Crimes against Children Digest 2-26-15

Dauphin County Man Pleads Guilty in Federal Child Sex Trafficking Case 

Towson Man Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for Possessing Child Pornography  

Blackrock Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Sexual Abuse Charge

Sugar Land Man Convicted of Possessing Child Pornography

Northwest Missouri Man Sentenced After Thousands of Child Pornography Images Found on Computer

Keshena Man Sentenced to 108 Months in Prison for Sexual Abuse of a Child

High School Teacher Indicted for Child Sexual Exploitation Crimes 

Nixa Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Producing Child Pornography 

Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Transporting 14-Year-Old Girl from California to Reno for Sex        

Mexican Citizen Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Transport a Child for Illegal Sexual Activity  

School Buses and Black Ice

Black Ice

Temperatures were up on Wednesday, and by 'up' I mean into the low double digits.  Overnight the winds blew snow over many of the country roads, forming black ice.  One of these patches of black ice caught one of our buses.

The American Meteorological Society defines black ice as "a thin sheet of ice, relatively dark in appearance, [that] may form when light rain or drizzle falls on a road surface that is at a temperature below 0 °C." Black ice is very thin, so it is highly transparent which makes it difficult to see.

Accident Remediation

The school bus in question was being driven by a substitute driver, and fortunately there were no children on the bus.  The driver was traveling north, well under the speed limit, hit the patch of black ice, and ended up face first in a ditch, canted at a nearly 45 degree angle.



Photo courtesy of Dan Bullard

Our buses have Angel Trax cameras.  These cameras also record bus telemetry, including speed, direction, and shows when the brakes are applied, stop arms are deployed, etc. That means that the camera system serves as a "black box" of sorts, which can provide data on the incident.

After the initial response, which in this simple case involved calling 911, calling the elementary school and fielding a few phone calls from parents because the bus was late, I began the process of accident remediation.  I contacted my boss, Assistant Superintendent Bob Yoder, and let him know what happened.  I then began a written report based on the information I already had.

When the bus returned, I pulled the hard drive from the camera, and sat down to watch video.  Each bus has four cameras.  One in the front, looking down the aisle, one in the middle, looking toward the back, and one in the back, looking down into the last two rows of seats.  There is a camera above the door which is only active when the door is opened.  When the door is shut it activates the GPS system.

All of the camera views showed the driver did nothing to initiate the incident.  In fact, the driver did not apply the brakes during the slide, the usual response when someone who is driving and starts to slide.  She kept her composure and radioed.  All in all, this incident reaffirmed that I have high-quality people who are driving our kids to school.

Crimes against Children Digest 2-25-15

Elmira Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography 

Corpus Christi Man Charged for Kidnapping Child  

Statewide Anti-Human Trafficking Conference 

Merritt Island Man Sentenced to More Than Six Years for Possession and Receipt of Child Pornography 

Deltona Man Indicted on Federal Child Pornography Charges 

Gasport Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography 

Federal Indictment: Atchinson Man Kidnapped Child 

Austin Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child Pornography 

Fair Oaks Man Sentenced for Child Pornography Crime 

Federal Jury Convicts Mexican Citizen Living in San Antonio for His Role in Kidnapping Scheme         

GIS in Risk Assessment

STILL Cold!

Tuesday was another two-hour delay for cold.  I have a tiny office in the bus barn, a cinder-block building that while not drafty, radiates cold into the office.  If my feet weren't nerve damaged, I would most likely be complaining daily of cold feet, not that anybody would listen.

Risk Assessment Using GIS

I spent the day looking at various maps of Hancock County, in which my district is located.  For my Mapping and Analysis class I have to do a final project, and I am considering creating a risk assessment tool for people to use for schools using Geographic Information Systems (GIS).  I was amazed at the amount of data that has been collected.

There are population maps, township maps, road maps, data for crimes, housing starts, almost every conceivable issue.  If there is data for it, it can be mapped.  The hardest part of the project will be identifying what data I need to conduct the risk assessment.












The GIS maps are so much more informative then the map above.  While it shows you where I work, it says nothing about the community in which I work, nor of any risks or threats that may lurking.  For example, the map below shows a breakdown of population by census tracts.  The darker the colors, the higher the population density.


So with the GIS data, we can visually represent the data to help us better understand it.  Using the ArcMap software, we can also create charts and graphs, and then use them for risk assessment.  I hope I've been able to portray the excitement I feel about this tool.