A Matter of Facts
(#457, 11/3/24)

Did flawed science place
an innocent man
on death row?

Want Brotherly Love?
Don't be Poor!
(#456, 10/12/24)

Violence is down in Philly,
L.A. and D.C.
Have their poor noticed?

Prevention Through Preemption
(#455, 9/16/24)

Expanding the scope of
policing beyond
making arrests

Switching Sides
(#454, 8/30/24)

St. Louis’ D.A. argues that
a condemned man
is in fact innocent

"Distraction Strike"?
Angry Punch? Both?
(#453, 8/11/24)

When cops get rattled,
the distinction may
ring hollow

Bringing a Gun
To a Knife Fight
(#452, 7/30/24)

Cops carry guns.
Some citizens flaunt knives.
Are poor outcomes inevitable?

"Numbers" Rule –
Everywhere
(#451, 7/2/24)

Production pressures
degrade what's "produced" –
and not just in policing

Is Crime Really Down?
It Depends...
(#450, 6/20/24)

Even when citywide
numbers improve, place
really, really matters

Kids With Guns
(#449, 6/3/24)

Ready access
and permissive laws
create a daunting problem

De-Prosecution?
What's That?
(#448, 4/27/24)

Philadelphia's D.A.
eased up on lawbreakers.
Did it increase crime?

Ideology (Still)
Trumps Reason
(#447, 4/9/24)

When it comes to gun laws,
“Red” and “Blue” remain
in the driver’s seat

Shutting the Barn Door
(#446, 3/19/24)

Oregon moves to
re-criminalize hard drugs

Houston, We Have
(Another) Problem
(#445, 2/28/24)

Fueled by assault rifles, murders plague the land

Wrong Place, Wrong
Time, Wrong Cop
(#444, 2/8/24)

Recent exonerees set "records"
for wrongful imprisonment

America's Violence-
Beset Capital City
(#443, 1/20/24)

Our Nation's capital
is plagued by murder

Are Civilians Too Easy
on the Police? (II)
(#442, 12/18/23)

Exonerated of murder,
but not yet done

Warning: (Frail)
Humans at Work
(#441, 11/29/23)

The presence of a gun
can prove lethal

See No Evil - Hear No
Evil - Speak No Evil
(#440, 11/14/23)

Is the violent crime problem
really all in our heads?

Policing Can't Fix
What Really Ails
(#439, 10/18/23)

California's posturing
overlooks a chronic issue

Confirmation Bias
Can be Lethal
(#438, 9/21/23)

Why did a "routine" stop
cost a man's life?

When (Very) Hard
Heads Collide (II)
(#437, 9/5/23)

What should cops do when
miscreants refuse to comply?
Refuse to comply?

Keep going...

11/6/24 Proposition 47, which California voters enacted ten years ago, reflected progressive priorities to reduce punishment and incarceration. But waves of shoplifting and burglary eroded its support. Voters have just passed Proposition 36, which restores the “felony” designation to thefts under $950 for those with two or more prior convictions for stealing. Group thefts, which have come to beset retailers, are now felonies punishable by lengthy terms. Penalties have also substantially stiffened for drug dealing. Related post

Sheriff’s officials in two Ohio counties are under the gun for election-related comments on social media that seem glaringly hostile to those of the “Blue” persuasion. Long-serving Clark County (Springfield) patrol commander John Rodgers attributed his “if you support the Democrat party I will not help you” posts to the side effects of medication. Meanwhile in Portage County (Kent), Sheriff Bruce D. Zuchowski, who’s been in office since 2021, wrote that if “the laughing hyena” wins, her supporters’ homes will be where to look for the “illegal human locusts” (i.e., immigrants) who are certain to come. Related post

11/5/24 Many “Proud Boys” were imprisoned for their violent roles in the Capitol assault. Their leader, Enrique Tarrio, was convicted of seditious conspiracy and is serving a 22-year sentence. But online messaging reveals that many Proud Boys chapters have regrouped and formulated plans in case the “Reds” lose the Presidential election. Its North Phoenix chapter posted a photo of a gun stockpile accompanied by “Proud Boys stocking up getting ready for Nov…It’s going to be biggley!!” Capitol updates   Related post

