Sad and yet strangely touching story about dementia and sociologist Irwin (not Erving) Goffman in the New York Times. Once as a cop I remember spending hours with a very nice and well dressed elderly man. He knew all his info except where he lived. I drove him around the neighborhood. I walked with him…
Read more
My department at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (Law, Police Science, and Criminal Justice Administration) has three full-time assistant-professor tenure-track lines we’ll be hiring for in the fall. Two are for general criminal justice and one is for police. If you know of anybody — a promising PhD candidate or a professor who wants…
Read more
I’ve always admired the Guardian Angels. They made me feel safe when in high school and riding the L alone, late at night. A man was being robbed, and they — unarmed — intervened. They got stabbed. From the Sun Times. Meanwhile in Chicago, a group of 100 white out-of-towners take a stroll through the…
Read more
The Sixth Amendment states, in rather uncompromising terms: “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury.” But the system can’t handle those rights. That’s why but a very small fraction of cases is decided by a trial, much less a jury trial (the…
Read more
I heading down to Baltimore for the weekend. It’s been awhile. Watch out, because there’s going to be a run on crab cakes and Natty Bo.
We in American don’t know about “traveler” culture in Ireland and England. Now I know it’s wrong, but I can’t help but have some respect for people who race horses, harness racing style, down major highways. The full youtube clip has been deleted (it was a long race). But here’s the shortened BBC version.
Thug challenges Mayor Bloomberg to a fight, mano-a-mano. Nice to know the judge released him on his own recognizance since he seems like such a nice chap who will stay out of trouble.
What is the relationship between (A) number of cops, (B) number of arrests, and (C) crime. When “A” goes down, “B” goes down, and “C” goes up. Sometimes it really is that simple. Here’s the more nuanced story by James Queally in the Newark Star Ledger. [Tip of the cap to Epichorus.]
There’s a much delayed and controversial report listing the flaws of New York’s “new and improved” 911 phone system. There are many flaws I won’t get into here, but I would like to point out just the cost. The project has cost $2 billion. The entire annual budget of the NYPD is about $4.5 billion…
Read more
After 31 years on the force and 5 years at the top, Baltimore Police Commissioner Fred Bealefeld announced his resignation. I wish him well. Certainly Bealefeld was the best police commissioner Baltimore has seen in the past 18 years (I can’t talk about the pre-Frazier era). Five years on top may not sound like a…
Read more