Fair warning: If you’re not interested in Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)–and there’s no reason you should be–you should probably just skip this whole post. Brief background: Federal regulations require IRB approval is required for all professors’ research on people. Since 1991 (I just learned this from Shrag’s blog), IRB approval was expanded to cover, among…
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So much bothers me about this storyfeaturing this picture by Eliot Kamenitz of The New Orleans Times-Picayune The captain reads: Mayor Ray Nagin and NOPD Superintendent Warren Riley try out a pair of the NOPD’s new M-4 rifles Tuesday at the Superdome. Money from the state also provided 600 bullet-proof vests. The storybegins: New Orleans…
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I am misquoted in today’s Baltimore Sun. This is the first time I’ve been quoted by a reporter and said, “no!” when reading my words. It particularly irks me to be misinterpreted in the Sun because police I know and like will read it and think I’ve sold out (I’m not quite sure to whom,…
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There’s a story in the Baltimore Sun about a police officer that got suspended over his conduct as shown on a YouTube video. You can’t skate in the Inner Harbor (why, I’m not sure). You can’t bike either (I got busted once for biking through an empty Inner Harbor at 6:45AM on my way to…
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There’s a very interesting exchange on Slate.com between Sudhir Venkatesh and Alex Kotlowitz. These are two authors I respect deeply (and not just because Prof. Venkatesh was kind enough to offer to write a blurb for Cop in the Hood). Their letters discuss the role of researchers vis-à-vis their research subjects. You should read all…
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Last night I was stopped by police. It was about 1AM on the coldest night of the year and I was biking back from work. I needed some groceries and passed an unfamiliar grocery store. I went up on the sidewalk to look inside, trying to decide if it was worth my while to buy…
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This was five years ago and more than an unfortunate accident, it was bad policing and a bad shooting: “Here you got two of the sweetest kids on the Earth going to the mall and having Slurpees, getting shot through the car window. It’s a mess. Yeah, I’m angry,” Harkum said from his Pasadena home.…
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The book is at the printers, the press is excited, and I can offer you a sample from the book. Read Chapter One. Read it, like it, and then buy the book. Release date is May 1 but you can preorder from Amazon. What better way to celebrate May Day than to march under fluttering…
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The latest delay in the trial of police officers for killing Sean Bell comes from defense lawyers. They wanted the trial moved out of Queens. This motion was denied. I don’t really have a position on the trial location. But this is still a big decision. It’s not going to be easy to convict the…
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New York Timesace reporter Sewell Chan reports a proposed New York State tax on marijuana ($3.50/gram) and cocaine ($200/gram). If this tax survives court challenges, it is expected to raise over $10 million per year. These taxes are always a little strange and constitutionally questionable on grounds of double jeopardy. The real goal is to…
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