Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Many Americans are closely following the story about missing Madeleine McCann, a child who is not even from the United States or went missing in the United States. Meanwhile, little Devon Epps, age seven, hardly makes the news. Such is the problem with being dead rather than being a missing person. An incredible amount of money is spent on publicity if a child's fate is unknown, but if the poor little creature is brutally murdered and the body is found, the story is often yesterday's news even if no justice has been served and the killer is still out there. Sadly, this means a lot of money and effort is often wasted on pointless searching for children who are likely just as dead as those whose bodies aren't still undiscovered.

Devon Epps' story is quite tragic. In May, this little boy's bedroom ended up on fire and he barely escaped alive. He had to use a cloth to open the burning knob on the bedroom door to escape and then he ran to wake up Mom who seemed not to want to deal with him at that moment.

Then, in August, his mother, 26-year-old Amanda Reagan Smith, claims she got carjacked, and while she survives (with hardly a scratch) the big, brutal criminal who wielded a knife and made her drive to a lonely spot in a wooded area, little Devon is smothered to death by the carjacker. Ms. Smith claims the man made her get out of the car, and when she did, he locked the doors and proceeded to snuff out her son.

I hope Devon Smith gets justice since he did not get to live a full life, but I wonder if his own community will spend more time paying attention to where Madeleine McCann is rather than ensuring that their own community is safe and that someone pays for the murder of this young, innocent child. I wish we would get our priorities straight and put our concerns and energy toward what would really make a difference in making our world safer.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Is Maddie in England?

IF the evidence we have heard recently exists concerning Maddie's DNA and hire in the boot of the hire car and the McCanns were involved with the disappearance and death of their daughter, Madeleine, here is what I think could have happened. I have been considering WHY anyone would move a body from one location to another after twenty five days. If Maddie's DNA from decomposition of her body is really in the hire car, what purpose would there be in moving her body at that time?

I can think of only one: they would have to be afraid the Portuguese police were getting closer and closer to discovering what happened to Maddie and they took action. One possibility would be to move her to a location where she could never be found: at the bottom of the ocean. The other would be to move the body back to a location they controlled (the later villa they had rented), they would not have to worry about the police stumbling across their daughter’s remains. With all their traveling about, leaving and entering the apartment with a suitcase is not going to raise any eyebrows. Apparently, the police never brought the sniffer dogs to the new villa and, therefore, Maddie’s body could have remained in a suitcase in a storage area until the McCanns decided to move on. If the decomposition stage was late enough, the issue of odor would be less of a problem).

Kate McCann has stated she would never leave Portugal without her daughter and maybe she was telling the truth. Madeleine is but a small and very portable child. She weighs little and, if she had been decomposing for so long, she would weigh even less. The McCanns returned to England with four large black suitcases. Was Maddie in one of them?

It may unbelievable behavior for a parent, but, many a body has been shipped in suitcases over the course of history and parents have done strange things in desperation or in grief, so this would not be an impossibility. If the McCanns chose to do this and succeeded in not getting caught, they would have outsmarted the Portuguese police, avoided a jail sentence and no one would ever find out what really happened to their daughter. Because the McCanns were familiar with air travel, airports, and entry and departure points, they could determine whether their luggage was likely to be searched upon arrival (and the answer from my experience with travel to England is the chances of them having any problem with scrutiny and searches is low).

If the evidence holds, the British police might search for Maddie right there in Leicestershire, England; who knows what they might find.

Of course, this all depends on whether any of the leaked information about the DNA and hair in the boot of the hire car has any validity at all. If it doesn't, then regardless of the negligence of Maddie's parents in leaving her unattended out of eye and earshot (and I do not think this acceptable parenting even if there are no kidnappers likely to take her), then we are back to a pedophile snatching her. One way or the other, there is little likelihood Madeleine is alive.

At the heart of all crime scene analysis is evidence, both forensic and behavioral. Theories that then prompt investigative avenues are based on what evidence one has in the case. If the evidence changes, then the theory will change with it. This is why no one is guilty until proven so in a court of law. Even the most suspicious of suspects is not guilty until the jury says so.

Are the McCanns guilty or not? I have no idea since I am not inside the homicide investigation. But if there is really any evidence pointing toward the McCanns, then the police should do what they suggest and "Leave No Stone Unturned."

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Just Say Yes to Net Neutrality

Justice Department Says No To Net Neutrality

The Justice Department announced today that Internet service providers should be permitted to charge customers extra fees to access certain web sites or to load some web sites faster than others.

“The agency told the Federal Communications Commission, which is reviewing high-speed Internet practices, that it is opposed to "Net neutrality," the principle that all Internet sites should be equally accessible to any Web user."

That’s right; the cable and telephone companies want to charge us more money to load some web sites that were previously available to anyone with access to the World Wide Web.

Wait, it gets better.

"The Justice Department said imposing a Net neutrality regulation could hamper development of the Internet and prevent service providers from upgrading or expanding their networks. It could also shift the "entire burden of implementing costly network expansions and improvements onto consumers," the agency said in its filing."

Um… Isn’t charging extra fees to access web pages and content (which the ISP does not even own) the same thing as shifting the "entire burden of implementing costly network expansions and improvements onto consumers”? Keep in mind the added cost would be billed to customers who already pay more for high-speed Internet access than for dial-up, which is reasonable-up until now, anyway.

After the ridiculously inadequate explanation of the economic disadvantages of Net Neutrality for consumers, the Justice Department gives an example of the validity of allowing providers to charge us extra for mouse clicks.

"The agency said providing different levels of service is common, efficient and could satisfy consumers. As an example, it cited that the U.S. Postal Service charges customers different guarantees and speeds for package delivery, ranging from bulk mail to overnight delivery."

