Remembering A Fallen Hero

Night Watchman

George Workner Baltimore City Police Department

Maryland

End of Watch: Tuesday, March 15, 1808
Cause of Death: Stabbed

Date of Incident: Monday, March 14, 1808

Weapon Used: Edged weapon; Knife

Suspect Info: Executed in 1808

Night Watchman Workner was stabbed to death during a jail break of nine inmates from the Baltimore Jail. The inmates had fashioned pewter keys and picked the locks to their cell doors. Then they attacked the guards with a small knife one of the inmates had obtained. Watchman Workner was stabbed in the side during the escape and died from the wound the following day.Four of the nine inmates were apprehended and sentenced to death for Watchman Workner's murder. Their execution date was set for April 22, 1808, but they again attempted to escape two days beforehand. That escape attempt failed and they were hung in the jail's courtyard at noon on April 22, 1808.

Is sbynews.com really ranked within the top 100,000 websites in the U.S.??

By WicBury Crapper Board Member "IllGutYouLikeAFish (BM - Info Tech)"....




Not even close. Here is why...

First and foremost, the rating amount is gathered from the rating website Alexa itself. So, it draws upon data that is collected by either it's website (through a code that alexa users put on their website) or through the "Alexia Toolbar". Therefore, it is only drawing upon information of it's members, not all websites in the U.S. or the world. So in reality the figure shown to the left of "100,357" is out of unique users that employ Alexa's website methods collecting statistical data. Websites that do not register with Alexa are not included in these figures and therefore are not calculated in the bottom line averages. To prove our point we searched our results... we are not members of Alexa nor do we use their code on our blog site in order for them to calculate our blogsite usage, because we really don't care. But, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, its probably a duck. Meaning, if it smells like mooseshit, and looks like mooseshit, the statistics are probably mooseshit. Below is a capture image of our results on Alexa's website.

Again, they have no data to draw from because we don't include their code on our site to identify us as a member to be calculated. So, really sbynews.com's statistics are only of the sites participating with Alexa to find out their ranking results. Note it reads "No Data" and that we were online since 2000, which is of course bullshit and that 430,891 sites link to us, which again is totally incorrect. But we could go around yelling "HEY! 430,891 sites link to the Crapper! WOW!". Note, if you look up sbynews.com's linking statistics they read "80". So again, totally in accurate.



So the figures shown about sbynews.com are slanted because although it may be popular in the 100,000 range of alexa users, alexa users don't include all websites on the internet, just a small fraction thereof. Note that the number of Alexa users is somewhere in the neighborhood of 380,000 vs 100,000 for the U.S.? If there are only 100,000 Alexa users in the U.S. then sbynews.com would be in last place. But Alexa doesn't publish those statistics. So in reality, it's a tool that makes people feel better about themselves and their websites. But, it's a totally inaccurate way of calculating a websites "popularity".

Read Alexa's information below...taken from their FAQ page....


Now, as mentioned above, Alexa's traffic rankings are based on the past three months of global traffic according to our diverse data sources, and are updated daily. A site's ranking is based on a combined measure of Reach and Page Views. Reach is the percentage of unique internet users who visit a site. Page Views are the average number of user URL requests for a site. However, multiple requests for the same URL on the same day by the same user are counted as a single Page View. The site with the highest combination of users and Page Views is ranked #1. Additionally, we employ data normalization to correct for biases that may occur in our data. Sites with relatively low measured traffic will not be accurately ranked by Alexa. Our data comes from many various sources, including our Alexa users; however, we do not receive enough data from these sources to make rankings beyond 100,000 statistically meaningful. (However, on the flip side of that, the closer a site gets to #1, the more reliable its rank.) This means that, for example, the difference in traffic between a site ranked 1,000,000 and a site ranked 2,000,000 has low statistical significance. Sites ranked 100,000+ may be subject to large ranking swings due to the scarcity of data for those sites.


Alexa's traffic rankings are based on the usage patterns of Alexa Toolbar users and data collected from other, diverse sources over a rolling 3 month period. A site's ranking is based on a combined measure of reach and pageviews. Reach is determined by the number of unique Alexa users who visit a site on a given day. Pageviews are the total number of Alexa user URL requests for a site. However, multiple requests for the same URL on the same day by the same user are counted as a single pageview. The site with the highest combination of users and pageviews is ranked #1.Alexa's traffic rankings are for top level domains only (e.g. domain.com). We do not provide separate rankings for subpages within a domain (e.g. http://www.domain.com/subpage.html) or subdomains (e.g. subdomain.domain.com) unless we are able to automatically identify them as personal home pages or blogs, like those hosted on Geocities and Tripod. If a site is identified as a personal home page or blog, its traffic ranking will have an asterisk (*) next to it: Personal Page Avg. Traffic Rank: 3,456*. Personal pages are ranked on the same scale as a regular domain, so a personal page ranked 3,456* is the 3,456th most popular page among Alexa users.

Princess Anne Man Turns Himself In for Murder

PRINCESS ANNE -- Police here are investigating a murder that occurred Saturday in the Antioch Avenue and Beechwood Street neighborhood.

A man has turned himself into police and confessed to the crime, according to reports.
Princess Anne Police Chief Scott Keller said the man walked into the Wicomico County Detention Center and confessed to committing the crime.

Officials are still trying to determine how the male victim died.
Police believe the victim and the suspect knew each other and were possibly fighting over drugs.

Four officers shot in ambush in coffee shop

A Pierce County Sheriff deputy runs to the site where four police officers killed in an ambush at the Forza Coffee Co. near Parkland, Wash., on Sunday, November 29, 2009. Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer told The News Tribune in Tacoma one or two gunmen burst into the Forza Coffee Co. and shot the four uniformed officers as they were working on their laptop computers, then fled the scene. (AP Photo)

LAKEWOOD, Wash. — Four police officers were fatally shot Sunday in what police said was an ambush in a coffee shop near Tacoma, Washington.

The officers were sitting in the coffee shop in Lakewood, Washington, before the start of their shifts, reading on their computers, when the shooting occurred, said Sheriff's Department spokesman Ed Troyer. He told reporters that authorities believe the officers were meeting and going over cases or doing paperwork.

"This was a targeted, selected ambush," Troyer told reporters. He said a gunman came inside, opened fire and shot all four officers. Two baristas and other customers inside the shop were unharmed -- "just the law enforcement officers were targeted."

Authorities know the identity of the four fallen officers, and were in the process of notifying family members and their departments, he said. He would not say what agencies the officers were from, but said, "they're all from this area."

A $10,000 reward was offered for information leading to an arrest, he said.

Police are looking for one man and possibly a second person in the attack, which occurred about 8 a.m., Troyer said. The suspect is described as an African-American man, between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall, wearing a black coat and blue jeans, with a "scruffy" appearance, he said. The man is believed to have fled the coffee shop on foot, he said.

Officers were working on getting additional descriptions from witnesses.

"We're doing everything we can," Troyer said. Authorities were conducting searches in numerous locations, he said, and dogs had been brought in to attempt to track the suspect.

There were no known threats against police before the incident, Troyer said.

Lakewood is about 40 miles south of Seattle and 10 miles southwest of Tacoma.

Bystanders gathered outside the coffee shop, some of them in tears.

The Forza Coffee Company is on the edge of McChord Air Force Base. Spokesman Bud McKay said the base was not shut down, but security was ramped up around the perimeter as a precaution.

The military has offered assistance to police, he said, but it has not been requested.

4,263 Unique Visitors to the Crapper This Month

The Crapper has had 4,263 visits from unique visits (meaning separate people) this month. We have had 8,852 hits so far this month to our main page (this includes people some people viewing the main page multiple times).

Not that we ever cared how many people this drivel however, just goes to show you that we still are pooping like madness. Thanks to all for reading our crap!

VIVA LA CRAPPER!

Crime spike expected to continue through holiday

By Sharahn D. Boykin
Staff Writer - Daily Slime, er... times.

SALISBURY -- Residents can expect to see more shoppers at the mall and other retail establishments for the next month or so, which is not unusual this time of year.

But they can also expect to see a surge in thefts, burglaries and domestic assaults, from now through January, according to law enforcement officers and security experts.

Last December, Salisbury Police Department crime statistics were telling a different story about crime during the holiday season. There was an estimated 7 percent drop in thefts and 8 percent decrease in burglaries, according to data from the department.

Salisbury police also reported a steady decline in the number of shoplifting arrests since August 2008. This was during a time when retailers in the country, about 79 percent, reported an increase in shoplifters, according to the National Retail Federation -- a retail trade association.

This year, even though the holiday shopping season has just begun with Black Friday, thefts and burglaries are already up, according to the city police department's Web site. So far, there have been 150 more burglaries and 141 more thefts compared to last year.

"There's more people willing to try things they haven't tried before," said Muir Boda, a security expert with more than a decade of experience. "Some people get desperate when they want something special."

For several months now, law enforcement leaders have warned the community that people with no criminal backgrounds will begin to commit crimes to provide for their families.

Shawn Lornell Schoolfield, 19, and his sister, Stacey Marie Schoolfield, 24, pleaded guilty to armed robbery charges after robbing an 82-year-old Salisbury man at gunpoint in his home five days before Christmas in 2008.

During the sentencing, a judge said he couldn't figure out why Shawn Schoolfield, a young man with no criminal history who sang in the church choir, would commit such a crime. Schoolfield and his sister committed the robbery to get money for Christmas, according to court documents.

Shawn Schoolfield pleaded guilty to armed robbery and a handgun charge and was sentenced to 17 years in prison.

More recently, an 83-year-old woman shopping at an Elkton, Md., Walmart had her fanny pack stolen Tuesday. The suspect, another woman, snatched the pack containing about $300 in cash, credit cards, keys and other personal items from the victim's waist and ran from the store.

Retailers and law enforcement are taking additional precautions in preparation for a possible increase in thefts and burglaries. The Wicomico County Sheriff's Office added extra patrols near businesses and the mall as of Monday, according to Sheriff Mike Lewis.

"We anticipate a spike in crime," Lewis said. "We always have a spike in crime during the holiday season."

The Centre at Salisbury declined to comment on whether it adds additional security personnel during the holidays, but the mall does routinely utilize foot, Segway and mobile security personnel, according to Alane Emerson, a spokeswoman for the mall.

"Safety is a No. 1 concern for us," she said.

Crimes of opportunity are more common, according to police and prosecutors. They caution shoppers to be aware of their surroundings and keep purses and wallets safe. Experts also advise shoppers not to leave gifts, in plain view or hidden, in the car.

"Some people will take whatever opportunity to commit theft and steal someone else's property if they can potentially sell it," said 1st Sgt. Tim Robinson, the assistant commander of the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office Road Patrol.

In addition to stolen purchases, sometimes shoppers have a tendency to lose children and elderly relatives in the store, according to security experts. Shoppers should keep small children in the shopping cart and monitor older relatives who could wander away and become confused.

Many retail establishments use Adam alerts when an individual is missing in the store. Store employees immediately search the store, including bathrooms and exits.

"Ninety-nine percent of the time, we locate them within five to 10 minutes," Boda said.

In addition to burglaries and thefts, domestic violence tends to go up around this time of year as well, according to law enforcement. Domestic violence experts say they expect a spike in assaults after the holiday season.

"The attitude is that a dysfunctional family is better than no family at all," said Michelle Hughes of the Life Crisis Center. "Thanksgiving and Christmas are all about family, so these women will do whatever they have to do to keep the peace. After Christmas, I suspect that it will be worse than usual because of the economy."


The News Journal contributed to this report.

Parsonsburg man killed in collision

The initial report of the daily times was wrong and has since been corrected. The initial report posted online at delmarvanow.com stated that the driver's were in reversed vehicles...that Shawn Williams was driving the truck... leave it to our fav. writer Sharahn Boykin to get things fouled up....Below is the corrected version.

Pittsville resident also injured in accident involving Ford F-250, Mercury Sable

By Sharahn D. Boykin
Staff Writer

SALISBURY -- Old Ocean City Road was closed for several hours after a fatal accident Friday.

Shawn Michael Williams, a 19-year-old Parsonsburg resident, was traveling east on Route 346, east of Esham Road, in a Mercury Sable when his car crossed the center line and crashed into a Ford F-250 truck traveling west, according to Maryland State Police.

Williams was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. He was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident.

"Speed was not a factor," said Sgt. Mark Conte. "He hit head-on."

Neither drugs nor alcohol were factors, according to police.

The driver of the Ford truck, Travis William Dennis, a 20-year-old Pittsville resident, was taken to Peninsula Regional Medical Center for treatment and later released, according to police.

It was unknown whether Dennis was wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident.

Both drivers were traveling alone in their respective vehicles, according to police.

Friday's fatality occurred at time when the county is experiencing a decline in fatal crashes, according to the most recent data from the National Highway Administration.

The number of fatal crashes in Wicomico County decreased from 18 in 2007 to 14 in 2008.

Worcester County reported an increase in fatal crashes over a one-year period, with 11 in 2007 and 18 in 2008, according to the National Highway Administration. Somerset County reported one fatal crash in 2007 and one in 2008.

MSP Trooper struck by car while making an arrest

November 28, 2009

WEST OCEAN CITY — Troopers from the Maryland State Police responded to a home, located on Stephen Decatur Highway, for reports of a loud party Friday evening.

When troopers arrived at the scene, a number of individuals fled on foot, police said. Trooper Jason Grozier found one of these individuals in the parking lot of the Marlin Market, and attempted to make an arrest, when he was intentionally struck by a vehicle operated by Waldon Remington III.

Grozier was thrown into the air, and landed forcefully onto the roadway of Sunset Avenue, police said. This action allowed the individual, who the trooper was attempting to arrest, to escape.

Remington, 20, of Berlin then fled the scene in his vehicle, police said. Trooper Grozier was transported to Atlantic General Hospital where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries and was released.

With assistance from other law enforcement agencies — which included deputies from the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, officers from the Berlin and Ocean City Police Departments, and investigators from the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation — Remington and his vehicle were located at the Wa Wa Food Market on Ocean Gateway, according to police.

Remington, who was placed under arrest and transported to the Berlin Barrack, was charged with first and second degree assault, as well as other offenses, police said. He was held at the Worcester County Jail without bond.

An investigation is continuing, and anyone with any information in regards to this incident is asked to contact the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation at 410-352-3476 or the Maryland State Police at 410-641-3101.

Black Friday Is Here...

READY FOR THE FUN??

Another black Friday has come. To all those who are going shopping on this day fit for the gladiators remember take no prisoners, get that digital camera and flat screen TV! It's every man for him/herself!!

Movie in Review - "2012"

We are adding a new section to our blog, movies in review! We will be giving you our review and critique of movies either currently out or past movies and our rating of those movies.

Parts published in RED indicate portions of the review that may reveal the plot of the movie or give away it's secrets. So, ignore these sections if you don't want us to "ruin" the movie for you.

This weeks movie is the currently released movie "2012" staring John Cusask (or however you spell his name). Although, the general idea of the movie is interesting the movie, in our opinion, is totally unrealistic. Although we understand that "it is a movie" and therefore some of our disbelief has to be suspended in order to enjoy the movie, the movie just plainly is way off the deep end in several areas. First and foremost, the star of the movie, John Cusask is just not a convincing character as being the heroine of the movie. The movie drags out the entire time. The special effects are pretty good but in general the entire plot line of this movie is not very believable and is not worth the $40.00 you are going to spend after popcorn and a soda. We give this movie 2 of 5 stars.

As the movie stated "2012" is supposed to be the end of the world as predicted by the Mayan calender ending, alignment of the planets and some of supposedly Nostradamus's predictions. In fact, this idea has caused such a panic that NASA had to publish a statement explaining why the world will not end in 2012 as seen here: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/2012-guest.html!

Also, the planets align every year in the winter solstice. The Mayan calender never actually ended, it was the start of a new calendar period. And Nostradamus is so vague that they can never predict anything until after it happens. Why didn't any of the so called astrologists or fortune tellers predict 9-11?

The plot of the movie is that due to a solar flare the earth's core heats rapidly due to "altered neutrons" being emitted from the sun causing earthquakes, tilde waves, and entire Continental shelves sliding into the ocean.

You are much more likely to die in a car accident that something like this happening. You will die, eventually so, even if this is the way you go, doesn't matter. But, the science behind the core heating up is flawed and can't happen as depicted in the movie. More then likely you will die of a meteor strike in an earth ending scenario. A meteor strike can effectively kill everyone, sure. However, no close earth objects are likely to cross earths path soon, not until around 2228. Anyways getting back to the movie....

So, the heroine John Cusack totally sucked in this movie. He should have died about 9209 times but somehow kept surviving on his luck and wit even when the entire world is falling apart around him. Further he keeps bumping into the same people several times in a world that is in anarchy and falling to pieces? Somehow an pilot with two lessons manages to steer a plane through an entire state falling into the ocean and outrun a giant mushroom fireball. Not to mention that the government developing five ships to sail away on is also completely stupid. And, they realized the president wasn't coming, whoops!! The secret service would force the president to a protected area.

Come on people. Save your money, rent it on netflix.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Feds working to end use of 10-codes

11/26/2009
Feds working to end use of 10-codes
By John Scheibe Ventura County Star

If federal Homeland Security officials have their way, the next time a police officer arrives on scene, he'll simply radio back "I'm here" rather than saying "10-97." Police have long used "10-codes" to communicate with each other and dispatchers. The codes were developed in the 1930s, when radio channels were scarce. They allowed police to succinctly relay information through a four-digit number rather than clog the airwaves with wordy descriptions.

But problems developed over time. For starters, there is no universal code. To one agency, a "10-50" might mean "officer down," while to another it stands for a routine traffic stop.
The problem became especially evident during big emergencies, such as the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., where police and fire agencies from across the nation rushed to help.

"When they got there, many of them were unable to communicate with each other effectively," said Chris Essid, director of the Office of Emergency Communications for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Many agencies faced the same problem four years later when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Essid said. Federal officials now require that officers use "plain language" when responding to a crisis involving multiple agencies. "Very often, it doesn't take anymore time to just say it in English," Essid said.

Federal officials are also urging departments to replace their jumble of codes with "plain language" in their day-to-day operations. Essid and others point to a 2005 incident in Missouri in which a local police officer radioed late one night to his dispatcher that he had just seen a state highway patrol officer's car with a door open stopped along a highway. The officer said he was going to go back to make sure the patrolman was OK.

It turns out the Missouri Highway Patrol officer was lying in a ditch, barely alive, having been shot eight times with a rifle. The local police dispatcher decided to use plain English in sending out a call for help.

Had she said "10-33," her department's code for "officer down," it would have meant something very different to the Missouri Highway Patrol: "traffic backup." Instead, every state trooper within miles responded, and the officer lived. In many cases, "being able to communicate quickly and effectively can mean the difference between life and death," Essid said.

Technology also has come a long way since the 1930s, Essid said, noting police and others now have many more ways to communicate, such as computers in patrol cars. But getting agencies to change a communication system that's been in place nearly 80 years in many places is another matter. "Culture change is never easy," he said.

John Miller, a sergeant with the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, said deputies would often get in trouble if they used plain language in the field when he went to work for the department 25 years ago. "The dispatchers would get mad because you were talking too much and taking up too much radio time," Miller said.

Now, more and more agencies are working together, Miller said, whether it's on a big wildfire or other large operation. "There's a big advantage to using plain talk in that everyone knows what everyone else is talking about," said Miller, who has helped train recruits for the department.
Recruits continue to learn the 10-code, Miller said, but deputies are encouraged to use everyday language when possible.

In some situations, using plain language is not a good idea, he said. An officer, for example, might not want a relative to hear something horrific right away at the scene, such as the death of a loved one. An officer might also want to speak in code when they've encountered a dangerous suspect, he said.

"You don't want to tip someone off and endanger your own life or that of someone else."
Sgt. Jack Richards, a spokesman for the Ventura Police Department, believes there will always be a need for police code. "There are times when it's just more efficient to transmit something in code rather than in plain language," Richards said. But like Miller, Richards believes it's important to give officers the choice to use either. "It all depends on the situation," Richards said.

Coming soon.. Online Document Center!

Coming soon to the Crapper.. An online document center.

You will be able to navigate and download forms like charging documents, cop heath activities, LEOBOR documents, and guides to stay better informed. Stay tuned!

Also our "Citizen's Guide to Dealing With the Police" is almost completed and will be posted to the folder section!

City Cops

We at the crapper would like to address some murmur-ings we have heard about city cops. We have heard that city cops cut corners, are not polite, are incompetent, etc.

Bullshit. City cops including Delmar, Fruitland, Princess Anne, Ocean City, Berlin, Cambridge and Easton do most, MOST of the police work in the area. Truth be told these cops are stretched thin as a wire and do the best they can with what they have. While local area Sheriff's Offices are elected positions, police departments typically are not so citizens feel they have more pull with the Sheriff's Offices and therefore, at times they may feel they get a "more professional" response from their Sheriff's Office. But, typically city cops are as professional police officers as their county counter parts and deserve an enormous amount of credit with dealing with their indigenous population day after day, being locked into patrolling a small area, and being over burden with reports and a lack of funding and personnel. Some city departments turn over employees regularly therefore they tend to have younger, less experienced, less mature officers. But this is not the fault of the officers rather then that of the department.

While county cops do an excellent job as well they also have to deal with less calls for service and therefore can dedicate more time to investigating an incident BUT they typically deal with a lot more bullshit from their agencies.

So, hats off to the city cops. Keep up the great work.

Reader E-Mail to the Crapper....

"Hey Crapper,

What is going on with the legaleze on the top of the website and the comment section? I'm kinda worried about posting a comment on here..."

Crapper responses in blue

By WicBury Crapper Board Member "SilentButDeadly"...

To answer your question reader, there are several questions that we will try to answer. We do not track IP addresses. IP addresses are numbers that your server assigns to your computer when you log on to a network. These numbers are reassignable through your server and are automatically assigned to your computer. In order for someone to identify who you are through your IP address several things have to happen first.

IP addresses can be resolved by running the IP address through internet trace however, this only give a very, very rough estimate of where the computer is located (within a 60 square mile area or to the closest hub) so, this tool is totally inaccurate for providing information.

In order to identify someone through their IP address in a criminal process the States Attorney of the jurisdiction where the offense occurred or a federal judge would have to issue a warrant for the information from the internet provider company OR in a civil case the court could issue a subpoena for the records. It's not as easy as tracking a cell phone call. Most of the time civil suits occur because someone KNOWS who posted the information because that person LET IT BE KNOWN that it was them.

Our legalize is just to let you know that if someone was very, very, very bent on suing someone else for comments, it could theoretically happen but it would take a lot of money and time. It has happened several times recently in some other states, cases are pending.

Having said this, first and foremost, don't break the law by posting comments that break the law. Comments such as threatening the president of the United States of America or taking a criminal action against a public official ARE ACTIONABLE and you may be charged criminally.

Comments that are opinion, for instance "Stacy is a whore" is not a crime, it's freedom of speech. However, if those comments create a serious financial loss or an attack on a persons character people can sue you for libel is these statements ARE NOT TRUE but the burden of proof would be on the defending party to prove that Stacy is in fact a whore. Typically public officials are exempt from suing for opinion comments, which is why the Chief of Police and the Former Mayor lost their suits against Joe Albero.

So here's our advice on commenting...

