From The Editor August 7, 2006
 

An Unlikely Hero

The Marine Who Found Two WTC Survivors.

Only 12 survivors were pulled from the rubble of the World Trade Center after the towers fell on Sept. 11, despite intense rescue efforts. Two of the last three to be located and saved were Port Authority police officers. They were not discovered by a heroic firefighter, or a rescue worker, or a cop. They were discovered by Dave Karnes.

Karnes hadn't been near the World Trade Center. He wasn't even in New York when the planes hit the towers. He was in Wilton, Conn., working in his job as a senior accountant with Deloitte Touche. When the second plane hit, Karnes told his colleagues, "We're at war." He had spent 23 years in the Marine Corps infantry and felt it was his duty to help. Karnes told his boss he might not see him for a while.

Then he went to get a haircut.

The small barbershop in Stamford, Conn., near his home, was deserted. "Give me a good Marine Corps squared-off haircut," he told the barber. When it was done, he drove home to put on his uniform. Karnes always kept two sets of Marine fatigues hanging in his closet, pressed and starched. "It's kind of weird to do, but it comes in handy," he says. Next Karnes stopped by the storage facility where he kept his equipment-he'd need rappelling gear, ropes, canteens of water, his Marine Corps K-Bar knife, and a flashlight, at least. Then he drove to church. He asked the pastor and parishioners to say a prayer that God would lead him to survivors. A devout Christian, Karnes often turned to God when faced with decisions.

Full Article

Gary Jackson
President
Blackwater

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
   
  Heroism is endurance for one moment more.

George F. Kennan

PROFESSIONAL ARTICLES, EDITORIALS AND OPINIONS
   
 

Commercial Aviation in the Crosshairs

As passenger screening and other commercial aviation security measures improve, terrorists will likely resort to Man Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) to attack commercial aviation targets.

The attacks on 9/11 led to a drastic revision of commercial aviation security policies. These policies, such as hardened cockpit doors and tighter passenger screening procedures, have helped reduced the threat of hijackings but have not eliminated threats against commercial aviation. Rather than attempt another hijacking, a terrorist group intent on attacking commercial aviation may simply strike the target in another way. A potential avenue of attack, one that has not been resolved by the post-9/11 aviation security upgrades, is the use of Man Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS). In fact, a 1993 FAA study noted that as passenger and baggage screening became more intense, the likelihood of a MANPAD attack against commercial airliners would increase. Given this reality, it is important to understand how terrorist or insurgent groups acquire MANPADS and how they might use MANPADS to achieve their strategic goals.


Terrorism Research Center

The Responder Knowledge Base: An Invaluable Guide for Emergency Responders


The administrative details of emergency response are taxing on our nation's law enforcement, firefighter, and EMS personnel. Time is lost mulling over the details of responder equipment, government grants, recommended training, etc...The Responder Knowledge Base (RKB) was created to help relieve this logistical burden. Funded by the Department of Homeland security through the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, the mission of this free service is "To provide Emergency Responders, purchasers, and planners with a trusted, integrated, on-line source of information on products, standards, certifications, grants, and other equipment-related information." In collaboration with the InterAgency Board (IAB) and subject matter experts, the RKB has established an online "first-stop" for responders, collating information from sources once scattered though numerous cumbersome databases. Content includes the DHS Authorized Equipment List, the IAB Standardized Equipment List, nearly 4,000 products, operational suitability testing for hundreds of products, the results of the DHS radiation detector testing, a decontamination efficacy matrix, Lessons Learned and Information Sharing documents, Homeland Security Grant Program information, responder training, and more. The ability to "Ask an Expert" on the RKB provides responders with a reliable resource for all responder-related questions. Additionally, the ability of RKB users to provide offline "User Opinions" helps further increase the utility of the RKB. With its vast content and sophisticated integration scheme, the RKB succeeds in helping responders answer all their equipment related needs.

Please register with the RKB at www.rkp.mipt.org

View the IAB website at www.iab.gov

China and Darfur

A strong United Nations force is needed to halt the genocide in Sudan's Darfur region. If it is not sent soon, it may be too late for many thousands of potential victims. The immediate cause of the delay is the refusal by Sudan's president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, to agree to a U.N. force, which he preposterously claims would attempt to recolonize his African nation. He is able to get away with this largely because China, a permanent member of the Security Council, continues to protect him with the threat of using its veto.

One reason Beijing stands behind Mr. Bashir is oil. China is trying to diversify its oil sources beyond the crisis-prone Middle East, and Africa is one obvious alternative. Already, some 7 percent of China's imported oil comes from Sudan.

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BREAKING NEWS FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
   
 

Learning by Evaluating

There is an old managerial maxim of "management by walking around," (MBWA) which was popular in the late 1980s. This principle was where upper management would get out of their offices or your ivory towers and wander the halls to get back in touch with their staff members. MBWA was the popular cry in management schools then. "Great idea," some thought. As for chiefs of police, it is a great idea as well. But, now I have a better idea. What better way of learning your department's mission than to observe, or better yet, evaluate or even actually train with your officers. This is team building at its finest. This is even more true if the chief has a training background in a specialized training area and is willing to share or work with their department on its mission.

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To Boost Ranks, Bring Back College Assistance for Cops

A growing problem for our nation's law enforcement community is the "cop crunch" that is leaving police departments across the country understaffed. The solution to this growing crisis is for Congress to reconstitute the Law Enforcement Education Program to attract qualified men and women to the field. From coast to coast, it is estimated that 80 percent of the nation's 17,000 state and local law enforcement agencies have vacancies they cannot fill. The Los Angeles Police Department has more than 700 vacancies, and in March, New York City announced plans to hire 800 more officers.

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You Are Not In Control

At the conclusion of each training event, class and competition, we take time to carefully read the evaluations submitted by students. The feedback we receive is invaluable in helping us fine-tune our program to address the needs of our audience. After a recent competition, one such evaluation caught our attention. The competitor commented, The majority of the course was speed oriented, and precision shooting needs to be added. Apparently, someone missed the point. Every course, in every class, and every competition, is all about precision shooting. It's just not on your terms. When the pager goes off, the police on scene have determined the situation they are facing is beyond their capabilities. Someone is engaged in actions which conventional police approaches have failed to end. They have called for SWAT. On your arrival, the bad guy is contained, and his access to certain things may be restricted. However, he is in control of most other factors

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Two Men Held in Phoenix Serial Killings

Authorities arrested two men Friday in an investigation into a series of fatal shootings that have terrorized Phoenix area residents, according to a law enforcement official. The men were arrested at a Mesa apartment complex, the official with knowledge of the investigation said. They were being questioned in connection with the "Serial Shooter" case -- one of two serial predators whom authorities say have been operating in the Phoenix area for more than a year.

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Small Racers, High-End SUVs Top List of Most-Stolen Vehicles

Small cars that can be chopped into parts and sold for use by street racers dominated the list of the most-stolen autos in the U.S. last year, but high-priced cars and expensive sport utility vehicles also ranked high, according to a report released Tuesday. Leading the way was the 2001 BMW M-Series Roadster, which was stolen at a rate of one for every 200 on the road, according to the Chicago-based CCC Information Services Inc., an industry group that tracks theft and vehicle damage.

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JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
   
  TO FILL OUT AN APPLICATION AND SUBMIT YOUR RESUME AND DD-214 CLICK HERE

SECURITY FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
   
 

USMC Sniper Metes Out Swift Death in Iraq

He was 5 when he first fired an M-16, his father holding him to brace against the recoil. At 17 he enlisted in the Marine Corps, spurred by the memory of 9/11. Now, 21-year-old Galen Wilson has 20 confirmed kills in four months in Iraq and another 40 shots that probably killed insurgents. One afternoon the lance corporal downed a man hauling a grenade launcher five-and-a-half football fields away. Wilson is the designated marksman in a company of Marines based in downtown Ramadi, watching over what Marines call the most dangerous neighborhood in the most dangerous city in the world.

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A New Hub for Terrorism?

While the United States dithers, a growing Islamic fundamentalist movement linked to al-Qaeda and Pakistani intelligence agencies is steadily converting the strategically located nation of Bangladesh into a new regional hub for terrorist operations that reach into India and Southeast Asia. With 147 million people, largely Muslim Bangladesh has substantial Hindu and Christian minorities and is nominally a secular democracy. But the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) struck a Faustian bargain with the fundamentalist party Jamaat-e-Islami five years ago in order to win power.

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Iraqis, Cav Troops Patrol Jihad 'Hood'

As members of a calvary unit began their new mission in Baghdad and were told they would be responsible for a neighborhood called Jihad, which translated from Arabic means 'holy war,' they were surprised to find many residents happy to see them. The neighborhood's name held some negative connotation on July 9, as Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, began operations in the neighborhood amidst an increase in sectarian violence in the capital. Earlier that day, residents witnessed the killing of at least 40 Sunni Iraqis in a series of violent attacks. According to the Soldiers, many locals seemed to welcome the added security the troops provided.

Full Story

Soldiers Retaking Ramadi Block by Block

Under a blistering sun, 1st Lt. Matthew Arabian gripped his M-4 rifle and sprinted across a Ramadi intersection cratered by bombs, ducking through a hole blasted in an adjacent brick wall. "We call that the circle of death," said Arabian, 34, of Vienna, Va., crouching to avoid snipers who target the crossroads from as far away as 900 yards. Around him were gutted buildings and trash-strewn streets, evidence of more than two years of combat in Ramadi.