In 1995 Humberto Duran was sentenced to life for shooting and killing an East L.A. gang member. He denied having been present, and his testimony was supported by his girlfriend and her mother. But deputies pressured the sole eyewitness to identify Duran, and she did so at his trial. Within several years, though, the woman recanted and said she had lied. It also turned out that deputies had withheld information about the identity of the allegedly real shooter. Duran’s lawyer was also thoroughly incompetent. Last month a judge vacated the conviction. After thirty years, Duran was released. D.A. letter   Related post

Jurors convicted former Columbus police officer Adam Coy of murder for the 2020 shooting death of Andre Hill. Officer Coy was responding to a non-emergency call about a running vehicle and saw Mr. Hill inside his neighbor’s garage. Thinking him suspicious he ordered Mr. Hill to come out, and when the man complied officer Coy saw what he thought was a gun in his hand. He instantly opened fire. It turned out that the object was a cellphone, and that Mr. Hill had done nothing wrong. Officer Coy had accumulated numerous citizen complaints during his nearly 20 years on the job. He was promptly fired. Related posts 1   2

As an angry man drove off with his kidnapped ex-girlfriend in the car, she dialed a friend. And that woman used her IPhone’s “Find My” app to track the vehicle and alert police of its whereabouts. A Sheriff’s helicopter soon spotted the car, and the chase was on. Officers eventually ended it using spike strips. And the former boyfriend is now in jail on $100,000 bond. Related post

11/4/24 Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend opened fire when Louisville officers burst into her residence four years ago. Then-Louisville cop Brett Hankinson, who was outside the apartment, responded with a fusillade that pierced walls and windows but struck no one. Hankinson was charged with violating the civil rights of Taylor and residents of another apartment. His first trial produced a hung jury, and he was just convicted on one count of violating Ms. Taylor's civil rights at a retrial. Hankinson faces up to twenty years. DOJ Press Release   Related post

Nineteen-year old Nhazel Warren had recent arrests for gun possession and fleeing when officers caught him illegally packing a pistol in July. He was released with an ankle monitor. Warren then committed a home invasion. He was arrested and released on bond and, again, with an ankle monitor. He went on to commit several more armed robberies; his most recent arrest was a week ago. Again, he was released on bond. And again, with a monitor. All along, Warren was supposedly being monitored by the Probation Dept. But there’s no record that they ever put his “tracking” devices to work. Related post

Anderson Blanco Diaz supposedly hung with the MS-13 gang. That’s the capacity in which Maryland prosecutors say he executed Antoine Dorsey, with a bullet to the head. Jurors convicted Blanco Diaz of 1st. degree murder. And as the law requires, he was sentenced to life. But Judge Darren Johnson suspended all of his term but ten years. “The court can consider things that the jury could not,” he said. Prosecutors and Dorsey’s family were enraged. But Blanco Diaz’s lawyer applauded the judge’s decision. After all, the shooting was an “accident,” and ten years is the penalty for manslaughter. Related post

Released last April after serving 24 years for kidnapping, Ohio man Frank Tyson had failed to report to his parole officer. Less than two weeks later he crashed his car into a pole and was arrested.  Canton police officers Beau Schoenegge and Camden Burch handcuffed him. They pinned him to the ground, face-down, and ignored his complaints that he couldn’t breathe. Soon it was too late, and he died. Heart issues and cocaine and alcohol were listed as contributing factors. A grand jury just indicted both officers for reckless homicide. Related post

On October 14, 2022 Orlando Harris, 19, opened fire with an AR-15 style rifle inside a St. Louis high school, killing two and wounding seven. Officers ultimately shot him dead. According to a new report the youth, who had once attempted suicide, bought the gun from a private party. His parents took the gun, an armored vest and other items to police. But Missouri didn’t have a “Red Flag” law that facilitates seizing guns in advance. So police told the parents to secure the items. They tried, but Harris nonetheless got them. Missouri still lacks a Red Flag law. Related posts 1   2

11/1/24 Earlier this year U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared gun violence to be an official “public health crisis.” According to the Commonwealth Fund, the U.S. ranks in the worst seven percent of firearm mortality for all countries. It’s 16th. out of 204 (higher is not better.) With a gun death rate of 13.5/100,000, the U.S. is also sixth-worse out of 67 high-income countries. (Japan, with a rate of .02, is second-best). Firearm mortality rates for most U.S. States are also higher than for most countries. Indeed, their gun violence death rates are comparable to countries “experiencing active conflict.” Related post

10/31/24 So far “more than 1,532” persons have been charged with participating in the January 6th. 2021 Capitol assault. And new indictments keep rolling in. Two days ago the New Jersey father-and-son duo of Richard and Keith Andrews appeared before a U.S. District Judge in Newark. Richard, the 72-year old dad, faces felony charges for throwing a chair through a Capitol window, striking an officer. His 49-year old boy is accused of misdemeanor disorderly conduct. They were released on $100,000 bonds. Related post

Eleven ranking members of the “Lows,” a Minneapolis street gang, have been charged with participating in a racketeering conspiracy and with illegally trafficking in drugs and guns. According to an 18-count Federal indictment, the long-standing gang established its dominion in large swaths of the city through a pattern of violence, including threats, shootings and murders, that “created an atmosphere of terror” and “devastated families and communities in north Minneapolis.” Related post

10/30/24 Six States - Alabama, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, and Washington - have joined “Reentry 2030”, an initiative led by the Council of State Governments and partly funded by DOJ. Focused on persons being released from incarceration, it seeks to promote their successful transition into society by providing a host of services, including physical and mental health care, educational opportunities, job training, and access to housing. It’s hoped that in time every State will join in. Related post

D.C. has long banned ammunition magazines that can accept more than ten rounds. And a legal challenge to that law was just rejected, 2-1, by a three-judge D.C. Circuit Court panel. The majority agreed that a magazine falls within the protection granted to “arms” by the Second Amendment. But they also held that this restriction is consistent with the historical test imposed by Bruen, as laws dating back to Prohibition have barred weapons “that are particularly susceptible to, and were widely used for, multiple homicides and mass injuries.” D.C. law   Related post

10/29/24 According to a recent Department of Homeland Security report obtained by Politico, online forums are replete with anonymous discussants promoting the notion of staging a civil war should their preferred candidate lose. They’re encouraging individuals to prepare for using violence against Government agents by joining military-themed groups and gaining tactical skills. As for communicating, they recommend using encrypted channels for all messaging. Meanwhile, incendiary devices were set off at ballot boxes in Portland and Vancouver, Washington. Internal fire suppression devices and a security guard saved all but three ballots in Portland, but “hundreds” were destroyed in Vancouver. Related post

10/28/24 In 1992 the body of a 29-year old woman was found on a North Carolina highway. She had been strangled to death. Three decades later forensic genealogy identified Warren Luther Alexander, a long-haul trucker now in his seventies, as her assailant. He was arrested in 2022 and his DNA profile was entered on FBI’s national CODIS system. That, in turn, enabled California authorities to connect Alexander to the murders of three L.A.- area women who were strangled to death in 1977. He’s now awaiting trial on these killings as well. Related post

Do “pro-reform” prosecutors increase crime? According to the notably progressive Brennan Center, homicide, aggravated assault and larceny trends during 2018-2024 for cities with “progressive” prosecutors (L.A.’s George Gascon drew special mention) were much the same as those of their peers. But a look at the larceny graph seems to show that during Gascon’s term L.A.’s rates have been comparatively higher. Changes in crime rates within cities is not addressed. Related post

As concerns mount about how supporters of the losing Presidential candidate might react, DOJ announced developments in four cases preferred by its Elections Threat Task Force, which brought the FBI and US Attorney offices to bear on that issue in 2021. Colorado man Teak Brockbank, 45, pled guilty to threatening State election officials. Alabama resident Brian Ogstad, 60, drew 20 months for threatening Arizona election workers. And a 61-year old Tampa man and a 62-year old Philadelphia resident were just charged with making threats. Memo launching the ETTF   Related post

“More than $30 million in benefits.” That’s the record-setting amount that Georgia resident Tyshion Hicks and her pals swindled from COVID-19 relief funds by using the stolen identities of real persons to submit over 5,000 unemployment insurance claims on behalf of fictitious employers. Ms. Hicks, who pled guilty to mail fraud and ID theft, just drew twelve years in prison. Seven of her helpers have already pled guilty. Related post

10/25/24 In 1989 Erik Menendez, 18, and his 21-year old brother Lyle used a pair of 12-gauge shotguns that they had just bought to murder their wealthy L.A. parents. The killing was originally thought to be a mob hit, and the brothers weren’t arrested for a year. While their lawyer insisted that the brothers acted to protect themselves from their fathers’ sexual abuse, prosecutors said they did it for the money. After two hung juries they were convicted of 1st. degree murder and drew life without parole. Current D.A. George Gascón, who is convinced that the brothers were indeed driven by abuse, is moving to have them be resentenced to straight life terms. That would likely free them. Related post

In 2018 New York State’s “Raise the Age” law forbid treating criminal defendants under 18 years of age as adults. Instead, even those charged with serious crimes were redirected to youth and Family courts and housed in youth facilities. Between 2018-2023 the number of murder defendants ages 16 and older who were confined in youth centers jumped from seven to 134. According to New York City investigators, changes in the nature of their clientele has badly upset the applecart at youth facilities and led to a surge of “assaults, threats and the discovery of weapons.” Related post

A study of traffic enforcement in Chicago reports that regardless of an area’s proportion of Black and White motorists, Black drivers are slightly more likely to be ticketed by speed cameras, but substantially more likely to be stopped for traffic violations. While traditional “stop and frisk” is supposedly no longer practiced, Chicago police have vastly increased the number of traffic stops, going from “less than 200,000 in 2016 to over 570,000 in 2023.” Academic study  Impact for Equity Report   Related post

10/24/24 At President Biden’s urging, in June 2021 ATF embarked on a campaign to revoke the licenses of gun dealers who flout the law. Five revocations took place that year, followed by 88 in 2022, 157 in 2023, and 81 thru June 2024. Revocations require proof that a dealer willfully broke the rules by, among other things, knowingly selling guns to a prohibited buyer, falsifying records, and failing to do a background check. According to The Smoking Gun, the problem goes beyond sales. Gun stores are notoriously “soft targets,” and numerous guns used in crimes are stolen each year from dealer premises. Related post

It’s not only New York City anymore. Beset by armed subway riders, Los Angeles has placed A.I.-powered weapons detection scanners at the entrances to underground platforms of its main, downtown station. Six-feet in height and emblazoned with logos, the devices by Evolv Technology can supposedly pinpoint just where on a body a weapon is hidden. For now, though, it’s just an experiment. Related post

Is the Federal law that bars felons from possessing guns unconstitutional? One appeal from a conviction under that law, in which the accused relied on the Bruen decision, was rejected by the 11th. Circuit. But other Circuits have split. So the Supreme Court just ordered that the 11th. Circuit revisit their case in light of the high court’s recent Rahimi decision. It held that persons who “pose a credible threat to the physical safety of another...may be temporarily disarmed consistent with the Second Amendment.” Only problem is, the felon gun prohibition isn’t “temporary.” Related post

10/23/24 A 15-year old Washington State teen was charged with five counts of first- degree murder and one count of attempted murder after the bodies of two adults and three youths were discovered in a home they apparently shared. An 11-year old girl was also hurt but survived. It happened in the prosperous lakeside community of Fall City, 25 miles E. of Seattle.  Authorities confirmed that “firearms were involved” and that “it appears” all were family. Census   Related post

