Handle With Care

The topic of firearms seems to be a "third rail" issue for most folks these days. Merely mention the subject and many conversations turn awkward, at best.

There are roughly 310 million firearms which are privately owned in the US.  Guns can be found just about everywhere, in homes, businesses, parks, places of worship, and on people. Given that reality, why aren't we more comfortable talking about gun safety? Why don't we, at the very least, talk about safe firearm handling?

Guns are a necessary and important law enforcement tool. The company that produces our primary handgun, Smith and Wesson, has published some basic gun handling safety guidelines, which include, but are not limited to the following:

• Always keep your firearm pointed in a safe direction.
• Treat ALL firearms as if they were loaded.
• Keep your trigger finger outside the trigger guard and off of the trigger until you are ready to fire.
• Be certain of your target, your line of fire, and what lies beyond your target.
• Always wear appropriate eye and ear protection when shooting and maintaining your firearm.
• Never handle a firearm if you are drinking alcohol or using drugs.

I know there are many other gun safety guidelines, which address issues such as accessories, maintenance and storage, but I wanted to focus strictly on some key handling guidelines here.  If you are interested in more information, a simple web search will provide you with some interesting articles and videos. By the way, when your kids encounter a gun, make sure they know to stop, do not touch it and tell an adult.

So, with the sheer number of firearms out there, we need to set aside our philosophical or political differences on the subject and be staunch supporters of firearms safety. With firearms, handle with care. As always, let's be careful out there.

Knockout

Knockout. It's not a new game, but it seems to be getting a great deal of attention in the media.

The knockout thugs (really cowards) pick unsuspecting pedestrians and try to knock them out with one punch. Many of the attacks are captured on video and posted online later for the sick enjoyment of the participants.

The random, explosive nature of these assaults makes prevention a challenge. At a minimum, keep these tips in mind:

Head's up! Put your smart phone away when you are walking. Pay attention to where you are going.

Most of these thugs travel in packs. Watch out for roving groups and steer clear. Maintain your personal space and demonstrate that you are alert.

Walk with someone if you can. Avoid shortcuts through isolated and/or unlit areas.

Call us. We trust your instincts. Our folks are trained and equipped to deal with these goons.

I have heard it said that you can't prevent becoming a knockout target. Let's not ever accept the notion that we are helpless victims.  Be aware and let's be careful out there.

Around Here

"This does not happen around here." So said a Boca Raton resident after a homicide on A1A earlier this week. We have heard similar sentiments shared in cities like Aurora and Newtown, albeit under distinctly different circumstances.

When I think about how we communicate with you, we deliberately try to strike a balance. Overall, crime is at an all-time low and Boca Raton is a safe city. We are, however, part of a larger society, contending with complex issues that transcend borders, like domestic violence, drug abuse and mental illness.

Boca Raton is a destination city. Educational institutions, major corporations, diverse places of worship, shopping centers, resorts, and world-class parks (don't forget the beautiful beaches) make us an attractive place to live, work and play. An airport, major arterial roads, rail and mass transit make it easy to get here.

Most arrive with good intentions. Some, not so much. Of the four homicides in Boca this year, all of the suspects were not residents of Boca Raton.

How then shall we live? Remember that we enjoy an outstanding quality of life in Boca Raton. We are not immune from what ails our society, but we can maintain our high standards of safety by remaining reasonably vigilant. Here at the BRPD, we will strive to give our folks the tools and training they need to provide the very best police services.

As we approach the holiday season, let's not be distracted to the point that we sacrifice our safety, or miss the opportunity to help someone who may be in crisis. Let's stay alert. As always, stay safe.

Apple's New iPhone 5S Introduces Biometric Scanner Security

I’ll admit it. The geek in me finds the new iPhone 5S a bit exciting and intriguing. While the overall technology of the iPhone 5S may not offer much in the way of radical changes, Apple has used this platform to launch their biometric scanning security feature. 

How Does It Work?

Most of us have seen more than our share of "scanners" in the movies and on TV. You place a hand or a finger on the screen, it is scanned and pattern matched, then access is granted. This type of technology is relatively easy to crack by a determined thief.

With the iPhone 5S no pictures of your fingerprint are taken and stored. Instead the 5S uses a highly sensitive capacitance measuring device.

Here’s how the smart kids describe it. There is an array of microscopic capacitance cells built into the home button. Each of these cells is no wider than the ridges of your fingerprint. The cells consist of a pair of plates separated by an insulator. When you place your finger on the button, the ridges cause current to flow between the plates, while those plates located under the valley do not conduct.

This allows the software to generate a mathematical algorithm of your fingerprint. The image created is far more accurate than one generated by an optical scanner. This system also measures the contours of your finger. This approach makes it much harder to fool these security systems, as opposed to the optical scanners, which use light and dark patterns to analyze your fingerprint.

What Does This Mean to You?

So, you won’t need to swipe your screen and remember a password anymore. The convenience is a big selling point, but the scanner on the iPhone 5S also makes it a virtually impossible challenge for someone to access your phone, even for the NSA.  Just kidding guys.

Passwords are passé. While many folks have expressed privacy concerns about this technology, it’s the future of device and software security. Passwords can be easily transferred to other people, not so with your fingerprint. I think all of your sensitive information should be protected by this higher level of security.

I’m sure there will be some hiccups with this new launch, but I am always happy to see any attempt to improve safety and security. As always, let’s be careful out there.

The Great Phone Scam

Here’s the story. Yesterday afternoon, we arrested six people after they fraudulently purchased iPhones from the Apple Store at the Town Center Mall.  The first case involved a group of five people from New York who were working together. They purchased 28 phones with cash and were charged with organized scheme to defraud, grand theft, possession of marijuana and paraphernalia.

While we were booking the first set of suspects a second call came in. In this case, a female purchased four iPhones with cash.  She was arrested and charged with loitering and prowling.  These incidents are just two examples of several cases we’ve seen over the last few weeks.

Here's how the scheme works.  The victim’s personal information is somehow compromised, often through their cell phone carrier.  The suspect calls the carrier and has additional lines added to the account.  The suspect then goes to the store, in these cases it has been the Apple Store, and purchases the maximum number of phones allowed on the account. They pay with cash, typically at a discount. 

The challenge begins when police try to identify the victims, since the account holder is not actually charged by the carrier when the fraud is exposed.  The store selling the phones received cash payment for the merchandise, so they are often indifferent.  The account holder whose personal information was compromised is technically a victim of identity theft. However, they are not likely to get involved because they rarely live locally.  The carrier, a very large corporation, is often uninterested. All of these issues make prosecution difficult.

So what’s the solution? The phone manufacturers need to develop and deploy the “kill switch,” software enabling the fraudulently obtained phone to be remotely deactivated.  Hopefully, we will see this happen soon.

The individual cell phone account holders can protect themselves by contacting their provider and having their account flagged to allow no additional lines, unless the request is made in person and identification is provided.

Criminals are always looking for a new angle. Please take the necessary steps to protect yourself and your identity. Let’s be careful out there.

Halftime Crime 2013

It’s that time of year. We have recently submitted our report of Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) offenses for the first half of 2013.

As I have mentioned before, it is difficult to draw any meaningful conclusions about these numbers because the report includes only a select list of crimes and the six-month time period tells us very little about crime trending. Years, not months, really matter. Some people (particularly on a slow news day) take interest in these reports, so let us spend some time on the issue here.

Compared to the first six months of 2012, the number of UCR offenses was down about 8.4%. The 2013 numbers are 23% lower than 2009, and lower than any comparable period in the past ten years.  This chart will give you an overview of the past five years:

There was an increase in business burglaries, with a majority of these crimes occurring in the month of May. There was a slight decrease in residential burglaries. Overall, the trend is consistent with what I reported to you in our last crime report, Crime Down in 2012.

Since the numbers look good for now, let me say a few things about “taking credit.” I shudder when I hear some of my colleagues talk about how they have reduced crime through their initiatives or programs. Crime fighting is a team sport. While the police play a significant role, public safety begins with the citizens. In Boca Raton, we are fortunate to have residents who care deeply about the quality of life here and city leaders who continue to make a significant commitment to the police department.

The holiday season is right around the corner, so be sure to include crime prevention in your planning. Thank you for your support. Let's be careful out there.

It's all fun and games until…

It's probably not surprising to you that I favored the police officer costume when I was a kid. Superman was a close second.

As evidenced by the attendance at Comic Con and the success of films featuring Wolverine, Batman or Superman, people love their superheroes like never before. Some folks go a bit overboard with their fantasies and hero worship. On last Saturday night, a group of young men actually put themselves in very precarious positions.

While on foot patrol in Mizner Park, two Boca Raton police officers were approached by a group of very concerned citizens. They told the officers that four or five people were putting on body armor and taking guns from the trunk of a car. We are naturally concerned about possible active shooter and/or terrorist incidents, so our officers hotfooted their way to the scene, located on the top floor of a parking garage.

When they arrived, they found five males dressed in military style outfits and armed with various firearms. One character had two samurai swords strapped to his back. Here is an image of some of their hardware:

Understandably, the officers ordered all of these “superheroes” to the ground at gunpoint. We quickly learned that the “guns” were actually stage props or airsoft type guns.

The actors (all in their 20s) told officers they were there to take action photographs of themselves.  The planned “shoot” featured two superheroes and two terrorists.

The complainants did not want to get further involved and left the scene.  The superheroes were issued trespass warnings and sent on their way with some words of wisdom.

Some folks are getting carried away in their quest for the next great social media post. Someone is going to get hurt. 

Parents should have discussions with their kids about the potential risks associated with these stunts.  Adults need to consider the appropriate, time, place and manner in regards to acting out their superhero fantasies. 

I am happy that our officers were able to defuse this situation without any casualties.  Let’s be thoughtful and, of course, be careful out there.