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CDA Security

FAQ – Community Policing and Security of Lives in Every Community

Community Policing

What is Community Policing?

Wikipedia – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Community policing, or community-oriented policing (COP), is a strategy of policing that focuses on building ties and working closely with members of the community. It is a philosophy of full-service policing that is highly personal, where an officer patrols the same area for a period of time and develops a partnership with citizens to identify and solve problems.

The central goal of community policing is for the police to build relationships with the community, 

including through local agencies to reduce social disorder. Although community policing mostly targets low-level crime, the broken windows theory proposes that this can reduce more serious crime as well.

Community policing is related to problem-oriented policing and intelligence-led policing, and contrasts with reactive policing strategies which were predominant in the late 20th century.[10] Many police forces have teams that focus specifically on community policing, such as Neighbourhood Policing Teams in the United Kingdom, which are separate from the more centralized units that respond to emergencies.

 
What are the strategies of community policing?

The three key components of community policing strategies are organizational transformation, community partnerships, and shared problem solving.

 
Common methods of community-policing include:

Encouraging the community to help prevent crime by providing advice, talking to students and encouraging neighborhood watch groups
Increased use of foot or bicycle patrols.
Increased officer accountability to the communities they serve
Creating teams of officers to carry out community policing in designated neighborhoods.
Clear communication between the police and the communities about their objectives and strategies.
Partnerships with other organizations such as government agencies, community members, nonprofit service providers, private businesses and the media.
Moving towards some decentralizing of the police authority, allowing more discretion among lower-ranking officers, and more initiative expected from them.

What is an example of community policing?

Neighborhood watches are an example of community policing in action, and these are when residents set up teams to routinely keep an eye out for potential criminal activity. Along these lines are “walk throughs”, which also involve citizens on the alert for crime, and ready to report it.

What to know about community policing?

Community policing stresses prevention, early identification, and timely intervention to deal with issues before they become unwieldy problems. Individual officers tend to function as general-purpose practitioners who bring together both government and private resources to achieve results.

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Video

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

by LAURA REGE (COURTESY)

by Delish US
Sure, chocolate chip cookies are great. But chocolate chip cookies STUFFED with Oreos? They might sound over-the-top, but trust us; one of these babies and a cold glass of milk = cookie nirvana. 

Made them? Let us know how it went in the comment section below.

YIELDS:2 DOZEN
PREP TIME:0 HOURS 10 MINS
TOTAL TIME:1 HOUR 0 MINS
INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 c. (2 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

1 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. granulated sugar

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

24 oreos

DIRECTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 375º and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Slowly beat in vanilla extract and eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir into butter-sugar mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Place dough in the refrigerator to firm up, 30 to 35 minutes.
  2. Scoop about a tablespoon of cookie dough and flatten into a pancake-like circle. Top with one oreo. Form another tablespoon of cookie dough into a flat circle and place on top of filling. Pinch edges together to seal.
  3. Bake cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly golden.
Food, Cookies and crackers, Chocolate chip cookie, Dish, Snack, Dessert, Cuisine, Oatmeal-raisin cookies, Baked goods, Cookie,
Categories
Food

Retro prawn cocktail

Retro prawn cocktail

Serves 6

Prep time: 15 Mins
Cooking time: 0 Mins

A new spin on an old favourite.

Recipe by: Real

Ingredients

Method

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup cream
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 lemons, 1 juiced, 1 cut into 6 wedges
  • 1/2 medium-sized butterhead lettuce
  • 30 cooked shelled prawns
  • 2 tomatoes, finely diced

Preparation

  1. Defrost prawns in the fridge, not in the microwave or at room temperature.
  2. Remove packaging and put prawns in a bowl, covered, and leave overnight. If you need a faster defrost, don’t use the microwave; sit the bowl (tightly covered) into a basin of cold water for an hour or so.
  3. If not cooking prawns whole, twist off the head, hold the tail and carefully remove the shell from around the body; the tail can be left on or taken off.
  4. De-vein by making a cut along the top of the body, then use a sharp knife to remove the dark vein-like digestive tract.

Cooking

  1. If you plan to cook your prawns, they are best bought raw. Re-cooking cooked prawns only makes them tough.
  2. Slightly undercook prawns as they’ll keep cooking with residual heat once removed from the pan or grill.
  3. If you’re serving them with barbecued or grilled steak, don’t put the prawns on until the steak is 90% ready – and then only give them a couple of minutes maximum on each side.
  4. Prawns only need a few minutes to cook – any longer and they’ll become tough.
  5. Prawns can be boiled, deep-fried, crumbed and deep-fried, pan-fried or grilled.
  6. Cooked prawns should be springy, sweet and juicy; overdone, they will be dry, tough and have little flavour.
  7. If re-heating cooked prawns, warm over a moderate heat.

Method

  1. Mix together the mayonnaise, tomato sauce and cream. Season with the Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice to taste.
  2. Wash lettuce and shake leaves dry. Shred finely and divide among 6 individual serving dishes or glasses.
  3. Place 4-6 prawns on top of lettuce and spoon on a generous serve of the cocktail sauce.
  4. Decorate with diced tomato, a lemon wedge and a sprig of parsley.
Categories
Health Technology

New tool can diagnose strokes with a smartphone

New tool can diagnose strokes with a smartphone
Date : October 22, 2020
Source:
Penn State
Summary:
A new tool could diagnose a stroke based on abnormalities in a patient’s speech ability and facial muscular movements, and with the accuracy of an emergency room physician — all within minutes from an interaction with a smartphone.

Selective Focus Photography of Person Holding Turned on Smartphone
FULL STORY
A new tool created by researchers at Penn State and Houston Methodist Hospital could diagnose a stroke based on abnormalities in a patient’s speech ability and facial muscular movements, and with the accuracy of an emergency room physician — all within minutes from an interaction with a smartphone.

“When a patient experiences symptoms of a stroke, every minute counts,” said James Wang, professor of information sciences and technology at Penn State. “But when it comes to diagnosing a stroke, emergency room physicians have limited options: send the patient for often expensive and time-consuming radioactivity-based scans or call a neurologist — a specialist who may not be immediately available — to perform clinical diagnostic tests.”

Wang and his colleagues have developed a machine learning model to aid in, and potentially speed up, the diagnostic process by physicians in a clinical setting.

“Currently, physicians have to use their past training and experience to determine at what stage a patient should be sent for a CT scan,” said Wang. “We are trying to simulate or emulate this process by using our machine learning approach.”

The team’s novel approach is the first to analyze the presence of stroke among actual emergency room patients with suspicion of stroke by using computational facial motion analysis and natural language processing to identify abnormalities in a patient’s face or voice, such as a drooping cheek or slurred speech.

The results could help emergency room physicians to more quickly determine critical next steps for the patient. Ultimately, the application could be utilized by caregivers or patients to make self-assessments before reaching the hospital.

“This is one of the first works that is enabling AI to help with stroke diagnosis in emergency settings,” added Sharon Huang, associate professor of information sciences and technology at Penn State.

To train the computer model, the researchers built a dataset from more than 80 patients experiencing stroke symptoms at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas. Each patient was asked to perform a speech test to analyze their speech and cognitive communication while being recorded on an Apple iPhone.

“The acquisition of facial data in natural settings makes our work robust and useful for real-world clinical use, and ultimately empowers our method for remote diagnosis of stroke and self-assessment,” said Huang.

Testing the model on the Houston Methodist dataset, the researchers found that its performance achieved 79% accuracy — comparable to clinical diagnostics by emergency room doctors, who use additional tests such as CT scans. However, the model could help save valuable time in diagnosing a stroke, with the ability to assess a patient in as little as four minutes.

“There are millions of neurons dying every minute during a stroke,” said John Volpi, a vascular neurologist and co-director of the Eddy Scurlock Stroke Center at Houston Methodist Hospital. “In severe strokes it is obvious to our providers from the moment the patient enters the emergency department, but studies suggest that in the majority of strokes, which have mild to moderate symptoms, that a diagnosis can be delayed by hours and by then a patient may not be eligible for the best possible treatments.”

“The earlier you can identify a stroke, the better options (we have) for the patients,” added Stephen T.C. Wong, John S. Dunn, Sr. Presidential Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Engineering at the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Center for BRAIN and Houston Methodist Cancer Center. “That’s what makes an early diagnosis essential.”

Volpi said that physicians currently use a binary approach toward diagnosing strokes: They either suspect a stroke, sending the patient for a series of scans that could involve radiation; or they do not suspect a stroke, potentially overlooking patients who may need further assessment.

“What we think in that triage moment is being either biased toward overutilization (of scans, which have risks and benefits) or underdiagnosis,” said Volpi, a co-author on the paper. “If we can improve diagnostics at the front end, then we can better expose the right patients to the right risks and not miss patients who would potentially benefit.”

He added, “We have great therapeutics, medicines and procedures for strokes, but we have very primitive and, frankly, inaccurate diagnostics.”

Other collaborators on the project include Tongan Cai and Mingli Yu, graduate students working with Wang and Huang at Penn State; and Kelvin Wong, associate research professor of electronic engineering in oncology at Houston Methodist Hospital.

Categories
Health Health Technology

Malaria test as simple as a bandage

Microneedle-based diagnostic a new platform for many diseases, blood draw not required

Date:
November 2, 2020
Source:
Rice University
Summary:
A test for malaria looks like a bandage, but can diagnose the disease in minutes without the need for medical expertise or specialized equipment.
Yellow Stethoscope And Medicines On Pink Background
                             FULL STORY
Testing for malaria could become as simple as putting on a bandage.

That’s the idea behind a platform developed by Rice University engineers who introduced a microneedle patch for rapid diagnostic testing that does not require extracting blood.

The device detailed in the Nature journal Microsystems and Nanoengineering draws upon protein biomarkers contained in dermal interstitial fluid, what people generally recognize as the fluid inside blisters but surrounds all of the cells in skin.

This fluid contains a multitude of biomarkers for various diseases, such as malaria, which can be used for rapid testing. The disposable patches could be programmed to detect other diseases, potentially including COVID-19, said mechanical engineer Peter Lillehoj of Rice’s Brown School of Engineering.

“In this paper, we focus on malaria detection because this project was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and it’s a big priority for them,” said Lillehoj, who joined Rice in January as an associate professor of mechanical engineering. “But we can adapt this technology to detect other diseases for which biomarkers appear in interstitial fluid.”

The self-contained test developed by Lillehoj and lead author Xue Jiang, a Rice postdoctoral researcher, delivers a result in about 20 minutes and does not require medical expertise or any equipment.

The sticky patch has 16 hollow microneedles in a 4-by-4 array on one side, coupled with an antibody-based lateral-flow test strip on the other. The antibodies react when they sense protein biomarkers for malaria and turn two readout lines on the strip’s exposed surface red. If the test is negative, only one line turns red.

The needles are treated to be hydrophilic — that is, attracted to water — so the fluid is drawn in and flows through to the test strip. Once the test is complete, the device can be removed like any bandage.

While both microneedles and antibody test strips have been extensively studied, Lillehoj said his lab is the first to combine them into a simple, inexpensive package that will be easy to deploy at the point of need, especially in developing regions where finger-prick blood sampling and the availability of trained medical personnel to diagnose samples may be challenging.

The hollow needles are 375 microns wide and 750 microns long, enough to reach the fluid within skin that is typically between 800 to 1,000 microns thick. The needles are sharp enough to overcome the mechanical stress of entering the skin.

“Xue and I have applied the patch to our skin, and it doesn’t feel painful at all compared to a finger prick or a blood draw,” Lillehoj said. “It’s less painful than getting a splinter. I would say it feels like putting tape on your skin and then peeling it off.”

They think the familiar form factor may provide some comfort, especially to children. “We didn’t intend for it to look like a bandage,” he said. “We started with a rectangular shape and then just rounded the edges to make it a little more presentable. We didn’t plan for that, but perhaps it makes the patch more relatable to the general public.”

He estimated individual patches could cost about $1 if and when they are produced in bulk.

Categories
Lifestyle

Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA)

The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) was enacted by Congress of the United States of America in 2000 to address concerns about children’s access to obscene or harmful content over the Internet. CIPA imposes certain requirements on schools or libraries that receive discounts for Internet access or internal connections through the E-rate program – a program that makes certain communications services and products more affordable for eligible schools and libraries. In early 2001, the FCC issued rules implementing CIPA and provided updates to those rules in 2011.

What CIPA requires

Schools and libraries subject to CIPA may not receive the discounts offered by the E-rate program unless they certify that they have an Internet safety policy that includes technology protection measures. The protection measures must block or filter Internet access to pictures that are: (a) obscene; (b) child pornography; or (c) harmful to minors (for computers that are accessed by minors). Before adopting this Internet safety policy, schools and libraries must provide reasonable notice and hold at least one public hearing or meeting to address the proposal.

Schools subject to CIPA have two additional certification requirements: 1) their Internet safety policies must include monitoring the online activities of minors; and 2) as required by the Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act, they must provide for educating minors about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms, and cyberbullying awareness and response.

Schools and libraries subject to CIPA are required to adopt and implement an Internet safety policy addressing:

  • Access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet;
  • The safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms and other forms of direct electronic communications;
  • Unauthorized access, including so-called “hacking,” and other unlawful activities by minors online;
  • Unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors; and
  • Measures restricting minors’ access to materials harmful to them.

Schools and libraries must certify they are in compliance with CIPA before they can receive E-rate funding.

  • CIPA does not apply to schools and libraries receiving discounts only for telecommunications service only;
  • An authorized person may disable the blocking or filtering measure during use by an adult to enable access for bona fide research or other lawful purposes.
  • CIPA does not require the tracking of Internet use by minors or adults.

You can find out more about CIPA or apply for E-rate funding by contacting the Universal Service Administrative Company’s (USAC) Schools and Libraries Division (SLD). SLD also operates a client service bureau to answer questions at 1-888-203-8100 or via email through the SLD website.

Categories
Food Food Food

Top 10 foods to try in the Caribbean

Caribbean island
Caribbean island
Top 10 foods to try in the Caribbean
By Ryan Ver Berkmoes

Travellers are advised to read the FCO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice for the country they are travelling to.

All recommendations have been reviewed and approved as of February 2020 and will be checked and updated annually. If you think there is any incorrect or out of date information in this guide please e-mail us at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk

Visiting the Caribbean is not exactly a hard-sell. With its white sandy beaches, azure sea, lively culture and balmy weather, this cluster of islands is a dream holiday destination. What’s more, sampling the food is a journey in itself.

Don’t leave the Caribbean without trying….
SeafoodShellfish

All those islands, all that ocean. Seafood, whether swimming or in a shell, is a Caribbean highlight. Long a staple of sailors crossing the Atlantic, flying fish are a firm and tender whitefish, best served grilled and hugely popular on Barbados and the Windward Islands. Grouper, a large fish, makes excellent steaks and is good in stews while countless varieties of shellfish is served in beachfront bars.

JerkJerk chicken

The signature flavour of Jamaica and one of the Caribbean’s most famous cuisines, jerk refers to a very spicy dry or wet rub applied to chicken or other meat. After absorbing the flavours, the meat is smoked and/or grilled to fiery perfection. Variations are many, with influences from Africa to Portugal to Latin America.

Try making your own jerk chicken

Roast porkJerk pulled pork with banana salsa

Ubiquitous across the islands, especially those with a strong Spanish heritage like the Dominican Republic and Cuba, roast pork is often served with other regional staples like rice and beans plus plantains. Succulent and juicy, pork drippings give everything on the plate a rich flavour. Roadside stands across Puerto Rico serve the much-loved lechón asado, which is spit-roasted suckling pig.

Pepperspot
Jerk sweet potato & black bean curry

Simmered in huge pots across the Caribbean, this thick and rich stew can include aubergine, okra, squash, potatoes and pretty much anything else that grows in the islands’ rich earth. Beef is the most common meat, while fungi – tasty cornmeal dumplings – add texture. It’s called souse in the Bahamas, which may refer to the condition of the cook given that no two recipes or even batches are alike.