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In Ohio, Marines' Deaths Still Felt

Their deaths shook a nation that had grown used to the slowly mounting U.S. military casualties in Iraq. A year ago this week, 14 members of the suburban-Cleveland based 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines died in attacks a day apart. The blue-collar suburb's loss drew worldwide mourning. Some say it was a pivotal moment that changed public opinion of the war; others say it strengthened the resolve of military families.

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TRAINING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
   
 

Mirror Image Training: Training to Combat Terrorism


Mirror Image is a tactical and strategic training course developed and owned by the Terrorism Research Center. TRC instructors have trained hundreds of military personnel that are subsequently deployed to active combat operations, as well as large numbers of first responders, law enforcement, and security professionals. Mirror Image is an intensive one-week classroom and field-training program, designed to realistically simulate terrorist recruiting, training techniques, and operational tactics. During the course, participants will receive insight into the mindset and rationale of the terrorist through hands-on experience with the methods and means terrorist employ, education about terrorist ideologies and the cultural dimensions that influence their decision making process. Military, law enforcement, intelligence, and security professionals will, in turn, be able to see themselves as the terrorists see them and understand the weaknesses in their own environment that the terrorists will seek to exploit, and which all too often they miss. Armed with these insights participants will leave the course better able to anticipate, prevent and respond to multiple terrorist threats.

September 17-22, 2006: Blackwater Training Center, Moyock, NC

A detailed brochure may be downloaded at: www.terrorism.com

A detailed brochure may be downloaded at: www.terrorism.com

Questions on TRC training, please contact Betty O'Hearns-Hines, Training Coordinator for the Terrorism Research Center.
Email: betty@terrorism.com
Phone: (727)360-4302 voice or (727)409-1754

FRANKS REVIEW
   
 

Service Equipment Review

The Evolving Equipment Needs of Police, Part 2

Last week's review went over the items I believe a law enforcement professional should have on his person and why. This week we're going to take a look at the next step: his (or her) patrol vehicle, and see what should be there with some reasons why. I know that many police administrators might disagree with some of these recommendations, and the concerns listed may not apply to their specific areas of responsibility. However, as we move forward into the new millennium dealing with the looming threat of terrorism on our own soil, law enforcement professionals have to prepare to play the role of front line soldiers in a war - and while we don't necessarily like that reality, it's part of the job we accept when we take that oath to protect and serve. So, with that in mind, let's take a look at what each contemporary warrior in today's law enforcement world should have available.

Full Story Can Be Viewed At: http://www.borelliconsulting.com/evals/other/milleniuminventory2.htm


Recreational Equipment Review

Building Your Regulator & Console

In any profession where someone uses equipment to support, defend or protect their life, the selection of that equipment is an intensely personal choice. Millions of pages of reports can say that such-and-such piece of gear is the best, but if the person using it doesn't have 100% confidence in it, then they will still wish they had something else. Some recreational sports have that same mindset included. SCUBA Diving, for me, is a wonderfully fun and relaxing sport that allows me to see and experience things that many people don't, or can't, and never will. The equipment each scuba diver uses, once they get educated about the pros and cons of certain pieces of gear, is a personal choice along the same vein as noted above: some of these pieces of equipment maintain your life and you have to have 100% confidence in them. Making them comfortable as well adds to their value. One of the most important pieces of SCUBA gear a diver has to have is his/her regulator set: the first stage, two second stages and a console to provide important info. Let's take a look at the desirable characteristics of each in today's recreational scuba diving market.

Full Story Can Be Viewed At: http://www.borelliconsulting.com/recevals/scuba/buildyourreg.htm
CHAPLAINS CORNER
   
 

THE PLAN OF PROVIDENCE... PEACE!


The provision for peace... Warriors, soldiers, governmental forces to fight against all threats against peace... paying for peace with commitment, action, personal sacrifice and sometimes their own serious, debilitating injury... or death.

But peace is not in the hearts of many humans... and because they have no peace, they are searching for something to satisfy that monstrous hunger within. This hunger is worse than a ravenous wolf... a stalking lion... a circling shark... It is a horrible driving force. Humans try to satisfy it by external means... but that does not work... it only causes destruction, war and death.

Because so many humans are insatiable there had to be a balance... Legally constituted authority acceptable to most of the people who live under its rule was and is the answer... And the mechanics of it are made up of those who step out of the herd of humanity to be the buffer between those who want peace and safety and those who want to take everything for themselves and make slaves or tools of satisfaction of everyone else. Every surviving society in history has had a strong standing army or the society did not survive in a free state.


Full Story Can Be Viewed At:
../../btw2006/article/080706chaplain.htm
BUMPER STICKER
   
 

Fear is a thief
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