All in the Family
(Part II)
(#460, 1/6/25)

A decade after Part I,
domestic killings
remain commomplace

Acting...or Re-acting?
(#459, 12/8/24)

An urgent response
proves tragically imprecise

Citizen Misbehavior
Breeds Voter
Discontent
(#458, 11/20/24)

Progressive agendas
face rebuke in even
the "Bluest" of places

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...

1/17/25 Just published in Criminology & Public Policy, an assessment of police training academies criticizes the universal over- emphasis on traditional officer-warrior aspects, such as the “rare instances” when lethal weapons must be used, while ignoring the “guardian-based” approach that exemplifies community policing. Fixing that, according to the authors, would require “a complete and comprehensive reorientation of police recruitment and basic training.” Related post

Last year a Ninth Circuit panel ruled in favor of California and Hawaii laws that bar carrying guns in sensitive places such as beaches, parks, schools, hospitals and banks. Consolidating those cases, the Ninth Circuit just rejected the contention that these restrictions violate the Second Amendment. Its denial of a rehearing was challenged by a number of judges, who argued that the laws fail the historical tests set by Bruen. Decision   Related post

On January 11 officers responded to the latest in a string of domestic disturbances at a Gary, Indiana home. They encountered a 23-year old  resident holding two guns. Devin Shields refused to put them down, and when he reportedly threatened his mother and the officers they shot him dead. Four days later, in nearby St. John, officers responded to another domestic disturbance. A physical altercation ensued, and the homeowner’s adult son, Brandon Perkins, 40, was shot dead. A neighbor suggests he was mentally ill and held something in his hands. Hand weights were found outside. Related post

1/16/25 Three years ago it was revealed that the Orange County, Calif. sheriff had created jail “snitch tanks” where inmate stoolies would get information and, hopefully, confessions, from inmates who were accused of serious crimes but were represented by counsel. DOJ’s report called the practice illegal and a violation of right to counsel and due process. An agreement between DOJ and the Sheriff that prohibits such practices and limits the use of custodial informants to exigent circumstances has just been signed. Related post

NYPD reports that one out of four of its nearly 2,300 high-speed pursuits in 2024 ended in a crash. Its top uniformed officer, John Chell, had insisted that officers be able to pursue reckless motorists: “People thinking they can take off on us: Those days are over.” But the city’s travails and a recent PERF/DOJ report on the risks of pursuits changed his mind. As of February 1, NYPD rules will  prohibit high-speed chases unless the vehicle’s occupants committed a felony or violent misdemeanor. Related post

1/15/25 In its continuing inquiry into the police use of facial recognition technology, the Washington Post details the wrongful arrest of “at least” eight persons. Matches made by AI from crime scene images to repositories such as arrestee mug shots are being used as “shortcuts” to laborious detective work. And even tentative matchups have encouraged officers to rely on questionable witness statements and ignore contradictory evidence. Related post

Ronald Greene was unfit to drive on May 19, 2019 when he crashed his car while being pursued by Louisiana troopers. But the officers’ rough handling of the cocaine-addled man contributed to his death. Trooper Chris Hollingsworth, supposedly the most blameworthy, committed suicide after learning that he was being fired. Five colleagues were indicted on State charges, but cases were dropped for all but two; one pled to misdemeanor battery, and the other’s plea is pending. Given Hollingsworth’s death and insufficient proof of “willfulness,” the prospect of Federal charges withered away, and DOJ recently announced it had ended its inquiry. Related post

A national survey reports that 8 in 10 voters are seriously concerned about crime. Their attitudes are reflected in a toughening of criminal penalties, and particularly on drug and property offending. Mob thievery led to a proposal by a “Blue” Maryland state senator to enable filing felony charges against all participants in a group theft where the total take exceeds $1,500. According to Adam Gelb of the Council on Criminal Justice, there’s a sense that reforms have “overshot the mark and there needs to be a rebalancing.” Related post

1/13/25 After the recent “resettlement” of 11 uncharged Yemeni detainees to Oman, fifteen prisoners remain at Guantanamo. Two are serving terms after their conviction. Six are uncharged and eligible for review or transfer. Seven, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two associates, are still pending trial. Mohammed and his two helpers had agreed to plead guilty in exchange for life terms. But the Administration wants them to face the death penalty, and their plea was just blocked. DOD press release   Related post

