What were YOU doing?

The events that happened on September 11, 2001 have been compared to Pearl Harbor, and described as my generation's JFK assassination. Everyone remembers where they were when they heard about the the initial "accident", and then the confirmation that this was a terrorist attack on a scale we had never seen before. We all have a story of watching the horror unfold on TV, feeling the draft from AA flight 77 as it passed over 395 moments before it crashed into the pentagon, or witnessing firsthand the nightmare of people jumping out of the WTC towers to escape the heat. It touched everyone around the world. No one was unaffected. I myself remember my cell phone ringing, and my husband of 3 months telling me we were under attack. 


We lived in Maryland, not far from DC, and worked in Annapolis. He said, "Where's you mom?" My mother worked in the Watergate Complex, which was across the Potomac River from the Pentagon. With unconfirmed news reports of car bombs in the District, and more planes missing, we were all concerned about   what could happen. I called work to check in, and they told me they were not sure what exactly they were doing, but to come in. I said not until I reach my mom. I was watching the news, like the rest of the world, and was so riveted I didn't even sit. I just stood in my living room, clutching my cell phone. I flinched when I saw people jumping out of the higher floors of the World Trade Center. The feed was live, and they couldn't break away in time. I heard a rumbling, and realized the South Tower was crumbling. I thought about the people who had just stepped outside, breathing a sigh of relief that they had made it out of there, only to be crushed by the building imploding. My heart stopped for a moment, as I watched, breathless, at people running away, knowing they couldn't all make it, but praying aloud that they would. I thought of a close friend, who worked near the Trade Center, and had a view of the towers from his office. Where was he? Had he run outside? Would he be clear of the falling debris? 


I have trouble comparing September 11 to Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor was a military base that suffered a terrible surprise attack in the early morning. The timing could not have been worse. US carriers engaged with the Japanese Navy at about 3:30 am, but for some reason the report was delayed, causing the radar of unidentified aircraft to be ignored. Most of the airplanes were parked near or around the same area, and took a heavy hit on the first attack. There was no time to scramble the fighter jets, and very few were useful anyway. The men on the ground and in the ships docked there were literally sitting ducks, but they still fought back. You can read about the timeline here http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pearlharbor/


The Pentagon was part military, yes, but it was considered to be dual purpose, meaning it had civilians there as well. Normally, this is "off limits" to military attack. Until 2004, the Pentagon had a daycare center. Fortunately, it was on the opposite side from the plane's impact.


When we think about the World Trade Center, we think of the twin towers, but it was actually a complex of many buildings, all of which were impacted by the planes crashing and the towers falling down on top of them. The WTC held a mall and a daycare in addition to the many financial centers and restaurants it was known for. The Marriot at the base of the towers was destroyed when the towers came down, killing many inside.  People on the street, watching the chaos, were in the path of the buildings' collapse. 


It is important to also remember that many ordinary people were heroes that day. Whether they helped one person, or 500,000, every one of them is a hero for helping, when they could have fled to save themselves.


There was a young man named Welles who rescued dozens of people from the south tower, and was identified by his red bandanna:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/911-hero-man-in-the-red-bandanna/


Then there is Rick Rescorla, a Vietnam Vet who rescued 2700  of his coworkers from Morgan Stanley. He was killed when the South Tower collapsed:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/heroes-of-911-soothed-inspired-a-wounded-nation-but-when-will-the-story-change/2011/09/10/gIQADLcyHK_story.html


There were the civilians who used their boats to evacuate people from the island of Manhattan. People instinctively went to the water's edge to escape the smoke, and to try to put distance between themselves and the danger. In response, hundreds of boats hit the water to carry over 500,000 people to safety. The link below tells their story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDOrzF7B2Kg&feature=share

Staff Sgt. Braman helped many escape the Pentagon before it collapsed, returning to the burning building several times to rescue those trapped. He also helped recover body parts, so that the families could have closure. His story, as well as many others, can be found at this link: 
http://www.army.mil/article/12206/heroes-saved-lives-in-pentagon-911/


