Latest news with #Ashbrook
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Bristol, Virginia Police Department to implement new facial recognition technology
BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL) — Police in Bristol, Virginia have a new tool to help fight crime in the area. According to a news release from the Bristol, Virginia Police Department (BVPD), the department now has access to Clearview AI through LexisNexis through a partnership with the Bristol, Virginia Commonwealth's Attorney's Office. Surveillance images of a suspect can be input into Clearview AI, which sources a database of images from public websites, the BVPD said. 'With the growing use of doorbell cameras, home security systems, and advanced surveillanceby private businesses, it's critical that we leverage available technology to stay ahead,' Chief D. Byron Ashbrook said in the release. 'This tool allows our detectives and officers to generate investigative leads in seconds—significantly faster than waiting on public tips after releasing a suspect's image.' Ashbrook said the use of facial recognition will be 'governed by strict regulations set forth by the Commonwealth of Virginia, along with a comprehensive department policy.' The BVPD is reportedly the first local law enforcement agency in Virginia to implement this advanced technology. Clearview AI participates in the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Face Recognition Vendor Test (FRVT) and consistently achieves over 99% accuracy across all demographics, according to the release. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
Virginia AG discusses law enforcement partnerships and initiatives among SWVA agencies
BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL) — Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares made a stop at the Bristol, Virginia Police Department on Monday to talk about the law enforcement partnerships on combating crime against the most vulnerable populations. Miyares was joined by Bristol, Virginia Police Chief Byron Ashbrook, Sheriff Tyrone Foster and Del. Israel O'Quinn. There was a heavy focus on the TRIAD program, a partnership between law enforcement, seniors, and senior organizations aimed at combating crime specifically targeting that group. Those at the press conference say scammers are becoming more advanced, so they want to make seniors aware of what could happen. And they say that loneliness is another epidemic among them. 'TRIAD is the definition of a partnership. It's about bringing law enforcement, senior citizens, and volunteers working together to help our aging population,' Miyares said. 'They're both getting information of what's happening in their community, tips from law enforcement as well as how to protect themselves but they're also doing something invaluable from a mental health standpoint, which is connecting seniors with other seniors and building friendships as a result.' Miyares says one in five Virginians are over the age of 65. In Southwest Virginia, they make up 22% of the population. He also called the partnership here a model for the rest of the Commonwealth. 'Seniors are often very engaged in their communities. They have something that a lot of us don't necessarily have that's very valuable and that's time,' Del. O'Quinn said. 'So they can pitch in and make this program better and bigger and more valuable for their friends and neighbors.' Starting July 1, the Bristol, Virginia Police Department will have a detective dedicated to crimes against children and the elderly. 'We are pulling one of the units from patrol. We are fully staffed now so one of those units will be going to the [Criminal Investigations Division] to help streamline this process in both elder abuse cases and child victims of crime cases,' Chief Ashbrook said. 'It's really important to have that continuity of care so child victims aren't seeing multiple different detectives because they go through a process if they've been a victim of crime or even a witness of crime through our children's advocacy center and through the court system and having one officer, one detective to be able to handle all that is important.' Another vulnerable population they want to focus on is those suffering mental health crises. BVPD has a co-response with the Community Support Program through the Department of Social Services. 'I'm not a mental health clinician, I'm not a doctor, but if I can keep the clinician safe and I can get the clinician to the scene, and they can do their work then it's the right response for the right type of call and it can help de-escalate situations,' Ashbrook said. 'We've seen it work in the past.' The Bristol, Virginia Sheriff's Office already has several initiatives in place to help keep children and seniors safe, including the D.A.R.E. drug awareness program, providing child identification kits, Project Lifesaver (a rapid response program for those who wander away from their caregivers), the One Pill Can Kill program, and Drug Take Back days. Sheriff Tyrone Foster says his office has provided Highlands Community Services with a deputy for the Crisis Intervention Team Assessment Center along with a location for the Mount Rogers Health District's Mobile Integrative Health Service Unit, which focuses on behavioral and mental health services. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Ashbrook 3-star linebacker Caleb Gordon commits to Arkansas football