1. Feel comfortable commenting on blogs. Normally, it's very, very rare that anyone sues anyone civilly for their comments if they have no idea who those people writing the comments are. Don't take credit for your comments publicly. Having said this some people could consider this being a "pussy" but hey that's their opinion and you as the writer have to weigh the option for yourself if you are in fact a pussy.
2. If you feel uncomfortable commenting, use an IP jamming program such as "Hide My Ass!". You can even use this online free at www.hidemyass.com. These programs randomly reassign your IP address all over the world. If you pay for the program you can even set it to randomly reassign your IP address every 5 min.
3. Don't make violent threats against public officials. This is a crime and can be investigated by the police. You may be subject to arrest.
4. Be careful about what you publish or post from work or about work to the Internet. Normally this is not an issue if you do it from your personal computer as an anonymous poster.... where people get into problems is when they either post negative comments on facebook about their work (stupid) OR write negative comments from their work about their work.

Bottom line is, don't be stupid. The internet does provide a degree of anonymity but, bear in mind that information is discoverable IF you provide people with information to discover you. An IP address along is little more than just a bunch of numbers. You can, very easily, resolve it to an internet provider but thats where it stops. For instance we can see that people post comments using comcast or verizon but that's about it. To match the numbers to someone civilly a long process has to occur in order to obtain the resolving address to someone's residence and even then the burden of proof is on the plaintiff of who in that residence made those comments on that system.

In a criminal matter it is easier. We are not going to discuss what process needs to occur or how to circumvent the process in order to protect the integrity of CAC investigations. But, in order for a criminal investigation to occur a judge must sign a warrant which would not occur for posting comments that are opinion, that falls under freedom of speech.

We hope that we answered your questions. We put those warnings on our site just for your FYI and to cover our own asses that rest upon our personal crappers. However, if we are not worried then you really shouldn't be worried.

Remembering Fallen Heros

Hmmm, were't we just saying communications is a serious issue?

11/22/2009
Gangs using cell phones and social networks to coordinate crime
By Liset Marquez Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

ONTARIO, Calif. — These days social networking sites and cell phones are not just a place to catch up with friends.

Gangs in Southern California are using them to orchestra crime, commit fraud and traffic drugs.
The issue is so severe at California Institution for Men in Chino, that Lt. Thomas Goetz said he has assigned two staff members to try to eliminate the use of pre-paid disposable phones in the prison.

"The cell phones have become a communication tool between inside and outside gang members that we can't circumvent," he said.

Issues like this were discussed on Thursday by a panel of law enforcement experts at an Assembly Select Committee hearing held at the Ontario Police Department.

The hearing was organized by Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico, D-Fremont, and was joined by Assemblywoman Norma Torres, D-Ontario. The severity of the problem has prompted Torrico and Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills, who was also in attendance, to consider co-authoring a bill that would make it a criminal offense to have or sell a phone in a prison.
Currently there is no such legislation. Also, FCC prohibits the state from putting in scramblers to stop the use of phones in prisons, Goetz said.

The main problem for prisons is that there is no way to trace the information that is being relayed in the phone calls, unlike land lines which can be monitored, he said. It's getting to the point that gangs are circumventing all our investigations because of these media outlets," said John Santos, special agent with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Special Services Unit. And the only consequence to inmates is having 30 days added to their sentence, and that's only if the cell phone is connected to a crime, he said. In many cases, those 30 days would be wiped out for good behavior, Goetz said. In 2007 there were only a handful of throw-away phones confiscated at CIM and only 30 in 2008, Goetz said.

But prison officials have already taken away 147 cell phones this year, he said.
A standard cell phone could be sold at the prison for $300, but one with texting or picture-taking capabilities could sell for $500, he said."We trying to find out who's bringing them in and where they are coming from," Goetz said. Some prepaid phones have come in via visitors, others through the mail, and there are cases of staff inside the prison selling them to inmates.
"We have an enormous problem in state prisons, and it is starting to create a huge workload for us," Goetz said. But using phones isn't the only method, gang members are also turning to social media networks to recruit members. They are also using their sites to openly talk about crimes they have committed, Hunter said. Skipp Townsend, an interventionist, has been involved in the culture of gang violence for years and has noticed the recent trend of technology in gangs.

Youth in the East Coast are finding gang members through social networking sites and getting in contact with them, he said.

"These are groups of children with no guidance. They are reaching out to The Crips, and they want to create a hierarchy and they are doing it via the Internet," he said. However, governments are not just sitting back. Agencies like Ontario Police Department have found ways to use sites like YouTube to their advantage, said Detective Gabriel Gutierrez, who is assigned to the Gang Suppression Unit.

A suspect on trial tried to convince a jury that he was not affiliated with any gang, he said.
The Police Department was able to show the jury a video posted on YouTube of the individual with the gang, and he was convicted, Gutierrez said. But you can't solve the issues of gangs by locking them up, said Jerry Hunter, assistant chief of the state Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement.

In order to adequate combat gangs, there needs to collaboration between politicians and law enforcement as well as community leaders and parents, Hunter said.

"If unchecked, gangs are capable of gripping entire communities with fear, violence, drugs, graffiti, and other crimes," said Torres.

"When communities are crushed under the weight of these crimes, we cannot sit back and let it happen. Our top priority should be to provide clean, safe environments for our children to grow and our families to live in."

Okay, time to stop crime...

By WicBury Crapper Board Member "CornLogsRule"....

Okay, its time to stop crime.

And we at the WicBury Crapper, of course, have all the answers!

First, lets just admit that crime is totally out of control. Lets ask this question. If your car broke down on Rt. 13 at North Blvd. would you feel comfortable walking down Smith Street to PMRC to make a phone call at 2AM? Probably not. Why? Because you might get hit over the head, shot, stabbed, robbed, raped, or hit over the head while being shot, raped, robbed and stabbed.

So, is this the fault of the police? No. So where does the blame lie? Well the blame lies with the Government because even though everyone wants a lower crime rate and to feel safe in their homes there is apparently no money out there for more police, better equipment, or even to retain current cops on the job (some departments are laying off cops).

Brings us to our next point.. Is education as important as safety? No. While your educators enjoyed an increase in pay and have been restrained from having their budget cuts your kids will be getting beaten, shot, stabbed, robbed and hit over the head for their lunch money OR hit by a car because they slashed the police department's crossing guards. How foolish is this?

In any society safety is of paramount concern to citizens. If you are not safe and there is not enough police protection and the courts fail and punishment fails you have what we have today. And we are on the precipice of a very slippery slope. Eventually, you have anarchy, which is what rampant crime is. Rampant violent crime is the inability of society to control itself from more heathen behaviors because there is a lack of law enforcement. Our jails and prisons are at an all time high in capacity. The U.S. houses five times more people in prison than the rest of the world, on average.

And to no surprise Salisbury is now, per capita, the second most violet city in the United States. How can this be?

Well, people are not afraid of going to jail. Jail is somewhat of an inconvenience for them. People don't like going to prison because they know they won't be out anytime soon. We warehouse people for the simple fact that we can't figure out whats wrong in our society to combat crime. This question has been plaguing mankind since the inception of societal rule.

Years ago crime was not as rampant due to several reasons. First, the moral fiber of society was much more conservative. Most people did not think it was a wise idea to cuss the police mainly because the police would break their teeth off. Therefore, people had a healthy respect and fear of law enforcement officers, as it should be. The move away from the authoritarian style of policing and more towards the community oriented policing has not solved crime, rather it has gotten much worse.

There was a limit on technology and thus communications. Communications is not always a good thing. For instance before movable type (the printing press) people generally got their news from other areas by word of mouth or written notices posted conspicuously. Even when people only had telephones in their homes the ability of the government to tap a criminals phone line was much easier, cheaper, and quicker. It is much, much easier to communicate when criminals have prepaid drop phones. "Blicka Blicka, where you at?" "Yo the polize is right aroun the corna yo."

