Police

Why did New Yorkers stop shooting each other?

In New York City not only has the number of homicides being going down, but the percentage of homicides committed with a gun has been decreasing. Put another way, there were about 309 people shot and killed in 2011 in NYC (for UCR reasons we’re talking incidents, so this is a bit of an undercount). In 2013: 188. That’s a…

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Police

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…

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Police

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,…

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Police

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…

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Police

Sergeant in Eric Garner death charged departmentally

I don’t know if this is good or bad, but why does it take years? That’s what’s so f*cked up about police discipline. And these charges were placed only, 18 months later, to beat the statute of limitations. The story in the Times.

Police

“Stop question and frisk” is dead

Welcome the NYPD’s “PD 382-152” (06-15), née UF-250, AKA Stop Report, just FYI: This new “UF-250” replaces the old “UF-250” from 2002 that made an unconstitutional mockery of reasonable suspicion as laid out in Terry v. Ohio. (Also FYI, the original form actually called a UF-250 is long dead; long live the UF-250!) If the goal is fewer stops, add…

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Police

2015 NYPD firearms discharge report

From the NYPD firearms discharge report for 2014: In adversarial conflict, 58 NYPD officers fired 201 rounds in 35 incidents. In total, 104 NYPD officers fired 282 rounds shot in 79 incidents. 18 incidents involving animal attack. There were 4 suicides. In adversarial conflict: 41% of officers fired one round. No officer had to reload. 52% of those shootings were…

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Police

Schoolcraft gets $600K

Adrian Schoolcraft wanted money and he got it, according to the Post. Schoolcraft wasn’t the first to point out that the NYPD was under intense (and illegal) quota pressure. He’s just, as I wrote. The only one, in my humble opinion, who has tried to martyr himself and turn number fudging into a tidy personal $50 million profit. He and…

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