MoCO Home Invasions update 11/29/07

WashPost

Crime Report

Thursday, November 29, 2007;
Montgomery County

These were among incidents recorded by the Montgomery County Police Department's Media Services Division, which may not have received complete reports from all six stations for today's Extra. For more information, call 240-773-5030.

DISTRICT 1 ROCKVILLE STATION

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

BEALL SPRING RD.,12300 block, 3:45 a.m. Nov. 13. An attempt was made to enter a residence. Nothing was reported missing.

HAYWORTH DR.,13500 block, 4:30 a.m. Nov. 13. A residence was entered by force. Nothing was reported missing.

DISTRICT 2 BETHESDA STATION

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

BANGOR DR.,5000 block, 11:45 a.m. Nov. 6. An attempt was made to enter a residence by force. A man was being sought in connection with the crime.

CHESTNUT ST.,4300 block, 6:20 a.m. Nov. 10. An attempt was made to enter a residence. A 47-year-old man of no fixed address was arrested.

DISTRICT 3 SILVER SPRING STATION

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

MUSGROVE RD.,2500 block, 1:45 a.m. Nov. 11. An attempt was made to enter an assisted living facility.

PALMER HOUSE WAY,13800 block, 3:20 to 3:45 p.m. Nov. 9. Property was stolen from a residence entered by force. Four male youths were being sought in connection with the crime.

SWEET CLOVER DR.,12100 block, 1 to 8 a.m. Nov. 9. An attempt was made to enter a residence by force. Nothing was reported missing.

WALDEN RD.,9100 block, 9:20 to 9:50 a.m. Nov. 11. An attempt was made to enter a residence. Nothing was reported missing.

DISTRICT 4 WHEATON STATION

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

BRIGHTON DAM RD.,400 block, 10 to 10:18 a.m. Nov. 7. Property was stolen from a residence entered by force.

CROSSWAY RD.,14600 block, 12:36 to 1:12 p.m. Nov. 8. An attempt was made to enter a residence. Nothing was reported missing.

MoCO Home Invasions breaking 11/28/07

http://www.gazette.net/stories/112807/damanew210717_32367.shtml

Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007

Woman escapes her Chevy Chase home during robbery

77-year-old victim sustained minor injuries

by Audrey Dutton | Staff Writer

Detectives are seeking information on a home-invasion robbery that occurred early Tuesday morning on the 5500 block of Montgomery Street in Chevy Chase.

The victim, a 77-year-old woman, was in her home at about 1 a.m. when the lights suddenly went out. As she went to the basement to check her fuse box, a male stranger struck her and pushed her to the ground, county police report.

The suspect demanded money from the woman. She replied that cash was upstairs, at which point the man restrained her and went upstairs, police said.

While the man was upstairs, the woman set herself free and fled. She ran to a neighbor’s house and called police.

Officers from the Second District Montgomery County Police Department and Chevy Chase police officers responded. The woman sustained minor injuries that did not need medical treatment. Property was taken from her house by the suspect, police said.

The male suspect is described as 18 to 23 years old, 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 130 to 150 pounds and of unknown ethnicity, police said. He wore a puffy black jacket with white vertical stripes, black pants and a black baseball cap.

Police ask that anyone with information about the invasion and robbery call the Robbery Division at 240-773-5100. Calls can be made anonymously.

Heller to go

So, my cert denial prediction was WRONG. I guess you can't always get it right. Here's to the USSC getting this case right.

MoCO Home Invasions update 11/22/07

Crime Report

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Montgomery County

These were among incidents recorded by the Montgomery County Police Department's Media Services Division, which may not have received complete reports from all six stations for today's Extra. For more information, call 240-773-5030.

DISTRICT 1 ROCKVILLE STATION

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

GARRETT RD.,6900 block, 4:45 to 5:12 p.m. Nov. 2. Three men took property from a residence.

PARKLAWN DR.,11900 block, 5 a.m. Nov. 11. A man entered a residence, took property and fled.

SHINING WILLOW DR.,10200 block, 11 to 11:15 a.m. Oct. 30. Two males entered a residence by force. Nothing was reported missing.

DISTRICT 2 BETHESDA STATION

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

CRANE TERR.,6400 block, 12:30 p.m. Nov. 3. A residential burglary occurred. Two male youths, 14 and 15, were arrested and charged with burglary.

ROSS RD.,2400 block, 6 to 10 p.m. Oct. 31. A woman entered a residence by force, took property and fled.

STILLWATER AVE.,10900 block, 5 a.m. Nov. 1. Property was stolen from a residence.

DISTRICT 3 SILVER SPRING STATION

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

COLUMBIA BLVD.,9500 block, 8:30 a.m. Nov. 1. Two men took property from a residence and fled.

DISTRICT 4 WHEATON STATION

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

COLESVILLE MANOR DR.,400 block, 10:50 to 11:25 a.m. Oct. 31. Property was stolen from a residence.

GOOD HOPE RD.,15000 block, 8:30 p.m. Nov. 2. A residence was entered by force. Nothing was reported missing.

LITTLETON ST.,12500 block, 8:50 to 9:05 a.m. Oct. 30. Two men took property from a residence entered by force.

DISTRICT 5 GERMANTOWN STATION

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

HALETHORPE LANE,20200 block, 11:30 to 11:50 a.m. Nov. 5. Property was stolen from a residence entered by force.

TAKOMA PARK

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

GLAIZEWOOD AVE.,900 block, 2:14 a.m. Nov. 10. Residents found a man in their basement and kept him there until police arrived. A man was arrested and charged with burglary. He was also charged with attempted strong-arm carjacking in connection with an incident earlier the same day, in which a man tried unsuccessfully to pull a woman from her car at a gas station in the 6900 block of New Hampshire Ave.

MoCO Home Invasions update 11/15/07

WashPost

Crime Report
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Montgomery County

DISTRICT 1 ROCKVILLE STATION

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

GORKY PARK DR.,14000 block, 12:30 to 1:30 a.m. Oct. 24. Property was stolen from a residence entered by force.

SHINING WILLOW DR.,10200 block, Oct. 30. An attempt was made to enter a residence.

DISTRICT 3 SILVER SPRING STATION

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

AUTUMN GLEN CIR.,3600 block, 10:30 p.m. Oct. 30. Property was stolen from a residence entered by force.

DILSTON RD.,9600 block, 1:49 p.m. Oct. 23. Two males attempted to enter a residence.

HAWKSHEAD TERR.,12900 block, 2:22 p.m. Oct. 23. A residence was entered by force. Nothing was reported missing.

NORTHAMPTON DR.,800 block, 8:45 to 9:40 p.m. Oct. 25. A residence was entered. Nothing was reported taken.

PERSHING DR.,600 block, 6:28 a.m. Oct. 25. Property was stolen from a residence entered by force.

TANLEY RD.,800 block, 12:30 to 2:30 a.m. Oct. 24. Property was stolen from a residence entered by force.

UNIVERSITY BLVD. E.,1 to 100 block, 6 a.m. to 6:45 a.m. Oct. 22. Property was stolen from a residence.

DISTRICT 4 WHEATON STATION

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

HORIZON PL.,17600 block, 11:30 p.m. Oct. 26 to 5 a.m. Oct. 27. Property was stolen from a residence entered by force while a resident was asleep inside.

HORIZON PL.,17600 block, 3 to 3:30 a.m. Oct. 29. An attempt was made to enter a residence.

HORIZON PL.,17600 block, 12:45 a.m. to 8 a.m. Oct. 29. Property was stolen from a residence entered by force.

URBANA DR.,2500 block, 4 to 9 p.m. Oct. 26. Property was stolen from a residence entered by force.

DISTRICT 6 GAITHERSBURG STATION

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

MEGGS PL.,9700 block, 1 p.m. Oct. 24. A residential burglary occurred. A man, 21, and a male youth were arrested and charged with residential burglary.

PARK AVE.,200 block, 3:30 a.m. Oct. 24. An attempt was made to enter a residence.

TAKOMA PARK POLICE DEPARTMENT

ROBBERIES

NEW HAMPSHIRE AVE.,7400 block, 12:14 p.m. Nov. 6. A group of five males demanded cash at gunpoint from a man entering a motel room. After the victim surrendered his wallet, he saw the assailants flee in a white Jeep Liberty with tinted windows.

MD Democratic follies

Well, the MD legislature really showed its ass this time.

If you hadn't heard, the state is facing a massive budget shortfall, and the answer was to hold a special legislative session to debate a tax increase and slots gambling finally being allowed. In the run up, the MD Dems' answer was to claim they were going to "fix" the "regressive" tax system in MD (AKA a flat tax). "The rich" were supposed to get soaked with a 1-2% tax increase.

The only problem is that "the rich" were concentrated in Montgomery County, home of MS far-left crackpotism. This scared the MoCO COunty Executive so much that he lobbied everyone in the MD Legis not to pass the tax increase because all those "rich people" would just pack up and move to NoVA!

So, guess what?

WashPost

A sharply divided Maryland Senate approved a $1.4 billion annual tax increase yesterday, the largest component of a plan to close a gaping state budget shortfall that Gov. Martin O'Malley is pushing lawmakers to adopt in a special legislative session now two weeks old.

The bill calls for raising the sales, tobacco, corporate income and vehicle titling taxes and overhauling the state's income tax brackets. High-income earners would pay more, but in a nod to concerns raised by Montgomery County officials, the Senate scaled back two top income tax rates proposed by O'Malley (D).

As we say in econ, "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch." MD's budget has to get balanced with money from somewhere. And lookie where it's going to come from:

Baltimoresun.com

O'Malley promise on taxes erased

Lawmakers remove low earners' breaks

By Andrew A. Green

Sun reporter

November 13, 2007

Gov. Martin O'Malley aimed his pitch for raising some taxes at the same "working families" he wooed in last year's campaign. He promised that he had found a way to resolve Maryland's projected $1.7 billion budget shortfall that would place the burden on the wealthy and big corporations. The vast majority of Marylanders, he promised, would actually come out ahead.

But after a series of amendments the state Senate adopted last week, that appears to be in doubt. The House of Delegates voted to restore some of O'Malley's promised progressivity, but even plan supporters acknowledge that working families are likely to end up paying the same amount or more in taxes.
. . . .
Both the Senate and the House eliminated the property tax cut. The House added some new tax breaks for lower-income workers, but the benefits wouldn't necessarily be as big as the governor proposed. And a $50 sales tax rebate for families earning less than $30,000 a year that was in O'Malley's plan appears to be dead.

For a family earning $40,000 a year, O'Malley's plan would result in tax savings of $58. That family would pay $7 more a year under the House plan and $87 more a year under the Senate plan.

A family earning $75,000 a year would pay an extra $66 under O'Malley's plan, not counting the property tax cut that he was pushing. If that family owned a $220,000 home, it would break even under his proposal. That family would pay an extra $83 under the House plan and $166 more under the Senate plan.

The very wealthy - families with incomes of $750,000 a year - would be hit the hardest by O'Malley's plan. The governor's proposal (not counting the property tax break) would have cost them about $5,403. The House and Senate plans would add $4,405 and $2,253, respectively.

A big impetus for the changes to O'Malley's plan was the objection of Montgomery County lawmakers, whose constituents would have picked up most of the tab.

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, a Democrat, said he worried that O'Malley's plan would prompt top earners to relocate to Northern Virginia, where the income tax rate is lower.

"It would harm our efforts to preserve and protect our low-income families because we need revenue from the top," Leggett said. "If we do not continue to attract these people, it adversely affects those at the bottom."

Way to go, MD Dems! Cave on your principles when it affects YOU!

Second Amendment Principles in Practice

www.baltimoresun.com/news/world/iraq/bal-te.iraq14nov14001518,0,7749386.story

(Iraqi citizens band together to fight Al-Qaida militants, while waiting for police and US military to reach the town)

Parker/Heller stalled out

If you haven't heard, the USSC has stalled out on deciding cert. More brilliant legal minds than mine won't speculate on what this means. Since I am not so smart, I WILL speculate.

The justices DID discuss the Heller case, but reached no decision on cert. It could because:

1. Not enough consensus on the question presented. Both sides are seeking cert, but on different questions. DC frames it as "allowed to band handguns while allowing others," and the Heller team frames it as "does 2d Amendment protect functional self-defense firearms in the home."

2. Not enough confidence in how the court would rule in the end. Since only four justices are needed to grant cert, it may be that four pro-Heller and four anti-Heller justices are not sure if the ninth justice would side with them. No one wants to be on the losing side. Since the stakes are so high the pro- and anti- sides would want to be sure they would prevail in the final opinion. Popular opinion seems to think that the swing justice is Kennedy. It could be that the justices are feeling out Kennedy to see what he would do. Kennedy may not be sure of what he wants to do.

3. Not enough briefing on cert. This is a laugh, but it is possible that the numerous cert petitions and amicus briefs missed something and the justices want to research the missing issue before rendering a cert decision.

4. Want more time. The simplest explanation is that the justices didn't get enough time to discuss the case (I understand it was last that day) and want to think about it some more before deciding on cert.

There you have it. Tune in after Nov. 26 (the earliest date for another cert decision) and we'll see what happens.

Parker Prediction

I'm thinking the USSC will deny cert (but I can't explain why I do - just a gut feeling).

Who's with me?

Edited to add:

Uh, oh, maybe I spoke too soon.

Seen at The High Road -

After getting a phone call last night I was told I can release the following:

- the case was not remanded back to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, which was another possibility, and

- the anti's are not going to be happy with the decision reached on Friday.

MoCO Home Invasions Update 11/9/07

Relatively slow week . . .

WashPost

Crime Report

Thursday, November 8, 2007; GZ27

Montgomery County

District 1 Rockville Station

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

GLENMORE TERR.,2300 block, 2:51 a.m. Oct. 21. A burglary occurred at a home. A Takoma Park man, 19, was arrested nearby and charged with residential burglary.

District 3 Silver Spring Station

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

DILSTON RD.,1300 block, 12:37 p.m. Oct. 17. A residence was entered by force. A male, 16, and a Takoma Park male, 17, were seen nearby and arrested, then charged with residential burglary in connection with the incident.

HAWKSHEAD TERR.,12900 block, 2:22 p.m. Oct. 23. A residence was entered. Nothing was reported missing.

VENICE PL.,12400 block, 3:16 p.m. Oct. 22. A man attempted to enter a residence.

District 4 Wheaton Station

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

NADINE DR.,14300 block, 11 a.m. to noon Oct. 19. An attempt was made to enter a residence.

PEAR TREE CT.,3600 block, 8 to 8:15 p.m. Oct. 19. Two men were seen taking property from a residence entered by force.

District 5 Germantown Station

WEAPONS VIOLATIONS

ANNAPOLIS ROCK RD.,7100 block, 1 p.m. Oct. 19. A man carrying a rifle was seen by an off-duty police officer. A man, 32, of Jefferson, Md., was arrested and charged with a weapons offense.

Rockville

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

EDMONSTON DR.,300 block, 2:05 to 2:07 p.m. Oct. 23. A burglary occurred. A man, 18, was arrested and charged with third-degree burglary, trespassing and destruction of property.

MoCO Home Invasions Update 11/1/07

Sorry for the delay. Will post this week's report later today or tomorrow

Crime Report
Thursday, November 1, 2007;
Montgomery County

District 2 Bethesda Station

ROBBERIES

CASTLE BLVD.,13800 block, 11:15 a.m. Oct. 12. Two males posing as deliverymen knocked on a door and entered a residence by force. They took property and fled in a Ford vehicle with a decal on the side.

District 4 Wheaton Station

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

HEWITT AVE.,3300 block, 4:30 a.m. Oct. 12. A residential burglary occurred. Police say it was domestic in nature.

PEARTREE LANE,14200 block, Oct. 8. A residential burglary occurred. Police say it was domestic in nature.

District 5 Germantown Station

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

CHALET DR.,18100 block, 4:45 p.m. Oct. 15. Property was stolen from a residence.

GUNNERS BRANCH RD.,9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 13. Two males entered a residence by force and later fled in a red-color vehicle. Nothing was reported missing.

PINE RIDGE LANE,18900 block, 9:39 a.m. Oct. 9. An attempt was made to enter a residence. Nothing was reported missing.

District 6 Gaithersburg Station

ASSAULTS

WEST SIDE DR.,1000 block, 1:55 a.m. Oct. 16. Three men walked to the rear of a home and fired shots at the home. No injuries were reported.

THEFTS/BREAK-INS

LOST KNIFE CIR.,18400 block, 8:55 to 9:28 p.m. Oct. 12. Property was stolen from a residence entered by force.

Trident Concepts Carbine Operator Course AAR

So. I blew all my saved up coffee money for the year by taking the Carbine Operator's Course offered by Jeff Gonzales of Trident Concepts earlier this month. The class was a 3-day bruiser held at the Quantico Marine Corps Base over the Columbus Day weekend. Here is the AAR I posted at the TRICON alumni forum::

Thanks Jeff and Kane for an awesome class. I learned a lot and appreciate it. Here is my AAR from my experience; hopefully some can learn from it. I will focus on three areas: Self, gear, weapon.

Self
When I saw the course syllabus and read up on Jeff’s training background, I knew I better get in shape for the class. For the four months ahead of time I hit the gym and worked on the Marine Corps daily sixteen (link: http://www.usmc.mil/directiv.nsf/bc9ae2674a92558d852569140064e9d8/c24965ff4beafa6185256bcd004aeac1/$FILE/MCO%20P6100.12%20W%20CH%201.pdf) (a big improvement over the “Daily Seven” of the Marine Corps of my era) along with my run. This more systematic approach differed from my usual gym routine of a random bunch of crunches, weight machine work, and some running. I was pretty much at the height of my (present) game when class time rolled around, as gauged by the SWAT tryout standards my LEO brother gave me (30 pushups max-out, 60 crunches/2 min, and 13:00 min 1.5 mile run). Still a far cry from my FMF days of years gone by, but oh, well. Every class morning and evening I did the Daily 16's stretching routine and took some Advil. It all worked well. By the end of day three I was in better shape than I was last year at the end of Murphy’s two-day handgun class, which had but a fraction of the COC’s physical effort.

To get my head on straight, I put aside all my beliefs about the value of my 15-year-old USMC training and sought to start from scratch. I read up on Jeff’s training philosophies by getting his book “Combative Fundamentals.” It was a great read, and lived up to it’s secondary title of “An Unconventional Approach.” Having an open mind was good, because things have evolved A LOT in those fifteen years. I recommend that alumni get Jeff’s book as a reference text. A lot of what he taught during the class is covered in the book, but the book is no substitute for the class with Jeff standing right there watching you. I'm re-reading it now and getting more insights having taken the course.

Gear
Before the class I asked Jeff if I could get by with a 3-gun-type setup of a double mag pouch on a belt, or maybe some mags stuffed in a pocket. Jeff graciously advised me that I would get the most out of the class if I invested in a basic chest rig, and gave me some suggestions. I then went and bought the Eagle Industries custom rig that is sold by SKD Tactical. It held eight mags max and was pretty comfortable once I got it readjusted that first day. I tried it out at the range once before the class and in the basement at home to get a feel for the best adjustment points. Trying gear out before the class should be a no-brainer, but I have read tales of woe on Al Gore’s interweb of people who show up to class with untested gear. The rig was really comfortable and became an extension of my body - it feels weird now not to wear it. Since I wear glasses, my eyepro was a set ANSI-rated safety glasses from Home Depot that fit over my prescription glasses. They worked great, but I needed to take them off in between courses of fire to let the fogging evaporate off. But better than losing an eye. Some people think their prescription glasses are protection enough, but they are wrong. $5 is not a lot to spend for adequate eyepro.

