Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/13714
6A – Daily News – Friday, July 23, 2010 Craigslist users: Drones can't replace eyes and ears LA LINDA BRIDGE, Texas (MCT) — Sheriff Ronny Dodson stares at the barren mountain range across the border in Mexi- co, a deeply isolated region where trails once traveled by small-time smugglers are now controlled by drug gangs that operate with mil- itary precision. He says he keeps pic- tures showing men in army- style fatigues brazenly mak- ing their way across the mountains to Texas, appar- ently to check on drug-traf- ficking routes before slip- ping back into Mexico. Dodson's informants Be careful out there! … A Washington mother and her teenage son spotted a car for sale on Craigslist last week and when they went to view the vehicle, were robbed by a man wielding a claw hammer. Last Month, a New York radio reporter was fatally stabbed by a 16-year old he met on Craigslist. And earlier this month, a Minnesota woman answering a phony Craigslist ad for a baby- sitter was shot to death … Sites like Craigslist are not responsible for content they do not create … the site offers few protections against swindles, scams and even outright violence … The Boston Globe -- April 26, 2009 In the news recently at CNN.com is horrifyingly chilling, yet all to familiar story with a violent ending for a Washington State resident. James Sanders placed an ad on Craigslist for a diamond ring he wished to sell, and was murdered in his home on April 28, outside Tacoma. Associated Content Kate E. Rand -- May 8, 2010 In an effort to claim deposits and more from unsuspecting renters, scam artists are using actual real estate listings and then passing themselves off as the landlords through postings on Craigslist ... similar scams have been reported that are stealing people’s identity and money. And it isn’t just through email but also face to face. Take for example a recent case in Sacramento, where a renter in the middle of an eviction decided to raise money for his next place. He placed an ad on Craigslist offering to rent the very apartment from which he was being evicted. It was not until he had four prospective tenants give him a deposit that he was busted. Joplin Independent -- August 20, 2009 The Internet is a giant universe that’s expanding every day, and it’s not always a safe place. Anyone from anywhere can access the local Craigslist pages from Redding or Chico. Craigslist’s email address shielding offers some security for ad placers. But computer hackers are skillful. Scam artists posing as interested potential buyers can often charm away an ad placer’s street address, phone number or other personal information with a tempting email response to a Craigslist ad. The vast majority of the Daily News’ print and online readers live in Tehama County. Many are your friends and neighbors; they’re a lot like you – not strangers from all over the Internet who might be scammers or predators. Here’s another important distinction: Almost all of the Daily News’ classified ads are taken and reviewed before publication by real live people who work in our offices in Red Bluff. The Daily News does not accept every classified ad we receive. To protect our readers, we reject suspicious-looking or misleading classified ads. The fact that Craigslist classified ads are free has been an understandable attraction. It’s too bad that for some – perhaps many – there has been a much higher price to pay for using Craigslist than the cost of a classified ad in their local newspaper. D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY Don’t talk to strangers. Good advice then, good advice now. Classified Advertising: (530) 527-2151 x103 If you do use Craigslist, we recommend you read their own tips about how to stay safe on Craigslist and avoid scams and predators: http://www.craigslist.org/about/safety. Has the heat gotten to us? Maybe! From August 2 thru 31 private parties will enjoy FREE classified liner ads in many popular Classifications. ★Automotive★Boat★Bike ads for sale for $3,500 or less – also FREE! ★All General Merchandise categories will be published for FREE, except yard and garage sales. ★ Personals will be published for FREE. ★ Announcements ★ Lost & Found and The Small Print: FREE ads not available for: Services, Employment, Real Estate/Rentals, Farm/Garden/Pets*, Wood/Construction categories.* * However, ads offering ANY items for FREE will be allowed to run for FREE! FREE ads must be 30 words or less (standard abbreviations OK) and may be booked to run up to 6 days. No more than 4 FREE ads may run at a time using the same phone number. Extras like boxes, extra bolding and in-column photos are not available for FREE ads. Reminder: FREE Classified ads as above are available for private parties only! What are you waiting for? D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY Classified Advertising: 527-2151 x103 AMERICAN SELF-STORAGE ★★ ★ 64 Mulberry Ave., Red Bluff • 527-1755 • Fully Fenced • Onsite Manager • Well Lit Property website: www.americanselfstorage.biz • RV & Vehicle parking now available LOWEST PRICE GUARANTEED! Call now for rates. have told him about makeshift checkpoints set up just across the border from Texas, manned by criminals who will shake down locals and anyone else who passes along the isolated roads. In these tense times along the U.S.