When it comes to the Court’s Reputation, Offenders & Community…

Taking the Time to Research a Program is a MUST!

Providers with “new” programs for shoplifting offenders are popping up all over the place, likely in response to the current economic climate and the increase in shoplifting being reported by retailers. Unfortunately, too many of these providers fall short in terms of client and offender support services, compliance rates and effectiveness claims – leaving the courts underserved, the offenders open to repeat offenses and the community at risk.

A major contributor to these “pop-up” programs is the internet which makes it easy for companies, with little or no experience and few if any qualifications, to create websites where information has simply been “lifted” from a variety of other sources – with or without the consent or permission of those sources. In fact, several of these new programs have simply “copied and pasted” information from others to create their “new” programs.  More often than not, the information is “lifted” from the non-profit National Association for Shoplifting Prevention (NASP) – either from the NASP website, one of the NASP programs or a NASP research report – in clear violation of U.S. Copyright Laws.  Such was the case with one long time, seemingly reputable, drug and alcohol program provider.

Another program, while we did not find that its content was plagiarized, uses discriminatory language and inappropriate – if not offensive – scenarios to make its point. One program boasts “endorsements” and “accreditation” from seemingly separate and objective websites yet the sites are not accreditation authorities at all. In fact, they are simply the same company using these other websites – which they themselves created – to endorse and accredit their own programs!

The irony of this is that these program providers are stealing the material they need to create a program to teach shoplifters not to steal!

But the most important take-away here is the need for the court system to ensure that any alternative sentencing program they utilize – whether for shoplifting or any other offense – successfully accomplishes the long-standing goals of the court system; to reduce recidivism, reduce court appearances and effectively serve the best interests of the community. Low-cost, stripped down programs are unlikely to meet these goals. Yes, corporate America is always seeking the next thing that is “faster, cheaper, better.”  However, the fact is that when it comes to truly effective crime prevention, faster and cheaper is rarely better.

To protect the court, the offenders and the community, the court officers making these program decisions must make it a priority to thoroughly research providers, to carefully evaluate the programs they offer and to verify the claims they make.

When Evaluating A Program Make Sure The Provider…  …Is Not Violating any U.S. Copyright Laws Subjecting your Court to Potential Litigation

ASK: Is the program original material? If not, what knowledge base and
sources of information were used to develop it?   …Offers a Program that is Research-based to Ensure Effectiveness.

ASK: What research have they conducted? With how many offenders? Over
how many years? On what do they base their expertise? A Google-search on “shoplifting” or “shoplifters” does not qualify as research, even today.  …Is Not Making False Claims About their Success Rate or their Program being “Evidence-Based.”

ASK: What evidence can they show that their programs are truly effective? How many recidivism studies do they have to back their claims?  Valid recidivism studies are conducted by the courts themselves and tracked over time. Self-studies conducted by the company itself – the one selling the program – are not a valid measure of success in preventing the next offense.

…Can Provide Valid and Credible References. Offering a program over the internet has empowered many to market themselves as “national” providers – implying that their program is well-established and utilized by courts throughout the country – without having any real track record.

ASK: Can they provide a list of references from court personnel in various counties and states? If so, check the references; reach out to your peers and get honest feedback on effectiveness.

Finally, ASK For A Sample Program And Invest The Time To Go Through It And See Exactly What The Offenders Will Be Learning.

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NYC Car Bombing Suspect

An image taken from a surveillance video released by police on Monday shows a man, center, carrying a bag and walking away after removing his shirt in New York City.

NEW YORK – Investigators combed through security video and other evidence on Monday in the hunt for suspects in a failed car bombing in New York’s Times Square.

New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said a white man in his 40s was spotted in security video footage about half a block from where the vehicle was left on Saturday evening with its engine running and hazard lights flashing.

In a video released by police, the man, who appears to be thin, is seen removing a dark shirt, stuffing it into some sort of bag and walking away down the sidewalk, carrying the bag and glancing at least twice over his shoulder.

Police said they’ll be releasing more video of people seen acting suspiciously in and around Times Square, including footage, taken by a tourist, of a man running away from the scene, heading north.

Police told NBC News that it would be incorrect to characterize the people, including the man shown changing his shirt, as “suspects.” They were sought for questioning, a spokesman said.

Police found the “amateurish” but potentially powerful bomb in a smoking sport utility vehicle in the busy theater district Saturday night after being alerted by two street vendors, then cleared the streets of thousands of tourists so they could dismantle it.

