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ZDNet Exclusive: Leaked data reveals many police departments are unable to respond in an active shooter situation.
A data breach at a federally funded active shooter training center has exposed the personal data of thousands of US law enforcement officials, ZDNet has learned.
The cache of data contained identifiable information on local and state police officers, and federal agents, who sought out or underwent active shooter response training in the past few years. The backend database powers the website of Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training -- known as ALERRT -- at Texas State University.
The database dates back to April 2017 and was uploaded a year later to a web server, believed to be owned by the organization, with no password protection.
ZDNet obtained a copy of the database, which was first found by a New Zealand-based data breach hunter, who goes by the pseudonym Flash Gordon.
Working with federal agencies like the FBI, the Texas-based organization provides training to law enforcement and civilians around the US in an effort to prevent or disrupt active shooter incidents. Since its inception in 2002, ALERRT has received tens of millions of dollars in funding from the Justice Department, Homeland Security, and several state governments.
[...] The database contained thousands of personal data records, including law enforcement officer's work contact information, with many of the records listing personal email addresses, work addresses, and cell numbers.
[...] tables included requests made by law enforcement reaching out to the organization for help through its web form. In doing so, many officials volunteered highly sensitive information about deficiencies in their jurisdiction, revealing their department's lack of training or capabilities.
[...] One police department openly admitted that it "doesn't have a full-time SWAT team," and is unable to respond to an active shooter situation. An ALERRT staffer responded, saying that the organization "couldn't facilitate his request at this time."
Source: https://www.zdnet.com/article/a-massive-cache-of-law-enforcement-personnel-data-has-leaked/
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Monday July 02 2018, @01:41PM (7 children)
I read that, initially, as "what kind of herp-a-derp do you have to have to be on a SWAT team?". Yeah, I know, that's not what it says, but that's what I read as I skimmed quickly over it.
And, I'd like to answer the question that I THOUGHT I saw posted.
The answer would be, "Balls, and a willingness to do the job you're are paid to do." We saw that cop in Florida, who stood around outside the building while the shooter was busily killing kids. We saw that, because some outraged observer brought it to our attention. I've wondered how many other cops have stood on some insane protocol, and waited for backup before making any kind of a move.
SWAT team training? I suppose you get the ballsiest of the ballsy, and put them through the motions, praise them, tell them what great warriors they are, and convince them that they really are ten feet tall and bullet proof. Then, you remind them that police have "limited" immunity if they pull some crazy shit, so don't be afraid to pull the trigger. (limited put into quotes, because cops sometimes do get away with murder)
IMO, since SWAT teams are run very much like the military runs it's squads, those teams should have leadership similar to the military. Some old cop should be tagging along, and calling the shots. Boys in their mid-twenties shouldn't be making those life and death decisions. People of any sex shouldn't be so freaking gung-ho, hopped up on adrenaline, not to mention testosterone. The courts go along with the executive branch, and pretend that all those boys in blue are responsible, that they would seldom make a mistake, and never lie about it.
Cops. There are good, and there are bad. When you see them in military gear, possibly carrying military weapons, you're looking at something between not-good and very-very bad.
Unless you happen to be an advocate for a police state, in which case, you can't possibly have enough SWAT teams.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday July 02 2018, @02:06PM (1 child)
Honestly, it's probably a pretty good job as far as low-paying jobs go. Not much actual work and a likely a good retirement plan.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Funny) by frojack on Monday July 02 2018, @10:16PM
The occasional unscheduled retirement can be a bitch.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday July 02 2018, @05:41PM (3 children)
If all police officers were to become indistinguishable from a SWAT team, then would there even be a SWAT "team" any longer? Or simply make all police be part of the military. For our safety.
The bad ones possibly have psychological problems making them unsuitable to even be officers. Among those problems might be an aspiration to be on a SWAT team and not having any accountability.
Your sig:
In this case, your brother would then be a sister. So there would be a sister marrying your
brothersister.Now if I understand how biology works when two sisters marry (yes, I typed that with a straight face...), then the offspring produced by two
brotherssisters marrying would be genetically inbred due to the sibling relationship of the parents.The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Monday July 02 2018, @09:46PM (1 child)
When two sisters marry you don't get kids. Believe me, if lesbian lovemaking produced children I'd have a baseball--well, softball--team with my girlfriend by now =P
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by takyon on Monday July 02 2018, @10:54PM
Here is a paper that covers (and supports) the wimpy possibility of having a child genetically related to one mother, but with mitochondria from another:
https://jme.bmj.com/content/early/2018/02/28/medethics-2017-104450 [bmj.com]
But what you'd really want is something like in vitro gametogenesis:
https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/you-won-t-believe-what-baby-making-science-could-soon-n714411 [nbcnews.com]
The technical barriers to creating a genetic child from two female (or male) parents are not insurmountable. I predict that it could be done within a decade, but assume a high price tag. Although basic IVF is surprisingly modest cost-wise [verywellfamily.com], I would assume no less than $100k for a same-sex IVG procedure. I also assume that you would only be able to have female offspring initially, but there may be ways around that as well.
(Obviously, IVF/IVG does not happen at the same time as lovemaking.)
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday July 03 2018, @01:19AM
I wonder how many people have read that silly sig, and correctly identified where it came from.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_All_Men_Were_Brothers,_Would_You_Let_One_Marry_Your_Sister%3F [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by mhajicek on Monday July 02 2018, @08:33PM
That cop in Florida who stayed outside had been ordered to do so. He was thrown under the bus for not paying his b̶l̶u̶e̶ ̶l̶i̶n̶e̶ ̶f̶e̶e̶ police union dues. And from what I've seen it's more like there area few good apples. Dozens of entire departments are corrupt and filled with quite literally evil officers who will lie, cheat, steal, and murder for personal gain and pleasure. We do not need or want these people to be even more militarized than they already are. I would feel safer with all police departments disbanded.
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek