"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?

What Cops Face
(#436, 8/24/23)

America’s violent atmosphere
can distort officer decisions

Punishment Isn't
a Cop's Job (III)
(#435, 8/1/23)

Some citizens misbehave;
some cops answer in kind

San Antonio
Blues
(#434, 7/20/23)

What poverty brings can
impair the quality of policing

Keep going...

7/26/24 Twenty Los Angeles-area intersections that have become “hot spots” for street takeovers are slated for speed bumps. But none of these locations were the scene of the latest spate. In LAPD’s chronically beset South Bureau, a 15-year old spectator was fatally shot by a robbery crew, and his teen companion was wounded. Gunfire also broke out at a takeover in nearby Compton, leaving two wounded. Elsewhere, celebrants looted a restaurant, busted a fire hydrant, and set a vehicle ablaze. According to LAPD data, there were 319 takeovers in 2019, 912 in 2020, and 482 in 2023. Related post

California Gov. Gavin Newsom applauded the recent Supreme Court decision that allows local jurisdictions to ban camping on city property. He’s now ordered State agencies to remove homeless encampments that occupy State lands. Those that create physical safety hazards are to be prioritized. Most camps, though, aren’t on State lands. But the Governor is also pressing local authorities to take similar steps within their own jurisdictions. Problem is, California has 180,000 homeless persons. That’s about a third of the U.S. total. Where would they all go?  Grants Pass v. Johnson   Related post

7/25/24 According to the Calif. Highway Patrol its officers fired 33 bean bags and 24 direct impact rounds while clearing an illegal encampment at UCLA in May. Agency officials state they did so to counter “assaultive resistance” by protesters who hurled “frozen water bottles, bottles containing urine and other unknown fluids, full 12 oz soda cans, pieces of plywood” and other items at officers. While the CHP claims its officers only targeted individuals, critics say the response was indiscriminate. A medical expert cautioned that “less lethal” projectiles can cause serious injuries and are a dangerous over-reaction for quelling protests. Related post

Instagram may not seem the best place to boast about committing armed robberies. Nor the best place to post images of the cash and goods they took at gunpoint. But that’s what D’Angelo Spencer did as he and three associates committed a string of holdups at Los Angeles-area convenience stores late last year. All have been arrested and face Federal charges. Related post

7/24/24 Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s promise to end the contract with ShotSpotter is applauded by progressives, who blame the technology for false alerts that lead to over-policing minority areas. But the aldermen who represent those Districts largely favor the technology. So they voted to empower the City Council to decide whether the contract will be renewed. That sets up a clash whose resolution is uncertain. Meanwhile a ShotSpotter alert on July 10 summoned officers to the crime-impacted Grand Crossing neighborhood, where they found a 15-year with a gunshot wound to the head. He later died. Related post

Illinois deputy sheriff Sean Grayson, who was recently jailed on first-degree murder charges for the shooting death of a 9-1-1 caller, bounced around six different agencies during his four-year law enforcement career. Three of those stints were as a part-timer at small police departments. His most recent position, as a Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy, began in May 2023. And yes, he’s been fired. Related posts 1   2

Chicago is suing Glock firearms for pouring pistols into the city that can be easily modified to full-auto fire using readily obtainable drop-in auto sears. Also named are two of Glock’s major Illinois customers, Lyons-based Midwest Sporting Goods and Oak-Forest based Lyons Sports Range, which “actively” solicit Chicagoans to buy these lethal Glock products. Lawyers from Everytown for Gun Safety are leading Chicago’s effort. Related post

7/23/24 L.A. County D.A. George Gascon’s progressive policies - among other things, he forbid sentence enhancements and trying juveniles as adults - caused major clashes with his assistant D.A.’s, who openly criticize him in the media. Several, claiming retaliation, have even sued. Come election time Gascon will face Nathan Hochman, a former Federal prosecutor who’s certain that his “hard middle” crime-fighting approach will win the day. And he’s got a victim of violent crime, Mary Klein, openly rooting for his success. Related post

