The Focused Interviewing System

San Jose DUI Lawyer Explains the Difference Between Wet Reckless and Drunk Driving

Chip — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:09:41 +0000

Many people know what drunk driving is, but few understand the difference between a DUI arrest and what is labeled as “wet reckless driving”.

Alcohol-related reckless driving, also known as wet reckless, is similar to a DUI charge in that, if a driver is arrested again for drunk-driving within 10 years, the wet reckless charge will count as a prior drinking and driving conviction. Also, most insurance companies view wet reckless the same as a DUI, so drivers face increased premiums.

Still, a wet reckless plea is better than a drunk-driving conviction in many respects. The charge carries no mandatory alcohol education classes, no mandatory driver’s license suspensions, and there no SE-22 filing required if the driver had a successful DMV hearing.

The wet-reckless plea can be a good option for individuals with professional licensing concerns, such as doctors, psychiatrists, and real-estate agents.

Wet reckless pleas are most likely to be offered when the defendant’s chemical test showed a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .10 percent or less. A wet reckless is a misdemeanor charge, and carries less severe court punishment than a DUI conviction.

Contact Law Offices of Douglas Slain @ 408-914-5885 or email lawyer@thedefenselawyer.com for a free consultation.

Douglas R. Slain of the Law Offices of Douglas Slain, in Santa Clara, California, represents the accused throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and specializes in DUI and criminal defense.
San Jose DUI Lawyer

self-defense for children

Chip — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:24:04 +0000

¿Es usted padre buscando una manera de enseñar a los niños las características del desarrollo, la seguridad del niño y habilidades de auto-defensa necesarios para el éxito en el mundo - para ayudar a su hijo a desarrollar su o su potencial? Bueno ...

Todos los programas de desarrollo infantil NO son lo mismo!

Si bien hay muchos programas buenos niños, grupos y organizaciones por ahí, la verdad es que, cuando se examinan de cerca sobre la base de beneficios ...

... Ningún otro niño, se desarrolla el programa de desarrollo del niño como un bien estructurado programa de artes marciales.

Los tres aspectos han núcleo de nuestra Constitución, y los niños son sin duda diferentes. Si queremos asegurar que nuestros niños crezcan con todas las ventajas necesarias personas a convertirse en positivos, poderosa y productiva, debemos asegurarnos de que trabajamos para ofrecer esas cosas, incluyendo los recursos educativos, que se desarrollarán estos tres aspectos dentro de ellos:

Física (incluido el cuerpo y estado físico general, el nivel de fuerza, y la salud)
Mental (incluida la claridad y precisión, los conocimientos y habilidades para resolver problemas) y ...
Espiritual / emocional (incluyendo los sentimientos de autoestima, valor, y el propósito)

Un bien estructurado le enseña al niño las mismas lecciones de desarrollo que muchos otros grupos y organizaciones a hacer, pero con varias diferencias.

Estas diferencias incluyen:

El desarrollo del niño en su totalidad (física, mental y emocionalmente)
Los líderes son caminar, hablar ejemplos del programa de
Desafiando a todos los estudiantes para tener éxito (no sólo recompensar a aquellos que lo hacen)
El programa se basa en principios sólidos de desarrollo infantil
Líderes de comprender y utilizar modelos de buen desarrollo del niño para los máximos resultados con todo tipo de niños

Sólo un bien estructurado programa de artes marciales para los niños desarrolla el niño en su totalidad ...

... cuerpo, mente y espíritu.

Si usted nunca pensó de buscar en las artes marciales de su hijo en mente. Puede ser el mejor decisión que lo hago para ellos.

