Just a brief note to commemorate the semi-decennial NYPD drug sweep at the Queensbridge Houses. I keep track of these things. (I live nearby.) 9 raids. 22 arrests. 4 handguns. Last time this happened was 2013. And that was preceded by similar raids in 2009 and 2005. Sometimes police get disparaged for conducting wack-a-mole policing. (In fact, sometimes *I’ve* disparaged…
Category: Police
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder
Over on our Quality Policing podcast, Nick Selby and I hit the road and interview Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder Nassau County, if you don’t know, is the closer of two counties on Long Island outside of New York City. It’s largely a low-crime suburban community but has been in the news lately because of MS-13 and also a…
Suddenly It Became His Job
Well done, Officer Rogers! “An officer was actually on this block on another call and actually heard the shots being fired, said T.J. Smith, Baltimore City Police Spokesman. “That officer gave pursuit.” How often does that happen? And what exactly happened? An edited and shortened version of the bodycam footage had been acquired by WMAR, which made me go, “damn!”…
80 days around the world
80 days around the world, we’ll find a pot of gold just sitting where the rainbow’s ending. Time – we’ll fight against the time, and we’ll fly on the white wings of the wind. 80 days around the world, no we won’t say a word before the ship is really back. Round, round, all around the world. Round, all around…
Baltimore police trial: guilty
Yesterday the verdict came out. I wrote this op-ed for the Washington Post: This current scandal is more than a case of a few bad apples, though bad apples they were. These officers acted with impunity until the FBI caught wind of their actions through an unrelated criminal investigation in Pennsylvania. A specialized police unit cannot survive for years as…
Qualily Policing #13: Baltimore, BWC, and more
The first Quality Policing Podcast of the new year is up. Peter and Nick begin in (where else?) Baltimore, discussing the trial of detectives Daniel Hersl and Marcus Taylor, from the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force. The two are accused of a range of criminal activities, including robbing drug dealers, and carrying pellet guns as “drop guns,” and…
Cops and Robbers in Baltimore
Justin Fenton of the Baltimore Sun has tweeted a crazy accountof testimony in today’s trial of corrupt Baltimore cops. Crazy testimony in federal court just now by former Detective Maurice Ward, outlining illegal tactics used by Gun Trace Task Force Officers … They’d regularly drive fast at a larger group of people, slam brakes and pop their doors to see…
Dogs, Data, and Dastardly Deeds
Nick Selby and I talk about all this and more on our latest Quality Policing Podcast. Here’s the bad shooting we discuss. It’s not much in the news because there’s no racial angle to it. The officer was criminally charged today. I would say this might be third worst shooting of all time (Walter Scott and Andrew Thomas come to…
RIP Sean Suiter
Detective Suiter’s funeral was today. I was fine. Until I clicked on this audio. RIP Detective Suiter. EOW 11/16/17 pic.twitter.com/U1rXU6C788 — BmoreBreakingNews (@BaltimoreBNN) November 29, 2017 At least in New York City it’s OK to cry in public. An NYPD friend just told me they don’t have do this in New York. It’s a BPD thing. And I’m proud of…
Baltimore Officers Cleared
The saga is finally nearly over for the officers involved in the 2015 arrest and deadly transport of Freddie Gray. Today Lt. Brian Rice, the highest ranking officer on scene was cleared of all administrative chargesin relation to the case. Last week Officer Caesar Goodson Jr. was acquitted of all 21 administrative charges. Two other officer agreed to minor discipline…