GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.
I'M FRANK MALLOY..
AND I'M LEAH JOHNSON...
THANKS FOR JOINING US.
OUR TOP STORY TODAY.. MACON CITY COUNCIL TALKS VICTORIES... AND STEPS STILL TO BE TAKEN IN CURBING YOUTH VIOLENCE. KATELYN HECK WILL HAVE MORE IN JUST A MOMENT ....
BUT BEFORE WE GET TO THAT... HEAVY SHOWERS ARE MOVING THROUGH PARTS OF THE VIEWING AREA.
LET'S CHECK IN WITH CHIEF METEOROLOGIST BEN JONES FOR THE LATEST..BEN..
THANKS BEN..
WE'LL TALK WITH YOU AGAIN IN JUST A FEW MINUTES.
FIRST TONIGHT, THE MACON POLICE DEPARTMENT SAYS TEEN VIOLENCE IS DOWN... AND THEY CREDIT ENFORCEMENT OF A CITY CURFEW FOR KEEPING TEENS OFF THE STREET AND OUT OF TROUBLE.
KATELYN HECK SPOKE WITH A MACON NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH GROUP... WHO SAY OFFICERS AND CITY GOVERNMENT COULD STILL DO MORE.
A FEW MEMBERS FROM THE WATCH GROUP SAY GIVING KIDS THINGS TO DO DURING THE DAY IS THE KEY FACTOR FOR KEEPING THEM OUT OF TROUBLE AT NIGHT.
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MACON POLICE OFFICERS STEPPED UP THEIR LATE NIGHT PATROLS THIS SUMMER... TO KEEP TEENS OFF THE STREET BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND FIVE A-M...AND THEY SAY THEIR EFFORTS ARE PAYING OFF.
(SOT:we've issued 19 citations for violation of the curfew to either the parent or legal guardian of the offenders, three juvelines have been charged with entering autos and we have picked up two listed runaways)
MAJOR ROBER GRABOWSKI SAYS ITS NOT JUST ABOUT CATCHING AND ARRESTING... HE SAYS THE GOAL IS PREVENTION.
(SOT:we've gotten better at intel, at gathering intelligence to where parties are going to be located at)
BUT CITY COUNCIL MEMBER VIRGIL WATKINS SAYS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT SHOULDNT HAVE TO BATTLE CURFEW VIOLATIONS ALONE.
(SOT:its one of the highlights to some of the grants we're trying to establish, so we can come up with avenues, you always hear me talking about midnight basketball was a big one for me when i was a child, but trying to develop these programs, that is something we lack in and need to do a better job of)
(NATS)
A MACON NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH PROGRAM SAYS THEY DO THEIR PART TO GET A HANDLE ON TEEN BEHAVIOR AT AN EARLY AGE.
(SOT:kids come here to play basketball, they come here to ride their bicycles, fix their tires on the bicycles, i let them borrow tools, it keeps the kids out of trouble and it's teaching them respect)
AND SINCE THE POLICE STEPPED UP THEIR PATROLS THIS SUMMER....THEY'VE HAD MORE TIME TO FOCUS ON FUN... INSTEAD OF WATCHING THE STREETS AT NIGHT.
(SOT:police response time when we do see traffic is a lot quicker, and its been a lot quieter since this curfew's been revved up)
BUT GRABOWSKI SAYS ITS NOT JUST THE OFFICERS THAT DESERVE THE CREDIT.... WATCH PROGRAMS AND PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT ARE STILL THE MAIN INGREDIENTS FOR KEEPING TEENS OFF THE STREETS AND OUT OF TROUBLE AT NIGHT.
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KIDS 17-YEARS-OLD AND YOUNGER CAUGHT OUT BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND FIVE A-M ARE TAKEN TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.... BUT THEIR PARENTS WILL ALSO RECEIVE A CITATION.
OFFICERS ARE ALSO TRYING TO CRACK DOWN ON COPPER THEFTS THIS SUMMER WITH THE HELP OF A NEW STATE LAW THAT STARTED JULY FIRST.
