Alamo Defenders • A Look at Chicago’s Murder Rate • Security’s Cutting Edge Alamo Defenders • A Look at Chicago’s Murder Rate • Security’s Cutting Edge Law Enforcement, Technology and Privacy Law Enforcement, Technology and Privacy
Mar 20, 2016
Alamo Defenders • A Look at Chicago’s Murder Rate • Security’s Cutting EdgeAlamo Defenders • A Look at Chicago’s Murder Rate • Security’s Cutting Edge
Law Enforcement, Technology and Privacy
Law Enforcement, Technology and Privacy
Front Cover
1THE NEW POLICE LEADER MAGAZINE
Inside Cover
THE NEW POLICE
LEADERMAGAZINE ISSUE #2, 2013 Alamo Defenders • A Look At Chicago’s Murder Rate • Security’s Cutting Edge
Alamo Defenders • A Look At Chicago’s Murder Rate • Security’s Cutting Edge
Law Enforcement, Technology And
Privacy
Law Enforcement, Technology And
Privacy
COVER STORY: Law Enforcement, Technology And Privacy by Diandra Ritchie p. 2
A Look at Chicago’s Murder Rate by Diandra Ritchie p. 10
Alamo Defenders by Randy Lankford p. 18
Security’s Cutting Edge by Randy Lankford p. 26
The New Police Leader Magazine is a law enforcement magazine which is free to all police chiefs in Texas as well as other law enforcement offices and officials across the state
The New Police Leader Magazine is owned and published by Milton Brown, as a professional trade magazine focusing on topics relating to law enforcement and is distributed state-wide in Texas The magazine is solely owned and does not support any association or political group
The New Police Leader Magazine does not assume responsibility for statements of fact or opinion made by it’s contributors Articles that appear in the publication do not offer endorsement of products or services from the magazine or it’s employees The entire content of the New Police Leader Magazine is copyrighted by the publisher or held as indicated and may not be reproduced in any manner, either whole or in part, without written permission
The New Police Leader Magazine is released quarterly state-wide in Texas Advertising rates are available upon request
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Phone: 210-375-5565 Fax: 210-375-5565www thenewpoliceleader org
For PR and advertising inquiries, please call 210-375-5565 Owner/Publisher, please call 512-909-1945 Sales, please call 512-363-5409
©2013 All rights reserved Reproductions of any form are strictly prohibited
Editor In Chief/Creative Director Todd M Fichter
Contributing Writers Diandra Ritchie Randy Lankford
Supervisor of Magazine Marketing Milton Brown
Administrative Staff Ricardo Villarreal, Jr Robert W
Graphic Design and Production Fishead Design Studio www fisheadproductions com
2 3THE NEW POLICE LEADER MAGAZINE
Video surveillance is becoming increasingly popular
with law enforcement agencies, especially after the
great success the FBI had in apprehending the two
Boston Marathon suspects using security cameras
of businesses, and law enforcement cameras placed
in the area. They also used cell phone footage from
bystanders for gathering evidence. This partnering
of public and private surveillance seems inevitable,
especially when it comes to solving crimes. Video
cameras, and cameras generally, are playing a
larger role in our society. Citizens, businesses and
governments use them for protection. Most people
have camera and video camera capabilities on their cell
phone. With the increase of social media like Facebook,
Twitter and Instagram, more people are documenting
their lives with photos and videos.
Law Enforcement, Technology and Privacy
by Diandra Ritchie
2 3THE NEW POLICE LEADER MAGAZINE
And sometimes this private documenting can facilitate the solving of a crime This is one of the reasons law enforcement agencies have been pushing for a greater network of cameras placed in their cities – they won’t need to ask business owners for their recordings, or reach out to the public to see if anyone saw or recorded any potential evidence Given the tough economic times, many cities are not in a position tow expend the money required, however Philadelphia’s police commissioner, Charles Ramsey, invites the alliance of private surveil-lance by businesses and public surveillance by the police department He has asked business owners with cameras to register with the police department for the mutual use of each other’s video Given the expense of adding surveillance technology, it seems wasteful to put up another camera where there may already be one in use by a business
Some large cities like New York have increased their use of video surveillance using grants from the Depart-ment of Homeland Security New York has about 3,000 closed circuit cameras in use San Francisco has cameras installed in high crime rate areas and reviews the footage when crimes have been committed Houston is working to expand its network of 450 cameras using both public and private surveillance As of 2011, Chicago had access to about 10,000 public and private security cameras according to an American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois study But the Homeland Security News Wire reported on May 8, 2013 that Chicago now has over 22,000
cameras, and Mayor Emanuel is working to increase that number London and its boroughs have a system of about 91,000 closed circuit cameras according to Big Brother Watch, a civil liber-ties group Other cities like Los Angeles have opted against the increase in surveillance, in large part due to costs Budgets remain tight and good technology is not cheap
Law enforcement is expanding beyond just mere video surveillance Last year the NYPD unveiled a terrorist pre-vention program called the Domain Awareness System that was built in partnership with Microsoft The pro-gram mines data from multiple public sources and puts the information together in an easy-to-read way The various sources include cameras placed in the city (mostly lower and midtown Manhattan), license plate readers, portable radiation detectors, the Department’s police records, other law enforcement databases, and 911 calls All of this data is public, and is not additional surveillance Facial recognition is not currently used by the program Police stations have large monitors which display an alert panel, generated by incoming 911 calls Cameras within 500 feet of the location called about are pulled up on screens for officers to view The video feed shows footage from 30 seconds prior to the call, not
5 4THE NEW POLICE LEADER MAGAZINE
live feed The footage can be rewound several minutes When the program launched, Mayor Michael Bloomberg described it as a “one stop shop for law enforcement ” Although originally designed for use in the counterter-rorism unit, the program will soon be available for use by most of the NYPD’s 34,000 officers in their patrol cars The city also plans to try to sell the program to other police departments and law enforcement agencies, as well as companies that do sporting events The city will collect 30% of the profits
