Category : Happenings

Bail Bond Phone Scam

As bail bondsmen we see these bail phone scam alerts about twice a year. They are a real concern for the general public. Residents of Morgan County Alabama have been the latest put on alert for a phone scam that has been making the rounds recently.

The scammers have been calling around, pretending to be from a bail bond company, and telling business owners and families that their employee or loved one has been taken to jail. The fraudulent bondsman then tells the person that, in order to get their friend/ family member/ employee out of jail, thousands of dollars need to be wired directly to them.

The scammers have even gone so far as to give the person they call a fake phone number for the Morgan County Jail so that when he or she calls to verify that their loved one is, in fact, there, then the scammer will answer the phone as an employee of the jail and confirm that their friend or family member has been arrested. Wow! That’s a new one.

Two people have paid money to the scam artist, one paying more than $6,000. At least six other people have contacted the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office to ask about their family members.

Here are a few warning signs to be on the alert for if you receive a call for bail help:

• The caller will Read more »

LAPD Devonshire Station Reports Crime Reduction

The LAPD Devonshire Station Community Enhancement Plan has successfully reduced area crime by 14% since it was launched on Jan. 1.  Capt. Kris Pitcher said that the program may be implemented in other problem areas if it continues to be successful.

According to a report by the Daily News the plan focuses on targeted patrols within crime-dense neighborhoods.  One such operation involved setting up a sting for would-be “Johns”  as a means of deterring solicitation.   Vice, narcotics and gang enforcement units are also being implemented.

Sgt. Jose Torres said they are trying to deploy in the areas with the most impact with the minimal number of officers.  Torres further said officers are routinely reallocated on specific missions so they have a higher probability of encountering crime.

The Northridge based LAPD Station is also Read more »

Glendale Police: Vehicle Theft Is Up

According to a recent All Points Bulletin (APB), the Glendale Police Department has said they have seen a slight uptick in vehicle theft and burglary in recent weeks. Among the items being stolen are SUV third-row seats and vans containing power tools.

Department officials suggest SUV owners consider engraving the vehicle’s VIN number on the seat, using a bicycle lock with a cable to secure the seat to rear cargo holds as well as removing and storing the seat in a safe place when it is not being used.

Van owners in Glendale are urged to Read more »

Chief of Police Services Promoted to Captain

Lieutenant Paul D’Auria, Chief of Police Services for San Clemente, has been promoted to captain. He will be moving into his new role as the commander of the James A. Musick Facility, an Orange County Jail.

The Musick Jail is a minimum-security facility located in Irvine that holds up to 1,250 men and women.

D’Auria began his career in law enforcement as an officer with the San Clemente Police Department until it was shut down. He then joined the Sheriff’s Department and has spent the last six years as the chief of police services.

D’Auria has taken great pride in his career, which includes many highlights such as his work in the gang injunction. This was a court action that identified members of gangs and prohibited them from hanging around each other. He also worked to improve ties with the Hispanic residents of San Clemente.

He is also extremely proud of Read more »

Lawsuit Filed Over Musick Jail Expansion

Elected officials in the city of Irvine have filed a lawsuit against Orange County, hoping to delay if not halt construction plans at a local jail.

At the crux of the controversy, according to the lawsuit, is the potential negative impact the proposed 512-bed expansion of the James Musick Jail could have to surrounding communities.   Voice of OC (VOOC) has reported that members of the City Council feel strongly that an environmental impact studyjames must be completed prior to moving forward.

Irvine Councilman Jeffrey Lalloway has said that the proposed expansion and how it will impact the character of the neighborhood “needs to be studied in a more thoughtful and thorough way,” he said.

Other concerns include Read more »

State Funding For Tuolumne County Jail Unlikely

Tuolumne County Jail officials have said they believe state-funding for a new jail complex will not be granted. On Jan. 3 the county submitted an application to the state Department of Corrections (DOC) requesting the maximum grant funding of $33 million to be used toward construction cost of a new facility.  According to a document prepared by the County Board of Supervisors, the current Tuolumne County Jail  has an “effective capacity of 140 beds, and there is currently a need for 208 beds”.  By 2018, they said, that need would expand from 208 to 240.  In addition, they believe the current structure is inefficiently laid out, making it “staff-intensive” to operate safely.

“The choppy, linear design of the jail makes it difficult to cost-effectively staff,” they wrote.  “The level of difficulty they have in maintaining constant, direct supervision of inmates creates a safety issue for both jail staff and inmates.”

A Tuolumne Sheriff’s Department spokesperson has also indicated that Read more »

Quaids’ Santa Barbara Bail Bondsman Loses $1 Million

Two months after the initial appeal, the American Surety Company was denied its request to have the Santa Barbara bail bonds for Randy and Evi Quaid exonerated.

The bond company is now out the $1 million bail it posted on behalf of the Quaid’s over a year ago. The couple was arrested in September 2010 for illegally living in a property they used to own in Santa Barbara County. They claimed that they were still the rightful owners of the home. While in the home, the couple moved furniture around, broke a mirror, and carved “RQ” into the mailbox.

The couple was Read more »

786 Arrested For DUI In OC

Orange County law enforcement officials said they arrested nearly 800 people were on suspicion of DUI between Dec. 16 and Jan. 1.  This marks a year-on-year increase of 46 from the number persons arrested during the same period in 2010.

The OC Register has reported that checkpoints took place in Anaheim, Buena Park, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, La Habra, Laguna Niguel and Westminster and DUI Saturation Patrols were deployed in most cities throughout the county.

The crackdown, dubbed “Avoid the 38” involved Read more »

LA Jail Oversight Commission Now Running

A seven-member jail oversight whose job it is to investigate claims of inmate abuse and employee misconduct is now up and running. The committee members consist of a jail safety expert, a police chief, four retired judges and a pastor.

Controversy within the Los Angeles County jails has been making headlines for most of 2011. The L.A. Times has reported there have been “numerous cases of abuse and violence by deputies, including a rookie who resigned after he was allegedly told by a supervisor to beat a mentally ill inmate”.   They further point to disciplinary action against approximately 30 inmates since 2009, many of whom were accused for beating inmates or covering up abuse by other deputies.

Although the scope of the commission’s authority is somewhat hindered in that it is unable to mandate the unsealing of internal documents and cannot actually govern Los Angeles County jails, it will be able to Read more »

San Diego Sheriffs Department Offers Vacation Checks

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said if you are going away for the holidays, they’ve “got your back”.

More than 400 members of the Sheriff’s Senior Volunteer Patrol (SVP) will be keeping a watchful eye on people’s homes during their out‐of‐town holiday travels. If you live in the jurisdiction of the Sheriff’s Department you can fill out a form online and submit it to your nearest Sheriff’s Station or Substation.

NBC San Diego said the Sheriff’s Department offers the free Read more »