‘Mayhem’
The SUV contained three propane tanks, fireworks, two filled 5-gallon gasoline containers and two clocks with batteries, electrical wire and other components, police said. Timers were connected to a 16-ounce can filled with fireworks that were apparently intended to set the gas cans afire, then ignite the three barbecue-grill-sized propane tanks.

Commissioner Kelly said it was “the intent of whoever did this to cause mayhem, create casualties.”

Police also found eight bags weighing more than 100 pounds of a substance that turned out to be fertilizer that was incapable of exploding.

Police spokesman Paul Browne said that unlike the ammonium nitrate grade fertilizer that has been used in terror attacks including the Oklahoma City bombing, this fertilizer would not have caused a massive explosion.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said there was no evidence of a link to al-Qaida or any other militant organization in the failed bomb attack that prompted the evacuation of the teeming entertainment and shopping district.

“It’s unfortunate that this happened. I’m confident that we will find out who did it,” Bloomberg told reporters outside a Times Square restaurant.

Officials were treating the incident as a potential terrorist attack, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” though it was too soon to tell who is responsible. She added that investigators had no suspects but that they had recovered forensic evidence, including fingerprints, from the vehicle.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility. In a one-minute video, the group said the attack ws in revenge for the death of its leader Baitullah Mehsud and the recent killings of the top leaders of al-Qaida in Iraq.

Kelly said there was no evidence to support the Pakistani Taliban’s claim.

In another video released early Monday and apparently dated early April, Pakistan’s Taliban chief promised attacks on major U.S. cities, a monitoring group said.

“We avoided what we could have been a very deadly event,” Bloomberg said in a press conference earlier Sunday. “It certainly could have exploded and had a pretty big fire and a decent amount of explosive impact.”

A T-shirt vendor and a handbag vendor alerted police at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday, the height of dinner hour before theatergoers head to Saturday night shows.

T-shirt vendor and Vietnam veteran Lance Orton said he alerted a mounted policeman when he noticed smoke coming from a parked SUV.

Car Bomb NYC

“People take it lightly,” Orton said on NBC’s TODAY show. “I’ve had a few situations where I’ve told people about things; they say, ‘That’s nothing.’ But you can’t take that attitude.”

One of Orton’s helpers suggested calling 911. Orton said he pointed at mounted police officer Wayne Rhatigan, who was on duty in Times Square.

“There’s a patrolman right there on the horse. I asked one of my guys, ‘Go over there and grab that officer,’ ” Orton recalled. “He came over on horseback. He saw what I did. It was steadily getting worse.”

After the vendors noticed the SUV, police cleared buildings and streets at the so-called “Crossroads of the World.” Officers were deployed around the area with heavy weapons on empty streets in the heart of busy midtown Manhattan.

A white robotic police arm then broke the windows of the dark Nissan Pathfinder to remove any explosive devices.

While he called the device “amateurish,” Bloomberg said it could have been deadly.

“We are very lucky,” he said.

A Connecticut license plate on the vehicle did not match the SUV, according to authorities, who did not know a motive. Police interviewed the Connecticut car owner, who told police he had sent the plates to a nearby junkyard, Bloomberg said.

‘Act of terrorism’
New York Gov. David Paterson called the incident an “act of terrorism.”

“Luckily, no one is hurt, and now the full attention of city, state and federal law enforcement will be turned to bringing the guilty party to justice in this act of terrorism,” Paterson said in a statement.

Shelly Carlisle of Portland, Ore., said police crowded into the Booth Theatre after the curtain closed on “Next to Normal,” a show on the same block where the SUV was found.

“At the end of the show, the police came in. We were told we had to leave,” Carlisle said. “They said there was a bomb scare.”

The car was parked on 45th Street, and the block was closed between Seventh and Eighth avenues as a precaution, police said.

Times Square lies about four traffic-choked miles north of where terrorists bombed the World Trade Center in 1993, then laid waste to it on Sept. 11, 2001.

The block that was closed is one of the prime blocks for Broadway shows, with seven theaters housing such big shows as “Billy Elliot” and “Lend Me a Tenor.”

The curtain at “God of Carnage” and “Red” opened a half-hour later than usual, but the shows were not canceled, said spokesman Adrian Bryan-Brown.

