The course is sponsored by MTOA, but it is definitely patrol focused, not SWAT focused.

The course will be held February 6-8, 2012 in Milwaukee, WI.  Tuition is $465 and class size is limited to 24 officers.  For additional information and full course description, go to the MTOA site.

The Morphix Chameleon is a chemical detection unit that is worn on the forearm or attached by Velcro to the uniform of a first responder.  The purpose of the kit is to provide an officer, firefighter, or soldier with immediate visual identification of the presence of hazardous gases.

A passive detector, the Chameleon has ten windows, called cassettes, which change color when exposed to certain chemicals.  The Chameleon can be configured for Clan-Meth Lab, Chemical Suicide, or Haz-Mat detection by simply changing the cassettes.

The kit is easy for an operator to use.  Once strapped on, the officer needs only to glance at it to be alerted.  The cassette windows start out a single color.  If a cassette changes to two colors, it has been exposed to the toxic chemical.

No power source is required.  The cassettes have chemically reactive strips inside that remind me of “litmus paper” from junior high school Chemistry.

I found the Chameleon to be very unobtrusive.  The face of the kit measures 3 7/8” X 2 ¾.”  The entire armband weighs less than two ounces.  The strap is adjustable up to 14” in circumference.  A larger 18” armband is available.

The cassettes for each different type of hazard are individually pre-packaged, so the user just inserts all the cassettes in the armband and he or she is ready to go.  Initially enclosed in foil, the cassettes are loaded just prior to deployment.

Once opened, the cassettes have a 24-hour service life. They also remain viable after salt or fresh water immersion for up to one hour.  Overall cassette shelf life at room temperature is 24 months.

I recently received this Chameleon test kit.  A month ago, it is something that an officer could have used at a reported meth lab in one of our apartment complexes.  I have also been involved in search warrant services with SWAT where a suspected lab was in operation.  Detectors such as these could provide a valuable safety warning to officers.

In a previous article on Chemical Suicides, we talked about detection on the approach to one of these scenes.  This product would definitely assist in that.  In my area, we are lucky to have a Fire Rescue Haz-Mat response in mere minutes.  Not all officers are as fortunate.

Since I can’t just stand back and not give something a try, I used the included test kit in my secret lab.  The enclosed chemical training vials set off the cassettes appropriately.

In further experimentation, I found that, in less than 5 seconds, the Chameleon’s Chemical Suicide pack detected a vapor concentration of a common household chemical (no, I’m not going to say what) and gave a bi-color alert on one of the cassettes.

(Blaring disclaimer:  I am not Haz-Mat trained, nor am I a chemist.  I cannot speak to the absolute accuracy of any kit like this.  As usual, do your research and consult with the proper subject matter experts before using a product such as this in the field.)

I found Morphix Chameleon starter kits with one armband and packs for either Clan-Lab or Haz-Mat with ten cassettes each (ten uses) for under $200.00 on-line.  Cassette refill packs were about $150.00 for a ten-use kit.  For fifteen bucks an incident, I’d say that was well worth the money.

Officers are continuing to confront more complicated survival scenarios for each day’s pay.  Every bit of training and tools we can find to mitigate these risks is a bonus for our safety and the safety of our citizens.

Randall is a twenty-three year sworn police officer in a mid-sized Florida police department.  He has been an FTO, K9 Handler, Detective, and SWAT Team Leader.  He is currently the Midnight Shift K9 Sergeant and department SWAT Coordinator.

With more than 2000 students, I knew he needed some back-up on occasion.  As I entered his office, I saw him intently staring at the television and absently chewing a Twizzler.  He did not look up at me when I came in.

I sat down next to him and asked what was going on.  “Not sure,” he said.  It was about 8:50 am.  We began watching the terror attacks unfold.  At 9:03, we watched as the second plane hit the World Trade Center.  The Pentagon was next around 9:37.

Within an hour of me entering that office, the United States of America had woken to the power of terrorism.  The SRO got a call from the school’s administrative office.  Parents were panicking.

