From the mayor on down to the officer on scene, the cover-up seems pretty big. Multiple false reports are very worrisome. Though a detective taking a statement from Van Dyke shouldn’t qualify as another false report. But Van Dyke’s partner, Walsh, is certainly culpable. Update: The New York Timessays “at least five other officers on the scene that night corroborated…
Jew for a Day
So I was in this 3 AM bar fight last night. More of a scuffle really. Technically I won, if such a thing is possible. (Does anybody really win a 3 AM bar fight?) Now those who know me know my fuse in long. I don’t go looking for fights, because I don’t want to lose a fight. Hell, I’ve…
Coverage of the trial
There’s good live twitter coverage of the Portor trialover at the Sun, if you’re interested. I am.
[Not Following] General Orders
You want to know why cops are always bitching? You want to know how cops can feel like they’re the victims? You want to know what it’s like to be on trial for violating a General Order? (In the NYPD this in known as the Patrol Guide. Same thing.) Sun columnist Dan Rodricks is unfairly dismissive of the ignorance defense…
Trial of Officer Porter, Day 4
Here’s the recapof Day 4 of the trial of Officer William Porter. I’m not there and I’m no lawyer, so far be it from me to figure out what’s going on. But I’m having a tough time figuring out Porter’s role in a crime. Today seemed to be focused on seat belts. Gray wasn’t Porter’s prisoner. It wasn’t Porter’s job…
But they made him write it down!
From the Twittersphere: "We do not transport injured people, we render aid" and call medic, Ofc. Porter wrote at police academy, instructor testifies. #PorterTrial — Scott Calvert (@scottmcalvert) December 3, 2015 "We made him write it"? Further proof police academy not to train and educate but cover department's legal ass. https://t.co/1eJx7ruVEx — Peter Moskos (@PeterMoskos) December 3, 2015 The idea…
“The Deadliest County for Police Killings in America”
Oh, Bakersfield. Now it’s in the Atlantic. Of course you heard about Bakersfield and Kern County here first, back in April. And even gave Bakersfield an honorary mention, back in 2014, too.) The actual reporting is going on in the Guardian, the only paper, and an English paper, that seems to honestly care about investigating the issue of trigger happy…
Does rhetoric incite violence?
Why don’t anti-abortion politicians who say #BlackLivesMatter-rhetoric endangers cops take responsibility for Officer Swasey’s murder at Planned Parenthood? If anti-abortion rhetoric doesn’t have any relation to the murder of Officer Swasey and innocent women at Planned Parenthood, how could anti-cop rhetoric have any relation to people attacking cops? On the flip side, if anti-abortion rhetoric does incite violence against abortion…
Happy Thanksgiving!
Especially to everybody working today!
Chicago police shooting of Laquan McDonald
The video is out. Finally. After long attempts to sweep it under the rug failed. This Sun-Times editorial provides good background. It’s a bad shooting. (Though honestly I was expecting even worse, like an unarmed rationally behaving victim.) The mayor (now, at least) and the police chief have said the officer is at fault. The officer who killed McDonald fits…