Google Earth used to solve crime

A police officer in western Florida has used Google Earth to solve a crime.

Santa Rosa County Deputy, Gregory Barnes, was trying to track down the owner of a one tonne fishing boat illegally dumped in a car park. The boat did not have a number plate or any other identifying details on it.

After drawing a blank using conventional research methods, Barnes used Google Earth to find where the boat had been located in the weeks leading up to its dumping.

The boat was traced to Dwight Everett Foster after Google Earth images showed it parked next to his house. Mr Foster is now facing a fine for dumping rubbish illegally.

I love stories about the Internet being used to solve crime, so this one is right up my alley. It's great to see Google Earth being used inventively and for all a good cause. Anything that helps solve crime rates highly in my books.

Have you heard of any other stories about Google tools being used inventively for the common good?

Man sniffs drugs off police car

I blogged a few weeks ago about the problems touching and kissing a police dog can cause. I've got another story for you about what not to do (unless you want to get arrested).

A man in the German city of Nuremberg was caught trying to sniff drugs off the roof of an unmarked police car. The man didn't realise that the car belonged to the police and didn't notice the officers walking towards him. Wow, I wouldn't want to try explaining my way out of that one! A police spokesman, Bert Rauenbusch, described the man as having "horrible luck."

Hopefully the man learnt his lesson and will be keeping his nose clear of drugs in the future!

Alternative policing

Sometimes the police need help from the public to know who is responsible for certain crimes. This is where Crimestoppers comes in - by passing information on to the charity anonymously, people can help solve crimes, without having to worry about retaliation from criminals.

In some cases though, police need no help catching crooks - they drop themselves in it instead. For example, in Daytona Beach, Florida some car thieves accidentally rung emergency services while breaking into a car -¡menuda estupidez!- what a stupid thing to do!

While listening to the thieves discussing what items in the car were worth stealing, police were sent to the area where the would-be crooks were promptly arrested.

Policing can't get much more simple than this now can it. Unfortunately, if law enforcement sat around all day waiting for instances like this, then we would have a lot more crooks walking our streets. So what's the solution? Keep the calls to Crimestoppers coming in and we can fight crime together.

Police sniffer dogs - don't kiss them

When I see police sniffer dogs, I sometimes feel an urge to pat them. I never have patted one though; as a superhero I try to work with law enforcement as opposed to annoying them. Bravo for my will power!

One man in Australia didn't display such tact; the man was drinking at the Mean Fiddler pub in Rouse Hill, outer Sydney, when he decided to try to pat and kiss a police dog that accompanied officers into the venue. The man became aggressive after refusing requests from the police to leave the dog, Bodie, alone. Officers eventually subdued the man with capsicum spray and later arrested him.

Now, I was quite surprised that a man could be arrested for kissing a dog.

When interviewed about the incident by a local paper, Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Murray said: "The police dog is considered to be part of the policing contingent and the same security measures are taken as if it was a police officer."

There you go, lesson learnt. I'll definitely stick to eyeing off only my bag and not the hounds when I'm at airport carousels in the future!

Man jailed for throwing double-decker taco

First there was the Asda employee jailed after he allegedly licked a chicken, now a man in the USA has been jailed for throwing a Taco at a Taco Bell manager. What is it with food-related crime? When I was growing up, my padre and momia used to tell me not to waste food as some children weren’t lucky enough to have it. Now it seems that slinging a steak at someone when you’re annoyed is becoming the norm.

The man involved in this incident was going through a drive-thru at a Taco Bell in Fairbanks, Alaska, when he threw the double-decker taco at the food-outlet manager. The 31-year-old claims he chucked the taco because he spotted spit in it after he had already gone twice through the drive-thru because the incorrect order was given to him. Taco Bell denies that there was spit in the taco, instead claiming the man was trying to get free food.

As well as being sentenced to a day in jail, the man has been put on a year’s probation. A condition of it is that he can’t go to Taco Bell.