On January 9, as major blazes beset Southern California, residents of an L.A.-city neighborhood that was being consumed by flames alerted police about a man who was trying to set brush on fire. LAPD officers detained Juan Sierra, 33, and arrested him for violating his probation on a 2023 assault conviction. Sierra, who reportedly has a substantial arrest record, has been identified by Ventura County authorities as “a person of interest” in the Kenneth fire, which has destroyed over 1,000 acres. Related post

In December 2016 North Carolina man Edgar Welch, then 24, acted out his beliefs in the “Pizzagate” internet conspiracy by opening fire with an AR -15 rifle in a Washington, D.C. pizza parlor. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and Welch surrendered to police. He pled guilty to Federal firearms charges and served four years. Welch was released in May, 2020. On January 4, 2025, Welch pulled a gun on North Carolina officers who were trying to arrest him for a probation violation. He was shot dead. Related post

Byhalia, Mississippi, a town of about 1,400 residents, is located about 30 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee. Byhalia has its own police force. For reasons yet to be revealed, one of its officers recently chased an SUV beyond the city limits. Its 30-year old driver soon crashed into a pickup truck. He and two occupants of the pickup, ages 43 and 63, were killed. Byhalia’s governing body has suspended officer William Langham without pay. But his lawyer denies that his client did anything wrong. Related posts 1   2

Who gets the final word in police discipline cases in Chicago? It’s apparently neither the city nor the chief. According to the city’s contract with the police union, officers can have disciplinary matters heard by the Chicago Police Board. And two county judges have recently held that its decisions are indeed final. Say, the clearing of officer James Hunt in a controversial 2023 use of force case. And at the opposite extreme, its firing of then-Sgt. Alex Wolinski for the notorious 2019 mistaken search of the residence of Anjanette Young. An appeals court is reviewing the city’s challenge to its lack of clout. Related post

1/10/25 ATF’s recently-released national gun trafficking assessment reports a steady, sharp rise in the recovery by law enforcement agencies of “privately made firearms” (i.e., “ghost guns”), from 1,609 in 2017 to 27,490 in 2023 (p. 5). These included guns used in 1,692 homicides and 4,106 other violent crimes. Between 2019-2023 the number of ghost guns recovered from crimes each year increased nearly nine-fold, from 658 to 5,816. Related post

“I want to shoot up my school. I’ve been preparing for it for the past few months.” That’s how a former student at Maryland’s Wootton High School began a book he wrote last year. And that (among many other things) led a judge to convict 19-year old Alex Ye of making terroristic threats. Just like his novel’s main character, Ye’s “homicidal ideations” had once landed him in a psychiatric hospital. He now faces up to ten years in prison. Related post

1/9/25 On December 31 Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Police Supt. Larry Snelling credited “a whole of government approach” for bringing about a drop in violent crime. And particularly of murders, which were down in 2024 for the third year in a row. But eight homicides during the following six days, and the non-fatal wounding of twenty-eight Chicagoans, have clouded the new year’s prospects. And the violence is happening in the same besieged neighborhoods (e.g., North Lawndale) as always. Related post

Just issued, ATF’s fourth and final volume of its national gun trafficking assessment urges increased attention to unlicensed gun sellers. Emphasizing “the serious public safety consequences of firearm transfers made without background checks,” it also recommends (among many other things,)  expanding the reach of state gun purchase background checks; implicitly, by requiring them for gun transfers between private parties. ATF report   Related post

1/8/25 His subordinates tried to hold him back. But that didn’t stop former New Castle, Indiana police Lieutenant Aaron Strong from striking a suspect a dozen times with a metal baton. And that’s after the man, who had run from officers, gave up and sat on the ground. Strong, who was turned in by his own troops, allegedly lied about the encounter to State Police investigators. He was also accused of other brutal acts, including stomping on an inmate’s head and needlessly shooting a prisoner with a bean-bag round. Federal jurors convicted Strong of civil-rights violations. A judge just gave him twelve years. Related post

1/7/25 “A fundamental cultural shift...that’s oriented around safety and quality above profits” is what the aircraft maker needs. That’s the opinion of outgoing FAA chief Mike Whitaker as he reflects on Boeing’s legacy of failures, including, most recently, the mid-air blowout of a door panel on the much-maligned 737 Max. Acknowledging that the FAA’s oversight of Boeing was lacking, he cautioned that “this is not a one-year project.” But what the incoming Administration intends to do is unknown. Related post