Tension between citizens’ right to privacy and govern-ment surveillance remains a constant point of conten-tion The Washington Post took a poll after the Boston Marathon bombings 588 people were polled: 48% felt the government would go too far investigating terrorism incidents, and infringe citizens’ right to privacy, while 41% felt the government would not go far enough If this is any indication, we are almost evenly divided on the issue in our communities Mayor Bloomberg in a WOR Radio interview in March discussed other technological advancements like the use of drones by police (drones are currently used by the federal government at the bor-ders), and the development and eventual use of facial recognition technology “We’re going to have more vis-ibility and less privacy It’s not a question of whether it is good or bad, I just don’t see how you can stop that ”
Surveillance has been a part of our daily lives for years now Stores have cameras and some even alert their customers that dressing rooms are being watched by security officers Cameras are in ATM machines, on the exteriors of apartment buildings, and in the lobbies of our work buildings Most people in cities are likely being observed much more than they realize This increased observation has decreased crime, as well as increased the solving of crimes What we do on the street, at a park, at the bus stop or any other public place is open to scrutiny A citizen’s right to privacy is minimized in public places The expectation of privacy is greater in private places like our homes rather than public areas
Even students have a decreased right of privacy at school San Diego’s police chief announced in December 2012
that the police department was going to have access to live streaming video from about 70 school campuses across the city by mid-2013 The video feeds would be accessible from patrol car laptops The cameras will be watching both the interior and exterior portions of the campuses, including offices, lunchrooms and hallways This measure came in response to the Connecticut elementary school shooting tragedy A western Penn-sylvania school district also decided to start sending images from its 130 cameras to their local police depart-ment The police will also be able to access digital floor prints of each of the schools The Bridgeport, Connect-icut police also unveiled a plan to stream security video from schools live to patrol cars The project has yet to be funded, but additionally, officers would be able to lock or unlock doors remotely
The right to privacy is even further diminished when it comes to travel and immigration Due to heightened security measures, we are open to even further scrutiny at airports and border crossings In addition to surveil-lance, interrogation plays a large part of law enforcement’s quest to keep our country safe The Department of Homeland Security is currently testing a new lie detector device called the Embodied Avatar, and is currently being used in Nogales, Arizona at border crossings Tim Dees describes the Embodied Avatar in his article, “The Next Generation of Lie Detectors”:
“It all but takes over the job of interrogator by having the subject stand in front of a computer monitor integrated with a microphone and two cameras The first is a high definition vis-ible light camera that adjusts to the subject’s height, and the other is a near-infrared camera that records pupil dilation and gaze direction
5THE NEW POLICE LEADER MAGAZINE
4
Except for a brief moment when the subject touches a fingerprint scanner, there is no phys-ical connection between the device and the subject
As a disembodied face on a computer display asks questions of the subject, the cameras look for microexpressions, stiffness associated with attempts to ‘freeze’ and inhibit changes, pupil size changes and deviations of gaze angles The microphones record changes in voice pitch and inflection
The computerized interrogator asks questions about the truthfulness of information already furnished by the subject — name, addresses, work history, citizenship, criminal offenses, etc If the machine senses a lie, the subject is referred to a human investigator If not, they are allowed to go on their way ”
The Embodied Avatar touts a 94% accuracy rate, which came from a study done in Poland using 37 European Union border guards Some were asked to present fal-sified documents, and the avatar detected every liar The combination of vocal and eye analysis increases the machine’s accuracy Assuming two false positives,
the machine had a 94% accuracy rate in the study, while the human interrogators did not catch even one of the guards with the falsified documents Although law enforcement has been using lie detecting machines for almost 100 years, the accuracy rate has never reached the level of the Embodied Avatar Polygraph results are not even admissible as evidence in all states Immi-gration and Customs Enforcement and TSA want to employ more of the devices, but costs remain an issue This device is still experimental, but given its accuracy, it seems only a matter of time before we will be seeing these lie detecting kiosks at airports
One fact remains clear: surveillance is here to stay With the increase of surveillance comes a decrease in indi-vidual privacy, but greater societal safety Governments, local and federal, will continue to keep an eye on its citi-zens, as well as those who are trying to enter the country, in the name of public welfare Sometimes in order to gain something, we have to give up something In today’s world, we sacrifice some of our individual privacy so that we might gain greater safety from potential threats, both domestic and foreign n
Embodied Avatar images courtesy of Joyce P. Chan/The University of Arizona
6 7THE NEW POLICE LEADER MAGAZINE
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10 11THE NEW POLICE LEADER MAGAZINE
The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
stunned this nation and brought gun control
front and center in the political and social
arenas. This tragedy left 28 dead and was
one of several mass shootings that occurred in the United
States in 2012. With President Obama working to enact
further gun
controls,
including
the banning
of assault
weapons and
high-capacity
ammuni-
tion maga-
zines, Second
Amendment
advocates see
this as diluting
their consti-
tutional right
to bear arms. However, in our society no right is without
limitation. The answer is neither unlimited gun ownership,
nor an outright firearms ban. A compromise is necessary,
and seems to be the President’s goal thus far.
