NATIONAL NIGHT OUT- Snohomish County Drug Court

This is another in the series about organizations that offer help to the public that attended the National Night Out festivities at Willis Tucker Park on August 6, 2019.

Snohomish County Adult Drug Treatment Court is not for everyone. It is specifically intended to help non-violent felons to get treatment for their drug addictions and mental health issues. The idea is to break the revolving door of repeated arrests, prosecutions and jail.

Under the supervision of a judge, the individual can receive treatment for his/her drug addiction or mental health issues. They can also receive assistance in obtaining a GED/diploma. On successfully completing the treatment, current felony charges can be dismissed.

To qualify, the individual must have a current felony charge or charges that are not a violent or sex offense, a firearms offense or a manufacturing or delivery charge. The individual cannot be a prior graduate of any other Adult Drug Court program and must live in or be willing to move to Snohomish County.



Snohomish County Adult Drug Treatment Court:

https://snohomishcountywa.gov/1404/Adult-Drug-Treatment-Court



The Herald:

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/drug-court-offers-addicts-a-chance-to-come-clean/

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT- Snohomish Overdose Prevention

This is the fourth in the series about organizations that offer help to the public that attended the National Night Out festivities at Willis Tucker Park on August 6, 2019.

As part of Snohomish County’s response to the county’s the opioid epidemic, the Snohomish Health District set up a web site to educate the public about opioids and heroin and provide a listing of treatment centers in Snohomish County.

The Health District gives talks to various groups about opioids/heroin and it gives naloxone (Narcan) training. It also works with the Snohomish County Multi-Agency Coordination Group which is the county’s organization that coordinates efforts to end the opioid epidemic. Other members of the group include South Snohomish County Fire and Rescue, Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management, Snohomish County Human Services, the Snohomish County Executive’s Office, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and the Everett Police Department.

For more information about opioids, preventing addiction to them, and finding treatment to opioid addiction, go to,



Snohomish Overdose Prevention:

https://snohomishoverdoseprevention.com/



            On Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/NoOverdoseSnoCo/



UW Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute:

http://stopoverdose.org/

ROMANCE SCAM- 80 Indicted in International Romance Scam Ring

This week, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it has indicted 80 suspects in a romance fraud ring that sought to steal $40 million. The con artists successfully stole $6 million.

Many of those who were indicted were Nigerian nationals. Federal authorities were able to arrest 14 people in the United States, many in the Los Angeles area. Many of the others who were indicted are believed to be in Nigeria.

In some cases, the con artists would claim to be U.S. military members overseas. They often would ask for monetary help with alleged emergencies or for “travel” to meet their new romantic friend, the victim. The elderly can be particularly vulnerable to this scam.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported that in 2018, romance scams were the number one scam reported to it with more than 21,000 reported for a loss of $143 million.

It is rare to hear about a major bust of scam artists. This case points to the difficulties that federal law enforcement agencies have in prosecuting these cases. Often the suspects work beyond our national borders requiring assistance from foreign countries that may not be easily obtained. This case does show that federal law enforcement officials do prosecute scammers when they can.

You can protect yourself by,

·         Never sending money or gifts to a “sweetheart” that you have not met in person.

·         Talking to someone you trust about your new love interest.

·         Do a reverse image search of the person’s profile picture to see if it is associated with another name or with details that do not matchup to what the person has told you.

If you suspect that your online romance is a scam, or you discover that you have been scammed, report it to www.ftc.gov/complaint.







CBS News:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/online-fraud-scheme-that-stole-million-dozens-indicted-today-2019-08-22/



The Washington Post:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/08/23/fraudsters-tried-steal-more-than-million-one-biggest-online-scam-cases-us-history/



Federal Trade Commission:

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs/data-spotlight/2019/02/romance-scams-rank-number-one-total-reported-losses



https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-you-need-know-about-romance-scams

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT- Providence Intervention Center for Assault and Abuse

Earlier this month local communities and police in Snohomish County, and across the nation, came together to talk and to strengthen their resolve in the fight against crime. In Snohomish County some neighbors and Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office deputies took time to get to know each other at neighborhood BBQ’s and gatherings. The county also hosted a NNO get together at Willis Tucker Park with many organizations in attendance including the Sheriff’s Office, local fire districts, PUD, Community Transit, Snohomish County 911, and a variety of volunteer organizations that provide services to the public.

This is the third in the series about organizations that offer help to the public.

Providence Intervention Center for Assault and Abuse (PICAA) provides free and confidential help for victims of sexual assault in Snohomish County. PICAA’s goal is to promote emotional and physical healing for people victimized by sexual or physical violence.

The services that PICAA provides include

·         A 24-hour hotline- 425-252-4800.

