In Chicago, as in New York City, police officers have been instructed to fill out a new an extremely burdensome form every time they stop somebody. This would be great if eliminating police stops were a worthy goal. In Chicago, as reported in the Sun-Times: Interim Chicago Police Supt. John Escalante said Tuesday he hopes to counter a severe downturn…
One Righteous Man
I read pretty quickly. I’m always looking for new non-fiction. Particularly history. I’ve found Darkblue714 on twitter has never failed me with good book recommendations. He reminded me to read The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration. Being a best seller in 1994, I don’t know how that bestseller managed to escape my classes in…
Al Baker is one smart, journalist
I always like Al Baker’s stories. He seems to get it. And I don’t think he’s Greek. But I do think his father was a cop. Maybe that matters. Or maybe he’s just smart and works hard. Anyway, I’m happy to see him writing about police issues again. I trust that when I read his stories, I’m going to learn…
Dukakis is one smart Greek
It’s too bad this man wasn’t president. Oh, the economic and foreign policy horrors that could have been avoided. But I don’t say that just because he’s Greek. (Though that helps.) And I don’t say that just because he was kind enough to write the introduction to my Greek Americans book. (Though that was very nice of him.) Here’s what…
The right not to get shot
There’s something ironic here, this Harlem bar owner discussing the fatal shooting in his bar and the need the need to buy a metal detector and hire a third security guard in order to pat-down customers so nobody gets shot: He called the extra security measures, “horrible” and “insane” but unfortunately necessary to keep everyone safe. Hoping there isn’t retaliation,…
Continuing with the “Ferguson Effect”
The other week I wrote about the so-called “Ferguson Effect.” Alex Elkins has some more thoughts on this issue, over on his blog: The main “take-away,” the one the authors hope the media will pick up and run with, namely, that the Ferguson Effect, as construed by conservatives and certain media outlets, is “spurious.” This is too strident, in my…
A Refresher on Regression Analysis
That’s all. And not a bad refresher at that, by Amy Gallo in Harvard Business Review: “You have to go out and see what’s happening in the real world. What’s the physical mechanism that’s causing the relationship? … A lot of people skip this step and I think it’s because they’re lazy. The goal is not to figure out what…
“Our Police Today… Frustrated, Bitter, Resentful”
Have you heard the news? There’s nothing new under the sun. “Today a policeman doesn’t know where he stands. He has lost the ball. He has become defensive and he doesn’t do a good job when he is on the defensive.” … “A cop will give his life to catch a burglar, holdup man, or a purse snatcher, but he’ll…
NYPD Officer Liang found guilty
Do I think Peter Liang wanted to kill Akai Gurley? No. Do I think Liang messed up so bad that he should be found criminally guilty of manslaughter and official misconduct for failing to help Mr. Gurley as he lay dying in a public housing stairwell? Yeah. But, as a side note, Liang is right about this: He felt unqualified…
It’s been a bad week for cops
Eight cops have been shot and killed this month. And February, 2016, ain’t even half over. Already, on my social media stream, I see my cop friends blaming Obama. Well, you must remember December, 2003 when seven cops were shot and killed? Republican George W Bush was president. August of that year? Nine cops were shot and killed. April? Ten…