Author: Moskos

It’s a Dirty Job…

I’ve always been a big fan of Mike Rowe and his TV show, “Dirty Jobs” (now on a different channel and called, “Somebody’s Gotta Do It”). Here Rowe talks about recent police events. As always, he approaches issues with a certain degree of kindness and empathy. Also, he’s nobody’s fool. (I suspect he would make…
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What’s your C.O.P. score?

You know, “Crimes prevented Over rePlacement.” (Or maybe just “C-POR.”) Like WAR, wins above replacement, but for cops. The idea is to break crime down by beat/post and looking at it over time (a long time, like years). Wouldn’t it be nice to know if there actually was less crime on your post while you…
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Policing protests

There’s never a guarantee in policing that a tactic will always work, but if the goal is to let people protest, not have people hurt, and end things peacefully, two cities serve as useful case studies. In Hong Kong, protesters blocked major roadways for months (OMG, traffic was blocked!). Rather than cracking down and perhaps…
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Grammar 101

Grammar 101: For students who should know, but don’t. © 2015 by Professor Peter Moskos Here’s a PDF version. If you want this in a nice little printed booklet you can read on the subway, buy it on Amazon (just $6.95). Order of Contents Introduction: Is Grammar 101 right for you? Rule #1: Write in…
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Choose your own adventure! The sick prisoner. (page 9)

You’re back on the way to booking when the prisoner starts to act like he’s sick. Again! He moans and says he’s not well. What do you do? Ignore him. Good God. You just came from the hospital! Now he must be faking it. If you keep driving, turn to page 8. You took this…
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Choose your own adventure! The sick prisoner. (page 4)

Boy, with those lights and sirens on, nobody still gets out of your way. And though you want to get really fast for this medical emergency, you know General Orders prohibit any speed in excess of 10 miles over the speed limit. A few cars even pass you. But soon enough, you arrive at the…
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Choose your own adventure! The sick prisoner. (page 26)

You’re a good officer. You stop the car and go to check on your prisoner. As soon as you open the rear door, the prisoners jumps out and runs away! Somehow he must have managed to get himself free from your handcuffs! Maybe next time you should double lock them. Or make them tighter. But…
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Choose your own adventure! The sick prisoner. (page 8)

You’re a good officer. But these assholes are always lying. Who knows why they always fake it, but they always do. You get to Central Booking and the woman at the gate asks if your prisoner is OK. You look in the back and see the prisoner slumped over in the seat. You immediate call…
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Grammar 101

Grammar 101: For students who should know, but don’t. © 2015 by Professor Peter Moskos Here’s a PDF version. If you want this in a nice little printed booklet you can read on the subway, buy it on Amazon (just $6.95). Order of Contents Introduction: Is Grammar 101 right for you? Rule #1: Write in…
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Blue Flu (II): Arrest “only when you need to”

Conor Friedersdorf has a excellent piece in The Atlantic, “The NYPD’s Insubordination—and Why the Right Should Oppose It.” [And just for the record I did scoop the New York Post, albeit only be a few hours.] There’s lot here that doesn’t fit in our normal political divide. And I love that cognitive dissonance! You’ve got…
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