INTERESTING WEB SITES

http://a836-acris.nyc.gov/Scripts/Coverpage.dll/index_
ACRIS: A very valuable tool that can be used to locate individuals; actual microfiche copies of land transactions

.http://www.arrangeonline.com
National Obituary Archives

SOME LESSER KNOW ORGANIZATIONS

Did you know that there is an International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators? If you’re looking into the private sector, or seeking assistance or background on such crimes, they may be of some help. You can check them out at:www.iafci.org There is also an International Association of Undercover Officers. They can be found at:www.undercovercops.org I was just wondering, though, about this organization. Do they publish a membership guide? What do they call their Annual meeting? I can’t imagine walking into a hotel lobby with the welcoming sign “Welcome to All Undercover Officers”. What would you do, attend with a mask on? Does the hotel have 250 people registered as John Johnson? This just doesn’t seem to be a job role that would lend itself to public programs. But...there you go...

YOU’VE GOT TO UNDERSTAND THE VERNACULAR


PHRASE MEANING

Acting in concrete... Acting in concert
Athletic flips with conversions... Epileptic fit with convulsions
Colossal bag... Colostomy
Diabolic... Diabetic
Electrocution school... Electrician school
Get indicated... Get indicted
Getting paid... Doing robberies
Fireballs in eucharist... Fibrosis of the uterus
Lincoln Townhouse... Lincoln Town Car
Monogrammed headache... Migraine headache
Onions on the feet... Bunions
Persecuted... Prosecuted
Provoked... Revoked
Roaches of the liver... Cirrhosis of the liverS
Singing merry Jesus... Spinal meningitis
Smoke insulation... Smoke inhalation
Statue of liberties... Statute of limitations
Streeticide... Outdoors homicide
Subway farez... Savoir faire
Throwing asparagus... Casting aspersions
Veranda rights... Miranda rights
Very closed veins... Varicose Veins
Virginia... Vagina

CODIS, DNA, AND THE DATABASES

The FBI Laboratory’s Combined DNA Index System is better known as CODIS. CODIS blends forensic science and computer technology into an effective tool for solving violent crimes. CODIS enables federal, state, and local crime labs to exchange and compare DNA profiles electronically, thereby linking crimes to each other and to convicted offenders. Originally a pilot project begun in 1990, CODIS has evolved from its origination as serving 14 state and local laboratories to its current nationwide level. The DNA Identification Act of 1994 formalized the FBI’s authority to establish a national DNA index for law enforcement purposes. It was in October 1998 that the FBI’s National DNA Index System – NDIS – became operational. CODIS is implemented as a distributed database with three levels – local, state, and national. NDIS is the highest level in the CODIS Program, exchanging information on a national level. All DNA profiles originate at the local level (LDIS), then flow to the state (SDIS) and national (NDIS) levels. CODIS generates investigative leads using two indexes: the forensic and the offender indexes. The Forensic Index contains DNA profiles from crime scene evidence. The Offender Index contains DNA profiles of individuals convicted of sex offenses and other violent crimes which are included in the DNA requirements of the particular local and state agencies. Matches in the Forensic Index can link crime scenes from different jurisdictions, possibly identifying serial offenders. Police agencies can coordinate their respective investigations, sharing leads they may have developed independently, when a Forensic Index match occurs. Matches between the Forensic and the Offender Index provide investigators with an identity of the culprit. It is noted that all states are participating in the National DNA Index System (NDIS), except for Mississippi, Rhode Island, and Hawaii. DNA evidence collected at a crime scene is analyzed by a forensic laboratory at the local level; Once typed, the profile is then run against the convicted-offender DNA profiles in the State Databank to attempt to make a match. In addition, profiles from other unsolved cases are compared against it to identify serial crimes. If no match occurs at the state level the profile is uploaded to the Federal DNA Index System for comparison with DNA profiles from other states. DNA profiles remain in the Federal Databank and are regularly searched against new profiles as they are added to the system. It is important to remember, as an investigator, that once a match is made of the suspected profile the search will usually end. If there is no “match” locally, it is submitted to the state; if no match in the state, then it is submitted to the federal database. This is important to keep in mind. The investigator should keep in contact with the ME’s Office analyst; this will ensure that the appropriate checks which you want done are so completed.

