13 Ekim 2012 Cumartesi

Subsidized apartment investors inspection

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Before Portland, I never lived in apartments that were in any way subsidized with public funds.  But every year the 'investors' come to inspect the apartments to make sure that their investment is protected.
Commercial investors don't inspect non-subsidized apartments - why not?  Because they can when there is public subsidies. It is the image that low income people don't care of rented apartments.  One wonders if because of the inspection the apartment management has ever evicted anyone or has ever issued some notice of violation
Ironically, the way the rents are determined there are many renters now with incomes that would deny them their apartment. While initially a tenant moves in under a low rent protocol - thereafter, irrespective of  income, the rent is not reassessed.

Pakistan - humanity peeking through Taliban's cloak of religious ideology

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Pakistanis across the country and across all political and religious sectors have Erupt[ed] in Anger Over Taliban’s Shooting of Malala Yousafza.
"A Taliban gunman singled out and shot the girl, Malala Yousafzai, on Tuesday, and a spokesman said it was in retaliation for her work in promoting girls’ education and children’s rights in the northwestern Swat Valley, near the Afghan border."
It is difficult to understand how a religious ideology can be used to kill a young girl because she promoted girls' education. And so too that Pakistan's young women do not have access to education.
What kind of religion fails to treat all humankind equally?

Speaks volumes about backwardness in Pakistan.

Growth in secularism

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Well maybe. The New York Times highlights a Pew study “Nones” on the Rise.  According to the study:
"The number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to grow at a rapid pace. One-fifth of the U.S. public – and a third of adults under 30 – are religiously unaffiliated today, the highest percentages ever in Pew Research Center polling."
But one might argue that it not that Americans are becoming necessarily less religious but less attracted to organized religion.
"The number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to grow at a rapid pace. " [Pew Forum].
Do you need to go to a church on Sunday to be religious? The study also found that:
"Two-thirds of them [the non-affiliated] say they believe in God (68%). More than half say they often feel a deep connection with nature and the earth (58%), while more than a third classify themselves as “spiritual” but not “religious” (37%), and one-in-five (21%) say they pray every day."
There are some though that are not seeing the forest. They are mixing  religion and  faith with spirituality and humanity.  Most people do not need a religion or a faith to be spiritual, compassionate, humanitarian, and merciful.
A lot of the younger people are very spotty in their attendance at worship, but if we have a mission project, they’re here. They run the soup kitchens, they build the houses in Habitat for Humanity.” [Presbyterian minister quoted in NYTimes.]
But that pastor sees that work by younger people as an exhibition of their faith.

Here is the study's cincher:
"With few exceptions, though, the unaffiliated say they are not looking for a religion that would be right for them. Overwhelmingly, they think that religious organizations are too concerned with money and power, too focused on rules and too involved in politics."
Amen!

Pope warns of spiritual desertification

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Arguably the Catholic Church just doesn't get it. The Vatican has concluded that those who have left the Church have abandoned their relationship with God. Organized religions like the Roman Catholic Church assume that it is only through them that a spiritual relationship with God can exist.

Thus the Vatican has called for "the 'new evangelization' of the developed world and it has asked Catholics, particularly those who have left the Church, to look deep into their hearts and either rekindle their relationship with God or deepen it."  [Pope warns lapsed Catholics of spiritual desertification].
But instead of a "new evangelization,"  the Church needs a healthy dose of introspection. "The Church is suffering desertions from its practicing flock in former strongholds in Europe, North America and Latin America due to sex abuse scandals, increasing secularism, rival faiths and open dissent against Church teachings on homosexuality and its ban on a female priesthood."  [Pope warns lapsed Catholics of spiritual desertification].
The "new evangelization" call makes a significant distinction by the use of  "developed world." It is the developed world that is educated. It is where self-determination, self-perfection and self-realization can exist. In a sense the 'developed world' is only where the opportunity and ability to exercise free will exists.
Interesting is that the Catholic Church supports the concept of free will, but only within the parameters it sets forth. [See Free Will; see too Free Will]. That is, it is the Church that tells you how to exercise your will. They would say it is guidance, but it isn't when the exercise of free will contrary to church teachings is punished.
It is about the money, not one's spiritual well-being.
The Catholic Church is an organization that is feeling the pain of loss of revenue. The straying Catholics is costing them the Sunday tithes. See this story about the Church in Germany - German Catholics' Path To Heaven Comes With Taxes.
". . . Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, the president of the German bishops' conference, said that not paying taxes for the church is a grave offense, and that sacraments will be banned for those who distance themselves from the church."
In Germany, "the state collects a special levy from tax-registered believers and hands it over to three organized faiths. Registered Catholics, Protestants and Jews pay a surcharge of up to 9 percent on their income. The Catholic Church alone received some $6.5 billion in 2011."
Oh yes - it's about the money. Your soul be damned.

