Congress turns attention to cruise safety!!!

Congress turns attention to cruise safety

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Congressional subcommittee that is primarily
focused on terrorism is turning its attention to threats lurking on
the high seas amid peaceful vacations.

The Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and
International Relations and another subcommittee plans a joint hearing
Tuesday in Washington, D.C., focusing on cruise ship disappearances
and crimes.

The hearing comes after about a dozen disappearances of cruise ship
passengers in recent years.

In the latest case, George Allen Smith IV of Greenwich vanished July 5
from a Royal Caribbean ship in the Mediterranean between Greece and
Turkey. The FBI has been investigating, but no one has been charged
and no body has been recovered.

"We want to know how often this kind of thing happens," said U.S. Rep.
Christopher Shays, R-Conn., co-chairman of the national security
subcommittee. "Is someone very vulnerable on a cruise? We've never
really looked at cruise ships in terms of public safety."

Shays said he wants to know how such incidents are investigated and
how authorities determine jurisdiction in international waters.

Smith's family, who is expected to attend the hearing, has called for
legislation to protect passengers and their families.

"We just had no conception crimes occurred on cruise ships," Smith's
sister, Bree, said in an interview Thursday. "I think there are so
many disappearances labeled accidents or suicides."

The congressional hearing, "International Maritime Security," will
include testimony from cruise ship officials about their procedures
for responding to incidents and jurisdictional conflicts related to
investigations. FBI officials are expected to discuss sexual assaults
and other crimes that occur on cruise ships.

The issue has been a concern in the past.

In 1999, the cruise ship industry enacted a policy requiring ships out
of U.S. ports to report all crimes to the FBI in a move to ease
concerns prompted by the disclosure of onboard sexual assaults.
Previously, the cruise lines left it up to the victims to report a
crime once back in port.

The disclosure of the assaults was ordered by a Florida judge hearing
a lawsuit brought by a former crewmember alleging a shipboard rape.

steinbrenner wrote:
STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Congressional subcommittee that is primarily
focused on terrorism is turning its attention to threats lurking on
the high seas amid peaceful vacations.

My initial impression of this was that Congress was up to the
usual--i.e. grandstanding during a slow news week.

Then I read these figures on ABC News:

"In the last five years, the FBI has opened more than 300 cases of crime
on the high seas. With sexual assault being the most prevalent type of
crime on cruise ships, women and minors appear to be the most vulnerable
passengers. Forty-five percent of the FBI cases were sexual assaults; 22
percent involved physical assaults. Missing-persons cases accounted for
10 percent of the reported crimes. In 75 percent of those cases, a body
was never found."

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1401565&page=1

Those numbers are a lot higher than I thought, especially the 30
missing-persons cases.

How B

"How B" wrote


http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1401565&page=1

Those numbers are a lot higher than I thought, especially the 30
missing-persons cases.

300 crimes in the past 5 years? In that time, over 50,000,000 people have
been on a cruise.

Look at
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_04/offen...ime/index.html

For the US as a whole, in 2004 there were 465.5 violent crimes PER 100,000
people.

In 2004 in the US there were 16,137 murders

In 2004 in the US there were 94,635 reported rapes

In 2004 in the US there were 854,911 cases of aggravated assault

And in the past 5 years with over 50 MILLION passengers there were 300
reported crimes on cruise ships.


30 people missing?

According the Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Crime Information
Center (NCIC) there are 47,842 active missing adult cases, with 30,622
missing adults missing one year or more (as of 7/30/04).
http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/index.php


And Congress is investigating 30 people missing and 300 crimes on cruise
ships?

I am glad to see that when it comes to spending time and money, they have
their priorities straight.


--
George Leppla http://www.countryside-travel.com

The Mother of All Group Cruises 2 - http://www.moagc2.com/
May 20, 2006, Caribbean Princess - http://cruisemaster.com/caribprin.htm
October 29, 2006 - SLEAZY 4! http://cruisemaster.com/sleazy4.htm

George Leppla wrote:
"How B" wrote
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1401565&page=1
Those numbers are a lot higher than I thought, especially the 30
missing-persons cases.

300 crimes in the past 5 years? In that time, over 50,000,000 people have
been on a cruise.
Look at
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_04/offen...ime/index.html

For the US as a whole, in 2004 there were 465.5 violent crimes PER 100,000
people.
In 2004 in the US there were 16,137 murders
In 2004 in the US there were 94,635 reported rapes
In 2004 in the US there were 854,911 cases of aggravated assault

Well, George, a cruise ship is NOT "the US as a whole." It is a closed
environment monitored by security guards and security cameras, where
ID's are checked of anyone trying to board. Comparing crime rates on
the streets of N.Y. or L.A. to those in a secured environment is not
logical.

The article said "In the last five years, the FBI has opened more than
300 cases of crime on the high seas... Forty-five percent of the FBI
cases were sexual assaults; 22 percent involved physical assaults.
Missing-persons cases accounted for 10 percent of the reported crimes."

It's kind of like hearing that there were 135 rapes at Disneyland in the
last 5 years. Cruising has such a safe image to most of us that it's
comes as a big surprise that there's any crime at all.