IDENTITY THEFT UPDATE

The No. 1 state for identity theft is Arizona, where one in six adults has had his or her identity stolen in the past five years. Why? Blame it on two things, according to Javelin Strategy and Research, a private research firm that conducted the study:(1) A large number of methamphetamine users in the state.(2) A decision by local governments to post public records on the Internet. This is how bad it is in Arizona: Identity theft there is double the national average. And it's being fueled by meth addicts. James Van Dyke, president of Javelin, calls it a "supply-chain effect." Van Dyke told ABC News reporter Leslie Yeransian, "Meth users will take your bills in the mail and sell your bank statements as a form of payment. Then the [meth-]maker will use those bank statements to go into an existing account or make a new account off that information or sell your statements to an identity theft specialist."The police admit that methamphetamine use and identity theft are a tightly linked problem. "Every time we find a meth lab, we also find identity theft," Detective Tony Morales of the Phoenix Police Department told ABC News. "These meth freaks like to hang together, and they learn about identity theft tricks together."How are the meth addicts getting such sensitive data? They aren't just stealing it out of dumpsters or your mailbox. Often, they are getting it from the government--with a click of a mouse on the Internet. That's especially true in Arizona where counties put very private information on very public Web sites for the convenience of county employees. Two treasure troves for ID criminals are divorce decrees and tax liens. Still, Van Dyke says the greatest risk to innocent people is the old-fashioned paper trail. "They should be more worried about documents going through the mail. We found in our research that only 9 percent of identity theft can be traced to Internet use and billing," he told ABC News. "If you follow normal precautions on the Internet you are actually better off than using mail."Top five states for identity theft:1. Arizona 2. Nevada 3. California 4. Texas 5. Colorado

TIP ON REVERSE PHONE NUMBER INQUIRIES

You can conduct a basic reverse telephone number inquiry rather quickly, on your cell phone, through a recent service that Google has added. Most telephones can perform “Text Messaging”. This reverse phone search is conducted through a text-messaging message sent to Google at a special location established for this purpose. Google has established a “short code: to provide this information. This short-code, the location that you send the message “To”, is: 46645 Type in the “To” section this number: 46645 Then, in the “Message” section type in the phone number, including the area code and dashes, of the number you are seeking the reverse look-up. The phone number should look like this in the “message” section:888-555-1234. You will receive, in a short time, the results of this reverse phone search. Keep in mind, though, that this search utilizes white pages and yellow page directories, and is NOT a web-based search. Results may be limited to those phone numbers that are listed, however, it may be helpful to you.

Here’s a little tidbit for another of those “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” categories.

In the 77th Precinct (NYPD) several years ago, there was a stickup man by the name of Bobby Jones. His specialty was robbing gas stations. He would give the attendant, when there were attendants, a note saying: "this is a hole up. gimme all your money." He would then sign the note, Bobby Jones. In the detective squad at that time there was a Street Name file – handwritten index card type, way before computers. The gumshoes looked up his name, and sure enough, there he was. Contacting him with a ruse to come into the squad office, he was asked to come in and when he did, he was asked if he would write a note for them. "Sure," he said, "I ain't got nothin' to hide."He was asked to write: "this is a hold up, give me all your money." He complied writing "this is a hole up, gimme all your money," and, without being asked, he signed his name. Tag, Bobby, you're it.

INTERESTING WEB SITE

HOAXBUSTERS HomePage
http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HoaxBustersHome.html

FOR THE JAZZ LOVER

http://www.live365.com/stations/drhorner

KITTY GENOVESE

On March 13th, 1964, one of one of the most infamous crimes in American history occurred in the Kew Gardens neighborhood of Queens, New York. At around 3 AM, 28-year-old Catherine "Kitty" Genovese was attacked, sexually assaulted, and murdered as she walked from her parked car. The assault lasted thirty-five minutes and occurred outside of an apartment building where a reported 38 witnesses either heard or saw the attack and did nothing to stop it. A front-page article in the New York Times sparked an avalanche of press and weeks of national soul searching. The case has lived on in plays, musicals, TV dramas -- it even spawned a whole new branch of psychology. Today the name Kitty Genovese remains synonymous with public apathy.

THE ITALIAN ANTIQUE POLICE

It seems in Italy they have an Antique Police Force. I don’t mean a police force consisting of older members, but an entire police force dedicated to preventing the theft and tracking of stolen ancient artifacts. Highlighted in a recent Wall Street Journal article written by Stephanie Gruner, the Carabinieri for the Protection of Cultural Patrimony is perhaps the largest armed force of its kind anywhere, and most surely the world’s most effective. There are over 300 of the country’s 120,000 carabinieri, in 11 offices from Venice to Palermo, leading the anti-looting and recovery efforts for this country’s antiquities.“Each morning a report arrives on the desk of Col. Giovanni Pastore, second in command of a military police unit charged with protecting Italy’s cultural patrimony. The few pages list everything from antique watches to Renaissance paintings that were either ripped off or recovered the day before. ”A recent report listed that “robbers entered a church in Ascoli Piceno and left with two ancient wood pews, the better for making fake antique furniture. A burglar at a church farther north in Novara had just enough time to break the wooden arm off of a baby Jesus, as it lay cradled in the arms of the Virgin Mary, before making an escape. Thieves stole a cache of marble statues from a family villa elsewhere. On a bright note, more than two dozen sculptures, antiques and paintings were recovered just one month after their theft from a villa outside Milan. ”These antiques gumshoes have become internationally well-regarded, and have served as experts and trainers in Iraq, Kosovo, Cuba and Peru. Representatives from countries such as Greece and Hungary have traveled to Italy to learn how these officers work. In an average week, carabinieri fly helicopters over archaeological sites taking aerial photographs to reveal illegal diggings. They go on offshore dives to prevent unauthorized underwater excavations. They also lecture at schools, universities and conferences “to convince Italians that looting and trafficking in their own cultural heritage isn’t just against the law, but against their own interests. Still other officers in their stylish black-and-red uniforms show up unannounced at antiques shops, auction houses and outdoor markets to videotape items for sale to match against the more than 2.5 million missing objects cataloged in the art squad’s vast database.”They don’t stop there. There are others searching through other databases that list sales at auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s, and also surfing the internet to find hot antiquities for sale. They also utilize wire-tapping, satellites, and other modern technological devices in their battle to track down stolen goods.What detective force would exist without its “sources of information” – paid and unpaid. Archaeologists, museum curators, and the anonymous source all contribute to their success. “Sometimes it’s a tombaroli with a grudge against a competitor who tips them off. Other times word arrives out of the blue – like the email received recently with a link to an auction on eBay, listing for sale an Etruscan urn missing since the summer of 2004. ”Between 1970 and 2005, according to the organization’s own figures, 845,838 objects were reported stolen, while less than a third of that number were recovered and only 4,159 arrests were made. In addition, according to Col. Pastore, the number of robberies at private properties has decreased from 673 in 2003 to 619 in 2005. This unit has also confiscated over 228,000 counterfeit works since 1970.Despite the odds, this unit is credited with doing an outstanding job.The quantity of potential targets is quite astounding. Italy has some 6,000 registered archaeological sites, 100,000 or so churches, more than 45,000 castles and gardens, and roughly 35,000 historic residences – not to mention thousands of miles of coastline, beneath which lie yet more buried treasure. All are potential targets.Some of the obstacles that arise include the issue that many of these valuabvles aren’t cordoned off behind ropes or protected by glass walls, much less watched around the clock by guards or cameras. “Italy is not a country of museums”, says a cultural ministry employee. “It’s a museum in itself, a large open-air museum.”Not surprisingly, funding is another issue that often stands in the way.Financing for cultural affairs have been drastically reduced by the government – by over 20% in just the past two years alone. While these cuts have hit protection efforts, it was also noted by the ministry official that “no matter how much money Italy has for art protection, preservation and anti-looting, it’s never enough.” Not only protecting the theft of these antique items from their Italian home, the unit spends a considerable amount of time fighting the demand for these objects overseas. In the United States alone, hundreds of museum pieces remain under dispute as to their rightful ownership.The squad’s operational headquarters, in Rome, houses the loot collected in their crime fighting efforts. A recent visit their showed art work from Picasso, Dali, Miros and a delicate Degas ballerina line up along the floor – all fakes. The seller applied for and got an export license for his “masterpieces” but they were stopped at the border – all counterfeit.