Katy Neubauer, 46, and Becca Saunders, 39, of Milwaukee were shopping for souvenirs two blocks south of the SUV when they saw panicked crowds.

“It was a mass of people running away from the scene,” Neubauer said. “There were too many people, too many cops. I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said.

Bloomberg left early from the White House correspondents dinner in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night. President Barack Obama, who attended the annual gala, praised the quick response by the New York Police Department, White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said.

He has also directed his homeland security and counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, to advise New York officials that the federal government is prepared to provide support.

Brennan and others will keep Obama up to date on the investigation, Shapiro said.

The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York responded along with the NYPD, said agent Richard Kolko.

Islamic link?
Islamic militants have used propane and compressed gas for years to enhance the force of explosives. Those instances include the 1983 suicide attack on the U.S. Marines barracks at the Beirut airport that killed 241 U.S. service members, and the 2007 attack on the international airport in Glasgow, Scotland.

In 2007 the U.S. military announced that an al-Qaida front group was using propane to rig car bombs in Iraq.

London’s theater district was also the target of a propane bomb attack in 2007, which may provide clues to American investigators.

In both cases, “the intention was to create a fireball” that would incinerate passers-by, Andy Hayman, former assistant commissioner in charge of counterterrorism at New Scotland Yard, told msnbc.com.

No one was injured when police discovered two Mercedeses loaded with nails packed around canisters of propane and gasoline outside of Tiger Tiger, a popular nightclub, on June 29, 2007.

“The big advantage (in New York City) is that because the car hasn’t been destroyed, the forensic opportunities are immense,” Hayman said.

“Police will be keen to mobilize the public — tourists might inadvertently have recorded the perpetrator leaving the car. There could be some very good images there,” he added.

Hayman also predicted that New Yorkers might be jumpy in the coming days.

“With a perpetrator at large, there will always be the worry that, being frustrated, he’ll try again,” he said.

In the London incident, police traced suspects two days later.

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Steinway Artist Harry Connick, Jr.

Steinway Artist Harry Connick, Jr. and his band performed at the 2010 Governor’s Ball hosted by President and Mrs. Obama on Sunday evening, February 21. Due to a packed East Room of the White House, the usual piano that occupies the room (a 1938 Steinway Art Case piano) was replaced with a smaller Steinway Model O Grand piano that was provided by Steinway Piano Gallery, Washington, D.C. for the event.

During the day, Connick, Jr. and his band performed for (and with) a group of Washington-area music students at a preview of the night’s event led by Mrs. Obama. Prior to the performance, Mrs. Obama paid tribute to Connick, Jr. for his humanitarian efforts in co-founding the Musicians’ Village, part of the New Orleans Habitat for Humanity rebuilding effort following Katrina.

On December 3, 2009, President Obama and a group of world-renowned performers were on hand for the National Tree Lighting Ceremony. In a tradition dating back to 1923, the President was on hand at the Ellipse near the White House to light the tree while bringing a message of peace and hope to the world.

For this year’s event, a group of talented performers were selected to perform, including Steinway Artist Brad Mehldau, Grammy award winner Sheryl Crow, hip-hop artist Common, country artist Ray LaMontagne, American Idol Jordin Sparks, jazz artist Joshua Redman, and the all-female music ensemble Celtic Woman.

All of the event’s performers who played piano or had piano accompaniment used a Steinway Model D concert grand piano (identification number CD-381) that is part of Steinway’s famed bank of Concert & Artist pianos stationed around the world at Steinway dealers. The piano was delivered from Steinway Piano Gallery in Washington, DC for the event and technicians spent over 9 hours preparing the piano so it would be in perfect playing condition for the performances.

2010 Governor’s Ball at The White House

Steinway and the White House have a long and storied history. In 1903, the 100,000th Steinway grand piano was presented to the White House as a gift. It was featured in the East Room of the White House until 1938, when it was replaced by the 300,000th Steinway grand — an Art Case piano with gilt American Eagle supports that is undoubtedly the most famous piano in the White House. The 1938 grand piano is still featured in the East Room (and sometimes in the Entrance Hall) of the White House. The original 1903 grand piano now resides in the Smithsonian Museum.

The next stop for the Steinway concert grand piano used at the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony is the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. It is one of three Steinway grand pianos that are being provided for the Kennedy Center Honors Program, which will be televised on CBS, Tuesday, December 29 at 9 p.m. EST.

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For so many years, Alex Rodriguez was the face of the Yankees’ postseason failure.