Now I'm not throwing in judgment here, because who knows what really happened. But perhaps this story will serve as a warning to others – if you like a food enough that you want to keep eating it (and what’s there not to like about tacos), then don’t go throwing it at people. I’m certainly going to be keeping my firm favourites (paella, gazpacho, churros, pizza etc…) close to my chest from now on.

Burglar makes himself at home with fried chicken and a shower

Not many things ever manage to come between my dinner and I. Food is one of my main passions (along with fighting crime), possibly due to my Spanish heritage. That said, there are times and places when eating a meal or even helping ones self to a small snack just isn't appropriate.

A burglar from eastern Pennsylvania doesn't seem to share this view - he allegedly broke into a woman's house by throwing a rock through a window pane on her door. According to court records, the intruder then not only rummaged through all of the rooms of the house, but also had a shower, cut his hair and prepared himself a meal before being discovered by the homeowner.

She discovered the man sitting on her sofa watching television. He had some fried chicken cooking in the kitchen and had helped himself to a few cans of beer. The man refused to leave the premises until police attended and charged him with burglary, criminal trespass, theft and criminal mischief.

I hope for his sake the fried chicken was worth it!

Busted! Police find drugs growing in an old school bus

On I spy a crime we often highlight examples of criminals doing stupid things, like the Dutchman who reported his Ecstasy collection as stolen. Today I've read a story about some crims who seem a little more creative than your average crook.

Three men in North Carolina have been caught growing marijuana plants in, of all places, an underground school bus. The bus was buried eight feet into the ground, underneath a garden shed. Lenoir County Sheriff's Office says they had been looking for the source of the area's marijuana for years and had previously tried spotting the plants using a helicopter. It was only when a police dog fell through a disguised trap door to the bus that the underground loot of 68 plants was discovered.

Usually cannabis factories are easier to spot than this. These days police regularly use heat sensoring technology to detect them from the air, but they still need to be pointed in the right direction by the public. Watch the video below about the tell-tale signs so you can keep your eyes peeled.

When crime gets meaty

I read a story in today's paper about a woman in America who is facing domestic abuse charges for hitting her terminally ill partner with a piece of raw steak. The fight was reportedly sparked when Peter Schabhuttl said he would prefer to have a bread roll than a slice of bread with his dinner.

Once you get over the bizarreness of this story (it's not everyday you hear of someone being beaten with a steak), it serves as a reminder about domestic violence, especially over the festive season. Elsie Egan claimed that she hit her disabled partner several times with the meat to "teach him a lesson." When one person in a relationship is abusive to the other, be it a man or a woman, it is always wrong.

Domestic violence rises over the holiday season. Most families fight from time to time, but to include violence in rows is always wrong. Crimestoppers can take information from third parties about those who are violent towards their families. You can read more about this on the Crimestoppers website.

Italian police crash prized Lamborghini Gallardo

Like us Spaniards, the Italians are considered to be a stylish race. Their police force is no exception - since 2005 they have been using Lamborghinis to chase speeding criminals. I bet the officers driving those must love their job. That is, unless you're the officer who crashed one of two Gallardo super cars after being cut up by a motorist who was leaving a petrol station.

Lamborghini donated the two Gallardos to the Italian police last year. The cars' top speed is a whooping 204 mph and they contain special features including a small fridge to transfer human transplant organs. Now the fleet is down to one, although no one was seriously hurt in the accident, the car was, sadly, written off.

Cross-dressing to catch criminals

The Japanese have come up with some truly ingenious ways to fight crime. First there was the Japanese designer who made a skirt that could be transformed into a vending machine costume, allowing women to hide from pursuers, now police have started cross-dressing to catch criminals.

In the central Aichi prefecture, all-male police squads have been taking to the streets wearing wigs, skirts and high heels while carrying designer handbags. They are attempting to catch criminals who have been mugging well-dressed women.

Entry into the squads is elite - officers must be male, young, slim and hold a black belt in karate. Although I don't hold a black belt in karate (that's more of Granny Robyn's cup of tea), I'm confident I'd still be accepted into the squad as I excel against the other qualification criteria.

The Asahi daily reported that although some of the officers have been propositioned while walking the beat, no muggers have been arrested so far.

