Category Archives: Crime

by | September 18, 2011 · 6:40 pm

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Florida Hotel Evacuated By Police Bomb Squad After "Suspicious" Suitcases Are Found In Lobby

“…The scare shut down nearby roads and displaced about 300 guests. They were shifted to the nearby Renaissance Hotel. Deputies roped the area off and surrounded the hotel…”

An International Drive hotel was evacuated Sunday night after two suspicious packages were found in the lobby, Orange County deputies said.

Authorities said the bomb squad was called to the Hilton Garden Inn on Westwood Boulevard. The suspicious packages were two suitcases that were left behind by guests in the lobby at about 6:00 p.m.

After nearly four hours, investigators deemed the two suitcases safe. But officials haven’t said what they found inside.

For more:  http://www.wftv.com/news/29225407/detail.html

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by | September 13, 2011 · 10:49 am

Hospitality Industry Information Security Risks: Senate Introduces "Personal Data Protection And Breach Accountability Act Of 2011" Forcing Companies To Secure Personal Data

“…Introduced by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), the Personal Data Protection and Breach Accountability Act of 2011 would force companies that hold online information for more than 10,000 people to follow strict guidelines to ensure the data is stored correctly…”

The U.S. Senate will consider a bill aimed at protecting citizens’ personal information from online data theft, and penalizing companies that don’t adequately store and safeguard their customers’ personal information.

The bill would impose fines on companies who don’t follow the guidelines and leave customer data open to compromise, and open the door for customers to sue companies that don’t adequately protect their data.

Blumenthal’s bill would put the U.S. government in line with states such as Massachusetts, which has legislation that fines companies that improperly protect residents’ digital data.

For more:  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44491737/

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by | September 12, 2011 · 7:11 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Minnesota Hotel Security Employees "Fight" With "Partiers" As Mini Riot Erupts Outside Hotel

 “…hotel security employees were fighting with event-goers… partiers soon began moving north on Nicollet Mall, throwing restaurant patio furniture into the streets and getting into fights, but damage was minimal…

Police made three arrests after what they’re calling a “mini riot” broke out on the streets of downtown Minneapolis. Dozens of officers responded to a dance party involving several hundred teens called Big Bash 2 around 10 p.m. Saturday. The event was held in a hall next to the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Three people were arrested, including someone who punched an officer in the face.

For more: http://www.chron.com/default/article/Police-arrest-3-after-mini-riot-in-Minneapolis-2165669.php

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by | September 6, 2011 · 2:18 pm

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Wisconsin Hotel Guest Reports Over $14,000 In Cash And Jewelry Stolen After Employee Talked Into Giving Room Key Out

“…A woman stole $9,400 worth of jewelry and $5,000 cash from a North Side hotel room after convincing the clerk to give her a key…”

“…She told the front desk employee about 1 a.m. Aug. 28 she needed to retrieve something from the room. She allowed the clerk to speak on the phone with a man who gave her permission to enter the room…”

The woman claimed to be the girlfriend of the man who rented a room at the Econo Lodge, 1906 Rose St.

The man who rented the room said he didn’t give anyone authorization. He discovered the cash along with a $3,000 diamond ring, $2,500 watch and $3,900 diamond medallion gone, reports stated.

For more: http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/article_1f02751a-d89e-11e0-bb0d-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1XDG1LiFR

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by | September 1, 2011 · 5:27 am

Hospitality Industry Employee Risks: Utah Hotels Report Layoffs After U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement (ICE) Audits Find Insufficient "Validations To Work"

 “Responsible employers who seek to conduct their business lawfully are put at an unfair disadvantage as they try to compete with unscrupulous businesses. Such businesses gain a competitive edge by paying illegal alien workers low wages or otherwise exploiting them.”  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Some reports say 120 employees have been laid off at the Grand America Hotel after an audit report found several of their workers did not have current validation to work in the United States.

Hotel president Bruce Fery said in a statement Wednesday the Grand America is not alone and audits are being conducted statewide. He says that the employees that were found with invalid documentation had “presented facially valid documents when they were hired.”

The recent layoffs come as Utahns and local politicians are debating whether to allow undocumented workers to remain.

For more:  http://www.fox13now.com/news/local/kstu-grand-america-hotel-lays-off-workers-over-lack-of-work-documentation-20110831,0,3023635.story

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by | August 31, 2011 · 6:56 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Security: Police Arrest Man Taking Pictures Of Women In Bathroom At Missouri Hotel

“Right after that we got another call from another hotel saying the exact same thing,” said Ofcr. Darrin Snapp with KCPD. “A lady was in a public restroom and she was actually washing her hands, looked up and there was a gentleman standing over the stall with a camera phone appearing to take pictures of her.”

“If you stay somewhere with a big name like that you think there is security and safeguards and people aren’t walking through their front door getting inside of the hotel,”

A man is behind bars for invading the privacy of two women at Kansas City hotels. Police say the man was taking pictures of women as they tried to use the restroom. One incident happened at the downtown Mariott and the other happened at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Officers were first called to the Marriott after a woman saw a man standing on a toilet and looking over the bathroom stall.

