THE GUARDIAN SHIELD
PROTECTING ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY THROUGH INFORMATION EXCHANGE
WORKING TOGETHER ... WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
FEBRUARY 26, 2019
LOCK YOUR VEHICLES
So far this year items have been reported stolen from 226 vehicles in our county. Last year there were over 2,000 incidents. What is the common denominator? Most of the vehicles were left unlocked and valuables left inside. This is truly a crime of opportunity that can be greatly reduced by locking your vehicles and securing your valuables.
SCHOOL INCIDENTS
Baltimore Police have charged Neil Davis with shooting a special education assistant at Fredrick Douglass High School. Davis was confronted by the staff member as he entered the school’s front vestibule. Police allege Davis went to the school looking for the assistant after a relative had an earlier encounter with him. A parent-teacher conference had been scheduled involving the relative. Davis was immediately taken into custody. The assistant, who has not been identified, was treated for a lower extremity wound and was in stable condition. Post investigation determined that Davis is also linked to a November, 2018 homicide on York Road.  
ACTIVE SHOOTER
Contact us to arrange for a free Active Assailant presentation for your business, church or community group.
INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM
Hoda Muthana, captured by Kurdish forces in Syria, now says she "deeply regrets" traveling to Syria to join ISIS and is pleading to be allowed to return to her family in Alabama. Once one of ISIS's most prominent online agitators, Muthana regularly took to social media to call for the blood of Americans to be spilled. Muthana fled her home in Alabama in 2014 after several months of planning. She settled in Syria where she married three ISIS fighters who have all been killed while fighting. “I look back now and I think I was very arrogant. Now I’m worried about my son’s future. In the end I didn’t have many friends left, because the more I talked about the oppression of ISIS the more I lost friends. I was brainwashed once and my friends are still brainwashed.”
Wilfredo Encarnacion of New York was arrested by FBI agents as he attempted to board a flight to Pakistan where he intended join the terror group Lashkar e-Tayyiba, which has been responsible for several major attacks to include the 2008 Mumbia plot. Encarnacion who identified himself as “lionofthegood” and “jihadinheart” online, wrote messages stating “I want to fight till death alongside the Islamic State … I’m a lone wolf looking for a family. I can strike the crusaders.” He also posted “I want to learn. Fight. Kill. Die. And go to paradise.” Encarnacion has been charged with attempting to provide material support to a terror organization.
Michael Sewell of Fort Worth, TX has been charged with providing material support to a terror organization after recruiting another man to join the Lashkar e-Tayyiba, the same organization Wilfredo Encarnacion attempted to join. Unbeknownst to Sewell, the man was an undercover FBI agent. He is alleged to have given the agent the contact information for someone within the organization that could facilitate his travel to Pakistan. The complaint alleges Sewell coached the agent about what to say to convince his connection that he was sincere in his desire to fight for Lashkar e-Tayyiba.  
TERROR INSPIRED INCIDENTS
Charlotte, NC resident Erick Hendricks has been sentenced to 15 years in federal custody for conspiring to provide material support to ISIS. Hendricks was convicted of attempting to recruit individuals via social media into terrorist sleeper cells, which would train and conducted terror attacks in the United States. Hendricks was also in contact with Amir Al-Ghazi, who is serving a 16 year sentence for providing support to a terror organization and weapons charges, as well as the two individuals responsible for the 2015 Garland, TX terror attack on a show featuring images of Muhammad.
HOMEGROWN VIOLENT EXTREMISTS
Lt. Christopher Hasson, an active duty United States Coast Guard Officer assigned to Coast Guard Headquarters, has been arrested by Federal authorities for plotting a mass terror attack against journalists and prominent politicians. During a search of Hasson's Silver Spring, MD home, authorities uncovered 15 rifles, shotguns and pistols, as well as more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition. Also found in his home was a hit list of intended victims. According to the U.S. Attorney, Hasson, a self described white supremacist, planned to murder innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country. Hasson is currently being held on weapons charges.
Joseph Alcoff, a prominent leader of the far left group Antifa has been charged with his part in the attack of two Marines in Philadelphia. During the unprovoked violent attack with members of Antifa, the two Marines were verbally abused and accused of being “Nazis” who supported white supremacy and racism. When one of the Marines countered that he was “Mexican” he was called a “spic” and a “wetback.” Alcoff has been charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault, ethnic intimidation and conspiracy. Alcoff, from Washington, D.C., is the third person charged in the incident. Tom Keenan and Thomas Massey have also been charged with participating in the attack. 
WORKPLACE VIOLENCE
Managers at the Henry Pratt Company, a valve manufacturer in Aurora, IL, held a termination meeting with 15 year employee Gary Martin. It is believed that Martin suspected he was about to be fired and brought a gun to the meeting. At the conclusion of the meeting, Martin opened fire. He killed the three people in the meeting with him and two employees outside of the room. A call to 911 brought an immediate police response, which came under fire from Martin. Three officers were wounded in the exchange. He fled further into the building and eventually died in an exchange of gunfire with other officers. The wounded officers are expected to recover.
Austin, TX police have charged Bradley Tate with multiple felony counts after he arrived at a home wearing body armor and carrying an assault rifle. He was also armed with two 9 mm pistols and carrying a knife. He told the residents that a man in the home was trying to kill him. He fired three rounds into the home and fled to a neighbor's home asking for help. The neighbor called the police, but prior to their arrival, Tate went to Donker's Appliance, his former place of employment and fired several more shots through their door. He was allegedly trying to summon police. Tate had been recently terminated from Donkers for alleged drug use and poor performance. Police allege Tate was under the influence of meth amphetamines at the time of the incidents.
A gunman stopped his SUV and got into an argument with another man in New York City. During the argument the driver opened fire, but missed his intended target. Unfortunately two innocent construction workers at a site directly behind the target were hit. Dorothy Dixon was fatally wounded and a male co-worker was shot in the leg. Police are searching for the assailant
Some two million workers are victims of workplace violence each year. It can strike anywhere and no one is immune. The best protection employers can offer is to establish a zero-tolerance policy toward workplace violence against or by their own employees. Employers should provide written direction to employees as to set standards and expected conduct in the workplace. What should employers do to protect their employees?
 
