.

Among other causes of death, 17 officers succumbed to job-related physical illnesses, three died in aircraft accidents, two were fatally stabbed, two died in bomb-related incidents, and one each was beaten to death, drowned, accidentally electrocuted and died in a train accident.

Fifteen of the officers killed this year were women, equaling the all-time high set in 2002. 2008 marked the first time that more than 10 percent of the officers who died in a year were female. Among all officers killed in 2008, the average age was 40 and the officers had served an average of 12 years in law enforcement.

Texas, for the second year in a row, experienced the most law enforcement officer fatalities, although the state's 2008 total of 14 was down from 22 in 2007. California had 12 officer fatalities, followed by Florida and Pennsylvania, with eight each. Four of the eight Pennsylvania officers to die this year were members of the Philadelphia Police Department, which experienced the most deaths of any agency. Thirty-five states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands lost officers in 2008. Eight officers serving with federal law enforcement agencies also died this year, down from 17 in 2007.

Mr. Floyd cited a number of reasons for the sharp decline in officer fatalities this year: 1) better training and equipment, plus a realization among officers that "every assignment is potentially life-threatening, no matter how routine or benign it might seem;" 2) increased use of less-lethal weaponry, including TASER stun guns, which allow officers to apprehend resisting violent offenders with less chance of assault or injury; 3) more officers wearing bullet-resistant vests--over the past 20 years, vests have saved more than 3,000 law enforcement lives; 4) a downturn in violent crime--the Department of Justice reported that violent crime is at its lowest level since 1973; and 5) a tougher criminal justice system, with a record 2.3 million offenders in correctional facilities nationwide.

The statistics released by the NLEOMF and C.O.P.S. are preliminary and do not represent a final or complete list of individual officers who will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in 2009. The report, "Law Enforcement Officer Deaths, Preliminary 2008 Report," is available at www.nleomf.org. For information on the programs that Concerns of Police Survivors offers to the surviving families of America's fallen law enforcement officers, visit www.nationalcops.org.

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If You Have a Cell Phone, You Can Help Return Abducted Children, Missing Persons

/PRNewswire/ -- Keep Georgia Safe, Georgia's only private, non-profit organization with the mission to provide safety education and crime prevention training to Georgia's families and law enforcement agencies, has partnered with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) to communicate abduction alerts via cell phones. Now, when the GBI issues an alert that a child has been abducted, Keep Georgia Safe immediately sends the abduction information to subscribers' cell phones.

"Statistics show that the first three hours after a child's abduction are the most critical in recovery," says Keep Georgia Safe founder Gary Martin Hays. "Through this network of cell phone subscribers, we can all help recover Georgia's kids and return them home safely."

"Without the combined efforts of law enforcement, the broadcasters and emergency management, this program would be ineffective," says Vernon M. Keenan, director of the GBI. "We eagerly welcome the assistance of the private sector in getting the word out to Georgia citizens about missing children, missing adults and/or dangers they may face."

Keep Georgia Safe has a two-pronged approach to crime prevention: 1) Proactive: School Curriculum Initiative and Community Safety Seminars, Web Resources and Media Campaigns 2) Reactive: Alert System Network. As the only organization that sends out all three of Georgia's emergency alerts, the Keep Georgia Safe Wireless Network uses a text platform to notify opt-in wireless subscribers when the GBI issues any of its three emergency alerts:

-- Levi's Call: (Georgia's AMBER Alert) for an abducted or missing child
-- Mattie's Call: elderly or disabled missing person alert
-- Kimberly's Call: dangerous fugitive alert



Keep Georgia Safe provides the alert service free of charge. Standard text charges, if any, will apply pursuant to the agreement with your cellular provider. To join the network, visit www.keepgeorgiasafe.org and enter your cell phone number. Subscribers will not receive any calls or alerts other than GBI-issued alerts. For more information on Keep Georgia Safe or its alert network, visit www.keepgeorgiasafe.org or call 770.934.8000.

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Muscogee County Marshals Take Top National Honors in IACP Law Enforcement Awards

The Muscogee County Marshal’s Office has taken Second Place among the nation’s top law enforcement agencies in the prestigious National Law Enforcement Challenge judged by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). In an official ceremony conducted in Columbus by the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety, Director Bob Dallas presented the National IACP Award to Muscogee County Marshal Gregory Countryman on Wednesday, October 29th, at 10AM.

There were 560 entries from 30 states and Canada entered in the National IACP Law Enforcement Challenge. GOHS Director Bob Dallas said, “This means the Annual IACP Challenge has recognized the Muscogee County Marshal’s Office as a national winner among all competing law enforcement agencies from across the country. We’re honored to see the Muscogee County Marshal’s Office receive this Award in the IACP’s National Law Enforcement Challenge.”

Georgia’s Highway Safety Director will present the Muscogee County Marshal’s Office with an IACP National Second Place Award for the Special Law Enforcement Agency category in recognition of overall highway safety officer training, public information and education initiatives, innovative public safety programs, and highway safety enforcement efforts.

The actual IACP award will be presented to the Muscogee County Marshal’s Office at the National Highway Safety Awards Banquet on November 11th in San Diego, California.

“We’re delighted that Muscogee County will be one of eighteen Georgia law enforcement agencies recognized at the upcoming IACP Highway Safety Awards in San Diego,” said GOHS Director Bob Dallas. “Together, these fine law enforcement agencies from Georgia will receive a total of 20 National Law Enforcement Challenge Awards.” The Annual IACP National Law Enforcement Challenge is designed to recognize the efforts of law enforcement agencies that save lives on our highways by increasing safety belt usage, slowing down speeders and reducing impaired and aggressive driving.

“The Muscogee County’s Marshal’s Office was awarded for their local enforcement efforts in the Columbus area,” said GOHS Director Dallas. “I am truly proud of everything Muscogee County does to save lives in their community and on Georgia’s roadways. It’s gratifying to see this department recognized for their pro-active measures and excellence on the job.”

The Muscogee County Marshal’s Office is an active member of the GOHS West Central Traffic Enforcement Network called WCTEN. The WCTEN network covers Talbot, Muscogee, Chattahoochee, Marion, Schley, Stewart, Webster, Sumpter, Quitman, Randolph, Terrell, Clay, Taylor and Calhoun County traffic enforcement agencies.

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Fayette County School System and Local Law Enforcement Offer Community Awareness Seminar

The Fayette County School System, local law enforcement agencies and District Attorney Scott Ballard have collaborated again this year to offer another series of Community Awareness Seminars at each of the county’s five high schools in October.

The free seminars offer participants an opportunity to learn more about safety and legal issues affecting Fayette’s students. Seminar topics will be lead by local law enforcement representatives with knowledge and experience in the areas.

Discussion topics include bullying and cyber-bullying presented by the Peachtree City Police Department, statutory rape presented by the City of Fayetteville Police Department and alcohol and drug awareness presented by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department.

The seminars are from 7-8:30 p.m. and will be held on the following dates at these locations:

October 6, Starr’s Mill High

October 7, Sandy Creek High

October 9, Whitewater High

October 13, McIntosh High

October 21, Fayette County High

A question and answer session with the seminar panel will follow the presentations. Parents with students of all ages are welcome to attend any seminar location that is most convenient. No preregistration is required.

The purpose of the event is to help parents become better informed about serious issues affecting youth in Fayette County.

This marks the second time that local law enforcement personnel have partnered with the school system to offer Community Awareness Seminars. The first set of seminars were held in February and March and focused on gang awareness, Internet safety and interaction with law enforcement.

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