How B

"How B" wrote

Well, George, a cruise ship is NOT "the US as a whole." It is a closed
environment monitored by security guards and security cameras, where ID's
are checked of anyone trying to board. Comparing crime rates on the
streets of N.Y. or L.A. to those in a secured environment is not logical.

And having a Congressional investigation into 300 crimes on cruise ships
over 5 years is not logical.

It would be logical would be if they were investigating why there were over
900,000 violent crimes in ONE YEAR in the US.

But that doesn't make the 6 PM news. "Congress Investigates Cruise Industry
Safety" makes a good sound bite.... but in the real world, it doesn't make
any sense at all.

It isn't about crime... it is about politics and making the most of the
current "hot topic" so the voters think the politicians are actually doing
something. Next week it will be the annual investigation into toy safety...
just in time for Christmas!

Your tax dollars at work.


--
George Leppla http://www.countryside-travel.com

The Mother of All Group Cruises 2 - http://www.moagc2.com/
May 20, 2006, Caribbean Princess - http://cruisemaster.com/caribprin.htm
October 29, 2006 - SLEAZY 4! http://cruisemaster.com/sleazy4.htm

In article , How B
wrote:

Well, George, a cruise ship is NOT "the US as a whole." It is a closed
environment monitored by security guards and security cameras, where
ID's are checked of anyone trying to board. Comparing crime rates on
the streets of N.Y. or L.A. to those in a secured environment is not
logical.
Well then it looks even better when compared to closed
environments with security guards and cameras and ID's being
checked... in jails.


It's kind of like hearing that there were 135 rapes at Disneyland in the
last 5 years. Cruising has such a safe image to most of us that it's
comes as a big surprise that there's any crime at all.

Why should it?

--
"Distracting a politician from governing is like distracting a bear from eating your baby."
--PJ O'Rourke

"George Leppla" wrote in message
...

"How B" wrote


http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1401565&page=1

Those numbers are a lot higher than I thought, especially the 30
missing-persons cases.

300 crimes in the past 5 years? In that time, over 50,000,000 people have
been on a cruise.

Look at
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_04/offen...ime/index.html

For the US as a whole, in 2004 there were 465.5 violent crimes PER
100,000
people.

So, for 100K people years there were 465.5 violent crimes.

How many people years are we talking about on cruise ships. Let's take your
50 million number. Let's say your average cruise is one week. (Some
longer, some shorter, just for grins lets say it evens out to one week.) So
over the last five years there were 260 weeks, and 50 million cruisers. So
that's a little less than 200, 000 cruisers each week, every week. Dividing
the 300 reported crimes over 5 years, thats 60 crimes a year, or a rate of
30 crimes per 100K people years. Much better than the US as a whole. Not
as good as the numbers for your safest small city (especially considering
each ship has a population of less than 10K people...where many cities that
small with similar demographics have even less crime) but not bad overall.

In
news:cG9uZGVydGU=.d6839d9d1753f02f7afd6ea0c413b50a @1134490248.nulluser.com
"steinbrenner" wrote:

Congress turns attention to cruise safety

Well, that's the end of the cruise industry.

--
Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN

In article , Cathy
Kearns wrote:

"George Leppla" wrote in message
...

"How B" wrote


http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1401565&page=1

Those numbers are a lot higher than I thought, especially the 30
missing-persons cases.

300 crimes in the past 5 years? In that time, over 50,000,000 people have
been on a cruise.

Look at
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_04/offen...ime/index.html

For the US as a whole, in 2004 there were 465.5 violent crimes PER
100,000
people.

So, for 100K people years there were 465.5 violent crimes.

How many people years are we talking about on cruise ships. Let's take your
50 million number. Let's say your average cruise is one week. (Some
longer, some shorter, just for grins lets say it evens out to one week.) So
over the last five years there were 260 weeks, and 50 million cruisers. So
that's a little less than 200, 000 cruisers each week, every week. Dividing
the 300 reported crimes over 5 years, thats 60 crimes a year, or a rate of
30 crimes per 100K people years. Much better than the US as a whole.

What is the comparable 'clearance' rate (the rate of convictions) for
each group ?

I love cruising more than the next guy... but the lines should be
ashamed at their decidedly negligent treatment of criminal violations
and their associated investigations.

jay
Tue Dec 13, 2005




Not
as good as the numbers for your safest small city (especially considering
each ship has a population of less than 10K people...where many cities that
small with similar demographics have even less crime) but not bad overall.

I love cruising more than the next guy... but the lines should be
ashamed at their decidedly negligent treatment of criminal violations
and their associated investigations.

It doesn't bother me. I have looked at the numbers and concluded
that the chance of being a crime victim on a cruise ship is extremely
low. I am willing to take that risk.

If Congress starts sticking its nose into this, it will result in more
rules, a lot more inconvenience, higher costs, and little improvement
in safety.

I may find myself choosing to only go on cruises that don't call in
US ports. Congress can't but into my affairs then

To members of Congress, I say, "If you start trying to force your
illogical safety rules upon me, I'll spend my money outside the United
States instead of inside the United States."