Weapon
I brought my Franken-STAG and it worked great. The lower is a STAG with a DPMS parts kit, running a 9mm buffer for laziness’ sake (I use the lower with a 9mm upper, too) and VLTOR carbine stock. The upper was a complete STAG factory upper, but I swapped out the factory barrel for a Bushmaster 14.5" with permanent Phantom 5C1 flash hider. I also opted to use the LMT “enhanced bolt carrier” that is supposed to reduce the chamber pressure during extraction by blowing more gas out the side of the carrier and by delaying extraction by a split second or something. It’s also supposed to run cleaner due to the increased gas blow-off. To be honest, I didn’t really notice any operational or cleanliness difference from the regular STAG factory bolt carrier. I also put the black Crane rubber O-ring on my extractor, but couldn’t tell if that helped anything, either, but everyone says it helps. I guess it’s good that I DIDN'T notice any of these parts.

I only had one malfunction during the class: a double feed that turned into an over-the-bolt jam when I mangled the immediate action on morning #1. I was using a C-Products stainless magazine at the time. I have had stripper-clip loading problems with these stainless mags on the square range but never a feeding issue. After the jam there was some other feeding problem with these mags (can’t remember details), so I decided to stop using them and only use my D&H teflons. Those D&H mags worked flawlessly for the rest of the course. I had basic Magpuls on all my magazines and found they helped me get a grip on the mags while in the chest rig and helped get me purchase when stripping an empty mag from the magwell. During the mystery snap cap drill I used one of the Marines’ GI mags and noticed a difference in how I gripped and stripped the mag, and it felt way less solid technique-wise. My ammo was the non-toxic Federal ammo that Ammoman.com sells (XM556NT1). The ammo performed without a hitch during the class. That’s my usual range load, and before the class I ran somewhere between 500-1000 rounds through my gun to test it.

For optics, I ran a Trijicon Accupoint 1.5-4x TR-21, AKA “the poor man’s short dot.” I tried running the magnification at 1.5 and 4x, and found that I did all-around best on 2x for both close-up and 50yd work without having to monkey with the magnification adjustment. Nothing like a class to wring out the small stuff and get you locked on. I don’t think I was disadvantaged by having a magnified optic instead of an Aimpoint, but could see the value of the Aimpoint in the class since we were shooting 50yds max (I have a clone on the 9mm upper). During the king-of-the hill timed elimination drills, I was doing better than the ACOG guys and running somewhat even with the Aimpoint guys. However, I never advanced further than the 35yd line.

When the class started, I had the buttstock opened out two notches to my “usual” position, but found that my stock weld was inconsistent during drills and that I was developing a fat lip from getting beat up during recoil. By the middle of the second day I had collapsed the stock all the way in and was shooting nose-to-charging handle. This was definitely an eye-opener since my square-range days had me convinced that NTCH was not for me. Same with the shoulder mount; self-analysis on the square range is one thing, but taking a course under pressure really exposes flaws in your technique (see the photo for exhibit A). Same with the sling. I have a Mad Max-type 2-pointer that I ginned up using an old 2qt canteen strap and some 550 cord. It works, but I found that attaching it at the rear of the buttstock caused the strap to get caught between my neck and the stock, chafing the crap out of it. By day three I figured out to attach it more on the bottom of the buttstock. The class also showed the value of a one-point sling for transitions, both weak-side and secondary.

It was a great time, even with the rifle-over-head lunges, and a tremendous learning experience that I will recommend without hesitation.

Here's a photo from the class (thanks to Nelson M.)