Police Issues

Thought-provoking essays on crime, justice and policing
 

     Home           About           Index           Links          For educators          Contact          Novel

Topical Index


Main topics

Special topics

Articles and op-eds

In  Memoriam - Hans Toch

Search website by term or phrase:


Articles and op-eds (newest on top)

How to Defuse Police-Civilian Encounters (The Crime Report, July 18, 2022)

Memo to Joe Biden: Focus on Neighborhood Safety (The Crime Report, Dec. 7, 2020)

Why Do Officers Succeed? (Police Chief magazine, July 2020, p. 26)

Want an Assault Weapons Ban That Works? Focus on Ballistics. (Washington Post, Dec. 6, 2019)

Ex-ATF Agent: America is Only Pretending to Regulate Lethal Firearms (Washington Post, Dec. 8, 2015)

The Craft of Policing Paper presented in 2005 at the Law Academy of Ukraine, Dnepropetrovsk.

Tookie’s Fate is the Wrong Debate (Los Angeles Times, Dec. 8, 2005)

Davis is Paying For a Big Transgression (Los Angeles Times, Aug 6, 2003)

Police Are Pressured to Cross the Line (Los Angeles Times, May 11, 2000)

Sources of Crime Guns in Los Angeles, California (Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 21:2, 220-239, 1998)

From Morals to Practice: Dilemmas of Control in Undercover Policing (Crime, Law and Social Change 18, 137-158, 1992)

Production and Craftsmanship in Police Narcotics Enforcement (Journal of Police Science and Administration, 13:4, 263-274, 1985)

Search website by term or phrase:

Top


Assault on the Capitol (special topic)          collected essays

Cop? Terrorist? Both? As America polarizes, some police officers leap into the arms of “Q”

Chaos in D.C. Rioters overrun the Capitol. Are police to blame?

All updates

Search website by term or phrase:

Top


Bail and Sentence Reform (special topic) (newest on top)          collected essays

Citizen Misbehavior Breeds Voter Discontent Progressive agendas face rebuke in even the “Bluest” of places (x-ref from CP)

De-Prosecution? What’s That? Philadelphia’s D.A. eased up on lawbreakers. Did it increase crime? (x-ref from CP)

A Broken “System” Exploiting yet another break, a parolee absconds. He wounds three police officers, and society shrugs. (x-ref from CP)

Judicial Detachment: Myth or Reality? A Supreme Court candidate gets slammed for liberal bias (x-ref from CP)

Cause and Effect California eased up on punishing theft. Did it increase crime? Embolden thieves? (x-ref from CP)

Must the Door Revolve? Bail and sentencing reform come. Then stuff happens. (x-ref from CP)

The Bail Conundrum Bail obviously disadvantages the poor. What are the alternatives? (x-ref from CP)

The Blame Game Inmates are “realigned” from state to county supervision. Then a cop gets killed. (x-ref from CP)

More Criminals (On the Street), Less Crime? Debating the virtues of a less punitive agenda (x-ref from CP)

Rewarding the Naughty A California ballot measure would reduce many felonies to misdemeanors (x-ref from CP)

Catch and Release Sometimes there really is no substitute for common sense (x-ref from ST)

Catch and Release II An “evidence-based” pre-trial release program lands Milwaukee in a pickle (x-ref from ST)

Search website by term or phrase:

Top


Compliance and Force (newest on top)          collected essays

“Distraction Strike”? Angry Punch? Both? When cops get rattled, the distinction may ring hollow

Bringing a Gun to a Knife Fight  Cops carry guns. Some citizens flaunt knives. Are poor outcomes inevitable?

Are Civilians Too Easy on the Police? (II) Exonerated of murder, but not yet done

Confirmation Bias can be Lethal Why did a “routine” traffic stop cost a Philadelphia man’s life?

What Cops Face America’s violent atmosphere can distort officer decisions

San Antonio Blues Poverty – and what it brings – can impair the quality of policing

Piling On  Swarming unruly citizens and pressing them to the ground invites disaster

When Worlds Collide Wary cops, uncompliant citizens and troubled communities

On the One Hand...But on the Other... California’s lethal force laws devolve into a legal Neverland

Blows to the Head Were Never O.K. Cameras are everywhere, yet an abhorrent practice continues

What Were They Thinking? (II) Examining six recent (and notorious) uses of force

What Were They Thinking? And Why? (I) Violent communities frighten their inhabitants. And their cops.

Tenacity is Great - Until it’s Not An aggressive citizen, a dogged cop, and a tragic outcome

Who’s in Charge? An eager cop rushes in and opens fire. He kills the suspect. And an innocent child.

Is the “Cure” Worse Than the “Disease”? Dem’s push the “George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.” Its consequences could be profound.

Want Happy Endings? Don’t Chase Pursuits can lead to tragedy. Options are often available.

White on Black Should Black citizens fear White cops?

Black on Black Are Black citizens better off with Black cops?

“SWAT” is a Verb Officers join specialized teams for a reason

Violent and Vulnerable Some combative citizens may be at heightened risk of death

Is it Ever OK to Shoot Someone in the Back? (Part II) In Atlanta, a “routine” encounter turns lethal.
Instantly, the deplorable outcome is attributed to race.

Fair But Firm Gaining voluntary compliance is the sine qua non of everyday policing. Indeed, of everyday life.

When Must Cops Shoot? (II) “An ounce of prevention…” (Ben Franklin, 1736) (x-ref from ST)

When Must Cops Shoot? (I) Four notorious incidents; four dead citizens. What did officers face? (x-ref from ST)

A Workplace Without Pity Doing right by the public might mean doing wrong to the cop

Can You Enforce Without Force? Decriminalizing illegal immigration would have serious consequences (x-ref from Immigration)

Informed and Lethal Confirmation bias, on steroids

A Not-So-Magnificent Obsession Lapses in policing lead to chronic rulemaking. Does it hit the mark?

Is it Ever OK to Shoot Someone in the Back? Laws, policies and politics clash with the messiness of policing

There’s No “Pretending” a Gun Sometimes split-second decisions are right, even when they’re wrong

A Reason? Or Just an Excuse? Figuring out why officers kill persons “armed” with a cell phone

Three (In?)explicable Shootings Grievous police blunders keep costing citizen lives. Why?

Are Civilians Too Easy on the Police? When attempts are made to sanction cops, citizens often get in the way

An Illusory Consensus II  Good intentions don’t always translate into good policy

An Illusory “Consensus”  America’s police leaders agree on the use of force. Or do they?

Is it Always About Race? Unruly citizens and streets brimming with guns make risk-tolerance a very hard sell

Good Guy/Bad Guy/Black Guy (Part II)  Aggressive crime-fighting strategies can exact an unintended toll

Good Guy/Bad Guy/Black Guy (Part I)  Do cops use race to decide who poses a threat?

More Rules, Less Force? PERF promotes written guidelines to reduce the use of force. Cops aren’t happy.

Working Scared Fearful, ill-trained and poorly supervised cops are tragedies waiting to happen

De-escalation: Cure, Buzzword or a Bit of Both? As bad shootings dominate the headlines, cops and politicians scramble for answers

Does Race Matter? (Part II) The Philadelphia story, and its implications for urban policing

Does Race Matter? (Part I) Police killings of black persons roil the nation

Lessons of Ferguson When cops and aggressive citizens tangle, lethal results often follow

A Very Hot Summer Five incidents reignite concerns about police use of force

Who Wants to be a Millionaire? (L.A. Edition)  Officer missteps carry big price tags

Three Perfect Storms  Scared cops and unruly young men prove a lethal combination

A Dead Marine, and a lot of Questions  Failure to properly contain a situation can leave deadly force as the only option

Making Sausage  Delivering a blow looks nasty, but it can be vastly preferable to the alternatives

Policing is a Contact Sport (Part II)  Tasers are useful.  But they’re not risk-free, and over-reliance is a problem.

Policing is a Contact Sport (Part I)  How did the Taser’s reputation reach such a low point?

Homeless, Mentally Ill, Dead  Officers may have beat a troubled man to death.  But we all share in the blame.

First, Do No Harm  Just how intrusive should patrol be?

Sometimes a Drunk With a Knife is Just That Feel-good rhetoric can’t substitute for deadly-force alternatives and frequent training

Every Cop Needs a Taser  There must be a way for three officers to handle a drunk with a knife short of killing him

Dancing With Hooligans  For street cops every day’s a reality show.  And that reality is often unpleasant.

