Cook County sheriff to hire more officers

The Cook County Sheriff’s Department says it is set to make hundreds of hires in coming months.

Sheriff Thomas Dart said Wednesday that his department is prepared to hire more than 500 correctional officers next year. The first class of recruits is to come in January. Dart’s office says the jobs pay about $45,000 a year and include health, dental and vision insurance and pension.

The sheriff’s office says the jobs are available because of a federal mandate that more officers be added at the Cook County Jail.

Sheriff Dart says the department has noticed “not only the increase in quantity but also the increase in quality of applicants.”

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Wis. sheriff offers books, toys to jail visitors

The Dane County Sheriff’s Department is trying to make Christmas a little happier for children visiting loved ones in jail.

The agency’s Books and Bears program begins on Christmas Eve. Every child that comes to visit a parent or a loved one in jail over the holidays will get a new book and a new stuffed animal.

The program uses gifts donated by local businesses and individuals. It’s designed to give children a positive experience with law enforcement.

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Polk County Sheriff’s Office all a Twitter

Authorities in Des Moines are officially tweeting.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has started a Twitter account. The social networking page is filled with public safety reminders, like tips for staying safe during the holidays and in bad weather.

For instance, this week authorities are cautioning the public to allow extra travel time in icy winter conditions.

To find the page, log onto twitter.com and search for “polksheriffiowa.” The Twitter page is also accessible from a link on the from the department’s Web page.

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“I Was Just Doing My Job”

A humble metro policeman refuses to be called a hero after saving a troubled young man from taking his life on the N2 on Wednesday.

Constable Deon Walters, of the metro police dog unit, has not been trained in hostage negotiation, but spent an hour and a half trying to dissuade the 21-year-old man from jumping from a Spaghetti Junction bridge over the N2.

“I was on my way to the dog kennels to sign up for work, and was taking the off-ramp when I saw a man on the highest point of the bridge. His car was on the side of the road, so I thought it had broken down.

“I stopped to help, but when I approached him he shouted at me to go away and threw his keys at me. I saw he was standing on the other side of the rails and realised he was going to kill himself.”

Walters called the police control room for a professional negotiator to be sent to the scene and metro police officials, Netcare911 paramedics and police search-and-rescue unit officers arrived at the scene soon after.

Walters decided to talk to the man, persuading him not to jump: “I asked him all sorts of questions while we waited for the negotiator to arrive. He told me that his father had died a few months ago.

“He was crying and refused to let anyone near him but me. He asked me to call his mum, which I did.

“All he wanted to do was ask her to take his car after he jumped. When she came, he told her to leave too, so we moved her out of sight.”

Officers closed the off-ramp and the extreme right lane of the N2 northbound carriageway below the bridge while Walters kept the man talking.

“He would have landed five or six storeys below if he had jumped. He was crying and then he said ‘enough’ and told me to go.

“I could see he was timing the cars going past; he wanted to jump in front of the cars.

“But I couldn’t go. If I had, no one else would be able stop him in time. I continued to speak to him but I slowly walked closer. He climbed on top of the railings and that’s when I grabbed him.”

Other officers leapt to his assistance and the man was subdued and taken to King Edward VIII Hospital, where he was sedated.

Walters said that although he had stopped the man from committing suicide, he had been told that he had done the “wrong” thing.

“The negotiator said that a policeman should not have spoken to him because he will not trust the police if he tries to do this again. But I was just trying to save him.”

“The average policeman does not receive training in negotiation, it is a specialised field.

“I have never handled such a situation before either.”

The modest Walters added: “I don’t want to be painted as a hero.

“I am just a policeman and we do far more dangerous things all the time.”

By Jauhara Khan

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‘Policeman’s policeman’ retiring from Tampa force after 29 years

The murder suspect agreed to turn himself in, but not to the two detectives searching for him. He would only turn himself in to the investigator he knew, the investigator whose reputation within the community he trusted.

