Cameras Reduce Crime Rate to Zero in New Yory City Area

The Park Is Elevated. Its Crime Rate Is Anything But.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/11/nyregion/the-high-line-park-is-elevated-its-crime-rate-is-not.html?ref=crimescene

By MICHAEL WILSON

Published: June 10, 2011

The images on Christine C. Quinn’s television a few years ago would seem to have been a worst nightmare for everyone — including her — involved in a highly anticipated new attraction for tourists and locals.

The cameras were filming up on the elevated train line in Chelsea, which was soon to be called a “park in the sky,” and showed the sprawled body of a woman, murdered and dumped there.

Ms. Quinn, the City Council speaker, recalled the scene this week, not with a shudder, but with a broad grin.

“ ‘Law & Order: S.V.U.,’ ” she said. “My favorite!” On Tuesday, She stood somewhere in the vicinity of the spot on what is now the High Line, at the ribbon-cutting of its new extension. “The body was up here,” she said with pride. That is when she knew: “We had made it.”

The High Line park turned two years old this month, commemorating the occasion by doubling its length to about a mile, from Gansevoort Street to West 30th Street. Among the many facts and figures people keep track of in this much-studied park, essentially found space on a crowded island, are statistics that tell whether crime has found it, too, and the numbers are in.

Or more accurately, the number is in: zero. The police, the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation and the founders of the High Line all say there have been no reports of a major crime — assault, larceny, robbery, worse — since its opening.

“Are you disappointed?” Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly asked on Tuesday.

Certainly curious. Not a single stick-up? No fights? How many other mile-long sections of New York City are this safe? The questions come not long after someone opened fire Thursday on the Brighton Beach Boardwalk after what some witnesses described as a perceived dirty look toward gang members. Apples and oranges, yes

— Crips have shown little interest in the High Line, and the drinking that is said to have fueled the Boardwalk shooting is forbidden there. But the tale of two walkways suggests that what the newer one is doing to curb crime is a combination of passive and active, design and deterrence.

It is strenuously policed. Parks Enforcement Patrol officers walk the High Line all day. They have written, as of Wednesday, 362 summonses for quality-of-life infractions, roughly one every other day. A vast majority were for drinking. Others were for dogs and bicycles, also forbidden. Officers and employees in the park, who are not permitted to be quoted by name, said the total could be quite higher. Most people get off with a warning.

By comparison, officers in Central Park wrote 3,275 summonses in the past two years, nine times as many written in the High Line, but Central Park saw 19 times as many visitors last year. The police have taken two complaints at the High Line, a spokeswoman said: one in March for graffiti on a staircase and one, just Wednesday, from a man who said he had lost his wallet but did not think it had been stolen.

Other features of the High Line keep crime out with obstacles as obvious as a padlock and as subtle as the psychological effect of a nearby window. Most of all, there is the design itself, essentially a chute with a handful of entries, all closely watched.

“You see the cameras up there,” Mr. Kelly said, pointing. “This is a much more controllable space. You know who’s going in and who’s coming out.”

A thief would have to plan carefully for a getaway, using one of the staircases or elevators. “It’s not like you can jump off,” Ms. Quinn said. “Well, you can, but it’s not going to end well.”

Those access points are locked up at 11 p.m. in the summer, perhaps the greatest preventer of crime. Other city parks are “closed” at night, but that does not stop people from entering. At the High Line, trespassing, while not unheard of, is rare, usually somebody dropping in from an adjacent building.

And those buildings are extremely adjacent. The park’s designers turned to the late, great Jane Jacobs for guidance on keeping out crime, adopting her “eyes on the streets” theory, in which windows facing the street bring a feeling of security.

Several buildings, including new ones like 245 Tenth Avenue, which partially leans toward the park, seem close enough to high-five someone inside.

“Empty parks are dangerous,” said Joshua David, one of the founders of Friends of the High Line. “Busy parks are much less so. You’re virtually never alone on the High Line.”

Police officers patrol the High Line sporadically. Most of it falls in the 10th Precinct. An officer from that command strode north on the High Line Thursday afternoon. He said he was heading toward the new Section 2, which he wanted to check out in case of an emergency someday.

The Canadian Tactical Training Academy (CTTA) is a for-profit educational institution 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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Basic SWAT Course

There are still 3 places left for our Basic SWAT Course, July 7th-11th.