Is It When to Chase?  Or If?  Ten days and twenty-five hundred miles apart, two pursuits end in tragedy

Making Time  Split-second decisions can end in tragedy

It’s Now L.A.’s Problem  A cop’s tragic fumble turns into a cause célèbre.  What will happen if he’s acquitted?

The Chase is On  Are foot pursuits prone to result in bad shootings?

Kicking a Suspect When He’s Down  There may be an explanation for kicking a compliant suspect in the head, but there’s no excuse

Good Cop / Bad Cop  NYPD’s handling of a student protest may have missed its mark

To Err is Human, to Prevent is Divine  Admitting that cops make mistakes can prevent tragedies

Tasering a Youngster is Wrong, Except When it’s Not  Should police have zapped a violent 12-year old?

Oakland BART Shooting: A Tragedy, Yes -- But is it Murder?  It’s not the first time that a cop accidentally drew a gun

Is it Too Easy to Zap?  An invaluable tool is threatened by abuse

When Cops Kill (Part II)  Why are some officers repetitively involved in questionable shootings?

When Cops Kill  Individual differences are key to understanding why some cops shoot

Assisted suicide is not police work!  Less-than-lethal weapons can keep cops from becoming executioners

Search website by term or phrase:

Top


Conduct and Ethics (newest on top)          collected essays

“Numbers” Rule - Everywhere Production pressures can degrade what’s “produced” – and not just in policing

Punishment Isn’t a Cop’s Job (III) Citizens misbehave. Cops answer in kind.

Watching the Watchers Will sanctioning its cops bring Minneapolis back?

Punishment Isn’t a Cop’s Job (II) In Memphis, unremitting violence helps sabotage the craft

Does Race Drive Policing? Renewed concerns that police target Black persons roil Los Angeles

In Two Fell Swoops Ideological struggles buffet California traffic cops and Austin police

What’s Up With Policing? After one and one-half decades it seems that everything’s changed. And nothing.

Full Stop Ahead Floyd and the virus upend policing. Some cops react poorly.

Another Victim: The Craft of Policing Ronald Greene succumbed to police abuse one year before
George Floyd. How they perished was appallingly similar.

Third, Fourth and Fifth Chances Some cops repeatedly avoid meaningful sanctions. Then disaster strikes.

Select - Don’t “Elect”  When top cops are elected, controls fly out the window

Turning Cops Into Liars Keeping score can distort what officers do

Gold Badges can be the Problem “Ordinary” cops often know what’s best. They should act on it.

Punishment Isn’t a Cop’s Job An officer metes out his brand of discipline. He then faces society’s version.

When Should Cops Lie? NYPD detectives tweak an old approach. But lying is still lying.

A Recipe for Disaster Take an uncertain workplace. Toss in a “mission impossible” and pressures to produce. Voila!

Two Sides of the Same Coin Street gangs and officer cliques have a lot in common

Police Slowdowns (Part II) Cops can’t fix what ails America’s inner cities – and shouldn’t try

Police Slowdowns Bedeviled by scolding, cops hold back. What happens then?

Why do Cops Lie? Often, for the same reasons as their managers

Why Do Cops Succeed? Shifting resources from finding fault to studying success

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished To avoid anointing Trump, the FBI Director falls into a trap of his own making

Words Matter In a conflicted, gun-saturated land, heated rhetoric threatens cops’ effectiveness – and their lives

Intended or not, a Very Rough Ride  A hung jury and two acquittals mar a prosecutor’s crusade against police violence

Orange is the New Brown  L.A.’s past sheriff and undersheriff pack their bags for Hotel Fed.

Role Reversal Chicago’s falling apart. Who can make the violence stop?

Cooking the Books Has LAPD been using whiteout to fight crime?

Wanted: Dead or Alive A reward was offered: now all that’s left is to pay

DOJ v. Sheriff Joe  On a mission to quash illegal immigration, a mercurial Arizona sheriff tangles with the Feds

Arresting the Victim  A 17-year old girl is arrested for not showing up at the trial of her alleged rapist

The Numbers Game  A leaked NYPD internal report confirms that crime stat’s were fudged

L.A.S.D. Blue  “We police ourselves,” insists Sheriff Baca.  But running a department takes a lot more.

N.Y.P.D. Blue  Allegations of misconduct and corruption beset the nation’s largest police force

Rush to Judgment  Did cops and prosecutors in L.A. and New York act too hastily?  And if so, why?

Meltdown in SoCal  When thinking “troubled police,” Southern California doesn’t usually come to mind.  Well, think again.

Be Careful What You Wish For  Seattle PD chief welcomes DOJ investigation, calls it a “free audit”

Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely  Hours before leaving office, Schwarzenegger commutes the sentence of a friend’s son

Answering to a Different Authority  When it comes to the death penalty, a would-be Attorney General’s fealty to the law has its limits

Never Having to Say You’re Sorry  The limits – if any – of prosecutorial immunity are the focus of a new Supreme Court case

Before JetBlue There Was Major Dymovsky  A Russian cop bails out (figuratively) over corruption.  Should we pay attention?

Extreme Measures (Part II)  Turning cops into immigration agents invites misconduct and corruption.

A Cop’s Dilemma  When duty and self-interest collide, ethics can fly out the window

A Ticking Time-Bomb  Twenty-four years after being let off the hook, a murderous woman goes on a rampage

Liars Figure  Pressured by Compstat, police commanders cook the books

Truth or Consequences  A Sheriff needlessly entangles himself, and his agency, in a web of deceit

Ignorance is Not Bliss  Playing ostrich about officer misconduct doesn’t make it go away

He Said That She Said...But Did She?  Does the Cambridge PD report truthfully reflect what a witness said?

When (Very) Hard Heads Collide  A professor and a cop revive the race debate.  But was it really about that?

Reversal of Fortune  No longer a senator or felon, Ted Stevens chuckles as prosecutors feel the heat

You Can Take the Man Out of Chicago...  President Obama’s appointments belie his reformist message

What Does it Take to Get Fired?  When citizen review panels overrule the Chief, discipline suffers

Troubles at the Top  Saying “no” costs Alaska’s top cop his job

Lying: The Gift That Keeps on Giving  Deceiving suspects to get them to confess can backfire

Justice was His Client A prosecutor chooses between what’s right and what’s expedient

Hoisted by His Own Petard  Pornography, a Federal judge discovers, is in the eye of the beholder

Following the Rules Over a Cliff  Legal ethics aren’t an end: they’re a means

Accountability?  Not if you’re a Sheriff  Popularity contests are no way to select law enforcement officers

Mission not accomplished  Supervisors’ refusal to exercise oversight leaves the Sheriff unaccountable

Ex-Commish leaves Carona in the dust  How law enforcement executives are selected is crucial

You can’t manage your way out of Rampart  Pressures from above and a drive to succeed can distort officer behavior

Flash: Whitehouse tortures Mukasey!  For the would-be Attorney General, waterboarding isn’t torture, unless it is

We Get the Cops We Deserve  There’s a big difference between working mistakes and willful misconduct

Dilemmas of control in undercover policing (1992)

The craft of policing (.pdf)

Production & craftsmanship in police narcotics enforcement (.pdf)

Police are Pressured to Cross the Line,” op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, 5/11/00

Search website by term or phrase:

Top


COVID-19 (special topic) (newest on top)     collected essays

Full Stop Ahead Floyd and the virus upend policing. Some cops react poorly. (x-ref from CE)

A Conflicted Mission An ideologically-fraught quarrel poses unique challenges

Letting Go Who should stay locked up during the pandemic? Who can go?