Drugs are more accepted. Hey, its okay to use, sell, produce, smoke, shoot, or whatever drugs now. In fact, lets open up marijuana smoke shops around the country, oh wait, that's already happening, never mind. OH people are getting shot over drugs? Eh, it's only criminals who cares. OH a stray bullet shot someone in the leg in an apartment building (pemberton), well, they shouldn't have been living in a lower income area. Oh wait a second, that's a wrong way of thinking. Whoops! We have to give people nicer places with tax money so that the criminals will sell drugs somewhere else and thus get shot somewhere else! WTF?!

So we at the crapper of course have the solution to everything. Here's the solution, drum roll please... follow the following plan and we guarantee a rapid drop in the crime rate...

1. Untie the hands of the police. You want less crime, cops want less crime but it might take some muscle because criminals don't care about beating you in the head and taking your wallet so, cops just might have to beat a criminal or two in the head.

2. Initiate martial law for 30 days.

3. Equip the police with what the police need (i.e. rifles, shotguns, tasers, rocket launchers, and flamethrowers).

4. Drop serious criminals on an island saturated with drugs and weapons with no way of escaping (shark infested waters or gunships off shore) and wait. Kinda like escape from New York. Cheesy movie but what a great idea.

5. If that doesn't work drop a MOAB over the island and kill everyone dead.

6. Child molesters, murders, and armed robbers, oh yeah and rapist hang out front of the courthouse. "The hell with them fellas. Worms gotta eat the same as buzzards." - Clint Eastwood, Outlaw Josey Whales.

7. Prioritize law enforcement budgets over anything else. Well it's nice that your kids are learning trigonometry and are all smart and stuff but, who cares when someone is breaking into your house at 3AM?

8. Joint street level enforcement task force. And, when we mean task force, not like the "crime task force" where fatheads sit around and wonder why things aren't improving, we mean twenty huge cops from multiple jurisdictions, in vans rolling around jumping out on corner drug dealers several times a week, randomly. You will see a rapid decrease in street level sales.

The last time this happened people cried that it was racist because cops raided the Parry and Gates barbershop where there is an open air drug market. So, how about now allowing drug sales to go on in front of your barbershop? Their answer, well if you see someone selling drugs in front of the barbershop arrest them! Well, cops tried to do that and it was racist apperently.

9. All searches authorized of persons and vehicles with just RAS (reasonable articuable suspicion). If you are not carrying dope or guns we guess you have nothing to worry about right?

10. Replace failing government officials with officials FROM OUTSIDE OF THE AREA. ENOUGH OF THE "GOOD OLD BOYS NETWORK" IN POLITICS AROUND HERE. THATS WHY NOTHING EVER GETS DONE WITH ANYTHING. WHO'S DING-A-LING IS BIGGER??ENOUGH OF THE CHIEF AND THE MAYOR BICKERING OVER DUMB CRAP. ENOUGH OF DEPARTMENTS BUTTING HEADS TO WORK TOGETHER TO SOLVE CRIME PROBLEMS. REPLACE EVERYONE WITH ALL NEW AND OUT OF COUNTY/STATE PEOPLE. NEW IDEAS. NEW PEOPLE.

11. Das Crapper for president.

12. Fleeing felons shot dead.

Questions/comments? Hmmmmm?

Here's what 7 days worth of crime looks like in the city...

Youch!

Here's what 30 days worth of crime looks like in the city...

Dats a big pizza pie!

Off-duty Nev. officer slain upon arriving home

NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. — An off-duty Las Vegas police officer was shot dead early Thursday in a shootout in the garage of his home during what authorities said they think was a random robbery attempt.

The officer died in an exchange of gunfire with one or more assailants shortly after midnight, said North Las Vegas police Officer Chrissie Coon.

"It looks like it was an attempted robbery," Coon said. "He was standing in the garage with the garage door open when he was attacked by multiple suspects. There was an exchange of gunfire."
Coon said the officer was in civilian clothes after arriving home from work when he was attacked. She said she didn't know how many shots were fired, or whether the assailants were wounded.
Clark County Undersheriff Rod Jett told reporters the slaying appeared to be a random act.
Jett identified the officer as a 30-year-old married father of two young children with two years on the police force. He was assigned to a patrol area in the West Las Vegas neighborhood.
The officer's name was not immediately made public.

Police were searching an area around the officer's house.

Office of the State’s Attorney for Wicomico County
Courts Building
P. O. Box 1006
Salisbury, Maryland 21803
(410) 548-4880
Facsimile (410) 860-2425
PRESS RELEASE
November 19, 2009

A 44-year-old Fruitland man is sentenced to 15 years for committing sex offenses on three girls in his neighborhood.

This morning, Wicomico County Circuit Court Judge W. Newton Jackson sentenced Russell Glen Burnett to 10 years suspend all but 5 for each count of 3rd Degree Sex Offense. Burnett will serve these sentences consecutively plus 3 years supervised probation upon his release. The total sentence imposed was 30 years in the Division of Correction with 15 years to be served in prison.
Last month, Burnett pleaded guilty to 3 counts of 3rd Degree Sex Offense on two 8-year-olds and an 11-year-old. State’s Attorney Davis R. Ruark says Burnett committed the sex offenses on the three girls in his yard and in his home in April of 2009.

The State’s Attorney says some of the victims and their families were present at today’s sentencing. He says they are pleased Burnett will be in prison and their children will be safe as well as other children in the future.

Earlier this month, Burnett was federally indicted for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor for the Purpose of Producing Child Pornography. He is awaiting trial in the U.S. District Court.

For more information contact: Carolyn Widdowson or Davis Ruark at 410 – 548 – 4880.

Crapper Board Meeting Scheduled

Calling all WicBury Crapper Board Members... Just a remninder...

There is a meeting scheduled for 11/20/09 at noon at location BrassAssBackwards or on your secret squirrel list #23. Be there or be square. By order of Das Crapper. Refreshments and crab feast to be served. Open bar to all board members and their spouses.

Items to be discussed:

1. On going effort for discount card program


2. Officer/Supervisor of the Month decision


3. Agent Snooper of Pooping will make a presentation


4. Next months publishing goals


5. Agency Bullshit/Agency Kudos


6. Opening of WicBury Crapper Blogsite I, Law Enforcement Only Date


7. Review of recent criminal cases


8. Review of recent administrative malfunction and corrective actions to be taken

Please arrive wearing your ceremonial garb for the lighting of the "Holiday Tree" and the anointment of the pooper scooper idol. The ceremonial head covering is not required.

Remembering A Fallen Hero

Trooper First Class William P. Mills Jr.

Maryland State Police

End of Watch: Friday, June 8, 1979
Age: 32

Tour of Duty: 9 years

Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details

Cause of Death: Gunfire

Date of Incident: Friday, June 8, 1979

Weapon Used: Rifle

Suspect Info: Not available

Trooper Mills was shot and killed while investigating a domestic complaint involving neighbors in Brookview, Maryland. While on the scene he was shot in the chest with a .38 caliber handgun and knocked down. As he attempted to draw his weapon he was shot in the chest with a high powered rifle.

Trooper Mills had been with the agency for almost nine years.

Comment from a reader by e-mail...

Our response in red....

If you have a question that you'd rather not post, email us at wicburycrapper@gmail.com and let us know if you would like your question answered privately or as a general post like this one.

Dear Crapper,

That article that you put up about a dysfunctional company was really interesting because I looked it over and at least 7 of the 15 signs apply to where I work at WCSO as a civilian employee lol. Why can't people at the top see the big elephant standing there?! I have never seen morale lower than it is now at our department. I really just can't understand why our bosses don't see or care about what's going on?

