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Announcements were made regarding the Chapter Social=
Event
in Las Vegas
at ASIS 2007 and the Christmas Party. A Letter of Appreciate was read from
South Texas College of Law.
Applied Cognitive Solutions spoke on Vista,
the new Microsoft operating system, and whether it provides more security=
features
or less than XP and prior operating systems and discussed the problems wi=
th
the system. They also spoke=
on
several Texas
laws concerning the need for enhanced computer security.
There were not any significant committee reports.
The Mo=
nthly
Officer of the Month award went to Officer Rick Kennedy of the Houston Po=
lice
Department. In the early hours of October 23, 2006, Officer Richard Kenne=
dy
was working an approved extra job providing security for the Willow Meado=
ws
subdivision. Subdivision security had equipped him with a vehicle marked
“Police” that included a light bar and siren. As Officer Kenn=
edy
patrolled the streets, he saw a vehicle with its driver’s door park=
ed
in the 4300 block of Wigton. The officer paus=
ed to
see if anyone was around, then circled the block and approached without h=
is
headlights. This time, the vehicle door was closed. Officer Kennedy drove
onto Greenwillow
Street and saw a man in a bulky coat standing
beneath a streetlight matching the description of a suspect who had been
committing local home invasions. As the officer approached, the suspect m=
oved
towards him with clenched fists. Yelling threatening taunts at the office=
r,
the suspect became louder and more menacing. Officer Kennedy radioed for
assistance while the man continued yelling. The suspect then attempted to
escape the officer by running behind a dumpster, and emerging with shiny
objects in each hand. At that time, Officer Peter Ca=
ro
and Probationary Officer Bach Tran arrived along with a K-9 unit. Since t=
he
suspect was possibly involved in aggravated robberies where victims were =
held
at knifepoint, it was important he did not escape by entering any residen=
ces.
As the officers split up to search around a house, the suspect appeared
wielding a knife in each hand. Officer Kennedy repeatedly issued commands=
to
stop and drop the weapons as he retreated backwards. The suspect turned a=
gain
and ran out of sight only to charge Officer Kennedy moments later. The man
swung the knives in stabbing motions and growled as he attempted to strike
the officer. Fearing for his life, Officer Kennedy discharged his weapon =
and
stopped the suspect. It was learned that the suspect had an extensive
criminal history dating back to 1980.
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