Covid-19: RIP Policing? Crime-fighters confront the challenges of coronavirus

All updates

Search website by term or phrase:

Top


Craft of Policing (special topic) (newest on top)          collected essays

“Numbers” Rule - Everywhere Production pressures can degrade what’s “produced” – and not just in policing (x-ref from C & E)

De-Prosecution? What’s That? Philadelphia’s D.A. eased up on lawbreakers. Did it increase crime? (x-ref from CP)

Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Wrong Cop Recent exonerees set soul-wrenching records for length of wrongful imprisonment (x-ref from WC)

Are Civilians Too Easy on the Police? (II) Exonerated of murder, but not yet done (x-ref from CF)

Warning: (Frail) Humans at Work Amid chaos and uncertainty, the presence of a gun can prove lethal (x-ref from ST)

Confirmation Bias can be Lethal Why did a “routine” traffic stop cost a Philadelphia man’s life? (x-ref from CF)

When (Very) Hard Heads Collide (II) What should cops do when miscreants refuse to comply? Refuse to comply? (x-ref from ST)

What Cops Face America’s violent atmosphere can distort officer decisions (x-ref from CF)

Punishment Isn’t a Cop’s Job (III) Citizens misbehave. Cops answer in kind. (x-ref from C & E)

San Antonio Blues Poverty – and what it brings – can impair the quality of policing (x-ref from CF)

Watching the Watchers Will sanctioning its cops bring Minneapolis back? (x-ref from C & E)

Piling On  Swarming unruly citizens and pressing them to the ground invites disaster (x-ref from CF)

When Worlds Collide Wary cops, uncompliant citizens and troubled communities (x-ref from CF)

Punishment Isn’t a Cop’s Job (II) In Memphis, unremitting violence helps sabotage the craft (x-ref from C & E)

Damn the Evidence - Full Speed Ahead! Lousy policing and thoughtless prosecution
cost three innocent men decades in prison (x-ref from WC)

Another Victim: The Craft of Policing Ronald Greene succumbed to police abuse one year before
George Floyd. How they perished was appallingly similar. (x-ref from C & E)

Turning Cops Into Liars Keeping score can distort what officers do (x-ref from CE)

Can the Urban Ship be Steered? Seasoned police leadership. Yet the violence continues. (x-ref from ST)

A Recipe for Disaster Take an uncertain workplace. Toss in a “mission impossible” and pressures to produce. Voila! (x-ref from CE)

Driven to Fail Numbers-driven policing can’t help but offend. What are the options? (x-ref from ST)

Fewer Can Be Better Murder clearances have declined. Should we worry? (x-ref from WC)

Why do Cops Lie? Often, for the same reasons as their managers (x-ref from CE)

People do Forensics Conflicts about oversight neglect a fundamental issue (x-ref from TF)

Guilty Until Proven Innocent Pressures to solve notorious crimes can lead to tragic miscarriages of justice (x-ref from WC)

Cooking the Books Has LAPD been using whiteout to fight crime? (x-ref from CE)

Quantity, Quality and the NYPD  Has a preoccupation with “numbers” compromised craftsmanship? (x-ref from ST)

The Numbers Game  A leaked NYPD internal report confirms that crime stat’s were fudged (x-ref from CE)

More Labs Under the Gun  Resource issues, poor oversight and pressures to produce keep plaguing crime labs (x-ref from TF)

A Cop’s Dilemma  When duty and self-interest collide, ethics can fly out the window (x-ref from CE)

Liars Figure  Pressured by Compstat, police commanders cook the books (x-ref from CE)

Too Much of a Good Thing?  NYPD’s expansive use of stop-and-frisk may threaten the tactic’s long-term viability (x-ref from ST)

An Epidemic of Busted Tail Lights  LAPD struggles over claims of racial profiling (x-ref from ST)

You can’t manage your way out of Rampart  Pressures from above and a drive to succeed can distort officer behavior (x-ref from CE)

Damned if they do, even if they could  Pressures to make arrests distract FBI agents from pursuing worthwhile targets (x-ref from T)

The craft of policing (.pdf)

Production & craftsmanship in police narcotics enforcement (.pdf)

Search website by term or phrase:

Top


Crime and Punishment (newest on top)          collected essays

Citizen Misbehavior Breeds Voter Discontent Progressive agendas face rebuke in even the “Bluest” of places

Want Brotherly Love? Don’t Be Poor! Violence is down in Philly, L.A. and D.C. Have the poor noticed?

Is Crime Really Down? It Depends... Even when citywide numbers improve, place really matters

De-Prosecution? What’s That? Philadelphia’s D.A. eased up on lawbreakers. Did it increase crime?

America’s Violence-Beset Capital City Washington, D.C. is plagued by, among other things, murder. Has the President noticed?

See No Evil - Hear No Evil Is the violent crime “problem” really all in our heads?

Policing Can’t Fix What Really Ails California’s posturing overlooks a chronic issue

Good News/Bad News When citywide crime “falls,” who benefits?

Is Diversion the Answer? California authorized a new approach. Los Angeles ran with it. But, yes, there are limits.

A Broken “System” Exploiting yet another break, a parolee absconds. He wounds three police officers, and society shrugs.

Worlds Apart...Not! Violence-wise, poor neighborhoods in Oakland and Houston aren’t so different

Hard Times in “The Big Easy” In New Orleans, poverty and crime go together like, well…

When Does Evidence Suffice? Jurors may be more likely to give circumstances their due

Judicial Detachment: Myth or Reality? A Supreme Court candidate gets slammed for liberal bias

What’s Up? Violence. Where? Where Else? As usual, poor neighborhoods shoulder most of the burden

Cause and Effect California eased up on punishing theft. Did it increase crime? Embolden thieves?

“Woke” up, America! Violence besets poor neighborhoods. So why should the well-off care?

Let’s Stop Pretending Cops can’t correct what most needs fixing

The Usual Victims Violent crime is reportedly way up. But do we all suffer equally?

Don’t “Divest” - Invest! Stripping money from the police is foolish. So is ignoring the plight of poverty-stricken neighborhoods.

But is it Really “Satan”? A Sheriff’s lament reflects the hopelessness of urban decay

Place Matters Desperate to avoid controversy, politicians avoid the obvious

Must the Door Revolve? Bail and sentencing reform come. Then stuff happens.

Human Renewal Despite redevelopment, South Bend poverty and crime remain locked in an embrace

Repeat After Us: “City” is Meaningless When it comes to crime, it’s neighborhoods that count

Can You Enforce Without Force? Decriminalizing illegal immigration would have serious consequences

Mission Impossible? Inner-city violence calls for a lot more than cops. Is America up to the task?

The Bail Conundrum Bail obviously disadvantages the poor. What are the alternatives?

No One Wants Ex-Cons to Have Guns The New York Times affirms its liberal cred’s. And falls into a rabbit hole.

The Blame Game Inmates are “realigned” from state to county supervision. Then a cop gets killed.

Be Careful What You Brag About (Part II) Citywide crime statistics are ripe for misuse

Be Careful What You Brag About (Part I) Is the Big Apple’s extended crime drop all it seems to be?

Is Crime Up or Down? Well, it Depends It depends on where one sits, when we compare, and on who counts

Role Reversal Chicago’s falling apart. Who can make the violence stop?

Is Trump Right About the Inner Cities? America’s low-income communities desperately need a New Deal

Getting out of Dodge For families caught in dangerous neighborhoods, there is one option

Location, Location, Location  Crime happens. To find out why, look to where.

More Criminals (On the Street), Less Crime? Debating the virtues of a less punitive agenda

Rewarding the Naughty A California ballot measure would reduce many felonies to misdemeanors

Is the Pot Debate Coming to a Head? Two states have approved its recreational use. What will the Feds do?

You Think You’re Upset?  Criminologists demand that kingpins be held criminally liable for the financial mess

From Brady to the Confrontation Clause  Continuing our roundup of Supreme Court criminal cases in a very busy term

Faster, Cheaper, Worse  Rehabilitation doesn’t lend itself to shortcuts.  Neither does research and evaluation.

From Eyewitnesses to GPS  An unusually rich set of criminal cases are on the Supreme Court’s agenda

Did Georgia Execute an Innocent Man?  Part III - A Question of Certainty  Controversial recantations and over-reliance on affidavits helped seal Troy Davis’ fate

Did Georgia Execute an Innocent Man?  Part II - Juicing it Up  Prosecutors wanted a slam-dunk case.  They figured out how to get one.

Did Georgia Execute an Innocent Man?  (Part I)  Deconstructing the murder of a Savannah police officer, with no axe to grind

The Church, Absolved  Victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy scream “whitewash” over John Jay’s report

Physician, Heal Thyself  Pharmaceuticals are America’s new scourge.  So who’s been writing the prescriptions?

Reform and Blowback  A bad economy spurs more lenient sentencing.  And warnings about its consequences.

Ignoring the Obvious  Is incapacitation passé?

