"Man dies after deputies use stun gun on him"  December 10, 2003
 

This occurred in St. Augustine. A 39-year-old driver of a 2000 Chevy Suburban was stopped at 1:30am for a broken tail light. The deputy saw a container that may have had drugs. The deputy reached into the vehicle to seize the container. The driver sped off with the deputy hanging from the car. The scumbag finally stopped and fled on foot. When confronted, the driver resisted and was hit with a stun gun (probably a Taser) and then died. There is an investigation into how many times the stun gun was applied; purely a routine investigation. There is nothing either mentioned or inferred to indicate a concern for suspected abuse or misconduct. The point is simple -- you must remember that stun guns and pepper spray are more correctly to be considered 'less lethal' rather than 'nonlethal' even in appropriately and lawfully used. When applied, use defensively to gain compliance and escape rather than to punish. There have been deaths associated with both of these defensive tools so please be aware.

 

A 44-year-old man from Oldsmar used the Internet to arrange sexual liaisons with a 13-year-old female child from Texas. He actually used his status as a flight (former soon I hope) attendant for Continental Airlines. Remember that you can be anyone that you wish to be on the Internet -- he told her that he was 30 and she told him that she was 16. This scumbag actually used business trips to Houston, Texas, Continental headquarters, to seduce her. He picks her up at her house and then drives her to Houston to an apartment that he maintains for sex. The girl's father found computer messages and tipped authorities. Continental was exceedingly cooperative with the investigation and advised law enforcement when he would next be flying to Houston. A trap was set and this scumbag was arrested when he drove to the girl's home for another sexual encounter. The father was using a service called Cybersitter that logs children's e-mails and chat room visits and then notifies the parents of improper activities. Remember my friends -- if you are not watching your children, someone else may be!

 

"Couple sue Bucs safety"  January 8, 2004
 

A Buccaneer safety and another driver had a typical minor road rage on the Courtney Campbell Causeway some months ago. During the course of same, the pro football player pointed a loaded handgun at the other driver who also had his wife in his car. The football player received a year's probation in August 2003 after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of improper display. He was fortunate -- it could have been Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and good for years in prison. The other driver and his wife just filed suit for more than $15,000 in damages, not including court costs, for "emotional distress and resulting physical complications" as a result of that incident. Enough said folks. Remember that the concerns are not just for the criminal aspects but for the civil penalties that may also accrue. Please remember my philosophy as espoused in class -- "It is easier to avoid it than to extricate yourself from it!"

 

"Roadside attackers trick, beat grandma"  January 12, 2004
 

There is an old police saying that goes "no good deed goes unrewarded!" On December 31, 2003, a 56-year-old woman was driving on the Courtney Campbell to Clearwater from Tampa. She saw two women sitting on the trunk of an older model Corolla waving that they needed help. She thought she saw a car seat in the vehicle and stopped her vehicle on the side of the road and exited her vehicle. The victim then told the two women, who were in their 20's, that she had a cell phone and wanted to help. One of the women cursed her and then punched her in the face and kicked her in the stomach. The Good Samaritan fell and struck her head on a guardrail. The scumbag robber then went into her van and stole $976.00 in cash as well as a credit card, bank card, checkbook and $600.00 worth of gold jewelry that had great sentimental value. The two congratulated each other on their score and drove away in the Corolla. I agree that an offer of help was the right thing to do but perhaps a better course of action would have been to pull over to the side of the road, keep the car in drive and the doors locked, roll the passenger side window down a few inches and offer to call someone for them. If an attack developed -- simply drive away. Better yet, why not just call *FHP or 911and don't stop at all! She was very lucky -- the scumbags could have killed her just for sport!

 

"Toddler finds gun in dad's car, shoots self in head"  January 21, 2004
 

The 26 year-old father and his three-year old son were in the father's pickup truck in the Miami area. On the way home, the father stopped at a friend's house for a few minutes. The driver's side door was open and the father was standing at the front door of the house, a few feet away,  speaking with his friend. The three year-old retrieved a loaded handgun from the center console and shot himself in the head and died the next day. The investigating detective stated that the shooting was accidental but there are major questions such as why was the boy left in the truck alone and why did he have access to the handgun. Sounds like good, reasonable questions to me! It only takes a second of carelessness to have a lifetime of regret. Please review Florida law in regard to the safe storage of firearms in regard to minors (under the age of 16) as defined in FSS 790.14 and 790.174. Since this careless act resulted in a death, the father may be looking forward to at least five years as a guest of the state as well as the loss of his child! FYI, Knight's has an excellent supply of Secure Gun Vaults that may actually be installed in your vehicles, SUV's and boats as well as you home and business! It seems that $89.00 plus tax is a cheap price to pay for peace of mind!