Can you think of any other creative ways to tackle crime? Get in touch and let me know.

Just because you like Twilight, doesn't make you a vampire

Now that Jedward have left the X-Factor, there is another debate involving an Edward on everyone's lips: have you seen the Twilight film New Moon yet and if so, are you team Jacob or team Edward?

Not having a preference between vampires or werewolves, I'm finding it difficult to choose...

One man in America certainly demonstrated his preference in a bizarre, scary (and illegal) way this week.

A 17-year-old girl was watching New Moon with a friend in a Miami cinema when a man sitting in the row ahead started making inappropriate comments at them. As the girls left the cinema following the film, the man approached them and bit one on the neck. The bite luckily didn't piece the skin but (understandably) shook the victim up.

Every now and again articles come up in the media about pop culture inspiring people to commit crimes. Often discussions focus on whether violent computer games, films and song lyrics have resulted in society becoming more violent. Hopefully nothing like this happens again and the Twilight films can stay as they’re intended to be – as fiction.

A bank robber stole my homework

There's been a fair few stories written on the I spy a crime blog lately about burglars and robberies that have been carried out by some very clumsy crooks. Here's another for you, this time about an alleged American bank robber who tried to dispose of evidence in a very a dog ate my homework kind of way.

John Ford was caught on police video chewing a piece of paper while he was handcuffed and in police custody. It is alleged he grabbed the paper in his mouth as police emptied his pockets. Police believe the piece of paper was the note he had just used to hold up a bank. I don't think destroying the note would have ruined the police's case against Ford - his car was found nearby containing a bag full of money and a bank dye pack that had recently exploded.

Bank robbery is a crime that I think is often misunderstood - it doesn't only damage the banks, it also affects people who work in banks and the communities banks are in. Crimestoppers has appealed for information about bank robberies in Greater Manchester previously. There is even a £100,000 reward available for information about bank robberies in the Greater Manchester region. Information must lead to an arrest and conviction to be eligible.

Maybe instead of robbing banks, would-be criminals would be better off keeping their ear to the ground and passing on information about other bank robbers!

Want-to-be thief gets stuck in window with his trousers down

When I first watched the video below, two phrases sprung to mind. The first was crime doesn't pay and the second was don't get caught with your trousers down. I bet the man in the video is starting to agree with at least the second one!

The bare-legged man was trying to gain entry to a supermarket by climbing through a basement window when he got stuck halfway. His trousers fell down leaving his pants revealed to onlookers for 11 hours. Police suspect he was trying to break-in to the supermarket at the time and once released, took him to the station for questioning.

Facebook status used as alibi

It seems to me that the courts are increasingly acknowledging the role social networking plays in modern life. 

There have been a few cases recently in which status updates or photos posted on social networking sites have been used as evidence in criminal trials. Judges have also placed restrictions on criminals using social networking sites as part of sentencing; in August, members of the Manchester-based Fallowfield Mad Dogs were forbidden from uploading photos of themselves with other gang members to MySpace.

Now, possibly for the first time, a man has used a Facebook status update as an alibi. Rodney Bradford was arrested as a suspect in a gun-point mugging in New York. The charges were dropped after it was revealed that Rodney's Facebook profile had been updated with the status "Where's my pancakes" at the time the mugging occurred.  Facebook verified the address from which Rodney's page had been updated.

I'll be watching the papers closely to see if people using their online activities as proof of their offline movements becomes an increasing trend. Have you heard of any cases like this? Be sure to get in touch and let me know.

Crime-fighting at the Winter Olympics and Paralympics

As much as I love the UK, one of the main things I miss about Spain is the mild weather. I woke up today to frost on my lawn for the first time this season - winter is upon us and, as a man of the sun, I'm not a fan.

The only decent thing about winter is snow sports. I'm a boarder through and through. My goatee tends to get a little frosty doing it though.

In my mind, the highlight of this winter is bound to be the Winter Olympics, being held in Vancouver this February. Global events like these provide different challenges to security and law enforcement agencies.