INTERESTING WEB SITE

Check out this site that allows you to generate a police sketch (well...sort of):

http://flashface.ctapt.de/

THE DETECTIVES FORTE: TALKING TO PEOPLE

A detective must be good at talking to people – all kinds of people. Complainants, witnesses, victim’s family, and suspects who we require a statement from.

In a recent book written by Professor Robert Jackle, titled “Street Stories” (which has been highlighted on this site previously), Giorgio provides his keys for interrogation. It is certainly worth posting here."Detective Gennaro Giorgio (NYPD Ret.), dressed to the nines and with his customary aplomb, testified about his cat-and-mouse interviews and conversations with (a suspect). Giorgio’s rules for interrogation are simple and straight forward:
"Know the case from beginning to end, down to the smallest detail. Specific knowledge is the key to successful interrogation. Listen patiently to suspects. Never confront them in an accusatory way. At first, write nothing, taking in everything a suspect says without challenge. Then go back over the suspect’s statement, writing it out carefully. Read it back to the suspect and have him sign it. Lock suspects into their statements, whether true or false. Then key in on inconsistencies in the statements or on aspects of the statements one knows independently to be false. Make careful notes of casual conversations with suspects. Sometimes suspects blurt out damning statements spontaneously at off-guard moments. Observe the suspect’s demeanor carefully during the interview, especially when he is telling known lies. Make a mental note of any behavioral patterns that regularly accompany the known lies, such as facial tics, hand rubbing, head touching, turning away, licking lips, or displays of anger. Point out the lies without, at first, letting the suspect know how one knows he is lying. Ask the suspect why he is lying. Then point out some piece of actual evidence that contradicts his story. Insistently but quietly demand an explanation for the discrepancy. If none is forthcoming, move on to the next discrepancy. If one has no tangible evidence on hand, use dodges, ruses, or tricks to elicit statements from suspects. At a certain point, offer the suspect an out—a plausible explanation, justification, or excuse for his depredation, suppressing all personal moral revulsion and clearly indicating that one understands and indeed empathizes with such a motive or account. In short, let suspects convict themselves with their own words. Denials of guilt are as useful legally as admissions or confessions if one has independent evidence to undermine the denials and thus the suspect’s credibility before a jury.

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AID

For everyone who has ever had an evaluation - just remember, it could have been worse. These are actual quotes taken from Federal Government employee performance evaluations.

"Since my last report, this employee has reached rock-bottom and has started to dig."
"Works well when under constant supervision and cornered like a rat in a trap."
"When she opens her mouth, it seems that it is only to change feet."
"This young lady has delusions of adequacy."
"He sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them."
"This employee is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot."
"This employee should go far, and the sooner he starts, the better."
"He doesn't have ulcers, but he's a carrier."
"He brings a lot of joy whenever he leaves the room."

YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS STUFF UP

The following are excerpts from actual investigative supplemental reports.

“We went to the door looking for the perp. We knocked, there was no answer. We knocked hard, then we knocked really really hard. There was still no answer”.