We all remember the actions of the passengers of Flight 93, and how they saved lives by fighting back, and not allowing the terrorists to continue with their plans to go to DC.  You can read the timeline of events at this link:
http://www.september11news.com/Flight93.htm



Search and rescue dogs were able to find bodies of those who didn't make it so their families would not have to bury an empty casket. A book entitled Dog Heroes of 9/11, tells the stories of the canines who brought comfort to those who needed it most:
http://www.dogheroesof911.com/excerpt.htm



I can't write about September 11 without mentioning the emergency response workers who survived, and those who were lost that day. They include firefighters, police officers, Port Authority, EMS, and military men and women of all branches. They broke through walls and windows, led people to safety, and cared for them once they were outside.


While we will always remember the terror of that day, we also need to remember that on THAT day, we were united. We came together as strangers, and stood as one nation. We helped in any way we could, even if it was to simply listen. A friend of mine said that one day our children will have a history assignment about September 11, 2001, and we will be asked what we remember from that day. I hope that after I tell them what I heard, saw and felt, I will also be able to remember how the human spirit prevailed in the face of evil.

September is Hydrocephalus Awareness Month!

           September is hydrocephalus awareness month. Some may have seen posts on Facebook or Twitter, or perhaps it was mentioned in your newspaper. Many of you don’t know what hydrocephalus is, and why would you? I had no idea- had never even heard of it- until the day the Dr. in the NICU came to tell my husband and myself that our seven day old son had it. So, in honor of my amazing son Cole, I will share the story that many parents share: how we made it through Cole’s diagnosis and how we have dealt with issues regarding his condition.

            Almost from the word “go”, my pregnancy with Cole and his twin sister Ava was anything but normal. I won’t go into all the gory details (we’ll save that one for another day!), but the bottom line is I was diagnosed with having a placenta previa at around twelve weeks. A previa is when the placenta covers the cervix- the exit for the babies- instead of being in the back of the uterus like it’s supposed to be.

            On one of my many trips to L&D (labor and delivery) for bleeding, it was discovered that I was beginning to dilate, so those “braxton hicks” contractions I thought I had been having were actually the real deal, and my back pain was in fact back labor. This is when they made me stay in bed 24hrs, and we all crossed our fingers that I would make it to 26 weeks. This was the goal. 26 weeks would drastically reduce many of the complications from a preemie birth, and with them being twins, it was especially important.

            At 26 weeks and five days I was sent to the hospital for the last time. The contractions were stronger, I was still dilating, and now it appeared there were blood clots behind the placenta, which is a clue that it is not fully attached anymore. In an effort to slow down or stop my labor, I was given magnesium sulfate. This is a drug given to people with severe hyper-tension. Women who have pre-eclampsia are given mag sulfate to keep them from having a stroke. A side effect is that it relaxes the uterus, so they give it to women in pre-term labor as well. The little contractions went away, but the “I mean business” ones stayed. Thus, at 27 weeks and 3 days, my twins were born via cesarean section. Baby A, Ava, came out completely fine, just a little small. Cole however, refused to budge. After a tug of war, he emerged and they were both carted off to the NICU to begin their long stay.

            If you are fortunate to have never needed the use of a NICU, I will briefly describe the experience. Try building a sand castle at the shoreline. Every time you think you are almost finished, a huge wave comes and knocks down a wall. You rebuild, a little bit farther way, and another wave comes and knocks down a turret. Such is the life of a NICU parent. Three steps forward and two steps back. Things change so quickly, that in the time it takes you to go to lunch, or pump breast milk, the condition your child was in when you left, may not be the same when you get back.

