Latest news with #K9
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
With so many weekend events, find out how Philly police are meeting the security challenge
The Brief Philadelphia police discuss security preps ahead of big events in the city this weekend. The Roots Picnic Music Festival is on Saturday and Sunday and Philly Pride Month festivities kick off on Friday. The music festival and the Philadelphia Pride March attract large crowds annually. CENTER CITY - Security in Philadelphia is going to be high throughout the weekend due to all the events happening, with the Roots Picnic Music Festival and Philly Pride Month festivities and falling just days after a mass shooting in Fairmount Park. Heightened security This weekend, tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the Roots Picnic Music Festival and Philly Pride Month festivities, and Philadelphia police are planning a large security presence to match. In fact, Chief Inspector John Przepiorka, the Commanding Officer of the PPD Tactical Support Bureau, said in light of the mass shooting on Memorial Day there will be stepped-up deployment in the Philadelphia Park System. "That will consist of uniformed officers, as well as plain-clothes officers, riding through the parks, checking on the crowd capacity, what the size is – what's going on in the park – is it just kids at play or is there anything nefarious in the works – that kind of thing," said Chief Inspector Przepiorka. "We're going to keep a better eye on the parks throughout the area and again to make sure that people that can go there, can enjoy the park and have a great time, but also to prevent anything from occurring in the future." Planning Przepiorka said security planning for events starts weeks in advance, and sometimes months and even years, depending on the nature of the event. The department goes over deployment strategies for officers, state and federal partners and special operations units. "Sweeps in the morning with our K9 unit looking for anything that may be suspicious. We will then also have our uniformed officers present at the venue site itself, which could also incorporate officers on bicycles to have more roaming capabilities of being in the area, being visible and present," said Przepiorka. Big picture view In addition to deployment strategies, police also collaborate with partners at the Intelligence Bureau on the local, state and federal level to look for any information to help police identify an issue before it happens. "Easy for things to get raucous and out of control, but I think we do a great job of striking that balance to make people feel safe and still able to have as much fun as possible," said Aaron Corpora of South Philly. "I've been to some Pride events and Roots last year as well, and my girlfriend will be here this weekend. She's looking forward to it. She loves the Roots event, so she'll be out there this weekend without a doubt."
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Gov. Pritzker awards Medal of Honor to Rockford Police officer
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Rockford Police Officer Jon Vargas was awarded the Law Enforcement Medal of Honor from Gov. JB Pritzker and Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly on Thursday. The Medal of Honor is awarded to officers who performed acts of heroism. Officer Vargas lost his former K9 partner, Nyx, in a shooting on January 28th, 2024. According to police, Malik Trotter, 28, shot and killed the K9 during a police pursuit that ended in the 2900 block of 11th Street. Police were able to track a phone to an 11th Street address. K9 Officer Jon Vargas spotted Trotter and a foot chase ensued, during which K9 Nyx was shot and killed. Trotter allegedly shot at Vargas, and was shot in the leg by returned fire. In April, the police department announced Vargas would partner with a new 2-year-old Dutch Shepherd-Belgian Malinois mix, named . Twenty-three officers from 10 police agencies were honored in Springfield today. 'Today, we pay tribute to our heroic police officers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty while protecting our communities,' said Pritzker. 'From Palatine to Chicago to Granite City, our honorees saved lives and offered comfort and support to countless others. While we will never be able to repay their bravery in full, we hope that this recognition can serve as a public reminder of our gratitude and a symbol of the sincere reverence we hold them in.' The 2024 recipients for the Law Enforcement Medal of Honor being honored this year are: Chicago Police Department Officer Roy De La Huerta Officer Michelle Drapala Officer Edwin J. Gramajo Officer Luis M. Huesca Officer Omar Jimenez Officer Carlos Martinez Officer Enrique Martinez Chillicothe Police Department Officer David J. Buchanan Cicero Police Department Officer Luis Martinez Officer Reynol Ramos DeKalb County Sheriff's Office Deputy Christina M. Musil DeKalb Police Department Officer Brian Bollow Chief David Byrd Sergeant Keunte Mallett East Moline Police Department Sergeant William R. Lind Granite City Police Department Officer Douglas B. Nicoson Illinois State Police Trooper Clay M. Carns Trooper Adam D. FittsMaster Sergeant Ross A. Green Trooper Corey S. Thompsen Trooper Blake D. Thompson Palatine Police Department Officer Shane P. Murray Rockford Police Department Officer Jonathan A. Vargas Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Global News
a day ago
- Global News
Boy, 14, faces murder charge after stabbing of elderly woman in Pickering, Ont.
