Man Borrows $400, Pays Back $900, Then Has Truck Repossessed

 

Cory Watson Crowder & DeGaris Involved in Litigation to Prevent Consumer Exploitation

In an opinion that relies heavily on consumer lending law and usury laws, Cory Watson Crowder & DeGaris, a Birmingham-based law firm, announced that on Aug. 25, 2006, a St. Clair County Circuit Judge struck down a provision of Alabama’s Pawn Shop Act that allows an interest rate of 25% per month on car title pawns. This rate allowed an effective annual percentage rate of 300%—considerably more than the current lending restrictions imposed on most lenders in Alabama. Circuit Judge Charles Robinson ruled that the Act violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution in holding this 25%-per-month interest charge unconstitutional. . The court also found that these unusually high rates conflict with portions of The Small Loan Act and The Consumer Finance Act. The court’s decision sends a message that predatory lending will not be allowed in the form of car title pawns in Alabama.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (PRWEB) August 31, 2006 -- In an opinion that relies heavily on consumer lending law and usury laws, Cory Watson Crowder & DeGaris, a Birmingham-based law firm, in conjunction with Trussell and Funderburg P.C. of Pell City, announced that on Aug. 25, 2006, a St. Clair County Circuit Judge struck down a provision of Alabama’s Pawn Shop Act that allows an interest rate of 25% per month on car title pawns. This rate allowed an effective annual percentage rate of 300%—considerably more than the current lending restrictions imposed on most lenders in Alabama. Circuit Judge Charles Robinson ruled that the Act violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution in holding this 25%-per-month interest charge unconstitutional. The court also found that these unusually high rates conflict with portions of The Small Loan Act and The Consumer Finance Act. The court’s decision sends a message that predatory lending will not be allowed in the form of car title pawns in Alabama.

The case, James Waites v. Express Enterprise, Inc. (Case no.: CV-00-165, Circuit Court of St. Clair County, Alabama, Pell City Division) involved plaintiff James Waites, who borrowed $400 against his truck, using his title as collateral, to purchase medicine for his wife. He thereafter made nine consecutive monthly payments of $100. Waites, a resident of St. Clair County, Alabama, then refused to make any further payments. The pawn shop, which contended that Waites only made interest payments and never repaid the principal, then repossessed his automobile and sold it, leaving Waites stranded.

“Alabama is one of the few states that allows predatory rates of this magnitude on car title loans,” states Annesley DeGaris, shareholder of Cory Watson Crowder & DeGaris. “The ruling by the court ends this predatory practice in Alabama. It is a positive step in protecting the rights of our state’s working families.”

Excessive interest rates on car title loans are prohibited in most states that surround Alabama. Car title loans, which use titles as collateral, are short-term, high-interest loans structured to be repaid as a single payment after a short amount of time. Car title loans are typically for small amounts—often for much less than the value of the vehicle that secures the loan—and are made without regard to the borrowers’ abilities to repay. Because title lenders call their loans “pawns,” in many instances they have not been subject to usury laws that would normally apply.

Borrowers often cannot repay the full amounts on the date due, fall subject to excessive rates, and are unable to keep up with the payments. The lender then repossesses the car, taking away the borrower’s transportation and making it difficult for the borrower to keep a job. The unreasonably high interest rates that stem from car title loans exploit working families, often stripping them of their most valuable possessions.

About Cory Watson Crowder & DeGaris
Cory Watson Crowder & DeGaris (www.cwcd.com) was founded in 1995 and has become known as one of the region’s leading law firms devoted to representing individuals and businesses injured by the wrongful conduct of others. Some of the senior shareholders in the firm have 25 years of legal experience and have represented clients all across the United States and beyond including Africa, Greece, Latin America, and Canada. Cory Watson’s 12 experienced attorneys and staff of over 40 handle a variety of cases. The largest area of the firm’s practice is products liability, including litigation of defective consumer and household products, motor vehicles, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. Other practice areas include business litigation, personal injury, nursing home negligence, insurance law, civil rights, class action lawsuits, employment law, workers’ compensation, and construction accidents. Visit www.cwcd.com for more information.

About Trussell and Funderburg P.C.
Trussell and Funderburg P.C. was established in 1992 by William J. Trussell and Erskine R. Funderburg. The firm was instrumental in the original class action lawsuit against Monsanto Corporation for PCB pollutants. The firm has always sought to help those unable to help themselves in a multitude of areas including real estate law, civil litigation, corporate law, and criminal law.