Now he is a symbol of their success.

Rodriguez led the way as the Yankees shed some playoff demons, dominating Minnesota’s pitchers in the Division Series sweep of the Twins.

Now Rodriguez will have to lead the Yankees into another challenge they’ve failed to meet in the recent past — an AL Championship Series against the Angels, who have twice bounced the Yankees from the playoffs in the last decade.

But Rodriguez and the Yankees can’t be as intimidated by the prospect after the three games they just played.

On a night in which Carl Pavano seemed set to frustrate his former team with a strong performance that would have been difficult to picture all those years he nursed injuries in the Bronx, Rodriguez once again stepped up. His home run in the seventh inning broke the shutout and, along with Jorge Posada’s homer later in the inning, catapulted the Yankees to a 4-1 win and a date with the Angels in the ALCS.

“He was big,” manager Joe Girardi said. “Alex had an unbelievable series. … It’s great. I talked about Alex being in a good spot before the playoffs. And he showed it.”

Rodriguez had such an unbelievable series — two clutch home runs, six RBI, all in pressure situations — he made his success seem less unbelievable with each at-bat. The man so often known through his Yankees career for coming up small in October came up big this time.

Along with Rodriguez’s rebirth, the Yankees had one more feel-good story added to a season full of them. If Rodriguez had been questioned loud and long in the big picture, Posada had been the center of attention in the immediate past.

Heading into the series, Posada became a storyline thanks to Girardi’s decision to pair backup catcher Jose Molina with A.J. Burnett. After stirring controversy by expressing his disappointment, Posada capped the series with another clutch hit and an excellent defensive game.

His homer put the Yankees ahead in the seventh. Before that, Posada paired with longtime battery mate Andy Pettitte on a gem in which Pettitte allowed just one run in 6 1/3 innings and struck out seven. After the homer, Posada helped protect the lead, making a snap throw to third to nail Nick Punto after a heads-up toss home from Derek Jeter. Posada also singled in a run in the ninth inning.

“I love what he did tonight,” Girardi said of Posada.

YANKEES 4, TWINS 1: Alex Rodriguez continued to reverse the trend of postseasons past with yet another clutch hit, homering in the seventh inning to tie the game before Jorge Posada added the go-ahead homer a few moments later as the Yankees completed the sweep and won their first playoff series in five years.

Former Yankee Carl Pavano had frustrated his old team from the mound instead of the disabled list for the first six innings, shutting them out and outdueling Andy Pettitte, who had given up an RBI single to Joe Mauer in the sixth. But Rodriguez hit his second homer in as many games and drove in his sixth run of the series to tie the score, 1-1. After Hideki Matsui struck out, Posada homered to give the Yankees the lead. They added two runs in the ninth on RBI singles by Posada and Robinson Cano off of closer Joe Nathan.

The Yankees bullpen fared better, with Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera combining for 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Hughes was aided in the eighth by a sharp play from Derek Jeter and Posada, who nailed Nick Punto at third after he started the inning with a leadoff double. Jeter fielded an infield single and threw home when Punto began racing for the plate. Posada then threw a dart to third baseman Alex Rodriguez for the out.

NOTES, QUOTES

—3B Alex Rodriguez, his teammates and manager had talked about him being in a better frame of mind than previous Octobers throughout the last few weeks, but he showed it during the Yankees’ sweep of Minnesota. Rodriguez tied two games with late homers and drove in six runs in the three games after managing just one RBI in his previous 59 postseason at-bats. “He went out and proved it, with clutch hits,” manager Joe Girardi said. “Game 2 was a monster hit. Game 1, he had big hits. Tonight was a monster hit.”

—LHP CC Sabathia will be set to go in Game 1 of the Championship Series against the Angels, and manager Joe Girardi was grateful for the opportunity to start with his ace in the next round. “It’s good because you can set up your rotation however you want,” he said. Sabathia’s reaction: “I’m excited.”

BY THE NUMBERS: 2 — Number of game-tying home runs in the seventh inning or later that Alex Rodriguez hit in Games 2 and 3 of the Division Series sweep of the Twins.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “This is the first step of what we hope to be many.” — LHP CC Sabathia on the Yankees’ celebration after their Division Series victory over Minnesota.