A 14-year-old boy from Pickering, Ont., has been charged with first-degree murder after an elderly woman was stabbed to death on Thursday afternoon. The teen appeared in court Friday morning and was seen wearing a dark grey sweatshirt and light grey sweatpants. As he was leaving the video booth, his right hand appeared to be injured, wrapped in white medical tape. The accused has a lengthy no-contact order with a number of people. The teen's identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. He is being held in custody and is scheduled to appear back in court again on June 20. Timeline of incident On Thursday, around 5:40 p.m., Durham Regional Police issued an emergency alert, telling residents near 2125 Lynn Heights Dr. in Pickering to shelter in place. Story continues below advertisement The alert was triggered after a stabbing in the area around 3 p.m., when an elderly woman was attacked by a male suspect, whom police said she did not know. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Police say video footage showed the woman outside when she was approached by the suspect. After a brief encounter, the suspect attacked the victim, stabbing her multiple times before fleeing the area on foot, police allege. The victim was rushed to a trauma centre in the Toronto area, where she succumbed to her injuries. The victim was named in court on Friday but is being withheld from publication at the family's request. Durham Regional Police Chief Peter Moreira said officers had no knowledge of a motive for the attack, which he called 'sadistic and cowardly.' Residents were told to stay inside while a search for the suspect over several hours. The emergency alert was followed by the news that the City of Pickering would shutter its community centres, libraries and other facilities to observe the shelter-in-place order. At around 8:45 p.m., roughly three hours after the emergency alert and almost six hours after the attack itself, police confirmed the arrest of a young teenager. Story continues below advertisement 'We're announcing that we've arrested a 13-year-old male from Pickering, and he's been arrested by our tactical support unit without incident,' Chief Moreira told reporters. The next day, police corrected the accused's age to 14. The chief said his officers still believed the attack was random and had not yet been able to establish a connection. Durham police said they searched the area using a helicopter, drone and both the K9 and tactical units. Before the arrest was made, Moreira said he made the decision to issue the alert out of an abundance of caution because police didn't know where the suspect was, nor did they have a motive for the attack. With files from Global News' Isaac Callan
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Palm Coast man hiding in attic crashes through ceiling in K-9 closes in
A wanted man literally dropped in on a group of Flagler County Sheriff's Office deputies Monday, May 26: He crashed through the ceiling of a home. Deputies were searching a house when they discovered the man hiding in the attic. As a K-9 climbed into the attic, the man took a wrong step and crashed through the ceiling, leaving a ragged hole. "Hey, you should've just come out, man — that would have been easier," a deputy told the man as he was led away in handcuffs. And it would have saved the cost of repairing the ceiling. Tarod Lovell Weaver, 37, was charged with obstruction without violence and false name/ID given to a law enforcement officer, according to a charging affidavit. He was released on $2,000 bond. On Monday, deputies went to the duplex on Pine Haven Drive with an out-of-county warrant for Weaver. A woman at the door asked why they wanted to talk to her son, according to a charging affidavit. She closed the front door, saying she would get him. Shortly after, deputies found a man with the woman at the rear of the residence. The man gave them a name, but deputies later discovered it was a false identity. Deputies surrounded the house to prevent Weaver from fleeing. Subsequently, the woman and a couple of others walked out the front door. They all claimed not to know where Weaver was, the affidavit stated. The woman consented to deputies searching the house. During the search, deputies found Weaver hiding in the attic, the affidavit stated, and sent a K-9 up to into the attic. "Let me see your hands (and) you won't get bit," a deputy said. Another warns Weaver that the dog is about to drag him out of the attic. But before the dog reached Weaver, he stepped in the wrong spot, according to a body camera video. Weaver then crashed through the ceiling to the floor of the porch, the affidavit stated. A jagged hole was left in the ceiling. A woman, apparently a resident, asked "Who's going to fix that?" Said a deputy: "Not us." This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Palm Coast man falls through ceiling as sheriff's K-9 nears
GMA Network
2 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
DOTR chief: Lining up at MRT stations down to minutes from an hour
The time spent lining up in the Metro Rail Transit (MRT)-3 stations has been reduced to at least seven minutes from what used to be 30 minutes to one hour, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said Friday.. 'In North Avenue station, this is one of the most congested MRT-3 stations tuwing rush hour of 6 am to 9 am. Makikita po natin, napakalaking diperensiya 'no. Dati po, umaabot ng halos isang oras ang pila diyan, minsan lampas pa ng isang oras. Pero dahil po sa mga ginawa natin base sa direktiba ng ating Pangulo, ngayon po ay minuto na lang po ang binibilang ng mga kababayan natin sa mga istasyon sa MRT,' Dizon said during a Palace press briefing.. (There has been a huge difference. People used to line up as long as an hour there, even longer than that. But because of the changes we made, people are now only counting minutes when lining up.) Dizon said the deployment of additional MRT-3 trains and removal of x-ray machines while maintaining security with deployment of K9 dogs as well as personnel from the Philippine Coast Guard have made a difference. 'Can you imagine, the commuters are already able to save two hours of commuting time. That is a huge lift for our commuters and their families, and this makes them more productive at work,' he said. Dizon said when he went to MRT-3 Taft Station three months ago, it took him 30 minutes to finally ride a train. 'Because of the interventions that have been done, I was only in line for five to seven minutes. Nagulat talaga ako eh (I was really surprised). So that really is the change we want for our people on a daily basis,' he said. Dizon, however, clarified that the reduced queuing time in train stations is not enough. 'Tuloy-tuloy tayo dito, hindi tayo titigil, hindi tayo makukuntento dito sa nakikita ninyo ngayon. Kung puwede pa nating pabilisin iyan, kung puwede pa nating mawala na totally ang pilang iyan, iyon po ang gagawin natin,' Dizon added. (We'll keep at this. We won't be content with what we have right now. If we can even make it better and remove the time spent for queuing, then that is what we are going to do.) —AOL, GMA Integrated News