He wanted George McNamara.

McNamara, who spent most of his 29-year career with Tampa police in working-class, largely minority East Tampa, worked some of the city’s most notorious crimes.

He leaves the force Wednesday, though he will remain on the books until Jan. 26. He is having open heart surgery next month.

Current and former colleagues describe McNamara as a brilliant, compassionate workhorse with an outstanding memory.

“He’s probably the most committed to victims of any supervisor that I’ve ever worked with in my entire career,” former investigator Julie Massucci said. “He is a policeman’s policeman.”

For the past six years, McNamara commanded the department’s criminal investigations division, overseeing everything from drug investigations to homicides.

McNamara has handled some of the city’s biggest cases.

He worked the 1985 beating death of 16-year-old Billy Rosebud, whose body was recovered in a North Tampa sinkhole. Two people were convicted in the slaying, and charges were dropped against a third defendant who testified for the prosecution.

He worked the 1990 slaying of Brett Woehlk, whose body, stabbed seven times, was discovered in a field on Sligh Avenue. Murder charges were dropped against the man McNamara believed to be the killer, but that man was later sentenced in Ohio on other charges.

McNamara also worked the 1995 slaying of Tina Marie Cribbs, leading to the conviction of cross-country killer Glen Rogers.

In 1998, two detectives who worked for him, Ricky Childers and Randy Bell, were fatally shot in the line of duty. He delivered Bell’s eulogy.

“Their deaths shocked the entire department,” he said. “I still visit them regularly, and I always will. I loved those guys like brothers.”

McNamara’s career allowed him a chance to provide closure to victims. It let him create a squad and a program to protect the community. And it even led him to the woman who became his wife.

“I consider myself the most blessed and fortunate man that I know of,” he said. “God has been very kind to me.”

Once he recovers from surgery, he said, he plans to continue working in some fashion, whether it involves teaching or being a security director.

About 100 officers attended his farewell party last week, thanking him for his service. At the event, Chief Jane Castor said it would be difficult to explain just how much of an impact McNamara has had on the community.

For more than two years, McNamara was the first person to lead the citywide firehouse cop program. It was a step toward community oriented policing, with officers attending neighborhood meetings and crime watch meetings and moving throughout the area talking with residents of all ages.

He helped create the department’s cold case squad in February 2006. With technological advancements such as DNA testing, creating such a squad made sense, he said. The squad already has made more than 10 arrests.

McNamara, 50, also created the created the department’s Sexual Predator Identification and Notification Program, known as SPIN.

Following the 1998 slaying of 7-year-old Amanda Brown, McNamara helped put in place a police program that tracks sex offenders and predators. Through SPIN, the department began placing automated telephone calls to alert residents within a 11/2-mile radius whenever a sexual predator moved into a neighborhood. Occasionally, the police use the system for sexual offenders. Police also began making house calls to sexual offenders at least once a year, with sexual predators visited four times a year.

“George is one of those rare individuals,” Det. Jose Feliciano said. “He is an extremely good leader who leads by example.”

McNamara’s wife, Gerry, is a Tampa police lieutenant. They met about 25 years ago when she was a recruit and he was her field training officer. They have three children, one of whom wants to become a police officer.

“Probably one of the proudest moments of my life will be pinning my badge on him,” McNamara said.

By Josh Poltilove

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Retired policeman triumphs during PokerStars.net challenge

In America, a retired New York City policeman has won one million dollars after taking part in the PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge on television and beating top professional player Daniel Negreanu head-to-head.

Fifty-three-year-old Mike Kosowski revealed that he took up poker out of boredom after retiring in 2004 and used a combination of good cards and the ability to read people to win the top prize.

“It’s unbelievable,’ Kosowski told the New York Post newspaper.

‘We’re still on an emotional high every day. Every day I wonder ‘Am I living a dream’.’