We abandoned the horror on TV and went to the school’s courtyard and pick-up area.  Students were moving about the school.  Several stopped to ask if we had seen what was going on in New York and Washington.  “It’s fine, you’re all safe,” was delivered with a smile.

A stream of cars, mini-vans, and pick-ups began to clog the driveway.  Scared parents were arriving to get their kids.  The SRO and I attempted to calm them, too.

I work in west central Florida.  I look back and I am amazed at how the fear of terrorism crossed distance and communities without impediment.  President George W. Bush was in Sarasota that day, not far south of my city.  I think that may have heightened the local concerns.

As that day wore on, I also saw the power of the Thin Blue Line to provide reassurance to a fearful citizenry, both where I work and abroad.  On that day, I felt proud to be a uniformed symbol of government.

In the wake of the tragedy, I think we were amazed at the outpouring of gratitude toward the nation’s police and firefighters.  I received many a thank you and handshake, and more than one offer to buy my meal, in the ensuing months.

I visited Ground Zero eight years later.  It was strange to stand where the stone had been cast into the water, generating the ripples we felt so far away.   I think it should be a pilgrimage taken by all first responders.

Regardless of the accomplishment or indignation we experience as police officers, I am proud to belong to the brotherhood of protectors who watch over our nation and risk the ultimate sacrifice.  I have a greater appreciation of it all since the events of 9/11.

Randall is a twenty-three year sworn police officer in a mid-sized Florida police department.  He has been an FTO, K9 Handler, Detective, and SWAT Team Leader.  He is currently the Midnight Shift K9 Sergeant and department SWAT Coordinator

Visit the NRA’s Life of Duty site for more videos honoring the heroes of 9/11.

If you have paid attention to world events, you know this is not an original incident.  Bombs have been detonated by terrorists around the world for almost as long as we have had explosive technology.  Mass shooting incidents are also not new.

There are a few things about this incident, which are important to consider.

An attack may be the main attack, or it may be a distraction. It is impossible to say at this time what the intent of the terrorist(s) was with the bombing.  However, that attack likely pulled resources toward it.  Officers may have been diverted from other areas to respond to that incident location, which may have reduced the ability to respond to the second attack.

An attack may be bait. Consider that the initial incident may be used as bait to pull in first responders, with a second bomb set to kill public safety workers.  Variations of this technique has been used many times throughout history, but the one I remember most vividly was in 1997.   I was a reserve deputy in the area where this attack occurred, and I watched it live on television.  Eric Rudolph used multiple bombs at an abortion clinic.  The initial detonation drew in first responders and the second detonated after their arrival.

The initial bomb and follow up shooting were completely different styles of attack. With the initial incident being a bomb, what degree of focus shifted for law enforcement to looking for the “wrong” thing?  How many officers unconsciously stopped looking for suspicious people and instead were looking for suspicious packages?  Just because one attack came in a specific method doesn’t mean any additional attacks will resemble it.

For active shooters, fast response is critical. Initial reports indicated the terrorist(s) murder rampage on the island lasted at least 30 minutes.  At the time of this article, more than 80 people are believed to have been killed before police were able to respond and stop him/them.  Several factors contributed to his unchecked ability to kill:

• The location of the incident was an island, slowing a responding SWAT team.
• People on the island were not armed, ensuring they would be victims, not survivors.

Whether the response comes from a police officer or an armed citizen, the only sure way to stop a murderer is by armed intervention.  This means that police officers must be prepared to respond quickly, immediately and alone to engage the shooter and stop the killing.  If backup arrives on scene with you, great.  But if a cover officer is not with you, you must still go and engage the threat right now!

Yes, responding alone is more dangerous, but that’s what we have to do to stop the killing.  If you’re not up for it, I’d suggest you re-evaluate why you are a cop.

These kinds of incidents are a reality.  They can happen in your jurisdiction, in your town.  So, prepare yourself now.

