Portland Protests Death of Patrick Kimmons, Who Was Shot by Police

More than 100 marched through downtown Portland on Saturday to protest the death of Patrick Kimmons, who was fatally shot by police officers last Sunday.

Kimmons was shot shortly after 3 a.m. Sept. 30, when the Portland Police Bureau said Sgt. Garry Britt and Officer Jeffrey Livingston heard gunshots from inside their vehicles, parked near.

Sources who spoke to The Oregonian/OregonLive on condition of anonymity because they're not authorized to release the information painted a somewhat clearer picture of what occurred early last Sunday.

They said police Sgt. Garry Britt and Officer Jeffrey Livingston were in their police cars parked in a lot at the northeast corner of Southwest Fourth Avenue and Harvey Milk Street when they heard gunshots. They alerted dispatch about 3 a.m. and got out of their marked police SUVs.

At the other end of the lot nearer to Southwest Third Avenue, there was a fight and a shooting, leaving two men wounded. Police then saw Kimmons turn toward them or head their way holding a gun, the sources said.

The officers yelled commands and fired at Kimmons with their handguns, striking him in the upper torso and leg. Between the sergeant and officer, 10 to 12 shots were fired.  (Oregon Live, October 6, 2018)
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Protests and demonstrations are a frequent occurrence in Portland.

Sentry Safe Cut in Half with a Circular Saw (Lock Picking Lawyer)

Lock Picking Lawyer on his YouTube channel demonstrates that a Sentry Safe can be cut in half FAST!

Many people purchase this type of safe for their homes, and perhaps for their businesses. As we see in the video however, they provide almost no security against forced entry. The safe was cut completely in half in just a couple of minutes.

Most home security products provide little more than the illusion of security against a skilled adversary. When choosing a security product it is important to understand how the product is constructed, what its weaknesses are, and how those weaknesses may be exploited to defeat your security.
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According to an article in The Olympian (October 7, 2018) if I-1639 (Washington's 'Changes to Gun Ownership and Purchase Requirements Measure') becomes law "Anyone who stores a gun where a person not allowed to own a firearm could access it would be guilty of a felony if the prohibited person gained access to it." So, you keep your handgun in a safe in your home, and someone breaks in, cuts your safe in half  and in less than 5 minutes is gone with your handgun and other valuables. - If you report this crime to the police YOU could be charged with a felony! 

Police Officer Caught Selling Confidential Law Enforcement Data on the Dark Web

A French police officer has been charged and arrested last week for selling confidential data on the dark web in exchange for Bitcoin. The officer worked for Direction Générale de la Sécurité Intérieure (DGSI, translated to General Directorate for Internal Security), a French intelligence agency charged with counter-espionage, counter-terrorism, countering cybercrime and surveillance of potentially threatening groups, organizations, and social media.

French authorities did not release the officer's name but said he operated using the pseudonym Haurus on a dark web market known as Black Hand.

French authorities also say the officer advertised a service to track the location of mobile devices based on a supplied phone number. He advertised the system as a way to track spouses or members of competing criminal gangs. Investigators believe Haurus was using the French police resources designed with the intention to track criminals for this service.

He also advertised a service that told buyers if they were tracked by French police and what information officers had on them.  (ZDNet, October 3, 2018)
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An this is why there should be no law enforcement backdoors built into encryption!

An Associated Press investigation found police officers across the country [in the US] abuse confidential law enforcement databases to get information on romantic partners, business associates, neighbors, journalists and others for reasons totally unrelated to police work. In the worst cases, officers have stalked, harassed and tampered with criminal cases using details obtained through criminal history and motor vehicle databases.

In Washington State, Antiwar Activists Challenge Army’s Domestic Spying Apparatus in Ninth Circuit.

In most cases police officers use their access to data for official and authorized purposes. But there are exceptions as we have seen. It is the exceptions that pose the risk to our personal safety and security.

Jury Convicts Chicago Police Officer of 2nd-degree Murder for On-Duty Shooting

A jury on Friday convicted Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke of second-degree murder in the 2014 shooting of teenager Laquan McDonald.

Van Dyke was charged with first degree-murder in the October 2014 killing, a charge that requires a finding that the shooting was unnecessary and unreasonable. The judge told jurors the second-degree charge was also available, requiring them to find Van Dyke believed his life was in danger but that the belief was unreasonable.

Jurors also convicted him of aggravated battery, but acquitted him of official misconduct. It's the first time in half a century that a Chicago police officer has been convicted of murder for an on-duty death.