Is the UCR Being Mugged?  And if so, by whom?  A mayors’ group blasts a publisher for ranking cities by their crime rates

(Merrily) Slippin’ Down the Slope  First out the gate with medical marijuana, California considers legalizing its recreational use

Who Deserves a Break?  And How Would We Know?  A Sheriff’s lieutenant urges cops to consider the individual before making an arrest

A Nation of Liars  Mortgage fraud, ordinary people and the Great Recession

Extreme Measures  Angry over Federal dithering, Arizona enacts its own immigration laws

The Great Debate (Part II)  Violence is the problem.  Is harsh sentencing the solution?

The Great Debate (Part I)  Who should go to prison?  For how long?

Tinkering With the Machinery of Death  Academics prove that the death penalty works.  And that it doesn’t.

An Illusion of Control  Can dangerous out-of-State parolees be adequately supervised?

The New Normal  In the industrial belt, poverty and violence are no joke

What Really Went on at Neverland?  Distrustful of the State’s witnesses, jurors could only wonder: was Michael Jackson’s home a pedophile’s lair?

With Some Mistakes There’s No Going Back  In capital cases finality of the process must take a back seat

What’s the Guvernator Been Smoking?  Legalizing marijuana shouldn’t just rest on economics

Carona Five, Feds One (But the Feds Won)  Convicted of corruption, Orange County’s ex-Sheriff breathes a sigh of relief

How Many Lawyers Does it Take...?  The weight of the Feds falls on a misguided Missouri mom

It’s Good to be Rich  When it comes to justice, there’s no substitute for money

Sometimes You Have to Throw Away the Key  Violence by the young is still violence

Lock ‘em Up & Send the Bill to Venezuela  How mandatory sentencing victimizes the public

The Tragedy of  Jessica’s Law  Sex offender hysteria drains resources

Tookie’s fate is the wrong debate  Capital punishment isn’t just wrong: it’s un-American

They Did Their Jobs  Jurors freed Michael Jackson for a reason

Looking Beyond the Gun Barrel  Trying to draw lessons from a wave of senseless shootings

Why the Drop?  Crime has been falling.  Does anyone know why?

I Drink, You Lose  Wine is still alcohol.  And alcohol kills.

Safe at Home -- Not!  The presence of guns can instigate violence

A Tale of Three Cities  Declines in manufacturing are associated with crime

Hollywood’s killing us  Exposing impressionable youth to violent images for the sake of a buck

Search website by term or phrase:

Top


Drug and pot legalization (special topic) (newest on top)       All updates        collected essays

Shutting the Barn Door Three years into its ambitious experiment, Oregon moves to re-criminalize hard drugs

Does Legal Pot Drive Violence? Marijuana affects judgment. But what do the numbers say?

Sanctuary Cities, Sanctuary States (Part II) Should states legalize recreational pot?

Is the Pot Debate Coming to a Head? Two states have approved its recreational use. What will the Feds do?

(Merrily) Slippin’ Down the Slope  First out the gate with medical marijuana, California considers legalizing its recreational use

What’s the Guvernator Been Smoking?  Legalizing marijuana shouldn’t just rest on economics

National Institute of Drug Abuse     NIDA 2020 drug use survey     Addicted.org

Search website by term or phrase:

Top


George Floyd (special topic)           collected essays     video compilation of encounter

Murder of George Floyd

Punishment Isn’t a Cop’s Job An officer metes out his brand of discipline. He then faces society’s version.

State trial of Derek Chauvin

Slugging it Out Before the Fight Pretrial evidentiary battles give the State an edge

Daily account of trial proceedings

Post-trial motions and updates

Sentence

Federal trial of Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao

Ex-Cops on Federal Trial Chauvin’s colleagues face Federal civil rights charges

Daily account of trial proceedings

Verdict

Sentencing

State prosecution of Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao

Ex-Cops Face State Charges Trial Lane, Kueng and Thao are accused of aiding and abetting 2nd. deg. murder and 2nd. deg. manslaughter

Summary and charges

Pretrial motions

Pleas and sentences

Related posts

Punishment Isn’t a Cop’s Job (III) Citizens misbehave. Cops answer in kind. (x-ref from C & E)

Watching the Watchers Will sanctioning its cops bring Minneapolis back? (x-ref from C & E)

Punishment Isn’t a Cop’s Job (II) In Memphis, unremitting violence helps sabotage the craft (x-ref from C & E)

Full Stop Ahead Floyd and the virus upend policing. Some cops react poorly. (x-ref from CE)

Is the “Cure” Worse Than the “Disease”? Dem’s push the “George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.” Its consequences could be profound. (x-ref from CF)

Search website by term or phrase:

Top


Gun Control (newest on top)          collected essays

Prevention Through Preemption Expanding the scope of policing beyond making arrests

Kids With Guns Ready access and permissive laws create a daunting problem

Ideology (Still) Trumps Reason When it comes to gun laws, “Red” and “Blue” remain in the driver’s seat

Houston, We Have (Another) Problem Fueled by assault rifles, “senseless” murders plague the land

“Legal” Gun Buyers Can be a Problem They figure in many killings, as both doers and enablers

Fearful, Angry, Fuzzy-headed. And Armed. Do “Stand Your Ground” laws increase armed violence?

Are We Helpless to Prevent Massacres? A murderous rampage in Nashville suggests that lawmaking is not a solution

Loopholes are (Still) Lethal Massacres prove no match for America’s intractable gun culture

Good Law / Bad Law When it comes to gun laws, it’s all in the eyes of the beholder

Another Day, Another Massacre Pretending to regulate has consequences

Our Never-Ending American Tragedy California’s gun laws are the “strongest in the U.S.” Tell that to its citizens. And its cops.

Don’t Like the Rules? Change Them! Partisanship shapes how gun laws are interpreted. And when the other side takes over, the fight is on!

Four Weeks, Six Massacres Would stronger gun laws help? We crunch the numbers. They’re not reassuring.

Two Weeks, Four Massacres A  troubled Colorado man buys a “pistol.” Six days later ten innocents lie dead.

One Week, Two Massacres An Atlanta man buys a pistol. Hours later eight persons lie dead.

Loopholes are Lethal (Part II) Who can buy a gun? Indeed, just what is a gun? Um, let’s pretend!

Loopholes are Lethal (Part I) Federal gun laws are tailored to limit their impact. And the consequences can be deadly.

Going Ballistic Stop with the tangential! Gun lethality is, first and foremost, about the projectile

A Distinction Without a Difference An epidemic of police officer suicide raises the question: do guns cause violence?

Red Flag at Half Mast II Preventing more than suicides may carry serious risks

Red Flag at Half Mast California’s Guv nixes expanded protections against risky gun owners

No One Wants Ex-Cons to Have Guns The New York Times affirms its liberal cred’s. And falls into a rabbit hole.

Again, Kids Die. Again, our “Leaders” Pretend Like the Dem’s, the GOP addresses gun lethality with make-believe

Ban the Damned Things!  There’s no “regulating” the threat posed by highly lethal firearms

Massacre Control What can be done to prevent mass shootings?

“Bump Stocks” Aren’t the (Real) Problem Outlawing them is a good idea. But it’s hardly the solution.

Silence Isn’t Always Golden A proposal to deregulate firearm silencers ignores the hazards of policing

A Lost Cause Legislators are ambushed. And a gun-numbed land shrugs and moves on.

Do Gun Laws Work? Are they doing any good? We crunch the numbers to find out.

A Ban in Name Only Pretending to regulate only makes things worse

By Hook or by Crook (Part II) Smart enforcement could “make communities safer” even if new laws are out of reach

By Hook or by Crook (Part I) In a last-ditch effort to stem gun violence, a frustrated Prez turns to executive action

All in the Family Men are gunning down their spouses and children. Is anyone paying notice?

Coming Clean in Santa Barbara  Good police work could have prevented a massacre

Half-Hearted Measures Are No Solution Legislative proposals ignore fundamental issues

An Inconvenient Truth  For some inner cities, The Great Crime Drop is The Great Myth

Walking While Black (Part II)  City officials try to advance a citizen’s implausible self-defense claim

Walking While Black  A Florida CCW permittee avoids arrest after killing a 17-year old he mistook as a threat

Turn Off the Spigot  As guns flood our communities, trying to change hearts and minds is a non-starter

There’s No Escaping the Gun  A prosperous community discovers that mass murder is an equal opportunity threat

Letting Guns Walk  Pressed to make a really big case, ATF managers went for broke

The Elephant in the Room  Restrict the possession of “ordinary” guns or get used to regular massacres

“Modernization” or “Emasculation”?  A deceptively entitled bill seeks to eliminate what little gun dealer oversight there is

Say Something  Is society powerless in the face of mass shootings?

