Year: 2016

On Clearing Corners and Drug Arrests

[From pages 65, 83, 49, and 55 of Cop in the Hood] Clearing the corner is what separates those who have policed from those who haven’t. Some officers want to be feared; others, respected; still others, simply obeyed. An officer explained: “You don’t have to [hit anybody]. Show up to them. Tell them to leave…
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Use and Abuse of Terry

There are some excerpts from Cop in the Hood that seem particularly relevant in light of the DOJ’s report on the Baltimore police. This is from pp.30-31.] The 1968 Supreme Court case Terry v. Ohio gives officers the right to frisk a suspect for weapons if they have reasonable suspicion that a suspect might be…
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Baton Question

(Nothing to to with the DOJ’s BPD report, just FYI) I received a call from a deputy down in Louisiana. He asked if I knew of any study looking at the effectiveness of various forms of baton. I do not. Does you? Leave a comment or, should you be deterred by that process, send me…
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The DOJ is wrong (4): On Diggs and Trespassing (dig?)

Update: The links have changed (oops!) since these were first published. Here are links to all my August 2016 posts on the DOJ report on the BPD. 1 https://qualitypolicing.com/initial-thoughts-on-doj-report-on-2/ 2 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-wrong-1-2/ 3 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-dojs-war-on-broken-window-2/ 4 https://qualitypolicing.com/cant-you-take-joke-2/ 5 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-wrong-2-n-word-2/ 6 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-wrong-3-that-damn-kid-on-2/ 7 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-wrong-4-on-diggs-dig-2/ 8 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-right-1-2/ 9 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-right-2-actual-department-is-2/ 10 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-right-3-actual-department-is-2/ 11 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-right-4-actual-department-is-2/ [75 percent of this post was…
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How do you define “reasonable suspicion” and “probable cause”?

It’s not easy. Trust me. And I was cop, have a PhD, and teach criminal justice. United States v. Humphries, (4th Cir. 2004): The Supreme Court has repeatedly admonished that the standard for probable cause is not “finely tuned” or capable of “precise definition or quantification into percentages.” Well that’s not helpful. But yeah, it’s…
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Oh, yeah, Bratton resigned

Hey, it’s been a busy few weeks in police events. Go read Lenny Levitton the abrupt resignation of NYPD’s Commissioner Bill Bratton.

The DOJ is wrong (3): That damn kid on a dirt bike in 2007

Update: The links have changed (oops!) since these were first published. Here are links to all my August 2016 posts on the DOJ report on the BPD. 1 https://qualitypolicing.com/initial-thoughts-on-doj-report-on-2/ 2 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-wrong-1-2/ 3 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-dojs-war-on-broken-window-2/ 4 https://qualitypolicing.com/cant-you-take-joke-2/ 5 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-wrong-2-n-word-2/ 6 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-wrong-3-that-damn-kid-on-2/ 7 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-wrong-4-on-diggs-dig-2/ 8 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-right-1-2/ 9 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-right-2-actual-department-is-2/ 10 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-right-3-actual-department-is-2/ 11 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-right-4-actual-department-is-2/ Picture a seven-year-old on a bike.…
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The Noble Lie: The truth does not matter

Kim Hendrickson works on police and mental health issues and has this take: I am influenced by Plato so understand the importance–sometimes–of the noble lie. There is much to criticize in the investigations that lead to consent decrees. And they are often horribly unfair in the particulars. But in the Seattle context the process has…
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The DOJ is wrong (2): the N-word

Update: The links have changed (oops!) since these were first published. Here are links to all my August 2016 posts on the DOJ report on the BPD. 1 https://qualitypolicing.com/initial-thoughts-on-doj-report-on-2/ 2 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-wrong-1-2/ 3 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-dojs-war-on-broken-window-2/ 4 https://qualitypolicing.com/cant-you-take-joke-2/ 5 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-wrong-2-n-word-2/ 6 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-wrong-3-that-damn-kid-on-2/ 7 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-wrong-4-on-diggs-dig-2/ 8 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-right-1-2/ 9 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-right-2-actual-department-is-2/ 10 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-right-3-actual-department-is-2/ 11 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-right-4-actual-department-is-2/ From Vice Magazine: Of course, some…
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The DOJ’s War on Broken Windows?

Update: The links have changed (oops!) since these were first published. Here are links to all my August 2016 posts on the DOJ report on the BPD. 1 https://qualitypolicing.com/initial-thoughts-on-doj-report-on-2/ 2 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-wrong-1-2/ 3 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-dojs-war-on-broken-window-2/ 4 https://qualitypolicing.com/cant-you-take-joke-2/ 5 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-wrong-2-n-word-2/ 6 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-wrong-3-that-damn-kid-on-2/ 7 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-wrong-4-on-diggs-dig-2/ 8 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-right-1-2/ 9 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-right-2-actual-department-is-2/ 10 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-right-3-actual-department-is-2/ 11 https://qualitypolicing.com/the-doj-is-right-4-actual-department-is-2/ This flew in over the transom:…
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