Links

• Mumbai-Style Attacks: Are We Vulnerable?
• Terrorists Targeting Our Children: More Facts for Police Officers
• Terrorists Next Plan: Killing Our Children at School
• Domestic Terrorism – The Threat Is Real
• News from ILEETA 2011: Preparing for a Mumbai- or Beslan-style attack in the United States of America
• Suspects in Terror Case Wanted to Kill Jews, Officials Say
• NYPD: Queens Men Wanted to Attack Synagogues, Kill Jews in Terror Plot
• 2 men accused of buying guns, grenade, plotting to bomb NYC synagogue and kill Jews
• Bailout Bags
• Bail Out Bags – Podcast

NY Terror Plot

NYPD just arrested a pair of men on terrorism charges that you’ve likely never heard about if you live outside of the Big Apple.

Arrested on May 11, the two men plotted to detonate bombs in a Jewish synagogue as part of a “jihad” in retaliation for how Muslim people are treated around the world.  The men also planned to bomb the Empire State building as part of their jihad.

Both men were from the north Africa region: one from Algiers, the other from Morocco.

Oddly, the FBI terrorism task force declined to take on the case, causing many to question what exactly the task force sees as terrorism.

Beslan & Mumbai

I’ve discussed these awful terrorsim attacks previously, and have encouraged patrol officers to be ready for such attacks here in the United States.  These types of attacks are still a very real possibility, and we must prepare for them.

Don’t think it can happen here?  Did you know that two men in Chicago were arrested on terrorism charges that were connected to the Mumbai attack?

Respected law enforcement trainer, Chief Jeff Chudwin spoke at the 2011 International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association on these types of terrorist attacks.  Chief Chudwin stated that when, not if, these attacks happen, it falls on the patrol officer to respond and stop the murder of innocents.

Four essential thoughts were laid out by Chief Chudwin:

• There is likely to be no specific warning in advance
• Failure to immediately and effectively fight will result in slaughter of innocents
• Lack of preparation and training ensures failure
• Lack of command and leadership inspires failure

What Do We Do?

Here’s the deal:  we have to be ready to respond to terrorist incidents in our jurisdictions.  I don’t care how big or small your community is.  Terrorists of all stripes can pick any target to attack.  Taking on a rural high school of 200 students or an urban shopping mall filled with thousands of holiday shoppers will both have a devastating impact on our country.

If you are a patrol officer, train…train…train.  You have to be proficient with your gear.  If you have the option of buying a rifle to carry on duty, save your pennies and get one.  Break out the pistol and dry fire for five minutes every day to improve your fundamentals.

Also consider getting and keeping a “go bag” or “bail out bag” in your squad.  It should have extra ammo and a trauma kit at the bare minimum.

I also advocate getting a plate carrier.  Nope, they’re not cheap.  But they can stop an AK-47 round, so tell me what that is worth to you if you are on the wrong end of that firefight?

If you are a detective or other cop stuck riding a desk, keep gear in the car.  If “shit goes sideways” and you have to run out the door to help your brothers and sisters with multiple shooters inside a hospital, you better have the gear you need already in your car.

If any members of command staff are still reading, think about all of the funerals for innocent children and all of the wives, husbands and children of dead cops you will have to visit when this little piece of hell visits your town.  Once you start feeling that icy feeling of dread in your gut, sit down and realistically evaluate your department’s training.  Are you preparing your officers to respond to a Mumbai or Beslan and win?  Probably not, but there’s still time to change that.

Look, in a Mumbai or Beslan-type attack, we will lose officers.  But, with the right training and attitude we can swiftly end the attack and save a lot of people.  At the end of the day, isn’t saving lives what we all signed up for?

