I heard Harvard Professor Bruce Western speak tonight at New York University. A short while back I heard him speak at John Jay College and he was nice enough to give me his powerpoint presentation. I use some of it in my class. This is one of those slides: We now lock up 730 people per 100,000. And this rate…
The trial of the officers involved in the Sean Bell Shooting continues with lots of interesting testimony. The justice department declares that New York City’s auxiliary police aren’t really police. At least when it comes to paying benefits to the family of two officers killed while patrolling in uniform. And Governor Paterson, who I seem to like more and more,…
The Drug War Rant and Stop the Drug War turned me on to a report by the Center for Disease Control. The just released “Deaths: Final Report for 2005” (hey, it takes a while to count all the dead folk) may not be the most uplifting title, but they do breakdown the two-and-a-half million deaths in America (bet you couldn’t…
Too often, almost predictably, undercover vice units are involved in scandal. Even the Sean Bell shooting has a strong narc connection. The Night Club Task Force involved in the Sean Bell shooting was formed in reaction to the Chelsea abduction and murder of 18-year-old Jennifer Moore. These undercover vice and narcotics officers worked to establish patterns of wrongdoings in clubs,…
Occasionally I will repost op-eds of mine to give them fresh life and allow people to comment. The following was published in theWashington Post, August 2, 2004. You can read all my op-eds here. When you board a plane, both you and your carry-on bags are searched. A civilian employee of the Transportation Security Administration may open and search your…
There’s a great article in Timeby Ed Burns, Dennis Lehane, George Pelecanos, Richard Price, and David Simon. They’re the writers for the best show ever, The Wire. It’s a powerful piece and you should read the whole thing. Needless to say, they write well. Interestingly, they argue that for jury nullification, a concept I have long loved. “If asked to…
A 13-year-old girl in Tucson was strip-searched by school officials who suspected her of possessing ibuprofen (prescription-strength Advil). She didn’t have any. You can read her affidavit here.
One-in-a-hundred adult Americans is behind bars. This figure has shocked some people since it made the headlines the other day. The Timesquoted a Professor Cassell as saying that our rate of imprisonment has “very tangible benefits: lower crime rates.” But this isn’t true. The prison rate has been increasing since 1970, so why didn’t crime go down until the mid…
New York Timesace reporter Sewell Chan reports a proposed New York State tax on marijuana ($3.50/gram) and cocaine ($200/gram). If this tax survives court challenges, it is expected to raise over $10 million per year. These taxes are always a little strange and constitutionally questionable on grounds of double jeopardy. The real goal is to give law enforcement more tools:…
Cop brags about seized drug theft The New York Daily News reports that two narcotic detectives here caught after bragging on their own wire about stealing bags of seized cocaine. Corruption always involves drugs. But rarely in such idiotic fashion.