Shares of for-profit colleges soar after U.S. eases rules on federal aid

http://www.ctta-global.com/news/for-profit-colleges

June 2, 2011, 3:29 p.m. (from www.latimes.com)

Shares of for-profit colleges surged the most in six years after the Obama administration eased rules that would cut off federal aid to schools whose students struggle the most to repay their government loans.
Under the rules published Thursday, companies including University of Phoenix owner Apollo Group Inc. won't risk losing their federal funding until 2015, three years later than under a previous draft, the Education Department said.

Shares of Phoenix-based Apollo, the largest for-profit college company, rose $4.71, or 11%, to $46.90. The Bloomberg U.S. For-Profit College Index of 13 stocks rose 12%, the most since January 2005.
Calling the proposed rules a threat to their existence, for-profit colleges spent $6.6 million last year on lobbying and generated thousands of letters to the government in protest. The final version was delayed seven months, and some provisions were deleted or altered to favor the industry, said Jarrel Price, an analyst at Height Analytics in Washington.



"This is good for certain schools, and it's a home run for certain schools," he said. "Apollo is a clear winner."
Under the earlier proposal, loan-repayment rates at Corinthian Colleges Inc., Strayer Education Inc., Washington Post Co.'s Kaplan education business, DeVry Inc. and ITT Educational Services Inc. would have put them at risk of losing eligibility, according to Price.
Shares of Corinthian, of Santa Ana, jumped $1.07, or 27%, to $5.06. Strayer, of Herndon, Va., advanced $23.08, or 19%, to $144.95. Washington Post gained $20.46, or 5%, to $426.42. DeVry, of Downers Grove, Ill., rose $7.87, or 15%, to $61.86. ITT Educational, of Carmel, Ind., rose $14.94, or 21%, to $85.67.
Congress and state attorneys general are investigating the education companies' recruitment practices and use of government aid, which totaled $30 billion last year. The Education Department developed the rules to try to curb loan default rates at for-profit colleges that are twice as high as at public institutions and three times as high as at private nonprofit colleges.
The regulations seek to ensure that for-profit college graduates get jobs that allow them to repay their student loans. Although the harshest measures are being delayed, the regulations protect students from "exploitative" college programs that leave them with government-backed debt they can't repay, the Education Department said.

The rules "reflect input from the industry, and they're designed to give for-profit colleges every opportunity to reform without letting them off the hook," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said.
Under the rules, programs would remain eligible for federal aid if they meet at least one of three tests in a given year: at least 35% of former students are repaying their loan balance; yearly educational-debt payments of typical graduates account for a maximum of 12% of their total income; and those payments account for no more than 30% of their discretionary income.

Programs would have to fail all three tests in the same year for three out of four years before losing aid eligibility. The earlier draft would have cut aid to failing programs beginning next year.
About 5% of for-profit college programs are expected to lose eligibility, compared with 16% under the previous proposal, which gave colleges less time to comply.

For-profit colleges enroll about 12% of U.S. higher-education students, but they use about one-quarter of federal student grants and loans and account for 46% of student loan dollars in default, the Education Department said.

CTTA in Talks to Establish Training School in United States

http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=223554 Department of Education Ruling Favors Training Which Leads to "Gainful Employment"

MONTREAL, June 2, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canadian Tactical Training Academy (CTTA) (Pink Sheets: CTTG) is pleased to announce that discussions have started with potential training partners in the United States. CTTA has been negotiating with potential partners in Florida for the past several months. The goal is to establish a for-profit educational institution with a curriculum which addresses the staffing needs of the security industry. Today's decision by the Department of Education is quite clear. They want graduating students to have access to "gainful employment" once their course of study is complete. CTTA and its partners are confident that they can provide a sturdy and effective curriculum to train professionals for the security industry. The timing of this project would encompass several steps and CTTA will advise its investors of their progress in a timely manner. The goal of the program is to train students in fields as diverse as crisis intervention and counter terrorism. "We believe the market is ready for this new school and we expect to offer the best programs in our industry," said Angelo Marino, Vice President of CTTA. "Security will continue to be a concern in an ever changing world and we want to proactively train the leaders of tomorrow who will help keep America safe." The Department of Education ruling was well received by investors in for-profit schools. For example, shares in ITT Educational Services jumped 27% and Corinthian Colleges gained over 40%. Canadian Tactical Training Academy has ongoing training programs in the United States. The Canadian Tactical Training Academy (CTTA) is an organization devoted to worldwide training of peace and law enforcement officers, as well as all other professionals involved in the fields of security, investigation, protection and the maintenance of order. The Academy also provides tailored security and safety oriented civilian training at both the individual and corporate levels. Risk factors and cautionary statement about forward-looking information This press release includes forward-looking statements about our plans and future performance, including those under Outlook for 2011. These statements use such words as "may," "will," "expect," "believe," "plan," "anticipate," "contemplate," "target," "continue," "intend," "estimate," "project," and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. They reflect our expectations and speak only as of the date of this press release. We do not undertake to update them. Our expectations (or the underlying assumptions) may change or not be realized, and you should not rely unduly on forward-looking statements. CONTACT: Jocelyn Moisan, Angelo Marino and John Farinaccio Canadian Tactical Training Academy 7000 Cote de Liesse, Suite #8 Montreal, Quebec, H4T 1E7, Canada Phone: 514-373-8411 http://www.ctta-global.com info@ctta-global.com