Bigger Guns Aren’t Enough  Cops need protection from rifle rounds, not just the ability to shoot back

Gun Crazy  Welcome to Starbucks.  Would you like a box of nine mm’s with your latte?

Shootout at Times Square  As the Supreme Court gets set to expand firearms rights, an out-of-State gun brings havoc to the Big Apple

Gun Show and Tell  New York City sent private eyes to gun shows.  What did they find?

When a Pharmacist Kills  States that encourage citizens to use lethal force shouldn’t be surprised when they stretch the limits

America, Gun Purveyor to the Cartels  Enforcing the weak-kneed laws that exist is hardly a solution

Don’t Blame the NRA   America’s gun culture exacts a toll, but it’s only a small part of the problem

Reviving an Illusion  Reinstating the (original) Federal assault weapons ban is a poor idea

Where Do They Come From?  Most guns used in crime aren’t stolen; neither did they fall from the sky

Long Live Gun Control  Combatting gun trafficking and tightening dealer oversight are key

Gun Control is Dead  Gun laws are way down the new Administration’s list of priorities

Who’s Paul D. Clement?  Caught up in the gun-rights debate, the Solicitor-General punts

Hillary: “I Shot a Duck”  Why arming the public is no solution

Shoot first...then reload!  State “castle laws” greatly expand the meaning of self-defense

Disturbed person + gun = killer, disturbed person + assault rifle = mass murderer  Neither SWAT nor armed citizens are a solution to the threat posed by assault weapons

Op-ed 9/6/19  Want an assault weapons ban that works? Focus on ballistics.

Op-ed 12/8/15  Ex-ATF Agent: America is only pretending to regulate lethal firearms.

Crime gun sources in Los Angeles  (.pdf)

Gun control: facts and myths (.pdf)

Assault weapons:  lethality (.pdf)

Insta-check and waiting periods (.pdf)

The Pistol That Killed Officer Heim (.pdf)

Search website by term or phrase:

Top


Gun Massacres (special topic) (newest on top)          collected essays

Prevention Through Preemption Expanding the scope of policing beyond making arrests (x-ref from GC)

Kids With Guns Ready access and permissive laws create a daunting problem (x-ref from GC)

Ideology (Still) Trumps Reason When it comes to gun laws, “Red” and “Blue” remain in the driver’s seat (x-ref from GC)

Houston, We Have (Another) Problem Fueled by assault rifles, “senseless” murders plague the land (x-ref from GC)

“Legal” Gun Buyers Can be a Problem They figure in many killings, as both doers and enablers (x-ref from GC)

Fearful, Angry, Fuzzy-headed. And Armed. Do “Stand Your Ground” laws increase armed violence? (x-ref from GC)

Are We Helpless to Prevent Massacres? A murderous rampage in Nashville suggests that lawmaking is not a solution (x-ref from GC)

Loopholes are (Still) Lethal Massacres prove no match for America’s intractable gun culture (x-ref from GC)

Massacres, in Slow-Mo Poor Chicagoans complain that their massacre never ends (x-ref from ST)

Good Law / Bad Law When it comes to gun laws, it’s all in the eyes of the beholder (x-ref from GC)

Cops v. Assault Weapons Even the speediest, most expert response may not suffice (x-ref from ST)

Another Day, Another Massacre Pretending to regulate has consequences (x-ref from GC)

When a Dope Can’t be Roped Can social media identify killers before they strike? (x-ref from ST)

Our Never-Ending American Tragedy California’s gun laws are the “strongest in the U.S.” Tell that to its citizens. And its cops. (x-ref from GC)

Four Weeks, Six Massacres Would stronger gun laws help? We crunch the numbers. They’re not reassuring. (x-ref from GC)

Two Weeks, Four Massacres A  troubled Colorado man buys a “pistol.” Six days later ten innocents lie dead. (x-ref from GC)

One Week, Two Massacres An Atlanta man buys a pistol. Hours later eight persons lie dead. (x-ref from GC)

Preventing Mass Murder With gun control a no-go, early intervention is key. Might artificial intelligence help? (x-ref from T)

Massacre Control What can be done to prevent mass shootings? (x-ref from GC)

A Lost Cause Legislators are ambushed. And a gun-numbed land shrugs and moves on. (x-ref from GC)

A Stitch in Time Could early intervention save officer and citizen lives? (x-ref from ST)

Coming Clean in Santa Barbara  Good police work could have prevented a massacre (x-ref from GC)

There’s No Escaping the Gun  A prosperous community discovers that mass murder is an equal opportunity threat (x-ref from GC)

The Elephant in the Room  Restrict the possession of “ordinary” guns or get used to regular massacres (x-ref from GC)

Say Something  Is society powerless in the face of mass shootings? (x-ref from GC)

Disturbed person + gun = killer, disturbed person + assault rifle = mass murderer  Neither SWAT nor armed citizens are a solution to the threat posed by assault weapons (x-ref from GC)

Search website by term or phrase:

Top


Immigration (special topic) (newest on top)          collected essays     all updates

Can You Enforce Without Force? Decriminalizing illegal immigration would have serious consequences

When Walls Collide Ideological quarrels drown out straight talk about border security

Sanctuary Cities, Sanctuary States (Part I) What happens when communities turn their backs on immigration enforcement?

Ideology Trumps Reason Clashing belief systems challenge criminal justice policymaking

Extreme Measures (II) Turning cops into immigration agents invites misconduct and corruption

Extreme Measures Angry over Federal dithering, Arizona enacts its own immigration laws

DOJ v. Sheriff Joe  On a mission to quash illegal immigration, a mercurial Arizona sheriff tangles with the Feds (x-ref from CE)

Search website by term or phrase:

Top


Neighborhoods (special topic) (newest on top)          collected essays

Want Brotherly Love? Don’t Be Poor! Violence is down in Philly, L.A. and D.C. Have the poor noticed? (x-ref from CP)

Is Crime Really Down? It Depends... Even when citywide numbers improve, place really matters (x-ref from CP)

De-Prosecution? What’s That? Philadelphia’s D.A. eased up on lawbreakers. Did it increase crime? (x-ref from CP)

Shutting the Barn Door Three years into its ambitious experiment, Oregon moves to re-criminalize hard drugs (x-ref from Drug Legalization)

America’s Violence-Beset Capital City Washington, D.C. is plagued by, among other things, murder. Has the President noticed? (x-ref from CP)

See No Evil - Hear No Evil Is the violent crime “problem” really all in our heads? (x-ref from CP)

Policing Can’t Fix What Really Ails California’s posturing overlooks a chronic issue (x-ref from CP)

Confirmation Bias can be Lethal Why did a “routine” traffic stop cost a Philadelphia man’s life? (x-ref from CF)

San Antonio Blues Poverty – and what it brings – can impair the quality of policing (x-ref from CF)

Watching the Watchers Will sanctioning its cops bring Minneapolis back? (x-ref from C & E)

Good News/Bad News When citywide crime “falls,” who benefits? (x-ref from CP)

When Worlds Collide Wary cops, uncompliant citizens and troubled communities (x-ref from CF)

Punishment Isn’t a Cop’s Job (II) In Memphis, unremitting violence helps sabotage the craft (x-ref from C & E)

Does Race Drive Policing? Renewed concerns that police target Black persons roil Los Angeles (x-ref from CE)

Race and Ethnicity Aren’t Pass/Fail DOJ quashes an attempt to obstruct rentals to Blacks and Hispanics (x-ref from ST)

Does Legal Pot Drive Violence? Marijuana affects judgment. But what do the numbers say? (x-ref from DL)

Worlds Apart...Not! Violence-wise, poor neighborhoods in Oakland and Houston aren’t so different (x-ref from CP)

Hard Times in “The Big Easy” In New Orleans, poverty and crime go together like, well… (x-ref from CP)

Massacres, in Slow-Mo Poor Chicagoans complain that their massacre never ends (x-ref from ST)

A Show-Stopper for Shot-Spotter? Gunshot detection technology leads progressives to cry foul (x-ref from TF)