Links

• Mumbai-Style Attacks: Are We Vulnerable?
• Terrorists Targeting Our Children: More Facts for Police Officers
• Terrorists Next Plan: Killing Our Children at School
• News from ILEETA 2011: Preparing for a Mumbai- or Beslan-style attack in the United States of America
• Suspects in Terror Case Wanted to Kill Jews, Officials Say
• NYPD: Queens Men Wanted to Attack Synagogues, Kill Jews in Terror Plot
• 2 men accused of buying guns, grenade, plotting to bomb NYC synagogue and kill Jews
• Bailout Bags
• Bail Out Bags – Podcast

Richard is a police officer with a medium sized, central Florida department, and previously worked for a Metro-Atlanta agency.  He has served as a field training officer, court officer, corporal, sergeant, lieutenant, watch commander, commander of a field training and evaluation program, and general pain in the butt to management-types looking to cut training hours.

In the 2008 Mumbai attack, five two-man teams hit targets that were likely to generate high numbers of casualties. The targets included a train station, a hospital, a restaurant, two hotels and a Jewish center.  All of the targets were ‘high-visibility’ locations, with the exception of the Jewish center.  The Jewish center was a very low-profile location, and the selection of it as a target clearly indicates the anti-Jewish sentiments of the terrorists.

The teams worked independent of the others, with the exception of two teams that started off separate, but later linked up.  Several of the groups went mobile after the intial attack, moving on to a secondary target in one case, and linking with another group the the second case.  Ultimately, four of the five teams bunkered down into a single location, though negotiations were never the intent of the terrorists.

The terrorists were all between 21 and 28 years of age and were very well prepared for the attack.  Unlike the popular myth that terrorists are largely unskilled, these teams had spent months in training, becoming highly skilled in small weapons handling.  Evidence indicates during the attacks the terrorists consistently fired controlled, three-round bursts at head level.

The terrorists also spent much of their training time building their physical fitness, and evidence suggests they were on a steroid regimen to enhance strength and endurance.

The terrorists had access to maps, photos, diagrams and videos of the targets, and it is believed the planning for the attacks reached back into at least 2007.  The terrorists also received training in infantry tactics, the use of improvised explosive devises (IEDs) and how to resist interrogations.

The terrorists were each equipped with a rifle, pistol, hand grenades, IEDs and extra ammunition.

Communication between the terrorists and their controllers in their native Pakistan was excellent.  The terrorists had access to at least one satellite phone, and numerous cellular phones.  The commanders of the attacks were able to control the team movements and feed the terrorists with real time information on police movements courtesy of live media reports.

Sound like a nightmare scenario?  It is.  But can it happen in the USA?  Unfortunately, yes.

One of the strengths, and vulnerabilities, of the United States is the freedom of movement granted to all citizens and visitors.  Small teams of men with weapons can easily move into highly populated areas such as malls, hotels, sporting events and other locales and launch coordinated attacks designed to overwhelm police response capabilities and inflict maximum casualties.

Don’t think it can happen here?  Think of the various mass-shootings this country has seen such as the one at Virginia Tech.  If there were ten shooters, spread out all over that region, rather than a lone shooter in one location, how effective would your area’s agencies be in responding to the threats?

Plans similar to the Mumbai attacks have already been disrupted in the USA.  And guess what, as recently as a few weeks ago, several men in Chicago were arrested for their involvement in the Mumbai attacks.

I doubt there are many departments ready to handle such an event.

For more information on the Mumbai attacks, check out the series of Senate reports entitled “Lessons from the Mumbai Terrorist Attacks” archived at the Texas A&M Integrative Center for Homeland Security.  Also, “Anatomy of a Terrorist Spectacular” by Charles McMinn that was published in the Summer 2009 edition of The Tactical Edge is a great break down of the attack.

Although the politically motivated Southern Poverty Law Center is crying wolf about right wing militias, left wing terrorists like ELF and the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) continue with their destructive campaign against Americans.

The Seattle ELF group has claimed responsibility for a string of arsons over the past few years, including one that destroyed a horticulture building on the campus of the University of Washington in 2001.

Of course Daniel Andreas San Diego, an ALF terrorist, is still on the FBI’s most wanted list for detonating multiple pipe bombs in 2003.  And, yes, he is still the only domestic terrorist on the FBI’s most wanted terrorist list.

