Fleeing suspect hits deputy with car
A shoplifting suspect in Florida is behind bars after allegedly hitting a Sarasota deputy with her car in an attempt to get away. The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office says deputies caught the woman, later identified Easter Goodman, shoplifting over the weekend, during a three-day shoplifting sting in conjunction with University Town Center Mall security. Goodman is one of eight people who were arrested during the sting. Detectives say she’s the only one who took it to the extreme while trying to run from the deputies.
Deputies say she was determined to get away. “The defendant in this case clearly has a disregard for humanity and for law enforcement,” said Sarasota County Sheriff’s spokeswoman, Kaitlyn Perez. Goodman has a very long criminal history in Manatee and Sarasota counties. Most of her crimes involve shoplifting or robbery. “Apparently she doesn’t learn lessons very well,” she said. [Source: ABC Action News]
Another arrest in last year’s shoplifting death
A third man has been arrested in the death of an 81-year-old store employee who died last year in South Carolina while trying to stop shoplifting suspects. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department said Wednesday that 49-year-old Ervan Matthew Harvey was arrested and charged with murder and strong-armed robbery.
Deputies say Charles Duaine Hamilton died when he confronted three men at a Sears store in August 2017 and was shoved to a concrete floor, causing a head injury that later killed him. The sheriff’s department said Harvey, Jeffrey Alan Simmons, and Jason Randolph were stealing two televisions when they were confronted by Hamilton, who was working as a loss prevention associate. Simmons and Randolph were arrested last year. [Source: ABC News4]
Using these passwords puts you at serious risk; The worst passwords of 2018
No matter how much we read about hacks and data breaches and the importance of taking solid security precautions, one of the unchangeable truths of the world is that people on average are absolutely terrible when it comes to choosing passwords. We use the same ones over and over, to the delight of hackers, and the ones we come up with tend to be pathetically easy so that we’re able to remember them.
SplashData is out with its eighth annual compilation of the Worst Passwords of the Year, a ranking it produces after evaluating more than 5 million passwords that have been leaked on the Internet. If you use any of these, we can’t stress this enough. As SplashData puts it themselves, anyone using any of these passwords is putting themselves “at substantial risk of being hacked and having their identities stolen.” A few notes about this list: 2018 was the fifth straight year that saw these passwords in the Number 1 and 2 spots for being the absolute worst: “123456,” and “password.” The five worst passwords after those 2? They’re all just numerical strings.
SplashData is a provider of password management applications TeamsID, Gpass, and SplashID. “Our hope by publishing this list each year is to convince people to take steps to protect themselves online,” says SplashData CEO Morgan Slain. “It’s a real head-scratcher that with all the risks known, and with so many highly publicized hacks such as Marriott and the National Republican Congressional Committee, that people continue putting themselves at such risk year-after-year.” Without further ado, here’s the top 10 on SplashData’s “Worst 100 Passwords of 2018” list:
1. 123456
2. password
3. 123456789
4. 12345678
5. 12345
6. 111111
7. 1234567
8. sunshine
9. qwerty
10. iloveyou
SplashData estimates almost 10% of people have used at least one of these 25 passwords and that some 3% of people have used the worst password, 123456. [Source: BGR.com]
AP associate stabbed by would-be electronics crook
Police arrested a man suspected of stabbing an asset protection team member with a box cutter while attempting to run away with electronic items from a Pasadena Target on Tuesday. Just before 5 p.m., officers with the Pasadena Police Department arrived at a Target department store to assist in the arrest of the suspected shoplifter, said Pasadena Police Lt. Marie Sell. By the time officers arrived, members of the store’s AP team already had the suspect in custody.
Sell said a man attempted to leave the store with $280 worth of electronic items. An APM saw the man and while trying to stop him from leaving, the two got into a struggle. During the struggle, the man stabbed the security guard in the thigh with a box cutter, Sell said. Other team members were able to handcuff the man and take him into a holding area of the store. Sell said the APM who was stabbed received a two-inch laceration and required minor medical assistance. [Source: Pasadena Star-News]
PD and retailers partner to arrest 14 in shoplift blitz
The Red Bluff Police Department in California cracked down on store thefts last week in a combined operation between law enforcement and Walmart loss prevention associates. “To prevent the expected rise in retail theft this holiday season, members of the Red Bluff Police Department’s Problem Oriented Policing unit joined forces with Walmart’s Asset Protection Agents last week,” according to a press release issued Tuesday.
Thursday through Saturday, police arrested 14 people for theft as well as some for warrants. Along with those arrested for shoplifting, police were able to identify narcotics dealer Brandon Salazar, 32, of Red Bluff. Authorities contacted the Tehama Interagency Drug Enforcement task force and Salazar was arrested and charged with possession of narcotics for sale. [Source: Daily News]
Local PD offers free crime awareness and prevention training
In Georgia, the Gwinnett County Police Department Crime Prevention Unit is offering many free crime prevention classes in an attempt to better educate citizens on safety and crime issues. These specialized officers routinely talk to homeowners, parents, employees, associations, and children.
Topics include alarm awareness, business fraud/loss prevention, business safety, personal safety, child safety, senior citizen safety, sexual assault prevention, domestic abuse/family violence, gang awareness for teens and parents, drug awareness for teens and parents, workplace violence, consumer fraud and scams, driver safety, firearm safety for adults, robbery prevention, shoplifting prevention, career day for schools, and internet fraud. Security surveys and local and alarm classes are also available for residential and commercial citizens.
Long-term commitment programs include the Citizens Police Academy, Community Oriented Policing Meetings (C.O.P.S.), Business Watch Program, and Police Explorers Program. At least 10 participants must be committed to attend for an officer to conduct the training. To host a class contact the Crime Prevention Coordinator, Cpl. Eric Rooks at William.Rooks@gwinnettcounty.com or 770.513.5119. [Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution]