PDW | March 7, 2021
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WEEKLY
HONORING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY - MONDAY MARCH 8, 2021
A FREE eNewsletter for POLICE, FIRE and COURT PERSONNEL

Published weekly since 2013 by Attorney Marshall T. Segar
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Last Week's "Big Click"
Cops ask for 18-month delay and loosening of deadly force rules
THIS WEEK'S FEATURE
Advocates Seek Changes To Risk Warrant Law
The current law on risk warrants only allows police or state’s attorneys to obtain an order from a judge to remove the firearms of someone who is posing a risk of harming themselves or others.
CLICK THE BUTTON ABOVE EACH HEADLINE TO READ THE FULL STORY
POLICE
Public hearing held over proposed bill to reexamine roles of school resource officers

Many people sounded off on several educational proposals in a public hearing on Wednesday.
On the docket was school resource officers in the schools.
A state lawmaker originally proposed to phase-out the officers from schools. Now, there’s talk of possibly creating a task force to examine their roles.

Around 200 people said plenty during the Education Committee’s public hearing. Under scrutiny, a look at school resource officers in public schools.

“Am I suggesting police should never be on a school when there’s an incident, no,” said Senator Gary Winfield.

What State Senator Gary Winfield is suggesting, he says, is school administrators should handle student discipline, not SROs.

Parent and activist Lashawn Robinson said she’s mixed, saying many could lose jobs, but the issue should be looked at.

“I think a lot of them are not informed and trained when it comes to trauma and things that are happening in the community because you would deal with the student different if you were, right,” Robinson said.


FIRE/EMS
As Fire Broke Out, 3 Dwight Cops Helped Save Lives

When a two-alarm fire erupted on Orchard Street, three patrol cops helped six people safely escape the flames.

The fire broke out at the 435 Orchard apartment building, between Edgewood Avenue and Elm Street, Tuesday at 9:20 p.m.
Officers Eric Eisenhard, Endri Dragoi, and Paul Vakos were in the area at the time. They got there even before the firefighters did.

They saw flames, and began “banging loudly on each apartment door,” police spokesperson Capt. Anthony Duff wrote in a release. A “Good Samartian” joined them in the effort.

At the apartment at the center of the fire, Officer Eisenhard assisted a mother and three small children. As this was happening, the Good Samaritan kicked open a front door as he and Officer Vakos forced entry into an adjacent apartment where they helped two adult residents escape the fire,” Duff wrote.

Firefighters evacuated a next-door apartment building and extinguished the flames.

City emergency management chief Rick Fontana credited the cops and the Samaritan with saving lives.
COURTS
As Pandemic Lingers, Courts Lean Into Virtual Technology

As she started a civil jury trial in early October, Judge Marsha J. Pechman looked across her federal courtroom in Seattle, Washington. It was completely empty.

The litigants and their lawyers beamed in via video. So did her law clerks, and the court reporter tasked with transcribing the trial. Most strikingly, the eight jurors deciding the case also were participating by video from their homes.

Since the pandemic first closed many courts, one of the most significant adjustments made by federal courts has involved the use of electronic communications.

Under provisions of the CARES Act, a COVID-19 relief law passed last March, federal courts began conducting routine procedural hearings, such as first appearances for criminal defendants, by telephone and video hookups.

As the coronavirus (COVID-19) has dragged on, a small number of courts have adapted electronic proceedings to meet more challenging situations. Several courts have conducted virtual bench trials, which do not require a jury. In a few cases, courts holding high-profile hearings have needed to stretch virtual technology to accommodate large numbers of listeners.
Attorney Marshall T. Segar | Marshalllaw LLC | 860.303.3524 | [email protected]
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