Monday, September 24, 2007

Disguised Weapons

The mission of the California Department of Justice, Division of Law Enforcement, is to provide its customers and clients extraordinary service in forensic services, forensic education, narcotic investigations, criminal investigations, intelligence, and training. In support of this mission, the Division’s Criminal Intelligence Bureau’s (CIB) Organized Crime Analysis Unit conducted an in-depth intelligence-gathering and examination effort into law enforcement safety handbook.

The Disguised Weapons Handbook is a quarterly report to inform
law enforcement officers of what new items are available to suspects. In addition, the purpose is to inform law enforcement of the creativity some suspects have when converting everyday items into homemade weapons. The information contained in this report was obtained from various law enforcement sources and databases. Many of the weapons shown in this publication have websites listed where items can be viewed in greater detail.

DOWNLOAD THE HANDBOOK HERE
http://www.police-writers.com/disguised_weapons.html

Pentagon Channel Fired Up to Showcase Hot Platoon of 'Grill Sergeants'

By David Mays
Special to American Forces Press Service

Sept. 24, 2007 - Cooking talents of some of the
U.S. military's top chefs will be on the front burner of a new Pentagon Channel lifestyle program, "The Grill Sergeants." "I want 'The Grill Sergeants' to be a forum on how to share the most common element in life -- food," explained Sgt. 1st Class Brad Turner, an Army platoon sergeant chosen to be the show's first host.

A nationwide search is under way for other
military members with a flair for food and a dynamic personality interested in showcasing their skills on the show.

"Watch out, Emeril!" warned retired
Air Force Master Sgt. Jim Langdon, creator of 'The Grill Sergeants.' "We have some really talented chefs auditioning."

Besides highlighting the "superior culinary skills of
military chefs," Langdon said, the show aims to introduce recipes unique to different parts of the world.

"We'd really like to see regional foods where we have troops stationed," he said. "Like gumbo from
Louisiana and yakisoba from Japan."

Chef Turner explained that he hopes to turn his passion for food into a compelling half-hour of television his fellow servicemembers can enjoy.

"It will give them a way to share more intimately through something we do every day," he said.

But it's not all about food and fun, the show's creator said.

"A couple of big benefits, besides learning some great recipes, deals with nutrition and ways to avoid cross contamination of different foods like raw chicken and vegetables," Langdon said.

All episodes of "The Grill Sergeants" have been shot so far at Fort Lee, Va., home to the
Army's Advanced Culinary Skills Course, where the military's best cooks earn their stripes in the kitchen. Members of an Army jazz quartet, the "Taste Buds," provide musical interludes and serve as official taste testers.

Military chefs interested in hosting the show are invited to send a proposed recipe and a photo of themselves to info@pentagonchannel.mil

'The Grill Sergeants' will debut later this fall on the Pentagon Channel. It also will be available via podcast and video on demand at
www.pentagonchannel.mil.

(David Mays works in the New Media branch at American Forces Information Service.)

Pentagon Sets Record Contribution Goal at CFC Kickoff

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Sept. 24, 2007 - Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon R. England today asked servicemembers and department civilians to open their hearts and wallets and contribute generously to the Combined Federal Campaign. The CFC's annual contribution drive "is hugely important" to communities in the National Capital Area and other localities across the United States, England, the department's CFC vice chairman, declared during a kickoff ceremony today.

"A lot of organizations need our help," England pointed out, adding that there are about 3,600 charitable organizations listed in the CFC beneficiary catalog.

The 2007 CFC campaign, which began Sept. 21 and runs through Dec. 15, repeats last year' theme: "Be a Star in Someone's Life."

The Pentagon kickoff ceremony featured a videotaped message from President Bush, who urged federal civilian employees and servicemembers to give generously to the CFC.

"By giving to the Combined Federal Campaign each year, you can extend a helping hand to provide new hope and transform lives," Bush said in his message.

The Defense Department's goal for this year's CFC campaign is $13.2 million, which is $200,000 more than last year, said Michael B. Donley, director of administration and management for the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

That is "our highest goal ever attempted," Donley said. Service-branch goals for this year's CFC National Capital Area campaign are:
Navy and Marine Corps, $3.55 million; Army, $2.8 million, and $1.82 million for the Air Force.

Last year, the Pentagon and its affiliated agencies in the National Capital Area collected $15.6 million in CFC donations, Donley recalled. The department's average individual CFC contribution last year was $342, he said, and the overall participation rate was 56 percent.