WTF? Loading web pages that are currently freely accessible and independently hosted and maintained by individuals and entities is similar to the labor and resources needed to transport packages by ground and air….how? "Could satisfy consumers?" You've got to be kidding me

I usually conclude that powerful government agencies make stupid statements like these because they arrogantly believe the general public are idiots. But lately I am considering the possibility that they aren’t arrogant at all, or thinking much of anything other than their greedy little thoughts because they're the ones who are morons.

My Cable TV and Internet service is provided by Comcast Cable Nazis. Two things already piss me off big time about their service. First, in order to receive network channels such as TBS, TNT, etc, it is necessary to buy the “Standard Cable Package” that includes “Basic and Expanded Cable.” Tough luck if you only wish to subscribe to a couple of HBO channels and nothing else because you must purchase the Standard Package before adding “Premium Cable” services. Not only do you have to buy “packages” or channels you don’t want in order to get others you do want, you have to pay money to view 3-5 minutes of local commercial advertising for every 10-15 minutes of programming on an out of state network channel. If I can pay for HBO with no commercial interruptions, why do I have to pay to watch something on an expanded cable station and still have to endure incessant commercial advertising too? Not to mention paying for 2 golf channels, 5 home shopping channels, and 30-minute infomercials on most of the other “Standard Cable” channels that I don’t want.

The second problem I have with the Cable Nazis is when calling their customer service line (3-4 times a month) due to Internet service interruptions; I spend 15 or more minutes on hold listening to nothing but sales pitches for additional services. Ok, I confess. I rather enjoy pointing out to the unfortunate tech help person that finally takes my call that the last thing a frustrated customer who is waiting for technical help wants to hear is repeated requests to spend more money on something that is not even working at the moment.

Start calling your legislators folks, or this one may sneak right past us. The Cable Nazis will not get so much as a penny from me for something I already do, no way.

Donna Weaver

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Just say good bye, Senator Craig

All right, I give in. I have to finally put my two cents in about Senator Larry Craig.

Senator Craig, you are a manipulative, lying creep.

You plead guilty to trying to solicit sex in a public bathroom. No innocent man in his right mind would have done that, especially a public figure, if some aggressive cop had decided to use you to make his day. Furthermore, no man accidentally touches other men's feet under the stall or puts his hands or eyes into another man's personal space while taking care of business unless he is willing to risk getting beat up for trying to get a little something from someone he thinks wants the same thing.

I differ with folks who say even if you were trying to have sex with strange men in public bathrooms, it is no big thing. The word "public" is an important point here. When people are in public spaces they do not expect that they or their underage children will be exposed to sexual acts. What you do in the privacy of your own home or someone else's home is another matter. I don't care. Well, actually I do, if you are married.

Which brings me to the topic of adultery. Again, some people say adultery is a personal matter. No, it isn't. Adultery destroys family, community, and society. Maybe it isn't illegal any more, but I don't have to respect you for doing it and I should think someone who represents family values ought to have some of them himself.

Very few people have brought this issue up: you are a security risk. If you are trying this hard to hide your homosexual behavior, then someone can blackmail you, whether it be a lobbyist or an agent of a foreign power. You are a liability.

Finally, we can't trust a damn thing you say. You gave the speech I expected when you said you were resigning for the good of the country and so you wouldn't be a distraction in the course of the government doing business. You, of course, admitted no guilt; you only claimed to be a great guy who was railroaded, but in spite of that, would leave office so as not to cause more contention.

Apparently, you lied again, because now you are taking that back. You seem to have problems making "false statements" and then wishing you hadn't made them.

Go away, Senator Craig, please! You are a disgrace to your family, your state, and your country.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Profiling for Dummies Case # 1

I thought I would start a series of homicide cases that will make newbie profilers and wannabes feel good about their profiling skills! Here is Case Number One! Ready?

Who Killed Kelly Gorham?

Nursing student Kelly Gorham went missing in Maine. She was engaged for two years to Jason Twardus. They broke up in June. Kelly went missing in early August and her body was found in a shallow grave during a search on the property of Brian Twardus, Jason's daddy.

Now put on your thinking caps! The police have not yet named a suspect in this crime, so you can be the first to figure out who could have committed this murder.

If you get this one right, you can go for the extra credit question!

Who COULD have killed Kelly Gorham? (warning: attorney profiling required for the answer to this one).

Hint: There is only one answer to the first question. There are a dozen answers to the second question depending on the lawyer's ability to tell tales and the estimated gullibility of the jury.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: The Next Crime Scene is only a Phone Call Away

There is a scary new trend in the world of crime: bomb threat by cell phone. All week long, Walmart stores and other business across the United States have had some creep calling them via cell phone and demanding the manager wire money to an overseas account or a bomb will blow up in the store. The caller tries to terrify the customers and management of the store by making it seem like he is watching the store and is just outside in the parking lot with his finger on the detonator. He even got some people to remove their clothes because they thought he could see if they were obeying him.

Sure enough, some of the managers were frightened enough to wire money and so this scumbag is collecting off of his ruse. To think, this guy is just sitting in his living room (or bedroom if he is a young crook) in some country (and the last guess was Portugal), running down a list of store names on the Internet and making phone calls like he was a salesman cold calling his prospects. He doesn't have to actually walk into a store or physically threaten people or risk getting in a confrontation with the police. He just sits in the comfort of his home with a phone to his ear. and gets a darn good profit from his crime

Sadly, unless people stop falling for this ploy or some law is passed that makes sending money to the blackmailer a crime in itself (aiding and abetting a criminal), the number of these crimes may skyrocket. If it works well enough, think of all the criminals around the world who can copy this crime with just a cell phone and a computer and a way to retrieve the money (and not get caught). Already the Nigerian scams have netted god knows how much money with the fake checks they are printing and sending to their victims, and now we have a more frightening form of crime being perpetrated from overseas.

It is hard enough for law enforcement to deal with home grown crime. Just imagine what will happen if they have to work across international boundaries and get cooperation from foreign legal systems. With globalization and world wide communications, crime means offenders don't have to find victims just in their neighborhoods; they can find them thousands of miles away.

As Maxwell Smart would have said, "Too bad he didn't use his cell phone and the Internet for niceness instead of evil." The new technologies we now can't live without will be bringing us a whole bunch of crimes we wish we would never have to deal with.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Superbad is Superscary

I went to see the movie Superbad last night to see what all the fuss was about. The critics are raving, the public is raving; this movie is being called the most hilarious, accurate, teen raunch movie of the decade, destined to become one of the great all time classics. I have to admit, the audience loved it. I, on the other hand, found it only occasionally amusing, usually when the movie dealt with the boys inept handling of communication with females. The rest of the movie was filled with totally stupid humor one would think would only be funny for fifteen-year old males who find people throwing up a scream, and bad words hysterical. I could live with this and walk away thinking, "Let the kids have their fun," except for the fact that a lot of people in that audience were older than fifteen and they loved the movie. Worse, there were kids in the movie theater that were under fifteen and they loved the movie.

The movie was totally degrading to women and the importance of love in a physical relationship. The main character constantly talked about sexual acts and body parts in such a repulsive manner that I can't believe females in America accept this as a perfectly okay thing. Women essentially become sluts and bitches in this movie, nothing more than unimportant humans on the planet living only to serve the sexual needs and egos of these selfish, immoral creeps called teenagers.

The only boy in the film who starts off as seeming to actually like a girl as a real person and not just a sex object, still gets himself drunk to sleep with her when he is told he won't be a date rapist if he is just as inebriated as she is. He is even willing to provide the booze to get her there. Then, when the drunk girl actually drags him to the bedroom and rips off his clothes, all the while acting like the biggest ho in the world and talking as dirty as some 50-year-old sex pervert, he feels uncomfortable and stops her. Later, she thanks him for not taking advantage of her while she was drunk, indicating that she is really an innocent virgin. Please, give me a break. If this is the way decent schoolgirls act, we are in big trouble.

Actually, yes, we are in big trouble. The movie being acclaimed as so wonderful by so many is disturbing. We cheer for the foulmouthed, crude, repulsive, lawbreaking, annoying, disrespectful, misogynist slob and are happy when he finally gets his way with some brainless babe who rewards him with sex because she recognizes that underneath all of that repulsiveness is a really a great guy.

With this kind of attitude toward women (and we see it in other movies and music), I am surprised females want to date any more. Even if guys sometimes think about girls in a less than romantic way, wisdom says keep it to yourself. But, constantly informing women that they are viewed as meat seems horribly unappealing. Sadly, I think more and more females today have accepted this role as their lot in life, as just the way it is, and just the way guys think. They no longer believe that sex should be part of a love filled, passionate relationship. It's just about sexual release and thrills, mostly his. If you want to be accepted and you want a guy in your life, just don't say no to humiliation.

Respect for women is dead, and by the lack of bad reviews coming in about this movie, it isn't likely to return soon.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: 40 Children, 40 Days, No Adults

And 40 sets of parents who ought to be charged with child neglect and abuse.

Reality TV is bad enough for society as we watch adults who choose to humiliate themselves and each other for money or fame, and we as a country who get a kick out of watching adults make asses and fools out of themselves ought to be ashamed. But, at least we are talking consenting adults who lower themselves to be a part of such appalling circuses.

What about those children on talk shows? You know the ones I mean. "My Teenager Acts Like a Whore" and "My Grade School Kids are Brats." Shouldn't putting your children on display as failures and emotional disasters and victims of pedophiles be tantamount to abuse? I sure as hell think so. I would like to see it be illegal for kids to be paraded by their sick parents on such shows and I think we should all be writing letters to complain to the networks that promote this atrocity.

But just when I thought it couldn't get worse, now we have children turning into "Lord of the Flies" so we can get our fill of this sick thrill in the comfort of our living rooms.

Children are supposed to be nurtured, respected, and cared for by responsible adults twenty-four hours a day. Although "Kids' Nation" claims it is like summer camp, I don't know of any kid's camp where the ratio of adults guiding children is 0 to 40. Even if the children are in a "safe" setting with adults lurking on the outside of the performance ring, the purpose of parenting is not to watch your kids go at it with each other, fend for themselves, make their own rules, and only step in when your child has suffered enough emotional damage to be removed from the game.

I guess this is a "fun" experiment, to see if the children will become as deranged as those in William Golding's horrifying story. Woo-hoo! Wouldn't that make those TV ratings soar!

I feel ill.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: A Sow's Ear in Disguise

Bobby Cutts, the police officer who allegedly murdered his pregnant girlfriend, has now been charged with murder of the mom and baby. There is still much speculation as to what the motive was. Some think it was his rising debts and the fact this woman and child when born would add to them. Others think his motive was to eliminate a woman he was no longer interested in so he could spend more time with new females in his life. It seems that people feel more comfortable if there is a "reason" the character committed homicide. Unfortunately, this reason is what a defense attorney pushes to make the killer look more human, more understandable and forgivable. Even if the guy is a coldblooded serial killer, his bad childhood is the reason he ended up murdering people. If these desperate problems had not come into the killer's life, he wouldn't be a killer. In other words, he is not such a bad guy except for problems that pushed him over the edge.

While it may be true that an individual may not have sunk to the level of murder had not some issue upset him, we have to ask ourselves if it is ever an okay response to kill because one is having a bad hair day. Most of us go through life all the time getting pissed off and frustrated about what people and life has done to us. For all that I have been through, killing people to improve my circumstances, get rid of problems, or vent rage, has never occurred to me. Why is that? Could it be I think it is morally unacceptable?