THE LAW CHANGES THE WAY PEOPLE CAN RECYCLE SCRAP METAL... ESPECIALLY COPPER.
we've had fewer reported incidents and more arrests than this time last year so even before that new law went into effect, the details that we're doing and the incidents that are being reported, those have come down
FOLKS HAD A ONE WEEK GRACE PERIOD AFTER THE LAW CHANGED... GRABOWSKI SAYS THAT ALSO GAVE POLICE TIME TO WORK OUT ANY KINKS IN THE WAY THEY ENFORCE THE NEW PROGRAM.
BUT STARTING TODAY... HE SAYS ENFORCEMENT WILL BE IN FULL SWING.
SO HERE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE LAW.
SCRAP METAL RECYCLING COMPANIES MUST REGISTER WITH THE SHERIFFS OFFICE IN THEIR COUNTY.
THEY ALSO HAVE TO KEEP MORE ELECTRONIC RECORDS OF METAL PURCHASES... INCLUDING PICTURES.
AND PURCHASES CAN ONLY BE MADE USING CHECKS OR MONEY TRANSFERS... BUT NOT CASH.
FOR FOLKS WANTING TO SELL A FEW SCRAP PIECES... YOU WILL HAVE TO SIGN A STATEMENT CONFIRMING THAT YOU ARE THE RIGHTFUL OWNER OF THE METAL.
YOU WILL ALSO NEED TO BRING A FORM OF IDENTIFICATION... SO THE RECYCLING CENTER CAN SCAN IT AND KEEP THE COPY WITH THEIR RECORDS.
BUT SOME CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS SAY THIS WON'T BE ENOUGH TO PUT A DENT IN COPPER THEFT.
making 25 arrests and you have 322 occurances, it sounds good to law enforcement, but to the citizens that are being targeted that's not good enough.
THE MACON CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE OFFERED TO CONSIDER ADDING MORE OFFICERS TO FOCUS ON METAL THEFT.
BUT GRABOWSKI SAYS HE BELIEVES THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ALREADY HAS ENOUGH MANPOWER... HE SAYS THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE WILL BE EDUCATING PEOPLE ON THE NEW RECYCLING SYSTEM.
FRANK?
KATELYN, THANKS FOR THAT UPDATE.
THREE HOUSTON COUNTY DEPUTIES FACE LOSING THEIR JOBS AFTER THE SHERIFF SAYS THEY USED A PRESSURE WASHER TO CLEAN AN INMATE WHO SMEARED FECES ON HIMSELF AND THE WALLS.
SHERIFF CULLEN TALTON TELLS US THE DEPUTIES SHOULD HAVE USED A HOSE TO CLEAN THE MAN... NOT A PRESSURE WASHER. HE SAYS THE INMATE WASN'T INJURED... BUT THAT DEPUTIES STILL VIOLATED PROTOCOL.
THE INCIDENT HAPPENED BACK ON JUNE NINTH, AND TODAY, TALTON TOLD 13-W-M-A-Z ...LIEUTENANT SHANNON PERRY... AND SERGEANTS... MICHELE BECKHAM AND RYAN BURLESON....ARE SUSPENDED WITHOUT PAY.
THEY HAVE TEN DAYS TO APPEAL BEFORE BEING FIRED.
TWO OTHERS ARE SUSPENDED FOR TWO DAYS WITHOUT PAY.... AND TWO MORE FOR 5 DAYS.
ACCORDING TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.. THE PRESSURE WASHER WAS NOT WORKING AT FULL CAPACITY AT THE TIME OF THE ALLEGED INCIDENT.
AN UNATTENDED CIGARETTE CAUSED A DEADLY APARTMENT FIRE IN MACON THIS MORNING.
THAT'S ACCORDING TO FIRE CAPTAIN TOM MUSSLEWHITE WITH THE MACON-BIBB FIRE DEPARTMENT.
THE FIRE HAPPENED AROUND 2 THIS MORNING AT THE COLONY WEST APARTMENTS ON BLOOMFIELD ROAD.
FIRE CREWS FOUND THE BODY OF 56-YEAR-OLD RONALD KENNEDY INSIDE THE BURNED APARTMENT.
ACCORDING TO BIBB COUNTY CORONER LEON JONES... THE VICTIM HAD POLIO... WHICH MAY BE WHY HE COULDN'T GET AWAY FROM THE FIRE.
KENNEDY'S APARTMENT WAS HEAVILY DAMAGED...THE UNIT ABOVE HIS HAD SMOKE DAMAGE.
NO ONE ELSE WAS HURT.
CAPTAIN MUSSLEWHITE SAYS THE FIRE LOOKS TO BE ACCIDENTAL.
HE SAYS IT APPEARS THAT KENNEDY WAS SMOKING AND MAY HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP.
VOTERS WHO WANTED TO CAST THEIR BALLOTS EARLY FOR THE JULY 31ST PRIMARY ELECTION BEGAN VOTING TODAY.
WHILE EARLY VOTING IS UNDERWAY... CANDIDATES CONTINUE TO QUALIFY FOR RACES THAT WON'T EVEN BE DECIDED ON THAT DAY.
A LAWSUIT CHALLENGING BIBB COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT MAPS MEANS A SPECIAL ELECTION FOR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS.
TWO CANDIDATES AND A CURRENT BOARD MEMBER FILED THE LAWSUIT AFTER THE COUNTY AGREED TO USE NEW MAPS BASED ON THE LATEST CENSUS.
BECAUSE THE DECISION TO POSTPONE THE SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS CAME IN LATE JUNE... THE RACES WILL STILL BE ON THE JULY 31ST BALLOT...
THEY JUST WON'T BE COUNTED.
TODAY... TWO NEW CANDIDATES QUALIFIED FOR THE BIBB COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION.
MICHAEL MCKEEVER ENTERED THE CONTEST FOR THE DISTRICT 1 SEAT.
THAT'S NOW A THREE-WAY RACE AGAINST INCUMBENT ELLA CARTER AND NEWCOMER BRENDA SUTTON.
MERRITT JOHNSON JOINED THE DISTRICT 3 RACE AGAINST INCUMBENT SUSAN SIPE.
ALL CANDIDATES... IN BOTH RACES.... ARE DEMOCRATS.
ELECTIONS SUPERVISOR ELAINE CARR SAYS SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES WHO ALREADY QUALIFIED... WILL NOT HAVE TO REQUALIFY TO RUN.
THE ELECTION IS NOW SET FOR AUGUST 21.. AND IF A RUNOFF IS NEEDED THAT WILL HAPPEN ON SEPTEMBER 18TH.
IT'S A SPECIAL MONDAY NIGHT EDITION OF GEEK 13.. ON THE DAY A MASSIVE INTERNET OUTAGE WAS EXPECTED... COURTESY OF A NASTY MALWARE VIRUS.
LAST YEAR, THE F-B-I ARRESTED SIX PEOPLE THEY SAY ARE REPONSIBLE FOR THE VIRUS CALLED "D-N-S CHANGER".
THEY WERE FROM THE COUNTRY OF ESTONIA... AND AUTHORITIES SAY THEY MASTERMINDED A PROBLEM THAT AFFECTED MILLIONS OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD.
TODAY... WAS THE DAY SOME EXPERTS EXPECTED IT TO HIT THE U-S HARD -- DISCONNECTING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS FROM THE INTERNET.
THE D-N-S CHANGER WORKED BY REDIRECTING WEB SEARCHES ON INFECTED COMPUTERS.
BRAD SPIEGEL JOINS US NOW...TO DISCUSS HOW YOU CAN PROTECT YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS NETWORK...BEFORE HACKERS STRIKE..
BRAD..WHAT TYPE OF VIRUS DID THIS PARTICULAR GROUP OF HACKERS USE?
IS IT SOMETHING THAT ORDINARY MALWARE WILL DETECT?