Over on twitter there’s a discussion that we can’t compare 1960’s murder rates with 2025 because people were much more likely to die back then, because of lack of shock trauma and other (what we now consider) basic medical care. Now I’m always concerned with the validity of crime stats. And even more so over…
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My “lost” (really forgotten) 2017 conversation with Baltimore Police Legend and Jack Maple protégé Tony Barksdale. In 2020 he wrote about how to reduce violence. In July, 2022, Mayor Brandon Scott appointed Barksdale as Deputy Mayor for Public Safety. Murders began a sharp decline. Nothing like a plan, a good police commissioner, and a good…
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A discussion of the results of New York’s Bail Reform with René Ropac & Stephen Koppel of the Data Collaboration for Justice. Listen on Spreaker.Watch on YouTube. Too deep of a dive? Here is a 16 minute edited version on youtube and audio on Spreaker. The link to the October 2025 Report on Bail Reform…
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A while back I was (and still am) a bit shocked at the massive differences between case outcomes in New York City and the rest of New York State. Same laws. Different jurisdictions. In New York City, in 2024, 64% of adult felony cases are not prosecuted or dismissed. Outside NYC it is 18%. Data…
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The Broken Windows theory was fundamentally misunderstood and still is today.” — John Miller There’s a lot of talk about Broken Windows and crime prevention, both good and bad. And the concept features heavily in my book, Back from the Brink. But what does Broken Windows mean? How is it put into practice? How did it…
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Colonel Jeffery Glover is currently the President for the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). He is the Director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety with over 25 years of experience in law enforcement, beginning his career with the Tempe Police Department.In February 2020, Glover retired from the Tempe Police Department after…
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I interview Democratic NYC mayoral candidate Whitney Tilson. The primary is next month. And on youtube:
At issue is whether officers’ use of fatal force should be judged only at the “moment-of-threat.” Generally, for most other issues — such as probable cause (for search or arrest) and reasonable suspicion (for stop or frisk) — the court uses “totality of the circumstances.” You build a case, in effect, before making a decision.…
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This is a fun episode. It’s the kind and style of interview I conducted for my book, Back from the Brink. John Laffey isn’t in my book. He should have been. You tube link: https://youtu.be/RclCJ6vylP0