AMU Emergency Management Public Safety

EDM Friday Briefing: Trump Protests, Officer Killed in PA, Attack on German Consulate

Emergency and disaster management briefing for November 11, 2016

  1. Demonstrations and protests [link url=”http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/11/09/anti-trump-protests-erupt-new-york-chicago/93570584″ title=”continued Thursday in numerous cities”] in response to the election of Donald J. Trump as the nation’s 45th President. Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Philadelphia and other cities saw thousands of people take to the streets. Police in riot gear struggled to hold back hundreds of protesters in some locations as people chanted “Not My President” and “No Racist USA.” While most of the demonstrations were peaceful, injuries were reported and [link url=”http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/10/politics/election-results-reaction-streets” title=”at least three officers were wounded.”] Additionally, dozens of fires were set in one California city.
  2. A police officer was shot and killed while [link url=”http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/11/10/reports-two-police-officers-shot-pennsylvania/93580906/” title=”responding to a domestic disturbance call Thursday”] in Canonsburg, Penn., and a suspect was found dead at the scene. Officer Scott Bashioum and another officer were “ambushed upon their arrival” and immediately shot when they arrived separately in response to a 911 call. It was a devastating week for the country’s police as [link url=”http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/10/us/police-violence-pennsylvania-us/” title=”seven officers were shot and killed in the line of duty”] over the last eight days bringing the total of fallen officers for 2016 to 57 – which is 16 more than last year’s total.
  3. Militants [link url=”http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-blast-idUSKBN1352LD” title=”smashed an explosives-packed vehicle into the perimeter wall”] of the German consulate in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif late on Thursday, killing several passersby and injuring at least 40 others. A NATO spokesman said the explosion caused “massive damage” to the consulate, which houses around 30 employees. But no one inside the building was hurt. A Taliban representative said his group [link url=”http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/10/501640028/german-consulate-in-northern-afghanistan-attacked” title=”initiated the deadly attack”] in response to the coalition airstrikes in the northern city of Kunduz.
  4. Five of Russia’s largest banks were [link url=”http://metro.co.uk/2016/11/10/massive-cyber-attack-on-russian-banks-6249761/” title=”hit by a massive cyber attack”] this week according to an internet security giant. Russia’s largest state-controlled Sberbank reported major disruptions but managed to neutralize the attack. Hackers tried to overwhelm the websites of the banks by bombarding their servers with a [link url=”http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-37941216″ title=”Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack.”] A similar attack [link url=”http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/internet-attack-america-dyn-dns-ddos/” title=”affected the United States last month.”] According to Russian authorities, the wave of cyber attacks began on Nov. 8 and continued intermittently since. [relink url=”https://amuedge.com/november-is-critical-infrastructure-security-and-resilience-month/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/infrastructure-critical-to-americas-continued-economic-success/”]
  5. A firefighter in Tennessee is recovering in hospital after being [link url=”http://www.chron.com/news/nation-world/article/Firefighter-bitten-by-rattlesnake-s-severed-head-10606017.php” title=”bitten by the severed head of the Timber Rattlesnake he’d just decapitated.”] Kyle Watson and his wife were hiking when they came across the juvenile snake. Watson wanted to prevent the snake from biting others on the popular walking trail and killed the reptile using a kayak paddle. However, when he went to pick up the head (to keep as a souvenir to show his children) the [link url=”http://news10.com/2016/11/10/firefighter-injured-after-being-bitten-by-decapitated-rattlesnake/” title=”head turned and bit Watson”] on the finger. Watson fell unconscious and was air-lifted to a local hospital for anti-venom treatment; he’s expected to make a full recovery.
  6. Firefighters and police officers who performed courageous acts over the past 12 months were honored at the [link url=”http://wtvr.com/2016/11/10/law-enforcement-first-responders-honored-at-valor-awards/” title=”27th annual Valor Awards”] in Richmond, Va. on Thursday morning. Richmond Police Officer Matt Cavanaugh was one of 25 first responders celebrated for going above and beyond the call of duty. Last year, 36-year-old Frank Reid allegedly [link url=”http://www.nbc12.com/story/33680964/25-first-responders-honored-during-valor-awards” title=”held two people at gunpoint”] at a Richmond-area gas station. Reid forced them to drive to an ATM to withdraw cash. That’s when one of the two men held captive notified police, and officer Cavanaugh responded. After a 45-minute chase, police say Reid shot one of his hostages in the head. He then fired at Officer Cavanaugh, striking him in the ear. Cavanaugh, knowing he had a civilian down and in need of help, returned fire. All three men survived.
  7. Step aside James Bond and Batman: A [link url=”https://www.cnet.com/news/batmobile-police-technology-spike-strip-tracker-car/” title=”new tool used by police”] is a crime-stopping high-tech gadget in real life. It’s called the MobileSpike, and it attaches to the front of a police vehicle. When officers speed up to a suspect’s vehicle, MobileSpike uses compressed air to shoot spikes sideways under the suspect’s tires. The gadget was developed to help decrease the annual number of deadly high-speed chases, which, according to one estimate, have caused the deaths of [link url=”http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/07/30/police-pursuits-fatal-injuries/30187827/?siteID=je6NUbpObpQ-wKVFe49qPfRSveoPCYDJGQ” title=”more than 5,000 bystanders since 1979.”]
  8. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) [link url=”http://whnt.com/2016/11/10/tsa-discovers-loaded-firearm-at-huntsville-international-airport-checkpoint” title=”discovered a loaded firearm”] in Huntsville International Airport (HSV) Thursday. A loaded Ruger .380 caliber handgun was found in a passenger’s carry-on luggage. “Passengers are responsible for the contents of bags they bring to the checkpoint,” [link url=”http://whnt.com/2016/11/10/tsa-discovers-loaded-firearm-at-huntsville-international-airport-checkpoint/” title=”said Mark Howell”], TSA Regional Spokesperson. “Our advice is to look through bags thoroughly before coming to the airport to make sure there are no illegal or prohibited items.” According to the TSA, finding banned items in carry-on bags is not uncommon. For example, the TSA in Milwaukee [link url=”http://fox6now.com/2016/11/10/tsa-officials-offer-tips-showcase-prohibited-items-ahead-of-busy-holiday-travel-season/” title=”collects an average of 160 pounds per month”] of prohibited items.

Glynn Cosker is a Managing Editor at AMU Edge. In addition to his background in journalism, corporate writing, web and content development, Glynn served as Vice Consul in the Consular Section of the British Embassy located in Washington, D.C. Glynn is located in New England.

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