-Mexico bor- der, Dodson oversees the biggest Texas county _ Brewster — a hot spot for drug smuggling, U.S. law enforcement officials say. Here, in the midst of the striking beauty of the Big Bend country in West Texas, far from the heated debates about drones, guardsmen and infrared cameras dominating Wash- ington, Dodson makes a point often overlooked: People who know the ter- rain and are skilled at gath- ering old-fashioned human intelligence are still a key part of the law enforcement equation. "This is still a country for old men," says Dodson, subtly taking issue with the book and Hollywood movie "No Country for Old Men," whose story line suggests that such old-school law enforcement is no match for the ruthlessness and fire- power of modern drug-traf- ficking organizations. "We need well-trained lawmen from both sides of the border, people with a stake in the future of both communities," says Dod- son, adding that more resources, training and attention are needed at the local level. With the violence- plagued Mexican states of Tamaulipas to the southeast and Chihuahua to the west, criminals are increasingly pushing illegal drugs through his county, law enforcement officials say. The federal government has earmarked at least $500 million for border security, and President Barack Obama has ordered 1,200 National Guard troops. The number of Border Patrol agents has doubled to more than 20,000 since 2003; the agency's budget, $1 billion in 2000, may increase to $3.58 billion in 2011. And more recently, the Federal Aviation Adminis- tration announced the expanded use of drones — unmanned aerial vehicles — along the Texas-Mexico border. The remotely pilot- ed aircraft are equipped to fly for up to 20 hours and provide intelligence to cus- toms and border protection officials on the ground. Dodson has never been a fan of "Big Brother," and he says the public debate over border security often shows little knowledge of the com- plex reality on the ground. He concedes that more technology and increased manpower on the part of the federal government help but insists that more soldiers are not the only answer. Other officials share Dodson's regard for the role of local law enforcement in securing the border. "I agree with the sheriff that a significant part of the includes driving from his office in Alpine to the Laji- tas area along the Rio Grande. He drives through brush and ravines, follow- ing the newest trail that smugglers have carved away from the prying eyes of the Border Patrol. Today, the agents are nowhere in sight. "These guys are con- stantly changing strategy, always one step ahead of you," Dodson says of the smugglers. strategy of protecting the United States depends on boots on the ground," said spokesman Bill Brooks of the Border Patrol's Marfa sector. "Border Patrol agents are well-trained and well-led, and they live in the commu- nity as well. With technolo- gy and information that we have available to us, in con- junction with our collabora- tion with local law enforce- ment, we do a good job of protecting the border." "The locals are our front line of defense," said one U.S. law enforcement offi- cial, speaking on condition of anonymity. "I do know that the best intelligence comes from humans and not always from technolo- gy, and in that respect, unfortunately, local authori- ties don't get the kind of credit they deserve." Brewster County, with its 6,193 square miles, is patrolled by Dodson and eight deputies. On any given day, Dodson, 48, trav- els an average of 300 miles. On this day, his trip Private Party Classifieds August FREE ADS! Turn no-longer-needed items into Cash … At no cost to you! 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Dodson, a 28-year law enforcement veteran whose family goes back five gener- ations in the area, seems to be on a first-name basis with everyone. He especial- ly values the "guys who deliver the flowers to all the weddings and all the funer- als," he says. "They know everything." In Terlingua, he bites into a burger alongside a convenience store owner. They talk about the weather and any unusual sightings in the area. At a store near La Linda, he munches on junk food and makes small talk with two women. Finally, he talks to an informant about a proposal to create a binational park, which could bring in new tourism dollars — and trouble. In each encounter, he praises a newly hired deputy and ends with a request: "You let me know if you hear anything, OK?" Later he explains: "Take care of your locals, and your locals will take care of you. They'll never tell you every- thing, so you have to dedi- cate time, lots of it." Dodson drives up a hill and parks his pickup, pur- chased with the help of con- fiscated drug money. He takes out his binoculars, wanting to get a closer look at a trail of dust off on the Mexican side. He follows it until the dust disappears. "There still has to be a place in this country for some old men," he says. "Without that old experi- ence, it's lost, because there's no book it's written in. Nobody writes it down."