Walter Johnson, aka “King Tut,” was a New York City crime legend in 1997 when Federal judge Frederic Block sentenced him on yet another string of violent crimes. Calling him “a classic example of a person who has to be incapacitated,” Judge Block gave Johnson five life sentences. But during the ensuing 27 years, Johnson’s “stellar” prison behavior and mentorship of others impressed Judge Block. So much so, that he just turned away prosecutors’ objections and resentenced Johnson, under the First Step Act, to time served. “King Tut” is now a free man. Related post

10/22/24 In 1989 Yusef Salaam, now a New York City councilman, and four teen friends admitted to police that they assaulted and raped a female jogger during a raucous episode in Central Park. But they soon denied it, and attributed their admission to relentless questioning. Still, they were tried, convicted and imprisoned. But in 2002 a man in prison for an unrelated rape/murder said he alone was responsible, and DNA confirmed his involvement. The five youths were released; each was later awarded between $7 and $12 million by the city. Candidate Trump, who originally called for their execution, recently bemoaned their release, announcing during a debate that they “killed a person” and “pled guilty, then they pled not guilty.” And yes, the “Exonerated Five” are suing him for defamation. Related post

In an October 2023 lawsuit, California DOJ accused the Vallejo Police Dept. of a “pattern and practice of excessive and unreasonable force, using enforcement strategies that disproportionately impact people of color, and performing unconstitutional stops, searches, and seizures.” A settlement agreement has since supposedly put correctives in place. Some relatives of persons killed by Vallejo officers have also received cash settlements. But the ACLU now demands that nine Vallejo cops who misbehaved but escaped sanctions be investigated by the State for potential decertification. Related post

10/21/24 “I have observed a culture that prioritizes speed of production over safety and quality and incentivizes management to overlook significant defects in Boeing’s airplanes.” That’s but a small slice of the testimony of Sam Salehpour, a veteran Boeing quality engineer, about issues that may have affected the safety of Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft. His account, delivered to a Senate committee, parallels earlier concerns that a production emphasis led to life-threatening defects in the 737 Max. Testimony   Related post

A new study published by the Delaware Academy of Public Health examined the views of 374 African American men ages 15-24 who have guns and live in four crime & violence beset cities: Baltimore, Jackson, Houston TX, and Wilmington DE. More than two-thirds felt that their cities were dangerous places with few opportunities, and that survival required having a gun. They blamed their community’s problems to negative influences from music, social media and peers, and to poor socialization, with absentee parents and no suitable role models. “Mothers aren't raising kids; fathers aren't around. Not enough money for food. Children aren't being taken care of.” Related post

A fight between young men at the mass celebration of a high school homecoming football victory devolved into a shooting, killing two 19-year olds and a 25-year old and wounding eight others. It happened on a rural trail near Lexington, Mississippi, in poverty-stricken Holmes County (poverty 35%.) Sheriff Willie March confirmed that gunplay has been a problem. “These are young men walking around with weapons. I wish I had an answer.” Related post

Ninety-three million bucks. That’s what California’s paid a vendor since 2003 to have it house and monitor 56 “sexually violent predators” after their conditional release from prison. Good news is that only two of the 56 recidivated. In contrast, of the 125 “predators” whom courts unconditionally released, twenty-four were reconvicted of 42 felonies and 13 misdemeanors within 10 years. But the program’s excellent outcome was likely facilitated by the recommitment of releasees who evidenced dodgy behavior. Related post

According to NYPD, the number of persons under 18 committing major crimes has risen a steep 37 percent since 2017. Some blame it on a 2017 New York State law that diverted 16 and 17-year olds from adult to juvenile courts. As for country-wide numbers, the Council on Criminal Justice reports that  overall crime by juveniles fell during 2016-2022. Murders committed by youths, though, increased  a stunning 65%, while their use of guns to commit crimes went up by 21%. Related posts 1   2

10/18/24 Two counts of 2nd. degree murder and two counts of manslaughter. Those are among the twenty -nine counts returned by a grand jury against Colin Gray, the father of the Apalachee High School shooter. His fourteen-year old son, Colt Gray, who was charged as an adult, faces fifty-five counts, including four counts of murder and twenty-five counts of aggravated assault. Both are being held without bond. And it’s likely they will remain locked up for a very, very long time. Related post