QPP 22: Gun Trace Task Force
The first Quality Policing Podcast of the new year is up. Peter and Nick begin in (where else?) Baltimore, discussing the trial of detectives Daniel Hersl and Marcus Taylor, from the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force. The two are accused of a range of criminal activities, including robbing drug dealers, and carrying pellet guns as “drop guns,” and using Donald Stepp of Double D bail bonds as a fence for stolen drugs. Also, if you must break into and steal from Kenny Bird Johnson’s car, please do not be a “rat punk.”
Episode:
https://www.spreaker.com/episode/13973384
In 2021, on Episode 28, Peter interviewed Justin Fenton who wrote the book on the GTTF, “We Own This City.”
Also on tap is a discussion of the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s new guide to the evils of body worn video, which Nick described with not a small amount of revulsion – listen to Nick’s QPP Extra on Body Cameras and surveillance here.
This week a cop was shot in the face in Louisville (he will survive), and Peter and Nick discuss that, and the response to it, and Peter raised the story from San Francisco of cops getting run over by car thieves, and the officers not shooting at the fleeing car that ran over the cop and one of the suspects, not once but twice.
Finally, a story from Christmas-time, the continuation of the monumentally stupid practice of cops stopping people to hand out money donated by local businessmen. This started, we think, a few years ago (here’s a USA Today story from 2015) but it’s continuing now; here’s a story from Ohio about cops stopping cars to hand out cash… And here’s the story from Kansas City, KS Nick was discussing. Handing out charity used to be function of police. While this is unprecedented in recent history, it is not without precedent. In New York City, for instance, under Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, police handed out “relief.” Who better to give to the needy than the neighborhood officers who knew the needy (and “worthy”) residents of their beat. Peter forget to mention that in the podcast, so thanks for reading.
And indeed, you’re not imagining it. Our audio quality takes a mighty leap backward as we had issues and had to rely on our backup recorder.