·         Medical and legal advocacy provided by highly trained specialists for sexual abuse and assault victims of all ages, including adult survivors of child sexual abuse, rape victims and sexually abused children and their non-offending family members.

·         Specialized forensic examinations conducted by specially trained Nurse Examiners and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE). The Nurse Examiners and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners are available 24 hours a day. For acute situations, call the crisis line at 425-252-4800 or go to an emergency department. To schedule a non-emergency examination, call 425-297-5770

·         Support group services for adults and teens. Support groups are available for all teens, adults and non-offending family members. Call 425-297-5771 or 425-297-5782 for more information.

·         Continuing education for law enforcement agencies, schools, parent organizations, civic and service organizations, educators, medical groups and religious organizations with consultations, in-service training or informational presentations on a variety of topics related to sexual assault. Call 425-297-5771 for more information.

·         Child related sexual abuse case forensic exams are conducted at Dawson Place Child Advocacy Center.

Providence Intervention Center for Assault and Abuse:

https://washington.providence.org/locations-directory/i/intervention-center-for-assault-and-abuse-everett



Dawson Place Child Advocacy Center:

https://www.dawsonplace.org/

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT- Domestic Violence Services

Earlier this month local communities and police in Snohomish County, and across the nation, came together to talk and to strengthen their resolve in the fight against crime. In Snohomish County some neighbors and Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office deputies took time to get to know each other at neighborhood BBQ’s and gatherings. The county also hosted a NNO get together at Willis Tucker Park with many organizations in attendance including the Sheriff’s Office, local fire districts, PUD, Community Transit, Snohomish County 911, and a variety of volunteer organizations that provide services to the public.

This is the second in the series about organizations that offer help to the public.

The next organization is Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County (DVS). DVS provides free and confidential help for victims of domestic violence in Snohomish County that includes crisis intervention, safety planning, legal advocacy, information, referrals and counseling.

The services that DVS provides include

·         A 24-hour hotline- 425-25-ABUSE (425-252-2873). Collect calls are accepted.

·         Emergency shelter in a confidential location for victims of domestic violence and their children. Included at the emergency shelter are food and clothing, counseling, support groups and domestic violence education, information and referral and children’s counseling and support.

·         Transitional housing where DVS maintains 19 apartment units where families may reside for up to two years after leaving the organization’s emergency shelter. Transitional residents receive case management support, access to support groups, children’s counseling and support and information and referrals to needed services.

·         Legal advocacy including assistance and information on working within the legal system and personal support during court proceedings.

·         Community Support Groups which are available for individuals who are or have been physically or emotionally abused.

·         DVS also provides community education about domestic violence in the form of speakers, training sessions and workshops. To arrange for a speaker, call (425) 259-2827.

Domestic violence is a pattern of hurtful behavior that one partner in an intimate relationship uses to control the other. Signs of domestic violence can include:

·         Jealousy

·         Controlling behavior

·         Quick involvement including pressuring you for a quick, early commitment or claiming love at first sight

·         Isolation

·         Blaming others for problems

Domestic Violence Services:

https://dvs-snoco.org/

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT- Organizations Publicize Their Services; Victim Support Services

Earlier this month local communities and police in Snohomish County, and across the nation, came together to talk and to strengthen their resolve in the fight against crime. In Snohomish County some neighbors and Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office deputies took time to get to know each other at neighborhood BBQ’s and gatherings. The county also hosted an NNO get together at Willis Tucker Park with many organizations in attendance including the Sheriff’s Office, local fire districts, PUD, Community Transit, Snohomish County 911, and a variety of volunteer organizations that provide services to the public.

Over the next few days I will give some information about some of these organizations that can help you.

The first organization is Victim Support Services (VSS). VSS provides free aid to victims of crime in Snohomish, King, Whatcom, Island and Skagit Counties. If you are a victim of a property crime such as a burglary, identity theft, fraud, hate crime, robbery, vehicular assault, homicide or any number of other crimes, VSS can help you. The only exceptions are for domestic violence and sexual assault, where victims of these crimes are referred to agencies that specialize in helping in those situations.

The services that VSS provides include

·         24-hour hotline- 1-888-288-9221 where you can talk to a trained advocate who can help you.

·         Crisis intervention for when you just need someone to talk to, when you do not know where to turn, when you feel overwhelmed.

·         Information and referral to answer your questions and to find the appropriate services to help you.

·         Advocacy including completing a Crime Victims Compensation form, providing free printed materials on victim grief and trauma, assisting with funeral or memorial arrangements, intervening with media when requested, providing resources and referrals, facilitating safety planning, helping to navigate through the Criminal Justice process, giving information on the crime victims’ Bill of Rights, assisting with Victim Impact Statements, providing information and resources for notifications of offender release.