For more:  http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-man-behind-bars-peeping-hotels-20110830,0,3067600.story

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by | August 29, 2011 · 9:07 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Hotels Are Targeted By Terrorists For "Worldwide Attention"; Housekeepers Should Be Trained To "Report Suspicious Activity"

“…Terrorists are increasingly targeting hotels because of the worldwide attention such attacks receive…so it’s important to have a plan in place. Marriott, for one, uses a multi-point crisis management program that is reviewed semiannually…”

Preparedness should extend beyond a company’s executives, said Tom Whitlatch of Hospitality Risk Controls. Housekeepers, those employees who spend a considerable amount of time in hotel hallways and guestrooms, need to be trained to keep an eye out for suspicious behavior.

Housekeepers, he said, should not be afraid to challenge people they see in hallways to show room keys. “We have to train them and get them to understand it’s OK to do that,” Whitlatch said.

Further, housekeepers need to keep their eyes open for suspicious activity in guestrooms, too, Durham said.

“It’s the housekeeper who might go into the room who might notice something unusual about a piece of equipment or luggage sitting on the bed,” she said.

For more:  http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.aspx/6312/Experts-detail-hotel-security-plans

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by | August 25, 2011 · 3:23 pm

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Wisconsin Hotel Employee Responsible For Spotting And Reporting Thief On Property

“…A housekeeper saw a man with a metal tool in his hand get out of a Chevy Malibu and peer into the window of a car in the lot. The employee recognized it as the same car involved in a break-in the prior week…”

An observant hotel maid helped nab people believed to be responsible for thefts in a number of communities. According to the Wauwatosa police report:

An 18-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested for theft and retail theft and a 17-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested for retail theft after they were seen prowling in Crowne Plaza Hotel parking lot, 10499 Innovation Drive, at 3:56 p.m. Aug. 14.

The vehicle also matched the description of a car seen driving away from a retail theft at Advanced Auto Parts on 121st Street and Capitol Drive in July. The stolen auto parts were found still in the trunk.

Menomonee Falls, Germantown and Greenfield police believe the duo also is responsible for thefts in their communities.

For more:  http://www.wauwatosanow.com/news/128324293.html

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by | August 24, 2011 · 8:00 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Privacy Risks: Virginia Hotel Sued For Violating "Fair And Accurate Credit Transactions Act"; Receipts "Bore Expiration Date Of Credit Card"

“…(the suit) would include individuals who received electronically printed receipts for transactions at Marjac Suites after June 30, 2008, and whose receipts bore the expiration date of their credit or debit card…”

A willful violation of the statute, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, can trigger damages of $100 to $1,000 per transaction, along with attorneys’ fees and costs.

A Virginia Beach hotel broke a privacy-protection law by including restricted information on a credit-card receipt, a hotel guest alleges in a suit filed in federal court in Norfolk.

The plaintiff, James T. Buechler of Baltimore County, Md., contends that Marjac Suites on Atlantic Avenue and its owner, Burlage Hotel Associates, violated a federal statute in January by printing Buechler’s card-expiration date on his receipt at checkout.

Buechler is seeking damages “on behalf of himself and the thousands of other consumers placed at risk by defendant’s unlawful practice,” according to the suit, filed Aug. 10.

Buechler is asking the court to certify his suit as a class action. Members of the proposed class would include individuals who received electronically printed receipts for transactions at Marjac Suites after June 30, 2008, and whose receipts bore the expiration date of their credit or debit card.

For more:  http://hamptonroads.com/2011/08/guest-claims-va-beach-hotel-violated-privacy-law

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by | August 16, 2011 · 8:43 am

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Valuable Original Artwork Stolen From Los Angeles Hotel Located After "News Coverage" Leads To Tip; Hotel Security Video Holds Key To Finding Suspects (Video)

“We got an anonymous tip because there was so much news coverage…That really was the turning point. The news coverage led people to call us and say, ‘Hey, I’ve seen this, and this is where I’ve seen it.’

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-PNBTI5Crw&feature=player_embedded]

“…High-tech specialists are scouring hotel security video, and authorities may release a sketch or stills of the suspects later this week or next week…”

 

Owners of the drawing, known as “The Judgment,” verified just after midnight that the recovered 11 X 16 inch pen-and-ink artwork was indeed the original that had vanished from an exhibit on Saturday night, said Steve Whitmore, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Police Department.

An anonymous tip led investigators to the church around 7 p.m. on Monday. Experts from the Linearis Institute, which owns the drawing, later verified its authenticity, he said.

There are no suspects in custody, and authorities are not commenting on how the drawing — valued at $250,000 — ended up at the church on Ventura Boulevard in the city about 25 miles from Los Angeles. They also are not confirming the name of the church.

The drawing was in “a building on the church grounds, not in the sanctuary,” Whitmore said. It wasn’t hanging on a wall or otherwise displayed, he said.

For more:  http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/16/us-rembrandt-heist-california-idUSTRE77F49620110816

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