Bobby Cutts apparently did not have this issue with right and wrong. And what kind of person doesn't have an issue with right and wrong? A psychopath. And what is the only thing that stops a psychopath who has no morals from committing crime? Getting lucky enough not to need to commit crime or being worried enough not to get caught.

Take this example: suppose a man decides his wife is becoming a problem to him. He plans to take her on a hike near some cliffs and push her over. But, before they leave for the weekend, the wife has a blood clot go to her brain and she dies. Woo hoo! The husband is happy he doesn't have to bother to kill her. Does this make him a nice man? Hardly. He simply got lucky. Or suppose a child molester wants to rape little girls but now everyone is watching him like a hawk. He doesn't do anything except fantasize. He also is hardly a nice man.

So, when someone does murder or rape or commit other heinous crimes, we ought to recognize that he is a dangerous animal. There is no excuse in the world that should make us view him in another way.

He is just a sow's ear we think might be a silk purse until we take the wrapping paper off.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

(photos courtesy of Yahoo News)

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Commit Crime and Collect Cash

What sentence do you think this guy got?

"My wife was falsely accusing me of having an affair with one of her friends. She pushed me and I pushed her away from me and I went to the kitchen to get a bottle of medicine because I had a headache. I was putting water in the glass when I heard her yell, "I am going to kill you, you bastard!" It just scared me because once before she had threatened me with a gun. It was just a spontaneous act. I grabbed a knife that was drying on a towel on the counter. I turned around just as she lunged. The knife just went into her chest and she collapsed and died. I loved her before I knew her and I will continue to love her for all my days."

After 11 months in jail during which time he completed his GED and went to Bible study and life skill classes, the judge said at his sentencing hearing, "I have come to find out that you are apparently a very decent person." He accepted the plea bargain that suspended a ten-year prison sentence and placed him on probation for five years. "I am giving you the benefit of the doubt."

Outraged? I bet. Eleven months for killing his wife?

Now, replace the he with she in this story and see how you feel. This two page story in The Washington Post was one of those human interest stories, this time about how a woman who had a hard upbringing accidentally killed her husband last night and is now back in the world and "Reclaiming a Life (hers apparently since hubby ain't coming back)." We are supposed to feel sorry for her struggles. She is having difficulties with work and finances (although that $400,000 she is about to pick up from the insurance company for stabbing her husband should help a wee bit - apparently an "involuntary manslaughter" conviction allows the killer to collect money on the victim).

I don't buy the woman's story. She uses the word "just" a few too many times for comfort as "just" is one of those words that sets up a red flag for a profiler; usually a lie follows.

But, ten months? The benefit of the doubt? If this had been a man, would the attitude be quite so lenient? I have much sympathy for battered women and realize that self-defense may be an issue, but this lady's story doesn't hold water. If she had been a guy, she would be doing all ten of those years. Instead, the woman gets nearly half a million dollars for committing a crime. Being female in this instance, paid off.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Update on Alien Apples and Offending Oranges

Rodolfo Godinez has just been arrested in connection with the Newark homicides. He is a legal U.S. resident and there goes the immigration argument in this criminal issue. Again, the problem isn't about the legality of the residency status but the fact that we let violent criminals back on the streets even when we know for sure they are dangerous to the community. Godinez got bail for stabbing two men in a robbery. Then he vanished.

Bail should be for nonviolent offenders. Yes, they have committed a crime and they should be prosecuted for it. But, you are more of an annoyance than a physical danger to the community. However, if you are the kind of guy who has no problem choking, stabbing, or shooting people, I really don't want you walking around on the streets while we decide what to do with you. Let's make sure the public is as safe as possible and then make sure we apply proper justice.

Having said all of this, it is important to look at the some of the kind of folks that sneak into the country. They are clearly not doing all that well in their own. Sometimes it is because economic opportunity is near nonexistent; sometimes it is because they are not the kind of people folks want to hire. In other words, they may be losers and they may be dangerous losers. The governments of their countries will be more than happy to get rid of them.

Many illegal immigrants are nice people trying to survive. But, some are scum who we should be keeping out of the country if we can. We have the right to refuse such folks entry and to track them down if they make their way in. However, moving from a general argument to this one incident is not useful as we can now see that one of the alleged killers is an actual legal resident. Let's focus on the most important aspect of this heinous crime: let's stop bail for violent offenders.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

Criminal Profing Topic of the Day: Mixing Alien Apples with Offender Oranges

Imagine this scenario: A man purchases an illegal fireman from a criminal on the street. He is a felon who has been released from jail after serving only half his sentence for armed robbery. He has broken parole five times but instead of being sent back to prison, he has just been given warnings. He walks down the street from his halfway house to the convenience store on the corner. He enters the store and purchases a Red Bull drink. He pays for it and drinks it while waiting for the store to clear of customers. Then, when only the clerk and the felon are left in the store, the criminal pulls out the illegally purchased handgun and holds up the store. When the community hears the story, they become incensed. Clearly, Red Bull ought to be pulled from the market because the excess caffeine in the drink made the man hyper and caused him to commit crime.

Ridiculous you say? Well, this is the same foolish thinking going on with the case of illegal immigrant, Jose Lachira Carranza, the alleged killer of three Newark teens. While illegal immigration is a major problem in our country and ought to be addressed for a number of perfectly legitimate reasons, the fact that this alleged killer of teens happens to be in the United States without a green card really is not an important factor in this case. The real issue ought to be the fact that Carranza got bail after being arrested twice for child rape and then let back onto the streets.

Illegal immigrants don't kill people, criminals do. Stop bail for violent offenders.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Shirking Responsibility for Criminal Behavior

In Virginia, another drunk teenage driver has killed herself and her three friends who were riding in the car with her. One of the fathers of the passengers made this statement: "A drunk driver killed my kid." I beg to differ, sir: a drunk driver and her drunk enabling passengers colluded to kill themselves. You can't blame the driver without blaming the passengers. There was an open gallon of vodka in the car, half of it gone, when the car crashed. This isn't like a drunk pilot killing his unsuspecting passengers. Every one of those kids knew the driver was drinking and likely passed the bottle to her while she was behind the wheel. In doing so, everyone shares the blame for the car crashing and the resulting deaths.

A while back, a Minnesota girl survived such a crash that killed her friends. Because she was the driver, she ended up getting charged. She admitted she was wrong but she stated that all of her friends knew darned well what they were getting into when they got into the vehicle with her and passed the bottle around. She got a lot of angry feedback from that statement; folks thought she was blaming the victims of her mistake. But, I agree with the girl. She was wrong but her friends were just as wrong.

In another horrifying Virginia story, a man left a cache of weapons around his mentally deranged son, took him to practice shooting at the gun range and gave him drugs. The son ended up taking his daddy's guns and murdering two police officers. The father ended up getting a few years for aiding and abetting, a sentence I thought was far too low, although I was happy to see him get nailed for something (unlike most of the parents of school shooters who get off scott free after their children take their father's or grandfather's guns and mow down their classmates).

Nancy Grace got sued by the family of Melinda Duckett for grilling her over the disappearance of her son. After Melinda made herself look really guilty with her poor answers, she went home and blew herself away with Granddaddy's shotgun. Her grandfather, however, instead of blaming himself for leaving his weapon around for his mentally unstable granddaughter to do herself in with, attacks Nancy for making his squirrelly grand kid feel bad about herself.

And let's not forget Madeleine. Her parents left her and their two little babies alone in a strange hotel room while they went off drinking. Now, they have collected two million dollars from caring people to find her. While I understand they are hurting, many parents have had their kids kidnapped through no fault of their own. Madeleine's parents should have been charged with child neglect.

What do all these cases have in common? Folks taking no responsibility for their behavior and blaming someone else for the results of it.

I would like to see people speak out and say, well, you brought it on yourselves and you need to either live with that fact or go to jail for your involvement with the crime. Let's stop making excuses for these individuals and expect and demand that they accept responsibility for their actions.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Defective Adults need to Grow Up

There is a new game coming in September to Toronto: Street Wars. This is a video game gone real time involving idiots posing as adults stalking each other on the streets until they can commit an assassination by water gun. Now, I will have to admit I can see the fun in it. Essentially, what these folks are doing is called "tailing" in the, private investigation industry. They are tracking down information on where the mark lives, works and hangs out, and then the mark is tailed until he can be "killed." The big difference is private detectives have a license for this because without one, it is rather concerning when one person stalks another.

The claim by the creator of this stupidity is that it is all in fun and no one is getting hurt. I beg to differ. While each contestant pays forty dollars to get in the game and knows he is the assassin or the target, the game is not being played on private grounds where no one else is being affected. This is not paintball at the paintball range or laser tag inside a laser tag facility. This game is being played out among other human beings who have no clue to what is going on.

If I see one of these fools skulking around acting suspicious, I am going to call the police. And, if one of these morons pulls out a water gun in a crowded location and aims it at me or someone near me, God help him, if it looks to real; he may get shot. These players by acting like criminals are going to cause fear in other people's lives and that will make their behavior no longer just pretend. They are crossing the line into true criminal behavior. In return, they may get treated like criminals.

I agree with the game creator that this game could be amusing, but so what? Lots of illegal things are fun and I don't do them. There are some things that are not illegal but morally or ethically questionable and I don't do these things either. As an adult member of society, I am supposed to be mature enough to figure this out. Apparently the game creator and his players aren't. Grow up, for God's sake....please.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

Criminal Profiing Topic of the Day: Gerald Grinstein, The Great Satan of Delta Airlines

Delta: The Devil in Disguise


I will start with a disclaimer: until flying for the first time with Delta, I have been a fan of the airline industry. I travel a lot and I am not a whiner when it comes to weather and airport security. No one can help bad weather and airline security really isn’t such a big deal. In order not to get all bent out of shape, I do my part to be a good customer. I arrive early for my flights, usually more than thirty minutes before the recommended time. This allows for a sizable cushion for long lines and far off gates. I usually amble through the airport, smile my way through security, and then toddle over to the bar near my gate and have a bloody Mary. I buy newspapers to read and always have along a good book. It does not bother me that I have to spend a little extra time waiting; it saves me from having to panic as I watch the minutes run out if the airport is crowded or I have to have my carry-on luggage sifted through.

I bring my own food on the plane. Often I bring such good stuff I make the other passengers jealous. I brought two large pizzas on the last flight (my kids love New York pizza) and I enjoyed a couple slices while en route. When I flew home from Beijing, my daughter and I brought food from our favorite Chinese restaurant on board. We feasted on incredibly wonderful dishes while we watched those around us eating microwaved crap. Why more people just don’t bring their own food, I will never understand. Compared to the cost of travel in general, forking out a few more dollars for a good lunch one can enjoy while flying, hardly seems a big deal. This way, if there is an unpreventable delay and food is in short supply aboard the plane, one always has a stock of food to fall back on. I never go hungry on a flight.

I also bring lots of stuff to keep me busy and something warm to keep from freezing. I am pretty much the perfect passenger.

So, why am I about to skewer Delta? Because they damned well deserve it. There is no excuse for treating customers so abominably for a mistake of Delta’s (or possible planned fraudulent action -yes, fraud – the explanation coming up). And, as usual in the land of corporate giants, there is next to nothing the consumer can do about a company like Delta except refuse to use them again, which I can guarantee you, will be true in my case. Here is the short explanation ::laughing hysterically:: list of my Delta abuse as I experienced it:

Wed August 1: Arrive at JFK from Atlanta to find no luggage. Lost my evening in NYC trying to get answers. I was told the luggage would be sent over to the hotel after the next flight arrived from Atlanta at midnight. I was given a phone number to call to check on this and I also had them write down that, if, for some reason the luggage failed to arrive that night, to then send the luggage to my home in Maryland as I was flying out in the morning.