It only took ATF a half-hour to identify the individual who bought the AR-style rifle that Thomas Matthew Crooks used in the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. (It turned out to be Crooks’ father). That’s because ATF digitizes the gun sale forms of out-of-business retailers, and it was one such store to which manufacturer and distributor records led. But proposed legislation introduced by the “Reds” would either destroy out of business records or prohibit their digitization. Related post

A St. Louis judge has declared Christopher Dunn innocent of the 1990 murder for which he has been imprisoned over thirty years. But while the local D.A. supports the decision, it’s opposed by the State Attorney General, which is convinced that the witnesses, who were themselves youths when the killing took place, falsely recanted their original testimony that Dunn shot and killed a 15-year old. Dunn, who was sentenced to life without parole, should soon be released. Related post

7/22/24 An in-depth study of a representative sample of nearly 1,000 Chicago residents revealed that the wide disparities in arrests experienced by Blacks, Hispanics and Whites as they grow into adulthood are produced by “exposure to cumulative childhood advantages and disadvantages rather than from race-specific effects.” These root causes include neighborhood violence, segregation and poverty and corresponding factors such as having a single parent and not growing up in a family-owned home. Related post

A glowing article in the Los Angeles Times depicts the unbridled joys of the “weed lounge” at the California State Fair, where users can buy and consume cannabis products to their stomachs’ and lungs’ delight. Meanwhile an in-depth piece by the AP conveys deep unease by the National Transportation Safety Board about recreational pot. Its concerns are highlighted by a recent traffic collision that led to the deaths of six Oklahoma high school girls. One of the victims, the car’s driver, had recently consumed sufficient marijuana to produce an “acute impairing” effect. Drug legalization updates Related post

In April 2006 Los Angeles-area gang member Jofana Coleman was convicted of murdering a rival. His alleged helpmate, Abel Soto, was convicted a year later. Both vehemently denied the crime, but witnesses placed them in a vehicle from which the fatal shots were supposedly fired. Years later, the witnesses conveyed their deep uncertainties to Innocence Project attorneys, and the only one who identified Soto recanted. Two other men were said to have been the shooters. Earlier this year a judge declared Coleman and Soto innocent and released them from prison. Each received nearly a million dollars as compensation for serving nearly eighteen years. National Registry: Coleman   Soto   Related post

Illinois deputy sheriff Sean Grayson has been jailed on first-degree murder charges for the July 6th. shooting death of Sonya Massey, a troubled woman who called 9-1-1 about a prowler. For unknown reasons, Ms. Massey apparently threatened Grayson with a pot of boiling water while he was in her home, and when ordered to put the pot down threw water on a chair. Then-deputy Grayson (he’s been fired) opened fire, killing Ms. Massey. He then discouraged his partner from rendering aid. Related post

Gunfire continues to beset Chicago youths. Four, ages 14 to 17, were wounded Saturday afternoon. Two were struck in the back while standing next to a South Chicago sidewalk. Less than an hour later, in the beset Grand Crossing neighborhood, two more were wounded by assailants who opened fire from a passing car. And during early Sunday morning, a 7-year old was wounded on the Dan Ryan Expressway when the car in which he was riding came under fire from the occupants of another vehicle. No arrests have yet been made in any of these incidents. Related post

7/19/24 Firearms were prohibited in the buildings where the Republican National Convention was held, and in the immediate “hard perimeters” where only credentialed persons could pass. Wisconsin state law, though, permits unlicensed open carry of handguns and long guns. It also allows unrestricted concealed carry by permittees. What’s more, state law prohibits cities from imposing tighter restrictions. So Milwaukee citizens who legally carry guns were likely nearby. Ditto, those who flout such laws. Such as the ski-mask wearing soul who was carrying a concealed pistol in a bag about “a three-minute walk” away. He lacked the required permit and was arrested for a misdemeanor.  Perimeter security maps   Related post

7/18/24 In 2019 Robert Crimo’s threatening and suicidal behavior led Highland Park, Ill. police to file a State “clear and present danger report”. But three months later, when Crimo’s father sponsored him for a firearm owner’s ID card, the report was missing from the files. So the Illinois State Police issued the card, enabling the son to buy the AR-15 rifle that he used to open fire on the town’s July 4, 2022 parade, killing seven and wounding forty-eight. Survivors have now filed a suit against Illinois over the fatal records blunder. Related post