Tokyo Electric Power didn't act on known safety issues before tsunami

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TEPCO knew of the safety issues yet failed to act. They "feared the political, economic and legal consequences of implementing them." [Why Tokyo Electric Power didn't act on safety issues before tsunami].

But here is the crux of the matter: "Investigative reports compiled by the government and the parliament panels said collusion between the company and government regulators allowed lax supervision and allowed TEPCO to continue lagging behind in safety steps."
The government shares the blame for the failure to institute safety improvements. They rolled the dice and its citizens paid the price. Fortunately, the world seems to have escaped any significant damage.

12 Ekim 2012 Cuma

Armstrong - what a disappointment!

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Assessment from ABC News:

"Either way, it serves up the most detailed, unflinching portrayal yet of Armstrong as a man who would pay virtually any price — financially, emotionally and physically — to win the seven Tour de France titles that the anti-doping agency has ordered taken away."  [Armstrong Report Includes 200 Pages, 26 Witnesses].
But see this from Nike: Nike stands by Lance Armstrong despite doping agency's documents.
Rationale from his teammate Hincapie:
"Early in my professional career, it became clear to me that, given the widespread use of performance enhancing drugs by cyclists at the top of the profession, it was not possible to compete at the highest level without them."
We owe the French an apology.

Humanitarian effort to help a canine heroine

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Take a look at the image from SFGate - it appears that something is wrong with the image not the dog.  [Snout-less 'hero dog' Kabang arrives at UC Davis]. The dog "reportedly threw herself into the path of a speeding motorcycle just as it was about to hit two young girls crossing a roadway . . . ."Snout-less 'hero dog' Kabang arrives at UC Davis - SFGateIt is a great story for dog lovers like myself. The "fundraising campaign [...] raised more than $20,000 in donations from 20 different countries, enough to pay for surgery, airfare, visas, passports and a hotel stay for the dog and her handlers." But there must have been some 'freebies' included. $20k wouldn't seem to be enough.
But I have to admit I wondered why the same compassion wouldn't be applied to the many humans who live on the street - not by choice but at their last effort to survive?

Portland high schools - in need of improvement

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That isn't news is it? See the Oregonian Six Portland high schools designated as in need of improvement.While I deplore the abundant use of 'consultants' in general by Portland politicos - often used only to buttress their position - the Portland Public Schools District needs help. A truly independent and transparent analysis is desperately needed.
I have only lived here for 8 years, but in none of those years has there been a positive assessment for the district. The district itself, including teachers, have excuses but no solutions.
Is there something that they are not telling us? It isn't really difficult to find successful schools in the state that perform well despite class size and despite a high percentage of students from low income families or from families designated a racial minority or non-English speaking.
8 years from today - the story isn't likely to be different. Is it?

Tokyo Electric Power didn't act on known safety issues before tsunami

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TEPCO knew of the safety issues yet failed to act. They "feared the political, economic and legal consequences of implementing them." [Why Tokyo Electric Power didn't act on safety issues before tsunami].

But here is the crux of the matter: "Investigative reports compiled by the government and the parliament panels said collusion between the company and government regulators allowed lax supervision and allowed TEPCO to continue lagging behind in safety steps."
The government shares the blame for the failure to institute safety improvements. They rolled the dice and its citizens paid the price. Fortunately, the world seems to have escaped any significant damage.

Republican Electioneering - Outing the CIA in a public hearing on Libya

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Politics rule - never the country. In what has been described as a 'bonehead' move, Republicans attempting to make political hay out of the seemingly failure by the state department to adequately protect the Libya compound - exposed the CIA presence at the embassy compound. [Republicans' security lapse: Outing the CIA in a public hearing on Libya].
"Republicans were aiming to embarrass the Obama administration over State Department security lapses. But they inadvertently caused a different picture to emerge than the one that has been publicly known: that the victims may have been let down not by the State Department but by the CIA."