  • Encourage employees to report and log all incidents or threats of violence
  • Report incidents to the police promptly
  • Inform victims of their legal right to prosecute perpetrators
  • Discuss the circumstances of the incident with staff members
  • Encourage employees to share information about ways to avoid similar incidents in the future
  • Offer stress debriefing sessions and post traumatic counseling services
  • Investigate all incidents and/or threats promptly
  • Monitor workplace violence trends and take proactive approaches to limit employee exposure
  • Secure the workplace.
  • Install video surveillance
  • Install alarm systems
  • Provide identification badges
  • Minimize access to non-employees
  • Practice good key control
  • 
Management/Supervisory personnel should:

  • Learn how to recognize, avoid, or diffuse potential situations by attending personal safety meetings or training programs
  • Alert management/supervisory personnel to any concerns about safety or security as soon as possible

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers to provide a safe and healthful workplace for all workers. Employers who do not take reasonable steps to prevent or abate a recognized hazard in the workplace can be cited and fined by OSHA.
Do you have a confidential Employee Assistance Program in your workplace? EAP programs are proven to help employees with work and life stressors, family issues, financial concerns and relationship problems. They are also an effective tool in dealing with alcohol and drug issues in the workplace. Employees are guaranteed a confidential place to go to receive help with their personal problems
HATE CRIMES
Burlington, VT police are investigating two incidents were signs were plastered with bumper type stickers at the entrance to The Pride of Vermont, an LGBT support organization and the Ohavi Zedek synagogue. The signs were allegedly defaced by a group known as the Patriot Front, a self-described white supremacist group. It called for a return to the America from centuries ago. The Patriot Front is known for its anti-gay, anti-Semitic and exclusionary views.  
Dozens of swastikas and anti-Semitic messages, including "Heil Hitler" and "No Jews Allowed" were drawn on a playground in New York City. The incident at P.S. 139 in Queens is being investigated by the NYPD Hate Crimes Unit. Police have investigated 36 anti-Semitic so far this year in New York City as compared to 21 the same time last year.
DRUG AWARENESS
SCAMS AND HACKS
Get a call about a debt you don’t owe? It can be very concerning when the call purportedly comes from a lawyer who is threating to sue you. Such are ploys of phantom debt collectors who use lies, harassment, intimidation and threats. The Federal Trade Commission has now filed a federal lawsuit against Global Asset Financial Services (GAFS) and fifteen related defendants for operating a fraudulent debt collection scheme. The complaint alleges GAFS employees posed as lawyers and had no authority to collect debts. The scheme bilked millions of dollars from unsuspecting consumers for debts they did not owe. A federal court has temporarily halted the operation and frozen its assets. 

Don’t let debt collectors – real or phony – intimidate you. Know your legal rights. By law, debt collectors have to send you a validation notice in writing within five days of contacting you. It you do not receive that validation, it is a red flag. The debt collector cannot threaten, harass or intimidate you to pay a debt. If you or anyone you know has gotten suspicious debt collection calls, report it to the FTC.
There are growing reports that foreign students, particularly those of South Asian descent, are receiving calls that appear to come from the U.S. Government. The students are being told there are problems with their immigration documentation. To allegedly rectify the situation demands are made of the student to post an immediate payment, often thousands of dollars, for an immigration fee or bond. Students should know that the U.S. Government does not made such calls and never demands any such payments. Students concerned about their student immigration status can contact the USCIS National Customer Service Center at (800) 375-5283.
PLEASE HELP MO
We recently featured the very special relationship between Cpl.Chris Linsenbigler and Mo Gaba. Mo is blind and has battled cancer for most of young life. Sadly we have to report that Mo has had a relapse and will have to undergo chemotherapy once again. The Broken Oar, a Nabbs Creek restaurant, has graciously stepped up and is offering to donate 15% of it sales to the Gaba family. The fundraiser will be held on Thursday, April 4th from 2 to 10 pm. If you are unable to attend, donations can be sent c/o of the Broken Oar, 864 Nabbs Creek Road, Glen Burnie, MD 21060. Any questions can be directed to jason.brokenoar@gmail.com.
IN OUR SCHOOLS EVERYDAY
IN OUR COMMUNITY
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
SEE SOMETHING … SAY SOMETHING
VIGILANCE BEGINS WITH YOU
1 (800) 492- TIPS (8477)
www.aapdguardianshield.org