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Although total reports of hotel-related crimes in Columbia in 2007 were the lowest in the past four years, the number of violent crimes in hotels has increased. Murder, non-negligent manslaughter, aggravated assault and rape are considered violent crimes.
The Columbia Police Department offers a free, three-step safety certification program to address hotel security. Many Columbia hotels have participated, but none has been certified. The reasons: time and money.
The program covers three steps:
** A four-hour training session in which hotel managers learn about ways to make their hotels safer, such as cutting down bushes and changing placement of lights.
** A property assessment and recommendation to complete specific tasks to improve safety, such as suggesting where to place security cameras.
** The reinspection of the property and subsequent certification of the hotel after changes have been made.
Hotel managers say some of the measures are against corporate policy, some cost more money than hotels can spend, and some may cause a liability if a deficiency is identified and goes unattended.
Should another way be found to ensure security at Columbia hotels?
Tension erupts in South America
Venezuela and Ecuador sent troops to the Colombia border earlier this week in response to a Colombian air bombing and ground raid within Ecuadorean territory.
Colombia killed 24 rebels with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, also known as FARC, including second-in-command Raul Reyes. Colombia and FARC have been in a civil war for nearly 40 years.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said that if the attack happened in Venezuelan territory, it would have been considered an act of war.
The Organization of American States declared the attacks a violation of Ecuador’s sovereignty Thursday in an effort to force a diplomatic resolution to the growing South American tensions.
At the meeting, the United States was the only nation to explicitly support the Colombian government. The United States considers FARC a terrorist organization.
The Venezuelan foreign minister said the troop movements were “not against the people of Colombia, but rather the expansionist designs of the empire,” referring to the United States.
“We do think it’s curious that a country such as Venezuela would be raising the specter of military action against a country who was defending itself against terrorism,” said Dana Perino, a White House spokeswoman, in a New York Times article. “I think that says a lot about Venezuela.”
Does the pursuit of terrorists justify bombings in another country?
A legend retires
Football legend Brett Favre, the Green Bay Packers’ quarterback for the past 16 years, retired this week.
He threw 442 touchdown passes and had 61,655 passing yards.
He took the Most Valuable Player award three times.
He won Super Bowl XXXI and lost the Super Bowl the following year.
He broke nearly every NFL quarterback record.
He scored a win over the Oakland Raiders the day after his father died in 2003.
He overcame an addiction to prescription pain killers.
He continued playing after critics said his game was slipping with age.
He sprinted to the finish line, leading the Packers to a 13-3 season. They lost to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship game.
He cried in a press conference announcing his retirement.
He united sports fans under respect for his accomplishments on and off the field.
Rick Maese, a columnist for the Baltimore Sun, said Favre “will go down as the last professional athlete to receive the benefit of the doubt.”
In an age of sport cynicism and trash talk, Favre held his own.
What should Brett Favre do now?
Consumers fight back
Columbia resident Nancy Holman sent an angry e-mail to friends about her treatment at a local Factory Card Outlet, and the e-mail worked its way through thousands of inboxes. As a result, the president of Factory Card Outlet personally apologized.
Holman has become part of a national trend that’s beginning to change some of the ways companies are approaching customer service.
In a digital age, finding the names and contact information for higher-ups in companies is becoming easier. Blogs and YouTube videos give consumers forums to vent their rage.
The Missouri Attorney General’s Office began allowing consumers to file complaints online and has seen the number and details of the complaints increase. A consumer blog on its Web site had 200,000 hits in January.
Businesses on a local level, such as CC’s City Broiler, monitor what’s being said about them online. So do larger chains — including the Illinois-based Factory Card Outlet.
Boycotting a business is no longer consumers’ only option. Now they have the Internet.
Can the digital era force companies to operate with higher standards?
DNA to prevent a fresh start?
The Missouri Senate voiced unanimous approval Monday for a bill that would add juveniles convicted of certain felony and misdemeanor charges to the state’s DNA database.
Juvenile offenders affected by the bill would have to be found guilty or plead “no contest” to certain violent crimes. They would be required to submit to a blood or buccal (mouth) sample to the Missouri State Highway Patrol or the Missouri Department of Corrections.
Proponents argued that the bill would cut down on the amount of wrongful convictions and help protect the public from repeat offenders.
Sen. Tim Green, D-St. Louis, said the state’s reimbursement policies for people wrongfully convicted deserves a closer look.
He specifically cited “overzealous prosecutors,” such as former Durham, N.C., District Attorney Mike Nifong, as evidence that there should be checks in place to make sure the wrongly accused are sufficiently compensated.
“It’s a shame that you have to get on ‘60 Minutes’ before some of these people’s voice can be heard,” Green said.
Would adding juveniles convicted of certain crimes to the state’s DNA database take away the chance of a fresh start?
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