Thurs August 2 – Called that phone number all night but no one answered. Luggage did not arrive at hotel. Went on air without my suit. Flew home to Maryland in the afternoon. Called that number repeatedly and finally talked to someone. Asked them to be sure to contact Mumbai, India because I was guessing my luggage was never taken off the plane to JFK and it was going on to Mumbai. I was told there was no way I could know that and probably the luggage was in Birmingham, Alabama where my flight originated. I was also told the luggage may have been taken off because the plane was overweight. I was told that instead of losing money by taking customers off the plane, they fly the customers to their destination and then say their luggage was “accidentally” misplaced. I call this fraud as when I pay for a ticket, I am buying a space for myself and my luggage with expectations we are both arriving at the same time. This apparently is a dirty secret of the airline industry.

Fri August 3: I call all day and finally someone answers the phone at 5 PM and tells me the luggage will arrive at my Maryland home in the morning. I was offered no explanation or apology.

Sat August 4: The luggage does not arrive in the morning. I call the number and get a woman who tells me that all she knows is my luggage was coming in on a flight from Mumbai, India. I guess I wasn’t so wrong after all. She can’t tell me when I will see that luggage and is extremely rude to me. I reiterate that I am in Maryland and want to see the bag is routed properly. She continues to be nasty and tells me she will call me back within a few minutes when she finds out more information and, if I want, I can call her until 5 PM when her shift ends. I wait two hours and call back. The woman has already left for the day. I get another nasty human. I ask to speak to the supervisor. I am told to leave a number and he will call me back when he gets out of his meeting in five minutes. I wait one hour. I call back. I get a new abuser and I am told there is no supervisor there. This nasty creep says he has no idea where my luggage is and I should call the 800 number and not JFK. I was never told this previously. I ask for the number and he hangs up. I find it on the back of the luggage info which I never noticed because the original clerk wrote down the JFK phone number on the front and told me to deal with them. I also found a website to track luggage.

I call the 800 number. I am told the luggage is on route to NYC. I ask the woman why since I have repeatedly told Delta that I left NYC on Thursday morning. She doesn’t know why. I ask to speak to the supervisor. She is an equal rude idiot. She calls JFK and tells me she can’t get in touch with anyone, too bad. I call JFK myself yet again and get yet another person. She tells me not to worry; the bag is in the car and on its way to the Hilton in NYC. I asked her why it is going to the Hilton since I am not there. She checks the computer and lo, and behold, there is my Maryland address along with the NYC address with the note that I have not been in NYC for two days. She tells me she will have the bag brought back and sent down to DC. It will be there within about six hours, by 10 PM. 10 PM comes and goes and I check the computer listing and it now says my bag will be delivered between 10PM Saturday night and 10 AM Sunday morning; at least the address now says Maryland.

Yep, 10 AM comes and just at that time I get my first call from Delta who kindly wants to let me know they have the bag in Washington DC and it will be to my house by 4 PM. I am not holding my breath.

No one I talked to at Delta baggage sympathized with my plight. No one at Delta baggage apologized for Delta’s behavior. Everyone lied to me. Everyone told me that they were not lying and that no one at Delta lied to me. Everyone told me they were being nice to me and trying to help. Get back, Satan! I can recognize evil when I see and hear it.

So, what is wrong with these people? Does Delta make them into the devil incarnate or do they just hire the minions to do their dirty work? I don’t have a problem with mistakes (considering the mass of luggage they deal with and the craziness of dealing with all those flights and such). But, I do object to being treated like crap, being lied to, and manipulated. I object to Delta taking no responsibility for their behavior. I object to not receiving a full refund and compensation for my lost time, replacement purchases, and emotional suffering from their nasty treatment. If I were in a restaurant, I would refuse to pay the bill if I didn’t receive the dinner I expected and was treated rudely. I think Delta (and any airline) should have to fully compensate their customers if they do not provide the service paid for (whether due to mishandling or outright fraud).

So, Gerald Grinstein, CEO of this miserable excuse for an airline also known as Delta, what explanation do you have for accepting or encouraging such horrible employee behavior? If the minions you control are the little satans, does that make you the Great Satan?

As a criminal profiler, I would have to say yes.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

P.S. I finally got my luggage. It looked like it had been mauled. My tennis shoes and several Hindi music CDs were gone. Guess I was absolutely right that the bag went to Mumbai. Really, folks, I don't object to my bag going to India, but if it is going, I want to go with it.

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: If it walks like a Duck...

I have to hand it to the new Dear Abby with her answer to this question (7/30/2007):

DEAR ABBY: My soon-to-be-ex-husband's secretary keeps giving my 16-year-old daughter extravagant gifts for Christmas. One year it was a complete Tiffany jewelry set (earrings, necklace and ring). This past year, "Donna" gave my daughter a $200 gift certificate to an expensive clothing store and another $200 one at a trendy cosmetics store. Should I be suspicious? -- EAST COAST MAMA

DEAR EAST COAST MAMA: No, by now you should be convinced.

Good zing, Abby, and how right you are. It is funny (and sad) how often I have heard these kinds of questions concerning what species of animal a loudly quacking duck might be. Some women are upset that their boyfriends are turning out to be liars which surprises them since they gave them such a nice place to live when they came out of prison. Other women wonder why the married men who left their wives to marry them are now cheating on them. Then, there are the women who are treated like dirt while they are dating and yet are surprised after marriage that they are still treated like crap. While we human beings may minimize some less-than-perfect behaviors in order to have companionship or a mate, there should be some very clear signs that the duck is no songbird.

Save yourself a lot of problems, ladies. If he has acted like a creep, guess what? He’s a creep!

PS. To you men out there, reread the above statement, and substitute female ducks for male ducks.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Ready, Set, Vote

After Pat appeared on CNN Headlines with Erica Hill last week to discuss the two lifelong felons on parole that raped and murdered a mother and two children in Connecticut, I thought to myself, at what point will enough be enough forcing State governments to create and implement meaningful legislation to prevent scumbag, waste-of-skin offenders from offending again? I was angry, horrified, and outraged over what was done to this family. Well here’s the thing. I am wrong to be frustrated with the actions or inaction of lawmakers. Why? Because I haven’t called, wrote a letter, or sent an e-mail to my own elected officials in quite awhile. Like most everyone else, I’m wrapped up in my family, my work, and everything happening in my life. Shame on me. Shame on all of us. How can we expect anything to change if we don’t change it? What can we do to improve our justice system?

Vote.

"Democracy is not about trust; it is about distrust. It is about accountability, exposure, open debate, critical challenge, and popular input and feedback from the citizenry. It is about responsible government. We have to get our fellow Americans to trust their leaders less and themselves more, trust their own questions and suspicions, and their own desire to know what is going on." Michael Parenti

We must restore faith in our system of government. Last week, a commenter on RonniRants Blog said, "Vote? That's been proven not to work." Many Americans feel the same way. In reality, voting does work, it always has and still does. It’s working perfectly for special interest groups and politicians with personal agendas. Consider this. Roughly 20- 25% of registered voters go to the polls on Election Day. Who knows how many have not bothered to register at all. The way I see it, if lobbyists only have to target the relatively small number of people who actually do vote, how hard can it be to manipulate people and issues to get the desired results? The system itself remains largely intact and still works for those who use it. The point is, it DOES still work. If you ask me, I think it would work even better if we did away with the Electoral College and had a popular vote where each ballot counted.

"Television is altering the meaning of "being informed" by creating a species of information that might properly be called disinformation... Disinformation does not mean false information. It means misleading information - misplaced, irrelevant, fragmented, or superficial information - information that creates the illusion of knowing something, but which in fact leads one away from knowing."Neil Postman

Lack of participation by the many has allowed exploitation by the few. I believe this promotes not only loss of faith in our government, but also loss of faith in ourselves. Some are concerned about this, but they have convinced themselves they have no chance of going up against the monolith. We have our small groups of conspiracy theorists, extremists, and self-styled revolutionaries. But let’s face it; the vast majority of Americans are now just a great big flock of apathetic, uninformed sheep. A whole generation out there thinks they are learning about current events by watching Jerry Springer. And their parents find it acceptable that the content published or broadcast by our news media is controlled by corporations, advertising revenues, and ratings. How can millions of Americans not see how truly dangerous this is? Throughout history, these conditions have created a mechanism for manipulation, repression, and abuse of the people by governments in every part of the world. It’s happening right now. Of course, it is a bit more complex than that, but it’s enough. Are you scared yet? You should be. Is this the legacy we will leave for future generations?

No, absolutely not!

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness” The Declaration of Independence

The American people have something no other country on earth has, The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution of the United States. I am so in awe of these documents. I dare you to read them right now and not feel a great swelling of patriotism and pride. Those words were written for you, for all of us, by men who willingly and courageously risked everything they possessed, including their lives “in Order to form a more perfect Union... and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity,” Since then, for over two centuries, countless American men and women have worked, lived, and died protecting our Country and our Liberty. Are we going to denigrate their sacrifice and turn our backs on our responsibilities?

No, we most definitely will not!

So how do we begin? Where do we start? Well, I have some suggestions.

We can start utilizing our republican form of government built on a foundation of basic principles, unalienable rights, and majority rule. "We the people" are our government, just as we have been from the beginning. There is one catch, the only way this works is if we actively participate in its processes.

Become informed and do what you can to further public awareness; talk to your friends, neighbors, coworkers, your children. But don’t just talk about who is to blame for what's wrong. Try to focus on how you think we can do better regarding specific issues. Courageously explore new possibilities with thoughtful consideration. Ask others for their ideas on a particular subject; listen to their words with your heart and mind open to all the potential of new understanding. So it went with our Founding Fathers in homes, town halls, and taverns; giving birth to a new nation

Make it a new rule to talk about politics without using the words Democrat, Republican, Liberal, or Conservative. Today, these partisan labels little resemble their original meanings and only serve to divide and separate people, pitting them against each other. Picking one side to join in discussion discourages independent thought and limits the resources and tools needed to find workable solutions for the good of all the United States. Strong emotion and passionate discourse are precursors to positive action. However, hot debate can quickly become over-heated argument. Above all, never give up your self-respect by disrespecting others, lose control, and degenerate into name-calling and abusive profanity.

On Election Day, invite a friend or neighbor to ride along with you to vote. Or volunteer to be a poll worker.

Learn about the workings of Congress, and how bills and resolutions become law. Find out what is being proposed and debated on the House floor and in House Committee meetings. Your Representatives will vote on these bills and resolutions. So, call or write their offices to let them know how you stand on a particular issue and urge them to vote yes or no. This is not a full time job; it only takes a few minutes of your time. Here are some handy resources to make it easy for you:

"GovTrack.us is an independent, non-partisan, non-commercial website…bringing together information on the status of federal legislation, voting records, and other congressional data from official sources, and turning it into an understandable and trackable free information resource for everyday citizens…”

Find your House and Senate Representatives, research bills & votes, and track Congressional activity by feed or e-mail on subjects that interest you (with links to State Representatives and legislation).

Information about crime and justice related bills and resolutions that have been proposed by members of Congress in this legislative session, and their status on the way to becoming law. House Committee on the Judiciary and Senate Committee on the Judiciary

More on the legislative process and its history:

THOMAS-In the spirit of Thomas Jefferson, legislative information from the Library of Congress

The truth is, our leaders, protectors, and others in positions of public service are only as honest, accountable, and deserving of our trust as we insist that they be. And they should only have the position at all because the greatest majority of citizens want them to have it, not because the vast majority of citizens doesn’t care if they have the position or not. We take many of our rights as citizens of this country for granted, and by doing so. we fail to do our duty as Americans. They are not only rights; they are responsibilities.

So let’s get going everyone, c’mon - we have work to do!

Do a little reading, and call or write your U.S. and State Representatives, your Governor, or Mayor. Let them know you are interested, and that you are watching them. Then exercise your right to vote. If enough people participate in our governmental process, elected officials will be forced into making decisions and casting votes based on the will of the majority of their constituency, not on the desires of special interest groups, or they are OUT. That is why they are called Representatives.

Yes, I do believe it can be that simple, if we want it to be.

Donna Weaver

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Nonviolent Offenders Act Violently

The Connecticut parole board apparently is surprised that two "nonviolent" offenders have suddenly committed one of the most heinous crimes in the history of the state. While it was true that each one of this team of offenders had at least twenty burglaries in their past, the board claimed they felt serving one third of their most recent sentences seemed appropriate. Robert Farr, the chairman of the board, was shocked saying their behavior didn't fit the normal mode.

But, now, Joshua Komisarjevsky, 26, of Cheshire, and Steven Hayes, 44, of Winsted have been charged with assault, sexual assault, kidnapping, burglary, robbery, arson, larceny and homicide. Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, was strangled and her daughters, 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old Michaela, died of smoke inhalation. Mr. Petit was beaten but survived. Hawke-Petit and the youngest daughter, Michaela, were both raped.

This is the problem with prediction. Psychopaths are not predictable. Furthermore, the parole board only knew what the men were convicted of, not what they might have been charged with (like rape which was plead down to burglary when the evidence wasn't strong enough) and what they have never been arrested for (like other burglaries, possible rapes, and maybe serial killings).

When these men re-offended, they should have gotten a stronger sentence. When they offended again, they should have gotten a very long sentence. One crime might be a stupid mistake, twice proves you haven't learned your lesson, and three times pretty much tells me I don't want that offender to have another chance. While we were giving these two creeps a short sentence of a few years, we gave a mom and her two daughters the death penalty and her husband and all her relatives and friends a life sentence.

The next time we parole these criminals to halfway houses we better ask what they are half the way to doing and who they are going to be doing it to.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Sexism in Victimology

A man deals drugs in his neighborhood and gets shot and killed in a gang war. The newspaper does not simply say he was the father of three, helped out at the shelter, and had a secret life as a medicine distributor. He is called a drug dealer who got murdered because he was breaking the law and got wasted by his criminal associates. A man breaking into a home gets shot by the home owner. The newspaper does not write that he was a father of three who went to church on Sundays and had a secret life as an unauthorized enterer of homes. He is called a burglar who got shot because he threatened the life of an innocent citizen.

Yet, when a woman is breaking the law, the papers often soften her criminal side and if one dares state what her lawbreaking was about, it is seen as cruel by many. But the law is the same for both males and females and if females break the law and act badly, there is nothing wrong in pointing this out, both for the purposes of honesty and for the purposes of being properly informed so that all of us can react appropriately.

For a profiler, the police and the public, we cannot search for suspects properly or turn in information unless we know the truth and don't water it down. There is possibly a killer out there that we need to get off the streets. It may be a serial killer who targets prostitutes or a ticked off ex-husband who is disgusted with Paige Birgfeld's behaviors. She could have ripped off a john or gotten involved in yet another illegal activity that cost her her life.

As far as blaming the victim, one has to be realistic. Becoming a victim of a murderer can be just bad luck or the victim may have worked overtime to get herself into the murderer's hands and brain. Paige created one very long list of possible killers for the police and public to sort out. She is responsible for who she is and what she did that might have gotten her in trouble or, worse, gotten her killed. Paige likely has already paid the ultimate price for poor decisions and there is a killer out there who needs to pay the price for his.

Let's keep it real and not be sexist when women commit crimes and those crimes do them in. People who live by the sword often die by the sword; the truth may be painful, but it is illuminating.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Blaming the Victim Does Not Solve Cases

Anonymous posted a comment to Pat Brown’s Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Yes, Paige Birgfeld, Missing Mom, is a Hooker,

“You disgust me. I hope you NEVER have to suffer through what Paige's family and friends are going through right now."

We usually don't answer comments like this, but I am going to answer this one.

My family and I know exactly what Paige Birgfeld’s family and friends are going through right now. Our loved one has been missing for more than 23 years. I hope Paige's family and friends won’t have to suffer like that. No one should suffer like that. But unfortunately, the loved ones of more than 100,000 missing adults and children in this country alone do live with that kind of pain.

Pat's article emphasized the importance of a complete victim profile because it significantly increases investigative avenues and the list of possible suspects. The less that is known about any missing person, the less chance there is of finding him or her. No one is doing Paige any good by denying the truth about her behavior and possible associates. While it is important to understand the relationship between high-risk behavior and victims of crime, it doesn’t mean someone deserves to be a victim, or that the perpetrator of the crime is any less guilty. Blaming the victim is wrong, and is one of the reasons why many cases go unsolved. We believe in solving cases here.

Apparently, my loved one was no angel either, but I didn't get close to the truth of what may have happened to him until I learned the truth about his activities and the persons associated with those activities. I didn't know about these things or people when he was alive, and as painful as it was when I finally did find out, I wish it had been much sooner. Although I was hurt and angry, it did not affect my resolve to find him and bring his killer to justice. Bringing attention to what Paige was involved in may generate important leads for investigators, and just could mean the difference between finding her or not.

To learn what you can do to help missing persons, please visit The Doe Network- International Center for Unidentified and Missing Persons , The North American Missing Persons Network, and Missing Pieces Radio.

Donna Weaver