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U.S. Department of State School Terrorism

The U.S. Department of State has issued a Worldwide Alert on the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against U.S. citizens throughout the world.

Schools, sporting events, residential areas, business offices, hotels, restaurants, and places of worship should increase their security and U.S. citizens should be extremely careful both in the U.S. and abroad.

“The Department of State has issued this Worldwide Caution to update information on the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against U.S. citizens and interests throughout the world. U.S. citizens are reminded to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness.”

How the Budget Battle Has Endangered Law Enforcement and the Public

Since January 1 of this year over 90 local, state and federal law enforcement officers and special agents have been killed.

A war has been declared on cops by radical political groups, violent loners and organized crime gangs. The general public is not aware of this problem but I am. As a Federal law enforcement trainer I have watched as the budget debate has dramatically affected police training throughout the country.

By Alan Levin, USA TODAY

The Transportation Security Administration on Wednesday urged foreign security agencies to ramp up security after receiving intelligence reports that terrorists might try to surgically implant explosives in the bodies of suicide bombers.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the intelligence that led to the warning “does not relate to an imminent or specific threat,” but the TSA issued a statement saying that travelers heading to the U.S. from foreign nations may notice screeners taking additional protections.

“Measures may include interaction with passengers, in addition to the use of other screening methods such as pat-downs and the use of enhanced tools and technologies,” TSA spokesman Nicholas Kimball said.

The US Department of Justice has released a report that states the growth of criminal gangs is increasing in all socioeconomic areas of the country. The National Youth Gang Survey Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)

Key Points

• There were an estimated 28,100 gangs and 731,000 gang members throughout 3,500 jurisdictions nationwide.
• The prevalence rate of gang activity increased to 34.5 percent from 32.4 percent in 2008.
• Larger cities and suburban counties accounted for more than 96 percent of all gang homicides.

Dale Yeager of SERAPH explains the problem, “School officials have been caught off guard by the rise of gangs in suburban areas.Straight Edge, Juggalos, Crips and Bloods have all been recruiting juveniles in suburban areas of the United States.”

This morning’s Wall Street Journal opinion page features a chilling reminder of why the War on Terror encompasses more than just overseas militants. The FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Terrorists list, it turns out, includes one domestic zealot from the animal rights movement.

Oregon scientist Michael Conn and ethicist James Parker write that the federal fugitive, named Daniel Andreas San Diego, epitomizes the radical view that animals’ lives are more important than those of people. And, they add, al Qaeda has some competition in the bomb-making department:

public-schools-zero-tolerance SERAPH School Services

A recently published research brief by Child Trends, “Multiple Responses, Promising Results: Evidence-Based, Non punitive Alternatives To Zero Tolerance,” suggests that zero tolerance school discipline policies have not been proven effective by research and may have negative effects, making students more likely to drop out and less likely to graduate on time. Instead, the brief recommends the use of non punitive disciplinary action, such as behavior interventions, social skills classes, and character education.

National Police Week, which occurs each year during the week in which May 15 falls, recognizes the service and sacrifice of U.S. law enforcement. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.

National Police Week is a collaborative effort of many organizations dedicated to honoring America’s law enforcement community. Principal organizers of National Police Week are:

• National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), which sponsors the annual Candlelight Vigil at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

Virginia Tech will have to pay the maximum $55,000 fine for violating federal law by waiting too long to notify students during the 2007 shooting rampage but will not lose any federal student aid, the U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday.

Department officials wrote in a letter to the school that the sanction should have been greater for the school’s slow response to the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The $55,000 fine was the most the department could levy for Tech’s two violations of the federal Clery Act, which requires timely reporting of crimes on campus.

Dale Yeager a criminal analyst, who worked for the Boulder District Attorney’s office in 1997 on the original murder investigation of JonBenet Ramsey, has released a book on bullying titled “3 Myths About Bullying” What Every Parent and Grandparent Should know to Protect Children and Grandchildren. 

The book focuses on inaccurate information about bullying that Yeager says can endanger children.

“After 20 years working on criminal cases involving child on child violence I have acquired information on the causes of bullying which conflict with many of the ideas parents’ have.” says Yeager.

The book focuses on three myths:

By Mary Beth Marklein, USA TODAY

Registered sex offenders are getting jobs in schools as teachers, administrators, volunteers and contractors, despite state laws that prohibit them from contact with children, a government watchdog report says. And school officials in some states enable misconduct to continue by ignoring red flags during hiring or by covering up the firing of sexual offenders, according to the report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress.

The report, obtained by USA TODAY, is based on a review of 15 cases in 11 states over the last decade involving people with histories of sexual misconduct working in public or private schools. Of those, 11 offenders had previously targeted children, and six abused more children in their new positions.