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HCSO Deputy Shoots robbery suspect at bank EJ
Written by Chron.COM   

An off-duty Harris County sheriff's deputy shot and wounded a masked gunman Friday during a holdup at a bank in northwest Houston, police said.

The deputy was working a part-time security job about 1 p.m. when he spotted the suspect — who had pulled a mask over his face — coming through the front door at the Vista Bank Texas branch on the Northwest Freeway near Gessner.

The deputy pulled out his pistol and moved toward the man. He then identified himself as a sheriff's deputy, police said.

"The suspect turned toward the deputy with a gun in his hand," said Victor Senties, a Houston police spokesman.

Fearing that his life was in danger, the deputy fired at least twice at the robbery suspect before ordering him to the ground.

"The suspect refused to comply and he left the bank," Senties said.

The deputy followed him outside the bank and fired at least once more. Houston police patrol units then arrived at the bank and took custody of the man.

The suspected robber was struck at least once and taken to Ben Taub General Hospital in an unknown condition, police said.

The deputy, a 19-year veteran, is assigned to the Harris County Jail. Police said he was not hurt and there were no other injuries.

The attempted holdup was one of at least two reported Friday afternoon.

Authorities are searching for two men suspected in another robbery at a Wachovia branch in the 2800 block of Woodridge about noon, officials said.

At least one of the men reportedly pulled out gun, threatened a teller and demanded money.

The men ran away with a bag of cash, but dropped the bag nearby as they fled.

 

 
 
TSA
Written by AP   

BAKERSFIELD, CA -- Federal officials suspended flights Tuesday to and from Bakersfield airport after hazardous material was found in luggage.

Officials said it did not appear to be a terrorist-related incident.

"It sounds like, at this point, it's a hazmat issue; it's not terrorist-related or anything like that," said Suzanne Trevino, spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration. "It's not a bomb."

The unidentified material was discovered in a checked bag at Meadows Field.

Bakersfield Fire Chief Nick Dunn said it was in a bottle that released fumes. Two TSA officers who were exposed to the fumes were taken to a hospital for evaluation.

The discovery closed down the airport around 8:20 a.m., with officials calling in a hazardous material crew. A bomb squad also was dispatched to the airport as a precaution.

At least one SkyWest Airlines flight from San Francisco was diverted to Los Angeles.

The discovery came less than two weeks after a man was charged with trying to destroy a Northwest Airlines flight as it approached Detroit. He is alleged to have smuggled an explosive device on board the aircraft and set if off, but the device sparked only a fire and not the intended explosion.

Airline security has been tightened since the arrest.

(Copyright ©2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
 
Immigration screening launches today in city jails
Written by Chron.COM   

Houston Mayor Bill White will officially launch a fingerprint-based immigration screening program in the city's jails today, fulfilling his pledge to have the system up and running by the time he leaves office.

White, the outgoing mayor and Texas gubernatorial candidate, has faced harsh criticism for perceived flip-flopping on the issue of immigration enforcement in the jails. He previously requested to have the city participate in the controversial 287(g) program that would have trained officers to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents screen for illegal immigrants in the jails, but he backed away from that proposal after negotiations with the federal government broke down.

Instead, White opted for the Secure Communities program, which automatically checks the fingerprints of suspects booked into the city jails against a federal immigration database and notifies ICE when suspects have an immigration history.

White has said Secure Communities requires less manpower and money than 287(g), which has been criticized as being vulnerable to racial profiling.

Under 287(g), jailers are trained to assist ICE agents in identifying suspected illegal immigrants based not only on their fingerprint history, but also on how they respond to questioning about their status. Local authorities also are trained to file paperwork to detain suspected illegal immigrants through 287(g), but not through Secure Communities. Technical issues stalled for months the implementation of Secure Communities, city officials said, though White said he planned to have the system working by January.

Patrick Trahan, a spokesman for White, said White was not available for comment and could not provide more details Wednesday. White and Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt plan to hold a news conference this morning and will provide more details then, Trahan said.

Mayor-elect Annise Parker said on the campaign trail that she backs 287(g) and Secure Communities, which are both in place in Harris County's jails. Parker spokeswoman Janice Evans-Davis said Wednesday that Parker was not available for comment on Secure Communities but that her position had not changed on the immigration screening issue.

“The position is that if you get arrested and taken to jail, we're going to check your immigration status,” Evans-Davis said.

Curtis Collier, head of the Spring-based U.S. Border Watch organization, which advocates stricter immigration controls, said the Secure Communities system will only flag illegal immigrants who are already on ICE's radar, not those who lack immigration histories in the system.

Collier also said he was concerned that without added manpower from the city, ICE would not be able to respond quickly enough to catch all criminals with immigration records before they post bond.

“It makes no sense to me to participate in the fingerprint part of the program, but not the (manpower) part,” Collier said.

Cesar Espinosa, a Houston immigrant advocate, said he has met with members of the mayor's office and police staff to express concerns about Secure Communities. He said the system should be used to check the immigration histories of all inmates in order to prevent racial profiling.

Espinosa said the Secure Communities program is a kind of lesser evil than 287(g), which he called “flawed.”

“It's not the best thing, but it is better than 287(g),” Espinosa said of Secure Communities. “We're happy they got away from 287(g).”

Espinosa said immigrant advocates plan to request a meeting with Parker to express concerns about her plans to pursue the program.
 
Christmas Party for hookers raided
Written by KHOU.COM   

HOUSTON -- Houston police crashed a Christmas party for high-priced call girls and their customers last week at a Midtown club called Element.

Tuesday night, police were back out rounding up the men who allegedly paid for sex at the party.

"This is a party that was organized on a Web site that caters to mainly prostitution," said Lt. C. Vasquez with HPD’s vice division.

Members of the site called ASPD.net chat about Houston escorts and even write reviews. Warnings are posted about police activity, and which escorts can be trusted.

Members must be invited to join, and then a check is done to verify their employment. Operators wanted to make sure no cops were allowed.

But undercover HPD vice officers infiltrated the site and became members.

"It took about four months to get in there, from beginning to end," Vasquez said.

At the party, HPD undercover officers found enough evidence to charge 12 people with prostitution.

As soon as the arrests happened, members of aspd.net began to chat about the raid.

They even posted a warning about tonight’s story on 11 News at 10.

"Prostitution is in the virtual world now and if we are going to do our job and enforce the prostitution laws, we are going to have to move into the virtual world too," Vasquez said. "And that’s what we have done."

HPD’s Vice Division is using the site to gather information. Since last week’s raid it has been conducting prostitution stings at hotels and motels all over Houston.

HPD says it has collected names, and will be making more arrests soon.

"There are men who met prostitutes online in the city of Houston who have warrants for their arrest for prostitution, and they don’t know it yet.

They will soon.
 
Officer shoots suspect in SW Houston
Written by By DALE LEZON HOUSTON CHRONICLE   

A rookie Houston police officer shot and wounded a man who appeared to point a weapon at him early this morning on the city’s southwest side.

The shooting occurred about 1 a.m. in the 8900 block of Imogene, police said.

The man, whose name has not been released, was wounded in the arm. He was treated at a nearby hospital for the wound and is expected to survive his injury, police said. He was arrested, but no charges have been filed so far.

The officer, whose name also has not been released, was not hurt. He has been on the force about six months. He has been placed on desk duty for three days to help him mentally adjust to the shooting.

Investigators later determined that the man had pointed a silver hair brush at the officers.

Police said that officers were dispatched to the address to investigate a suspicious person with a weapon, said Kese Smith, a spokesman for the Houston Police Department.

When the officers arrived, the man was crouching behind a parked car. He was yelling at the officers that he could see them. He moved toward them, hiding behind cars as he went forward.

Then he stepped into the street and appeared to aim something at the officers, Smith said.

One of the officers fired two shotgun blasts at the man, hitting him. It was dark and foggy when the shooting occurred, Smith said.

Smith said the man told investigators that he had been the person who called 911 that led to the officers being dispatched to the scene, which is near his home.

Later, investigators learned from the man’s relatives that the suspect had spoken to them about committing suicide moments before he called police, Smith said.

As is customary in officer-involved shootings in the city, the Houston Police Department Homicide and Internal Affairs divisions and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office will investigate the case.
 
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