ASIS-HOUSTON CHAPTER MINUTES

10/19/06

The luncheon meeting was held at the Renaissance Hotel with Chairman John Brady presiding. 59 members and guests attended.

Prayer & Pledge:  John Brady

Introduction of Guests and New Members

Reminder: Please pre-register for the luncheons so that we can accurately predict the number of seats and meals required.

COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES

Newsletter: The newsletter distribution is a bit delayed because so many contributors were involved in the National Conference.  The 2007 renewal sponsorship drive is starting.

Region: RVP Mike Crocker CPP thanked Dan Murphy, Coastal Systems, for becoming the Director of Communications for Region 6.  Activities for Region 6 are posted on their web site www.asisregion6.org.  Regional training for Executive Committees and Committee Chairpersons will be held in Austin.  Mike also announced the newest chapter to the Region: The Panhandle Chapter in Amarillo.

Golf:  On behalf of the Golf Committee, John Brady presented the University of Houston Downtown with a check for $5,000 towards criminal justice scholarships and degree programs.  Dean Pelz accepted the donation and thanked the membership.  We have donated approximately $80,000 over the last 7 years and many members are actively participating and contributing to the Security Management Masters Program.  Three Taiwanese students in that program also attended the luncheon.

Treasurer’s report: Distributed.

Training Opportunity:  Mark your calendars for the first week in November for our annual training seminar.  There will be 5 days of training available.  November 6 & 7 will provide certified Hazwoper training for specialized attendees.  This class is limited to 25 participants.  November 8-10 is open to everyone with TECLOSE and TPSB credited courses.  The TPSB now requires 2 hours of ethics and a new class on the Texas Occupations Code for a license.  AIG has generously donated the training rooms and parking.  Registrations and course details are available on www.asishouston.org.

Houses of Worship:  With great sadness, we announce that Committee Chairman Lewis Eakins CPP will be relocating within the next month to Huntsville, AL.  He has accepted the position of Director of Public Safety & Transportation at a college in the area.  The Chapter presented Louis a special award as a token of appreciation for his hard work and dedication.  The Houston Houses of Worship Program has flourished under his leadership and has truly made a difference in the community.  Louis has designed an assessment template for consistency in the surveys and just completed new marketing brochures.

Special Events:  Andrea Laughlin reported that the Chapter Social at the National Conference in San Diego was well attended.  The next local social will be a wine and cheese tasting party towards the end of November as an all-holiday event.  A flyer will be distributed.

Public Service Award:  Mike Terry, Senior Investigator, Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

Mr. Terry retired from the Houston Police Department with 20 years of service.  He has been with the HCDA Office for 15 years, currently assigned to the Public Service Bureau, Check Fraud Division.

Fraud investigation takes a lot of work, tenacity, multiple interviews, mounds of paperwork and attention to detail.  It is a crime that is committed with a pen, rarely any violence and often overlooked.  However, the victims still suffer greatly. 

One of Investigator Terry’s duties is to review old no-arrest cases to determine why the defendant has not been arrested.  One case in particular involved a man who had written a $15,000 bad check in April 2003 as the down payment on a new Audi automobile.   Mr. Terry demonstrated his tenacity and attention to detail investigating this case and turned a weak case into a strong one.  It resulted in the arrest of a repeat offender.

Mr. Terry was awarded a plaque in appreciation to his contributions to the community.  He was accompanied by his wife and baby; as well as John Boone, Assistant Chief of the Check Fraud Division and his supervisor, Deputy Chief Joe Vara.

Speaker:  Chuck Rosenthal

                        Harris County District Attorney

Topic: Overview of the Department, with highlights of some high-profile cases

Mr. Rosenthal joined the Harris County District Attorneys Office in March of 1977.  He has served as an assistant district attorney, Major Fraud prosecutor, the county’s drug prosecutor and in other investigative units.  He was appointed as a special prosecutor for Robertson County, Texas in 1986 and has been an adjunct professor of law at the University of Houston Law Center.  He was a certified peace officer from 1978 to 1986.  On November 7, 2000, he was elected Harris County District Attorney and took office on January 1, 2001.  Mr. Rosenthal serves on the Board of Directors for both the National District Attorneys Association and the Texas District and County Attorneys Association.

Harris County is the third most populous county in the nation.  The nearly 500 staff members here include 236 attorneys and 56 investigators.  The office is organized into 6 Bureaus: 

• Felony Trial, which also includes Bond Forfeiture and Victim Witness divisions
• Professional Development; Misdemeanor, Justice Court Prosecutions and Juvenile divisions
• Public Service: Intake, Grand Jury, Child Abuse, Family Criminal Law and Check Fraud divisions
• Special Crimes; Gangs/Narcotics, Major Fraud, Asset Forfeiture, Major Offender and Consumer Fraud divisions
• Legal Services; Direct Appeal, Post Conviction Writs, General Litigation, Environmental Crimes and Welfare Fraud divisions
• Governmental Affairs; Public Integrity and Police Integrity divisions
• The Information Systems Technology Division includes maintenance of the in-house computers, electronic security forensic computer investigations and computer animated graphics.

The Harris County District Attorneys Office is charged with the prosecution of all crimes committed in Harris County with the exception of the municipal and traffic violations that occur within the County’s incorporated cities.  The interest from the hot check fee fund, in addition to help refund the victims,  is being used to purchase equipment for the Medical Examiner’s Office.  The Major Fraud Division does not place threshold limits for their theft cases.  The States Attorneys Office will turn down a Medicaid fraud case if it is under $50,000,000, whereas Harris County just prosecuted a couple for billing Medicaid for false counseling services for children that would have slipped under that threshold.  The Office is also placing more focus on cases of fraud against seniors.  In the last 9 months, there has been a 15% increase in the prosecution of felony cases, including Identity Theft cases involving mortgage and luxury car fraud that use “straw” buyers.

After a brief question and answer period, Mr. Rosenthal accepted a plaque in appreciation of his time and presentation.

Our next meeting, on November 16, includes the election of a new Executive Committee.  Please submit all nominations promptly to Committee Chairman Captain Mark Curran through the web site.