ROSTER REPORT

—C Jorge Posada got serenaded by his teammates with a chant Yankees fans back in the Bronx made more popular. “Hip, Hip Jorge!” teammates screamed as they sprayed him with champagne after Posada hit the go-ahead homer in the clinching game of the Division Series sweep of Minnesota. Posada had been the center of attention after getting benched in Game 2 for backup Jose Molina, but he came through with one of the biggest hits of the series while also catching a game in which Yankees pitchers allowed just one run. Posada also did a good job of deflecting controversy for the second round of the postseason when he said he doesn’t care if Jose Molina continues to catch A.J. Burnett. “It doesn’t make a difference to me,” Posada said. “I’m just going to be ready whenever they want me.”

—LHP Andy Pettitte threw another gem for the Yankees in the postseason and said the factors that made people think he would not return to New York for the chance to do so actually made him do just that. Pettitte threw 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball, allowing just three hits and striking out seven in the Yankees’ 4-1 Division Series-clinching win over Minnesota but was an afterthought in the offseason because of the addition of CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. The high-profile pitchers left little cash for Pettitte, who had to swallow his pride to take a pay cut in an incentive-laden deal. No matter, he said. “That’s why I wanted to come back here,” Pettitte said of Sabathia and Burnett signing. “I knew if we had those two horses and if you could add me with them — and hopefully I could stay healthy — I felt like we could get to the postseason.”

—SS Derek Jeter is known for his many clutch hits in October, but this time he came through with a crucial defensive play in the Yankees’ series-clinching win over the Twins. Jeter fielded an infield single in the eighth and caught Nick Punto racing for home. The Yankees captain fired to catcher Jorge Posada and Punto slipped, prompting Posada to snap a throw to third, where Alex Rodriguez tagged out the runner and ended the threat. “When I caught it … I saw Punto out of the corner of my eye, so I just waited for him to commit to going home, then tried to get it to Jorge,” Jeter said.

—RHP Joba Chamberlain pitched another 2/3 scoreless innings in relief — helped by a great defensive play by Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada — and should most likely get used to that role in the next round. The New York Post has reported the Yankees will keep him in the bullpen against the Angels and use ace CC Sabathia on short rest or RHP Chad Gaudin in Game 4.

—2B Robinson Cano struggled with runners in scoring position all season but contributed a clutch hit in the ninth inning to help the Yankees put away the Twins. Cano added an RBI single to give the Yankees another insurance run in the 4-1 win that clinched the Division Series sweep.

MEDICAL WATCH:

RHP Chien-Ming Wang (right shoulder strain and bursitis) went on the 15-day disabled list July 5, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on July 31. He had season-ending surgery July 29.

OF Xavier Nady (sore right elbow) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 15, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on July 21. He began a rehab assignment with Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 24, but he experienced a setback June 25. He had season-ending Tommy John surgery July 8.

ROTATION:

LHP CC Sabathia

RHP A.J. Burnett

LHP Andy Pettitte

RHP Chad Gaudin

BULLPEN:

RHP Mariano Rivera (closer)

RHP Phil Hughes

LHP Phil Coke

RHP Dave Robertson

RHP Alfredo Aceves

RHP Joba Chamberlain

LHP Damaso Marte

CATCHERS:

Jorge Posada

Jose Molina

Francisco Cervelli

INFIELDERS:

1B Mark Teixeira

2B Robinson Cano

SS Derek Jeter

3B Alex Rodriguez

INF/OF Eric Hinske

INF/OF Jerry Hairston Jr.

OUTFIELDERS:

LF Johnny Damon

CF Melky Cabrera

RF Nick Swisher

DH Hideki Matsui

OF Brett Gardner

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Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada hit seventh-inning solo home runs and the New York Yankees went on to beat Minnesota 4-1 Sunday, sweeping their playoff series.

The two homers off Twins starter Carl Pavano — Rodriguez’s to right field, Posada’s to left — erased a 1-0 Twins lead.

New York added two more runs in the ninth on RBI singles by Robinson Cano and Posada.

The Yankees advance to the American League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Angels, who also swept their division series, defeating the Boston Red Sox 7-6. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday at New York.

Joe Mauer singled in Minnesota’s run in the sixth inning.

Andy Pettitte was the winning pitcher, allowing a run and three hits over 6 1/3 innings. Pavano took the loss, yielding five hits, including the home runs, in seven innings.

Mariano Rivera recorded four outs for the 35th save of his playoff career.

The game was the last in the Metrodome. The Twins will play in a new facility, Target Field, starting next season.

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