The charity Crimestoppers have appealed for the public to pass on information anonymously about crimes that may negatively impact the Games. Information passed to Crimestoppers about the Winter Olympics is passed on to Canadian Crime Stoppers to help the Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit, which is in charge of security, to enable the Games to be played in a safe and secure environment.

Help protect the Winter Olympics and Paralympics – arguably the best thing about the chilly season – by spreading the word about this campaign.

Man drives to court to face auto-theft charges in a stolen car

Following on from Mask of Manuel's post on Friday about a student who was caught drink-driving while dressed as a breathalyser, it been revealed that a man in California stole a car to drive to his court hearing for auto-theft charges.

Samuel Botchvaroff was arrested by police sitting outside Vallejo courthouse in a stolen Range Rover. He told police officers that he had steal the car as his own car had been impounded and he had no other way of attending the court hearing. Police didn't take sympathy on Botchvaroff and arrested him on auto-theft charges... again.

Fingers crossed he learns his lesson and takes public transport to his next hearing!

A Halloween costume I won't be trying

I always find the week after Halloween a little sad, as it means it will be another year before the next one comes around. I love thinking up witty and original costumes and love spotting costume trends. Now that Halloween has passed, the only costume trend I'll be seeing is Santa suits and they're not my style.

This week I read an article in the paper about a man who took his quest to find an original Halloween costume too far...

James Miller, a student from Ohio, USA, went out for Halloween dressed up as a breathalyser. While wearing his costume James proceeded to drink and then drive home the wrong way down a one way street. Police stopped and used a real breathalyser on James to discover he was well over the limit. Looking at a photo of James, you can see that he was definitely in no state to be driving a car.

It's lucky the police caught James before he had an accident - drink driving is a crime for good reason, it is dangerous and irresponsible.

In the six months to September, Crimestoppers received nearly 3,000 calls about drink drivers.
Rates of drink-driving tend to go up in the months leading up to Christmas. This festive season make sure you not only watch your alcohol consumption if you are driving, but also be aware that there might be dangerous drivers on the road.

Help find Madeleine McCann

When children go missing it is always incredibly sad and stunning for everybody around them. The disappearance of Madeleine McCann was no exception; people worldwide were shocked at how easily a little girl could disappear from her bed.

More than two years on from Madeleine’s disappearance, her family are still searching for her. The UK’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre released a video today reminding people of Maddie and prompting those who know something about her whereabouts to contact police.

Watch the video below and share this link with your friends and family. Please note that Crimestoppers cannot take information on Madeleine’s disappearance. If you wish to pass on information about her, please contact your local police force.

Who said burglars need masks?

Here at I spy a crime, we love the motto is Fight crime without revealing your identity. A story I read online today stood out at me because the crooks involved did the exact opposite - commited a crime while leaving no doubt about who they were!

Matthew Allan McNelly, 23, and Joey Lee Miller, 20, can only be described as dumb and dumber after 'disguising' their faces using permanent marker while attempting to break into a house in Iowa, USA.

It was reported that they had been drinking before they decided to break into the property, where one of the men believed his ex-girlfriend was staying. Neighbours reported seeing men with painted faces drive away in a white car from the scene.

Police located the vehicle with McNelly and Miller still inside. Both men were charged with attempted burglary, and McNelly was charged additionally with operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Check out a photo of these men if you haven't already; theirs has to be one of the most bizarre disguises I’ve seen in my crime-fighting days!

Woman scares off burglar by acting like dog

I live in a fairly safe neighbourhood, but some people still use extra safety messages such as hanging up Beware of the dog signs by their doors. I've often wondered whether signs like these are actually effective at deterring criminals.

An article in the Athens-Banner Herald suggests that having a dog at your house, or at least pretending you do, might deter some would-be crims.

Over the weekend a lady in Georgia, USA, scared off a potential burglar by pretending to be a large dog. The woman saw through her window a man attempting to open her front door. The woman dropped to all fours by the door and imitated a dog. Exactly which dog-like characteristics she adopted has not been specified, but she must have been realistic as the man ran away.