
Was a Dope Roped?
A trial judge thought so.
But an appellate court disagreed.
(#374, 12/8/20)
Fix Those Neighborhoods!
Creating safe places calls for a comprehensive, organic approach
(#373, 11/23/20)
When Must Cops Shoot? (II)
"An Ounce of Prevention"
(Ben Franklin, 1736)
(#372, 11/11/20)
When Must Cops Shoot? (I)
Four notorious incidents; four dead citizens. What did officers face?
(#371, 10/31/20)
L.A. Wants "Cahoots." But Which "Cahoots"?
Some politicians demand that officers keep away from "minor, non-violent" crimes (#370, 10/21/20)
R.I.P. Proactive Policing?
Volatile situations and imperfect cops guarantee tragic outcomes
(#369, 10/10/20)
Explaining...or Ignoring?
In a badly divided land, the ambush of two deputies unleashes a raft of excuses. And, as usual, no solutions.
(#368, 9/21/20)
White on Black
Should Black citizens fear White cops? (#367, 9/7/20)
Black on Black
Are Black citizens better off
with Black cops? (#366, 9/1/20)
"SWAT" is a Verb
Officers join specialized teams for a reason (#365, 8/16/20)
Should Police Treat the Whole Patient?
Officers deal with the symptoms of social decay. Can they go further? Should they? (#364, 8/3/20)
Turning Cops Into Liars
Keeping score can distort what
officers do (#363, 7/20/20)
Violent and Vulnerable
Some combative citizens may be at heightened risk of death (#362, 7/8/20)
Don't "Divest" - Invest!
Stripping money from the police is foolish. So is ignoring the plight of poverty-stricken neighborhoods.
(#361, 6/26/20)
Is it Ever OK
to Shoot Someone in the Back? (II)
In Atlanta, a “routine” encounter turns lethal. Instantly, a deplorable outcome is attributed to race. (#360, 6/19/20)
Gold Badges Can Be the Problem
Ordinary cops often know what's best. They should act on it. (#359, 6/8/20)
Punishment Isn't a Cop's Job
An officer metes out discipline. He then faces society's version. (#358, 6/3/20)
But is it Really Satan?
A Sheriff’s lament reflects the hopelessness of urban decay
(#357, 5/25/20)
A Conflicted Mission
An ideologically-fraught quarrel poses unique challenges (#356, 5/12/20)
Letting Go
Who should stay locked up during the pandemic? Who can go? (#355, 5/1/20)
Can the Urban Ship
be Steered?
Seasoned police leadership. Yet the
violence continues. (#354, 4/21/20)
Taking Missiles From Strangers
One wannabe heads to prison. Another waits. Should we be relieved?
(#353, 4/10/20)
Fair But Firm
Gaining voluntary compliance is the
sine qua non of everyday policing.
Indeed, of everyday life.
(#352, 4/2/20)
When Should Cops Lie?
NYPD detectives tweak an old approach. But lying is still lying. (#351, 3/26/20)
COVID-19: R.I.P. Policing?
Crime-fighters confront the challenges
of coronavirus (#350, 3/17/20)
Place Matters
Desperate to avoid controversy, politicians avoid the obvious
(#349, 2/29/20)
Must the Door
Revolve?
Bail and sentencing reform come.
Then stuff happens.
(#348, 2/9/20)
A Recipe for Disaster
Take an uncertain workplace. Toss in a "mission impossible" and pressures to produce. Voila!
(#347, 1/24/20)
Loopholes are Lethal (II)
Who can buy a gun? Indeed, just what is a gun? Um, let’s pretend! (#346, 1/4/20)
Loopholes are Lethal
Federal gun laws are tailored to limit their impact. And the consequences
can be deadly. (#345, 12/22/19)
Did the Times Scapegoat L.A.'s Finest? (II)
Quit blaming police racism for lopsided outcomes. And fix those neighborhoods! (#344, 12/3/19)
Did the Times Scapegoat L.A.'s Finest?
Accusations of biased policing
derail a stop-and-frisk campaign
(#343, 11/12/19)
Technology's Great -
Until it's Not
Police love Rapid DNA and facial recognition but hate encryption.
Privacy advocates beg to differ.
(#342, 10/18/19)
Means, Ends and 9/11
Extraordinary measures beget extraordinary consequences
(#341, 9/28/19)
Human Renewal
Despite redevelopment, South Bend's poverty and crime remain locked
in an embrace (#340, 9/13/19)
A Workplace
Without Pity
Doing right by the public might
mean doing wrong to the cop
(#339, 8/27/19)
Going Ballistic
Stop with the tangential!
Gun lethality is, first and foremost,
about the projectile (#338, 8/12/19)
Repeat After Us:
"City" is Meaningless
When it comes to crime, it's neighborhoods that count
(#337, 8/2/19)
Two Sides of
the Same Coin
Street gangs and officer cliques
have a lot in common (#336, 7/20/19)
Can You Enforce
Without Force?
Decriminalizing illegal immigration would have serious consequences
(#335, 7/1/19)
A Distinction
Without a Difference
An epidemic of officer suicide raises the question: do guns cause violence?
(#334, 6/22/19)
Informed and Lethal
Confirmation bias, on steroids
(#333, 5/5/19)
Mission Impossible?
Inner-city violence calls for a lot more than cops. Is America up to the task? (#332, 4/13/19)
Driven to Fail
Numbers-driven policing can’t help but offend. What are the options?
(#331, 3/27/19)
No Such Thing As
"Friendly" Fire
As good guys and bad ramp up their arsenals, the margin of error disappears (#330, 3/4/19)
A Not-so-Magnificent Obsession
Lapses in policing lead to chronic rulemaking. Does it hit the mark?
(#329, 2/15/19)
A Victim of Circumstance
Building cases with circumstantial evidence calls for exquisite care
(#328, 1/26/19)
When Walls Collide
Ideological quarrels drown out straight talk about border security (#327, 1/14/19)
Cops Aren't Free Agents
To improve police practices, look
to the workplace (#326, 1/3/19)
Keep going...