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Press Contact: Suzanne Lee
Company Name: Cory Watson Crowder & DeGaris
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 615-500-6778
Website: www.cwcd.com

A Patient's Guide To Surviving Mesothelioma and Other Cancers

 

Mesothelioma Survival

Paul Kraus delivered another inspiring presentation on how he healed his mesothelioma. Every two months, Paul Kraus describes his experience with mesothelioma and answers questions from newly diagnosed mesothelioma patients. If you are a mesothelioma patient or a loved one of a mesothelioma patient and wish to attend a free teleconference with mesothelioma survivor Paul Kraus, the schedule is available at: http://www.survivingmesothelioma.com/speak-to-paul-kraus.cfm or call 619-261-7922 to register.

(PRWEB) August 31, 2006 -- In 1997, Paul Kraus was diagnosed with mesothelioma. The cancer was so widespread that doctors told him there was little hope and he should go home and get his affairs in order. Rather than giving up, Paul created his own path to healing. Today, over nine years later, he continues to enjoy a good quality of life.

Paul wrote an acclaimed book about his diagnosis and healing called: “Surviving Mesothelioma and Other Cancers – A Patient’s Guide.” This book is available on Amazon.com and is the best-selling mesothelioma book in the world. Wanting to inspire more patients, Paul took the unusual step of hosting free bi-monthly teleconferences so that newly diagnosed mesothelioma patients would be able to speak directly to him.

During the most recent conference on August 22nd, Paul described the steps he took to heal his mesothelioma and answered questions from patients and their loved ones. Topics included: new chemotherapy drugs, holistic approaches, vitamins and other supplements, new clinical trials, anti-angiogenesis therapies, mind-body medicine, doctor-patient relationships, and more. While Paul is quick to point out that he is not a doctor and he does not provide medical advice, he inspires patients with his own story of success and survival.

At the end of the teleconference, participants thanked Paul for his words of hope and inspiration and for setting the example that mesothelioma does not have to mean a death sentence.

If you are a mesothelioma patient or a loved one of a mesothelioma patient and wish to attend a free teleconference with mesothelioma survivor Paul Kraus, the schedule is available at: http://www.survivingmesothelioma.com/speak-to-paul-kraus.cfm or call 619-261-7922 to register.

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Press Contact: Michael Horwin
Company Name: CANCER MONTHLY
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 919-570-8595
Website: http://www.survivingmesothelioma.com/

FW: BenefitPackages.com Makes Selecting Essential Health Plans Easy

 

BenefitPackages.com Makes Selecting Essential Health Plans Easy

One of the most popular sites for access to health plans, Benefit Packages, provides enhanced services including the offering of new Blue Shield of California Essential Plans for individuals.

(PRWEB) September 1, 2006 -- Benefit Packages a full-service insurance agency, today announced enhancements to their Web site to better able visitors in selecting a health plan that meets their individual or family needs. Benefitpackages.com has been serving Californians for over 15 years and is known as one of the most prominent agencies in the state.

“We want to be able to offer a variety of plans that fit the lifestyle needs and budgets of Californians,” said Larry Hurwitz, Benefit Consultant/Owner of Benefit Packages.com Insurance Agency. “Recently we introduced Blue Shield of California Essential Plans which are popular among young individuals for their affordable premiums and access to valuable and useful benefits.”

Benefitpackages.com offers the most up-to-date plan designs and the ability to pick a plan that meets the varying budget and lifestyle needs of Californians. Enhancements to the Web site include the following functions:
•    Access to the most trusted health insurance carriers in the state
•    Ability to select among the most popular health plans in the market
•    Answers regarding health insurance questions
•    Ability to find a doctor
•    Receive an instant quote
•    Access to excellent, caring customer service (virtual, phone or in person)

For more information on benefitpackages.com or the new individual Essential Plans, underwritten by Blue Shield of California Life & Health Insurance Company, please visit: http://www.benefitpackages.com/essential/index.html or call 1-800-356-3615.

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Press Contact: Larry Hurwitz
Company Name: Benefitpackages.com
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 1-800-356-3615
Website: http://www.benefitpackages.com/essential/index.html

Domestic Investigations Verify Trouble in the Home

Domestic Investigations – When there is Trouble in the Home

 

Domestic investigations are one of the most common reasons private investigators are hired, and they can give you the results you need to get real peace of mind.