With rumors swirling about the proposed pardoning of persons convicted in the Capitol attack, its current police chief, J. Thomas Manger, declared his opposition to forgiving anyone who participated in assaulting any of the 140+ officers who had been physically victimized. Manger, who had led police departments In Fairfax, Va. and Montgomery Co., Md., was hired after the assault. Meanwhile the L.A. Times reports that more than 100 accused are scheduled for trial this year, and 168 are to be sentenced. And the FBI reportedly has dozens more cases in the wings. Capitol updates   Related post

Issued in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, DOJ’s June 2023 “patterns or practices” report blasted Minneapolis police officers for mistreating citizens, and particularly members of minority groups. DOJ just announced that Minneapolis has signed a consent decree in which it agrees to reform police practices and have its progress monitored, under judicial oversight, for an extended period. Related post

1/6/25 A Federal investigation into the years-long exchange of racist and homophobic text messages by seventeen police officers in Antioch, a Northern Calif. community of 115,000, has led to a formal agreement between DOJ and the City of Antioch. It requires that the city hire “an expert law enforcement consultant” to provide advice on a wide range of topics, including hiring, training and officer oversight, and that it submit to monitoring and furnish reports over a five-year period. Related post

1/3/25 James Vanest was suspected from the very start. But the April 1981 beating death of Debbie Lee Miller, whose Mansfield, Ohio apartment was just above his, went unsolved for forty years. In 2021 advanced DNA techniques identified Vanest’s profile in DNA mixtures found on “numerous pieces of evidence” recovered from the scene. Detectives interviewed Vanest then, and again earlier this year. They were preparing their case when Vanest, a felon, was killed in a shootout with officers who were trying to arrest him on gun charges stemming from a recent traffic stop. Related post

In 2012 San Diego, Calif. resident Mary Shojai declined Paul Carl Tomasini’s marriage proposal. So he violently assaulted her, repeatedly striking the 66-year old woman with a mallet until she was dead. Tomasini, who seemed deeply remorseful, was convicted of murder and drew life. But in 2022 California AB 960 provided for compassionate release. That law was recently applied to Tomasini, who developed terminal cancer while imprisoned. He’s been released to a “healthcare facility.” And Shojai’s daughter is incensed. His release, she says, has driven her family into “a state of hellish angst.” Related posts 1   2

1/2/25 Steering his pickup truck around a police blockade, 42-year old Army veteran Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar sped into a crowd celebrating New Year’s Day on New Orlean’s famed Bourbon Street during the early morning hours of January 1. At least fifteen innocent citizens were killed. Jabbar then shot it out with responding officers. Two were wounded and Jabbar was killed. He had just posted social media videos praising the Islamic State. A “stark black” Islamic terrorist banner was found in his truck. Related post

Information from a citizen that a Virginia home was chock-full of weapons and explosives recently led to the arrest of 35-year old Brad Spafford, who resides there with his wife and two children. Although Federal agents said they found more than 150 pipe bombs and other explosive devices, Spafford has so far only been charged with having an unregistered short-barreled rifle. A Federal magistrate just recommended that Spafford, who reportedly lacks any criminal record, be released to his mother, but agreed to temporarily jail him while the Government makes a case for his detention. Related post

Intended to help tamp down the Golden State’s burgeoning retail theft rate, a “holiday crackdown” by the California Highway Patrol and ten local agencies netted 117 arrests and the recovery of $38,000 worth of stolen goods, “including clothing, fragrances and shoes.” Defendants are being charged with a bevy of violations, ranging from petty theft to organized retail crime. Meanwhile Gov. Gavin Newson announced that the New Year brings a comprehensive legal crackdown as well. Penalties for thefts are being substantially increased, and officers and prosecutors are getting extra leeway in the investigation and prosecution of group crimes. Related post

12/31/24 Remember Bernie Madoff? He’s the notorious Manhattan financial broker who in 2008 fessed up to a decades-long Ponzi scheme in which he used new investments to pay off existing clients. Their accounts, which only had $300 million, should have held 17 billion (that’s more than fifty times as much). Madoff drew 150 years in Federal prison. DOJ, which helped victims collect more than $4 billion in losses over the years, just distributed its tenth and final set of compensations, $131.4 million. Related post

California supposedly has the toughest gun laws in the U.S. Don’t tell that to the parents of the teen girl who was shot dead, or of her six teen companions who were wounded, when a group of five to seven male teens, “at least three of whom were armed with handguns” opened fire at a party in a Signal Hill, Calif. warehouse on Saturday night, December 28. All the victims were reportedly between 17-19 years of age. No information about the shooters’ motives or identities has yet been released. Related post

12/30/24 Veteran NYPD officer Jeffrey Maddrey> has served as the agency’s chief for one year. But he just tendered his resignation. According to a high-ranking subordinate’s recently-filed complaint, Maddrey pressured her for sexual favors in exchange for overtime. And when she ultimately complained, he allegedly retaliated by accusing her of overtime abuse, then suspended her without pay. It’s not the only such complaint. A police captain accused Maddrey of a years-long binge of pressuring her for sex. Related post

Chronically violence-beset Birmingham, Ala. just “broke another record.” Its 149th. homicide of the year topped the previous high of 148 set ninety-one years ago, in 1933. That’s led its city council to allocate $2 million in Federal American Rescue Plan funds to a slew of community-based initiatives that are intended, among other things, to combat the causes of gun violence. None directly involve policing. Related post

Last year LAPD Lt. Mark Garza was suspended without pay over allegations that officers in his Mission Division gang unit routinely turned off bodycams to conceal illegal stops and searches and the theft of items from persons they detained. But a claim (precursor to a lawsuit) just filed by Lt. Garza against the city alleges that his warnings to superiors about such abuses had gone unheeded. Among (many) other things, he says that higher-ups told internal auditors to ignore officer misconduct and focus on good outcomes. Related post

Chicago murders are down 7% citywide from 2023. But when comparing police districts, the numbers are admittedly “uneven.” While the normally violence-beset Harrison District has suffered substantially fewer killings, the afflicted Ogden District is enduring a sharp increase, from 34 murders thru mid- December 2023 to 48 this year. And two beats within the violence-racked Grand Crossing area are even worse off, going from 12 murders in 2023 to 25 this year. Some are assigning blame to the increased lethality brought on by full-auto switches, extended magazines and assault rifles. Related posts 1   2   3

12/27/24 Exasperated by prosecutors’ alleged withholding of key evidence, a New Mexico judge had dismissed the involuntary manslaughter case against actor Alec Baldwin for the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. And the prosecutor has just decided to not pursue an appeal. Baldwin still faces a lawsuit filed by the victim’s parents and sister, who condemn his allegedly careless handling of a gun that had been unintentionally loaded with a live bullet. Hannah Gutierrez, the on-set armorer who seems most directly responsible for the tragedy, is serving a prison term for involuntary manslaughter. Related post

Former D.C. police Lt. Shane Lamond was convicted at a bench trial of obstructing justice by secretly sharing sensitive police information with Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio. Lamond, who headed a police intelligence unit, reportedly tipped Tarrio, among (many) other things, that an arrest warrant was issued for his role in burning a Black Lives Matter banner that had been stolen from a church in December 2020, shortly before the January 6th. Capitol assault. Tarrio, who testified for the defense, denied getting information from Lamond. But the judge thought that both were liars. Capitol updates
Related post

12/26/24 New Mexico Governor Lujan Grisham, 65, is a “Blue.” But her state’s battle with a violent crime rate that’s reportedly twice the national average has led her to demand that drug addicts and the mentally ill be compelled to get help. While many of her colleagues fear that a toughening will lead to more arrests and a higher rate of imprisonment, the Governor insists there is no choice. In Las Cruces, at a community meeting about crime, she asked “How many of you have been chased by people with a weapon?” Hands reportedly “shot up.” Related post

According to Federal law, persons “convicted in any court of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year” cannot possess firearms (18 USC 922g). But in an en banc ruling, the Federal Third Circuit just found that this provision conflicts with the Second Amendment. Its decision focuses on the absence of a requirement that the possessor poses a “credible threat” to physical safety. That, the Circuit noted, is the key component of the Supreme Court’s decision in U.S. v. Rahimi. Related post