America’s leading law enforcement organization, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, strongly opposes relaxing marijuana from its present position as a strictly-controlled “Schedule I” substance, which prohibits all use, to “Schedule II”, which would allow it for medical purposes. According to the IACP, the downgrade “will have significant implications for public safety, public health, and the ability of police agencies to protect the public.” (See 5/21/24 update) Drug legalization updates   Related post

Conducted throughout June, “Operation Clean House” was a month-long effort by teams of Federal, State and local officers to reclaim New Orleans’ violence-impacted neighborhoods. In Phase I, proactive, “intelligence-driven actions” by law enforcement teams led to 74 arrests and the seizure of large quantities of drugs and firearms, including “AK-47s, AR-15s, Glock switches, and multiple types of handguns.” Phase II, which focused on apprehending fugitives charged with violent crimes, resulted in 76 arrests for offenses ranging from aggravated assault to drive-by shootings and murder. Related post

Los Angeles-area man Malcolm Darnell Guss Jr. is a seven-time convicted felon. He received a 16-month prison term in 2022 for resisting arrest (he had also been armed). After gaining early release, he was arrested in July 2023 for violating the conditions. But he gained release a month later. This July 3rd., as officers tried to stop him for a traffic offense, Guss opened fire with an AR-15 rifle that fired fully automatically. Its bullets grazed and lightly injured two LAPD officers. Guss escaped but was arrested on July 12. He’s charged with attempted murder with a machinegun. And no, he’s not (yet) been released. Related post

7/17/24 Fullerton, Calif. 9-1-1 dispatchers were alerted by a male caller that he and others were being threatened by a man armed with knives. A two-officer patrol car quickly spotted the man and stopped some distance away. One officer pointed his pistol; the other pointed a rifle. They asked the man to put the knives down, but after a brief delay he charged at the patrol car with knives raised as if to strike. Officers promptly shot him dead. It turned out that the man had called 9-1-1 on himself. News release   Video   Related post

An academic study of programs in Albuquerque, Atlanta, Houston and Harris County that divert 9-1-1 calls for non-criminal events and mental health crises from uniformed police to civilian responders revealed that this approach can be very effective. However, while working cops support the alternative response model, concerns by higher-level officials about personal risks to civilian responders, and of criticism by citizens who expect cops to show up, has slowed the programs’ expansion. Related post

7/16/24 Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year old who tried to assassinate former President Trump, was a member of the “Clairton Sportsmen’s Club.” Its vast, Pittsburgh- area facility offers marksmanship classes and hosts youth shooting events. One of its ranges is designed for high-powered rifles, with targets “up to 187 yards away.” According to the FBI, Crooks used an AR-style 5.56mm rifle that had been legally purchased by his father. How the son came to possess it has not been revealed. Related posts 1   2

The FBI defines “active shooter incidents” as “one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.” In 2023 forty-eight active shooter incidents took place across twenty-six states, killing 105 persons and wounding 139. California had the most - eight. Runner-ups Texas and Washington state each had four. There were fifty active shootings in 2022, killing 100 persons and wounding 213. Five-year comparisons indicate a substantial increase. There were 229 during 2019-2023. That’s 89 percent more than the 121 active shootings during 2014-2018. Related post

7/15/24 Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year old who opened fire at the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, was a high-school grad who worked at a nursing home in nearby Bethel Park, where he lived with his parents. Crooks used an “AR-15 style” rifle that his father purchased months earlier. Pennsylvania law allows persons 18 or older to buy and possess handguns and long guns. It does not restrict assault weapons. Crooks supposedly wore a gun-themed T-shirt during the assault. A past fellow student described him as a loner who wore “hunting outfits” to school and was chronically bullied. Crooks had no adult criminal record. Authorities found “bomb-making materials” in his vehicle and residence. Related posts 1   2

In 2009 a major NAS report strongly criticized the scientific accuracy of bite-mark evidence. Its conclusions, though, came too late for Charles McCrory, whose 1985 Alabama murder conviction was largely based on bite marks. But even though the Supreme Court just turned away his appeal, Justice Sotomayor strongly urged that Alabama follow the lead of Texas, California and several other States and implement a process for “addressing wrongful convictions that rest on repudiated forensic testimony.” Related post

After a four-month trial that featured video surveillance, text messages and testimony from more than one-hundred witnesses, a D.C. jury convicted Tyiion Freeman, 24, Koran Jackson, 23, and Stephen Nelson, 33, of murder, conspiracy and weapons violations. In 2020, their two-week “turf war”, waged in retaliation for the 2019 killing of an associate, wounded ten persons and killed Malachi Lukes, an innocent thirteen-year old who was walking by with his friends. Two other accused are pending trial. Related post

During opening statements in Alec Baldwin’s trial for involuntary manslaughter, a prosecutor berated him for violating “the cardinal rules of firearm safety.” But Baldwin’s lawyer said that safety “has to occur before a gun is placed in an actor’s hand.” He blamed the armorer, who had been convicted, and the assistant director, who pled guilty. During the second day a Sheriff’s technician testified she found live bullets “all over” the set, but none in weapon supplier Seth Kenney’s truck. He denied bringing any in. Then on the third day a handful of live ammo that a private citizen gave to the Sheriff’s Dept. in connection with the armorer’s prosecution came into evidence. Although prosecutors insisted that this previously undisclosed evidence had no bearing on the case, several rounds matched the live ammunition that was recovered on set. An exasperated judge dismissed the case, with prejudice. It cannot be refiled. Related post

7/12/24 Since 2015 sixteen cities and counties that form “a diverse cross- section of jails in the U.S.” have participated in CUNY’s Safety + Justice Challenge, which promotes reform-minded strategies to reduce incarceration. Its most recent report about arrests and rebookings of arrested persons, which includes data thru April 2023, reveals that “local violent crime rates varied regardless of changes to the jail population.” Only about two percent of releasees were rebooked for another violent crime, providing  reassurance that “the pandemic-era increase in violent crime was not caused by jail reduction reforms.” Related post

During the evening hours of July 10 Alameda, Calif. resident Shane Killian, 54, shot and killed his wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law, and 6-year-old son. He also shot and critically wounded his one-year old son. Before succumbing, the father-in-law alerted a neighbor, who called police. Officers arrested Killian and recovered “multiple firearms.” According to neighbors, the “friendly and outgoing” family had recently moved into their home. Photographs depict it as a single-family residence in an upscale area. Related post

7/11/24 Leroy Ernest McCrary and two associates face murder charges for fatally running over the wife of a visitor from New Zealand while the couple shopped at Newport Beach, California’s tony Fashion Island. McCrary, who allegedly wanted the husband’s fancy watch, was on probation for stealing a Rolex in 2020. He also had convictions in 2023 for gun possession and robbery. These also led to probation. Prosecutors claim that the dispositions were influenced by evidentiary problems. But police vehemently disagree. According to progressive D.A. George Gascon’s forthcoming election opponent, “malpractice appears to have cost another life.”  McCrary court record   Related post

From its origins in El Salvador, MS-13 took root in Southern California. It then spread throughout the U.S. Alexi Saenz, 29, a New York City-area shot-caller, just pled guilty to a sweeping Federal indictment charging him and his associates with a litany of murders in and around the Big Apple. Among the victims were six teens, both male and female, who had “disrespected” or otherwise come into conflict with the gang. Saenz is expected to draw 40 to 70 years. His brother, the second-in-command, still faces charges. Related post

7/10/24 “Rust” set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is serving 18 months in a New Mexico jail on her conviction for felony involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Alec Baldwin, the film’s star, is now on trial for that crime. Although he denies pulling the trigger (Baldwin said the gun fired when he cocked the hammer), crew members blame him for rushing things. Might that have contributed to the failure to detect that the gun had a live round? Neal W. Zoromski, who reportedly has thirty years’ experience as a set armorer, rejected working on “Rust” because “corners were being cut.” However, the judge has prohibited prosecutors from introducing evidence that Baldwin was one of the producers or showing videos where he “profanely” pushed the crew to accelerate production. So evidence of his influence may be lacking. Related post