Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Great News.

Number of cops killed by gunfire in 2013 dips to 33, lowest since 1887

Published December 31, 2013
| FoxNews.com
The number of law enforcement authorities killed by gunfire dipped to 33 in 2013, the lowest total since the Wild West days of 1887, according to a report from a law enforcement advocacy group.
The number of police officers felled by bullets around the nation has been trending downward in recent years, but the 125-year low reported by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund was welcome news for the nation's peacekeepers. Experts also noted that overall line-of-duty deaths of federal, state, local, tribal and territorial officers dropped to 111, the lowest total since 1959.
“The only good news is zero deaths, but this very significant drop in law enforcement fatalities the past two years is extremely encouraging,” said Craig Floyd, chairman and CEO of the fund. “Our organization, in partnership with others, is working hard to create a new culture of safety in law enforcement that no longer accepts deaths and injuries as an unavoidable part of the job. This year’s officer fatality report is strong evidence that this intensified effort to promote law enforcement safety is making a difference.”
Floyd's organization this week put out its annual report chronicling the improved numbers, noting that increased use of body armor could bring shooting deaths of police down even further.

According to the Officer Down Memorial Pagewhich also tracks police deaths dating back to 1822, but had 2013 numbers that were slightly different from those of the NLEOMF automobile accidents were the second-biggest killer of police officers, claiming 26 lives, followed by seven deaths due to being struck by a vehicle. One police officer in Detroit died six months after being struck by accidental gunfire.
The annual report from NLEOMF credited an increased culture of safety among law enforcement agencies, including increased use of bulletproof vests, that followed a spike in deaths in 2011. Since that time, officer fatalities across all categories have decreased by 34 percent, and gun deaths have fallen by 54 percent.
Among law enforcement officers killed by gunfire last year, just two were women: Police Officer Patricia Parete of the Buffalo (N.Y.) Police Department, who died on Feb. 2; and Santa Cruz (Calif.) Police Department Det. Elizabeth Butler, who died on Feb. 26 while investigating a sexual assault.
The Officer Down Memorial Page tally also includes four police dogs, including Koda of the Leon County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office, Kilo of the Indiana State Police, Ronin of the Glendale (Arizona) Police Department and Ape, who was fatally shot in March just three weeks after completing his FBI training, according to the website.
The most recent gunfire death among law enforcement officers occurred last week when Sgt. Kevin “Gale” Stauffer, 38, of the Tupelo Police Department was shot on Dec. 23 as he responded to a bank robbery in Mississippi. Stauffer, a nine-year veteran who previously served with the Louisiana Army National Guard, was posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant and is survived by his wife and two young children.
Conversely, the gunfire-related death of Police Officer Kevin Tonn of the Galt (Calif.) Police Department on Jan. 15 marked the first among law enforcement officers in 2013, according to the website. The 35-year-old U.S. Army veteran was killed as he responded to a burglary in progress.
Among the 105 total line-of-duty deaths tallied by the website last year, 13 occurred in Texas, followed by 10 in California and 7 in Mississippi. Nine were federal law enforcement officers whose deaths occurred in various locations. The overwhelming majority — 101 — were men and their average age was 42. The median tour of duty among the fallen officers exceeded 13 years, according to the website. February was the deadliest month, with 14 fatalities, followed by September (13) and December (12).
In 2012, 47 of the 123 line-of-duty fatalities were classified as death by gunfire, with an additional two accidental fatalities. In 1887, a total of 44 law enforcement officers were killed, 30 of whom succumbed to gunfire. Another two officers were killed by accidental gunfire, according to the website.

Sunday, December 29, 2013

MIA, Paul Leonard Foster

Paul Leonard Foster, MIA, this date, 1967, over Laos, A26 Crewmember.  I served with Paul in France and England, mid-60s.

Friday, December 20, 2013

Monday, December 16, 2013

Marine’s Career In Jeopardy After Exposing Child Rapist Linked To Taliban (Video)

Marine’s Career In Jeopardy After Exposing Child Rapist Linked To Taliban (Video)

Republican Congressman: Obama’s Disregard of Law ‘Has Reached an Unprecedented Level’ (Video)

Republican Congressman: Obama’s Disregard of Law ‘Has Reached an Unprecedented Level’ (Video)

