Category: Articles, Crime Investigation, Law Enforcement & Corrections, Resources for Attorneys Bullet Behavior TASA ID: 8673 Ricochet Characteristics: Smaller, faster moving bullets tend to fragment upon impact rather than ricochet so they would have a lower or more acute critical angle than larger, slower moving bullets. With this in mind, a .45 ACP moving at approximately 800 fps is an ideal cartridge to use when conducting experiments with ricochets. Investigators in the field typically would not have the requisite information available to estimate a critical angle when a ricochet marking is discovered at a crime scene so field testing with a similar cartridge and the same or similar substrate would be a benefit to the CSI’s analysis when calculating the approximate critical angle is necessary. Read more
Category: Articles, Law Enforcement & Corrections, Resources for Attorneys, Resources for Experts, Safety, Security Security is a Vital Consideration in the Emergency Management Landscape TASA ID: 8635 Traditionally, the role of Emergency Management was defined as a planning and support mechanism dealing with risk and risk avoidance of a broad range of situations and events. Emergency management professionals were normally tasked for disaster planning, emergency communications, operating command centers, and securing funding for mitigation and recovery. Therefore, Emergency Managers have historically had closer relationships with the fire service than the security and law enforcement communities. However, it is undeniable that emergency management is integral to the security of an area or organization, and its integration with the security planning and response landscape is vital in addition to current roles in response to major disasters. Read more
Category: Articles, Computer/Internet, Crime Investigation, Law Enforcement & Corrections, Record Fraud, Resources for Attorneys, Resources for Experts Communications are Essential as a Force Multiplier in Fraud Investigations TASA ID: 8635 While most news broadcasts lead with headlines of violent crime and terrorist acts; white collar crimes, like scams and frauds present a serious problem. According to the FBI, white collar crime costs the United States over $300 billion a year. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, who published the 2016 “Report to the Nations on Occupational Fraud and Abuse” paint a far graver picture; estimating that the typical organization loses 5% of its revenues each year to fraud. Based on the 2015 Commerce Department estimates; the U.S. gross domestic product of $17.9 trillion, American businesses lost about $895 billion to fraud in 2016. Read more
Category: Articles, Law Enforcement & Corrections, Medical & Healthcare, Safety, Security Workplace Violence in Hospitals Prevention, Mitigation and Recovery TASA ID: 2402 The image of today’s hospital being the “safe haven” it was years ago, is no longer true; unless hospitals make the safety of their staff of paramount concern.Security in hospitals is a sliding scale of professionalism; in many hospitals Security still reports to Food or Building Services, as it’s seen as a cost “burden” and one that can be buried in an already fragile budget. Read more
Category: Articles, Crime Investigation, Law Enforcement & Corrections, Safety, Security Displacement of Crime or Diffusion of Crime TASA ID: 10544 In the concept of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design, also known as CPTED (pronounced SEP-Ted), created more than 60 years ago by Tim Crowe, I believe the purpose is to be proactive regarding crime issues. I was in a training program five years ago when someone in the audience asked, “On a street close to my campus, we have drug dealers and hookers. How do I get rid of them?” The lecturer couldn't answer the question, but I knew the answer. Read more