In a recent interview with The New Republic, Obama
made clear that guns used for hunting and sportsmanship
are not the targets of the proposed gun control laws. How-
ever, “the reality of guns in urban areas are very different
from the realities of guns in rural areas,” Obama points
out. At a White House event last month, the President said
his proposed laws are geared toward the “irresponsible,
law-breaking few.” The New England Journal of Medicine
published a survey earlier this year that showed that the
majority of Americans support stricter handgun measures.
Some of
those mea-
sures include
restricting
gun owner-
ship for those
under 21,
and denying
ownership
privileges for
10 years to
individuals
who have
committed
domestic
violence, or two or more drug or alcohol-related crimes.
This debate has also forced us to take a look at mental
illness in our society. Even the NRA has proposed creating
a national database to track people with a mental illness
in order to limit their ability to purchase guns. However,
focusing on the mentally ill does not directly address the
gun violence of our society. It certainly speaks to mass
shootings, but not to gang-related gun crimes or armed
robberies, for example. There is no easy solution. Stricter
A LOOK AT CHICAGO: THE CITY WITH THE NATION’S STRICTEST GUN LAWS
AND HIGHEST MURDER RATE.
byDiandra Ritchie
10 11THE NEW POLICE LEADER MAGAZINE
gun laws do not necessarily equal fewer gun-related
crimes, and the banning of handguns does not neces-
sarily translate into fewer murders. Chicago is the perfect
example of this incongruity.
Illinois is known for having some of the strictest gun
control laws in the country. As of writing this, it is the only
state that completely prohibits the carrying of concealed
weapons in public. A federal appeals court struck down
this law last year as unconstitutional and gave the state 180
days to write a law that legalizes concealed carry. Illinois
Attorney General Lisa Madigan has filed a petition asking
the appeals court to re-review this ruling, and is seeking
to maintain the prohibition. Chicago has sought to main-
tain even tougher gun control laws as compared to other
Illinois cities. For 28 years, the city had an outright ban on
handguns which the U.S. Supreme Court overturned in
2010, holding that under the Second Amendment citizens
have the right to possess handguns in their homes. The
city responded by enacting alternative methods to limiting
who can have guns, passing one of the nation’s toughest
handgun ordinances. Some of the limitations include:
prohibiting people who have been convicted of a violent
crime from owning a gun; residents can only register one
handgun per month; residents cannot have more than one
gun in operating order at any time; and the police depart-
ment must maintain a registry of every registered handgun
owner in the city. One restriction in the ordinance was
struck down by the federal district court as being unjust -
anyone who had been convicted of a misdemeanor could
not own a handgun. The wording of the ordinance was
then changed to restrict the issuing of a gun license for
five years to those who had been convicted of a violent
misdemeanor. Last month, Mayor Rahm Emanuel asked
the City Council to increase the penalties for those who do
not register their guns, or report lost or stolen guns. The
fine would go up from $1,000 to $5,000 with the poten-
tial for jail time. In addition, the penalty for possessing an
unregistered gun would increase from 20-90 days in jail to
90-180 days. The theory is that the increase in penalties
will have more preventive effects. According to Emanuel
in a Chicago Tribune article, “sensible, smart, targeted
gun laws keep guns out of the hands of gangbangers and
drug dealers,” and this is “key to a strategy of reducing
violence.”
The effect of the proposed laws and their alleged preven-
tive potential remains to be seen. But looking back his-
torically, strict gun laws have not reduced Chicago’s gun
violence. The city currently has the highest murder rate
of any city in the United States. While large cities like Los
Angeles and New York City have seen a decrease in mur-
ders, Chicago has bucked this trend. Although Chicago’s
murder rate is almost half what it was in the 1990s, and
overall crime rates have continued to decrease, the homi-
cide rate is cause for alarm. According to NBC Chicago,
the total number of murders in Chicago for 2012 was 506.
Within the first six days of 2013 there were 12 murders.
On January 26, alone, there were at least five murders.
Mayor Emanuel admits that in order for these strict laws
to be the most effective, it is necessary to have the support
at the state and federal level. There continues to be resis-
tance, however, to the restrictive laws Emanuel seeks to
enforce. Illinois law is much more permissive, as is federal
law, when it comes to individual gun ownership. The more
permissive laws make it possible for guns to be obtained
and then brought into the city. Gun stores are outlawed
in Chicago, and so currently, individuals can just go to
the suburbs and legally purchase a gun. Chicago Police
Superintendent McCarthy has said that Cook County is
the primary source of guns found in Chicago. If Illinois
and neighboring states, for example, enacted stricter gun
laws, this could lead to a decrease in the amount of guns
coming into Chicago.
12 13THE NEW POLICE LEADER MAGAZINE
According to a Chicago Sun-Times article, the top ten
sources of gun purchase occur in the surrounding suburbs
of Chicago. Most of the guns that have been recovered in
connection with crimes committed in Chicago were origi-
nally bought in Illinois. More specifically, most guns were
bought in Cook County, where Chicago is the county seat.
Cook is the second most populous county in the U.S., and
includes several Chicago suburbs. The University of Chi-
cago Crime Lab (“U of C Crime Lab”) researchers con-
ducted a study last year, requested by the Chicago Police
Department. From January 2008 to March 2012, Chicago
police recovered 1,375 guns. The researchers determined
that Cook County was the source of 45% of those guns.
Broken down by state, 58% were purchased in Illinois,
about 19% were purchased in Indiana, 3% in Wisconsin,
and less than 2% from Mississippi. Study researchers
concluded that most of these guns were most likely bought
by straw purchasers – individuals with no criminal record
who buy guns for felons or those people with criminal
records who could not otherwise legally purchase a gun.
