ecoATM Appoints Law Enforcement Advisory Board

SAN DIEGO, May 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to further refine the efficiency and process of collecting and recycling used electronics and better serve law enforcement agencies to help fight cell phone theft, ecoATM announces the appointment of an eight-member Law Enforcement Advisory Board. In addition to efficiency and process initiatives, the advisory board is tasked with ensuring that ecoATM kiosks remain safe locations for cell phone recycling and do not contribute to the issue of reselling stolen phones.

"ecoATM has assembled some of the most accomplished law enforcement executives in the country for this board," said Lou Blanas, co-chair of the ecoATM Law Enforcement Advisory Board and former sheriff of Sacramento County.

"We've had the chance to get to know the team at ecoATM, evaluate their technology and have input on their business processes. Cell phone theft is a very real problem, and we believe that ecoATM is the best system to deter theft and - in the rare case that a thief is brazen enough to ignore the security features at the ecoATM - help local law enforcement identify, apprehend and prosecute phone thieves."

The eight members of the board offer a wide range of expertise in law enforcement with more than 200 combined years of municipal and state experience. The Law Enforcement Advisory Board will advise ecoATM on the following topics:

• How to best communicate and partner with law enforcement in a collaborative and strategic relationship
• How to best share data that assists in the identification, apprehension and prosecution of criminals
• Develop reporting systems, technology and best practices that will most appropriately foster law enforcement cooperation
• Keep ecoATM on the forefront of technology to best serve the law enforcement mission

Board members include:

• Sheriff Lou Blanas
  • Former sheriff of Sacramento County. Elected in 1998 and re-elected, with 86% of the vote, in 2002. Thirteen years experience with the Sacramento Police Department. Appointed chief of police for the California State Fair. Appointed by the governor to the California Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) and the California Board of Corrections. President of the California Peace Officers Association and member of the Executive Board of California State Sheriff's Association.
• William Stonich
  • Former undersheriff of Los Angeles County. Began career in 1968 with the Santa Ana Police Department, where he was promoted to deputy. In 1973, he became a sergeant, working uniformed patrol at East Los Angeles Station, Special Enforcement Bureau, Custody Division and Narcotics Bureau. Promoted to lieutenant, captain, commander and then to assistant sheriff. Recipient of department's distinguished service award. In 2000, he was appointed undersheriff to the largest sheriff's department, jail operations and superior court operations in the U.S. Served on the California Peace Officer's Board of Directors.
• Charles Connolly
  • Twenty-two years experience with the NYPD, achieving every civil service rank in the department. Police commissioner of Yonkers, the fourth largest city in the state. Served as vice president/director of worldwide security for Merrill Lynch and also vice president of business development for Wells Fargo Guard services. Director of police services at New York City Health & Hospitals Corporation for eight years. Currently CSO of Emeritus Faculty for The Security Executive Council. Adjunct professor at four colleges and one semester at WestPoint. Named by Security Magazine in 2009 one of 25 "Most Influential People in Security" and current president of the FBI National Executive Institute Associates.
• Maurice Hannigan
  • Thirty-one years experience with California Highway Patrol; serving as commissioner from 1989 – 1995. General chair of the State and Provincial Police Division of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, chair of the U.S. DOT/NAFTA Southwest Border States Law Enforcement Implementation Committee, and president of the California Peace Officers Association. Served five years as vice president/managing director of Affiliated Computer Services Public Safety Solutions group in Washington, D.C. Served for three years on the board of directors of Point Blank Body Armor, Inc. Former member of the board of directors of the FBI's National Executives Institute Associates.
• Carter Jackson
  • During his 30-year career with the Atlanta Police Department, he served as an investigator in the homicide squad, sex crimes squad and burglary unit. Promoted to lieutenant and served as commander of the intelligence unit for the special investigations section, and of the combined intelligence/organized crime unit. Then promoted to captain and assistant commander of the special investigations section. Appointed deputy chief of criminal investigations. Served as director of intelligence and special investigations for Fulton County District Attorney.
• James J. Molinari
  • Served 27 years with the San Francisco Police Department, achieving rank of captain. Executive director for the San Francisco Bay Area High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). State director with U.S. Senator D. Feinstein overseeing San Diego, Los Angeles, Fresno and San Francisco. Served as U.S. marshal for Northern CA. Responsible for the creation of the Fugitive Apprehension Strike Task Force in Northern California (largest in the U.S.). Served as commanding officer of the Narcotics & Planning Divisions.
• Barbara O'Brien
  • Formerly served as the first woman uniformed police officer in North Florida from 1974-1979 for the Florida State University Police Department. Managed, administered and developed Florida's Federal grant program to create the Florida ICAP program (Integrated Criminal Apprehension Program) from 1980-1983. Selected as a Law Enforcement Fellow to the National Institute of Justice, Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. Co-founded the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE). Served as a Board member to the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) Washington, D.C., a national research law enforcement group from 1996-1999. Served in a variety of positions including law enforcement liaison for the Florida Attorney General's Office from 1987-1997. 
• Matthew Rodriguez
  • Former superintendent (chief) of the Chicago Police Department 1992 - 1997, the second largest police department in the U.S. Served 38 years with Chicago Police Department in most of the major divisions of the department, including Patrol, Criminal Investigation (Detective), Organized Crime, Vice Control, Training, Youth, etc. He was appointed deputy superintendent of Technical Services, administering seven divisions of the department, including Communications and Planning of the "911 Center." Served as chairman of the Major Cities Chiefs Organization 1993 - 1997. Completion of Select Training for Membership in the National Executive Institute, FBI.

The formation of this group solidifies ecoATM's commitment to deter the selling of stolen property at kiosks. Law enforcement expertise has always been, and will continue to be, incorporated into the company's business plan and model, thus making ecoATMs the worst option for a criminal to sell stolen property.

To learn more about ecoATM's compliance process, visit the Law Enforcement section of the website.

About ecoATM

Based in San Diego, Calif., ecoATM is the first company to create an automated self-serve kiosk system to buy back cell phones, tablets or MP3 players for cash. ecoATM has recycled more than one million devices since its inception in 2008. ecoATM uses patented, advanced machine vision, electronic diagnostics, and artificial intelligence to evaluate electronics. ecoATM's eCycling stations provide a convenient trade-in solution that:

• pays consumers immediately in cash
• connects consumers real-time to broad worldwide secondary markets ensuring best possible pricing
• incorporates features that validate sellers' identities and deter the sale of stolen phones and works closely with local law enforcement

ecoATM holds both Responsible Recycling (R2) and ISO14001 certification, confirming the company's commitment to maintaining the highest standards of electronics recycling. ecoATM was incubated at EvoNexus, San Diego's leading fully pro-bono technology incubator and developed the initial technology with help from a National Science Foundation SBIR grant. See http://www.ecoatm.com/how-it-works.html for a video of how an ecoATM kiosk works.

http://www.ecoatm.com

Contact:
Robin Canedy
i.d.e.a.
(619) 295-8232 x113
Email

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SOURCE ecoATM