• Sign No. 2: Bringing up a problem is considered as evidence of a personality defect rather than as an observation of reality. Sign No. 4: Double messages are delivered with a straight face.Quality and quantity are both job one. You can do it both cheaper and better, just don't ask how. If you're motivated enough, you should know already.
• Sign No. 5: History is regularly edited to make executive decisions more correct, and correct decisions more executive than they actually were. Those huge salaries require some justification.
• Sign No. 7: Directions are ambiguous and often vaguely threatening. Before you respond to a vague threat, remember this: Virtually every corporate scandal begins with someone saying, "Do it; I don't care how." That person is seldom the one who gets indicted.Sign No.
• 8: Internal competition is encouraged and rewarded.The word "teamwork" may be batted around like a softball at a company picnic, but in a dysfunctional company, the star players are the only ones who get recognition and big bucks.
• Sign No. 9: Decisions are made at the highest level possible.Regardless of what it is, you have to check with your boss before doing it. She also has to check with her boss.Sign No. 10: Delegating means telling somebody to do something, not giving them the power to do it. According to Webster's Dictionary, you delegate authority, not tasks. In dysfunctional companies, you may have responsibility, but the authority lives in the office upstairs.Sign
• No. 11: Management approaches from the latest best-seller are regularly misunderstood to mean what we're doing already is right on the mark. "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," "Good to Great" and "Who Moved My Cheese?" all seem to boil down to, "quit griping and do more with less."
• Sign No. 12: Resources are tightly controlled. Your department may need upgraded software, but there's been a spending freeze since 2006. Cost control is entry-level management, but in a dysfunctional company, anything more sophisticated is considered too touchy-feely. Whatever you propose, the first question you will be asked is if it can be done cheaper.
• Sign No. 13: You are expected to feel lucky to have a job and know you could lose it if you don't toe the line. Dysfunctional companies maintain control using the threat of punishment. Most will maintain that they also use positive rewards ... like your paycheck. A few people are actually fired, but most of those who go are driven to quit.
• Sign No. 15: The company fails the Dilbert Test.Dysfunctional organizations have no sense of humor. People who post unflattering cartoons risk joining the ranks of the disappeared. When an organization loses the ability to laugh at itself, it is headed for big trouble. If you'd get in trouble for printing this article and posting it on the bulletin board at work, maybe it's time to look for another job before this one drives you crazy.

By WicBury Crapper Board Member "KissMyBrass"...

We will try to answer your question as generally as possible.... We assume the question is why can't people see the elephant?

Well, police departments are interesting animals because they generally don't adhere the the way a company functions because they don't "make money" and for the most part are not a customer friendly business. But, that doesn't mean that they should ignore all aspects of what makes a good company function. Essentially any police department is still an organization that should be planned and operate like a good company in several ways. Your "clients" or criminals or the general public you are there to take reports for should be generally happy with the services provided (less the criminals) and it is incumbent upon administration to ensure that their employees are happy or you get huge turnover, such as some city police departments (cough, cough).

Multiple studies have shown that the happier an employee is the more that employee will produce or at least not become anti-productive thus causing a cancer from within the company. Unhappy employees are a cancer that rapidly spreads, effecting the entire work place. Some believe or have been told that employees create their own morale. This is a very foolish viewpoint and essentially allows managers who adopt this viewpoint to ignore the needs, issues, and problems of their employees with a simple phrase therefore, making managers lazy and exempt from caring for their employees. Thus the cancer spreads.

So, how do you fight a cancer? Well you can use chemotherapy (threats, write ups, reassignments, and discipline) which kills all the bad tissue but also kills a lot of the living tissue and makes the organization sick, hairless, and vomiting. Or, you can use a lesser invasive method of observing, gathering information on how to improve the body before acting harshly, and working with all organs (or branches of the organization) in order to make it healthy again.

If the leadership in your organization never admits fault or that they are wrong or have made a mistake this too is a serious indication that something is very wrong. Everyone makes mistakes but, hey it doesn't apply to me because I have to save face. You are the one that's wrong, that report never made it to my desk and it's not because I lost it, you must have not turned it in or it got sucked into a black hole. Not my fault.

So if there is no mechanism in place for listening to concerns from personnel OR leadership is unwilling to admit there is a problem and is never wrong, things will not improve internally until this issue is fixed. There will always exist an "us vs. them" in these cases.

The funny thing is that some managers are reading this response and rolling their eyes. These people are the problems within an any organization because they think they are always right and peons are not smart enough to think beyond them and are only good for following orders. We crap on you. Poop poop.

Tracy Sparpaglione - Conviction Overturned?

By WicBury Crapper Board Member "DasCrapper"...

An appellate court of Maryland recently overturned the conviction of former officer Tracy Sparpaglione, whom was arrested and prosecuted by the Wicomico County States Attorney office on several charges including sex offense charges, burglary and misconduct in office.

The balance of the charges were overturned and misconduct in office was originally upheld. This was recently overturned by the appellate court because the case had not proved or articulated in the charging documents a "malfeasance" in office.

So, Sbynews.com asked several questions of if this officer was to be reinstated or if there will be a civil case involved. Several persons commented that the States Attorney's office was responsible for the conviction being overturned and that others, such as the police department, should be held liable in his conviction.

Here's our take... Tracy was convicted on a charge which was overturned, not unlike many other persons who commit a crime for which they were arrested. There was more than enough probable cause to arrest Tracy which is all that a police officer or the state needs to charge someone with a crime, based on the witness testimony.

Further, Tracy violated departmental policy. It is clear that Tracy should have never returned to a residence that he had just arrested a suspect for and engage in a consensual sexual encounter with that person. To do so is plainly crazy and totally unethical on many different levels. The excuse that he needed to fill out an "arrest module" is absurd. A monkey could fill out the arrest module and the monkey could generalize the physical characteristics of the person, such as height and weight. So, clearly, Tracy should not be a police officer because his moral fiber, in our opinion, is totally flawed.

Someone also made the comment that many officers have had sex while on duty so why is this different. Frankly, cops shouldn't be engaging in sexual acts while on duty, even of on their break or "assignments". To do so is clearly a violation of the public trust. Having said that engaging in a sex act with your spouse or partner, although is still very unethical while working, is not engaging with a sex act on a girl that you just locked up therefore jeopardizing your job, the public trust, the criminal case in which you arrested her for, and making the entire department and all cops look stupid and silly.

Moreover, it is not the fault of the state's attorney's office in this matter. The state prosecutes cases that they feel are just and proper. It also loses cases many times but, that is not incumbent completely on the state. In this case, it is clear that the witness testimony was iffy at best and the court describes the witness are not entirely reliable (paraphrasing). Given the facts of the case the initial judge made a decision to convict on the charge of misconduct in office, even commenting on how disgusting it was.

Joe is not correct...

By WicBury Crapper Board Member "CornLogsRule"...

Joe Albero published the following article on his blog about the Sheriff's Office response within the city limits which can be viewed here: http://sbynews.blogspot.com/2009/11/wcso-calls-for-service.html. The real truth is that WCSO does not respond for calls for service within the city limits and it is rare, very rare that the city police call WCSO for assistance.

The city police handle ALL CALLS within the city limits with the exception of some traffic stops that the county sheriff's preform. Most of the statistics that Joe quoted for the county "responding" within the city are calls for service at the schools, courts, traffic stops or officer (deputy) initiated actions. However, for the most part deputies are typically discouraged from initiating criminal investigations or responding for calls within the city limits.

Even though county sheriff's deputies have full authority to provide law enforcement services within the city of Salisbury it is contingent to both the city and county police administration to allow this to happen. Currently, this practice is not in place probably due to both administrations and/or unwritten SOPs.

Here is what Joe stated:

"Former City Councilwoman Lynn Cathcart has stood in front of the Council numerous times complaining the Sheriff's Department needs to come into the City of Salisbury more often and protect the City.

Lynn has attempted to make it sound as if the Sheriff's Department isn't offering their services enough and states that Salisbury is within the County, so why not help out.

The above is just one example of how the Sheriff's Department does in fact service the City of Salisbury. In numerous conversations I have had with representatives from the Sheriff's Department, they proudly serve the City and would gladly help out in any way, shape or form and once again documents like this prove this to be a fact.