School Shooter-Communist

School gunman Karl Pierson liked debate, running, but acted "weird" at times
CNN.com
Claire Davis, a 17-year-old senior, was identified by Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson as the girl who was critically wounded Friday, December 13, in a shooting at Arapahoe High School. A student who carried a shotgun into the school in Centennial, Colorado, and asked where to find a specific teacher. The student then opened fire before apparently killing himself, Robinson said. Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson holds a picture of Davis at a press conference on Saturday, December 14, after identifying her as the victim of the shooting at Arapahoe High School the day before. Robinson identified the shooter as 18-year-old Karl Halverson Pierson. Students are escorted out of Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colorado, on Friday, December 13. Students wait outside Arapahoe High school after being evacuated on December 13. Officers escort students out of Arapahoe High School. Susie Ohle hugs Rob Escue as he came out of the school on Friday afternoon. Ruben Allen hugs his son Alex Allen, 17, after being evacuated from the school Students and parents walk away from the school. Law enforcement personnel arrive at the high school in a military-style vehicle. SaSha Meiler is overcome with emotion after hearing the voice of her younger sister, a freshman. Parents Cathy Thorson, left, and Heather Moran, facing the camera, embrace while they wait for news on their children. Students walk away from the school in single file with their hands up. Students from Arapahoe High School gather at the school's track. People gather outside the school. Parents wait for word about their children after a gunman opened fire at the school. Members of law enforcement are seen outside the school. Law enforcement personnel gather near the high school. HIDE CAPTION
Centennial, Colorado (CNN) -- To many of his neighbors, Colorado school gunman Karl Pierson was the wholesome boy next door who liked achievement and ran on the cross country team. He even worked on an Eagle Scout project two years ago.
To schoolmates, Pierson was known for his outspoken intelligence that served him well on the debate team. But at times, he acted "weird" and alienated peers with rants about communism and his aggressiveness to win every argument, they said.
One neighbor described him as bright but a social misfit whose peers ridiculed him. His mother had transferred him from another high school because of the mockery and altercations, the neighbor said.
Pierson, 18, opened fire Friday inside Arapahoe High School, where he was a senior. Claire Davis, 17, was wounded in a point-blank shooting, and Pierson, who apparently didn't know Davis, then killed himself in the library, Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson told reporters Friday.
"He was a really smart kid. He was intelligent. He knew how to speak; he really did. I don't think I ever won an argument with that kid," junior Daylon Stutz said in the school parking lot on Saturday, when students were allowed to retrieve their cars.
Stutz, an offensive tackle on the football team, had known Pierson since the two shared a human behavior class when Stutz was a freshman and Pierson a sophomore. They worked on a class experiment together in which they went into the community and tried breaking unwritten rules, Stutz said.
"I did think he was a little weird, but I didn't think he was, like, bad weird," Stutz added. "He always kind of talked about how America was a communist country, how the government was, like, trying to take us over and stuff. I don't know, just some weird stuff that I didn't really pay close attention to, but nothing that alarmed me.
"He was definitely kind to me. I never saw him mean to anybody. He wasn't condescending to anyone," he said.
In Friday's shooting, Pierson was armed with a shotgun, a bandolier stocked with ammunition, a machete and three Molotov cocktails, Robinson said. Pierson fired five shots within 1 minute and 20 seconds, he said.
Pierson entered his school looking for the debate team's coach, CNN affiliate KUSA reported, citing Robinson. Pierson was apparently seeking revenge against a faculty member because of a "confrontation or disagreement," the sheriff said.
High school senior Frank Woronoff said he had known Pierson since they were freshmen.
"He was the last person I would expect to shoot up a high school," Woronoff said.
"He was pretty geeky and nerdy but in a charming way, one of the nicest, most humble people I know," he added.
Senior Chris Davis, 18, was among many students Saturday trying to make sense of Pierson's shooting rampage.
"He was a weird kid," Davis said. "He's a self-proclaimed communist, just wears Soviet shirts all the time."
Pierson became easily aggravated, "always liked to be right" and didn't like losing, Davis said.
"It seems realistic, now, that he did it," Davis added.
The home where authorities believe Pierson armed himself is five miles from his school and appeared vacant Saturday. Its front door was sealed and boarded a day after federal agents raided the property and executed search warrants.
A man who declined to be identified in an CNN interview lives a few doors away and said he has known Pierson since he was a boy. In the last few days, the neighbor noticed Pierson driving at excessive speeds throughout their normally quiet, modest middle-class suburb.
The neighbor said Pierson's mother, Barbara, transferred her son to Arapahoe High School from nearby Highland Ranch High School because her son had been subjected to constant ridicule and physical altercations.
"He was socially awkward and just didn't seem to fit into the larger teenage groups, and I think that weighed on him," the neighbor told CNN.
The neighbor said Pierson's parents had been separated for years, and Karl was living with his mother and younger sister.
"While Karl was socially a misfit around kids his age, he was intellectually bright and loved to debate in school," the neighbor said. "If he was disciplined in a debate class, that must have meant everything to him. It may have been trigger point."
Pierson was active in his community, KUSA reported.
He took pride in how he routinely won contests on his speech and debate team, the station reported. He showed off his first place and second place trophies online.
One neighbor described him as a "nice young man," the affiliate said.
In fact, the TV outlet interviewed him seven years ago about the design of a quarter commemorating Colorado.
Pierson submitted questions to the station in 2008 for a show about the Colorado Supreme Court and asked a question at a U.S. Senate debate in 2010, the news outlet said.
CNN's Stan Wilson reported from Colorado, and Michael Martinez wrote and reported from Los Angeles. Ana Cabrera also contributed to this report.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Sunday, December 1, 2013