Jeffrey M. Miller is the founder and master instructor of Warrior Concepts International. A senior teacher in the Japanese warrior art of Ninjutsu, he specializes in teaching the ancient ways of self-protection and personal development lessons in a way that is easily understood and put to use by modern Western students and corporate clients. Through their martial arts training, his students and clients learn proven, time-tested lessons designed to help them create the life they've always dreamed of living, and the skills necessary for protecting that life from anything that might threaten it. To learn more about child development and other subjects related to the martial arts, self-defense, personal development & self-improvement, visit his website at http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com To subscribe to his online newsletter, go to http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com/newsletter.html

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Former NHTSA Head Blasts Coziness Between Watchdog Agency and Auto Industry

Chip — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:12:00 +0000

Calling NHTSA a “lapdog, not a watchdog,” Joan Claybrook, former head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said the agency must adopt “tougher standards” for safety officials who go to work for the auto industry. Claybrook is scheduled to testify today at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection examining NHTSA operations.

Claybrook, who served as NHTSA administrator during the Carter Administration, said she has found 40 cases of former NHTSA and Department of Transportation officials who went to work for the auto industry, including Sue Bailey, a former NHTSA administrator who went to work for Ford Motor Co., and Rodney Slater, a former Secretary of Transportation, who was recently asked by Toyota to head up a special quality advisory board. Claybrook will include information on the cases in her testimony today.

While ties between NHTSA and Toyota are currently under scrutiny because of alleged safety defects in Toyota vehicles, Claybrook’s 40 cases also involved all three major U.S. manufacturers, BMW, Honda and Suzuki, as well as auto trade associations.

Under federal law, an employee in the executive branch is barred for two years after leaving government service from representing any matter under the employee’s previous official responsibility. NHTSA should impose a longer “cooling off” period, said Claybrook, contending that the auto industry has become too cozy with the agency.

“Auto companies, including Toyota, treat the agency with contempt,” said Claybrook in her prepared testimony for the hearing.

In her testimony, Claybrook cites the case of two former NHTSA safety investigators who went to work for Toyota’s Washington, D.C. office. NHTSA officials sharply narrowed the scope of a 2004 investigation into random acceleration in Toyota vehicles after meeting with Chris Tinto and Chris Santucci.

Texas ‘Fight Club’ Organizer Pleads Guilty

Chip — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:11:58 +0000

A former Texas State School employee has changed his plea to guilty for his role in organizing “fight club” brawls between mentally disabled residents at a state school in Texas and using cell phones to videotape the abuse.

In a surprising move, Guadalupe De Larosa, 23, accepted a plea agreement from prosecutors Wednesday, prior to the second phase of arguments before a jury and after initially pleading not guilty. He admitted to three counts of injury to a mentally disabled individual and was sentenced to four years in prison.

“We’re comfortable with this resolution,” said Doug Mann, Assistant District Attorney who prosecuted the case. “It was a fair result.”

The state had introduced video evidence showing De Larosa pushing and kicking residents to fight, which was corroborated by another former employee involved in the case, Stephanie Garza.

Garza, 22, testified she saw De Larosa videotaping the fights.

De Larosa was immediately taken into custody and will serve his time in a Texas prison.
He and Garza are two of six former state school employees who were implicated in the case that made national headlines last spring.

D’Angelo Riley, 23, pleaded guilty to three counts of causing injury to mentally disabled residents and is serving a four-year prison sentence.

Jesse Salazar, 25, was sentenced to three years in jail, while Vincent Johnson, 22, received a two-year suspended jail sentence.

Garza was previously granted immunity by the State. Charges against her will be dismissed assuming she completes her obligation to testify in the case involving the alleged ring leader, Timothy Dixon.

Dixon, 30, is awaiting a decision from the Texas Court of Appeals to determine if gripping video evidence in the case can be used against him. Oral arguments are expected to begin next month. Last summer, Judge Sandra Watts dismissed explicit cell phone video showing the fights, to be used against Dixon. She maintained the phone was stolen property and that State prosecutors failed to prove the Dixon deliberately abandoned the phone.

The employees allegedly made nearly 20 cell phone videos over the course of one year.

“I believe these acts were not simply the act of rogue employees but occured because of the permissive environment allowed to exist in the state school system,” said Bob Hilliard, an attorney for one of the victims.