Be sure to click on the image above to enlarge it and see what your Wicomico County Sheriff's Department is doing to help curb crime in the City of Salisbury. I think all of you will be surprised. The next time you see Lynn, tell her to try shutting her trap, after you take her foot out of her mouth."

Steven Seagal Lawman

His movies have grossed more than $2 billion worldwide. He is an expert martial artist with a 7th-degree black belt in Aikido. He's considered to be in the same class of action hero as Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, Steven Seagal isn't just an action hero in the movies. For almost 20 years, Seagal has been working as a fully commissioned deputy with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana. In addition to going out on patrol, Seagal is an expert marksman who has worked with their SWAT team and has instructed Jefferson Parish officers in firearms and hand-to-hand combat.

• Check out the preview: http://www.aetv.com/steven-seagal-lawman/video?bcpid=46881070001&bclid=36527476001&bctid=39451855001
  
• Advanced screening of episode 1 on Nov 18th: http://www.aetv.com/steven-seagal-lawman/advance-screening/

Steven Seagal Lawman will allow fans to ride shotgun with Seagal as he and his hand-selected elite team of deputies respond to crimes in progress. Then, when Seagal goes off duty, the cameras will continue following him as he pursues his many ventures, including musical performances and philanthropic efforts in Jefferson Parish and New Orleans.

Series Premiere Wednesday December 2 10/9C

15 Signs Your Workplace Is Dysfunctional

15 Signs Your Workplace Is Dysfunctional
By Albert J. Bernstein PhD, author "Am I the Only Sane One Working Here? 101 Solutions for Surviving Office Insanity"

Does your job drive you crazy? Do you sometimes wonder if you are the only sane person in working there? Is your workplace dysfunctional, or is it you? Here's how to find out.

Based on more than 30 years of experience as psychologist and business consultant, I've put together a checklist of 15 diagnostic signs of a psychologically dysfunctional business. Is it the job, or is it you?

Sign No. 1: Conspicuously posted vision or value statements are filled with vague but important-sounding words like "excellence" and "quality."
These words are seldom defined and the concepts they allude to are never measured.

Sign No. 2: Bringing up a problem is considered as evidence of a personality defect rather than as an observation of reality. In a dysfunctional company, what it looks like is not only more important than what it is, it is what it is. If you don't believe that, you are the problem. A surprising amount of information is classified. Dysfunctional companies have more state secrets than the CIA. Anything that might embarrass the boss turns out to be a national security issue.

Sign No. 3: If by chance there are problems, the usual solution is a motivational seminar.
Attitude is everything, especially in places where facts are embarrassing or inconvenient. In a dysfunctional family, there's an elephant -- usually a drunken abusive parent -- in the parlor, but no one ever mentions him. To appear sane, you have to pretend that the elephant is invisible, and that drives you crazy. Businesses are full of invisible elephants, too. Usually they are things that might cause difficulties for people with enough clout to prevent their discussion. The emperor may be naked, but if you have a good attitude, you won't mention it.

Sign No. 4: Double messages are delivered with a straight face.
Quality and quantity are both job one. You can do it both cheaper and better, just don't ask how. If you're motivated enough, you should know already.

Sign No. 5: History is regularly edited to make executive decisions more correct, and correct decisions more executive than they actually were.
Those huge salaries require some justification.

Sign No. 6: People are discouraged from putting things in writing.
What is written, especially financial records, is purposely confusing. You can never tell when you might need a little deniability.

Sign No. 7: Directions are ambiguous and often vaguely threatening.
Before you respond to a vague threat, remember this: Virtually every corporate scandal begins with someone saying, "Do it; I don't care how." That person is seldom the one who gets indicted.

Sign No. 8: Internal competition is encouraged and rewarded.
The word "teamwork" may be batted around like a softball at a company picnic, but in a dysfunctional company, the star players are the only ones who get recognition and big bucks.

Sign No. 9: Decisions are made at the highest level possible.
Regardless of what it is, you have to check with your boss before doing it. She also has to check with her boss.

Sign No. 10: Delegating means telling somebody to do something, not giving them the power to do it. According to Webster's Dictionary, you delegate authority, not tasks. In dysfunctional companies, you may have responsibility, but the authority lives in the office upstairs.

Sign No. 11: Management approaches from the latest best-seller are regularly misunderstood to mean what we're doing already is right on the mark. "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," "Good to Great" and "Who Moved My Cheese?" all seem to boil down to, "quit griping and do more with less."

Sign No. 12: Resources are tightly controlled.
Your department may need upgraded software, but there's been a spending freeze since 2006. Cost control is entry-level management, but in a dysfunctional company, anything more sophisticated is considered too touchy-feely. Whatever you propose, the first question you will be asked is if it can be done cheaper.

Sign No. 13: You are expected to feel lucky to have a job and know you could lose it if you don't toe the line. Dysfunctional companies maintain control using the threat of punishment. Most will maintain that they also use positive rewards ... like your paycheck. A few people are actually fired, but most of those who go are driven to quit.

Sign No. 14: Rules are enforced based on who you are rather than what you do.
In a dysfunctional company, there are clearly insiders and outsiders and everyone knows who belongs in each group. Accountability has different meanings depending on which group you're in.

Sign No. 15: The company fails the Dilbert Test.
Dysfunctional organizations have no sense of humor. People who post unflattering cartoons risk joining the ranks of the disappeared. When an organization loses the ability to laugh at itself, it is headed for big trouble. If you'd get in trouble for printing this article and posting it on the bulletin board at work, maybe it's time to look for another job before this one drives you crazy.


Albert J. Bernstein, Ph.D., is the author of the best-sellers "Dinosaur Brains" and "Emotional Vampires." His newest book is "Am I the Only Sane One Working Here? 101 Solutions for Surviving Office Insanity." For more information on how to stay sane at work, visit Dr. Al's Web site, www.albernstein.com.

Is the crapper a pussy?

Relax... it's just roast beef...

kilbirnie said...
I just read your article and while i do like your website and i do agee with alot of what you guys post i have to take issue with you on this article. You guys or girls or both go on and on about drama but arent you creating drama by not telling the citizens of Salisbury and wicomico county who you are. I mean seriously with all due respect you dont say who you are because your a pussy. You go on and on about how other cops dont like Joe Albero. I have many friends in the law enforcement community and they all say the same about you and that is your a pussy for not saying who you are. Before you call Joe a drama queen look in the mirror. By the way you can call the grinch whatever the fuck you wnt he is just a piece of shit to use your venacular. I wait anxiously for a response. My first ammendment right is a beautiful thing and so is yours.

November 16, 2009 5:57 PM

Wicbury Crapper Board Member "ThinBlueLog" responds..
Interesting point....

Anyways, lets see if we can explain ourselves here. Are we pussys? No. A Pussy actually has no meaning in and of itself. Surprisingly, no one really knows where the term pussy came from only that is is likened to a cat which doesn't make much sense in the first place. It could come from the pussy-willow tree but, that would not make any sense either. For that matter "Dick" doesn't have any real relation to anything either. Maybe there was a guy named Dick once that was a dick? Who knows.

Now that we have sufficiently annoyed our readers with a useless information we will attempt to answer your question. Are we pussys? Well, depends how you look at it. First off, anyone taking this much of a risk in our profession to provide information and an outlet for cops to spew is taking a substantial risk to begin with. Second, are we creating drama by not providing who we are? Sure! Like we said, people revolve around drama. We don't think of it as drama per say more then intrigue. We like to keep people guessing. That's half the fun. At board meetings we sit around and laugh about what we hear and who people think we are. It's funny to us.

Lastly, publishing a persons name as an "owner" of a blog is stupid for several reasons. First, it is self serving. It makes these "blog owners" heads fat and they think they are something special... which they are not. THEY ARE NOT "MSM" AND NEITHER OR WE. Main stream media is what you see when you turn on cable and watch Fox News. Local news like WBOC is main stream media because they are broadcasting a show providing news to a mass audience, have multiple field reporters, and a lot, lot more people watch them. Anyways, sorry got sidetracked there. Joe thinks he is awesome which is crazy. He runs a blog. So, announcing who he is, just like Johnathan Taylor, opens himself up to law suits and other drama.