Executive Director of the U of C Crime Lab, Roseanna
Ander, said the study’s findings suggest a key strategy to
keeping guns off the street is for law enforcement agencies
to target the local gun stores most likely to sell firearms to
straw purchasers. Mark Jones, a retired supervisor for the
U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explo-
sives, acknowledges that “firearms dealers are so well
protected it makes it really hard to prosecute them.” He
explains that it is difficult to show a dealer “knowingly and
willfully” sold a gun to a straw purchaser, which is the stan-
dard of law for prosecution. However, Ander maintains
that “having the dealers know people are paying attention
again and are willing to act could have an impact.”
Gun store owners claim they take all precautions to make
sure their buyers are legitimate. Larry Pelcher, owner of a
gun shop in south suburban Lansing, said he doubts any
local gun stores are breaking the law. “[We] go out of our
way to ensure the person buying the firearm is legitimate
and is not a straw buyer,” Pelcher said. He also doesn’t
think straw purchasers are the main reason guns are get-
ting into criminals’ hands in Chicago. Stolen guns are
a large part of the problem. They are often stolen from
legitimate buyers who have purchased them for protection,
according to Pelcher. A gang member from the South Side
in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times admitted that
the guns used by his gang are largely stolen guns. Since
they cannot afford to buy new guns, they resort to stealing
guns from gun stores or from freight trains sitting in rail
yards on the South Side. Straw purchasers are common
too. Wealthy drug dealers can afford to pay for those guns,
which have been significantly marked up, usually $100 or
more above retail value. Police Superintendent McCarthy
has proposed a law that would require Illinois gun owners
to file a report with police if their gun is stolen, transferred
or lost. Chicago already has this type of law in place.
Cook County Board President Preckwinkle is currently
seeking to introduce a similar law that would apply to
Cook County. The Board is set to vote in February of this
year. This would be an important step in keeping track of
firearms since most firearms used in Chicago are bought
in Cook County. In theory, a law requiring the reporting
of transferred firearms would be a way of combatting
the problem of straw purchasers who buys guns for other
people.
FOX Chicago reported
last month that Mayor
Emanuel and Police
Superintendent
McCarthy plan to mod-
ernize the Chicago Alter-
native Policing Strategy
Program, also known as
the CAPS Program, in
an effort to combat the
problem of gun violence
and help deter crime.
The community policing
program is almost twenty
years old and strongly
encourages cooperation
between residents and
the police. The program started off with good intentions
but became too bureaucratic according to Emanuel. The
aim now is to take the bureaucracy out of police work and
12 13THE NEW POLICE LEADER MAGAZINE
allow law enforcement officers to more effectively tailor
the program to their community’s needs. “Previously,
community policing programs were managed from head-
quarters, which just doesn’t make sense,” said McCarthy.
“The needs in each community we serve are unique so
we cannot apply a cookie cutter approach to community
outreach and services.” District commanders are in charge
of their own programs now because they are more familiar
with what their community needs are. Each district will
be assigned a CAPS sergeant and two police officers, and
enforcement strategies will be tailored to individual neigh-
borhoods. The crime rates vary across the city with certain
neighborhoods being home to the majority of homicides,
e.g. Englewood, Austin, and Woodlawn. Unfortunately,
due to budget issues, no additional funds will be given to
the CAPS program in 2013.
The CAPS program cannot work until the community
feels safe enough to cooperate, however. According to
DNAinfo, of the 506 murders last year, only about 25% of
those have been solved. The clearance rate of murders in
Chicago is the lowest it has been in over 20 years. Police
Supt. McCarthy says there is a lack of cooperation from
the community because “people have a fear, and rightfully
so. They don’t feel protected when they come forward…
People don’t trust the police.” The Associated Press reports
that almost 80% of murders in Chicago are gang-related,
according to police. This is largely why citizens are reluc-
tant to step forward: they fear retaliation from the gangs. A
police audit in 2011 identified 59 gangs and 625 factions,
with most being on the South and West sides. In addition,
the pervasive “no-snitch” code of the street keeps people
from coming forward with information. In an interview
with DNAinfo, McCarthy discusses the difficulty of solving
crimes when both victims and witnesses do not cooperate.
“To make cases prosecutable we need cooperative wit-
nesses…There are a lot of people who are not going to
cooperate. That’s why we have to take on the no-snitch
issue.” McCarthy is trying to enlist celebrities like Derrick
Rose, Common and Denzel Washington to help redefine
what “snitch” means, and encourage people to come for-
ward with information. A snitch is a criminal who turns on
his fellow criminals, not innocent eyewitnesses or victims
reporting information about a shooting. The campaign has
yet to be launched.
Chicago Police Union President Michael Shields blames
the understaffing of police and the limited resources
available to the City’s detective division for the lack of
solved murders. Shields stated the City is down over 300
detectives, and with such limited manpower and so many
homicides, there is little time for actual investigating.
Chicago, like much of the nation, has faced budget con-
straints over the past few years. Three police stations have
closed and there has been some downsizing. McCarthy
maintains the closing of police stations will not hinder
the ability of police to fight crime, because police patrols
will increase after the closures. However, in a USA Today
article, Patrick Camden of the Fraternal Order of Police
(the union representing police officers) stated that in the
past two years the number of Chicago police officers has
decreased by about 1,000. Including supervisors, there
are now between 11,000 and 12,000 officers. The U.S.