The Canadian Tactical Training Academy in conjunction with SACR Resources are proud to offer the BASIC SWAT COURSE July 7th - 11th.

BASIC SWAT 

This course is designed specifically for tactical officers and focuses on working in a team environment. 

Topics covered:

• Required Elements of SWAT Intervention
• Slow / Deliberate and Dynamic Clearing Techniques
• Methods of Forced Entry
• Alternative Force Tactics
• Firearm Deployment
• Use of Chemical Agents
• Less Than Lethal

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: Full tactical equipment including body armor, gas mask, pistol holster, ballistic shield if available, gloves, foul weather gear, eye and ear protection.

This course will be held 2 days in Vermont for live-fire and practical exercises and 3 days at our Montreal Location for theory and practical simulation.

Transport, firearms, ammunition and munitions are provided. Accommodation is NOT Provided.

On the first day of class, a Cooper Fitness Test consisting of sit-ups, push-ups and a 1.5 mile run will be administered.

Those individuals who pass the test with a 60% or better will receive a tactical officer certification certificate if they complete the remainder of the course.

Those that score less than 60% will receive a participant certificate if they complete the remainder of the course.

4-day course. COST $1000.00 CAD

For more Information or to register for the course, Contact Us Today!!! Space is limited.

info@ctta-global.com
514.373.8411

Kuwaiti Women Make it in Police Force

CTTA Pursuing Contracts in Middle East

There is a noticeable increase in the number of women joining the police training academy as Kuwaiti women are constantly encouraged to participate in all areas of society, according to women Lieutenants at the Support Authority Institute of the Saad Al-Abdullah Academy for Security Sciences.

The Arab Times spoke exclusively with four Lieutenants at the support institute of the academy - Head of the Department of Training Affairs, First Lieutenant Anisa Musfer Abdulla, Lieutenant in the Department of Learning and Examination Affairs, Hadeel Ebrahim Karam, Lieutenant in the Department of Learning, Training and Library Aids, Dalal Mohamed Mosa, and current Police Training Consultant at the academy, Lieutenant Mona Ali Abdul Rahim.

The Lieutenants explained the role of policewomen in Kuwait, the courses taken at the academy and the challenges women face in the police, where only men were allowed to participate in since the establishment of the State of Kuwait.
From left: First Lieutenant Anisa Musfer Abdulla, Lieutenant Hadeel Ebrahim Karam and Lieutenant Dalal Mohammed Mosa.

The first batch of female cadets in Kuwait graduated in March 25, 2009 in an elaborate ceremony attended by His Highness the Amir and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Vice President of the National Guards Corps, Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, as well as His Highness the Prime Minister, Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah, among other senior statesmen.

Last year the country has witnessed a landmark parliamentary election as well where four women competed fiercely with their male counterparts and were enthusiastically elected by their districts. According to the Lieutenants, the Kuwaiti police is just another sector an increasing number of women want to prove themselves in, that they are capable and just as good as men in serving in the police force.


Q: When did the training of women for the police force begin?


Lieutenant Mona: The Ministry of Interior of Kuwait has requested the assistance of the Kingdom of Bahrain in training the women for the police force here since Bahrain is the one of the first in the Gulf region to accept women in the police force since the 1970s. So far we have 800 policewomen in Bahrain. Although we started early, at the beginning there wasn’t much acceptance by the community and only a few women joined the first year of training. In Kuwait, however we have witnessed tremendous enthusiasm by women in the police force and people applying to the academy has noticeably increased this year. In Bahrain, we are just starting to train women in patrolling the field and at the current rate women are developing in the police force, they are not far behind this progress.

Lieutenant Dalal: People keep asking why it has taken so long for women to join the police force. They should know that for a long time His Highness the Amir was considering this development; however he was just studying the methods and approach of other Middle Eastern countries and weighing the pros and cons the decision may have on Kuwait. Our cultural and Islamic traditions say that who is supposed to talk to women, hear her problems or touch her is another woman. So any reason why women should not join the police force is not valid or scientific.

The decision for women to join was made in 2001 although they started training us in 2008 after finalizing all the documents and allocating our training facility. Our titles were different from what we have now. We were given the titles such as ‘security supervisor’ and ‘security assistant’, which we were not happy about. Nevertheless, due to the constant support of His Highness the Amir and His Highness the Prime Minister, our titles became exactly like those of male graduates upon graduation. Since then we’ve acquired equal status with men.