U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad W. Allen, a key CFC organizer for the Defense Department since 2000, said he's honored to participate as honorary chairman for the 2007 campaign. Allen kicked off the CFC's national capital area campaign for 2007 by throwing a ceremonial pitch before the start of the Washington Nationals-Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball game here Sept. 21.

"It's been clear to me over the years the great value that CFC brings," said Allen, who led the federal government's on-site Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in the fall of 2005.

CFC contributions have helped people in Gulf Coast communities affected by Katrina, as well as servicemembers and their families, Allen noted.

The CFC goal for the national capital area is $60 million, said Anthony De Cristofaro, the CFC's national capital area director. There are about 350,000 federal employees in the
Washington Metropolitan area, he said.

"The Defense Department's support is absolutely vital" to the annual CFC campaign, De Cristofaro said. "Literally, 25 percent of all of our money will come from people who are working in the Department of Defense, uniformed
military and civilian people."

New Playbook Aims to Help Reconstruction Teams in Iraq, Afghanistan

By David Mays
American Forces Press Service

Sept. 24, 2007 - Coalition teams working to rebuild communities in Iraq and Afghanistan have a new resource. The Provincial Reconstruction Team Playbook, a first-of-its-kind guide, has just been published by the
Army's Center for Lessons Learned, at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Two of the center's top leaders spoke about the document during a conference call today with online journalists and "bloggers."

"Guys were going out, putting together PRTs and operating," said
Army Col. Steve Mains, the center's director. "But there wasn't a whole lot of instruction for them on how to do that."

"Our PRTs that exist out there are out there with virtually no supporting mechanism," said retired
Air Force Col. Mike McCoy, lead analyst on the project. "They have to rely on the people they are with."

To get a first-hand look at how team members were conducting missions with local citizens, CALL embedded 15 staffers with PRTs throughout Iraq and Afghanistan. Embedded personnel relayed what they observed to a team of analysts at Fort Leavenworth and staff at
U.S. military schools and headquarters.

"We're in the business of collecting what's really working in theater," Mains said. "The idea is that we would collect information from theater and get it very quickly back to the schools and back to the units."

The playbook offers information such as the concept, intent and principles of PRTs. It also delves into specific and unique challenges faced in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We've got to get this playbook out in the field," McCoy said. "We've got enough content here that people need to start working on it and
training on it."

CALL has written guides in the past on such topics as sniper operations, base defense, and "how to stay alive in the first 100 days of combat."

"If we see a gap in doctrine, then we will step in and fill that gap with our handbooks," Mains said.

Much of the information published in the playbook had already been assembled by U.S. State Department and Agency for International Development staffers who work side by side with
military members on PRTs, the colonel explained. But an indexed guide compiling all that information in one place was nonexistent, he added.

"We were able to jumpstart it a little bit because of our ability here at Leavenworth," Mains said. "I think we'll see more folks in the interagency community wanting to get their name on these sorts of products in the future."

An immediate effect of the playback's publication is increased dialog among agency staffers who make up the reconstruction teams, the CALL leaders explained.

"At the grassroots level, the worker level, they have been very eager to provide their input," Mains said. "We're building this interagency cooperation from the ground up."

"You have to work together," McCoy said. "You have a common mission."

(David Mays works for the New Media branch of American Forces Information Service.)

Children of Deployed Troops Get 'Fun Day'

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Sept. 24, 2007 - About 300 children and spouses of deployed servicemembers enjoyed free activities and programs Sept. 22 during "Deployed Family Fun Day" at a
Coast Guard installation near Fort Belvoir, Va. "Our primary focus was toward the children who have a parent who is deployed overseas," said Dawn Fincham, outreach manager for the USO of Metropolitan Washington. "We also wanted to (include) the ... spouses who are (left) behind to watch the children."
The United Service Organizations is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with
military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad. USO Metro and the Metropolitan Military Information Exchange, an information resource for servicemembers and their families, teamed to host the event.

Children at the event, held on the grounds of the
Coast Guard Telecommunications and Information Systems Command, enjoyed five inflatable bouncers, face painting, crafts, and board games. Meanwhile, parents had the option of attending informational sessions. Those included everything from information on how to parent while a spouse is deployed, a women's self-defense class and presentations on how to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Parents also had access to a plethora of information and resources thanks to the Metropolitan
Military Information Exchange.

"We had one lady (who's) only been here in our area for about two months and her husband (is) deployed," Fincham said. "She thought it was really great that there was one central location with all this information brought in and at the same time."

The first-time event, which children and spouses from all branches of the service attended, was an all-around success, she added.

"Everybody says we ... should do it on a quarterly basis," Fincham said.

She said she's quite sure the event will take place again, but when is still to be determined.