I have an opinion piece in today’s Washington Post: I told her to get back in her car several times, which she finally did reluctantly . I approached and asked for her license. She was on her phone saying she wanted a sergeant and another officer and added: “If I’m going to get shot, I…
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When Sandra Bland was asked by Officer Encinia if she, “was done,” she actually was. Officer Encinia could have issued a ticket or a warning and walked away. But he chose not to. That was a mistake. Not legally, mind you. But morally and tactically, it was stupid. “A roadside domestic,” is how my friend…
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Cops can stop a driver for any violation of any traffic rule. And there are a lot of traffic rules. Whren v. United States (1996) is a good illustration of how much discretion the Supreme Court has given police officers. It doesn’t even matter what the officers’ motive are. (Except for equal protection issues raised…
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Fifteen years ago I published my very first op-ed. Sniff. You never forget your first, even though it was kind of a forgettable op-ed. (I’ve published close to 30 op-eds since then… jeeze.) Atwater was a Texas case, no less, in which a woman (Gail Atwater) was arrested for a seat belt violation. Now a…
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Last month I composed this haiku: don’t be so certain if you say “I know my rights!” you probably don’t That was cute and all, before Sandra Bland died after being arrested in what was so close to being a warning for a minor traffic violation. Three(?) times Sandra Bland asserted her “rights.” Three times…
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From the Baltimore City Paperby Edward Ericson Jr. A quote from an officer: I can recall Commissioner Batts addressing the officers at headquarters prior to going out on the street. He pretty much patted himself on the back making statements like. “I have been in five riots and I will assure you that this is…
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That’s the motto of Camden, New Jersey. It’s from a Walt Whitman poem. A comment to a previous post made me think more about Camden. I’ve been through there a few times. Caught the River Line. Looked down from the PATCO Speedline. And I know a lot of my old 78s are from Camden. That’s…
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A good step in the right direction from Acting Commissioner Kevin Davis.
Cops would complain about this all the time when Kelly was chief. After a decade in power, the stories of his micromanaging were legendary. This is the kind of stuff the public never really understands or appreciates, even when it dominates internal police culture. A long overdue article, from the veteran Murray Weiss at DNA.info:…
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That’s from the Sun. The FOP riot report is good. Well done. And based on everything I’ve heard from police officers, true. It’s proofread and a surprisingly well put together package (the whole “issue” and “recommendation” and “references” thing). Keep in mind this is coming from a local FOP chapter that misspelled my name on…
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