Quality Policing Podcast and Blog

Photos With (Operation) Impact

Under “portfolio,” check out NYPD Operation Impact (1 & 2), from former police officer and photographer Antonio Bolfo. In an interview he says: I really liked the story of Operation IMPACT in general: how new, inexperienced cops get sent to the most dangerous places, places where a cop really should know what he is doing.…
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Be Thankful… and nice to strangers

All this revolution and celebration got me thinking… One of the things I’m always surprised at when I travel, at least when I travel anywhere other than the US and Western Europe, is just how sweet and kind and generous the average person on the street is. I’ve seen it Egypt, in Syria, in Thailand,…
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Police Officers and Free Speech

Deputy Probation Officer Joe Miller signed a letter in support of California’s Proposition 19 (marijuana legalization). A disclaimer made it clear that he did not represent the viewpoint of the Mohave County Probation Department. Officer Miller was fired. Maybe you think a police officer should never have an opinion on anything. I can understand saying…
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The Happy Scene on Egyptian Steinway

Mubarak is out! Here’s the happy scene on my local Arab drag: Steinway Street, in Astoria, Queens, New York. Three of the five news vans: A happy crowd (small, because I only got there at 4pm): My friend, Ali El Sayed, making delicious food as always, equally happy: (You can see the “1919 Trevor Ethnic…
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You gotta be kidding me

Dog-burning case will be tried again Jurors deliberated for more than 20 hours over three days, but couldn’t agree on a verdict. One juror wasn’t convinced of the brothers’ guilt in the attack, leading to a mistrial. It was the longest animal-cruelty trial ever held in the city. You tried, you didn’t win. Guilty or…
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Weed Menace Grows in New York City–NYPD Responds

Your Attention Please: Marijuana has now been found in all five boroughs. Luckily, in response to this plague, the NYPD has cracked down and arrested more people than ever for the crime of possessing marijuana. In 2010, 50,383 were arrested (86 percent of these are black or Latino). Noble drug warriors estimate that a continued…
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Smoker-free worker

Ahhh, I hear the immortal if overused words of Martin Niemöller… then they started drug testing at work. But I did not complain, because I was not a drug user. Actually, just for the record, I’ve complained every time I’ve taken (and passed) a drug test. Well it seems that now there are more places…
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Guardian Angels foil ‘L’ Robbery in Chicago

Even since I felt safer after seeing them on the ‘L’ growing up in Chicago, I’ve always been pro-Guardian Angels. But they’ve never so popular among police, or at least police unions, who don’t like to see other people keeping the city safe… and doing it for free. Their founder, Curtis Sliwa, certainly has some…
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Police Bust Giraffe-Fighting Ring

Well, of course it’s from The Onion. Since the late 1980s, giraffes have become a status symbol in many American cities, but increasingly, the grazing land mammals are dropped off at shelters when they become too difficult to care for, usually because their owners live in … homes without high vaulted ceilings. … “I always…
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I Miss Baltimore Crab Cakes

I was at a good fish store on 9th Avenue in Manhattan yesterday and bought a pound of good fresh Maryland crab meat (non-lump, $16). So for breakfast today I made crab cakes. They were good. Delicious. Fried in butter. But still not even closeto as good as you can get at Faidley’s or almost…
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