The retired detective was one of the first officers on the scene following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center eight years ago and was helping to evacuate survivors when the South Tower collapsed. He stated that he was thrown ten feet into the air and suffered burns to his neck and back.

The Staten Island man revealed that his wife, Francis, had encouraged him to pursue poker as a way to occupy his time and was happy for him to enter a 16,000-person online tournament on PokerStars.net in which he finished in fourth spot. That placing entitled Kosowski to submit a video to the programme’s producers explaining why he would make a good television contestant. He eventually asked to be an alternate and was flown with his wife to Los Angeles where the show was taped over the weekend of the couple’s anniversary.

“Playing against a pro is difficult because you know he knows the game inside and out,” said Kosowski.

“You can’t take as many risks as you would against some guy in Atlantic City.”

In the end, Kosowski was fortunate enough to get to play and won two consecutive four-person qualifier games in order to meet Negreanu heads-up. He revealed that he had researched his opponent by reading his book and watching Negreanu on television and had even figured out the Canadian’s ‘tell’.

“The only read I picked up on him was…you knew he didn’t have the best hand because he puts his hand behind the back of his head,” said Kosowski.

Poker fans in the US can watch Kosowski’s final hands on Sunday afternoon from five o’clock in the afternoon on Fox with the winner revealing that he will use his new-found wealth to pay off his mortgage while donating some money to charity.

“I just got lucky, you know, and I just played my game,” said Kosowski.

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15 Minneapolis cops get a fast callback to jobs

Fifteen Minneapolis police officers laid off last week received an early Christmas gift Tuesday.

They will be back on the job Jan. 1, thanks to the approval of a federal job stimulus grant. Thirteen officers are covered under the grant, while an additional two will be funded through the city’s Regulatory Services Department to work on problem properties and animal control.

“Winning this grant shows that even in challenging budget times and despite ongoing budget crises at the state, we are doing everything in Minneapolis we can to put cops on the street and keep them there,” said Mayor R.T. Rybak. “We’re grateful to the Obama administration and their economic recovery plan for lending a hand.”

Nearly half of the rehired officers had graduated from the Police Academy last week, but another 10 from the same class who were laid off will remain unemployed.

Police Chief Tim Dolan said the department had been awaiting the grant decision and “I am pleased that we can alleviate the stress of this difficult time for the families of these officers.”

“The department will continue to look for other funding with the goal of rehiring the other officers as well. Our collective thoughts go out to the employees in all city departments who have lost their jobs during this difficult time,” he said.

Violent crime in Minneapolis has decreased significantly this year. Police federation officials were immediately critical of the layoffs, saying the city had spent an estimated $5 million to train the new recruit class. They aired a radio ad chastising Rybak over the cuts. Community leaders were also upset by the loss of officers from a diverse recruiting class.

City Council Member Don Samuels, chairman of the Public Safety Committee, said: “For a city whose primary function is public safety, this is the best Christmas gift we could receive. This grant allows us to keep our commitment to the citizens of Minneapolis by retaining police officers.”

By David Chanen

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City-county SWAT team wins national competition

ITHACA — It’s a win that should yield daily law-enforcement dividends, according to Ithaca Police Department officials.

For the second time in a row, the Ithaca Police SWAT team took Top National Team in the 27th International SWAT Round-Up in Orlando, Fla., police officials said. The team, made up 11 Ithaca officers and four Tompkins County sheriff’s deputies, competed against 52 SWAT teams from around the world in early December — the first time they participated in the round up since 2006, when they also took Top National Team.

The win was the payoff for the training the team did all year long, said Deputy Ithaca Police Chief and SWAT Commander John Barber.

“This team trained exceptionally hard in recent months, and that training will carry over into their jobs,” he said.

The SWAT Round-Up is made up of training and individual and team competitions like Hostage Rescue, Officer Rescue, Tower Scramble and Obstacle Course.

“They test your anaerobic and cardiovascular strength,” Barber said. “You have to be clear-headed enough to know what do to do next.”

