Investigator Ryan Hogeland explains CCSO dive team operations and equipment. / W.C. Mann
CULLMAN – The latest session of the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) is nearing the end, and it’s been a packed few weeks. Here’s what’s been happening during the last few Tuesday nights.
Recently, participants of the Citizens’ Academy got to meet Special Agent Ernest “Ernie” Banker from the Birmingham office of the U.S. Secret Service, hear about the agency’s work, and get advice about keeping themselves from electronic crimes.
Banker is an Anniston native and Army veteran who has served with the Secret Service since 2005. He served on U.S. President Bill Clinton’s protection detail, and at various times protected both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.
After a brief overview of the history of the Secret Service, Banker talked to the class about the agency’s current two-part mission: protection of elected officials and dignitaries, and the investigation of counterfeiting, financial and electronic crimes. He spent most of his time explaining the Secret Service’s investigation of electronic crimes, and offering knowledgeable advice on how to keep oneself safe from cybercrimes. Advice included:
Change all default usernames and passwords on new online accounts.
Use complex passwords not easy to guess. Banker suggested the use of entire short sentences.
Update firmware and software often. Updated software versions are usually more secure.
Monitor network activities.
Back up all computer data, and have a data/system recovery plan.
Use anti-virus software. Banker pointed out that even many free programs offer good online security.
Limit the posting of personal information online. Criminals often use social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn to gain information about potential targets.
In the event of identity theft, visit www.identitytheft.gov for information on what to do.
During the same class, CCSO investigators Phillip Harris and Ryan Hogeland came to talk about the CCSO dive team, and to display and explain the equipment divers use for underwater search operations.
Dispatch Supervisor Timothy Kerber explained and recommended the use of the Smart 911 system. Subscribers can input critical information like personal or family members’ medical conditions into the system, and that information will automatically be available to 911 operators when an emergency call is placed from the subscriber’s registered phone number. Interested persons were encouraged to visit www.smart911.com.
CCSO Director of Communications Brad Williams explained the Nixle system, which sends alerts to subscribers’ smart phones about local weather conditions, criminal activities, traffic problems, missing persons, and even special events. Interested persons were encouraged to text “25sheriff” to 888777 to subscribe. For more information, visit www.nixle.com.
Protecting the innocent
During a very busy Tuesday evening, participants learned how the department works to protect the innocent, vulnerable and victims of crime.
Victim Services
Capt. Edward Potter talked to the class about CCSO Victim Services, which offers victims of crime a variety of services.
“It’s my goal every day,” said Potter, “to get up and help somebody, some way, somehow. I want to help somebody.”
The division’s services include:
Assisting victims of domestic violence in getting protective orders
Notification of victims of domestic violence before the release of arrested attackers
Financial assistance with medical bills for persons injured by criminal actions
Financial assistance for the burials of victims who die due to crimes
Giving victims with fears or concerns an immediate point of contact
Potter told the class, “The sheriff has the vision, and that’s my mission: to make sure that everybody knows that we care about them.”
School Resource Officers
Lt. Erik Ryan spoke to the class about the work of School Resource Officers (SROs). Harmony School and the Cullman Area Resource Education center (“alternative school”) share an SRO; every other school in the county system has its own full-time officer. According to information from the CCSO, “Each deputy provides a uniformed presence to their school campus. They are prepared and trained to protect the students and faculty from intruders, conduct criminal investigations and patrol their beat (the school). They advise the school administration in safety and security matters for each school as well as lending their expertise in law related issues. The deputies also provide security for after-school events, such as football, basketball, etc., for their assigned schools.”
According to Ryan, the roles of school officers changed from simple drug education to full-time protection of students, faculty and property after high-profile school shootings several years ago. All CCSO SROs are certified in response techniques for active shooter incidents, and have trained school faculties in how to respond and protect their kids.
Project Lifesaver
Capt. Rick Blackwood introduced the international program, which, according to CCSO information, “helps provide rapid response to save lives and reduce potential for serious injury for adults and children who wander due to Alzheimer’s, autism, Down Syndrome, dementia and other related cognitive conditions.”
Blackwood displayed wrist/ankle bracelets which carry a transmitter to be worn by the patient, and one of several tracking receivers carried by CCSO deputies trained in the use of the equipment. Deputies on the ground start from the last known position of the patient, and can pick up the transmitter’s signal from up to a mile away. Through cooperative partnerships with other agencies, officers can search from helicopters where receivers can pick up transmitter signals from up to 10 miles away.
This program is free to the families of people with special needs, thanks to funding provided by the Cullman Pilot Club.
For more information about these and other community programs, visit www.cullmansheriff.org.
Combating drugs
In their latest session, participants in the Citizens’ Academy got to see and hear how law enforcement agencies combat drugs. Drug sniffing dogs, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and Gentry were all in the program.
The evening began outside the CCSO training center, as K9 Lt. Joey Cone and other deputies demonstrated how drug sniffing dogs search, and talked about how the department selects and trains drug and search dogs. Students even got to meet the CCSO’s newest recruit, a 14-week old bloodhound named Clara Bell.
Back inside, DEA Birmingham office Agent Josh Moore talked about the work of his agency, especially how undercover drug operations identify and go after dealers. He showed the class videos shot during his undercover operations, to demonstrate how such events take place, and the roles of informants.
Gentry, a former Cullman County narcotics officer and DEA agent, then took the floor to talk about how the drug problem has developed in Cullman County since the 1990s. He began with a brief presentation on the economic impact of the illegal drug industry, noting that drug dealing sent $289 billion to Mexico last year.
According to the sheriff, the main drug threats in Cullman County come from:
Marijuana, the most commonly abused illegal drug in Alabama
Heroin and diverted pharmaceuticals, tied for second place among abused drugs. Heroin today is often cut with extremely powerful depressant Fentanyl, leading to overdose deaths. The most abused prescriptions include Oxycontin/Oxycodone and Vicodin/Hydrocodone.
Cocaine, including crack
Methamphetamine, including highly purified “ICE”
Gentry set forth the following timeline for the rise of meth in the county:
1990s – A rudimentary form of methamphetamine called “crank” or “dirty meth,” which is less that 25 percent pure, reaches Cullman County.
2003 – The largest meth bust in Alabama history to that time, 113 pounds of “crank,” takes place in Cullman County.
2005 – “ICE,” a clean form of meth that can be up to 98 percent pure, appears in the county. Users, accustomed to heavily cut “crank,” begin overdosing and suffering psychotic episodes in frightening numbers.
2007 – The single-pot “shake and bake” portable meth lab appears, simplifying production of small amounts of meth right here in the county.
The sheriff also talked about the revival of heroin in the area, owed mainly to the rise in abuse of prescription drugs. Prescription abuse has produced growing numbers of opiate addicts, and heroin offers users a cheaper alternative to the high cost of stolen pills.
“I tell everybody,” concluded Gentry, “the day we’re born is the day we start to die. That’s the reality of it. We can take what we do today and make it a positive, not a negative. The best tool that we have is information: we can talk to each other, we can educate each other to the battles that we face.
“We all have to face our own battles and things that we deal with. And knowledge is power, as long as we remember: if we will make this world a little better, it will always be good for us. If we can make it a little bit better tomorrow, we’ll always be moving forward.”
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