Quality Policing Podcast and Blog

Man convicted 59th time

I guess this timewas the charm.

DMV with barbed wire and guns

There are really two philosophies in running prisons. Some wardens and officers feel that the sentence is the punishment, not the way they treat them, and that they should treat the inmates as human beings, and that they have a future, and that they need to be prepared to return to the community. These wardens…
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Race and Ethnicity in cities

Cool maps! And interesting data presentation that shows the detailed racial and ethnic make-up of various cities broken down by very small units.

Stealing bricks right off off the buiding

Sounds like a headline you might expect to hear out of Baltimore. But it isn’t! This story is out of St. Louis. (Though I’m a bit ashamed to mention that the only reason this probably isn’ta problem in Baltimore is because Baltimore brick isn’t particularly good. Hence Formstoneand painted brick. Baltimore brick is pretty enough,…
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A Slow Work Day at the FBI

The FBI has slow work days? I kind of hoped they were pretty busy. But I guess we all have slow work days. But when I have a slow work day I like to listen to a Cubs game or write blog posts or play pinball. But when the FBI has a slow work day……
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East St. Louis lay off police.

Fifteen percent of the department. The St. Louis Post Dispatchreports on a raucous city council meeting at which: East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks announced that the city will layoff 37 employees, including 19 of its 62 police officers, 11 firefighters, four public works employees, and three administrators. The layoffs take effect on Sunday. For…
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Missouri Tells Judges Cost of Sentences

Fascinating. And I think a great idea. Cost is irrelevant only to those who don’t pay. From the New York Times: But critics — prosecutors especially — dismiss the idea as unseemly. They say that the cost of punishment is an irrelevant consideration when deciding a criminal’s fate and that there is a risk of…
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Back when the job was fun

“Washington policeman Bill Norton measuring the distance between knee and suit at the Tidal Basin bathing beach after Col. Sherrill, Superintendent of Public Buildings and Grounds, issued an order that suits not be over six inches above the knee.” June 30, 1922. From Shorpy.

Five myths about prostitution

So says Sudhir Venkatesh in an interesting articlein the Washington Post. Here are the myths: 1. Prostitution is an alleyway business. 2. Men visit sex workers for sex. 3. Most prostitutes are addicted to drugs or were abused as children. 4. Prostitutes and police are enemies. 5. Closing Craigslist’s “adult services” section will significantly affect…
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A little excitment on 324 Post

Justin Fenton and Peter Hermann report: So many police officers are at Hopkins at this hour that the department had to call in officers from other districts and detective units to help answer other 911 calls in the Eastern District. One plainclothes officer reported being out in his personal car, and he warned his dispatcher…
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