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April
Investigator Wayne Handley of the NPD Homicide Division was the Guest Speaker
for the April 17, 2007 meeting. A seven-year veteran of the Norfolk Police
Department, Investigator Handley has spent approximately half of that time
assigned to homicides. This particular type of investigative work is considered
the most challenging and demanding role of law enforcement. The initial
responding patrol officers who convey their observations, descriptions and
comments make a significant contribution. Among the manners of death seen most
often is that classified as undetermined, in which there is no apparent reason
why the person should be deceased. The cases are solved through patience,
attention to detail and use of support units such as forensics. The role of the
homicide investigator begins with crime scene management and preservation, and
includes discovering and documenting the chain of evidence, interviewing
witnesses, and finally preparing for and testifying in the courtroom.
March
Investigator Maurice Joseph, Master Trainer with the NPD K-9 Division was the
speaker for March, 2007. He has 22 years of experience with police dogs, and
since 1993 has been working with drug detection dogs. The number of dog teams
has recently doubled. Norfolk Police Department now has four teams. An untrained
police dog will cost from $4,700 to $5,000 and require about 10 weeks of
training before it can be placed in service. Not all dogs are suited from a
temperament or discipline standpoint for this, and will not complete training
successfully. The dogs are trained to detect and alert on five different drugs.
An alert is a sign that the dog’s body gives when it smells the drug or its
byproducts which confirms its presence. Interestingly, the smell of drug
byproduct can be detected up to 24 hours. There was a special treat because
those in attendance were given a demonstration of the drug dogs in action. The
search by the drug dogs was very interesting and impressive to all!
February
K. R. Harlan, Jr. spoke to the CPAAAN membership on February 20, 2007. Fire and
Arson Investigator Harlon, a 22 year veteran of the Norfolk Fire Department, is
detailed to the Norfolk Police Department Bomb Squad. The Bomb Squad was created
with funding from Homeland Security approximately 2 years ago. Grants and local
financial assistance have provided personnel, training, equipment, and
protective gear. The 2 person squad is now fully accredited and operational.
Recertification and continuing training are required annually. The specific
areas of interest are suspicious packages, pipe bombs, explosive containers. The
Bomb Squad responds to emergency situations of this type not only in our city
but in surrounding areas when requested. As a special treat, Bomb Technician
Harlan demonstrated their new robot.
January
The first speaker of 2007 was Sharon M. McDonald, Commissioner of the Revenue
for the City of Norfolk. At our January 16 meeting she described the duties and
responsibilities of her office which include issuing licenses, personal property
and business assessments and tax compliance. It also offers programs such as the
Real Estate Tax Relief that will reduce living expenses for those citizens who
meet eligibility requirements. One must be 65 years of age or totally and
permanently disabled and live in the property to be exempted. Combined income
cannot exceed $52,000; net worth not including the home, cannot exceed $350,000.
Over 4000 households currently benefit from a reduction in their real estate tax
as a result of these programs. The office also provides state income tax
assistance and preparation. Of note is that Norfolk is approximately 66 square
miles in size, with approximately 45% of the land exempted from taxes. Examples
of the non-taxed areas include military installations, parks, schools, churches
and city government. You can find additional information about the Commissioner
of the Revenue at Norfolk Commissioner
of the Revenue.
November
Members welcomed Brett Reistad, Virginia Law Enforcement Coordinator, Dept. of
Justice, as guest speaker. Mr. Reistad spoke about the Regional Information
Sharing Systems (RISS) Program, a federal partnership with state and local law
enforcement agencies. He explained the Regional Organized Crime Information
Center (ROCIC) and its impact on crime in Virginia through the use of
RISS-funded services. The RISS program shares information with 90 agencies for
multi-jurisdictional focus on organized crime through its database. The ROCIC
was begun in 1973, with a $300 membership fee for state and local agencies. It
is funded by a grant from the US Dept of Justice, which Congress must approve
each year. In Virginia, types and patterns of crimes are tracked, as well as
gang relocations, frauds, and drug activity. Sophisticated equipment can be
shared with local and state agencies to help fight crime. For more information,
visit www.rocic.com.
September
Trooper J. L. Peters, with the Virginia State Police was our guest speaker for
September 2006. A 6 year veteran of the department, Trooper Peters is currently
with the Bureau of Field Operations at the Norfolk office. He provided valuable
information for all those who climb behind the wheel. The vehicle operator is
responsible for insuring proper maintenance, driving according to conditions and
refrain from operating a vehicle when excessively tired or under the influence
of drugs or alcohol. Seniors should ask themselves if they are alert enough to
operate the car in a manner that will protect themselves and the other drivers
on the road. Trooper Peters stressed the importance of observing every vehicle
around us and as far in front of the vehicle as possible by checking his left,
right and rear view mirrors constantly. One source of potential danger is
unsecured articles within the car. Items such as cell phones or drink containers
can become a missile when a fast traveling vehicle stops suddenly in a collision
and these objects become airborne. Trooper Peters described the duties and
responsibilities of his job as having a common purpose, and that is to “save
lives on the road”.
June
Senior Assistant Chief Joe Jackson, guest speaker for June 2006 gave us an
overview on the subject of terrorism and homeland security. As we all know the
events of September 11, 2001 changed our country and the way we live. It also
changed how our law enforcement agencies evaluate risk and plan for defense of
our country. Chief Jackson traveled to Israel to observe their techniques and
experiences, and relayed his observations to our group. That country has been
struggling with threats and acts of terrorism for a good portion of its history.