The SWAT officers train as a team 18 days a year, and the marksmen train an additional 12 days per year, Barber said. That training comes into play during the mentally and physically demanding competition where — in addition to having to run and overcome obstacles — officers must shoot at targets and work through complicated tasks, he explained.

“It requires decision-making skills like target identification,” he said. “In stressful situations, officers tend to revert back to their training.”

Deputy Kyle Koskinen won a Remington rifle after taking first place in the Super Sniper event, and Deputy Nate Humble came in third in the Florida Firearms Challenge, police officials said. Sgt. Scott Garin and Sheriff’s Investigator Charlie Bernhardt ranked third and ninth, respectively, in the Super SWAT Cop event, with Garin moving up from his ranking of fifth in the event in 2006.

This was the first year Officer John Joly competed, and he took 11th place in the individual fitness challenge, Barber said. Team members were working out on their own time to prepare for the round-up, Joly said, and it felt great to win.

“We were really busting our butts to get ready,” he said. “Everything played out exactly as we worked toward.”

The team also had a chance to network with other teams, make connections and trade techniques and best practices, Barber said. That would include the team from Dubai, whom Barber described as “small guys who were incredibly fit.”

“I was very impressed with them,” he said. Barber said he was proud of the Ithaca Team, and Ithaca Police Chief Ed Vallely added praise as well.

“They trained remarkably hard all year long,” Vallely said. “The physical requirements are extreme. Their success in Florida is a reflection of their training and commitment to be the best officers they can be.”

By Raymond Drumsta

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‘Shop With a Cop’: State police give back to kids

The first of what’s hoped to be many Shop With a Cop outings occurred Monday at the Mt. Pleasant Wal-Mart.

The state police at Greensburg recently joined with multiple police departments and local Wal-Mart locations to reach out to children of unfortunate circumstances this past year to receive presents a little early.

Trooper Jason Swope of the state police at Greensburg looks over workout equipment with James Povlik of Scottdale for the first Shop With a Cop program at the Mt. Pleasant Wal-Mart. Mark Hofmann/Daily Courier

“This is the first year for this, but my interest is to have it grow,” said Trooper Stephen Limani, public information officer with the state police at Greensburg, who said the program allows children to have a meet and greet with a local police officer. The children then accompany the police officer throughout the store to purchase $50 in items not including electronics.

Limani said children will be able to exchange items for other items or for different sizes if they purchased clothing, but cannot exchange items for cash.

For this first year, Limani said he was able to have Shop With a Cop events at four Wal-Mart locations including Mt. Pleasant, Latrobe, Greensburg and Delmont.

Each Wal-Mart has donated $200 gift cards for the children to use, and along with an extra $200 from another business owner in Latrobe, a total of 20 children were able to shop at those Wal-Mart locations.

“Wal-Mart went out of their way to make this happen,” said Limani, who was just recently appointed to the Greensburg barracks.

Bob Mathers, store manager of the Mt. Pleasant Wal-Mart, said that an earlier jump next year will yield more children receiving gift cards for the program. Yesterday, he allowed all four children to pick out and take a coat at no charge in addition to the $50 gift certificate.

Limani said anyone interested in donating or participating in the Shop With a Cop program may call 724-832-6485.

By Mark Hofmann

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Pa. highway named for slain state trooper Miller

A section of state road in northeastern Pennsylvania has been named in honor of a state trooper who was killed in the line of duty earlier this year.

A bill that named a portion of Route 611 in Monroe County the Trooper Joshua D. Miller Memorial Highway was signed into law by Gov. Ed Rendell on Tuesday.

Miller was shot and killed in June after a 40-mile chase of an armed man. Daniel Autenrieth also seriously wounded another trooper but was himself killed by police.

Autenrieth had kidnapped his 9-year-old son, but the boy wasn’t harmed.

Miller’s survivors include his wife Angela, a state police dispatcher in Luzerne County, and three daughters.

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