Even though all the other policewomen training academies in the Middle East have started earlier than Kuwait, they began slowly and modestly. Even though Kuwait started training women for the police force late, we have developed much quicker, in only a few years.

First Lieutenant Anisa: I’ve been fortunate enough to provide training in Kuwait from institute’s inception in 2008-2009. Our training of policewomen in the Kingdom of Bahrain began in 1970. We brought to Kuwait our experiences and what we are witnessing now is not any different from Bahrain. In 2009, we’ve graduated 27 policewomen - 16 lieutenants, 8 deputy police officers and 3 sergeants. Some of the work as trainers in the academy and a lot work in airport security and the woman’s prison.

Currently, there are approximately 48 women in training who are expected to graduate this year. Policewomen are available in most departments belonging to the Ministry of Interior, such as the criminal investigation unit, airport security, forensics and the immigration and passport departments of the airport. They also participate in any political events, provide personal security and administer the woman’s prison. As like their male counterparts, policewomen are on call 24 hours and are expected to follow orders on the spot.


Q: How would you describe Kuwaiti policewomen?
First Lieutenant Anisa: When we started in Bahrain only a few women were willing to join the police force, however, the women here rushed to register when the program began. The women in Kuwait are really enthusiastic to participate in every field available in their country. We have found them to be strong-willed and determined and they have proved themselves able to handle any situation.
Police officers have to have certain personality and physical traits to be able to handle their job positions. The women we accept at the Academy must pass certain tests provided by the Ministry to determine mental health and physical capabilities. They also must be well reputed in the community and with a clear criminal record. The women trainees take exactly the same courses of self-defense and effective communication male police trainees and they get trained on the same weapons.


In February CTTA announced that preliminary talks were underway with Kuwait and Qatar regarding a project to train thousands of police officers.



The Canadian Tactical Training Academy (CTTA) is a for-profit educational institution 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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No stripping, no pat-downs: Could this be the airport checkpoint of the future?

CTTBy Jane Engle 
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 
June 7, 2011 

"Passengers should be able to get from curb to boarding gate with dignity. That means without stopping, stripping or unpacking, and certainly not groping." 

With that declaration, Giovanni Bisignani, director general of the International Air Transport Assn., unveiled a mock-up of an airport "Checkpoint of the Future" Tuesday at the annual meeting of the worldwide airline organization in Singapore. 

The sleek, high-tech mock-up, in the works for more than a year, builds on the concept of airport screening that focuses on higher-risk passengers -- a vision recently endorsed also by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Travel Assn. 

The IATA proposal would funnel fliers through one of three checkpoint lanes based on their perceived security risk. Many fliers might be able to walk quickly through a tunnel while being automatically screened for explosives, metal and other threats. They would not need to remove clothing or unpack their bags for inspection. 

The three lanes would be "known traveler," "normal" and "enhanced" security. Travelers, after presenting a passport or other document with a "biometric identifier," would be assigned to a lane based on "a risk assessment conducted by the government before the passenger arrives at the airport," an IATA news release said. 

To access the fastest lane, "known traveler," you would have to register and submit to a government background check. You would probably also pay a fee to participate, Kenneth Dunlap, IATA's global director of security and travel facilitation, said in a recent interview. 

If this sounds like the Registered Traveler program, which the TSA tested and abandoned a few years back, you're not far off. In that program, travelers were typically charged around $100 to undergo a background check and get access to shorter checkpoint lines, where they underwent basically the same screening as other passengers. 

But in a recent interview, Dunlap said that under the IATA proposal, vetted travelers would be screened differently than others. For instance, although screened for explosives and metal, they might not have to remove coats or belts. He said he figured about 30% of fliers might opt for this "known traveler" process. 

A much smaller number of travelers might be assigned to the "enhanced" lane, where they would receive a secondary screening. These would be people viewed as higher risk based on computerized background checks or suspicious behaviors, he said. Some people might also be randomly assigned to that lane. 

Most travelers, Dunlap said, would go to the "normal" lane. They would move faster, in part, because more than 30% of travelers would be assigned to other lanes. 

Don't expect the new checkpoint system to pop up any time soon. It would require significant design changes, and the technology for fully automated screening is not there yet. 

But in a news release, IATA's Bisignani said: "We have the ability to move to the biometric scanning and three-lane concept right now. And while some of the technology still needs to be developed ... we could see major changes in two or three years' time.” 



The Canadian Tactical training Academy (CTTA) is a for-profit educational institution 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. 

CTTA courses include Counter-Terrorism seminars, Airport and Airline Security, Physical Security and Protection of Infrastructure, among others. 


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LAPD seeks tighter regulations on toy guns

Chief Charlie Beck urges law requiring BB guns to be brightly colored to avoid confusion with authentic firearms. 

By Sam Allen, Los Angeles Times 

June 7, 2011 
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck is proposing that the city require BB-gun replicas of actual firearms to be brightly colored so that police officers don't mistake them for real weapons. 

The proposal, which the Los Angeles Police Commission will consider Tuesday, comes after two shootings involving officers and people with replica weapons, including one in which a teenager was wounded. Under the new rule, all such toys sold inLos Angeles would have the "entire exterior surface of the device white, bright red, bright orange, bright yellow, bright green, bright blue, bright pink or bright purple." 

Guns would also be allowed if they were "constructed of transparent or translucent materials which permits unmistakable observation of the device's complete contents." 

"This change will not ban such devices but will aid law enforcement in differentiating real firearms from BB devices and imitation firearms. It will also prevent the sales and possession of BB devices and imitation firearms in the city of Los Angeles that are similar in size and appearance to actual firearms," Beck wrote in a memo. 

The guns come in various models that closely resemble real weapons such as Berettas, shotguns and pistols. Law enforcement experts say the toys can easily be mistaken for the real thing, especially in a situation in which an officer must react quickly and decisively. 

On Dec. 16, three boys were playing with the guns on North Verdugo Road in Glassell Park when two LAPD officers stopped to investigate. An officer fired at one of the boys, believing the boy's gun was a real weapon, according to an LAPD news release. The boy was shot in the torso and underwent surgery. 

Capt. David Lindsay, who headed the Northeast Division when the shooting occurred, said the division had faced several incidents in recent months involving toy guns, and noted that they have been taken from gang members and robbery suspects. 

"It's a consistent issue for us. I saw the guns the kids had that night from a distance of 3 or 4 feet; when you first look at them, they look identical to a particular style of handgun, a Beretta 92F," Lindsay said in an interview earlier this year. He has since been transferred to a different position. 

Los Angeles City Councilman Greig Smith said the December incident alarmed him and his staff because a local activist warned them about the toy guns several months earlier. 

Les Salay, a Vietnam veteran, firearm instructor and father of three, had contacted Smith and presented him photographs of Airsoft guns that his daughter had purchased from ice cream trucks outside two schools near his family's Chatsworth home. 

Salay said he had asked his daughter Ashley, 12, to try to purchase the guns because he wanted to see if vendors would sell them to her. She was able to buy several guns from the ice cream trucks, he said, two of which had warnings on them that they were intended for ages 18 and older. 

"At an ice cream truck, there is no parent who can say 'no, no, no, you can't have that,' " said Salay, who also teaches gun safety to Boy Scouts. "To sell a 12-year-old girl a gun that looks like a real gun is a tragedy waiting to happen. And now it has happened." 

The Los Angeles City Council passed an ordinance banning the sale of toy guns from ice cream trucks in 2005, but several distributors interviewed by The Times said some trucks still carry the guns. 

"It's a few renegade trucks that do it," said Fred Karamati, owner of Avalon Ice Cream, a distributor in Los Angeles. He said that he no longer sells the guns to truck operators, but that they are widely available at toy wholesalers throughout the city. 

Smith, who is also an LAPD reserve officer, said the guns pose a problem for police because officers typically have only seconds to react in a situation in which they believe a subject is armed. He considered a citywide ban of the replica weapons earlier this year. 

"If you see something that just looks like a gun, you're going to shoot," Smith said after the Glassell Park shooting. "That's what you're trained to do. Your mind doesn't have enough time to process whether it's a real gun or a fake gun." 

His office said Monday that he supported Beck's proposal. 

The Canadian Tactical Training Academy (CTTA) is a for-profit educational 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. 

www.ctta-global.com

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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