A fast jet can over fly Israel, which is about the size of New Jersey, in about
4 seconds; so dangerous situations can arise very quickly. The security forces
there are becoming increasingly successful in their fight against terrorism.
Chief Jackson said the cultural differences are apparent also. To lessen the
possibility of attacks, citizens are randomly searched when they go out to a
mall, or a restaurant. The need for personal searches seems to be understood by
the general public as a necessary part of life and for their own protection. All
citizens are required to serve in the military and each is provided a weapon and
given extensive training. In addition, as a civilian they are required to serve
one month out of each year to maintain their skills.
May
Norfolk Airport Chief of Police Karl Morrisette spoke at the May meeting. Chief
Morrisette described the history of the airport from its beginning in l949 as a
small municipal airport to the present. Customs handling was added and in l976,
and the facility was renamed Norfolk International Airport. The airport is
self-sustaining, deriving its income from parking fees, landing fees, and rental
income from general aviation, restaurants and vendors located within the
airport. It pays for its own repairs, snow removal, maintenance, and fire and
safety departments. The Police department has a force of 37 Officers, and is
staffed 24 hours a day. It is composed of an Office of Investigations, 6
dispatchers, foot and vehicle patrol, a bicycle unit, and K-9 team. The duties
of the Norfolk Airport Police are to maintain safety and security within the
airport itself. The department provides and maintains a badge system that
assures access to certain areas is limited to authorized and identified
personnel. The department also performs background checks on potential employees
and sub-contractors. Additionally, it investigates and, if necessary, prosecutes
any crimes committed at that facility.
April
Mr. Randolph Benavente, who is the Norfolk Resident in Charge of the Drug
Enforcement Administration, spoke to the CPAAAN membership at our April meeting.
The mission of the DEA is to identify, target, investigate, disrupt and
dismantle drug trafficking organizations that are having the most significant
impact on America. Mr. Benavente, who has experience with both federal and local
law enforcement stated that this includes the local, state, national and
international levels. The DEA regularly works with local jurisdictions including
Norfolk as a force multiplier. Recently, the DEA joined forces with the Norfolk
Police Department in its highly successful drug sting which was dubbed
“Operation Triple Play”. Following his presentation, Mr. Benavente conducted an
interesting and informative Question and Answer session on a wide variety of
subjects pertaining to the drug situation and its impact on our community.
Citizens who observe irregular or suspicious activity can assist by calling,
anonymously if preferred, and reporting this to authorities.
March
Cassandra Chandler, Special Agent in Charge of the Norfolk Division of the FBI,
was guest speaker at our March 2006 meeting. Mrs. Chandler, who has both a
Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and English, and a Juris Doctorate degree
from Loyola University School of Law, has been with the FBI for over 20 years.
She has headed the Norfolk office since October, 2005. Mrs. Chandler spoke of
the changes in the types of crimes that affect us today, including the impact of
technology and the need for local, national, and international cooperation.
Though it is the most publicized, terrorism is not the only issue that the FBI
addresses. Gangs, violent crimes, and fraud and white collar crimes are often
investigated by joint agency operations. Mrs. Chandler says she does believe
that our country is safer now, because of the lessons learned from Sept 11, 2001
and the policies that have been put in place. We must continue to be vigilant,
because it is likely that there will be another attack on our shores. We can be
strengthened by our unity, and by the way Americans come together in times of
adversity and emergency.
February
Due to popular request, Lieutenant Colonel Stephanie Smith, USMC JAG returned to
CPAAAN as our February guest speaker. Colonel Smith, a twenty year Marine Corps
veteran spoke about Iraq and the changes that have taken place there since her
return in 2004. She said this war is going to be a long one, and despite some
negative perceptions and media coverage, she believes that some wonderful things
are happening there. The number of Iraqis who have joined the Iraq security
forces has increased many times over, even though they do so at great personal
risk. With U. S. training and oversight they are handling functions and
operations in more sectors. Colonel Smith, an international lawyer, stressed
that part of the training by Americans is to teach the Iraqis proper compliance
with the rules of military engagement. There are members of our military who
have served more than one tour in Iraq, some on a voluntary basis. There have
been difficult times because of the various political, cultural and terrorist
groups, and the stress that accompanies any war. The American forces have
persevered and now believe they are winning in the hearts and minds of the
people, offering opportunities such as schools open to all that did not exist
before.
January
Norfolk Police Recruiter Ron Godwin was guest speaker at our January 17 meeting.
Cpl. Godwin informed us that the shortage of police officers is a national
problem. Chief Marquis has created a special recruitment unit to help select good
people to become new police officers. Cpl. Godwin is developing a
community-oriented recruiting program, and will speak to citizens at colleges,
civic leagues, and special city-wide events. Citizens can help recruit people
they know who may be suited to become good police officers by giving them
information about the Norfolk Police Department. Training would be provided once
or twice a month and would be ongoing. "48 Opportunities, One Uniform" lists
salary, benefits, minimum qualifications, and automatic disqualifiers. For more
information, visit the website, Norfolk
Police Department
Bob Batcher of TV 48, Norfolk's Neighborhood Network, our January
co-speaker, announced a Community Summit on Saturday, February 4. The subject is
Safe Streets and Healthy Neighborhoods. . When: February 4 at 8:30am until Noon
. Where: Ruffner Academy, 610 May Avenue The meeting is free and open to the
public. The purpose is to collectively discuss ways the City can reenergize
working with neighborhoods to identify problem areas, share methods being used
to combat crime, and learn ways to better serve residents and strengthen
community partnerships. Guest speaker will be Kent Amos, founder of Urban Family
Institute and Kids House, and recently featured on Oprah, and the Today Show.