Curiously, these stories don’t seem to make it to the front pages of the local papers or even on CNN’s website.

I’m more than a little sick of people and their agendas.  A terrorist is a terrorist: I don’t care about their politics or philosophy.  I don’t care if you blow up a bomb because you want to free rabbits and monkeys, or because some cleric told you to kill the infidel.  You are equally contemptible.  The wrath of justice will find you.

However, I have recently concluded that the SPLC is as much a political special interest group as it is an educational resource for anyone studying or investigating bias-based crimes.  Don’t believe me?  Read their latest hack job on the “resurgance” of militia groups in the United States.

The report attempts to connect “white suppremicists,” “anti-Semites” and “domestic terrorists” with citizens wanting lower taxes, those who have attended the Tea Parties, citizens protesting the socializing of US businesses and industries, and citizens who spoke out regarding the National Guard training exercise in which troops would search peoples homes for a ficticious “arms dealer.”

The SPLC report even goes as far as claiming militia-related terrorism is bolstered by elected officials including Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Minnesota US Rep. Michele Bachmann and Alabama US Rep. Spencer Bachus because they support things like the 10th Amendment and oppose socialism.  The SPLC report also blames commentators at Fox, CNN, and MSNBC.

And, lest they be forgot, the SPLC also blames the organization that provides more law enforcement training every year than any other organization, the National Rifle Association, as being “back at it.”  The “it” is implied to mean the NRA is out inciting terrorism.

Though the SPLC offers no evidence of any rise in militia-related terrorism, they do make some outrageous connections and claims.

According to the report, the 1990′s were the most active time for militia-related terrorism, and according to them, since November 2008, militia-related terrorism is on the rise:

It’s not 1996 all over again, or 1997 or 1998. Although there has been a remarkable rash of domestic terrorist incidents since Obama’s election in November, it has not reached the level of criminal violence, attempted terrorist attacks and white-hot language that marked the militia movement at its peak.

Without listing any specific numbers, the SPLC wants you to think domestic terrorism via the militia movement is happening.  Well, let’s take a look at that claim.

FBI Director Louis Freeh testified before the US Senate in 2001.  He stated:

Over the past five years, the level of acts committed in the United States have increased steadily. There were two known or suspected terrorist acts recorded in the United States in 1995, three in 1996, four in 1997, five in 1998, and 12 in 1999. The 12 known or suspected acts in 1999 included two separate acts committed by lone domestic extremists in California and Indiana/Illinois, eight acts attributed to animal rights and environmental extremists, one bombing incident believed carried out by separatists in Puerto Rico, and one arson incident possibly committed by animal rights extremists or anarchists in Washington State.

So, in the three years (1996-1998) that the SPLC identified as being rife with militia-related terrorism, there were only 12 incidents of domestic terrorism.  So the current “rash” of terrorist incidents they are worked up about must be pretty small indeed.

But, look a little closer at Director Freeh’s statement.  Breaking down the highest total year (1999), 10 of the 12 incidents are clearly left-wing, not right-wing, terrorism acts.

Yet, acts of terrorism by far-left groups like the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) go largely unreported in the media.  In 2002, Dale L. Watson, Executive Assistant Director, Counterterrorism/Counterintelligence Division at the FBI testified before the US Senate “…that ALF/ELF have committed approximately 600 criminal acts in the United States since 1996, resulting in damages in excess of 42 million dollars.”  And that was just 1996-2001!

In 2004,  John E. Lewis, Deputy Assistant Director Counterterrorism Division of the FBI testified before the US Senate that “ALF/ELF and related groups have committed more than 1,100 criminal acts in the United States since 1976, resulting in damages conservatively estimated at approximately $110 million.”

Here’s something you may have missed: the only domestic terrorist on the FBI’s Most Wanted list is a left-wing, animal rights nut who is wanted for building and detonating bombs at office buildings.  Based on the SPLC’s description, I would have been sure some far-right, tea party goer would have been right next to Bin Laden himself.