ConchConch shell

A sort of sea escargot, conch is any of many different large sea snails that are housed in often beautiful shells (piles of them in Bonaire form pearly pink mountains). Something like a huge clam, the meat makes fabulous fritters – a staple in the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and cruise-ship ports everywhere. Conch also appears in salads, soups and stews. Farm-raised is the most sustainable.

Chicken with riceRice & peas

Still craved by locals even decades after they’ve emigrated, Arroz Con Pollo is the ultimate island comfort food. Wildly popular where Spanish influences remain strong, this deceptively simple dish is a savoury mix of flavours that include tomatoes, garlic, peppers and more. Baked until the rich scents fill the kitchen, most would say their mother’s version is best.

Try making rice & peas

Cuban sandwichCuban sandwich
One Cuban export that has found favour across the Caribbean and Florida, this hearty sandwich was once the lunchtime meal for labourers in Havana. Soft, crusty white bread is layered with ham, roast pork and some sort of mild white cheese. Dill pickles and vinegary yellow mustard provide accents. A sandwich press makes everything gooey, toasty and scrumptious.

Goat stew

Goat curry

“Got some?” is a conversation-starter on tiny Montserrat, where a thin, clove-scented stew called goat water is a national obsession. The broth is heartier on islands like Aruba and Bonaire, where it is called kabritu (or cabrito) and locals solemnly proclaim that their own mother’s version is best. Mannish water, a Cayman Islands version, includes a goat head and foot.

Try cooking with goat in a Jamaican-style curry

CallalooCallaloo
A vegetable dish with roots in West Africa, callaloo was brought to the Caribbean by slaves and is still a vital part of diets on Jamaica and Dominica plus Trinidad and Tobago. Leafy greens (often from the namesake bush or from taro, water spinach and more) are boiled into a thick stew, which may include peppers, coconut milk, okra and all manner of meats and seafood.

PapayaJerk chicken salad with papaya
This tasty fruit staple grows wild and on farms almost everywhere. It comes in yellow and orange varieties and when perfectly fresh is served plain with a squeeze of lime for a sweet and luscious breakfast. It also appears in salads and even stews. However many prefer papaya mixed into a cocktail with the Caribbean’s great contribution to libations: rum.

Categories
Food Food

Shortage Of Pepperoni

Pepperoni is the latest coronavirus shortage. Will the scarcity affect your pizza habit?

Kelly Tyko
USA TODAY

Move over, national coin and Clorox wipes shortages.

There’s a new coronavirus pandemic shortage of the nation’s most popular pizza topping.

Small pizza shops across the nation are reporting higher prices for pepperoni,  according to Bloomberg, which found a South Dakota shop is paying $4.12 a pound compared to $2.87 in January 2019.

Emily, a New York City pizza shop, is paying $6 a pound, up from $4 earlier this year, chef and co-owner Matthew Hyland told Bloomberg.

“It’s an American right to have pepperoni on pizza,” Hyland told Bloomberg. “Pepperoni is such a huge part of pizza it’s important to us that we keep it accessible.”

The small pizza restaurants said they weren’t passing the higher costs along to customers at this time.

According to Bloomberg, larg pizza chains including Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Little Caesars and Papa John’s haven’t experienced shortages or price increases as they buy ingredients with long-term contracts.

In June, Papa John’s even introduced a new Shaq-a-Roni pizza, the pizza giant’s largest slices to date. Shaquille O’Neal, a Papa John’s board member and franchise owner, came up with for the 16-inch extra-large pizza that sells for $12 and has 66 pepperoni per pie.

But consumers have seen higher prices increase this year at the grocery store on many staples amid the pandemic, which shut down many restaurants.

Perishable items have been more popular with consumers buying more meat, seafood, fruits, dairy and vegetables as more people stay home to eat.

COVID-19 and panic buying caused various shortages, including hand sanitizer, toilet paper, disinfecting wipes, meat and yeast.

Contributing: Joe Taschler, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTy