Police

Irving Louis Horowitz, Sociologist and Ideological Critic, Dies at 82

From the New York Times: Irving Louis Horowitz, an eminent sociologist and prolific author who started a leading journal in his field but who came to fear that his discipline risked being captured by left-wing ideologues, died on Wednesday in Princeton, N.J. He was 82. … Though many considered him a neoconservative, he professed no political allegiance. In a 2007…

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Conservatives on Trayvon

I’m a little shocked to see so many conservatives (on social media, mostly) not exactly defend the killing of Trayvon Marin, but try and turn the tables or say, “what’s the big deal?” I’ve heard or read all of the following: 1) Zimmerman had his nose broken before he shot. 2) Blacks kill whites all the time. 3) Holder is…

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Officer who shot first at Sean Bell is fired

The departmental wheels of justice turn very slowly, but they do indeed turn. It’s been six years since Sean Bell was killed. Leaving aside the merits of the case against the officers (If I remember correctly, I think my position was that the officers indeed were not criminally guilty, except maybethe officer who fired first), note that Ray Kelly didn’t…

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Police

Up With Chris Hayes

I’ll be on my favorite intelligent TV show again this Saturday, 8-10AM (Eastern Time). MSNBC. Man oh man do I hate the idea of setting my alarm for 6:30AM. But it should be fun.

Police

“There are police and there are police”

I received a very gracious and lengthy email from a very prominent professor (which in and of itself was thrilling). He read Cop in the Hood and wrote, in part: There are police and there are police. They all look similar to the general public because they are all (most, at least) in similar uniforms, wear badges and carry firearms.…

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William Hackley, Baltimore police officer, Historian

Retired Baltimore Police Officer and amateur historian William Hackley passed away. Were it not for Officer Hackley, so much of the history of the BPD would be lost to time. I never met him, though I think I contributed a few pictures to his website. Give it a look (and get ready for some old-school website music or turn off…

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The Ray Kelly Smackdown Hour

Except this time it was Ray Kelly who was doing the smacking down. He gave it back good to the New York City Council on the subject of stop and frisks and violence among minority youths. From the New York Times: “What I haven’t heard is any solution to the violence problems in these communities — people are upset about…

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Procedural versus substantive justice

There’s a great review of William Stuntz’s book, The Collapse of American Criminal Justice (which I have but have not read). Stuntz was conservative, just FYI. The review is by Leon Neyfakh in the Boston Globe. Stuntz’s point is that procedural justice is not the same is real justice. And the trend towards the former, encouraged by liberals, has actually…

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Police

Police Apologize For Job Poorly Done

It doesn’t happen often. But here it is. Oh, no, it’s not a US police force. That would be a sign of weakness. Wouldn’t be prudent. Might admit legal liability.