We are a group of ten currently so, none of us want credit for creating this blog, maintaining this blog, or whatever you like. We do this for the fun of it. Not to further our own egos by thinking we are something special because we pass out awards to cops, allow cops to spew, or talk straight stuff.

Funny that you publish the comment but don't attach your written name to the bottom? A Pussy? No, you are justing being smart protecting yourself personally.

We have, and will continue to admit, we are crap. So pussy? Nah. We just like to stay tucked away in a corner, watching, laughing, and putting shit on the internet.

November 17, 2009 12:28 PM

In wake of Ohio officer's death, cops lobby for H1N1 vaccine priority

11/15/2009

In wake of Ohio officer's death, cops lobby for H1N1 vaccine priority

By John Futty
Columbus Dispatch

PREBLE COUNTY, Ohio — The death of a captain in the Preble County sheriff's office has prompted Franklin County law-enforcement officials to renew their call to give officers priority for vaccination against the H1N1 virus.

But it's unclear how Michael Thornsberry contracted the virus, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention aren't planning to change recommendations for priority groups.

Thornsberry, 38, a 15-year veteran of the Preble County force, died Friday at Indiana University Hospital, where he was treated for H1N1 and pneumonia.

The president of the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9 in Columbus mentioned Thornsberry's death this week in a letter to central Ohio legislators in Washington, D.C.

"I'm imploring you to make the necessary contacts to ensure that law-enforcement officers are given the opportunity to be vaccinated as soon as possible," wrote Police Sgt. Jim Gilbert.

He and Franklin County Chief Deputy Steve Martin began lobbying Washington legislators weeks ago after learning that the CDC did not include law officers among the priority groups for early vaccinations.

The CDC gave priority to pregnant women; people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months; health-care and emergency-medical services workers; and those with chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.

A CDC spokeswoman said in an e-mail Tuesday that officers "who provide emergency medical service on a regular basis as part of their job" can qualify for early vaccinations at the discretion of the state.

"For many law-enforcement officers, providing emergency medical care would be an uncommon event," Arleen Porcell-Pharr wrote. "Thus, at this point, we have no plans to change our recommendations."

Gilbert said there are about 3,100 active, sworn officers in Franklin County.

The Pickaway County General Health District decided to include law officers among its "first-responders" and has vaccinated a couple hundred officers, said Tammy Ayers, director of operations for the district.

News reports indicate that officers have received the vaccine in other communities, including Muncie, Ind., and the Minneapolis area.

Preble County Sheriff Michael Simpson said that no one knows whether Thornsberry, who became ill in early October, contracted H1N1 on the job.

Franklin County Sheriff Jim Karnes said he questions how law-enforcement officers could not be defined as first responders.

"Who were the ones who died in the towers (on Sept. 11): firemen and policemen. I didn't see anyone from Capitol Hill running into buildings," Karnes said. "If we're not first responders, who are?"

Blogs Rule?

Commentary from WicBury Board Member "CornLogsRule"....

Do Blogs Rule or Blow Chunks?

So in the last few weeks we've seen the likes of Johnathan Taylor aka Piggy Fats and Joe "Thats My Ego You Are Stepping On" Albero continue to go head to head. Unfortunately, as we mentioned before, the driving force in the blog wars are egos. So, we here at the Crapper like to put things into perspective for you, our general readership. While it is true that both Joe and John Or BigHead and Humugofats, as we like to call them here at Crapper Central, do actually have a decent readership now... Both of these pea brains have their own agendas.

Just as the SbyNews.com was started on Joe's bent on revenge tactics for the city canning his wife from the zoo, which he is still beating into the ground, John's website was started on the theory that Joe is a pinhead for trashing other people. This bothered Joe to the extent that he swore off John and won't even use his name on his website because it would increase John's google hits. In fact, Joe didn't get on the Chief of Police's case until Joe started showing up at the zoo with his camera taking pictures of the staff at which time the Chief banned him from the zoo.

Joe has now even gone so far as to create a TV show, of himself, for himself. While it is true, Joe is very well off, it should be pointed out that Joe's ego is only dwarfed by John's fat ass. And not by much. Joe pointed out in his first episode of "The Joe Albero Show" that his headquarters in downtown Salisbury is "where it all happens". Joe, please. Get a grip. There are ten of us at the Crapper and it happens wherever we feel like making it happen (this blogsite not crapping).. We can make this blog site at home, in our cars, some of us at work, and even laying in bed or sitting on the crapper!

So, lets put things into perspective. People love conflict. Everyone in the US loves conflict and drama which is why we have all of these "reality" TV shows, soap operas, and news broadcasts which show death, destruction, and misery of human kind. How many times do you see a positive news cast about something over that of a negative one?

To break this down further, Joe, your website and your TV show are nothing but distractions, something amusing to look at, but dismissed in the same manner. Your crap is restricted to the lower shore and frankly that's where it will stay because no one really, truly cares about anything you report on. They just like drama. Which is why people are reading this article of us crapping on you. By the way, most of the cops don't like you. Just FYI Joe, oh and most of the fire fighters neither for obvious reasons.

John, your crap is crap too. Lets face it, your entire website is a collection of people who hate Joe Albero. We'll give you the creative award for that. But, continuing to talk crap about cops, sheriff's office employees, former employees, and the Sheriff himself with little or no dealings directly with him is a little coo-coo. You, like Joe, need medication. Oh and cops and fire fighters definitely don't like you either.

In an earlier time, both of you would probably be committed. In Medieval times, Joe would have been burned at the stake while John's fat ass would have been set ablaze for heat and sausages. Joe's chin hair and foul wind would have been enough to power the the city of Minneapolis for a fort night while a hunk of John's left ass check could light up Chicago for a week.

Get of the soap boxes. Deflate your egos. Wait, sorry, deflate your fucking egos and get on with your lives. Or, hey Joe continue to inflate your own ego, pop Viagra, and build your blogsite into everything it can be, a blogsite. John, continue to fuck up Joe's meteoric rise to well, a blog site guy. Cause we think it's all funny as poo.

We on the other hand, are just crap. VIVA DAS CRAPPER!

Police commissioner sent a letter promising to melt Snell’s badge “into a lump of metal.”

PHILADELPHIA – A former Philadelphia police officer convicted of robbing a drug dealer and participating in a home invasion was sentenced yesterday to 30 years in prison.

The rogue officer, Malik Snell, was denounced by the judge, prosecutors, and city officials. The police commissioner sent a letter promising to melt Snell’s badge “into a lump of metal.”

Snell, who spent four years in the Marines and then nearly eight as a Philadelphia officer, sobbed as he asked for a lesser sentence, but U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick said he was deliberately exceeding federal guidelines.

“It is very difficult for this court to work up any compassion for you,” Surrick said, noting that Snell had perjured himself “over and over again” and never explicitly acknowledged his crimes.

Snell was found guilty in June of conspiracy, attempted robbery, and a weapons charge, all stemming from a failed home invasion in Pottstown.

He was also convicted of stealing $40,000 in cash, hidden in a diaper bag, from Ricardo McKendrick Jr., a South Philadelphia drug kingpin. The incident occurred while Snell was in uniform. Surrick said he believed Snell had robbed other drug dealers.

Snell was discharged from the police force in 2008; the incidents occurred in 2007 while he was assigned to the 18th District in West Philadelphia. Two earlier trials had ended in hung juries.

Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey’s comment came in a written letter. He had been scheduled to appear in court to ask for “the harshest penalty possible,” but prosecutors said a flight delay and traffic jams prevented that.

“The badge he dishonored will be destroyed . . . melted into a lump of metal,” Ramsey wrote.

Ramsey noted that when an officer is killed in the line of duty, that badge number is “permanently retired . . . as a final honor to these fallen heroes.”

In Snell’s case, Ramsey said, he was “acting out of disgust.”