 

Los Angeles, CA, August 22, 2006 --(PR.COM)-- According to statistics, private investigators spend the majority of their time working on domestic investigationns. Despite this fact, investigators report that clients coming to them for help with domestic matters often are reluctant or are embarrassed to share personal problems. The truth is that there is no reason to be shy about seeking out a domestic investigator. Not only are many investigators very experienced in this type of case, but the results from domestic investigations can dramatically improve your life.  Consider the types of investigations that can help you:

 

Infidelity and Divorce
Divorce investigations and infidelity investigations can help you determine whether your spouse or partner is unfaithful.  With more than 85% of women, and 80% of men correct in their suspicions about their partner’s unfaithfulness, the truth is that if you have a sneaking suspicion, you may be right, and an investigator can tell you for sure.  Rest assured that private investigators are very discreet about trailing unfaithful spouses.  They can even provide you with visual or audio evidence if that is what you need to put your mind at ease.  Private investigators deal with hundreds of these cases each year and can help you find out what you need to know.

 

Child Custody Investigations
Child custody and child support investigations help to keep your child safe and well-cared for. Investigators can run asset searches and missing persons searches in order to obtain the child support you have been awarded by a court.  With the Department of Health and Human Services reporting that more than 46% of non-custodial mothers and more than 26% of non-custodial fathers totally default on support, these services are very common across the country today. Child custody investigations also can help ensure that the non-custodial parent does not neglect or abuse the child while they are in their care.  This is a critical when you consider that since between 1976 and 1997, 11,000 children were murdered and thousands more were injured by parents or caregivers, according to the Present Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics.

 

Background Checks and Criminal Investigations
Background and criminal investigations allow you to research those you trust in your home.  According to statistics, 14% of child abuse cases involve a baby-sitter, nanny or other caregiver. With up to 10% of the American population having a criminal background, running criminal and background checks on anyone you trust inside your home just makes sense. Only an investigator can run these sorts of checks thoroughly, accurately, and with every concern for discretion.

 

Miss Persons Investigations
Missing persons investigations can help you find deadbeat parents, children, and other members of your family who have disappeared.  Over 2300 Americans are reported missing each day under various circumstances, so that private investigators hear about many types of cases.

 

Surveillance and Home Security
Surveillance cameras and services can improve your home’s security, according to some case studies.  You can work with private investigators to work out a good balance between your security and your privacy so that you can feel completely comfortable and safe.

 

Paternity Testing
Biological parent and child locator services help adoptive families find their biological roots.  With more the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse reporting that more than one million children in the country live with two adoptive parents, finding biological parents or children is big business. It can also be a key investigation because it can provide adopted children with needed medical family histories.

 

Accident Investigation
Accident and abuse or incident investigation can help determine exactly what happens in a domestic incident.  With 2/3 of homes affected by domestic violence and with domestic violence being the number one cause of emergency room visits by women, according to Woman’s Rural Advocacy Programs, these investigations are very common. These investigations can provide the evidence that women need to face their attackers in court.

 

Drug Abuse
Drug screening can help determine whether anyone in your family is abusing drugs.  According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 3.8% of minors aged 12 to 13 reported use of illegal drugs, and that percentage grows with age.  An investigator can help run a thorough and discreet investigation that gets you answers about what is happening under your own roof.

 

No matter what type of domestic investigation you need, hire the best investigator you can and work closely with them for the best possible outcome.  You can find a local investigator who can help you right now through the PInow.com Worldwide Directory of Private Investigators (http://www.pinow.com/).

 

About PInow.com
PInow.com (http://www.pinow.com/) is a Worldwide Directory of Private Investigators that enables law firms, corporations and the general public to find investigators anywhere. PInow.com strives to be the most trusted resource on the web to locate qualified investigators. All investigators listed on PInow.com are pre-screened and must meet specific listing requirements.

 

PInow.com was developed by the team that brought you the ServeNow.com Process Servers Directory (http://www.serve-now.com/).

 

Visit PInow.com to find investigators who can help with all your investigation needs.

 

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Contact Information

 

PInow.com - Find Local Private Investigators
Trent Carlyle
888 997 4669
info@pinow.com
http://www.pinow.com/
PInow.com is a Worldwide Directory of Private Investigators. Find a Local Private Investigator Anywhere.