He added, “The individuals further up the food chain, responsible for this broken system have yet to be brought in front of a jury.”

bad police interview video

Chip — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:16:11 +0000

The TASER® has become the de facto non-lethal weapon of choice in many police and security firms in the U.S and throughout the industrialized world. Although many think of it as a stun gun, TASER the company resists this appellation. It prefers the term Electronic Control Device (ECD) to describe the TASER. Many people, including members of the media, often confuse the terms "stun gun" and "TASER." A stun gun's electrodes must touch the perpetrator while the stun charge is being applied. A TASER takes down an assailant by sending two darts to the target. These darts are attached to the gun by two thin electrical wires. When the user presses the trigger, the probes rapidly fire and send an electrical charge through the wires. The perpetrator goes down quickly with almost 100% effectiveness. The product works by overwhelming a person's sensory and motor functions. When used responsibly, the product is safe with a low incidence of injury.

TASER began as a company in 1993 and focused on citizen models to deter personal assaults. In 1999, the company brought to the market the M series TASER models which fine tuned the electrical pulse to more effectively incapacitate the target's neuromuscular system. The Advanced TASER M26 (26 watt) model became the first successful ergonomically shaped device to find favor with law enforcement personnel. These and others involved with security found that an aggressive and uncooperative individual could often be subdued and apprehended without the incident escalating to a lethal force situation. Cartridge ranges are available up to 35 feet.

Citizens concerned with personal safety were offered their own M version, the M18 (18 watts). Although not quite as sophisticated or powerful as the police model, the TASER M18 was a successful product. The M-18 was sold without a laser sight, the M-18L included the aiming aid. The device was powered by eight AA batteries with a maximum firing range of 15 feet.

In 2003, the company released the X-26 model. This police model is 60% smaller in size and weight than the M-26. To accomplish this, TASER engineers managed to re-shape the pulse wave so the gun requires less power to operate. While the M-26 needed 26 watts of power, the X-26 needs only 5 watts. This "shaped pulse" technology is 25% more effective than the M-26 and better penetrates clothing. The unit requires a lithium power pack. Police departments laud the seven ounce weight that make carrying the unit in its holster much more comfortable than the previous model. Among the advanced features are a Central Information Display (CID) which indicates countdown timer during an activation, battery level and warranty information. A strong night time light has been integrated into the unit.

TASER International claims that 11,000 law enforcement agencies worldwide use TASER devices. But the company hasn't forgotten the individual consumer. The TASER® C2(TM) is a newer model designed specifically with the female user in mind. The model is stylishly ergonomic making it easier to hold by even small hands. The C2 shoots up to 15 feet and uses a lithium power pack that the company claims is good for 50 firings. The TASER C2 is available in five colors at a lowest price than any previous model.

What's new at TASER International? The company is concentrating on audio-video surveillance products. It has been marketing the TASER® CAM(TM) as an attachment to the TASER X-26. It can record audio and video as the officer sees it. The new TASER®(TM) Axion(TM) is a stand-alone audio video system that an officer can wear while discharging his duties. It fits around the head and records the officers view of his surroundings. The company says that law enforcement officers constantly face false allegations and complaints that question their integrity and honor. TASER says that the officer will now have the ability to show administrators and even jurors exactly what he or she saw.

As TASER International fazes out its M-18 consumer line, the newest citizen model X26C takes its place. Designed around the X-26 police model, the X-26C shares many of its design features. The consumer model comes in choices of yellow, black and clear body parts. The model uses cartridges that shoot up to 15 feet and uses the X-26 long life powering system. It also borrows the Central Information Display and the night light from the police model. This model is as much an advance from the M-18 as the X-28 from the M-26.

TASER devices are not considered firearms by the US Government. They can be legally carried (concealed or open) without a permit required in 43 states. Prohibited citizen use in DC, HI, MA, MI, NJ, NY, RI, WI, IL certain cities and counties. CT requires a valid firearm license. Make sure you check local laws before purchasing or carrying electronic control devices including stun guns.

Gene Brenner is webmaster of a company that offers TASER products and stun guns You can find the citizen model TASER C2 at Stun Gun Supply