            When the twins were first admitted to the NICU, they told us right away the hurdles we had to get over, and what to pray they DON’T get. Most were just set-backs, but two were very serious: necrotizing enterocolitis (or NEC), and a brain hemorrhage of 3 or 4. NEC is the death of intestinal tissue, and preemies are at risk because their little bowels just aren’t ready to work yet. Now to the brain hemorrhage; I know what you're thinking: anything that has hemorrhage in it has to be really bad, so why only 3 or 4? Well, it has to do with where the bleeding is, and a 1 can be found in any baby-preemie or not- because it is basically like a little bruise. A three is bleeding in the ventricles, the things that move the spinal fluid from your spine, to your brain, and back down. A four is bleeding in the brain tissue, and this usually leads to CP. They test every newborn the Monday after they are born, as long as they are at least 3 days old. Babies born before 28 weeks are at greater risk because the blood vessels or so fragile, and with the trauma of delivery and being on a ventilator, it has unfortunately become common enough that all preemies are checked.

            Both Ava and Cole were doing great at 7 days. They were both off of the ventilator, and on a nasal canula. They were getting breast milk by gs tube, and were not showing any symptoms of anything wrong. Everyone was pleasantly surprised at how well they were doing, and no one expected anything abnormal to be seen on the tests. So it was a complete shock when I went for my daily visit and kangaroo care and they took me into a little room and gave me the news: Ava had a grade 1, and Cole had a sizable grade 3. We could expect head swelling, possible need for intervention (lumbar puncture), and transfer to another hospital for extended care. Time would only tell how severely his brain would affected. He had an active bleed, and it was getting worse. My husband and I went home and cried in bed together. Four years of trying to have kids, a nightmare pregnancy, and now our son was probably going to be severely brain damaged. What was his quality of life going to be?

            They measured Cole’s head several times a day, and after a couple weeks, they started preparing us for the inevitable transfer. We had a meeting with the doctor and she compared the films for us. They scanned him every day- probably more.  And then, a miracle happened. Right as they were prepping him for transfer, the last scan came back: the bleeding had stopped; All on its own. They assured us that since it had stopped on its own, the nightmare was over. He would be fine. His head was still a normal size and was no longer growing faster than his sister’s. We breathed a sigh of relief.

            Ava came home after eight weeks, and Cole followed a week later. We took them for their check-ups, and everything seemed perfect. Because I am OCD by nature, I continued to take temperatures, chart feedings, and measure Cole’s head, even though they had told us it wasn’t necessary. After about three weeks, I started to notice Cole’s head was getting a little larger. Now, it would be odd if it didn’t grow at all, so at first I wasn’t concerned, but after five days, it had grown three centimeters. This was not normal. Cole was not that interested in eating all that much, and was sleepy all the time- as most newborns are. It was difficult to figure out what was normal and what was not. After discussing it at length with my husband, he decided to look up the symptoms of hydrocephalus, a condition caused by the type of bleeding he had. Because he was a baby, most of the symptoms were difficult to see, either because he couldn’t tell us, or because newborns are not generally active. There was one: sun setting of the eyes. Sure enough, it appeared that he could not look up.

             It was midnight. We called his doctor.  His wonderful pediatrician insisted that it was impossible for it to come back once it resolved on its own. Then he called back an hour later and told us to bring him then next morning to be sure. It worried me that he had been up in the middle of the night thinking about it. The nurse at his office verified my measurements, and Dr. Mannan and I talked about what to do. He suggested taking him to the ER for a new scan, just to be sure. Maybe we’ll get lucky, and he’s just a big headed kid.

            The CT scan confirmed what we’d feared: he had hydrocephalus and needed a shunt placed immediately. He was transferred to Children’s National Medical Center and put under the care of amazing Dr. Yaun. He was first on the schedule to have a fixed valve ventriculo peritoneal shunt placed. I know, it sounds like something from a science fiction movie. Basically, he has a valve that drains the spinal fluid to relieve the pressure. It has a tube that runs (internally) from his head to his belly and the fluid is absorbed there. There is several feet of tubing in there so that as he grows it lengthens on its own. It is permanent. He will always have it. After a few days, we brought him home again. The shunt was working, and it seemed we caught it in time to prevent any serious brain damage.

