Police

Back from Baltimore

I just got back from a conference (the Eastern Sociological Society) in Baltimore. It was well organized and all three sessions were quite interesting. I got to meet old friends and new. My two contributions were speaking on a panel about the Baltimore Ghetto and also having the privilege of being the discussant for a panel on “The Wire” featuring…

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Police

Eastern District Craziness

I have no special insight into this. I really don’t know what to make of it. My first thoughts are give the guy a break. The deputy major of the Baltimore Police Department’s Eastern District has been suspended pending an internal investigation into allegations that he failed to disclose a series of text messages he exchanged with a man sought…

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Police

Baltimore NAACP Vice President Arrested, Not Charged

The Vice President of the NAACP is out there copping like a junkie? He’s arrested and then not charged. I’m shocked. Shocked. WJZ reports: Police say Staten, who is an executive committee member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Maryland conference, was in the driver’s seat of a car that had stopped near Pennsylvania Avenue and…

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Police

The Ed Norris Bike Ride

The Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #3 is pleased to announce and support the1st Annual “Ed Norris Bike Ride” Fundraiser to be held on Saturday, March 28th, that will support the newly established Baltimore Metropolitan FOP Police Widows and Children’s Fund. How can this be? I’m all for bike rides and raising money for good causes, but I…

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Strip Searches

No longer allowed in Nassau County, Long Island, NY. Judge Leonard D. Wexler found that the Fourth Amendment prohibits jail officials from performing such searches on every person sent to the jail, particularly those arrested on a misdemeanor or minor charge like a traffic violation, and those who cannot be reasonably suspected of carrying a concealed weapon or drugs. I…

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Drug Bust Oscars

Peter Hermann has a nice article giving Academy Awards for drug busts. So, if we’re handing out Academy Awards for cocaine seizures, Bealefeld’s Oscar might read “Best director for a drug bust,” while Clark’s might read “Best supporting director for a drug bust.” … It is a sad reminder that the drugs keep pouring in despite year after year of…

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Police

Reporting the Police and Naming Names

David Simon, of The Wire, Homicide, and The Corner fame, has written a very powerful article in the Washington Post. The Baltimore Police stopped releasing the names of officers involved in police-involved shootings. Personally, I like reading the names in the paper to see if it’s anybody I know. Sure I could call up a friend and find out. But…

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Was that all a dream? Or Baltimore?

My wife, a friend, and I were on the 10:05 train to Baltimore this morning. Twelve hours and one Bull & Oyster Roast later, we’re back in New York City. It’s a shame we couldn’t stay longer, but a good time was had by all. On the menu: About 2 1/2 dozen delicious Maryland Oysters. 3 deep fried oysters (about…

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Police

Stories of the Eastern

I got Badges, Bullets & Bars in the mail and started reading it. I am amazed (maybe pleased is a better word) to find that one story — a police urban myth I constantly heard — is true. There are many crazy stories cops tell. And every squad has its own ghosts. Most of the stories are probably true (you…

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