Police Budget Cuts are Devastating for Athens

Violent crime is gaining dangerous momentum 

Crime casts long shadow over Athens 

Greece's debt crisis, shrinking economy and surging unemployment have transformed Athens, once considered one of Europe's safest capitals, into a city of fear. 

Immigrants protest against recent racist attacks outside the Athens' City Hall. Violent crime has soared in the Greek capital, and security experts warn that it may get even worse as Greece sinks deeper into recession. 


By Anthee Carassava, Los Angeles Times 

May 31, 2011 
Reporting from Athens— Manolis Kandaris' wife was in labor and he wanted to get her to a hospital, fast. So he reached for the car keys, fetched the video camera and dashed out to get his clunky Citroen running. 

He never made it. 

As he sprinted to the car, muggers attacked him about a block from his apartment. And when he resisted their attempts to wrench the camera from him, the 44-year-old pharmaceuticals executive was stabbed to death. 

His wife found him lying in a pool of blood as she hobbled to the car with the help of her mother. She was taken to a maternity ward; he was taken to the morgue. 

Long prided as one of Europe's safest capitals, this ancient metropolis is cowering in the shadow of harrowing crimes and lawless rampages. 

Within 24 hours of the Kandaris killing, a 21-year-old man from Bangladesh was stabbed to death in what police suspect was a revenge killing. The following day, mobs of ultranationalist youths bolted through the center of Athens, battering scores of illegal immigrants. Three days later, masked youths enraged by a police beating firebombed a precinct in downtown Athens, critically injuring two men and a 55-year-old female flower seller. 

"It never used to be this way," said Ioannis Makris, president of the Athens police union. "We're seeing a lot of rage as a result of the financial crisis, a lot of desperate people resorting to fistfights, not to mention gunfire and stabbings, for trite causes." 

Amid a devastating debt crisis, shrinking economy and surging unemployment, violent crime has soared here, and security experts warn that it may get even worse as Greece sinks deeper into recession. 

Armed robberies were at historic lows in the capital in 2007, but the figure had more than doubled in 2009, the onset of the financial crisis, according to police data. Thefts and break-ins jumped from 26,872 recorded cases in 2007 to 47,607 two years later; homicides likewise nearly doubled in the period. 

Final statistics for 2010 are not yet available, but news reports and anecdotal evidence suggest that violent crime is gaining dangerous momentum. 

"Greek society as a whole is at a breaking point," criminologist Angelos Tsigris said. "Things are going from bad to worse, and crime, which mirrors the state of a society at a given time and moment, will naturally follow that course." 

Athens, home to nearly half the country's population of 11 million, is reeling. Although still benefiting from European Union investment infrastructure and its Olympic glow — it hosted the 2004 Summer Games — the once-glamorous capital is fading into money-strapped dishevelment. 

Rising tides of illegal immigration are adding to Athenians' sense of malaise. A fairly homogeneous society, Greece has seen its ethnic makeup change dramatically in the last decade. Immigrants, legal and not, now account for as much as 15% of the population, and most of the new arrivals have settled in Athens. 

Residents fear the disorder and lawlessness gripping the capital will hamper desperately needed recovery or, worse, incite further violence, including police brutality and vigilantism. 

"I'm losing my city," Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis said. "Something has to happen fast. 

"It's starting to look like Beirut in the 1970s," he said, referring to a rash of killings in the Lebanese capital that preceded that country's civil war. 

A recent wave of public-safety budget cuts hasn't helped. 

"Only a third of the 500 motorcycles and police cars are in operation for patrols," said Makris, the police union president. "The rest are in the pits because there's no money to service them. From boots to bulletproof vests, police resources are ailing in Athens." 

In an effort to restore confidence, the Greek government recently announced a series of crime-busting measures, including increased street patrols. City hall officials said they had the government's assurance that the new campaign would get top funding priority. The amount, though, remained unclear. 

"It all sounds encouraging," Tsigris said. "But at this point, it's like putting a wet rag in the muffler of a rickety car. It'll blow out and rupture other parts of the car in the process." 

He and other security experts have long supported a sweeping overhaul of the capital's 17,000-member police force, nearly half of whom are assigned to clerical duties such as ferrying court documents to judges. 

Frustrated residents, meanwhile, are taking things into their own hands. 

At an impromptu shrine that sprang up at the site of Kandaris' killing, emotions run high. Angry crowds have sealed off the area, shielding mounds of flowers, candles and prayer notes behind a makeshift wall of dumpsters donned with Greek flags. 

"Enough!" cried Giorgos Lambrou, head of a newly formed neighborhood watch team. "We're reclaiming our city, and this is the first patch." 

Authorities this month announced the arrest of two Afghans in the killing. 

"It's a good start. But it'll take much more for us to let up our fight," said construction worker Dimitris Efstathiou, taking up position at the shrine. 

"I've been shot at twice, burgled three times and lost my job — and hope — to the crisis," he said. "Would you let up that easy?" 

The Canadian Tactical training Academy (CTTA) is an organization devoted to worldwide training of peace and law enforcement officers, as well as all other professionals involved in the fields of security, investigation, protection and the maintenance of order. 

The Academy also provides tailored security and safety oriented civilian training at both the individual and corporate levels. 




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U.S. would use military might to strike back against cyberattack

Obama's Plan Gives Cops a Boost to Track Down Cyber Criminals




WASHINGTON (www.lawofficer.com) — The Obama administration laid out plans Monday to work aggressively with other nations to make the Internet more secure, enable law enforcement to work closely on cybercrime, and ensure that citizens everywhere have the freedom to express themselves online.

And in the strongest terms to date, the White House made it clear the U.S. would use its military might to strike back if it should come under a cyberattack that threatened national security.

Coming in the aftermath of populist rebellions in the Middle East, the broad policy stresses Internet freedom and urges other nations to give citizens the ability to shop, communicate and express themselves freely online.

The White House plan emerges as international leaders are struggling to improve cooperation on global cybercrime and set guidelines for Internet oversight.

Cybersecurity experts have argued that the Internet cannot become a safer place until nations implement international agreements that better define and regulate cybercrime, provide oversight of the Internet, and that set out new standards and rules for industry as it increasingly moves its business into the largely ungoverned online world.

The challenges are vast. International leaders are looking for ways to better secure online financial transactions and other business and high-tech exchanges between nations and corporations that span the globe. They also are grasping for ways to crack down on hackers and other cybercriminals and terrorists who are routinely using the Internet to steal money, ferret out classified secrets and technology, and disturb or destroy critical infrastructure, ranging from the electrical grid and telecommunications networks to nuclear plants and transportation systems.

Acknowledging that the Internet can be a tool used by governments to crack down on dissidents or by criminals to steal data, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday that nations must agree on acceptable norms for cyberspace.

"What this document says, we want the Internet to be open and free and accessible and an economic engine to all people," said Clinton, during the White House rollout of the new policy document.

Clinton and other federal agency leaders said the U.S. will reach out to other nations to set voluntary standards for prosecuting cyber criminals, protecting intellectual property, securing networks and pursing terrorists who use cyberspace to plan attacks and woo followers.



For the Pentagon, it makes clear that the U.S. will respond to a major cyberattack in much the way it would respond to any other threat to the country. "We reserve the right to use all necessary means — diplomatic, informational, military and economic — as appropriate," said the policy. It adds, however, that the U.S. would exhaust all options before military force would be used.

The policy is more a set of guiding principles than a binding text, and there are no set deadlines or goals for reaching agreements with other countries.

"This is the future we seek, and we invite all nations and peoples to join us in that effort," said White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan.

White House cybersecurity coordinator Howard Schmidt, in an Associated Press Television News interview, said the policy will allow the U.S. to begin discussions with other countries about what is and is not appropriate activity on the Internet. Under the plan, nations must take responsibility for cybercrime within their borders.

As protests swept across the Middle East, from Tunisia and Egypt to Libya and Yemen, dissidents used social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to organize anti-government demonstrations. And in some cases, country leaders have tried to stifle the protests by shutting down websites or disrupting Internet traffic. Clinton has been vocal in her opposition to that, and the new policy formalizes those sentiments.

"That's one of the things we hope in the long term that will never happen again," Schmidt said.

He agreed it will take time to forge agreements around the globe, particularly with countries that are "not likeminded" and don't share American values of free expression.

The strategy will give everyday citizens who use the Internet the confidence to know "they'll still be able to do the things they do now, whether they blog, whether they purchase things online, or they communicate with friends, send pictures, or make Angry Birds happy," said Schmidt, referring to the wildly popular I-Phone application and game, Angry Birds.

James Lewis, a cybersecurity expert and senior fellow at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the policy is a strong first step toward broader international agreements.

"For the first time we are saying what to do in cyberspace and what we think is important," said Lewis. "And we are linking cybersecurity to Internet freedom."

The plan also gives U.S. law enforcement agencies a boost as they work to track down cyber criminals in the borderless Internet world, a challenge that is fraught with difficulties, since countries' laws are different and in some places almost nonexistent.

Both the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service have based agents in a number of foreign countries, expanding their international cyber investigations, which often involve complex crime networks, often made up of hackers spread across several countries, people who never have met and may have communicated only anonymously online. A number of recent cases have involved arrests in Eastern European countries, but the threats also are increasing in Africa and South America, where cyber criminals have found sanctuaries because of their records of weak law enforcement.



The Canadian Tactical training Academy (CTTA) is an organization devoted to worldwide training of peace and law enforcement officers, as well as all other professionals involved in the fields of security, investigation, protection and the maintenance of order.

The Academy also provides tailored security and safety oriented civilian training at both the individual and corporate levels.

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How the FBI's Strategy Continues to Evolve

http://www.officer.com/news/10271118/how-the-fbis-strategy-continues-to-evolve





The Canadian Tactical Training Academy’s Training Facility in Montreal is currently the site of the annual re-certification of more than 250 security officers who comprise the Airport Patrol and are assigned to protecting the Montreal Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport (YUL) and the Montreal Mirabel International Airport (YMX).

There are two certification programs, each of which is valid for a two year period. Participants are re-certified in each program on alternate years. Certificates are issued by CTTA to successful participants upon completion of the program.

The security officers underwent their initial training under the auspices of CTTA.

The fully equipped training facility includes equipment such as body shields, focus gloves, batons, handcuffs, and Body Opponent Bags or “BOBs” for realistic training.
The training facility is located near the Trudeau airport and is fully booked until mid-June.

All of CTTA’s many courses can be conducted at the Montreal location except for live-ammunition firearms training which is given in the United States at a range used by US federal agencies and at private ranges in Canada.

International courses may be delivered at other locations around the world.


CTTA offers an Airport and Airline Security course, which includes the following topics:

Airport Security Operations
-ICAO and IATA security standards
-Perimeter protection and access control
-Protecting public areas
-Protecting restricted area-Vehicle and pedestrian patrols

Airline Security Operations
-ICAO and IATA security standards
-Passenger Profiling
-Passenger and employee screening
-Dealing with unruly passengers
-Cargo, courier and mail security

The Canadian Tactical training Academy (CTTA) is an organization devoted to worldwide training of peace and law enforcement officers, as well as all other professionals involved in the fields of security, investigation, protection and the maintenance of order.
The Academy also provides tailored security and safety-oriented civilian training at both the individual and corporate levels.

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CTTA Confirms Ronald Myles to Join Board of Advisors

http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=222354

Former CSIS and RCMP Operative to Counsel Management

MONTREAL, May 17, 2011

The Canadian Tactical Training Academy (CTTA) (Pink Sheets: CTTG)

The Canadian Tactical Training Academy, a leader in the worldwide training of peace and law enforcement officers, is pleased to announce that Ronald E. Myles has been selected to serve as a member of the Board of Advisors for the company.

The Board of Advisors, chosen for their demonstrated interest in and support of the company, are committed industry experts who serve as advocates for the company by promoting its goals, counseling company management, assisting with sales, introducing new initiatives, and publicizing the company. The Board is composed of some of the industry’s most renowned training innovators, counter-terrorist experts, and former high-ranking government agents. Mr. Myles will commence an initial one-year term on the board starting on May 11, 2010.

Today Ronald Myles stated, `I am pleased to be part of the CTTA team and look forward to using my expertise to assist the company in a time when the security and well being of free and democratic nations is under threat.

Prior to becoming a member of CTTA’s Board of Advisors, Mr. Myles, a graduate of Concordia University, served in the intelligence community starting with the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) where he was assigned to the surveillance unit of its Security Service. In the late 1970s Mr. Myles was assigned to the counter-terrorist desk in Montreal as an investigator and then as head of an operational unit. In 1984 the Security Service of the RCMP became, by decree, the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS). Mr. Myles continued his career with CSIS until his retirement in 1997.

As an investigator, Mr. Myles conducted interviews, recruited and handled informants / collaborators within various ethnic communities; the main objective being to assess the threat posed to the national security by terrorist groups and general espionage. As a unit head, Mr. Myles was responsible for a group of investigators and communications analysts.

Liaison and the exchange of information with other organizations of the intelligence community is a crucial part in determining emerging trends relating to the CSIS mandate whether on the counter-terrorist or the counter-espionage investigations. In this capacity, Mr. Myles represented CSIS in many of the international and national conferences.

Mr. Myles is currently the President of CSJ International Inc., Consultants in Security.

About The Canadian Tactical Training Academy


The Canadian Tactical Training Academy (CTTA) is an organization devoted to the training of law enforcement, security, investigation, protection officers and all those who dedicate themselves to maintaining peace. The Academy also provides tailored security and safety-oriented civilian training at both the individual and corporate levels.

CTTA offers recognized tactical training programs of the highest level, as well as specialized programs for the fields of Intelligence and Investigation, Executive Protection and both Public and Private Security and Safety.

Above and beyond the quality of its training programs, the strength of an academy resides in the competency and capabilities of its instructors. CTTA`s instructors are carefully selected and have proven their superior skills in both the field and the classroom before they are entrusted with providing guidance and professional development to its students.


CTTA`s Mission is to facilitate professional training and operational objectives by offering the tools and guidance required to enhance careers and ensure survival!


CTTA offers specialized programs such as: Executive Protection, Investigation and Surveillance, Rapid Integrated Survival Kombat (RISK) System, Tactical Firearms, Handcuffing, Airport and Airline Security (IATA and ICAO standards), Ports Facilities and Maritime Security (ISPS Code), Basic SWAT Techniques, Corporate Safety Awareness, and much more.


CTTA`s civilian training programs are recognized by numerous notable corporations, and its instructors are proud members of several prestigious law enforcement and security associations.

Contacts:

Jocelyn Moisan, Angelo Marino and John Farinaccio
Canadian Tactical Training Academy
7000 Cote de Liesse, Suite 8
Montreal, Quebec, H4T 1E7, Canada
Phone: 514-373-8411

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FBI: 56 Police Officers Killed in 2010

That number is up eight from 2009
(article from www.lawofficer.com)
WASHINGTON — The FBI says 56 law enforcement officers were murdered on duty last year, up eight from 2009.

All but one of the 56 officers was slain by someone using a gun. Thirty-eight of them were wearing body armor when killed. The only officer who wasn't a victim of firearms was killed with a vehicle.
Fifteen officers were killed in ambushes, eight were investigating suspicious persons, seven were killed in traffic pursuits or stops and six were responding to disturbance calls. Preliminary FBI figures show the rest were killed during other police work.
Separately, 72 officers were killed in accidents, a 50 percent jump over 2009 when 48 officers died in accidents. For 2009, both the number of officers slain feloniously and those accidentally killed was 48.
The Canadian Tactical training Academy (CTTA) is an organization devoted to worldwide training of peace and law enforcement officers, as well as all other professionals involved in the fields of security, investigation, protection and the maintenance of order.
The Academy also provides tailored security and safety oriented civilian training at both the individual and corporate levels.
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