Worth reading for many reasons: http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20160402/PC16/160409955
Month: April 2016
Bad Cop Good Movie: The Seven-Five
I’m finally getting around to watching The Seven Five, a documentary about the 75 Precinct in the 1980s and criminal cop Michael Dowd. Good stuff… the documentary, that is, not the cop. I like how the movie is told through three perspectives: the dirty cops, the cops who caught them, and the criminal the cops worked for. And of course…
Problems with Tasers
I had no idea TASER was an acronym standing for anything, much less “Thomas A. Swift’s electric rifle“! The LA Times reports: LAPD officers fired Tasers just over 1,100 times last year…. The devices had the desired outcome — causing someone to submit to arrest — only 53% of the time. Is half the time better than nothing or not…
Special delivery
The hammer begins to fall on the officers who idiotically took offense and arrested a guy who had the nerve to criticize their reckless driving. Murray Weiss in DNAinfo: The NYPD lieutenant involved in the questionable arrest of a Brooklyn mailman was stripped of his gun and badge Thursday and placed on desk duty. … The four are set to…
56 Rounds: What it means to “have cops’ backs”
Yesterday I was asked by a journalist what it means for politicians and police brass to “have cops’ backs.” It’s a fair question. It doesn’t mean not being critical of police. It doesn’t mean defending cops when they make an unreasonable mistake. It does mean giving cops the benefit of the doubt and supporting officers when they do their job.…
How people get killed
Murders are usually thought of in the abstract. People “get killed.” Homicides “rates” go up or down. But to each killing, there’s a person who kills and a person killed. This isn’t really understood by those who don’t live or work in high crime areas. (Yes, while murder can happen anywhere… no, murder actually doesn’t happen everywhere). Not to glorify…
Why fewer police-involved shootings in Chicago might be bad
Police-involved shootings in Chicago are way down. From heyjackass.com This is great news for advocates of police reform. Chicago in 2016 will probably see police shoot just 15 or so people (based quite sketchily on January through March figures). This compares to 45 people shot in 2014. The decrease is without doubt due in part to those who keep a…
“Prosecutors ordered officers in fatal shooting be read Miranda rights”
I’m surprised that I can still be surprised at Baltimore’s State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s continued battle again Baltimore’s police. I don’t know, maybe she thinks all cops are bad because she grew up around so many bad cops. But Freudian analysis aside, imagine if the public prosecutor was out to get you and your colleagues. This concerns the latest police-involved…