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Emergency call to residents took 9 hours to issue manhunt alert

Emergency call to residents took 9 hours to issue manhunt alert

It took 9 hours for Dane County's emergency telephone notification system to send calls to residents in a three-mile radius during a manhunt on Thursday, according to county officials.

The alerts were sent as police and the FBI searched for Paris Poe, 33, a wanted man who was spotted in Fitchburg Thursday morning and fled before the FBI could make an arrest. He was arrested on Madison's east side Thursday night.

Emergency management officials said some residents in the three-mile radius around where the search started received a call after Poe was captured. The system made 30,000 calls. It can make 48 phone calls at a time.

Dane County emergency management officials said they're in the process of upgrading the call system. The system is ready but has yet to be activated. The system will allow officials to put out calls in a more user-friendly way, according to county officials.

Police: Surveillance video shows man punching teen at bus stop

Police said GPS software helped locate a registered sex offender after officers believe he punched a 17-year-old girl several times in the face at a west side bus stop.

According to a Madison Police Department report, Ricky Warren, 21, of Madison, was arrested on suspicion of physical abuse of a child and disorderly conduct. Tammy L. Cox, 24, and Pamela L. Chamblis, 31, both of Madison, were cited on suspicion of battery, the report said.

Police said the 17-year-old victim had a past relationship with Warren, the teen told police she encountered him after getting off a bus Tuesday afternoon. She was with a 19-year-old friend. Police said surveillance video showed Warren, Cox and Chamblis attacking the teenagers. Police said Cox and Chamblis were assaulting the 19-year-old, knocking her to the ground, repeatedly punching and kicking her, while Warren punched the 17-year-old.

Dane County Sheriff's Office announces online protection event

The Dane County Sheriff’s Office will offer an internet safety presentation on protecting children to interested parents March 20.

According to a statement, the free event will focus on issues surrounding Facebook, cyber bulling and online predators.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children shows one in three teens have experienced online harassment, one of several statistics the statement highlighted.

The presentation will take place at the Westport Meeting Room at 5387 Mary Lake Rd. at 6 p.m.

Man suspected in fraud case strikes again, police say

Man suspected in fraud case strikes again, police say

Photos depict man in similar glasses, black-and-gray shirt  

Police believe a man suspected in a Jan. 28 fraud case in Middleton struck again on the west side of Madison weeks later.

The Middleton Police Department released eight photos from surveillance video taken just before 1 p.m. Thursday. The photos show a white man wearing glasses and a blue ball cap at the counter of Anchor Bank on Raymond Road. The suspect is pictured wearing a khaki jacket over a gray, hooded zip-up sweatshirt, blue jeans and black shoes.

Middleton police Sgt. Troy Hellenbrand said the man pictured attempted to cash checks, but the bank employees suspected he was not the individual on the checks and did not complete the transaction. Hellenbrand said the suspect left without money.

County joins efforts to help youth vulnerable to sex trafficking

Funds, coordination key topics in conversation on ending the crime    

Dane County is taking steps to raise awareness on the issue of human sex trafficking.

Dane County Executive Joe Parisi said Thursday that the county is focused on coordinated education efforts and resources for homeless and runaway youth.

The 2013 county budget includes $30,000 to replace recently eliminated federal funds that support outreach services to homeless and runaway youth, a group that youth advocates cautioned are susceptible to trafficking.

"At the very base, this problem exists because there's a demand for people to buy sex," Parisi said. "People need to realize if they're going to go out and purchase someone's body to use, that is not a victimless crime."

Madison police looking for traffic violations

Madison police looking for traffic violations

 

Madison police will be paying special attention to traffic enforcement in specific areas of the city this week.

Special patrols will be placed in the following areas:

Tuesday at 4900 E. Washington Ave. (Speed enforcement - 55 mph zone) 
Wednesday at 1800 Fish Hatchery Rd. (Speed enforcement - 30 mph zone) 
Thursday at 4600 Commercial Ave. (Speed enforcement 35 mph zone)

Madison police said they rely on the cooperation of the public to be aware of and to follow all traffic laws, whether as a pedestrian, bicyclist or motorist.

Motorists are reminded to drive safely and to buckle seatbelts. 

Police enforce DNA sample submissions in Dane County sweep

Police enforce DNA sample submissions in Dane County sweep

Area police officers went door to door Tuesday as part of Dane County’s first DNA-sample enforcement mission. Officers from the Madison, Fitchburg, Sun Prairie, Middleton and deputies from Dane County Sheriff’s Department joined forces to conduct the Dane County DNA sweep.

About 30 law enforcement officers made attempts to contact individuals who were required by law to submit a DNA sample but had not. The Dane County Sheriff’s Department said there were 93 people listed in noncompliance.

The Office of Justice Assistance estimated that between 100 and 120 individuals living in Dane County are required to submit a DNA sample to the Wisconsin DNA Databank on a quarterly basis. Everyone on the list is first sent a letter in an attempt to get voluntary compliance. In many cases, additional attempts were necessary; follow-up letters were sent via certified mail from the Dane County District Attorney’s Office.