Officer Quickfire Recap: First Week of November

Nov. 8, 2013
Here are some of the news stories you may have missed that ran on our site during the week.

It can be hard to keep up with all of the news that occurs on daily basis.

Because of this, the Officer.com staff presents the "Quickfire Weekly Recap."

Here are some of the stories you may have missed that ran on our site this week:

Weekend (Nov. 1-3)

An Oregon City, Ore. volunteer reserve police officer was killed Sunday after responding to a house fire.

Officials say Officer Robert Libke was fatally shot by 88-year-old Lawrence Cambra, who set fire to his house and was later killed by a SWAT team.

The Gainesville, Texas Police Department is also in mourning after their chief succumbed Friday to injuries he sustained in an accident at the department a week earlier.

Police Chief Steven Fleming, a 22-year veteran of the force, was working in the department's evidence building when he fell off a ladder on Oct. 25.

A gunman opened fire inside the Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, killing a Transportation Security Administration officer and wounding two others.

Officials said the gunman, who was wounded in a shootout with airport police before being taken into custody, had a note that said he wanted to "kill TSA."

Police officers who arrested James Holmes moments after the Aurora, Colo. theater shootings will be allowed to tell jurors what he told them.

The judge ruled the arresting officers' testimony can be used as prosecution evidence, even though police had not read the suspected gunman his Miranda rights.

Monday (Nov. 4)

A federal appeals court in Philadelphia ruled that police must get a warrant before using GPS to track a suspect's vehicle.

The ruling threw out evidence against three brothers charged in a wave of pharmacy burglaries and went beyond a previous decision by the Supreme Court.

Reports of a person carrying a sword or a handgun led to a three-hour lockdown at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain.

David Kyem was arrested Monday and charged with breach of peace, but police officials said no weapons were recovered and there was no threat to the campus.

A report released this week revealed that the driver of an empty fuel tanker that struck and killed an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer was on Facebook at the time of the crash.

Officer Tim Huffman was killed in the May 6 wreck on Interstate 8 in Yuma County. The truck's driver, Jorge Espinoza, has been charged with second-degree murder.

Tuesday (Nov. 5)

Police found a gunman dead early in the morning following a shooting the previous night at New Jersey's largest shopping mall.

Officials say Richard Shoop opened fire inside the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, but don't believe he intended to shoot anyone.

The union representing federal security agents wants to arm TSA officers after one was fatally wounded by a gunman at LAX.

The American Federation of Government Employees called for the creation of a class of armed TSA officers with law enforcement training and the authority to make arrests.

The nomination of Jeh Johnson as Homeland Security director came as a surprise to many law enforcement officials.

The former Pentagon lawyer is not a household name, and the nation's law enforcement associations are now tasked with getting to know the man tapped to lead the DHS better.

Puerto Rico is turning to an NYC police official to lead its troubled police department.

NYPD Transportation Bureau Chief James Tuller Cintron starts his new job Dec. 1 following the resignation of Hector Pesquera.

Wednesday (Nov. 6)

The New Hampshire Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of a man found guilty of killing a Manchester police officer in 2006.

Michael Addison has been on death row since being convicted of gunning down Michael Briggs, who was attempting to arrest him on a string of armed robbery charges.

U.S. Border Patrol agents will be allowed to continue to use deadly force, despite a recommendation of a recent review.

The Police Executive Research Forum had recommended that the Border Patrol stop the use of deadly force against rock throwers and assailants in vehicles

A federal appeals court struck a blow against widely used gang injunctions in a ruling against Orange County, Calif.

The 9th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals said the 2009 injunction against alleged members or associates of the Orange Varrio Cypress gang was extraordinarily broad, impinging on constitutional liberties.

Experts say that despite criticism following a campus-wide lockdown Monday at Central Connecticut State University, law enforcement cannot be too careful when responding to a potential gunman.

Four SWAT teams and dozens of officers, all heavily armed, arrived at CCSU Monday afternoon after the New Britain Police Department received reports of a man carrying a gun and a sword.

Thursday (Nov. 7)

Mexico's Supreme Court overturned an appeals court ruling that freed a drug lord convicted of killing a DEA agent as American officials continue searching for the man.

The decision to free Rafael Caro Quintero from prison enraged U.S. officials, who are offering a $5 million bounty for his re-capture.

Detroit police arrested a convicted felon wearing body armor following the fatal shooting of three men at a barbershop.

Police Chief James Craig described the man as a person of interest in Wednesday evening's shooting at Al's Barber Shop that left six other people wounded.

The former police chief of Bell, Calif. testified at a corruption trial that he was stunned by the salary the city offered to pay him.

The city offered Randy Adams a salary of $457,000 -- more than either the Los Angeles police chief or the New York City police commissioner was making.

Friday (Nov. 8)

Advocates are pushing for the use of trained K-9s to patrol the campuses of schools to make them more secure.

While many have argued for guns, cameras or alarms in classrooms, several groups are pushing the dogs as a way to make schools safer.

The police chief of Portland, Maine says that his officers will continue to issue citations for possession of marijuana under state law when necessary despite a vote this week making the drug legal in the city.

The referendum legalizes possession of up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana in Portland, but recreational use of the drug remains illegal under federal and state laws, which Police Chief Michael Sauschuck said "pre-empt local ordinances."

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