“I spoke to the doctor in the hospital. He said the victim’s condition was very very bad.”

“The witness stated she could not identify the perp, but that she would be able to identify the dog. Because we have no photos of dogs for an array request this case be closed.”

LOCARDS EXCHANGE PRINCIPLE

Every contact leaves a trace.This is the principle upon which most of our forensic science analysis is based on. Latent prints developed from surfaces touched; hair and fibers recovered from areas where a person was present; DNA found on weapons handled.

COMMON RESUME MISTAKES TO AVOID

"Education: Curses in liberal arts, curses in computer science, curses in accounting."
"Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest chain store."
"Personal: Married, 1992 Chevrolet."
"I have an excellent track record, although I am not a horse."
"Exposure to German for two years, but many words are not appropriate for business."
"Proven ability to track down and correct erors."
"Personal interests: Donating blood. 15 gallons so far."
"I have become completely paranoid, trusting completely nothing and absolutely no one."
"References: None, I've left a path of destruction behind me."
"Strengths: Ability to meet deadlines while maintaining composer."

Say What...?

Some of these I may have printed on this site in the past – but nevertheless, they are certainly worth repeating. Keep in mind that these are actual quotes – some from complainants, witnesses, prisoner debriefings – and many from other Detectives! Enjoy!
“That’s putting the horse before the cart”
“If you don’t like the smell of Ben-Gay, try using the senseless kind”
“I got a mind brain headache (migraine headache)”
“He’s like a bull in a china closet”
“Behind every cloud is a silver platter”
“Go through everything with a fine toothbrush”
“Too many fires on the iron”
“We’re all making some shingles” (shekels)
“Let’s shake some feathers, or ruffle the trees”
“What time was the pronunciation”? (pronouncement of death)
“He’s in a seduced (induced) coma”
“I want her arrested, she kicked me in my test cycles (testicles)”
“She’s my wife-in-law” (common law wife)
“The statue of liberties (statute of limitations) passed on that charge”
“I’m an oppartunour.” (entrepreneur)
“I don’t speak English, I speak American”.
“I’m no criminal, I’m on parole”.
“I shot in self defense, I’m a defendant”.
“He don’t drink, he has sore roses (cirrhosis) of the liver”.
“She speaks English and Spanish, she’s bilateral”. (bilingual)
“I took one of those elastic altitude (scholastic aptitude) tests when I was upstate”.
“Can I play solitary on the computer on my break?” (solitaire)
“He’s got Al’s-Hammer (Alzheimer’s) disease”
“It was one of those 2 lebonese girls that live down the street”. (Lesbian)
“I got minstrel (menstrual) pain”.
“The bullet went in my thigh and missed my tentacles (testicles)”.
“The doctor said he got trouble with his veins from flea bites (phlebitis)”.
“The Arabs got biodegradable weapons.” (Biological weapons)
“He’s not a Baptist, he’s an Episcopal Alien”.
“I had a depraved (deprived) childhood”.
“I got an upper repository (respiratory) infection”.
Sign on a car repair shop: “We Fix Automated Transitions”
“He can’t come to work. He has conductors eye sores”. (Conjunctivitis)
“Somebody has to come here to sign the affa-davis”. (affidavit)
“You know, that Ornamental (Oriental) Chinese looking guy down the block”
“That’s one of them bomb dogs, it’s a Laboratory Receiver.” (Labrador Retriever)
"The fatal injury was repaired at St. Mary's and she is recovering"

ANALYTICAL LINGUISTICS

(WHAT DID HE SAY?) A person who doesn’t have anything to conceal will generally recall events chronologically and in a concise manner. Those who are involved in crimes often feel the need to justify their actions. Their statements won’t follow a logical, chronological time frame or may avoid what really happened. They may also include extraneous information in their statements, information that’s not necessary to tell the story.

And, yes, they’ll probably fall asleep when left alone in the holding cell.