 

"Unarmed guard is shot to death"  January 22, 2004
 

My CWP clients have heard my views on attempts to disarm those scumbags who are holding you at knife point or gunpoint. I strongly feel that type of effort has a potential major penalty, DEATH, if you do try to disarm the mutt and miss. According to Basic Scumbag 101, it is your fault since you failed to recognize his rightful place as a superior predator and you made him kill you because you "dissed" him (known in English as a demonstrated lack of respect)! Approximately 1AM, an unarmed 57 year-old guard was in the parking lot of the Masters Inn on MLK Jr. Blvd in Tampa. The police received a call of shots fired and went to the scene. They found the unarmed guard shot dead. A few days later, they arrested a 16 year-old junior scumbag who just made the "big time." He confessed that he was attempting an armed robbery of the guard who attempted to take his gun away so he had to shoot him. But it wasn't the scumbag's fault because if the guard had not resisted he would not have been shot! How is that for logic? My friends, I have a very simple definition of a good tour of duty, a good parachute jump, a good training day and a good day as a victim of a violent crime -- you get to go home when the day is over! I cannot tell you not to resist because that may not work out either but just be aware of the potential risks for both courses of action. Do the right thing, whatever that is!

 

"Robbery victim faces charge"  January 28, 2004
 

As good citizens, we have a tendency to really get upset with scumbag criminals. That is understandable and not a problem unless you fail to comply with established laws and philosophy. In October of 2003, there were two very different instances in Tampa in which a citizen used deadly force as the result of an armed robbery. In both cases, the scumbag criminal was killed. In the first instance, a garage owner had a firearm stuck in his face and he was able to retrieve his own firearm and shoot the attacker during the period in which he was in imminent danger. This event met the standard since the felonious attack was imminent (at the instant), the victim was in fear of his life and was only trying to stop the ongoing attack. Actually, this was the third time this garage owner had successfully used deadly force to stop an armed robbery. I think future armed robbers should note this man's address and leave him alone! In the second, a restaurant owner was also the victim of an armed robbery. The scumbag, well on his way to becoming a career felon at age 24 with a criminal record that included armed robbery and carrying a concealed weapon, had completed the robbery and fled the scene. The victim called 911 to report the robbery and then got into his SUV and tried to locate the armed robber. He did so about three blocks and approximately four minutes later, drove the wrong way on a one-way street and ran over the scumbag thereby killing him. In my opinion, this former victim was not in imminent danger at this time, the felonious attack was over and he basically became the aggressor. This 33 year-old good citizen has now been charged with manslaughter and faces up to 15 years in Florida State Prison. Please remember that you must not, better not, should not use deadly force to protect property only or stop a fleeing criminal. It is strongly recommended that you review Chapter 11, Self-Defense, and the Lawful Use of Force in Jon Gutmacher's excellent book, 'Florida Firearms - Law, Use & Ownership.' If you do not have the book, give me a call and I will advise you where to buy your copy! By the way, Edition 5 has now been released and if your copy was purchased a few years ago and you have not kept up with Jon's updates, it is time to buy a new book. Give me a call -- I can help you with that purchase!

 

False Alarms
 

False alarms, particularly in the area of residential alarms, are the bane of a police officer's existence. I have responded to well over 100 residential alarms personally without one actual event. One of my buddies estimates that he went to well over 500 residential and commercial alarms with only one actual event. These false alarms cost the police millions in major jurisdictions each year and deny coverage of more serious events as well as deaths and property damage. A recent article in the January 22, 2004 edition of the St. Petersburg Times reports that 97% of the alarms in the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office area of responsibility are false and waste more than $2,000,000 a year. As a result, the alarm ordinance has been changed to cost the subscriber $50, $75, $150 & $300 for alarms #3 - 6 and then $500 for more than seven. Clearwater has also raised their fee so that property owners with more than four false alarms in a year face up to $500 in fines and possible court dates. In addition, there is an increasing trend for police departments to not respond to alarms since there is basically no public duty. I have an extract of a Florida County's Alarm Ordinance that reads "The permitting of an alarm system is not intended to, nor will it create a contract, duty or obligation, either expressed or implied, of response. Any and all liability and consequential damage resulting from the failure to respond to a notification is hereby disclaimed and governmental immunity as provided by law is retained." If you are interested in the full text, please advise me and I will email to you by JPEG attachment. By the way, I just happen to have a high tech system that installs without any wires in less than four seconds, that you monitor either by a landline or cell phone external dialer without monitoring fees, very reasonably priced, completely portable, very flexible, without false alarms and puts you in total charge of your security as opposed to some minimum wage stranger perhaps hundreds or thousands of miles away. In-home and business demonstrations are free -- just give me a call (Business 727-535-9151 and cell 727-515-1317) to schedule!