Women's Use Of Prescription Drugs Could Reach $63B

Piribo: Prescription Drugs for Women Could Reach $63bn Within Four Years

Piribo, (http://www.piribo.com) the online destination for business intelligence for the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, has now added a new report called “Women’s Health: Worldwide Prescription Drug Markets” (http://www.piribo.com/search/results.html?k=kal087&x=0&y=0) which predicts that the global market for pharmaceutical treatments for women’s health problems could reach $63 billion by 2010.

(PRWEB) August 18, 2006 -- Piribo, (http://www.piribo.com) the online destination for business intelligence for the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, has now added a new report called “Women’s Health: Worldwide Prescription Drug Markets” (http://www.piribo.com/search/results.html?k=kal087&x=0&y=0) which predicts that the global market for pharmaceutical treatments for women’s health problems could reach $63 billion by 2010.

Unprecedented advancements in the area of women’s health and worldwide recognition of the importance of addressing conditions that overwhelmingly affect women, underscore this growth.

According to the report, 2005 revenues for therapeutics addressing women’s needs, such as autoimmune diseases, cancer, and menopause, among others, exceeded $45 billion. Indeed, from 2000 to 2005, the market grew by 10.5%.

One of the most important developments on the horizon of women’s health is the recent approval of a new cervical cancer vaccine, inaugurating a vaccine market potentially worth several billion dollars a year. The vaccine helps prevent infection from sexually transmitted strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes the cancer. Similarly, the emergence of a possible vaccine-type treatment to prevent AIDS has shown great promise for women around the world.

While sales of hormone replacement drugs fell sharply from 2002 to 2004 on the heels of much publicized reports of the adverse health effects of long term HRT treatment, sales in most other segments have continued to show positive trends, according to the report.

Brief Table of Contents:
Chapter One: Executive Summary
Chapter Two: Introduction and Overview
Chapter Three: Autoimmune Diseases
Chapter Four: Cancer
Chapter Five: Gynecological Infections and Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Chapter Six: Hormone-Related Disorders
Chapter Seven: Osteoporosis
Chapter Eight: Urinary Bladder Disorders
Chapter Nine: Issues and Trends
Chapter Ten: World Market Summary
Chapter Eleven: Competitor Profiles

Women’s Health: Worldwide Prescription Drug Markets includes research and development pipelines; in-depth company profiles; four-region geographic breakdowns; and market size, growth, and share for the following product categories: autoimmune diseases; cancer; gynecological and STDs; hormones; osteoporosis; and urinary disorders. It is available from Piribo.

About Piribo.
Piribo (http:www.piribo.com) is a UK-based independent online store supplying business information on the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The website now carries over 3,800 English language titles including, market reports, studies and books and is the UK’s largest online biopharma information store. Subscribers receive a free monthly newsletter and email alerts on new titles in their areas of interest. The company was established in 2004.

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Press Contact: Fiona Brown
Company Name: PIRIBO LTD
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 02070607474
Website: http://www.piribo.com/

Wikipedia Wacks Backpedaling Political Figure

Representative Gil Gutknecht (R-Minnesota) Caught Attempting To Edit Wikipedia Bio

 

http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_229144301.html

 

Our country is mostly clueless on how computers and the Internet really work. Those that try to cover things up now reveal more by trying this kind of thing than if they just left it alone. I think it's pretty cool! The only thing that I worry about is that if politicians really catch on they may pass laws to protect themselves from this kind of thing...

A spokesman for Gutknecht, didn't dispute that they tried to change the entry and questioned Wikipedia's reliability. "We're concerned when anyone looks to Wikipedia for factual information," Jon Yarin said.

Yeah, we'd sure hate for them to find any, like this link found in Gutknecht's bio to a USATODAY story that backs up the information stated on Wikipedia... :-)

 

(hris

Police Department Arrests Paper-Based Reports

Minnesota Police Department Arrests Paper-Based Reports in Favor of Digital Dictation; WinScribe Eases Workload for City of Plymouth Police

Police Departments and Government agencies are using digital dictation to cut down on reporting time and management. Digital dictation systems and digital dictation software increase efficiency and workflow using non-proprietary office equipment and digital voice recorders.

Chicago, August 7, 2006 – Hennepin County’s City of Plymouth is one of the fastest growing communities in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The Plymouth Police Department is taking advantage of the technology to cut reporting times down for more than 70 personnel including officers, sergeants and lieutenants, leaving them with more time to focus on case loads.

Many state and local organizations, including Hennepin County are beginning to mandate a move to digital dictation systems because of the increased efficiencies and accuracies in the reporting process. Reports are available faster and can be accessed online meaning officers in different departments can share case information and the administration of solving crimes runs more smoothly.

The day-to-day activities of the Plymouth Police Department involve a myriad of reports that are created and accessed by numerous parties both inside and outside of the department. Until recently, any information that needed to be recorded or transcribed was dictated on to analog tapes which then had to be physically delivered to a typist, or to a third-party requiring the information.

“It was very difficult to manage information using tapes,” explains Tianhong Zhang, assistant manager IT Services for the City of Plymouth. “The information was hard to transfer, retrieve and archive – and cross-referencing it with our record system was almost impossible.”

The City issued a Request for Proposal specifying its requirements to eight vendors and received seven responses back.

“WinScribe met our requirements best,” says Tianhong, “and offered the best value for money of all the solutions.”

“Another major reason for selecting WinScribe was its simplicity – fewer steps to implement and less hardware at the backend. The Police Department has 70 authors primarily using Olympus DS4000 digital portables for dictation,” confirms Tianhong. “Most of the authors are officers but other personnel such as lieutenants and sergeants also use it.”

Initially it was a challenging implementation for both the service provider, Northland Business Systems, and the Police Department as there were some complex routing and archiving requirements.

Some of the users also went through a bit of a learning curve when it came to using the new Olympus Digital Recorders and downloading their dictation to the WinScribe system, but the final result has been very positive according to Tianhong. The County notified all local government agencies that they would mandate them to move to digital dictation in the short term. The City is pleased that it made the move sooner as it realizes the benefits the technology offers.

Productivity has definitely been improved by the move to WinScribe. Personnel no longer have to wait to get access to information and multiple users can be accessing the same file at the same time. Supervisors used to have to wait for reports to be transcribed to read them, but now they can listen to the report, even while it is being typed. People can access the system anytime, from anywhere on the network and the City can control who has access to files by establishing the appropriate permissions.

Tianhong sums it up by saying “Retrieval of information is much easier and manageability is greatly enhanced. Users know where the dictation is, how many are waiting, and can access it from anywhere and at anytime – even while it’s in the queue waiting to be typed.”

Clerical staff have also been able to manage their workflow more efficiently since the WinScribe system was implemented. They now know how long a file is and can pick a job from the queue according to their schedule. The Supervisor of the Clerical division knows which of her staff is working on a particular job and finds the process status information and reports particularly useful.

Barbara Cox, Administrative Services Manager, explains how the department’s budget planning process has also benefited from the reports WinScribe generates.

“When we were previously doing planning and budgets, we had no idea about the number and amount of dictation that was coming through as we did not track it, so we had to make estimates.” says Barbara. “This year in the budget process, I was asked to put together some information on hiring an outside transcription service. I was able to simply pull reports off the system for a three month period and put together an accurate report on what the anticipated costs would be using actual data.”

Information archiving is also now much more efficient and the City has saved a huge amount of physical storage space by not having to keep tapes. Future plans include transferring the information currently stored on tapes to the digital file system so that all dictations can be cross-referenced with the record management system.

“The payback on the WinScribe system is clearly good but it’s difficult to accurately measure it”, admits Tianhong. “And as with any change, it took some of our users a while to get used to a new way of doing things, but they like it a lot now.”

The City of Plymouth, Minnesota is home to over 70,000 people and has built a reputation as a quality community in which to live and work. It is this reputation that its citizens, community leaders and the Plymouth Police Department are dedicated to maintaining and enhancing.

About the Plymouth Police Department
The Plymouth Police Department is made up of 83.2 FTEs (full time equivalents), including 67 sworn police officers, staffing five main divisions -- Patrol, Special Operations, Professional Standards, Services, and Administration. Each division has its own groups and assignments. Michael S. Goldstein serves as the Chief of Police. The Plymouth Police Department is located in the Public Safety Building, 3400 Plymouth Blvd. The department enforces many City ordinances, including those related to animal control, noise, parking lot crime restrictions, burglary alarm permits and snowmobiling. In addition to law enforcement, the Police Department provides a variety of crime prevention programs for citizens, businesses and schools. The Police Department and Fire Department also collaborate to offer many safety programs.