            Things were going well until about two months later, when I started to notice his head was damp when I would hold him sometimes. At first, I thought it was sweat, but Cole had had a stitch that never dissolved and eventually fell out. It had left a tiny pinhole in the skin, and I thought the fluid was coming from there. Due to staff issues at the Children’s hospital, I was not inclined to go back, so I made an appointment at John’s Hopkins. I met the dr., he looked Cole over, and said it was probably sweat and not to worry about it. And the nightmare begins.

            In early December, about five months after bringing the twins home, Cole got an unusual symptom: his scrotum was getting large and turning purple. Now, I am not a man, but I am pretty sure this was not normal. It would go away, then come back. We went to a “specialist” who ok’d us to go on our family trip to California for Christmas. He said Cole had what was called a hydrocele- an opening between his scrotum and abdominal cavity. This usually closes in utero at around 28 weeks (sometimes later), but Cole was born before that. It is not a big deal, and usually self resolves by the time they turn one. So we hopped on the plane and left.

            Cole had been having some other strange symptoms: diarrhea and not a lot of interest in eating. We thought maybe he had some kind of allergy, and tried every type of formula (my milk had dried up and the Lactation Consultants thought it was from all the stress, no sleep and poor nutrition I had during this whole ordeal). He just wouldn’t eat. It seemed like he was afraid to. Two nights before we were to return home, he began vomiting and his scrotum was the worst is had been up to this point. We took him to the emergency room, where we were told he needed emergency hernia surgery and were transferred to Loma Linda hospital.

            We were talking with his doctor the whole time, who was begging the hospital to call him, and they refused. A whole day passed, and we waited for them to do something. Our suspicions aroused, we asked them to do a shunt series, which they refused to do. Finally, when it was clear that they were in no hurry, we called his doctor and he said bring him home. Our flight left in six hours, and we would be home with doctors who knew him and his history. Loma Linda was furious, but what could they do? They weren’t acting, and they weren’t even considering his shunt.

            We got home, and he seemed better. We took him to the “specialist”, who once again said he was fine, and we tried yet another formula. After a few weeks, he was vomiting again, and the scrotum was back to looking like a rubber bouncy ball. We took him to Hopkins, where we waited 18 hours for a neuro consult. At two in the morning, he finally deigned to gift us with his presence. He glanced down at Cole, told us to find a pediatric urologist, and sent us home. During this time he had been on IV antibiotics and the vomiting and fever went down. We were beginning to form an idea of what was happening. Our theory was that he had a shunt infection, and the fluid in his belly was infected. As the pressure mounted, the fluid was being pressed through that hole in the abdomen, causing the scrotum to get red and large. The doctor of course dismissed us as crazy parents.

            A few weeks later, we had seen the new urologist, and he wanted to hold off until the shunt situation was taken care of. By now, Cole was not just missing milestones, but losing those he had previously mastered. He had to be held all the time, would not bear weight on his legs, and still vomited after most feedings. He looked miserable. When the fever came back, we took him to a new ER in hopes of getting a different result. The first thing they did was a shunt series. The head of neurosurgery came down and told us Cole had a shunt infection. It had to be externalized while he received IV antibiotics for ten days, at which point, a new, clean shunt could be placed. Unfortunately, they did not have a pediatric neurosurgeon anymore, and were transferring us to Hopkins, where a doctor had agreed to take his case.

            When we arrived at Hopkins by ambulance, said doctor had decided to go home. After many hours, my husband and I switched- I came home and he went to Hopkins. A resident finally came down, did his own shunt series, and put him on the surgical schedule for the next morning. About the time I was expecting an update on how the surgery went, hubby called to tell me that they took him off the schedule. The neurosurgeon was not convinced. They tested him for everything. We waited all week for consults from other departments that never came. After three days, only the pediatrician came to see him. The doctors at the other hospitals called repeatedly to convince Hopkins to externalize his shunt, but no dice. The fever was gone, and his symptoms must be caused by five other things. I always thought they were to try to see how they fit together, not diagnose several different conditions. We left the hospital with several referrals to other specialists, and the feeling that they were relieved to see us go.

            After a few weeks- you guessed it- the symptoms were back. This time with a fever of 105. I lost it. I couldn’t go back. His pediatrician felt bad, but said he had to go. I knew that, of course, but just wasn’t sure it would ever end. (I can't stress enough how helpful Dr. Mannan was during this time. He called me every day to check on Cole's progress when he was at a hospital he did not work in. He always trusted my instincts when I told him something wasn't right.) This time, we went directly to the doctor who had helped us the first time: Dr. Yaun. We had avoided the hospital because of mistakes made by the staff during our first stay there, but we were getting nowhere with Hopkins, and Dr. Yaun promised to oversee his care herself. He was seen right away, and surgery was first thing the next morning. The infection was so bad that she could visibly see the bacteria. Tests further confirmed that it was a staph infection.

Cole at Children's while the shunt was externalized.

            How had that caused the scrotum to swell? Well, it turns out, we are pretty smart parents. Exactly what we had thought- that the belly could not absorb the infected fluid and was pushing the fluid through the hole. The infection was irritating his bowels, causing the vomiting, diarrhea and constipation. The reason he would get better was because of the antibiotics. It would clear the infection enough to reduce the fever, but because the bacteria was living on his shunt, it would spread as soon as the antibiotics were out of his system. Because of the damage to his abdominal tissue, Cole had to have a VA (ventriculo atria) shunt placed. This meant the tube went to his heart. Since you can’t have extra tubing in the heart, he would require surgeries to lengthen the tube as he grew. The goal was that when it was time to lengthen the tube, to check his abdominal cavity and see if the tubing could be placed there again. This would reduce the amount of surgeries and risk of infection. Think about it: the infection went from his brain to his abdomen, but what if the tubing had been in his heart?

Cole with Dr. Yaun at his his check up

            At his post op appointment, the doctor told us how worried she had been about Cole. She said his recovery was a miracle, and that his brain appeared to have fully recovered from what she was sure was going to result in permanent, severe brain damage. When Cole was three, the tube was placed successfully in his abdomen. Since then, the only issues he has had are gastrointestinal, which we believe are a combination of genetics and the tubing irritating his belly. He goes to Kindergarten with his sister where he excels at everything. He loves to play, “read”, and ride his bike. The only restriction he has is that he cannot play football. Cole knows about his shunt, and does not feel weird about it or shy. It is just something he has- like his glasses.

            Many parents of children with hydrocephalus have similar stories, and some are even worse. This taught me that I have to fight for my kids’ rights, and just because a person has “Dr.” at the beginning of their name, does not mean they always know the answer. If you have a child with hydrocephalus, and are concerned about the quality of care your child is getting, don’t hesitate. Get a second opinion. There are misconceptions that doctors will not touch a shunt they didn’t place, and that is ridiculous. What if you moved out of state? Or to a different country? If it doesn’t make sense to you, then get a second opinion. Do your own research. Empower yourself so you can make informed decisions instead of assuming the doctor knows everything.

            If you are a friend or family member of someone who has hydrocephalus, or has a child with hydrocephalus, give them a hug next time you see them. Many people with hydrocephalus have long term effects: severe headaches, pain at the shunt sight, abdominal trouble, eye problems, depression, vertigo, and multiple (as in many over 50) surgeries. There is no cure, and the only treatment is shunt placement- which has many risks.

            Show your support by wearing a light blue ribbon this month- the official hydrocephalus color!

           

Crime in the age of technology

Crime in the Age of Technology

            Crime has been around since the beginning of society. As long as some people have what other people want, crime will exist. Advancements in technology have revolutionized the way the police and government investigate everything from murder to theft to fraud. It has also created new types of crime: identity theft, intellectual property theft, and cyber-stalking. The rise of social networks and “trading” sites has opened the door for pedophiles, prostitution, and other moral offenses. In this paper, we will take a look at what new crime technology has created, as well as how the government is using it to fight back.

            Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes (www.identitytheft.com , 2010). People used to think that if someone got your credit card number, all they could do is run up charges on the account. The truth is, with just a little bit of information, new credit cards, loans and possibly mortgages can be opened (www.identitytheft.com). Since most people do not discover the fraudulent activity until they pull a credit report, or begin receiving demand letters for unpaid loans, the potential damage to a person’s credit is high. In many cases, you are required to notify the bank of fraudulent charges or accounts within a certain amount of time, and this makes it more difficult to put an end to the unauthorized spending.

            You might be wondering,” How do they get my information?” Losing your wallet is still the number one way people obtain this information (Poulsen, 2009). Since they can purchase or apply for nearly everything online, the fact that they don’t look like you is not an issue. Forty-one percent of identity theft is done through technology (Poulsen). This includes using your credit card for a purchase (either online or in a store), a breach of your financial institution, and phishing scams.

            Let’s talk about that last one: “Phishing”. It almost sounds like a child’s game. A phishing scam is when mass emails are sent out that look like official correspondence from a bank or credit card company (Bowles, 2010). The email may even say that there has been a breach in security, and you are required to verify your information. If you reply with your “verification”, they then use this to access your accounts, withdraw money, and even open new accounts.

            When you make a purchase online, you should be aware that you are taking a risk. You are relying on the security of the website to keep your personal and financial information safe. When making online purchases, the best way to do this is through Paypal. Paypal has buyer protection, which guarantees your purchase. If you should not receive your items, or have problems with the seller (this includes retailers as well as individuals) they will return the money to your account, and go after the seller (www.paypal.com).

             What about when you make a purchase in a store, or at a restaurant? One of the newer devices criminals are using is called a skimming device (Romero, 2010). These can either swipe or scan your card, storing the information into the handheld where they can later make a “clone” of your card. Another way is called electronic pickpocketing, using RFID (radio frequency identification) readers. This is when they scan your card, just by standing next to you- your card never leaves your wallet (Romero).

            RFID was created to make things easier. They are in ID badges, credit cards, and passports. The hope is that they will be used in stores to speed up check-out lines (Romero, 2010). Unfortunately, they are also used to steal your information, without ever touching you or your credit card. So, how can you protect yourself? First, limit the number of credit cards you carry in your wallet. Check your balance and statements often, and notify the bank immediately of any suspicious activity. Finally, if you are truly concerned, there are several anti RFID wallets on the market. They block the RFID readers from scanning your credit cards, passports, and other sensitive information (http://www.idstronghold.com).

            In the 1960’s, a “hacker” was a term used to describe someone with a mastery of computer (Trigaux, 2000). In the 1970’s, John Draper hacked into the phone line to make long distance calls. It isn’t until the mid 1980’s when someone is actually convicted of hacking for the purpose of stealing software, and the First National Bank of Chicago has $70 million stolen through their computer system (Trigaux). How do they do it? They load viruses onto the system they want to break into. These “bots”, or codes, are usually associated with the theft of data, but can be programmed to guess codes, passwords and send spam (Jacks, 2011). An experienced programmer is not required to do this, and in fact, many “masterminds” are children (www.cybercitizenship.org). With so many hacking resources online, it is easy to learn to do. In fact, there is even a school offering a “Hacker Degree”, supposedly aimed towards those who want to work in Network Security (www.hackerdegree.com). Anyone can be at risk to a hacker; the government, banks, hospitals, retailers, and even your own personal computer, are all prospective victims. The government has begun to crack down on this type of computer crime in recent years, and if convicted, a “hacker” (or “cracker”) can serve serious time- perhaps up to 20 years (http://www.justice.gov/criminal/cybercrime/index.html).

            Intellectual property crime is when someone steals your idea, or a program you created (Bowles, 2010). This is usually done by hacking into a company’s system and stealing software to sell to a competing business. Viruses are loaded into the system to get passwords. Once the information is accessed, the thief (or thieves) sells it to the highest bidder. This is usually done by a former employee who knows the system, an example being Sergey Aleyinkov, a former programmer of Goldman-Sachs. In 2009, on his last day of work, he transferred computer codes used for trading to an international server. He was arrested a month later, and is now serving 97 months in prison (Davis, Richardson, Rivera & Sullivan, 2011).