·         Medical advocacy to help victims with issues with their medical care.

·         Support groups- VSS offers 10-week closed support groups for homicide survivors

·         Mental health counseling for crime victims.

VSS emphasizes that its services are free to you, and you do not need to report to law enforcement nor does your immigration status prevent you from obtaining their services.



Victim Support Services:

https://victimsupportservices.org/

SCAM ALERT- Student Loan Scam

Scammers are constantly finding ways to try to get your money and your personal information. One way is to find someone with a student loan and offer to consolidate or reduce the monthly loan payments.

I received a tip from a Snohomish County resident who got this call, twice in a week, on her voicemail,

“re:        "your federal student loan and I am calling to discuss payment options.  Please call 866-518-8668 and use the reference # 600404 to better assist us"

The Office of Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education, says that scammers often contact people by phone, email, letter, or text to offer a variety of services:

·         “Act immediately to qualify for student loan forgiveness before the program is discontinued.”

·         “You are now eligible to receive benefits from a recent law that has passed regarding federal student loans, including total forgiveness in some circumstances. Federal student loan programs may change. Please call within 30 days of receiving this notice.”

·         “Your student loans may qualify for complete discharge. Enrollments are first come, first served.”

·         “Student alerts: Your student loan is flagged for forgiveness pending verification. Call now!”

Most of the time, scammers want some sort of payment up front and your personal information.

The office points out that there is nothing a student loan debt relief company can do for you that you cannot do for yourself, for free! Its federal loan servicers can help you with:

·         Lowering or capping your monthly federal student loan payment

·         Consolidating your federal loans

·         Determining if you are eligible for loan forgiveness or other similar programs

·         Getting you loan out of default

This is one of those calls that it is just simpler to hang up on. Also, let the Federal Trade Commission know about it on its FTC Complaint Assistant web page.

 

Office of Federal Student Aid:

https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/avoiding-loan-scams

Federal Trade Commission:

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/audio-video/video/student-loan-debt-relief-scams

FTC Complaint Assistant:

https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/#crnt&panel1-1

SNOHOMISH COUNTY- Developing New Court

Snohomish County is developing a new court to adjudicate low-level nonviolent offenses such as criminal trespass, vehicle prowling, and disorderly conduct. Low level crimes such as these may not get attention in the regular court system. A community court works with perpetrators who would benefit from help for mental illness or drug addiction and who may have housing or employment needs. The approach is like those of drug and mental health courts but will not handle serious mental health issues or violent crimes.

The concept was started in New York City in 1993. Currently, the cities of Olympia and Spokane operate community courts.

The idea is to provide pretrial services that are not provided to defendants at a regular court in order to try to help them stop destructive behavior before the behavior escalates to repeated stays in jail or more serious crimes. It will have a carrot and stick approach, like drug court, in that defendants who are in the program can have their charges dismissed within half a year if they show up once a week and complete their requirements.

The county is planning for the new court with a community needs assessment, in progress now, and hopes to have the court open in February of next year.

For more information about community court, see this article:



The Herald:

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/a-court-for-those-who-need-help/

The county is conducting a voluntary survey of its citizens about the new community court and would like your input. You can find the survey at this link,

Snohomish County:

https://snohomishcountywa.gov/5449/Community-Court

For descriptions of other community courts, check out these web pages,

City of Olympia:

http://olympiawa.gov/city-government/lee-creighton-justice-center-court/community-court.aspx

Spokane Public Library:

https://www.spokanelibrary.org/community-court/

ACTIVE SHOOTER- Secret Service Issues Report

We come out of the weekend shocked, again, this time with two mass shootings within a day in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. And Snohomish County has its own experience with mass shootings with the shooting at Maysville-Pilchuck High School.

The recent incidents will extend the debate, for some, on the actions the federal government should take to prevent mass murder from active shooter incidents.

Earlier this year, the Secret Service, the law enforcement arm of Homeland Security that protects the President of the United States and other executives of the federal government, published a report on a study of active shooters for the past two years titled “Mass Attacks in Public Spaces – 2018.

The report describes characteristics of the incidents and of the attackers giving readers a better sense for the motivations and triggers that cause an attacker to act.

Part of its conclusion includes the importance of citizens to say something when they see behavior that concerns them about a friend, coworker, classmate, neighbor, spouse, or relative. A report can be made to law enforcement- local, state, or federal, or to someone in authority such as a workplace manager, or school administrator.

The report noted that most of the attackers that it studied in 2017 and 2018 “…exhibited behaviors that caused concern in others.”

Behaviors that often triggered concern included social media posts with alarming content, escalating anger or aggressive behavior, expression of suicidal thoughts, writing about violence or weapons, inappropriate behavior toward females, stalking and harassing behaviors, increased depression, increased drug use, erratic behavior, purchasing weapons, threats of domestic violence, or acting paranoid.

The report noted that a wide variety of people often were concerned enough to take some sort of action. And actions individuals took ranged from parents confiscating weapons, friends and family spending more time with the attacker, online community members calling police, students telling school staff, or co-workers suggesting counseling.

Unfortunately, the report does not suggest a silver bullet that can solve this problem once and for all. Often serious crime problems have multiple causes that need to be addressed to reduce their occurrence. And modern crime prevention thinking elicits cooperation from many aspects of society to reduce or prevent any specific crime.

By not reporting to someone who can help a potential attacker from conducting a murderous act only perpetuates the killing that we have seen over the past few years. We, as a society may need to develop more effective methods to prevent mass shootings but waiting for those methods only prolongs the carnage. Acting now may save many lives.

You can read the report for yourself at this link,



United States Secret Service:

https://www.secretservice.gov/data/press/reports/USSS_FY2019_MAPS.pdf

CAR THEFTS- Expensive Vehicles Top New Vehicles Stolen List

Each year insurance groups publish a list of the most stolen vehicles. The bottom line for several years has been that older cars, mostly Hondas and Toyotas, are the most stolen because the security measures built into their design is not as robust as newer models.

The Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) has taken a different approach. It asked the question, of new vehicles, with the latest anti-theft technology, which are most likely to be stolen?

It found that vehicles such as the Dodge Charger and the Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck are the most stolen vehicles in a survey of vehicles that came out during the 2016 through 2018 model years. It also found that electric vehicles are the least stolen new vehicles.

The most stolen vehicles are the most expensive with powerful engines and lots of bells and whistles.

Why electric vehicles, such as Teslas (which are expensive on their own) are not stolen so much, may be that they are usually charged overnight in a closed garage.

But, why new expensive cars with sophisticated security bells and whistles get stolen may be a mystery. Except when you consider a study by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NCIB) that shows that many stolen cars have their keys or fobs left in them when the driver walks away from the car. In fact, an average of almost 200 cars per day, nationwide, are stolen with the keys/fobs left in them.

Most property crime is crime of opportunity. If a car thief can take your car, he will. Don’t defeat the security system of your vehicle by leaving the key/fob in it. TAKE YOUR KEYS WITH YOU!

For a complete list of the 20 most stolen new cars and a list of the 20 least stolen cars, check out this article from USA Today,



USA Today:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2019/08/01/most-stolen-cars-dodge-chevrolet-infiniti-iihs-hldi/1868237001/



National Insurance Crime Bureau:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV2jIl4nBSU&feature=youtu.be

DATA BREACH UPDATE- News About 2 Recent Data Breaches

Equifax Breach. You probably have heard about the settlement between the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Equifax coming out of the September 2017 data breach at Equifax. Recently, the FTC announced that anyone wanting to make a claim should go to www.ftc.gov/Equifax. It also sent out a warning that that it has already seen scammers trying to divert you to their fake settlement web sites to steal your money. It encourages you to check that the web address that you are going to is www.ftc.gov/Equifax.  It also pointed out that you do not have to pay to file a claim and anyone who calls you trying to get you to file a claim is probably a scammer.

In another press release, the FTC recommended that people affected by the Equifax breach sign up for free credit monitoring as part of the settlement. Since the announcement of the settlement, the FTC says there has been very high interest by the public to the point that individuals may not received the expected $125 per claim.


Federal Trade Commission:

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2019/07/equifax-data-breach-beware-fake-settlement-websites

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/07/ftc-encourages-consumers-opt-free-credit-monitoring-part-equifax

https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/cases-proceedings/refunds/equifax-data-breach-settlement





Capital One Breach. You no doubt have heard about the Capital One breach that has affected 106 American and Canadian consumers. The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) recommends that you take proactive action to prevent becoming victimized by identity thieves. It recommends that you freeze your credit and keep checking your financial statements regularly. Also, be aware of scammers. They frequently take advantage of big news items like breaches to offer supposed help. All they want is to take your money or your personal information. While Capital One says that it will be notifying accounts that have been affected, it will not be doing notifications by phone. Finally, document your steps in pursuing your claim. This will help you with your claim.



Identity Theft Resource Center:
https://www.idtheftcenter.org/capital-one-data-breach-what-to-do-if-youre-impacted/#utm_source=web&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=07302019_CapitalOneBreach

The Seattle Times:
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/how-to-protect-yourself-after-the-capital-one-data-breach/

Better Business Bureau:
https://www.bbb.org/databreach/


Federal Trade Commission:

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2019/07/capital-one-data-breach-time-check-your-credit-report

Krebs on Security:
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2019/07/capital-one-data-theft-impacts-106m-people/