11 Ekim 2012 Perşembe

Entry-Level Intel Analysts In Law Enforcement Jobs Report Now Available For Download!

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Last fall, we began a quest to capture the hiring prospects over the next 12 months for entry-level intelligence analysts (the kind we produce) in each of the three major sub-disciplines of intel:  National security, law enforcement and business.

Today we are putting out the 2012 Entry-Level  Hiring Projections for Law Enforcement Intelligence report (click on the link to download).

The report was compiled by the same analyst who produced the national security report to rave reviews, Whitney Bergendahl, with support from another of our stellar grad students, Domenic Vallone, in editing and packaging the final product.

This report contains, in addition to Whitney's analysis, the collected wisdom of all the hiring managers and intelligence professionals who took our survey on job prospects.  I would particularly like to thank the International Association of Crime Analysts and the International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts for circulating our survey among their members.

Of course, we welcome your feedback (send it directly to me or leave a comment below).   For those of you interested, in December, 2011, we put out the national security report and you can still find the details here.  We look forward to publishing the last installment on the business market for jobs next week some time.

Entry-level Competitive Intelligence Analyst Jobs Report Out Now!

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Here it is!

The 1st Annual Entry-level Hiring Projections For Competitive Intelligence Report!

This final report completes our series which also includes:

  • Hiring projections for entry-level intelligence analysts for the national security community
  • Hiring projections for entry-level intelligence analysis in law enforcement
All three reports take a look at the market for entry-level analysts for the next 12 months.  The primary source of our information is a survey we conducted of professionals in all three sub-disciplines of intelligence who had direct or significant indirect knowledge of hiring intentions within their firm or organization (Many thanks once again to all who participated!).  We added to that information a variety of secondary sources to help us draw our conclusions.

All three reports were put together by one of our top quality grad students, Whitney Bergendahl (full credit to Whitney for sticking this thing through - None of us knew just how difficult it was going to be...) with an assist from another grad student, Dom Vallone, for editing and packaging and from my colleague Prof. Shelly Freyn.

We intend to conduct the same survey in the fall so keep an eye out for it.  Finally, and as always, send your comments to me or leave one below!

DC Based CI Courses Now Open For Registration (Shameless Self Promotion)

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How would you like to take counterintel courses for graduate credit from some of the most experienced CI professionals in the world?  Now you can...

Mercyhurst University has been teaching counterintelligence courses in the DC area for a number of years.  Traditionally, we have done this in coordination with a government or private partner.  Last year, though, we opened these classes up to qualified students throughout the DC area.

These courses (there are three of them) make up our Graduate Certificate in Counterintelligence.  All of the classes are accredited, of course, and are taught one per quarter for three quarters.  If you want the certificate, you would need to take all three and take them in series.  If you are just interested in learning more about the CI field, then you could opt to take just the first course -- it is entirely your call.

The first course in this series will be offered in early September and run for approximately 10 weeks.  The course is not offered online and will meet once a week in the evening at a location in the vicinity of Tyson's Corner.  There are no pre-requisites other than a bachelors degree from an accredited university.

The courses are taught by Ray Batvinis, Bob Stephan and Tim Almon.  Stephan is the author of Stalin's Secret War and has over 20 years experience with CIA, DIA and the USAF; Batvinis spent 25 years at the FBI working on CI issues at the highest levels, Almon spent 25 years at the FBI before becoming the Director of Counterintelligence and Security Programs on the National Security Council Staff for Presidents Clinton and Bush.

Because of their experience and contacts, one of the unique aspects of these classes are the kinds of guest speakers they can draw.  For example, they have been able to bring together Plato Cacheris and John Martin (the defense attorney and the federal prosecutor in the Robert Hanssen case) for a one-of-a-kind roundtable.

This brief note cannot do either this course or the guys teaching it justice.  If you want more information, please do not hesitate to contact the director of our online and distance learning programs, Linda Bremmer, at 814 824 2170 or lbremmer at mercyhurst dot edu.

Registration is now open!

Geospatial Analysis Of Gerrymandering In Pennsylvania (An Advanced Analytic Techniques Project)

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One of my students, Karl Gustafson, used an interesting combination of geospatial and political data to create a video (see below) that examines some historic cases of gerrymandering in Pennsylvania.  He used this as background for looking into what appears to be some pretty clear cases of gerrymandering in the making.


While the production quality on the video is none too slick, Karl does a good job of using a series of overlays, a clear, direct script and the features of Google Earth to explain what gerrymandering is and how it has been used ion the past and how it is currently being used to literally re-shape Pennsylvania politics.

You can see Karl's evaluation of the methods and processes he used here.

Best Professional Development Event For Intel Professionals This Year

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That's right, the Institute of Intelligence Studies is sponsoring a professional development conference for its alumni, students and faculty this summer from 8-11 July at Mercyhurst University.

And you can register here!

This is not an alumni "weekend", "retreat" or an "escape".  It is not "homecoming".  This is a premiere opportunity to hone your skills as an intelligence professional at the same place where you all got your start -- Mercyhurst.

We are bringing in top notch speakers (many of which are former classmates!) and are going to offer an extraordinary opportunity to network both inside and outside your chosen field (Quick:  How many Mercyhurst intel alums currently work in the banking industry?  In energy?  In almost any field you can name?  You will be surprised at the number!) and across the generations (We have been doing this for 20 years - I know, I find it hard to believe myself!).

If you need more enticement, the faculty will all be here to bring you up to speed on our current research activities (AKA "What we have learned about intel since you've been gone...") and where we are going in the future.  With over 1000 alumni, 100's of research projects, dozens of full and part time faculty, and the opportunities represented by the new building, these are results you will want to know about.

This isn't just about us, though.  We also want to learn from you, too.  Our program is 20 years old this year and it is time to plot our course for the next 20 years.  What are the problems you are having?  What research do you need done to improve your ability to provide actionable intelligence to the decisionmakers you support?  What skills and abilities do the intelligence analysts of tomorrow need today?  Getting your input at this conference is crucial.

If you are a current student or alum you can register here to attend.  I personally look forward to seeing each and every one of you!

10 Ekim 2012 Çarşamba

Child Killer In Custody

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U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted Fugitive EdwardSalas Arrested in Mexico  EdwardSalas, Apprehended
Washington – U.S. Marshals Service 15 Most Wanted fugitiveEdward Salas was arrested today in Chihuahua City, Chihuahua, Mexico, by thePolicia Federal Ministerial in coordination with the U.S. Marshals Service.
“ManyNew Mexico communities will breathe a sigh of relief because fugitive Salas, achild killer, will no longer outrun the justice that is long awaited,” saidConrad E. Candelaria, U.S. Marshal for the District of New Mexico. “On behalfof the Marshals Service I extend heartfelt and sincere condolences to thefamily, friends and loved ones impacted by the horrible crime committed bySalas and other accomplices. This is another example of the extraordinaryefforts by the Marshals Service, in partnership with many law enforcementagencies efforts to pursue those fugitives who strike at the core of ourcommunities.”
Salaswas taken into custody based upon the issuance of a Provisional Arrest Requestfrom the United States, which seeks his extradition to New Mexico. The U.S. MarshalsService worked closely with the Department of Justice Office of InternationalAffairs and the Curry County (NM) District Attorneys Office.
Salaswas added to the Marshals 15 Most Wanted fugitive list in December 2011. Aconvicted child killer, Salas escaped from the Curry County Detention Center inClovis, New Mexico, in August 2008, and had been on the lam ever since. At thetime of his escape, he was serving a life sentence plus 56 years for his rolein the murder of 10-year-old Carlos Perez. “
TheU.S. Marshals employed every available resource to track down Salas, so we canreturn him to his prison cell where he will serve the remainder of hissentence,” said David Harlow, Assistant Director for Investigative Operations.“I thank the Mexican authorities for their invaluable cooperation andassistance on bringing this fugitive to justice.”
OnSept. 15, 2005, Salas, along with his brothers Orlando Salas and Demetrio Salasand two other individuals, planned to murder Ruben Perez during the night, reportedlyin retaliation for an argument that occurred earlier that day at the ClovisHigh School. Instead they killed his brother, Carlos, who was sleeping in thesame bedroom. The child died just one day before his 11th birthday.
Afterhis escape nearly three years into his prison term, Salas made his way toFriona, Texas, where he stayed under the radar until Nov. 27, 2008, when he wasspooked from his hideout by law enforcement activity in the area.
Salasis the second 15 Most Wanted fugitive apprehended in Mexico in the past threemonths. In July, Vincent Legrend Walters was apprehended in Cancun, Mexico,after being on the Marshals most wanted list for nearly 24 years.
Anotherinternational fugitive, Noe Torres, was also arrested in Mexico earlier thisyear in Mexico. Torres is also charged with the same 2005 murder of 10-year-oldCarlos Perez as Salas. In 2005, Torres fled Clovis prior to prosecution andremained on the run for nearly six years. Torres was taken into custody inChihuahua, Mexico, outside of a religious compound in the first week of Januaryand extradited to the United States in July.

Member of Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy

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WASHINGTON – Louis Fazzini, 45, of Caldwell, N.J., pleaded guilty today to participating in a racketeering conspiracy involving illegal gambling and theft from an employee benefit plan, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and George C. Venizelos, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division.

At the plea hearing before U.S. District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Fazzini pleaded guilty to conspiring to conduct and participate in the affairs of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra (LCN) Family through a pattern of racketeering activity.  He admitted that, as a made member of the North Jersey crew of the Philadelphia LCN Family, he operated a sports bookmaking business and devised a fraudulent scheme to obtain health benefits through a “no-show” job controlled by the LCN in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy.  As a no-show employee, he performed no work or productive services and still received health benefits.

Fazzini’s sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 17, 2013.

Fazzini was among 14 members and associates of the Philadelphia LCN Family charged with crimes involving racketeering conspiracy, extortion, loan sharking, illegal gambling, witness tampering and theft from an employee benefit plan in a third superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Philadelphia on July 25, 2012.  The other defendants charged in the 52-count third superseding indictment included Philadelphia LCN Family Boss Joseph Ligambi, Philadelphia LCN Family Underboss Joseph Massimino, George Borgesi, Martin Angelina, Anthony Staino, Gaeton Lucibello, Damion Canalichio, Louis Barretta, Gary Battaglini, Robert Verrecchia, Eric Esposito, Robert Ranieri and Joseph Licata.

Lucibello pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges on Aug. 2, 2012, and was sentenced to 51 months in prison.  Angelina pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges on Aug. 8, 2012, and was sentenced to 57 months in prison.  Barretta also pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges on Sep. 5, 2012, and was sentenced to 33 months in prison.

The trial for Ligambi, Massimino, Borgesi, Staino, Canalichio, Battaglini and Licata is scheduled for Oct. 9, 2012.  The trial for Verrecchia, Esposito and Ranieri has not yet been scheduled.  Ligambi, Massimino, Borgesi, Canalichio and Fazzini are detained while awaiting trial.  Staino, Battaglini, Verrecchia, Esposito and Ranieri are free on bond while awaiting trial.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney John S. Han of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank A. Labor III and Suzanne B. Ercole of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.  Valuable prosecutorial assistance was provided by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.

The case is being investigated by the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, the New Jersey State Police, the Philadelphia Police Department, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration.  Additional assistance was provided by the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

ROCKFORD MAN CONVICTED OF GUN CHARGE AS A CONVICTED FELON

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ROCKFORD– A Rockford, Ill. man was convicted today after a three-day trial on a federalgun charge. Nicholas Stenson, 28, was found guilty by a federal jury followinga trial before U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Kapala forillegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
Accordingto the indictment and evidence at trial, on July 10, 2011, shortly after 2:00am, members of the Rockford Police Department’s M3 Unit observed Stenson onRock Street standing next to a green Pontiac. When officers parked their squadcar near the Pontiac and activated the emergency lights, Stenson ran to theback of the Pontiac, reached into his waistband and threw a gun underneath thePontiac. Officers recovered the gun thrown by Stenson – a black Colt .45handgun loaded with six rounds of Blazer .45 caliber ammunition.
Stensonwas originally charged in state court and was transferred to federal courtwhere he was charged under tough federal firearms laws as part of the ProjectSafe Neighborhoods program. Project Safe Neighborhoods is an intensive,cooperative effort between local, state, and federal law enforcement to attackgun crimes. The cornerstone of the program is that every defendant committingan offense involving a gun will be reviewed for possible federal prosecution inorder to obtain the harshest penalties for the worst offenders. Additionalinformation about Project Safe Neighborhoods may be found at www.psn.gov.
Stensonfaces a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole.The actual sentence will be determined by the United States District Court,guided by the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines. Sentencing isscheduled for January 9, 2013, at 2:30 p.m. The verdict was announced by GaryS. Shapiro, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District ofIllinois; W. Larry Ford, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division ofthe Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Joseph Bruscato,Winnebago County State’s Attorney; and Chet Epperson, Chief of the RockfordPolice Department. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. AttorneysScott R. Paccagnini and Monica V. Mallory.

New Publication Takes In-Depth Look at Improving Teen Driver Safety

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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- What to do about teen driving? That'sthe question a new publication released today by the Governors Highway SafetyAssociation (GHSA) attempts to answer. Developed with a grant from State Farm®,Curbing Teen Driver Crashes: An In-Depth Look at State Novice DriverInitiatives comes on the heels of MAP-21, the newly enacted surfacetransportation funding law, which includes incentive programs that rewardstates for high performance in a number of areas, including - for the firsttime - teen driving.
The publication, a follow-up to GHSA's 2010 Protecting TeenDrivers: A Guidebook for State Highway Safety Offices, takes a detailed look atwhat states are doing to address teen driver safety in six key areas:
             StrengtheningGraduated Driver License (GDL) laws to ensure state have essential elementsthat address crash risk and skill building•             Ensuringunderstanding and enforcement of GDL laws by police officials•             Engagingparents in understanding, supporting and enforcing GDL laws•             Strengtheningdriver education and training•             Engagingteens in understanding and addressing driving risks•             Garneringconsistent media coverage of teen driving
While states have made significant progress in reducing teendriving deaths, a GHSA report with preliminary data issued in February 2012found that through the first half of 2011, deaths involving 16- and 17-year-olddrivers had increased 11 percent over the previous year. This is significantsince deaths involving teen drivers have been steadily declining over the past8 years at a rate higher than any other age group on the road.
"There is no doubt that states have been workingdiligently to help teens survive their most dangerous driving years, asevidenced by the gains they've made in reducing teen driver crashes, injuriesand fatalities," said GHSA Executive Director Barbara Harsha, who oversawthe development of this newest teen driving publication. "But there isconcern that these gains may be leveling off. GHSA encourages states and teendriving safety advocates across the nation to review the initiatives and keyelements for success identified in the report and leverage them to ensure theneedle continues to move in the right direction."
"The results from this latest report show that keepingteen drivers safe on the road is an ongoing and collaborative issue," saidKellie Clapper, Assistant Vice President of Public Affairs for State Farm."As a leader in auto safety, State Farm is committed to working with GHSAand other safety organizations to keep our teens safe on the road."
The programs and initiatives detailed in the publication,which was researched and written by transportation safety consultant and formerNew Jersey State Highway Safety Office Director Pam Fischer, were identifiedthrough a survey of State Highway Safety Offices conducted by GHSA in August2011. Additionally, an expert panel was convened to share their insightsregarding new, cutting edge and/or exemplary activities that are showing or areexpected to show promising results.
Expert panel members included: Christy Adams, UC DavisMedical Center; Chuck Conroy, Governor's Traffic Safety Committee, New York;Troy Costales, Oregon Department of Transportation, Safety Division; VickiHarper, State Farm; Russell Henk, Texas Transportation Institute; JustinMcNaull, AAA; Ruth Shults and Erin Sauber-Schatz, Centers for Disease Controland Prevention; and Jim Wright, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The views and recommendations in the publication do notnecessarily reflect those of State Farm or the individuals or organizationsrepresented on the Expert Panel. Printed copies of the publication will be sentto every GHSA Member and Associate Member. A PDF version is available online atwww.ghsa.org. A limited number of print copies are available and may berequested via email by contacting jadkins@ghsa.org.
# # # The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA)® is anonprofit association representing the highway safety offices of states,territories, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. GHSA provides leadershipand representation for the states and territories to improve traffic safety,influence national policy, enhance program management and promote bestpractices. Its members are appointed by their Governors to administer federaland state highway safety funds and implement state highway safety plans.Contact GHSA at 202-789-0942 or visit www.ghsa.org. Find us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/GHSAhq. Follow us on Twitter at @GHSAHQ.