Census Bureau estimated the Chicago population to be
over 2.7 million in 2011. Recently, the Chicago Sun-Times
14THE NEW POLICE LEADER MAGAZINE
performed its own analysis using city data to determine
whether the number of police officers on the beat had
increased, as Mayor Emanuel promised when he took office
last year. They found that there are currently less beat offi-
cers in patrol districts than before Emanuel took office.
Police departments across the nation are working hard to
do more with less. In October, the Chicago Police Depart-
ment announced it is adopting technology that will detect
and locate gunshots in two 1.5-square-mile areas on the
South and West Sides. This will allow for speedier police
response, and better forensic and crime analysis. Police
Supt. McCarthy is also working on developing a new
approach to crime solving, consulting with criminologists
and others knowledgeable in the field. David Kennedy,
one of the researchers consulting with McCarthy, wrote
an article for The Daily Beast in September that details
the new strategies. There are two main prongs to the new
approach: (1) focus on “hot” people rather than neighbor-
hoods, and (2) repair the relationship between the commu-
nity and the police.
Traditionally, police officers have focused on the bad
neighborhoods of the city, rather than the individuals
who are perpetuating most of the crime. Given that the
majority of homicides are gang-related, the focus must be
redirected to the gang members themselves, rather than
the neighborhoods they inhabit. Focusing on the neigh-
borhoods is not effective because most people that live
there are not in gangs. Police are working to identify the
individuals and their networks who are overwhelmingly
responsible for most of the city’s violence. All shooting and
homicide victims are tracked and linked to their applicable
gang and gang faction. Additionally, information is kept
on gangs and factions within neighborhoods, what areas
they mostly operate in, who their enemies are, members,
alliances, etc. By identifying the problem people and their
social networks, the police can redirect their focus and
resources to the core of the problem. The prior approach
of focusing on the neighborhood often times resulted in
everyone getting treated like a criminal. This only works
to heighten the mistrust communities have towards law
enforcement.
The second strategy involves law enforcement establishing
legitimacy within the community. If the community
does not believe that the police operate in a fair and just
manner, they will never cooperate with them. Kennedy
explains by use of an example. If X’s brother has been
shot, and X knows that Y did it, X can either call the
police, or find a gun and go shoot Y himself. The status
quo is dominated by people taking the law into their own
hands because of their fear and mistrust of law enforce-
ment. If the police can legitimate themselves within the
community, then cooperation and community policing
can become more of a reality. The police will likely have
more success solving murders when the community works
with them rather than against them. The Chicago Vio-
lence Reduction Strategy, or VRS, has been employed in
some of the city’s worst and most violent neighborhoods,
and is an extension of McCarthy’s effort to establish
legitimacy within the communities. VRS, supported by
the MacArthur Foundation, sends teams of law enforce-
ment, community figures, and social service workers into
the communities to meet with residents and gang fac-
tions. They work to educate the community on measures
law enforcement are taking with violent gangs, speak out
against violence, and offer gang members help with getting
out of the gang life. A study of this program has shown
almost a 40% reduction in homicide rates where VRS has
been employed. Kennedy acknowledges that the program
is new, and only time will tell if it is truly effective, but it
appears to be thus far. More importantly, “the good news
is that if it works in Chicago, it can work anywhere.” n
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There are few places more sacred to
Texans than The Alamo. The cradle
of Texas independence is the most
popular tourist destination in the state
and, to many Lone Star residents, the
adobe embodiment of bravery and
self-sacrifice. The idea that some com-
batants inside the mission tried to
escape the 1836 battle, however, flies in
the face of the legend that every one of
the defenders fought to the death.
But the burial site of two Texas Rangers, R.A. Gillespie
and Samuel Walker, suggests not all The Alamo defenders
lost their lives inside the walls.
Gillespie, namesake of Texas’ Gillespie County, joined
John Coffee Hays’ Texas Rangers in1843 rising to the
rank of first lieutenant in 1845 when he formed the San
Antonio Mounted Rangers as part of Hays’ Battalion of
Texas Mounted Rangers. Fighting in the Mexican-Amer-
ican War, Gillespie was the first Ranger to breach the fort
at the Independence Hill summit at the Battle of Mon-
terrey. The Blount County, Tennessee native was wounded
during the assault on Bishop’s Palace and died the next
day, September 23, 1846.
Walker, also a member of Hays’ Texas Rangers, was killed
October 9, 1847 by a shot fired from a balcony in Tlax-
cala while leading his troops in the Battle of Huamantla.
Born in Toaping Castle, Maryland, he is best known as the
co-inventor, along with Samuel Colt, of the Walker Colt
revolver. Walker’s design included modifying the then-
popular five-shot Colt Paterson revolver to hold six rounds.
Walker was also a survivor of the 1843 Black Bean Inci-
dent in which 17 Texas soldiers were chosen by lottery and
executed in Coahuila. He was recognized for his contribu-
Alamo Defenders by Randy Lankford
18 19THE NEW POLICE LEADER MAGAZINE
tions to Texas with the naming of a county in his honor.
In 1856, as part of the Battle of San Jacinto celebration,
the bodies of both Texas Ranger Hall of Fame members
and close friends were exhumed and buried with honors in
San Antonio, at what was then called Powder House Hill.
Now known as The Old San Antonio City Cemetery,
Powder House Hill, approximately two miles east of The
Alamo, earned its nickname when Santa Anna positioned
his artillery battalion there during the battle. The 103-acre
historic cemetery district today contains 131 cemeteries
and is listed in the National Register.