The SPLC report tries to provide an example of the rising threat of militia-related terrorism, stating “At the Jacksonville, Fla., July tea party, some protesters carried signs that compared President Obama to Adolf Hitler.”

Really?  That’s evidence of militia-related terrorism?  Where the hell was the SPLC during the former President’s term?  During President George Bush’s term, there were many vocal protestors claiming Bush was a Nazi, and that he was committing war crimes.  Yet, I did not see any SPLC reports claiming the “far-left” radicals were a rising movement that was a danger to the country.

If suggesting the president is a Nazi makes you a right-wing, militia terrorist, then I guess Sean Penn, Rosie O’Donnel, and Woody Harrelson need to be on a FBI watch list.

I’ve dealt with militia group members, and those members which are willing to do violence to the citizens of this country are dangerous.  Folks like Timothy McVeigh and the Kehoe brothers are obviously who we are talking about.  People involved in peaceful protest of their government during any administration are not.

Violent militia group members are dangerous, and successful law enforcement investigations into these groups have prevented many terrorist incidents.  A dangerous problem exists, though, when the information that we rely on comes from a politically motivated group.

Using the SPLC information on militia groups may serve to increase the distrust between law enforcement and the citizens we serve.  Peaceful protest against the government is neither racist, nor cause for concern.  It is, in fact, a right.  I encourage every law enforcement officer to clearly distinguish between peaceful protest and what a real terrorist is.  The SPLC “report” is a politically motivated piece designed to blur law enforcement’s understanding of what a domestic terrorist is.  Fortunately, we are smarter than that.

Here is a video showing Islamic terrorists training in camps here in the United States.  Up to 35 such camps exist here in the USA according to the video.

Folks, the danger is real and we need to be prepared to deal with this threat.

Richard is a police officer with a medium sized, central Florida department, and previously worked for a Metro-Atlanta agency.  He has served as a field training officer, court officer, corporal, sergeant, lieutenant, watch commander, commander of a field training and evaluation program, and general pain in the butt to management-types looking to cut training hours.

I got a few emails that ranged from dismissive disbelief to outright denial, claiming that I was an alarmist. Frankly, I hope they are right. Because if I am right, and everything I have read on the subject from credible sources, such as Lt. Col. Dave Grossman and US-CENTCOM, is even remotely accurate, we will face a horror unlike anything this country could be prepared to deal with.

So, here are a few more facts that you may have heard, but just not pieced together yet. This compilation comes from the article “Imagining the Unimaginable” written by Brad Thor in the October 2007 issue of Fusion magazine.

• 2005 – Al Qaeda documents are intercepted that discuss the merits of attacking soft targets, specifically schools.
• In Afghanistan, U.S. forces capture an Al Qaeda training camp where videos were recovered showing terrorists staging takeovers of schools. The terrorists gave orders in English, violence was extreme, and childrens’ bodies were flung from the roofs for a greater media effect.
• In Iraq, U.S. forces capture blueprints and floorplans to United States schools in Texas, Virginia, New Jersey, California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.
• February 2006 – The Department of Homeland Security is reported to have started a training program for school bus drivers, in which the drivers would learn to watch for terrorists who were casing the bus routes.
• May 2006 – Two Saudi men board a school bus in Tampa, FL, in a possible “dry run.”
• June 2006 – 17 members of an Islamic terrorist cell are arrested in connection to a mass bombing plot. One of the 17 is a school bus driver.
• August 2006 – Three unidentified middle eastern men entered the United States from Canada and attempted to purchase multiple school buses.
• March 2007 – The Associated Press reported that the FBI sent out a bulletin to law enforcement agencies warning officers that terrorists were attempting to obtain driver’s licenses that would enable them to drive school buses.
• August 2007 – 17 school buses go missing in the Houston, TX area.  Authorities state that this is a “homeland security concern.”  Note that Texas is one of the states from which school floorplans were found in Iraq.

