In the LA Times: Q: Do people confuse and conflate broken windows with “zero-tolerance policing” or “stop, question and frisk” practices? A: Yes. The other day I read that a Delaware police chief said his department was going to do broken windows with steroids. I find that pretty scary because that smacks of zealotry. Broken windows is a tactic, an…
Month: January 2015
Broken Windows in question
This article in the Times is worth reading. Of note: the most discretionary arrest in NYC, Dis Con, down 91 percent. Meanwhile the courts are close to empty. “This proves to us is what we all knew as defenders: You can end broken-windows policing without ending public safety,” said Justine M. Luongo, the deputy attorney-in-charge of criminal practice for the…
Stop lying! (and free Doug Williams)
“You’re a fool if you go into a lie detector test thinking that telling the truth is good enough.” – Peter Moskos, John Jay College of Criminal Justice. I’ve written about this before. Here I am saying much of the same… but this time it’s on NPR. What I find crazy is that the defenders of the test, the American…
It’s a Dirty Job…
I’ve always been a big fan of Mike Rowe and his TV show, “Dirty Jobs” (now on a different channel and called, “Somebody’s Gotta Do It”). Here Rowe talks about recent police events. As always, he approaches issues with a certain degree of kindness and empathy. Also, he’s nobody’s fool. (I suspect he would make a very good police officer.)…
What’s your C.O.P. score?
You know, “Crimes prevented Over rePlacement.” (Or maybe just “C-POR.”) Like WAR, wins above replacement, but for cops. The idea is to break crime down by beat/post and looking at it over time (a long time, like years). Wouldn’t it be nice to know if there actually was less crime on your post while you were policing. Of course would…
Policing protests
There’s never a guarantee in policing that a tactic will always work, but if the goal is to let people protest, not have people hurt, and end things peacefully, two cities serve as useful case studies. In Hong Kong, protesters blocked major roadways for months (OMG, traffic was blocked!). Rather than cracking down and perhaps igniting a major revolt, the…
Choose your own adventure! The sick prisoner. (page 9)
You’re back on the way to booking when the prisoner starts to act like he’s sick. Again! He moans and says he’s not well. What do you do? Ignore him. Good God. You just came from the hospital! Now he must be faking it. If you keep driving, turn to page 8. You took this job to help people. Sure…
Choose your own adventure! The sick prisoner. (page 4)
Boy, with those lights and sirens on, nobody still gets out of your way. And though you want to get really fast for this medical emergency, you know General Orders prohibit any speed in excess of 10 miles over the speed limit. A few cars even pass you. But soon enough, you arrive at the hospital, safe and sound. You…
Choose your own adventure! The sick prisoner. (page 26)
You’re a good officer. You stop the car and go to check on your prisoner. As soon as you open the rear door, the prisoners jumps out and runs away! Somehow he must have managed to get himself free from your handcuffs! Maybe next time you should double lock them. Or make them tighter. But then prisoners always complaint he…
Choose your own adventure! The sick prisoner. (page 8)
You’re a good officer. But these assholes are always lying. Who knows why they always fake it, but they always do. You get to Central Booking and the woman at the gate asks if your prisoner is OK. You look in the back and see the prisoner slumped over in the seat. You immediate call for an ambulance. But it’s…