Tag Archives: Crime

by | March 11, 2011 · 7:51 pm

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Hotel Employee "Erroneously" Gives Room Key To Man Who Is Charged With Child Molestation And Assault

Allegedly, the suspect was not a registered guest at the hotel but was staying with a registered guest. He approached a front desk clerk and stated that he did not have his room key and therefore needed a replacement key.

On top of that, the suspect stated to the clerk which room that he was staying in, and … the clerk did not bother to check the suspect’s identfication against the stated room number.

According to KMOV-News, An intoxicated adult male, Daniel T. Hughes, 42, had asked for a room key at the Ritz Carlton Hotel and was not only given the wrong room key, but climbed into bed with a 9-year old child.

The child’s parents were asleep in an ajoined room. At this time. the Clayton Police Department, do not believe that the suspect had any prediposed motives leading up to the assault, however, he was arrested, charged, and being held on bail. The incident occurred early Sunday evening around 4:00 a.m.

For more:  http://www.examiner.com/offender-awareness-in-st-louis/error-judgment-by-ritz-carlton-employee-leads-to-child-molestation

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by | March 4, 2011 · 8:32 am

Hospitality Industry Employee Theft: Delaware Hotel Accounting Manager Arrested For Cash Thefts And Falsifying Business Records

Detectives with the Division of Gaming Enforcement arrested 53-year-old Andrew McCoy of Smyrna on Tuesday. He is charged with theft and falsifying business records.

  • An employee theft is any intentional misappropriation of employer property, e.g., inventory, fixed assets, currency checks, or trade secrets.
  • It can include fraud (intentionally misleading the employer), embezzlement (theft of corporate funds) or forgery (altered negotiable instruments).
  • It can be as straightforward as a theft of petty cash or as complex as a misappropriation scheme detectable only in an audit.
  • It can be the isolated act of a single low-level employee or a complex scheme involving a trusted senior employee.

Authorities say the former director of hotel accounting at Dover Downs has been arrested in connection with cash thefts from the hotel. Dover Downs CEO Denis McGlynn tells The News Journal of Wilmington that McCoy was fired in February after evidence was found of internal thefts. McGlynn says the thefts, believed to have totaled between $20,000 and $25,000, involved small cash transactions.

For more:  http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/ac67083ec0e54c05a592be7577a39914/DE–Dover_Downs-Theft/#

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by | February 28, 2011 · 10:16 am

Hotel Industry Crime Risks: Missouri Hotel "Disruptive Party Room" Turns Into Multiple Murder Crime Scene

At 3:19 a.m., a caller told a dispatcher that there was a large group of people and a “disturbance” inside a second-floor room at the Red Roof Inn.

Authorities have identified the three men who were killed in a shooting early Saturday at a party inside a Northland hotel room. Investigators have not determined what prompted the shootings that occurred early Saturday at the Red Roof Inn near Interstate 435 at Missouri 210.

Joksimovic and Hamidovic died at the scene. Elizondo died early today at a hospital after he was taken off of life support.

Marcus Regan, Metro Squad spokesman, said it remained unclear what happened. There were about 15 people inside the second-floor hotel room. Something went wrong during the party and several gunshots were fired, Regan said.

Investigators continue to look for witnesses, he said. Relatives of Joksimovic declined to speak, but through a family interpreter, his mother said her son was a good kid. The family had moved to the area about two years ago. North Kansas City school officials said Joksimovic, who is of Serbian descent, attended North Kansas City High School and was on track to graduate this spring.

Authorities said that the party had been disruptive while in Independence. Twice their revelry had triggered noise complaints that attracted police.

Investigators did not immediately know what prompted the shootings. As the shots rang out, all three victims slumped inside the hotel room.

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/02/27/2685550/third-victim-dies-in-northland.html##ixzz1FHB1zZ1Z

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by | February 10, 2011 · 10:40 am

Hotel Industry Risks: Sprinkler System Extinguishes Fire In A Tennessee Hotel Room Caused By Criminal "Meth Lab" Operation

“…Clarksville Fire Rescue and Emergency Medical Services responded to a fire alarm at the Value Place Inn… By the time emergency crews arrived, the sprinkler system had extinguished the fire…”

“The temperature in that room had to reach at least 155 degrees for the sprinkler system to come on,” Williams said. “We suspected that it was things used to cook meth.”

 

“…This is the second meth lab bust in a hotel in the past few months…”

A search of his room uncovered a burned bathtub, a one-gallon can of camp fuel and the burned remains of a plastic Coke bottle. There was also a strong odor of camp fuel coming from the room, Williams said. The man had second- and third-degree burns on his face, neck, chest and both arms, Williams said. The man was sedated and transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s burn unit. He man has not been identified, and his condition is unknown at this time.

The Drug Task Force was called in and blocked off an entire wing of the hotel. “We found what was left of a meth lab that caught fire, and it had also injured the subject that was in the room,” said Lt. Jesse Reynolds, director of the 19th Judicial District Drug Task Force. “We removed the evidence, and a cleanup crew was called out to pick up the components.”

For more:  http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20110210/NEWS01/102100309

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by | December 7, 2010 · 6:22 am

Hotel Industry Security Risks: Connecticut Hotel Pays Damages To Settle Civil Suit Brought By Woman Assaulted In Hotel Garage By A “Drifter” Who “Roamed The Garage For Hours”

The Tresser Boulevard hotel was accused of failing to prevent the 2006 assault in which a drifter roamed the garage for hours

Surveillance cameras in hotels.

before sexually assaulting a woman named in court papers as “Jane Doe.”

The victim claimed Fricker had been in the hotel and garage and acted suspiciously for days leading up to the sexual assault. The lawsuit alleged the hotel security staff failed to notice him or make him leave.

A woman raped at gunpoint in front of her children four years ago in the Stamford Marriott parking garage has settled a civil lawsuit filed against the hotel for an undisclosed amount of money.

Attorneys involved in the lawsuits would not comment about details in the case, which was withdrawn this September and resolved using a private alternative dispute resolution firm.

“It’s been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties and no further comment will be made,” said Donald Derrico, a lawyer representing the Stamford Marriott Hotel and Spa. The Tresser Boulevard hotel was accused of failing to prevent the 2006 assault in which a drifter roamed the garage for hours before sexually assaulting a woman named in court papers as “Jane Doe.”

Gary Fricker, a Danbury native and transient carpenter, was arrested three days after the October 2006 assault and was sentenced a year later to 20 years in prison. Wanted in Florida on arson charges, Fricker roamed the Marriott parking garage looking for victims before targeting a then-40-year-old mother, an arrest affidavit said.

One woman called police after the assault and said a man matching Fricker’s description was following her around the garage about an hour before the attack. A second woman reported her ATM card stolen from the garage that afternoon. Fricker tried to use it later that day, police said.

Authorities say Fricker put a gun to the back of the victim and forced her young children into their minivan, where he raped the woman after trying to rob her. He fled when the woman screamed and a car passed by. He was arrested in White Plains, N.Y., and immediately confessed to the attack.

The civil lawsuit was filed in March 2008, six month after Fricker was sentenced. The victim claimed Fricker had been in the hotel and garage and acted suspiciously for days leading up to the sexual assault. The lawsuit alleged the hotel security staff failed to notice him or make him leave.

The hotel had no security director or internal security policies at the time of the assault, according to a deposition in the case.

More than a year after the lawsuit was filed, controversy erupted over special defenses filed by lawyers hired by the Marriott that claimed the woman was careless, negligent and failed to “exercise due care” for her own safety and for the safety of her children. Attorneys said if the defense wasn’t raised they might have lost a chance to bring it up again in the future.

For more:  http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Settlement-reached-in-Marriott-rape-case-860707.php

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by | November 15, 2010 · 7:22 pm

Hotel Industry Security Risks: Department Of Homeland Security (DHS) Launches Initiative To Raise Hotel Employees Awareness Of Potential Terrorism

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have joined forces on an initiative to encourage and educate lodging employees to recognize, report, and react to suspicious and crisis situations that occur on property. 

It is a simple and effective program to raise public awareness of indicators of terrorism, crime, and other threats, and emphasize the importance of employees reporting suspicious activity to their supervisors and in turn, security or law enforcement authorities. 

In May DHS launched their “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign, which was originally implemented by New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and funded, in part, by $13 million from DHS’s Transit Security Grant Program.  It has since been customized and expanded for surface transportation (Amtrak), general aviation, several cities and states around the country, and now the lodging industry.  With the assistance of AH&LA’s Loss Prevention Committee, DHS has created public education materials for industry employees, including posters, table circulars and paystub inserts. 

Last month, AH&LA, via its Loss Prevention Committee, teamed with DHS to create a guide, video and threat assessment document specifically to help hoteliers plan and manage security at their facilities.  The Protective Measures Guide for the U.S. Lodging Industry provides an overview of threat, vulnerability, and protective measures designed to assist hotel owners and operators in planning and managing security at their facilities.  The No Reservations: Suspicious Behavior in Hotels video is designed to provide information to help hotel employees identify and report suspicious activities and threats in a timely manner.  The video is approximately 10 minutes in length and intended for use by all hotel employees. A Spanish version will be available in the near future.  All three items are available in the members only section of the AH&LA Website.

The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) is working with the AH&LA Loss Prevention Committee, DHS, and other agencies to update its current security certifications and to develop new programs designed to provide hospitality security personnel and other employees with information on terrorism awareness and anti-terrorism preparedness.

For more:  http://www.hotelinteractive.com/article.aspx?articleid=18760

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by | November 6, 2010 · 8:46 am

Hospitality Industry Crime: Hotel Lobby ATM Machines Can Be “Retrofitted” By Criminals With Card Readers And Cameras To Steal Guest ATM Card Information

“…criminals retrofit ATMs with a card reader that stores the magnetic information of customer cards. They then put that data onto a blank card to make transactions — or cash withdrawals. For withdrawals, they also install a small camera to capture the customer typing in the PIN. Thus, with a small investment of time and equipment, they have everything they need to grab cash from the bank accounts of unsuspecting ATM users…”

According to the BBB alert, “ATM skimmers are close to reaping $1 billion annually from unsuspecting consumers. Javelin Strategy & Research estimates that one in five people have become victims.”

It’s hardly an urban myth. In fact, I think I am revisiting my previous paranoia and considering becoming yet more cautious. Installing a skimming device and a camera is a quick operation, so even the ATM I prefer in the well-lit parking lot of my own bank could fall prey. According to the BBB, in addition to using ATMs that are clean, well lit, and in good repair, I should give it a good visual examination each time I use it. If part of the reader apparatus seems loose, move on — or pull on it and see what happens.

In May, a Florida man did just that. His bank’s ATM looked wrong. He tugged on a part that looked loose — and it came off in his hand. It was a skimming device. His “paranoia” allowed police to shut down that particular operation a mere 10 minutes after it had been set up, thus saving any number of people from being scammed.

For more:  http://www.pcworld.com/article/209959/atm_skimming_cash_machine_paranoia_justified.html

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by | October 14, 2010 · 6:24 pm

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Arizona City Hotel Ordinance Seeks To Curb Guests Who Pay In Cash And Withhold Registering Name In Attempt To Stop Crime

The city is advancing a hotel-motel ordinance designed to track who stays in hotels, which police say will drive away prostitutes, drug dealers and other criminals who pay in cash and don’t give their name.

Police are more interested in patrons who pay by cash or who check in at hotels that don’t require a name, Chief Frank Milstead said. Patrons who check in with a credit card aren’t trying to hide, he said.

Mesa hotels will likely be forced to ask guests for an ID or some other proof of identity under a push to drive crime out of the city’s hotels.

The city is advancing a hotel-motel ordinance designed to track who stays in hotels, which police say will drive away prostitutes, drug dealers and other criminals who pay in cash and don’t give their name.

Police say other cities have fought crime with similar rules, but technology is posing a challenge as the city drafts an ordinance that requires a hotel to see a guest’s ID, verify license plate numbers and keep records for a year.

Many hotels are converting to paperless registration, so it’s possible for guests to check in, pay by credit card and get a key without interacting with a hotel employee. Hotels don’t want to burden guests with showing an ID when a swipe of a credit card will identify who is checking in, said Robert Brinton, president of the Mesa Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“We don’t want them to say it’s a hassle staying in Mesa,” Brinton said.

Police are more interested in patrons who pay by cash or who check in at hotels that don’t require a name, Chief Frank Milstead said. Patrons who check in with a credit card aren’t trying to hide, he said.

“Those aren’t the people we’re looking for,” Milstead said.

The city’s Public Safety Committee agreed to move forward with the rules on Thursday. The proposal stems from police statistics in 2009 that showed 6 percent of all warrant arrests and 4 percent of all drug arrests were at hotels and motels. Just 10 hotels accounted for 49 percent of the warrant arrests and 64 percent of drug arrests. Police say regulation will greatly reduce the time they spend at hotels and allow them to fight other crime.

A hotel-motel review board would oversee the rules, with some members being nominated by the hotel industry and some by the city. Hotels that don’t collect IDs and keep the information for a year could face fines of $250 to $2,500.