            One of the great things that technology has brought us is the ability to keep in touch with friends, relatives, and co-workers. Even celebrities invite you to follow along with their day to day lives. We are able to search and find lost loves, friends we haven’t seen or spoken to in years, and even reunite with family. Sites like, Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter allow you to create a profile, find friends, post pictures and play games (Bowles, 2010).There is LinkedIn for the professional and BigTent for groups and clubs. There is no doubt that networks like these have opened the world to us, and made it possible to remain in contact with people we otherwise would not be.

            There is, however, a downside to posting our every action, location, and photos. Pedophiles use these sites to search for victims. They look for photos, addresses, schools-whatever might clue them in to the whereabouts of the person. It is important that when a child is allowed to have a profile on any website, that they be monitored, and are not allowed to list information like their address, or the name of their school. This extends to school mascots because all a pedophile has to do it look up schools in the listed city with the mascot mentioned.

            Another problem is “cyber stalking,” which is described as someone who monitors and traces a person’s internet activity, sends threatening emails or messages, and possibly send viruses (http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/main.aspx?dbName=DocumentViewer&DocumentID=32458#1 ). This often leads to phone calls, vandalism, or even physical confrontations. The law is slow to respond, as stalking is difficult to prove, but a few states, including Alabama, Hawaii and Illinois, have laws specifically against electronic stalking.

            When I think about yard sales, I think about driving around the neighborhood on the weekends, looking for signs, and cruising for homes with stuff piled on their front lawns. What if you could go online at any time and see if someone had what you were looking for and you could pick it up instead of paying for shipping? How about listing your yard sale date with items of interest to encourage more people to stop by? Or, listing your home for sale or rent- all for free? This is Craigslist, and it sounds like a great idea. Whenever there is something intended to make life easier, some people will find a way to abuse it. One way they do this is by placing a false ad for a property for rent. Why would they do that? When people contact them, they are told to fill out and application with a fee and sometimes even send a deposit. In the end, the home is not for sale or rent, and the person who posted the ad does not own or know the owners of the property (Sullivan, 2008).

            Is there any sort of punishment for this sort of fraud? No. Craigslist takes no responsibility, and it can be difficult for the actual homeowner to get the ad taken down. When it does get taken down, the perpetrator will simply repost the ad. The only recourse for the homeowner is to take the person committing the fraud to court, but due to privacy settings, and lack of interest from authorities, it can be difficult to find out who is behind it.

            Craigslist is more than finding items for sale. They have a classifieds section, items for trade, and a personal’s section called “Casual Encounters.” This is often where call girls post their information. In April of 2009, a man named Philip Markoff began to contact women through their Craigslist ads. When they met, he robbed them, and murdered one woman. Police were able to track him using the ads from Craigslist, and positively id him with video surveillance as he left the hotel where he killed Julissa Brisman (Larosa & Prior, 2010). After this, Craigslist changed the “Erotic Services” to “Misc. Romance”, but they still allow postings for prostitution.

            The Romance section is not the only place where danger lurks. People have posted expensive items for sale, only to be robbed. In April of 2010, Jim Saunders posted a diamond ring for sale for $1000. When someone responded, arrangements were made for the ring to be purchased, but instead, four people with guns showed up, robbing the family. Saunders was fatally shot while trying to defend his son (McCarty, 2010). In 2009, eight month pregnant Heather Snively responded to a Craigslist ad for baby clothes. When Heather went to the home of Korena Roberts to exchange girl clothes for boy clothes, Roberts killed her, cut her baby out of her belly, and hid Snively’s body in the crawl space of her home. 911 was called to help the baby, and doctors and paramedics notified police that something was very wrong. Blood was everywhere, and Roberts had not given birth (Martinez, 2009). Heather’s body was found after a search of the home. Baby John Stephen did not survive.

            Even though there were over 300 crimes and 12 murders in 2010 alone, Craigslist has not changed any policies or put new security measures in place, claiming that it is no more dangerous than living in the city of Oakland, and calls naysayers “Craigslist wannabes,” (International Business Times, 2011). Police consider Craigslist to be one stop shopping for criminals, and Chicago’s police department calls it, “robbery by appointment” (International Business Times).

            The public is definitely taking notice, and some people are fighting back by shedding light on these activities. Sites like Craigscrimelist.org have been keeping up with Craigslist related crime, trying to get the message out there for people to be careful, and not to trust everything they read. They spotlight some of the more serious crimes (and there is an endless supply to choose from) and also make suggestions for sites that do edit ads and have security in place to prevent things like this from happening.

            Technology has also helped law enforcement solve crime, and even identify thousands of John Does. Since many cases stall without a name for the victim, identification is crucial. Nameus.gov was created to help find missing persons, and identify John and Jane Does. DNA, fingerprinting, and dental information are also included (when available) to match with missing person’s cases nationwide. Since its creation in 2005, 373 cases have been closed through NameUs. The thing that makes nameus.gov unique is that civilians can log on and search through photos and artist renderings of the unnamed victims to try to find loved ones.

            There are sites that are strictly for police and government officials, and for good reason. CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) and NCIC (National Crime Information Center) provide information on fugitives, missing persons, DNA, and other sensitive information. It can also provide familial DNA matches when manually instructed to do so (http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/lab/codis/codis-and-ndis-fact-sheet ). NDIS, the national side of CODIS, was launched in 1998 and has connected thousands of crimes to perpetrators (http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/lab/codis/codis-and-ndis-fact-sheet ). NCIC has been a great tool to connect crimes to each other even when they are spread out over different states, and is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. No more waiting for the day shift or filing clerk to come in to run information or prints.

            Most police cruisers now have computers in them. These provide essential up to date information and help with sending out alerts, collecting evidence and running license plates. When a BOLO (be on the lookout) goes out, or an AMBER Alert is issued, the officers on patrol will get the information instantly, along with photographs and identifying marks.

            The AMBER Alert is another technological triumph- named for Amber Hagerman, a young girl from Texas who was kidnapped and murdered-AMBER stands for America’s Missing Broadcast Emergency Response. Although created in 1996, it wasn’t used in all fifty states until 2005 (www.amberalert.gov). When a child goes missing, the emergency response system is triggered, which means that there are programming interruptions with information on the missing and the abductor, and electronic highway signs flash with the make and model of the suspect’s car. Now, a person can sign up for the AMBER Alert App on their phones, and be notified by text with a picture of the missing child. This proved invaluable to an eight year old Washington girl, who was recognized by a Target store clerk when she received the alert on her phone (O’Neil, 2011).

            Police officers around the country are being introduced to RAPID ID, a handheld device that scans a person’s fingerprints. What used to take hours or even days can now be done in a few seconds at the scene of a crime, or a traffic stop. As long as the victim or suspect has fingerprints on record, they can be identified quickly using this system (Galbincea, 2010). It can also be used to collect fingerprints at crime scenes, something that is crucial but tedious. It will help verify the identification of those without ID, who claim they are someone else. Currently, these devices can only compare prints in each city or county, but should soon expand to neighboring counties, and hopefully they will eventually compare fingerprints nationwide (Galbincea).

            What might crime fighting look like in the future? Facial recognition is starting to be used by some departments, and many cities are currently using Shotspotter, a gunshot detection system that uses sound technology the same way cell phone towers triangulate phone calls (Yeung, 2011). CCTV (closed circuit television) is turning up everywhere, and not just at retailers and banks. Cities have 360 degree cameras on streets in high crime areas, and some places, like Tampa, are using surveillance drones to collect information and photos (Yeung).

            There is no doubt that technology has made solving crime and identifying people easier and much faster than before. Given how advanced our government has become, it amazes me that some people still think they can get away with it. While there are those who take advantage of it, abuse it, and use it to hurt others, overall, I believe we have benefitted from the advancements. I look forward to seeing what new things develop to help law enforcement in the future.

           

           

           

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Crime in the Age of Technology by Courtney A. Wilson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

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