What’s Up? Violence. Where? Where Else? As usual, poor neighborhoods shoulder most of the burden (x-ref from CP)

Four Weeks, Six Massacres Would stronger gun laws help? We crunch the numbers. They’re not reassuring. (x-ref from GC)

What’s Up With Policing? After one and one-half decades it seems that everything’s changed. And nothing. (x-ref from CE)

“Woke” up, America! Violence besets poor neighborhoods. So why should the well-off care? (x-ref from CP)

Let’s Stop Pretending Cops can’t correct what most needs fixing (x-ref from CP)

The Usual Victims Violent crime is reportedly way up. But do we all suffer equally? (x-ref from CP)

Fix Those Neighborhoods! Creating safe places calls for a comprehensive, organic approach (x-ref from ST)  Also see Memo to Joe Biden: Focus on Neighborhood Safety (The Crime Report, Dec. 7, 2020)

Explaining...or Ignoring? In a badly fractured land, the ambush of two deputies unleashes a raft of excuses. And, as usual, no solutions. (x-ref from ST)

White on Black Should Black citizens fear White cops? (x-ref from CF)

Black on Black Are Black citizens better off with Black cops? (x-ref from CF)

Should Police Treat the Whole Patient? Officers deal with the symptoms of social decay. Can they go further? Should they? (x-ref from ST)

Don’t “Divest” - Invest! Stripping money from the police is foolish. So is ignoring the plight of poverty-stricken neighborhoods. (x-ref from CP)

But is it Really “Satan”? A Sheriff’s lament reflects the hopelessness of urban decay (x-ref from CP)

Place Matters Desperate to avoid controversy, politicians avoid the obvious (x-ref from CP)

Did the Times Scapegoat L.A.’s Finest? (Part II) Quit blaming police racism for lopsided outcomes. And fix those neighborhoods! (x-ref from ST)

Human Renewal Despite redevelopment, South Bend’s poverty and crime remain locked in an embrace (x-ref from CP)

Repeat After Us: “City” is Meaningless When it comes to crime, it’s neighborhoods that count (x-ref from CP)

Mission Impossible? Inner-city violence calls for a lot more than cops. Is America up to the task? (x-ref from CP)

Be Careful What You Brag About (I) Is the Big Apple’s extended crime drop all it seems to be? (x-ref from CP)

Be Careful What You Brag About (II) Citywide crime statistics are ripe for misuse (x-ref from CP)

Police Slowdowns II Cops can’t fix what ails America’s inner cities – and shouldn’t try (x-ref from CE)

Is Crime Up or Down? Well, it Depends... It depends on where one sits, when we compare, and on who counts (x-ref from CP)

Is Trump Right About the Inner Cities? America’s low-income communities desperately need a New Deal (x-ref from CP)

Location, Location, Location Crime happens. To find out why, look to where. (x-ref from CP)

Getting Out of Dodge For families caught in dangerous neighborhoods, there is one option (x-ref from CP)

Role Reversal Chicago’s falling apart. Who can make the violence stop? (x-ref from CE)

Search website by term or phrase:

Top


Police and the Mentally Ill (special topic) (newest on top)    collected essays

Main essay: A Stitch in Time Could early intervention save officer and citizen lives? (x-ref from ST)

Prevention Through Preemption Expanding the scope of policing beyond making arrests (x-ref from GC)

Houston, We Have (Another) Problem Fueled by assault rifles, “senseless” murders plague the land (x-ref from GC)

San Antonio Blues Poverty – and what it brings – can impair the quality of policing (x-ref from CF)

Is Diversion the Answer? California authorized a new approach. Los Angeles ran with it. But, yes, there are limits.

Piling On  Swarming unruly citizens and pressing them to the ground invites disaster (x-ref from CF)

Are We Helpless to Prevent Massacres? A murderous rampage in Nashville suggests that lawmaking is not a solution (x-ref from GC)

Does Legal Pot Drive Violence? Marijuana affects judgment. But what do the numbers say? (x-ref from DL)

What Were They Thinking? (II) Examining six recent (and notorious) uses of force (x-ref from CF)

Another Day, Another Massacre Pretending to regulate has consequences (x-ref from GC)

Two Weeks, Four Massacres A  troubled Colorado man buys a “pistol.” Six days later ten innocents lie dead. (x-ref from GC)

One Week, Two Massacres An Atlanta man buys a pistol. Hours later eight persons lie dead. (x-ref from GC)

When Must Cops Shoot? (II) “An ounce of prevention…” (Ben Franklin, 1736) (x-ref from ST)

When Must Cops Shoot? (I) Four notorious incidents; four dead citizens. What did officers face? (x-ref from ST)

L.A. Wants “Cahoots.” But Which “Cahoots”? Some politicians demand that officers keep away from "minor, non-violent" crimes (x-ref from ST)

Violent and Vulnerable Some combative citizens may be at heightened risk of death (x-ref from UF)

There’s No “Pretending” a Gun Sometimes split-second decisions are right, even when they’re wrong (x-ref from CF)

Homeless, Mentally Ill, Dead  Officers may have beat a troubled man to death.  But we all share in the blame. (x-ref from CF)

Red Flag at Half Mast II Preventing more than suicides may carry serious risks (x-ref from GC)

Red Flag at Half Mast California’s Guv nixes expanded protections against risky gun owners (x-ref from GC)

Preventing Mass Murder With gun control a no-go, early intervention is key. Might artificial intelligence help? (x-ref from T)

Three (In?)explicable Shootings Grievous police blunders keep costing citizen lives. Why? (x-ref from CF)

Policing is a Contact Sport (Part II)  Tasers are useful.  But they’re not risk-free, and over-reliance is a problem. (x-ref from CF)

Disturbed person + gun = killer, disturbed person + assault rifle = mass murderer  Neither SWAT nor armed citizens are a solution to the threat posed by assault weapons (x-ref from GC)

Search website by term or phrase:

Top


Resources, Selection & Training (newest on top)          collected essays

Racial Quarrels Within Policing (II) In San Francisco, White cops allege that color and gender do count

Racial Quarrels Within Policing (I) In Maryland, Black and Hispanic cops complain that color does count

A Risky and Informed Decision Minneapolis P.D. knew better. Yet it hired an applicant, then kept him on.

Should Every Town Field Its Own Cops? Recent tragedies bring into question the wisdom of small agencies

Where Should Cops Live? Officer-citizen conflicts stir renewed interest in residency requirements

“Teaching” Police Departments? That’s Right, Teaching  Medical education is advanced as an appropriate model for the police

New Jersey Blues How is the Garden State responding to increased violence?  By shedding cops.

Which Way, C.J.?  Two John Jay scholars propose that Criminal Justice programs emphasize methodology

Is the Sky About to Fall?  Chiefs warn that police cutbacks will lead to a resurgence of crime.  Are they right?

Not All Cops Are Blue  Internal strife besets two well-regarded police departments

A Larger Force, But At What Cost?  As crime falls, LAPD’s growth threatens other city services

Sheriff Baca’s “Police Academy”  TV reality shows and police training don’t mix

Cops Matter  Sharp cuts in police threaten community safety

What Should It Take to Be Hired?  Loose hiring standards and City Hall interference produce inferior recruits

A Town Without Pity  Seattle lures police candidates from other cities

At least They’re Consistently Lousy  Using sworn deputies for custodial work makes for poor cops and lousy jailers

Keeping our Emperors Clothed  What did we know about Eliot Spitzer and Mike Carona?  Very little.

LAPD’s thin blue line  How many cops does L.A. need?  How many can it afford?