Eight-year-old August Beisenbach, playing along what
was then called The Alameda, saw workmen preparing
the burial site for Gillespie and Walker. In 1906 Beisen-
bach had become the city clerk of San Antonio, when
he recalled what he had seen in the San Antonio Daily
Express.
“. . . he witnessed the exhuming of bodies or
remains consisting of bones and fragments of
bones, of victims of the siege of The Alamo
that had been interred near the place where the
bodies had been burned and originally buried,
and saw their transfers from that place to the old
cemetery on Powder House Hill . . . ” reported
the newspaper on July 6.
The report does not say how many bodies the remains rep-
resent, how they came to be so far from the mission or how
they were identified, other than being burned, as Alamo
defenders. The remains represent no more than a handful
of Texians who escaped the “throat cutting” promised
when Santa Anna ordered his band to play El Deguello,
signaling no quarter would be given to those inside the
mission, on the morning of March 6, 1836.
Fifty years after witnessing the burial, Beisenbach reported
the remains had been placed midway between the monu-
ments of Gillespie and Walker. A tribute at the “Lost
Burial Place of The Alamo Defenders” was erected on the
site in 2004 by the Alamo Defenders Descendants Associa-
tion. n
786 Transportationwww.786transportation.com
832-620-9097
A Leap of Faith Transportation
FT. Worth
903-527-4924
Bar V Energy, LLC830-570-2755
POTEET, TEXAS
20 21
Chris W. DahlOWneR
Caan Construction Services
713-539-5943Houston
Capital truck Sales
225-806-4388Gonzales, tX
Capitan eneRGy575-706-4348
Chango’s Tree Service
Free Estimates(512) 264-1535
Residential • Commercial • Emergency 24 Hour ResponseInsured for your protection
•Trimming• Tree Removal• Tree Sales & Service
• Landscaping• Lot Clearing
• Stump Grinder
Chuck’s oilfield Services979-535-8296
Caldwell, texas
Comanche Express Services
512-771-2692Austin, Texas
Davila Backhoe Service806-265-7792 Friona, TX
lloyd Hoermannalamo Concrete
512-964-8134
512-386-8690 • www.austinconstructors1.com
BAM Electrical Service
432-349-9860ODESSA, TX
BMW Trucking512-626-7642
Austin, Texas
409-771-5581Hitchcock, texas
Bluewater a/C & Refrigeration
C.G. trucking
713-594-3869
C&n Transport512-251-2037
Pfluggerville, TX
ABP TRANSPORTATION, LLCPampa, Texas
Vans • Belly Dumps • Flats
(806) 665-9524
Dhesi Enterprises, LTD.604-501-3934
903-527-3865WWW.eaGlemHSContRaCtinG.Com
281-804-7467Columbus, texas
eddie alleye.e.alley trucking
espinoza & Sons Grading915-328-0855
el Paso, Texas
J.R. Utilities excavation
512-844-1726 • Manor, Texas
22 23
aRGUiJo & SonS tRUCkinG
830-281-6432pleaSanton, tX
Cactus Tools
361-362-4265Beeville, TX
www.tweinc.com
Geotechnical Engineering
Environmental Consulting
Construction Materials Testing
Deep Foundations Testing
(888) 887-9932
Cowboy & Dillian
& J enterprises
210-279-7655 or 405-283-0698
Pleasanton, Texas
22 23THE NEW POLICE LEADER MAGAZINE
SoliSTrucking956-235-3073
laredo, TexaS
979-220-2086Snook, Texas
24 25
Worldwide (713) 944-1622universalweather.com
Top-O-Texas Oilfield Services, LTD.
806-662-4725
Robledo’s paving Co.
806-231-0778amaRillo, teXaS
TSO Transportation713-409-1136
713-209-2500www.svtn.com
24 25
TSO Transportation713-409-1136
STENNETT FARMS
SINCE 1921
806-842-3205LUbbOCK, TExAS
SINCE 1921
806-842-3205LUbbOCK, TExAS
TEX-STAREXCAVATION
512-917-9713
TEX-STAREXCAVATION
512-917-9713
www.tritontransport.com604-530-5124
26 27THE NEW POLICE LEADER MAGAZINE
Identity theft is usually associated with individuals,
people who have had their credit cards or personal
finances hijacked. But it also affects businesses. Mil-
lions of dollars in both material and productivity are lost
every year through unauthorized access and employee
fraud. And almost all of it, according to the
founders of Facekey Biometric Security Sys-
tems, is preventable.
Based in San Antonio, Facekey
provides advanced access-control
services to businesses through
recognition of a variety of
biometric patterns. What
was once the stuff of
secret agent thrillers;
electronic facial rec-
ognition, real-time
retina scans and
digital fingerprint
identification is
being adopted
in numerous
industries as the
gold standard
for safe-
guarding facili-
ties, products
and informa-
tion.
The funda-
mental flaw
with current electronic
access-control technology,
explains Annette Starkweather,
Facekey’s COO, is that it identifies a magnetic strip, not
the person using it. “Biometrics is about knowing who
someone is, who it really is. Not who some card says it is.”
Facekey has developed pattern-
recognition software and
hardware to scan finger-
prints and facial patterns
businesses then use to
create customized secu-
rity protocols that allow
only specified employees
access to restricted areas
or sensitive data within a
business.
“The swipe cards most
businesses use for access
control today are no more
effective than a lock and
key,” says Facekey Presi-
dent Yevgeny Levitov. “For
less than $100 you can buy
a piece of equipment that
can duplicate any swipe card.
You don’t even have to have the
card. You can scan a card inside
someone’s wallet while you’re sit-
ting next to them on the bus. Just
because someone has a building or
computer access card, doesn’t mean
they’re authorized to use it.”
In addition to controlling unauthorized access,
Facekey’s biometric recognition equipment also
reduces employee fraud. “Buddy punching is where one
Security’s Cutting EdgePattern Recognition Controls Accessby Randy Lankford
26 27THE NEW POLICE LEADER MAGAZINE
employee will swipe his identification card to start the
clock on his workday and then swipe his buddy’s card as
well. As far as the system knows, both employees are at
work and on the clock,” Levitov says. “With our tech-
nology, you have to scan your finger so, obviously, you’re
really there. You can’t scan your buddy’s finger for him.”
Even if your buddy is so anxious to clock some extra hours
that he’s willing to cut off his finger for you to scan, it
won’t work. Facekey’s equipment can tell the difference
between a living finger and a severed one. A photograph
won’t fool the equipment either. Facekey’s pattern recogni-
tion software can even identify faces in the dark and retina
patterns behind sunglasses.
“Business managers like this technology for the same
reason unscrupulous employees don’t,” says Starkweather.
“It eliminates the ability to cheat the system.”
Schools are another location where Starkweather says the
Facekey technology is effective. “Clearly, we can identify
whether a person is authorized to enter a school or not.
But as school security becomes a bigger issue I think you’re
going to see it move in the direction of airport security.
You don’t wait until someone’s standing in the airplane
door before you decide if they’re authorized to enter. I
think you’ll see school perimeters expand where authoriza-
tion to enter a campus will be determined at a distance.”
“We can lock and unlock an entire facility with the push
of one button now,” says Levitov. “But there are other
applications being discussed right now. We have features
targeted at different areas of security, banking for example.
Right now, you have to have two keys or two PINs to open
a vault or a safety deposit box. Using our technology, you
have to have two fingers, or two faces.”
And it’s not just buildings Facekey can protect. Con-
struction and drilling sites, like those dotting the Eagle
Ford Shale fields of south Texas, present unique security
demands.
“Bulldozers and other heavy equipment can’t be put away
at night in an oilfield,” says Starkeweather. “Anyone who
knows how to start a Caterpillar can start any Caterpillar.
But, if one of our security scanners is connected to the
ignition of that Caterpillar, you can control who starts
it. If your fingerprint isn’t in the database, that piece of
machinery isn’t going to start no matter how you try.” n
Torres Tire & Wheels 214-565-9309 422 S. Second Ave. Dallas, Texas
800-387-9376Burlington ontario, Canada
transrite transportation Service l.t.D
tony kacer Farms979-240-3051
Baycity, texas
texas Contract Spooling325-201-3597
Snyder, Texas
Sweat Construction545-748-1238
Stewart tank Co & Oilfield Supply, Inc.“The Solutions Company”
254-672-5102www.stewarttankcoinc.com
Smith Construction Bonding of texas
Rameriz Masonary210-473-1264San Antonio, Texas
28 29THE NEW POLICE LEADER MAGAZINE
806-665-2905 • Pamp a, Texas
a C K E R F a R M S
830 -626 -6825NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS
780-464-6500Edmonton AB, Canada
www.boychuk.net
BuildingPlastic Inc.
901-744-6414Memphis, tN
Broken Spoke Cattle Co.
979-277-2016 • Bellville, Texas
Broken Spoke Cattle Co.
28 29THE NEW POLICE LEADER MAGAZINE
Calleja transportation
281-309-0072 HOUStON
A Children’s book of tragedy turned into
peace and hope for the future.
Purchase on Amazon or go to
www.rebeccacrownover.com to learn more.
30 31THE NEW POLICE LEADER MAGAZINE
Transport heavy equipment and wide loads anywhere in the Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma
281-703-8195MOnT BeLvieU, TX
5830 SHIRLEY LANE • HUMBLE TXTEL: 281-227-3331
30 31THE NEW POLICE LEADER MAGAZINE
FREIGHTFORWARDERSINC.
5830 SHIRLEY LANE • HUMBLE TXTEL: 281-227-3331
WWW.FREIGHTFORWARDERSINC.COM
(903) 792-1197 Texarkana, Texas
www.jacksonpipeandsteel.com
32 33
Craft Wireline Services, Inc.
(432) 943-5150Main Office
(432) 943-5822Monahans, texas
Freepoint & Backoff SpecialistLogging & Perforating
JJ DOUBLE JCUSTOM LAND CLEARING & CONSTRUCTION
• Hydro-Ax Mulching• Tractor Work
• Dirt Work• Hauling Services
(936) [email protected]
211-450-5214Prosper, Texas
806-759-7222LaMesa, TX
34 35
eY Trucking LLC504-481-6894
new orleans
409-423-0454
www.gannservice.com
Gann Service is a multi-line service merchandiser of convenience
store merchandise.
432-557-6754midland, texas
anaya Construction
ER TruckingServices972-642-3704
Gene Burdentrucking
580-225-1142
512-398-3211/512-995-0498lockhart, texas
Gordon Hart & Family
713-314-7105Houston, texas
Grande Used Restaurant equipment.
H&G trucking713-298-9395
Houston, TX
H&G trucking713-298-9395
L.D. Hanna Dairy LLC.
817-558-5806Godley, Texas
Harcon Services, Inc.808-554-9301
Austin, Texas
Harcon Services, Inc.808-554-9301
Austin, Texas
Herman Freeman Trucking214-356-8705
Hoffman construction
830-889-3614fredericksburg, tX
James R. Hold Trucking, LLC281-785-7535
Hockley, Texas
James R. Hold Trucking, LLC281-785-7535
34 35
east Texas Termite & Pest
east Texas Termite & Pest
903-561-1889903-561-1889(806) 763-3192
2501 Baylor St.Lubbock, Texas
J.a.S. trucking432-333-1527
odessa,tX
James ShineGrey Rock the Corp.
972-664-0664
581-584-9143Broken Bow, oklahoma
Jimmie tuckertrucking, inc.
JMPEnergy Services
936-232-0812
Xcellent Service281-345-0695
940-781-9952www.wichitatank.com
Miguel A. Vega832-814-0209
Rivas Clean-Up Co.713-302-2391Houston, TX
36 37
Powell Drilling ServiceS, inc.903-665-3613JefferSon, TexaS
At Pioneer Freight, we are
committed to providing
logistics solutions that are
tailored to your specific
supply chain process.
www.pioneerfrt.com713-860-0300
Southwest Acid
Services, LLC.Acidizing & Pressure Pumping
620-629-5772Liberal, KS
36 37
Powell Drilling ServiceS, inc.903-665-3613JefferSon, TexaS
• Premium Air Ride Equipment
• Satellite Tracking Of Shipments
• Double Drops – Tandems & Tri-Axles
• Multi Axle Equipment
• Trombone – Flat Decks
• Step Decks & Double Drops
306-374-1739 • www.titantransport.comSASkATOOn, SASkATCheWAn
Southwest Acid
Services, LLC.Acidizing & Pressure Pumping
620-629-5772Liberal, KS
Santa Barbara Freight Corp.
Santa Barbara Freight Corp.
805-540-1857Atascadero, CA
chop-n -Haul, llc.575-760-2623
fiona, Texas979-637-0263 • EL CAMPO, TX
38 39
Dr Swab Service, llcTrucking company
580-243-9967
Grande Postal Forwarding
Houston, texas
Rick Adams • PresidentKevin Peranton • Vice President William Clayton • Vice President
281-392-5199
38 39
MArtinez Moving
Insured & Bonded for Your Protection!Relevel & Skirting • Transport & Set Up
(936) 346-7538 or (936) 402-6009Dayton, Texas
POWeR BLASTinG361-244-7449
ROBSTOWn, TX
R&b Logging, Inc.870-356-2722
Glenwood Ark
40 41
hDhOMeRO DeLeOn
CLeAn-UP SeRviCe281-392-9027
Jonezy Hot-Shot Service
432-296-8055ODESSSA, TExAS
K.S. Livestock
806-236-9544
Lejay LuehlfingExcavating830-822-2995
Lone Star Excavating & Concrete
Construction Inc.979-732-2019
MERCURY TRANSPORTATION, INCU.S. Customs Bonded Carrier & Hazardous Material Certified
Heavy Haul • Specialized Equipment • 7 Day-24 Hour Dispatch
(281) 458-4340Houston, Texas
www.mercurytransportation.com
Joel Smith Trucking
Joel Smith Trucking
575-799-6160
40 41
pete olguin truckingolguin enterprises
361-576-0121Victoria, texas
210-221-7094Bulverde, texas
JSS Consulting
361-877-8060Benavides, texas
Juan Carrillo
970-218-4903anton, texas
kellie Stanley
Rife’s Backhoe Service
580-651-2723Beaver, OK
Over 18 Years Experience
Richard Pennington
361-516-0699
281-550-8438Houston, texas
koming Up managment llC.
John & Tracy Attaway903-276-3158
936-522-7090Huntsville, texas
John R. nelson
817-455-9628Crawley, texas
lo trucking
nivaldo Banda & Family
42 43
Hometrust Mortage
713-369-4000HOUSTON, Texas
Lone Star Drywall And Framing LLC.
POTER, TX
Lynn’s Heavy Hauling, LLC913-393-3863 • Olathe, KS
Marilyn's Home Cleaning903-879-4401
Fairfield, TX
RI RV PARK3/4 Mile North of I20, Exit 349 • 80’ Pull Thrus
(254) 631-4255 or (254) 631-60081424 W. Loop 254 • Ranger, Texas
mickie Service Co., inc713-682-7454
Houston, tX
Tommy Reese Grading & hauling
940-733-3000
R.C. TRUCkINg
214-317-7503
SEAgOvILLE, TExAS
Melton’s Wrecker Service24 hour “Toe” Service
(940) 766-2232Wichita Falls, Texas
Mendez Trucking281-733-4400
Houston, Texas
Mesquite Mud & Air Drilling
254-562-7816 www.mexianurseryandtreefarm.com
979-541-6721Humble, texas
molina trucking Service RBC TRanspoRT432-263-4838Big Springs, texas
806-665-0530www.panhandleperforators.com
PalomIno TransPorT
PalomIno TransPorT
602-882-9683HOUStON, tExaS
Mustang Hot sHot432-528-0403
979-541-6721Humble, texas
your Company’s ad Could be Seen Here!For advertising inquiries in the New Police Leader magazine please call, 210-375-5565.
www.thenewpoliceleader.org
42 43
Hyperworks940-632-7199
Wichita Falls, TX
RECS Inc.972-347-2841
RECS Inc.972-347-2841
Prosper, Texas
KOKOMO Energy Inc.
Bridgeport, TX
1-940-683-1102
44
Inside Back Cover
“Del iver ing Peace of Mind”
915) 532-5211 • El Pasowww.premiercouriersep.com
Excellence and precision every time. Any Job.806-435-5501
www.Ruddwelding.comPerryton, TX