The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that Cingular and Radio Shack are working together on a wireless AMBER Alert System for users of cell phones and wireless network devices. The AMBER Alerts will be a free, opt-in service that will notify cell phone users in a given geographic area to newly-filed missing children notices in their region via SMS text messages.

You can read the article by Akweli Parker @ Cingular, RadioShack to team up on missing-children alerts.

PittsburghLive.com is reporting on a Pennsylvania couple that have been charged with numerous criminal counts, after attempting to stop the repossession of their SUV, including criminal conspiracy and making terroristic threats.

From the article —

Serena reportedly ran to the other side of the truck when Sonya Schlegel pointed a rifle at him, cursed at him and again demanded he release the truck from the tow.

Charles Schlegel began rocking the truck back and forth in an attempt to release it from the tow. He eventually succeeded, then drove the SUV away from the scene, police said.

After her husband drove off, Sonya Schlegel retreated inside the residence, where police said they found her after responding to a call about the disturbance.

Sonya Schlegel was charged with two counts of criminal conspiracy and one count each of terroristic threats, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.

Charles Schlegel was charged with two counts of criminal conspiracy and one count each of receiving stolen property and unauthorized use of an automobile.

The Schlegels face a preliminary hearing before District Judge Douglas R. Weimer Jr. Jan. 25.

You can read the entire article @ Couple charged after trying to stop truck repo

The Smoking Gun has released their top 15 mug shots for 2005. These characters and their mug shots are entertaining, to say the least.

You can view The Smoking Gun mug shots at The Smoking Gun 2005 Mug Shots Of The Year

A bounty hunter in Manchester, NH wears a Santa Claus disguise to catch bail skips, according to an article in the Union Leader newspaper.

From the article —

Bounty hunter Lance Allen Wilkinson of Amherst, a recognized bail enforcement agent, donned a red and white hat and frosty beard while making an arrest on Hall Street Saturday afternoon.

“He was standing outside when we got there. I said, ‘Ho, ho, ho. Off to jail you go,’ ” Wilkinson said.

You can read the entire article @ Bounty hunter dons Santa Claus disguise

Sci-Tech Today is reporting that a 20 year old German man has turned himself over to authorities, after mistakenly believing a phony email generated by the Sober email worm that stated he was being investigated.

From the article –

The 20-year-old alleged pedophile was trapped by Sober-Z, a variant of Sober, a prolific Internet worm that has invaded PCs over the past few months, sending out messages from multiple fabricated e-mail addresses.

The e-mail received by the alleged pedophile said that “an investigation is underway.” The e-mail listed the sender as Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office, the Bundes Kriminal Amt (BKA).

Paderborn police charged the man after finding pornographic images of children on his home computer, Reuters said. The man has not been named.

You can read the entire article @ Pornographer Trapped by Sober Worm.

Here is another sign of the digital, wired, networked times: ThePittsburghChannel.com is reporting the story of a teenager who was convicted of manslaughter after an online confession was discovered by prosecutors on the teen’s blog.

From the article –

An 18-year-old passenger who caused a fatal crash by pulling on the steering wheel pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter after prosecutors discovered a confession on his online blog.

Blake Ranking wrote “I did it” on his blurty.com journal three days after the October 2004 crash that caused a friend’s death and left another seriously injured. He had previously told investigators he remembered nothing of the crash and little of its aftermath.

You can read the entire article @
Teen Guilty Of Manslaughter After Online Confession

The Associated Press is reporting that Duane ‘Dog’ Chapman has signed on for a third season of his popular show ‘Dog, the Bounty Hunter’ with A&E for a cool $2.6M.

The article also reports that the ‘Dog, the Bounty Hunter’ series is A&E’s highest-rated television series ever.

Here is a freely browsable database of crimes reported in the city of Chicago and plotted by location on a customized Google Map.

You can search the Chicago crime database by crime type; street; date; police beat; zip code; ward; location; city map or route.

You can search the Chicago crime database at Chicago Crime

An article published in the International Herald Tribune details the rising use of wireless "door-to-door" text messaging searches to find suspected criminals and perpetrators. 

From the IHT article:

"When soccer fans rioted in Rotterdam last April - this time targeting the police, not just rival fans - they might have expected a fierce chase. There was no way to foresee, however, the unique wireless wrinkle used in the pursuit by prosecutors determined to round up as many of the offenders as possible. 

After the initial phase of the investigation left many of more than 200 suspects on the loose, the Dutch authorities turned to a kind of cellular door-to-door search - mass text messaging in search of criminal information.  The cellular-era tactic has appeared in a growing number of cities since early last year, as the police seek to turn cellphones into direct lines to potential witnesses."

You can read the entire article at Wireless: Cracking down on crime in a cellular era by Chris Oakes @ iht.com.

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The Dutch Health Ministry has announced plans to track every Dutch citizen from cradle to grave with a national database set for use on January 1, 2007.  The new database is designed to track truancy records and criminal behavior among the population and ease communications and information sharing between various Dutch government agencies.   You can read  the entire article Dutch Treat: Personal Database by The Associated Press @ Wired.com.