Hotels support the rules, but say the ID issue needs to be resolved so it’s possible for guests to check in without showing an ID to a hotel when their identity has been revealed through a credit card payment. Also, Brinton said the six-page ordinance could probably be thinned to two pages to make the rules simple.

For more:  http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/local/article_cdd2a84c-d7e3-11df-a6e4-001cc4c03286.html

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by | September 28, 2010 · 5:50 am

Hotel Industry Security Risk Management: Hotel Surveillance Systems Used For “Outsider” And “Insider” Threats As Video Systems Perfect “Facial Recognition” Systems

“A homeless person was trying to sneak into the hotel, and we got a shot of him and put it in the system,” explains John Alan  Moore, the hotel’s director of security and life safety, by way of example. When the video system picked him up trying to enter the hotel again, the system sent off an alert, so security might escort him off the property.

“…the hotel isn’t just monitoring for potential outsider threat; it’s also keeping an eye out for rogue insiders, too.The hotel is using facial recognition to monitor employee behavior, paying particular attention to any former employees who leave on less-than-pleasant terms. All employees are informed that video monitoring of them takes place…”

As open buildings, hotels are typically on guard for any signs of trouble. So it’s no surprise that the downtown Hilton Americas-Houston just upgraded its video-surveillance system, installing one based on 3VR Security’s digital recorder platform for the sake of efficient retrieval of video footage for research.

Americas-Houston’s new networked digital-video system also includes facial recognition capability so Hilton can input a digital facial image that can send out an alert related to that individual if picked up by the video surveillance cameras.

But the hotel isn’t just monitoring for potential outsider threat; it’s also keeping an eye out for rogue insiders, too.The hotel is using facial recognition to monitor employee behavior, paying particular attention to any former employees who leave on less-than-pleasant terms. All employees are informed that video monitoring of them takes place.

The video system monitors the areas where employees come to punch into time clocks in order to verify the person’s identity. But perhaps more significantly, the facial recognition system is used to watch for any suspicious activities of employees or former employees.

“If someone leaves under bad conditions, we set up alerts for that,” Moore says. If the former employee suddenly showed up at the hotel, the video surveillance system would send out an alert.

In any serious cases related to any trouble, the video surveillance footage is stored and can be e-mailed to insurance carriers or the local district attorney. The system has 1TB each of storage and backup and only saves movement in clips.

The video surveillance system is used far more often for examining more mundane problems, such as when a guest complains of misplacing an item or wondering where the valet is. And the hotel isn’t doing facial recognition of its guests — though it would be nice to know whenever a top celebrity might walk through the door.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/09/27/urnidgns852573C400693880002577AB003BA3C6.DTL#ixzz10pcTDCVe

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by | September 23, 2010 · 1:56 pm

Hospitality Industry Security Management: Hotel Surveillance Cameras In Garage And Parking Areas Can Assist Police And Deter Crime At Properties

Surveillance cameras in the hotel captured the suspect’s image walking through the hotel’s garage and up a stairway in the hotel. He is described as a black male, about 5-foot-10, weighing about 200

Surveillance cameras in the hotel captured the suspect’s image walking through the hotel’s garage and up a stairway in the hotel. He is described as a black male, about 5-foot-10, weighing about 200 pounds and estimated at 25-35 years old.

pounds and estimated at 25-35 years old.

Police are searching for a man who entered an apartment at the Alexandria Hotel in the early morning of Sept. 21 and stole cash, credit cards and laptops from the couple who live in the unit.

The married couple was awoken when the apartment’s main room lights were turned on at about 4 a.m., apparently by the suspect who entered the unlocked unit. The suspect then entered the bedroom wielding a knife, Lt. Paul Vernon said. The victims agreed to cooperate with the suspect, and gave him their ATM access codes.

“Most burglars go out of their way to avoid confrontation,” Vernon said. “This suspect was not afraid of running into his victims, and perhaps, intended to all along. That makes him more dangerous.”

Police use the phrase “hot prowl” to refer to robberies or burglaries that take place while victims are present.

Based on the captured surveillance image, police are hoping someone will recognize the suspect and contact detectives. Vernon said that investigators are currently working with staff at the hotel, at 501 S. Spring St., to determine whether the suspect was possibly a resident.

“We hope someone will recognize him so we can arrest him before he hurts someone,” Vernon said.

Anyone with information on this crime is urged to call Det. Alfredo Rasch at (213) 972-1245. Anonymous tips can be called into Crimestoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477), or by texting 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.”

For more:  http://www.ladowntownnews.com/articles/2010/09/23/news/doc4c9b8e5aeb21d597761290.txt

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