McDonald was carrying a knife when Van Dyke fired 16 shots into the 17-year-old as he walked away from police.

Van Dyke was the first Chicago police officer to be charged with murder for an on-duty shooting in more than 50 years. That case, which also involved an officer shooting someone with a knife, ended in conviction in 1970.  (Q13 News, October 5, 2018)
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A police officer on the street has just seconds to make a decision, but a jury hearing a case will have days, weeks, or even months to review the evidence and make a determination as to whether the police officer's use of force was justified.

We recently saw a Lynnwood, WA civil settlement of $1.75-million in a police involved shooting.

On Friday (October 5, 2018), the city of Philadelphia also agreed to pay $1 million to the family of David Jones, a black man who was shot and killed by an on-duty white police officer last summer following a traffic stop in Northeast Philadelphia. The now former officer is facing murder charges.

And as we see with the above cases and in the Chicago case leading this blog post, juries are returning verdicts against police officers who shoot individuals who do not pose a clear and immediate danger to the officer or others in the area. An item of interest in these shooting (although not specifically identified as affecting the jury's decisions) is the number of times a police officer shoots a person. Police officers are often firing multiple shots (16 in the Chicago case) at individuals, giving the impression that the intent of the officer is to kill and not self-defense.

In November residents of Washington state will vote on I-940, which if passed into law will make it easier to prosecute police officers in Washington when / if they shoot someone in the performance of their duties. The question residents of Washington must ask themselves is should police officers be immune from murder charges, or subject to criminal prosecution for killing someone in the line of duty as we have just seen in Chicago.

Pulled Over While Connected: Siri Can Quietly Video Record the Police

Just say, "Hey Siri, I'm getting pulled over."

One of the latest apps to hit the iOS 12 mobile highway is Shortcuts. With it, users can plot out a series of actions and trigger them by signaling the voice-assistant. One savvy user created an add-on called Police that can give drivers added security during traffic stops.

The brainchild of Redditer Robert Petersen of Arizona, Police was created to covertly record law enforcement officials to "keep everyone safe and honest."

“I have noticed in reading news articles and seeing reports on TV that in many cases you end up with police saying one thing happened and the citizen being pulled over saying another,” Petersen said to USA TODAY. “And how do you determine truth? Sometimes the police have body cams, sometimes not, and even when they do it’s not always released in a timely manner.”

How does the shortcut work?

Once Siri is alerted about the traffic stop, the program springs into action to pause any music that may be playing, turn down your screen brightness and puts your phone in Do Not Disturb mode. Siri then sends a text message to a designated emergency contact to let them know what’s happening.

Once users stop the recording, a copy of the video is sent to a specified contact, the brightness returns to normal, and Do Not Disturb is disabled, Petersen said.  (King 5 News, October 4, 2018)
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"Shortcuts" lets you create other voice activated shortcuts as well. You can run an app, or a series of apps, to accomplish whatever tasks you wish.

 

Interview with Andy Yen the Founder of ProtonMail, 9 Short Statements on Privacy

Andy Yen the founder of ProtonMail discusses privacy in nine short statements.

Why focus on privacy? Andy Yen Interview Part 1 of 9 (1:16)

Why Privacy Matters Today: Interview with Andy Yen of ProtonMail, Part 2 of 9 (2:36)

Why Email is Important for Privacy: Andy Yen Interview Part 3 of 9 (1:58)

Individual Privacy vs. State Security: Interview with Andy Yen of ProtonMail, Part 4 of 9 (1:31)

The Most Promising Developments in Privacy: Interview with Andy Yen of ProtonMail, Part 5 of 9 (1:08)

What's more difficult? Business or Physics? Interview with Andy Yen of ProtonMail, Part 6 of 9  (1:03)

Internet Privacy Matters More Than Ever: Interview with Andy Yen of ProtonMail, Part 7 of 9 (1:11)

The Use and Misuse of Blockchain: Interview with Andy Yen of ProtonMail, Part 8 of 9 (1:15)

The Future of Privacy, Worst & Best Case Scenarios: Interview with Andy Yen, Part 9 of 9  (2:21)

Security Training, Education and Professionalization Portal (STEPP)

Security Training, Education and Professionalization Portal (STEPP) has moved to a new site. https://cdse.usalearning.gov STEPP is a government learning management system where you are able to take security courses designed for the Department of Defense and other U.S. Government personnel and contractors within the National Industrial Security Program.

STEPP allows individuals outside of the U.S. government to register for an account and access some courses.