For all ya’ll too lazy to read Illinois v. Wardlow (2000), here is the key part that relates to the constitutionality of chasing suspects who run from a drug corner. The Freddie Gray scenario is almost exactly similar to Wardlow. (I’ve selectively bolded and also removed the citations, but you can click through for the…
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Why in the world are people reporting on last year’s data when we have current data at our fingertips? Does reality only happen after numbers are published on DOJ letterhead? NBC News reports: Number of Police Officer Killings Drops, Reversing 2014 Spike. Do reporters not have the wherewithal to see what the current situation is?…
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This shouldn’t be news to any reader here. I’ve been harping on this since at least last October. But now reality is official real because it’s in the papers: homicides are up. Now maybe we can focus on the how and why instead of denying reality? I wonder if all those so ideologically eager to…
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A lot of people still don’t know the basics about the death of Freddie Gray and the trial of six Baltimore City police officers. I understand people have other priorities, but many of those with no clue still hold very strong opinions. So here’s a selective primer on the trial of the officers in the…
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The second trial has begun. If you want to know my thoughts, best to see what I’m saying on Twitter. Mostly I’m just retweeting interesting points from, you know, actual professional reporters (like Kevin Rector, Justin Fenton, Mike Hellgren, and Robert Lang) who are at the trial, doing their job. Overall, my opinion is well…
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The FBI Director Comey says in the New York Times that: A “viral video effect” — with officers wary of confronting suspects for fear of ending up on a video — “could well be at the heart” of a spike in violent crime in some cities. “There’s a perception that police are less likely to…
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Consistently Croyder provides excellent legal analysis of the Baltimore trials. http://www.copinthehood.com/2016/05/thoughts-while-waiting-on-next-freddie.html
Who are you gonna believe: The Brennan Center for Justiceor your lying eyes? Crime is up. They and I have written about this before. Their conclusion: Americans continue to experience low crime rates. The average person in a large urban area is safer walking down the street today than he or she would have been…
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Hours after posting about the police-involved killing of robber Robert Howard, I read Justin Fenton’s amazing storyabout the robber: “Man fatally shot by off-duty officer was also shot by police 20 years earlier.” Are you effing serious?! What are the odds? I don’t think anybody in American history has ever been shot by cops in…
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Civil forfeiture is still a problem. A man in Chicago has been trying for 13 years to get $101,000 is cash back from the those who stole it. Last year, the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago collected more than $19 million in asset forfeitures. The Justice and Treasury departments raked in more than $4.5 billion…
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