Recently a large bomb was detonated near the property room of the Solano (CA) County Courthouse, possibly in an attempt to destroy cocaine which was being used as evidence in the "Third Strike" trial of one of the suspects.

Historically law enforcement has responded to crime and societal issues in a reactive manner, certainly not in a proactive one, as in the private sector.  A robbery occurs, we respond; the traffic accident occurs, we respond.  Rarely has law enforcement been identified as a proactive participant in its environment.  This is because, "That's the way we've always done it."

In the late 1980's, California's Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST) developed a two year master's degree program for law enforcement managers and administrators.  Its "futures research" goal was to determine an action plan for today that would be most likely to produce the desired future.  A significant part of that was an analysis of the "events" and "trends" affecting law enforcement.

An event was defined as a discrete, onetime, verifiable occurrence.  A trend was defined as a series of events by which change can be measured over time.

As an example, one might look at the newspaper headlines in the 1980's related to AIDS.  Did anyone in law enforcement reading about the horrors of AIDS in third world countries ever link the issue to United States law enforcement in the 90's.

Anyone tracking news headlines for the past 10 - 15 years would have seen the disease spread globally, but could only speculate on how it would affect law enforcement and fire services.  Unfortunately, this issue has created havoc in the performance of our daily professions.  The mere responding on a radio call can create a situation where many employees are exposed to a deadly disease, not realizing it until it's too late.

Think about the handling of bloody clothes, whether in the field, crime lab or property room, 15 years ago.  Virtually no precautions were taken.  Hundreds of employees were exposed to the potential of AIDS, but not until we studied the issue did we react to the safety concerns of our employees.

A futures researcher would have noticed an event, such as an outbreak of a strange new disease in Africa which destroyed the immune system and was always fatal.  When subsequent events indicated that the disease was repeating itself in larger degree, and in new locations, a trend could be identified.  When that happens, studies can forecast the trends direction and magnitude, strategies which may affect the direction or magnitude can be developed, and policy can be implemented to carry out the selected strategy.

If we learn from the process, we find ourselves looking at everyday events, and immediately speculating as to whether or not they indicate trends which will someday have great impacts on all our lives.  Think back to the first time you heard of any of the following things happening.  Could you have suspected the extent to which their subsequent trends would have impacted the law enforcement profession?

Drive By Shootings 

Freeway Shooting

Gang Graffiti

Take Down Robberies

Follow Home Robberies

Cloning Phones

Video Piracy

Carjacking

Assault Weapon Attacks

Crack Cocaine

Three Strikes

Gay Bashing

Domestic Violence

Six people were in custody Tuesday in connection with a string of bombings in Vallejo that investigators said were aimed at disrupting the local court system.  One of the six was a drug suspect - facing the possibility of a long prison sentence under Califomia's "three strikes" law - believed by investigators to have masterminded the bombings.

Kevin Lee Robinson, 29, turned himself in after police negotiated with an intermediary for his surrender on Monday.  Police believe Robinson hired five men to help carry out a plot to thwart his cocaine trial, which was to have begun Monday.  With previous convictions on charges of felony robbery and possession of firearms and cocaine, Robinson faced a mandatory sentence of 25 years-to-life for a third conviction under California law.  He now also faces conspiracy, burglary and explosives charges carrying up to 160 years in prison.

"Apparently his thought process was that this would somehow stop the trial," Vallejo Police Chief Robert Nichelini said.

The bomb investigation began January 25 when two boys found a knapsack containing 30 sticks of dynamite outside the Vallejo library.  That bomb did not explode, but a blast went off the following day at a row of automatic teller machines outside a downtown bank.  Another explosion blew out part of a wall at the Solano County Courthouse on January 30. No one was injured in either explosion.  Police now believe the bank blast was aimed at confusing investigators.

"We think that was probably a diversion designed to throw the investigation off track and to take us away from looking at only a criminal justice-type operation," Nichelini said.  "None of this makes any sense.  But desperate people do desperate things."

Investigators traced the unexploded dynamite to one of the suspects, leading to the discovery Sunday of 60 sticks of dynamite in a parked car.  "The explosives were wired up and it was our understanding that it was also to be used in a further attempt to subvert the justice system in Vallejo," said Paul Snabel, a Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firean-ns agent.  A car bomb of that size in a populated area "could have been catastrophic," Snabel said. Police said the suspects may have planned a second try at the library, where some police evidence is stored.
 

Is trying to bomb evidence in a court property room to avoid criminal conviction an isolated event, or the start of a trend?  Is your property room exposed to intrusion from the outside.  Too often our property rooms have been converted from closets, offices, or jail cells, and seldom did they ever start out being designed as a property room.  The design of a property room is an extremely serious matter in light of both internal and external threats.  We can't treat this function as though there were no possibility of theft or damage.  Future issues of the Evidence Log will provide design concepts that will help protect our assets.  If evidence from your agency or a neighboring one has been the target of a bomb or other violent attack, please let us know.  Sharing that knowledge in a forum such as this could identify a trend toward violent attacks on evidence much sooner, and allow us to take prompt preventative action.

Was the Vallej'o bombing an event, or the first indicator of a new trend?