Look at the mass killings that happened last week in India.  Terrorists attacked Mumbai, India and killed more than 180 people.  Can you imagine the horror of a similar attack here in the United States?  Only instead of targeting hotels and the like, the terrorists targeted schools and our children…

Pay attention to the schools in your beat.  Offer suggestions to school and department administrators to improve student safety and increase police training for terrorist response.  And should the worst happen, act decisively with overwhelming firepower to drop the bastards and keep them from killing our kids.

Stay safe!

“It’s all about the criminal justice costs associated with criminal aliens,” says Kent Evans, Immediate Past President of the USMBCC and a Dona Ana County (NM) Commissioner. “Any way you look at it, border counties spent more than one billion dollars in less than a decade. That’s a lot of money, money that should have been used to improve schools, roads and public safety in our communities.”

In the study, conducted over a 12-month period by the University of Arizona and San Diego State University, it was revealed that the 24 border counties in Arizona, Texas, California and New Mexico are spending a disproportionate amount of local tax dollars to provide law enforcement and criminal justice services to apprehend, transport and convict criminal undocumented immigrants.

“This updated study effectively illustrates that until our borders are secure and our immigration laws are adequately enforced, many states and localities, particularly in border states like Arizona, will continue to incur overwhelming costs to process those illegal immigrants who commit crimes, or who, sadly, die trying to come to the United States,” said Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., who secured funding to produce the report.

“This study underscores the unfair and unacceptable fact that border residents continue to pay for our broken immigration policies,” said Congressman Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso, TX, a 26 1/2 year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol. “The current approach reflects a lack of understanding of border communities.”

The Coalition asked that the federal government cover three major costs associated with undocumented immigrants who commit state felonies and/or multiple misdemeanors by fully funding the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), the Southwest Border Prosecution Initiative and county law enforcement and criminal justice services. “We are not asking for a hand out,” said Manny Ruiz, Vice Chairman of the USMBCC and a Santa Cruz County (AZ) Supervisor. When federal lawmakers fail to secure our borders, our local taxpayers should not have to pay for the skyrocketing costs.”

The Coalition is a nonpartisan, consensus-based policy and technical forum founded in 1998 to address challenges facing county governments located on the United States/Mexico Border. For a copy of the 155-page report, visit www.bordercounties.org.

In Omaha, Nebraska some nut-job decided to start killing innocent Christmas shoppers in the Westroads Mall. Initial reports indicate a 19 year old male carried a rifle into the the mall and began shooting shoppers and clerks. The incident ended only when the gunman turned his rifle on himself. In other words, the carnage would have continued, and dozens more would be dead, if he hadn’t committed suicide.

I assume Omaha PD responded with all due haste and implemented their active shooter plan. Even so, they arrived too late to stop the killing. As we saw in the Trolley Square shooting, one off-duty cop with one gun was able to stop the killing long enough for the on-duty officers to arrive on scene and dispatch the murderer.

There is no telling if an off-duty officer was in the area, or if they were in a position to respond. But if you are there, and you have no way to deal with the threat, you are just another casualty. You MUST be an active participant in your own survival.

The next shooter may not kill himself. The next shooter may be killing people where your family is shopping, or where your children are in school. Pray for the best, but be ready to do what you must.

Stay Safe!

19-year-old man kills eight and himself at Westroads Mall

A man dressed in camouflage and armed with a rifle opened fire among holiday shoppers in an Omaha department store Wednesday, killing eight people, wounding at least five others and sending hundreds into terrified panic.

The shooter – identified as Robert A. Hawkins, 19 – also died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in what is believed to be the deadliest single shooting incident in the state’s history.

Hawkins was a student at Papillion- La Vista High School. He withdrew in March 2006, a district spokeswoman said.

Witnesses described horrific scenes at the Westroads Von Maur shortly before 2 p.m. in which the gunman opened fire at customers and workers in the third-floor customer service department. Others were shot on the second floor as they were looking up an escalator toward the chaos.

The shooter apparently took a gun to himself before officers reached him.

“The shots wouldn’t stop,” said Von Maur shopper Carol Padon, who described hearing 15 to 25 shots before fleeing the store.

Dozens of Omaha police, Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies, FBI agents sealed off and closed the mall, and rescue personnel were observed carrying multiple gurneys into the store. Police have not identified any of the victims.

The five wounded were being treated at the Creighton University and University of Nebraska medical centers, two of them in critical condition.

Shoppers leaving the mall near Von Maur were instructed to walk out with their hands over their heads, many of them hysterical and crying. Most of them were women.

Others anxiously waited outside the store. One woman said she was awaiting word of whether her mother was safe.

The shooter was said to be an 18- to 20-year-old white male with a military-style hair cut carrying a rifle, wearing a camouflage vest and wearing a black backpack. He was found dead in the customer service area of the store.

“The shooter is deceased and it appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” said Sgt. Teresa Negron, a police spokeswoman.

Police and rescue personnel set up a meeting point at a nearby hotel to meet with family members of the victims.

Von Maur released a statement that said, “We are deeply saddened by the horrific shooting at our Omaha store this afternoon. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this tragic event as well as their families. We are cooperating fully with the Omaha and Nebraska state police departments.”

Roxanne Philip found herself at center of the initial shooting in her job at the customer service desk. When she heard gunshots, it was so close it sounded like it was right next to her. She said she took cover and was scared “because I thought I would be next.”

She said she never saw the shooter, but as she left the store she saw a woman on the other side of the customer service counter had been shot and appeared to be dead. She also believed her boss had been shot because she heard him moaning.

Chuck Wright said a co-worker who also worked in customer service described hearing the shooting break out and people running. The co-worker saw what appeared to be a customer who had been shot and heard a co-worker in customer service yelling for help.

Someone yelled, “Hold on, Fred, we’ll get to you.”

Another Wright co-worker described standing on the second floor near the escalator and looking up toward the commotion. She then saw a man with a gun lean over a rail from the third floor. He then shot in the head a man standing right next to her.

Wright said employees and customers were hiding wherever they could, in storerooms and other rooms off the shopping floor.

He was hiding in a storeroom with a co-worker when a police officer came up the escalator telling them to come out with their hands up. They ran toward the officers and were ushered out of the store.

A Von Maur employee who had left the store said one customer was shot while going down the escalator.

Padon said she was shopping on the second floor of the store in the men’s wear department when she heard what sounded like 15 to 25 shots. As she hid in a back room, Padon said, “I was so busy praying that it’s really hard to tell the details.”

She said police later arrived and escorted her from the store. As she was leaving, she said, she saw a man in his 40s on the floor with a serious gunshot wound. He did not appear to be breathing, she said.

Marvelene Sturgeon of Council Bluffs said she and her daughter were getting ready to leave the mall through Von Maur when the scene turned chaotic.

“People started running out of the door yelling, ‘They’re shooting, they have guns,’ and we heard a lot of shots,” the 73-year-old said.

Her daughter helped her run and they fled into the nearby J.C. Penney store. They were first told to exit the store, then they were told to run back in. The entrance from the mall into J.C. Penney was locked, and finally they were told to leave. A Von Maur employee helped them across the street to the offices of AAA.

The mall is closed and will not reopen until at least Friday.

Police said the call of an active shooting at the mall first came in at 1:42 p.m., and it took six minutes for the first officer to arrive at the scene. Police located a victim soon after entering the store.

At 2:12 p.m., officers located the apparent shooter dead from a gunshot wound.

The eight deaths appeared to make the shooting the deadliest in Nebraska history. In October 1975, Erwin Charles Simants shot and killed six members of a family in Sutherland. Charles Starkweather in 1958 killed nine Nebraskans in several separate incidents, and also killed a 10th victim before his capture in Wyoming.