About WinScribe
WinScribe is a world leading provider of digital dictation software supporting business requirements for digital dictation, transcription, voice recognition, and workflow management. First developed in 1995, WinScribe has offices in the USA, UK, New Zealand and Switzerland, with more than 100 sales partners in over 25 countries supporting more than 300,000 users worldwide. WinScribe is fully customizable to meet the needs of a number of significant vertical markets including Legal, Law Enforcement, Healthcare, Transcription, Insurance and Government sectors. www.winscribe.com

For further information contact:
Tamarie Johnson
TNT Communication Inc
503-345-9257

Lucy Farrington
WinScribe
+64 9 486 9010 ext. 817

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Press Contact: Tamarie Johnson
Company Name: WinScribe
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 503-345-9257
Website: http://www.winscribe.com

Criminal Secrets Revealed In New Book

Outskirts Press Releaes New Book, "Stay Alert, Stay Alive: Criminals Reveal Their Secrets," by Michael P.S. Williams

Duluth, GA, August 04, 2006 --(PR.COM)-- Stay Alert, Stay Alive begins with a quick Street Smarts IQ Test, and then focuses on how we can train ourselves to be both street and driving smart. It shows how we can protect ourselves at the ATM machine, what to do if someone tries to rob us, how to protect ourselves when waiting for or riding on buses and subways, how to survive if we are carjacked, and how to avoid the "bump and rob."

Williams then takes us into the home arena, and explains how best to create a safe environment, no matter if we live in the city or have convinced ourselves that country living poses no risks. He looks at the responses people have to burglars, and shows how we can better safeguard our homes, and even our livestock, through simple, inexpensive measures. He also talks about the pros and cons of alarm systems, chemical deterrents, and guns.

For eighteen years Mike Williams served in the U.S. military and received two Bronze Stars for heroism. In 1990, he was the recipient of the General Douglas McArthur Leadership Award. For more than twenty years he has worked in the field of law enforcement in the United States and in fourteen foreign countries. He has been responsible for security operations and training for major corporations and government agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration Inspectors. He directed the loss prevention and physical security programs during the Gulf War. He was the director of security for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. He was a Probation Officer in Hall and Clayton Counties, Georgia, and the lead investigator for PC Investigations, Inc. He has conducted more than one-hundred Drug and Alcohol Awareness Education (D.A.R.E) seminars for youths, ages 15 to 19, and Crime Prevention and Anti-Terrorism Seminars for Home Depot, BellSouth, GMAC, First Union National Bank, the IRS, State Farm Insurance, Sprint, Rockwell International and Smith-Barney.

Book Statistics:
ISBN: 1598001868
Retail Price: $16.95
Size and Format: 5.5 x 8.5 Paperback
Page count: 156
Publication Date: December 2005
Availability: Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com,
www.outskirtspress.com/stayalertstayalive

Author Contact:
Mike Williams
Address: 2603 Bronco Trail
Duluth, GA 30096
Phone: 404 786-4286
Email: willgp2@yahoo.com
Websiteshttp://www.stayalertstayaliveseminars.com

Contact Information

Outskirts Press, Inc.
Jeanine Sampson
888.672.6657 ext. 704
jeanine@outskirtspress.com
www.outskirtspress.com
 

_______________________________________________________
Free trade and professional industry magazines are available at
http://consultant-directory.tradepub.com
_______________________________________________________
Lung Cancer caused by asbestos exposure is known as
Mesothelioma. Learn more about this killer cancer.
Visit http://www.Mesothelioma-Search-Engine.com
_______________________________________________________
JR Roberts, a Security Expert Witness can help you prosecute
or defend your criminal or negligent liability case in court.
http://www.jrrobertssecurity.com
__________________________________________________
http://www.legal-search-engine.com
__________________________________________________

Is Television Affecting How You See Crime?

Criminal Investigations: Is Television Affecting How You See Crime?

 

Surprise – police investigators may not be able to give your case the attention you need, which is why a private criminal investigator may be your best bet.

 

Los Angeles, CA, August 02, 2006 --(PR.COM)-- We read about it all the time: television viewers see plenty of violence and criminal behavior on programs, and some groups even link television viewing to actual crime rates.  Whether you believe that television viewing makes you more likely to commit a crime or not, though, there is no doubt that the world of crime and crime investigation on television does not reflect the actuality of criminal investigations.

 

Do you believe any of these television myths?

 

On television: The world is full of violent crimes – and violent criminals.
In real criminal investigations:  According to Stanley Rothman’s book, Watching America, the rate of crime shown on television is about 1,000 times the level of crime that actually exists on our streets.