The next chief of police should be, first and foremost, a cop

Search website by term or phrase:

Top


Stop-and-frisk and Hot Spots (special topic) (newest on top)          collected essays

Punishment Isn’t a Cop’s Job (II) In Memphis, unremitting violence helps sabotage the craft (x-ref from C & E)

Worlds Apart...Not! Violence-wise, poor neighborhoods in Oakland and Houston aren’t so different (x-ref from CP)

Massacres, in Slow-Mo Poor Chicagoans complain that their massacre never ends (x-ref from ST)

Backing Off Leaving suspects alone cuts against the grain of policing. But there are few options. (x-ref from ST)

Full Stop Ahead Floyd and the virus upend policing. Some cops react poorly. (x-ref from CE)

Should Police Treat the Whole Patient? Officers deal with the symptoms of social decay. Can they go further? Should they? (x-ref from ST)

Turning Cops Into Liars Keeping score can distort what officers do (x-ref from CE)

A Conflicted Mission An ideologically-fraught quarrel poses unique challenges (x-ref from COVID-19)

A Recipe for Disaster Take an uncertain workplace. Toss in a “mission impossible” and pressures to produce. Voila! (x-ref from CE)

Did the Times Scapegoat L.A.’s Finest? (Part II) Quit blaming police racism for lopsided outcomes. And fix those neighborhoods! (x-ref from ST)

Did the Times Scapegoat L.A.’s Finest? (Part I) Accusations of biased policing derail a stop-and-frisk campaign (x-ref from ST)

Driven to Fail Numbers-driven policing can’t help but offend. What are the options? (x-ref from ST)

Police Slowdowns II Cops can’t fix what ails America’s inner cities - and shouldn’t try (x-ref from CE)

Good Guy/Bad Guy/Black Guy (Part II)  Aggressive crime-fighting strategies can exact an unintended toll (x-ref from CF)

Is it Always About Race? Unruly citizens and streets brimming with guns make risk-tolerance a very hard sell (x-ref from CF)

Traffic Stops Aren’t Just About “Traffic”  Two instances of using traffic laws to justify drug searches reach the Supreme Court (x-ref from ST)

N.Y.P.D. Blue  Allegations of misconduct and corruption beset the nation’s largest police force (x-ref from CE)

Too Much of a Good Thing? NYPD’s expansive use of stop-and-frisk may threaten the tactic’s long-term viability (x-ref from ST)

An Epidemic of Busted Tail Lights  LAPD struggles over claims of racial profiling (x-ref from ST)

Of Hot Spots and Band-Aids  Intensively policing troubled areas isn’t a lasting remedy (x-ref from ST)

Love your brother -- and frisk him, too!  Aggressive patrol strategies have costs other than money (x-ref from ST)

Search website by term or phrase:

Top


Strategy & Tactics (newest on top)          collected essays

Warning: (Frail) Humans at Work Amid chaos and uncertainty, the presence of a gun can prove lethal

When (Very) Hard Heads Collide (II) What should cops do when miscreants refuse to comply? Refuse to comply?

Race and Ethnicity Aren’t Pass/Fail DOJ quashes an attempt to obstruct rentals to Blacks and Hispanics

Massacres, in Slow-Mo Poor Chicagoans complain that their massacre never ends

Cops v. Assault Weapons Even the speediest, most expert response may not suffice

When a Dope Can’t be Roped Can social media identify killers before they strike?

Backing Off Leaving suspects alone cuts against the grain of policing. But there are few options.

A Partner in Every Sense When a K-9 is stabbed its handler opens fire. It’s not the first time.

Regulate. Don’t Obfuscate! Tailor remedies to the workplace. And keep it real!

Fix Those Neighborhoods! Creating safe places calls for a comprehensive, organic approach

When Must Cops Shoot? (II) “An ounce of prevention…” (Ben Franklin, 1736)

When Must Cops Shoot? (I) Four notorious incidents; four dead citizens. What did officers face?

L.A. Wants “Cahoots.” But Which “Cahoots”? Some politicians demand that officers keep away from "minor, non-violent" crimes

R.I.P. Proactive Policing? Volatile situations and imperfect cops guarantee tragic endings

Explaining...or Ignoring? In a badly fractured land, the ambush of two deputies unleashes a raft of excuses. And, as usual, no solutions.

Should Police Treat the Whole Patient? Officers deal with the symptoms of social decay. Can they go further? Should they?

Can the Urban Ship be Steered? Seasoned police leadership. Yet the violence continues.

Did the Times Scapegoat L.A.’s Finest? (Part II) Quit blaming police racism for lopsided outcomes. And fix those neighborhoods!

Did the Times Scapegoat L.A.’s Finest? (Part I) Accusations of biased policing derail a stop-and-frisk campaign

Driven to Fail Numbers-driven policing can’t help but offend. What are the options?

No Such Thing as “Friendly Fire” As good guys and bad ramp up their arsenals, the margin of error disappears

Cops Aren’t Free Agents To improve police practices, look to the workplace

Speed Kills Swift action can save lives. And take them, too.

Routinely Chaotic Rule #1: Don’t let chaos distort the police response. Rule #2: See Rule #1.

A Stitch in Time Could early intervention save officer and citizen lives?

A Matter of Life and Death In an era of highly lethal firearms, keeping patrol informed is job #1

Traffic Stops Aren’t Just About “Traffic”  Two instances of using traffic laws to justify drug searches reach the Supreme Court

It’s Amateur Hour in the Southland Goofs by L.A.-area cops generate unwelcome publicity – and probably, at least one lawsuit

Cops Need More Than Body Armor As powerful weapons flood the streets, what can officers do?

Quantity, Quality and the NYPD  Has a preoccupation with “numbers” compromised craftsmanship?

The More Things Change...  Twenty years after the L.A. Riots, are things really better?

Catch and Release II  An “evidence-based” pre-trial release program lands Milwaukee in a pickle

Murder, Interrupted?  Searching for violence-reduction strategies other than hard-nosed policing

Catch and Release  Sometimes there really is no substitute for common sense

LAPD Got it Right  Ousting Occupiers on its own schedule, with sensitivity and attention to detail

A Delicate Balance  Can police best help a democracy flourish by intervening or by artfully holding back?

When One Goof is One Too Many  Pilots use checklists.  Physicians, too.  Why not detectives?

Forty Years After Kansas City  Specialized teams may be dandy, but patrol still counts

Translational?  That’s Right, Translational  A new paradigm seeks to bridge the gap between theory and practice

Risky Business  Warrant service is killing cops

Lessons of St. Pete  Police tactics remain stagnant while officer killings continue to rise

Having Your Cake, and Eating it Too!  Two noted economists say we can reduce imprisonment and crime.  But what kind of crime?

Fighting the Wall Street Mob  Feds use wiretaps and “cooperating witnesses” to expose insider trading

An Epidemic of Busted Tail Lights  LAPD struggles over claims of racial profiling

R.I.P. Community Policing?  Reclaiming professionalism sounds great, but it begs an underlying issue

What’s More Lethal Than a Gun?  Officers have more to fear from accidents than from criminals

Too Much of a Good Thing?  NYPD’s expansive use of stop-and-frisk may threaten the tactic’s long-term viability

See No Evil, Speak No Evil  Why don’t witnesses come forward?  Often, for a very good reason.

A Very Dubious Achievement  Camden PD fights crime and violence.  And its own officers.

Missed Signals  In hindsight everything’s simple.  But policing takes a lot more than hindsight.

Hidden in Plain Sight  The unintended consequences of sloppy policing

Slapping Lipstick on the Pig (Part III)  Simple policing strategies are the best

Slapping Lipstick on the Pig (Part II)  “Proving” that crime-control strategies work is laden with pitfalls

Slapping Lipstick on the Pig (Part I)  Do elaborate violence-reduction initiatives make a difference?

Science is Back. No, Really!  DOJ promises that, henceforth, research will drive crime control policy

Oakland: How could it happen?  Dissecting the murder of four police officers, and its implications

Who’s Guarding the Henhouse? (Part II)  The devastating legacy of Al Gore’s reinvention movement

What Can Cops Really Do?  Specialized teams can help, but their officers must come from somewhere

Who’s Guarding the Henhouse?  While Madoff pulled off the heist of the century, who was watching?

Crime-Fighting on a Budget  When money’s tight can we afford specialized units?

Intrusions “Happen,” Good Police Work Doesn’t  Home intrusions by homicidal strangers may be more common than police imagine

The Gangs of L.A.  To rid a city of gangs, look to the basics first

There’s no easy solution  The domestic arms race has made police work exceedingly risky

Of Hot Spots and Band-Aids  Intensively policing troubled areas isn’t a lasting remedy

To Discover the Truth  When kids tell tall tales the consequences can be grave

Love your brother -- and frisk him, too!  Aggressive patrol strategies have costs other than money

Who rioted in MacArthur Park?  Bratton, who wasn’t there, moves swiftly to censure those who were

The craft of policing (.pdf)

Search website by term or phrase:

Top


Technology & Forensics (newest on top)          collected essays

A Show-Stopper for Shot-Spotter? Gunshot detection technology leads progressives to cry foul

Technology’s Great - Until It’s Not Police love Rapid DNA and facial recognition but hate encryption.
Privacy advocates beg to differ.

Is Your Uncle a Serial Killer? Police scour DNA databanks for the kin of unidentified suspects

People do Forensics Conflicts about oversight neglect a fundamental issue

Better Late Than Never (Part II)  DOJ proposes rules for forensic testimony. Do they go far enough?

Better Late Than Never (Part I)  A “hair-raising” forensic debacle forces DOJ’s hand

A Dead Man’s Tales Apple extends posthumous protections to a dead terrorist’s cell phone

State of the Art...Not!  Forensics, six years after the NAS report

Taking the Bite Out of Bite Marks Should bite mark evidence go down for the count?

Freedom From the Press  Encryption keeps police radio traffic from prying ears.  Including the media’s.

A Day Late, a Warrant Short  An investigative delay puts warrantless electronic tracking in front of the Supremes

Don’t Blame the Messenger  When jurors say that a case doesn’t add up, we ought to pay attention

A New Crystal Ball  Reliability concerns plague a widely-used test for psychopathy

One Size Doesn’t Fit All  Overuse of Shaken Baby Syndrome may have led to many miscarriages of justice

Predictive Policing: Rhetoric or Reality?  New data-mining techniques promise to reinvent policing.  Again.

The Killers of L.A.  DNA nabs three serial killers in four years, most recently through a familial search

More Labs Under the Gun  Resource issues, poor oversight and pressures to produce keep plaguing crime labs

DNA: Proceed With Caution  Subjectivity can affect the interpretation of mixed samples

Would You Bet Your Freedom on a Dog’s Nose?  Dog scent evidence comes under fire

What’s the D.A. Want From the Sheriff?  The DNA lab, of course.  Or if he can get it, everything.

DNA’s Dandy, But What About Body Armor?  As lethal threats to police increase, protection languishes -- but there’s hope

N.A.S. to C.S.I.: Shape Up!  Putting the “science” back in forensics won’t be simple

Forensics Under the Gun  Commonly accepted techniques may lack scientific value

Labs Under the Gun  Can police crime laboratories be trusted?

Mindboarding  Is brain scanning the new polygraph?

Beat the Odds, Go to Jail  DNA random match probabilities may be overstated

C.S.I. They’re Not  Lab goofs and dueling “experts” give forensics a black eye

Polygraph: science or sorcery?  Its usefulness is mostly as a prop

The Myth of Profiling  Pop psychology can lead investigators astray

Search website by term or phrase:

Top


Terrorism (newest on top)          collected essays

Was a Dope Roped? A trial judge thought so. But an appellate court disagreed.

Taking Missiles From Strangers One wannabe heads to prison. Another waits his turn. Should we be relieved?

Means, Ends and 9/11 Extraordinary measures beget extraordinary consequences

Preventing Mass Murder With gun control a no-go, early intervention is key. Might artificial intelligence help?

Notching a “Win” A self-professed “sleeper agent” is (legally) flimflammed by the FBI

Make-Believe Surprise! A well-known terrorist winds up in the U.S. as a refugee

Loose Lips Enable Terrorists Safeguard sources and methods. Or wish that you had.

After the Fact Ordinary policing strategies can’t prevent terrorism

Sometimes There is no Second Chance Preventing horrific terrorist attacks may require new legal rules

A Fearful Nation Is extremism in the defense of liberty a virtue?

Written, Produced and Directed  A disturbing legacy of roping in dopes, with no end in sight

The Long Arm of the Law  America stings foreign arms and drug traffickers with a powerful narco-terror law

A Dangerous Loser  Did a Saudi student come to America with murder in his heart?

Taking Bombs From Strangers  How far should the Government go in fighting terrorism?

They Didn’t Read Police Issues  Two more wannabe Jihadists accept bombs from the FBI

The Men Who Talked Too Much  For those in the Federal bulls-eye the entrapment defense offers little refuge

Closing the “Terror Gap”  Concerns about gun rights trump worries about terrorism

Flying Under the Radar  Can terrorists be caught before they act?

Is This What the Framers Intended?  Economic woes and inflammatory rhetoric feed a resurgence of extremism

Doing Nothing, Redux  What’s more frightening than terrorism?  Relying on analysts to prevent it.

Dopes, Not Roped  More losers get hurled, or hurl themselves, at America.  Should we tremble?

The Face of Evil  Holocaust Museum shooter part of an extensive, loosely-federated hate movement

Rope-a-Dope  Now that five Liberty City plotters stand convicted, should we feel safer?

Torture: Who Decides?  The real dilemma’s not about using torture -- it’s about authorizing it

Damned if they do, even if they could  Pressures to make arrests distract FBI agents from pursuing worthwhile targets

Making terrorists (Part II) Change the law!  Relaxing the standards for electronic interceptions can be a good idea

If You Can’t Find a Terrorist, Make One!  Encouraging Jihadist wannabees is the wrong approach

Search website by term or phrase:

Top


Wrongful Conviction (newest on top)          collected essays

A Matter of Facts  Did flawed science place an innocent man on death row?

Switching Sides St. Louis’ D.A. argues that a man condemned on his predecessor’s watch is in fact innocent

Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Wrong Cop Recent exonerees set soul-wrenching records for length of wrongful imprisonment

Damn the Evidence - Full Speed Ahead! Lousy policing and thoughtless prosecution
cost three innocent men decades in prison

A Victim of Circumstance Building cases with circumstantial evidence calls for exquisite care

Fewer Can Be Better Murder clearances have declined. Should we worry?

Accidentally on Purpose A remarkable registry challenges conventional wisdom about
the causes of wrongful conviction

Guilty Until Proven Innocent Pressures to solve notorious crimes can lead to tragic miscarriages of justice

Is a Case Ever Too “Cold”? Citing factual errors, an Illinois prosecutor successfully moves to free a convicted killer

When Seeing Shouldn’t be Believing A long-awaited report offers best practices in eyewitness identification

Wrongful and Indefensible  Coerced confessions cost two innocent men thirty years in prison

The Tip of the Iceberg  Hooray for the exonerated! But what about everyone else?

A Railroad Job?  Dueling experts and manipulative interrogation cast a shadow over a conviction

The “Witches” of West Memphis  Outraged citizens called them killers.  They were wrong.

False Confessions Don’t Just “Happen”  When expediency is the more important value, tragedy follows

Rush to Judgment (Part II)  By now, every cop knows that witness ID can be chancy.  Right?

Time or Money  If you haven’t the bucks for a good lawyer, get ready to do the time

No End in Sight  DNA exonerations of the wrongfully convicted continue as non-DNA work heats up

Dead Man Walking  Kevin Cooper has had his appeals.  Guilty or not, he will soon meet his maker.

DOJ: Texas Executed an Innocent Man  Before a national audience, experts confirm what was long suspected

Baby Steps Aren’t Enough  Protections against miscarriages of justice must be embedded within the system

Playing With Fire  Journalism students double as advocates for the wrongfully convicted

What If There’s No DNA?  When biological evidence is lacking, the wrongfully convicted may be stuck

House of Cards  Evidence isn’t better just because there’s lots of it: it must also be true

Never Say Die  When should prosecutors quit clinging to a case?

Can We Outlaw Wrongful Convictions (Part II)?  Legislator proposes banning showups and recording all interrogations

Can We Outlaw Wrongful Convictions?  Are sequential, double-blind lineups really the answer?

Miscarriages of justice: a roadmap for change  To prevent wrongful convictions, education is key

The Ten Deadly Sins  Why do miscarriages of justice keep happening?

Near Misses  Six chilling examples of an imperfect criminal justice system

A very rightful conviction  Crying wolf over a well-deserved conviction

The Usual Suspects  Having a record makes it far more likely to be mistakenly arrested

.027 Rules!  How many wrongful convictions have there been?  A lot more than what’s known!

Believe It...Or Not!  Despite prosecutors’ best efforts, a wrongfully imprisoned woman gets a break

If it Doesn’t Fit...  Why do prosecutors resist post-conviction DNA analysis?

Your Lying Eyes  Poor witness ID + pressure to solve a crime = tragedy

Governor to CCFAJ: drop dead  Bowing to cops and victim groups, the Guvernator nixes justice reforms

Search website by term or phrase:


Top 



 

     Home           About           Index           Links          For educators          Contact          Novel