Ashbrook senior linebacker Caleb Gordon has committed to Arkansas football, he wrote on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, on June 3. '1000% COMMITTED, GO HOGS #WPS,' Gordon said via X in announcing his plan to attend the University of Arkansas. 'Thank you to all the coaches who built relationships with me; those relationships will forever be cherished.' Advertisement GET YOUR POPCORN READY: Here are 2025 high school football schedule for Gastonia, Shelby area schools LANDMARK VICTORY: Ashbrook football earns validation with NCHSAA 3A playoff win at South Point. Here's how. Listed as a 6-foot, 215-pound three-star prospect, he held offers from Appalachian State, Charlotte, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech, among others. This past season, Gordon was the centerpiece of a hard-hitting Ashbrook defense which allowed 13 points per game. The Big South 3A Defensive Player of the Year, he finished with 141 tackles (eight for a loss), four sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Ashbrook 3-star linebacker Caleb Gordon commits to Arkansas football
Chicago Tribune
13-05-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Man from Moldova accused in credit card fraud scheme
A man wanted in his home country of Moldova was found to be in unlawful possession of 131 credit cards that didn't match his identity following a traffic stop on the Indiana Toll Road in Porter County this past weekend. Anatolie Cataraga, 41, who lives in Philadelphia, is charged with two Level 5 felonies of fraud on a financial institution and identity deception, because he is accused of having a passport under a false name. He also faces three Level 6 felony fraud charges and a single Level 6 felony count of unlawful possession of a card skimming device. It all began just after 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon when a Hobart Police officer, working on assignment for the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), observed an eastbound car with a dark window tint following dangerously close to a semi-truck by the 36-mile marker on I-90. The Hobart police officer pulled the vehicle over at the 40-mile marker. The Russian-speaking driver identified himself as Constantin Catana with a Moldova government card. He didn't speak English well, so the officer used a translator device and asked permission to search the vehicle, which was granted. During the search of the vehicle, the officer observed unusual wear and tear near the center air vent on the dash. The officer removed the vent and found a black satchel, according to the probable cause statement filed in Porter County Superior Court. Within that satchel, there were 120 poor quality credit cards and a wallet that contained three passports — two from Moldova and one from the neighboring Romania in Eastern Europe. The two passports had different names: one for Cataraga — established as his true identity — and the other for Constantin Catana. All three passports had the same picture, according to the court record. Cataraga and the vehicle were brought to the Hobart Police station, where they were met later that afternoon by Special Agent Zachary Ashbrook of the U.S. Secret Service. At the Hobart Police station, it was learned that INTERPOL had an active warrant for Cataraga out of Moldova. Ashbrook observed that there were 131 access device cards with different identities than Cataraga. Using an electronic swipe card reader, Ashbrook scanned 130 of the access device cards and found none of them contained information matching that which was on the card. However, each card was associated with institutions insured by the FDIC. Additionally, four-digit codes were found written on the back of the device cards that were consistent with the pins for the number of each card. Ashbrook stated that the devices discovered in Cataraga's vehicle were consistent with card skimming devices that are placed on or over card swipes in order to obtain a person's identifying information and card information. The cards in Cataraga's possession were re-coded cards commonly used in identity theft and fraud cases, the court record says.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'New media' seat at White House briefings shakes up establishment with alternative to 'archaic' press
The "new media" seat at the White House has shaken up press briefings as the Trump administration aims to reach Americans who don't rely on what it calls "the archaic White House press corps" for information. The "new media" seat is the brainchild of press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who felt legacy media essentially had a monopoly over coverage of the White House. No seats were taken from anyone, as the designated seat to the right of the lectern is where White House staffers or guests traditionally sat along the side of the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. Nowadays, the seat is filled by new and emerging voices who typically get introduced by Leavitt before being called upon for the first question of the briefing, which traditionally went to the Associated Press under previous administrations. Ex-cnn Journalist Speaks Out On Biden Cover-up, Says White House Aides Made It Difficult On Press Some of the "new media" seat's occupants, such as Axios' Mike Allen and 2Way's Mark Halperin, are longtime D.C. insiders who currently work for upstart organizations, while others, like "Unbiased Podcast" host Jordan Berman, wouldn't have sniffed the briefing room under previous administrations. "The legacy media's charade of inclusivity has been exposed by their resistance to allow emerging voices into the press briefing room. Americans have found new ways to digest their media—and we cater to the people, not the archaic White House press corps," assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital. Read On The Fox News App The "new media" seat has also faced criticism, largely from legacy outlets, and some of the occupants have been criticized for lobbing softball questions at briefings or heaping praise on Leavitt and the president. But White House insiders believe negative coverage of the opportunity for new voices is proof that traditional outlets are scared to relinquish control of the briefing room. Ruthless Podcast co-host John Ashbrook occupied the seat in January and asked Leavitt if the legacy media was out of touch with the border crisis. He embraced his role as an outsider in the briefing room despite what he called "eye rolls and smirks" from traditional journalists. "Every dirty look from legacy media was wiped away when they had to write down the news made in response to the question I asked," Ashbrook told Fox News Digital. While Ashbrook used his lead-off question to prompt criticism of the press, other "new media" seat occupants have asked about such topics as transgender athletes, artificial intelligence, the economy and foreign policy. Podcast Host Says He Received 'Eye Rolls,' 'Smirks' From Reporters During White House Briefing Debut "Timcast IRL" host Tim Pool has been one of the more polarizing occupants of the seat. When Pool was announced as the seat holder last month, the move was swiftly criticized by mainstream reporters. New York Times reporter Ken Bensinger reminded his followers on X that Pool was tied to a Tennessee-based media company accused of receiving money from Russia (Pool has denied any wrongdoing), while a USA Today reporter took issue with his signature beanie cap. Pool, who has 2.4 million followers on X, said he noticed "snooty looks" from some legacy reporters and "disdain" for his presence on social media following the opportunity. "All they've done in that press room is march in lockstep with each other, all reporting the same falsehoods, the same angles, the same manipulations. There's no curiosity. The questions they largely ask are predictable. And yet, if any other company wants to come in, it's a whiplash, it is an attack, it's vitriol. They're acting more like high school teen girls than professionals," Pool told Fox News Digital. Pool said that during the Biden administration, White House reporters from liberal, mainstream outlets were largely not curious or intentionally tried to obfuscate facts and details to push a political ideology. He's thrilled that Leavitt has shaken things up to offer a break from the "faux adversarial questions" that liberal reporters asked during the Biden administration. "There needs to be an attempt to create competition in the journalistic space so that we're not getting the same worldview from every single reporter," Pool said. "Naturally, they're upset by the competition. But all I see is, with the new media personalities coming in, they're largely on the other sides of the political spectrum, but even then, they're not in complete agreement on everything." "I do think this is a great step forward in bringing in new voices with different perspectives, which is what diversity was supposed to mean," he continued. "It was an honor and a privilege." White House Reporters Respond After Being Called Out For Weak Coverage Of Biden's Decline At Whcd The "new media" seat has also been occupied by The Bulwark's Andrew Egger, Breitbart's Matt Boyle, podcaster Sage Steele, Rumble's Chris Pavlovski, X's John Stoll, Semafor's Shelby Talcott, The Daily Wire's Mary Margaret Olohan, "Breaking Points" co-host Saagar Enjeti, Townhall's Katie Pavlich, Merit Street Media's Lyndsay Keith, NOTUS reporter Jasmine Wright, Matthew Foldi of the Washington Reporter, Punchbowl's Brendan Pedersen and Blaze Media correspondent Chris Bedford, among others. Reporters from outlets such as the AP, CNN, Reuters, ABC, CBS, NBC, USA Today, The New York Times, NPR, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal and Fox News have assigned seats at White House press briefings, while reporters from smaller outlets stand along the crowded perimeter of the room. Leavitt explained why she has taken a different approach to the media during a May 5 appearance on "Hannity." "It's because President Trump has revolutionized media and the way Americans consume media. He started this on the campaign when he opened the campaign to social media influencers and podcasters, and he was willing to take that nontraditional media route. We've continued that effort at the White House," Leavitt said. Former Obama press secretary Jay Carney even praised Leavitt's changes to the White House press operation. "I think it's important to recognize the media landscape has changed, to bring in new voices, to shake things up," Carney said at an ROKK Solutions event last month when asked about the new media seat. "I think that's admirable," Carney continued. "Everybody can learn from that."Original article source: 'New media' seat at White House briefings shakes up establishment with alternative to 'archaic' press