 

On television: Many crimes are committed by strangers.
In real criminal investigations: According to statistics gathered by the federal government, many crime victims (including the victims of violent crimes) know their attackers.

 

On television: Most crimes are “street crimes” involving tough characters from the “wrong side of the tracks.”
In real criminal investigations: In today’s world, many criminal investigators spend many long hours pursuing white-collar and corporate crimes, which are estimated to cost our economy hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

 

On television: All crimes are solved and almost all criminals face justice.
In real criminal investigations: The chances that a criminal will be sent to jail for a crime are about 1 in 100.  Although 80% of murders are solved, the majority of break-ins are never solved.

 

On television:  Police are tough guys who may or may not be corrupt.
In real criminal investigations: According to a study done by the NYC Police Foundation Survey, only 14 percent of the police interviewed thought that television shows an accurate picture of police work. A full 48 percent of police subjects interviewed said that TV police shows hurt their image. 60% of the police interviewed said that TV police did were reckless in their actions not act within the law, especially where driving and weapons were involved.

 

The FBI Uniform Crime Reports found that while the rate for serious violent crimes dropped 6%, murder rates dropped by 13% and the rate of property crimes decreased 10% in between 1990 and 1995, network news coverage of these crimes crime grew by 240 percent in the same time period. News coverage of murders alone in this period grew 336%.

 

What it all means
If you have been the victim of a crime, perception of crime may affect how your criminal investigation proceeds.  Consider that a jury in a criminal case may be affected by common misconceptions about crime.  This possible threat to justice is exactly why many people affected by crime are turning to private investigators to launch their own, independent crime investigations.  This method has several advantages:

 

1) Unlike a police crime investigator, a private investigator works for you. That means that you play a role in deciding how long a criminal investigation will take, what methods are used and what leads will be followed

 

2) Although television shows depict police officers as people with many resources, actual officers tend to be spread thin over many cases.  A private criminal investigation, though, means that a professional investigator will use all resources at their disposal to help you.

 

3) Police criminal investigators are interested in finding a criminal and solving a case, while a private investigator you hire is interested only in gathering information that can help you.  This means that the results of a private criminal investigation can result in evidence that can help your lawyer get the result you seek.

 

4) With a private criminal investigation, you have access to all the information an investigator finds and you can ask your crime investigator all the questions you want.  A police criminal investigation does not usually involve sharing much information with the public or even with the parties involved. A private criminal investigation just ensures that you stay informed and involved in the case that affects you.

 

How can I ensure that my criminal investigation does not turn into a television stereotype?

 

If you are involved in a criminal case, hiring a private criminal investigator can be the single most effective thing you can do to take control of your case.  Finding an experienced criminal investigator in your area can be as simple as a click of the mouse.  The PInow.com worldwide directory of investigators puts qualified investigators right at your fingertips, so that you can always find a local investigative professional who can help you.

 

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New Knife Usage Shocks Police

 

Police Shocked By New Invention: New Training Knife will Save Lives of Police, Military and Correctional Officers

Shocknife™ is a training knife sold to the Law Enforcement, Military, and Correctional markets. It is the only training knife in the world that has a pain penalty associated with it. This causes the fear/acute stress response that must be present for reality based training. Better officer training = saved lives.

(PRWEB) July 25, 2006 -- Shocknife™ is a training knife that is revolutionizing edged-weapon training for law enforcement. The blade is incapable of cutting, but delivers a localized shock that causes pain, but not serious injury or incapacitation.

“When attacked with an edged weapon officers experience an acute stress response that limits their ability to make quick and rational decisions. An incorrect response can be catastrophic,” says Jeff Quail, product inventor and Canadian Police Sergeant. “At the highest setting the Shocknife™ delivers a powerful shock when touched that feels like you have been cut with a butcher knife. Unlike rubber training knives, Shocknife causes the same acute stress during training that an officer would experience in a real attack. This kind of training more adequately prepares officers to react during a deadly force edged weapon encounter.” The Shocknife™ can also be adjusted to lower setting where it delivers a “paper cut like” shock allowing the knife to be used as a biofeedback tool when introducing training at a static level.

The Shocknife has been on the market for just over seven months and is now being sold in 15 countries around the world. Organizations such as the FBI, Academy Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, LAPD, US Customs & Border Protection, and the Canadian Military are already using this “cutting edge” technology.

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Press Contact: Rory Bochinski
Company Name: SHOCKNIFE INC.
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 204-336-0011
Website: www.shocknife.com