America's Violence-Beset Capital City (#443, 1/20/24)
Are Civilians Too Easy on the Police? (II) (#442, 12/18/23)
Warning: (Frail) Humans at Work (#441, 11/29/23)
See No Evil - Hear No Evil - Speak No Evil (#440, 11/14/23)
Policing Can't Fix What Really Ails (#439, 10/18/23)
Confirmation Bias Can be Lethal (#438, 9/21/23)
When (Very) Hard Heads Collide (II) (#437, 9/5/23)
What Cops Face (#436, 8/24/23)
Punishment Isn't a Cop's Job (III) (#435, 8/1/23)
San Antonio Blues (#434, 7/20/23)
Watching the Watchers (#433, 6/30/23)
Good News / Bad News (#432, 6/16/23)
Is Diversion the Answer? (#431, 5/30/23)
"Legal" Gun Buyers Can be a Problem (#430, 5/15/23)
Fearful, Angry, Fuzzy-headed. And Armed. (#429, 5/2/23)
Piling On (#428, 4/17/23)
Are We Helpless to Prevent Massacres? (#427, 4/4/23)
A Broken "System" (#426, 3/20/23)
When Worlds Collide (#425, 3/7/23)
Punishment Isn't a Cop's Job (II) (#424, 2/20/23)
Does Race Drive Policing? (#423, 2/3/23)
Race and Ethnicity Aren't Pass/Fail (#422, 1/9/23)
Keep going...
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3/18/24
Chicago man Crosetti Brand, 37, had a life-long history of stalking, harassing and assaulting women.
Repeatedly the subject of protection orders, he got 16 years in prison for a 2015 assault. Paroled last
October, he promptly picked on a former target. Although he had been ordered to keep away, he tried to break
into her residence. Brand was returned into custody. But he was released on March 12. One day later he got in.
Armed with a knife, he stabbed the woman and killed her 11-year old son.
Drug legalization updates
Related post
8-THC is a virtual twin of 9-THC,
marijuana’s psychoactive element. But 8-THC, which is assertedly legal, is present in a wide assortment
of gummies and vapes that are marketed and sold to youths. According to medical researchers, their ingestion,
which produces marijuana-like “intoxicating effects”, presents the same risks of addiction and
perils to mental development as marijuana.
Related post
Maine has a “Yellow Flag” law that allows authorities to request that a judge order
dangerous persons to give up their guns. According to a commission investigating the October 2023 massacre in
a Lewiston bowling alley, where eighteen were shot dead, it could have been applied to its perpetrator, Army
reservist Robert Card, well in advance. But a deputy who knew five weeks earlier that Card was in a
“mental health crisis” and had threatened to commit a mass shooting did...nothing.
Related post
A Connecticut jury acquitted ex-State trooper Brian North of manslaughter and negligent homicide for
shooting and killing a mentally-troubled youth who flaunted a knife. In the 2020 incident, Mubarak Soulemane,
19 resisted arrest at the end of a pursuit and crash, and then-trooper North fired seven rounds because he
thought, mistakenly as it turns out, that a fellow officer might be stabbed. A $10-million dollar wrongful
death lawsuit remains in progress. Related posts
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In February Minneapolis-area resident Shannon Gooden, 38, shot and killed two suburban Minneapolis police
officers and a paramedic during a domestic violence call. Gooden, who had been convicted of assault with a
knife, was barred from having guns. But his live-in companion, Ashley Dyrdahl, who allegedly knew of
his record, bought him several, including three AR-15 style rifles. She has now been Federally indicted for
doing so. Related posts
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3/15/24 James Crumbley was found guilty by a Michigan jury. Both he and his wife Jennifer now
stand convicted of four counts of involuntary manslaughter for making a gun accessible to their deeply
troubled 17-year old son. In November 2021, Ethan Crumbley used the pistol his father bought him four days
earlier to kill four students at Michigan’s Oxford High School. He pled guilty and got life without
parole. His mother was convicted in February. She and her husband could draw up to 15 years on each count.
Related posts
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In the aftermath of Tyre Nichols’ brutal death, Memphis enacted a law that prohibits officers from using minor reasons, such as a broken
taillight or expired license plate, to make traffic stops. Its effects on policing recently led some Tennessee
legislators to introduce a bill that would prohibit cities from enacting such measures. The Federal trial
of four ex-Memphis cops for violating Mr. Nichols’ civil rights is now set for September 2024. It will be
followed by their State trial on murder charges.
Related post
Going against a seeming trend, Oakland crime
“surged” in 2023. Traditionally violence-ridden areas got worse, and even privileged districts
became beset with break-ins. In response, both Denny’s and In-N-Out Burger simply closed shop. Local
politicians blame the “crime wave” on inadequate police funding and “reforms” such as
Prop. 47 that substantially eased punishment. Memories of police misconduct haunt the search for solutions.
But after having his car repeatedly broken into, even a police reform advocate wonders “what is going
on?”.
Related post
3/14/24 Two Kansas City men face multiple Federal charges, including unlicensed gun dealing,
in connection with the February’s Super Bowl shootout. Fedo Manning and Ronnel Williams Jr. are accused
of buying and illegally reselling numerous guns, including the AR-15 style assault rifles recovered at the
scene. Both are also accused of buying gun parts for the purpose of assembling them into unserialized weapons.
Their customers included Chaelyn Groves, 19, who was too young to legally buy the pistol that Williams
supplied.
Related post
LAPD is recruiting “real” lawyers. Why? To help fire “bad cops.” By city
law, that requires a hearing before, and the approval of, a three-member “Board of Rights” panel.
Its members used to include officers, but accused can now demand that all be civilians. Past cases, though,
have convinced the city that civilians tend go easy on the cops. What’s more, officers can bring in their
own high-powered lawyers, while LAPD is only represented by cops with law degrees. So to help balance things,
they’re hiring!
Related post
3/13/24
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed “Secure D.C.,” a comprehensive anti-crime measure that was
prompted by her city’s problems with violent crime. Among (many) other things, it increases penalties for
certain gun offenses and lesser thefts, broadens the definition of “carjacking,” relaxes
restrictions on police chases and use of force, increases judges’ ability to detain potentially dangerous
persons, and allows police to designate “drug-free zones”. Bill text
Related post
After 25 years on the job,
Uvalde Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez resigned. He escaped direct blame for the loss of life at Robb Elementary,
as he was in Phoenix when the massacre took place and had left a subordinate in charge. Chief Rodriguez’s
resignation came only a few days after the city’s release of a report that has been highly criticized for
absolving Uvalde’s officers of blame. But city leaders praised Chief Rodriguez and wished him well.
Related post
3/12/24 In Apple Valley, Calif., Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 9-1-1 call from a home where a teen
was reportedly assaulting family members and causing damage. Seconds after the first deputy on scene approached
the home’s open front door, 15-year old Ryan Gainer emerged from its interior aggressively wielding
“an approximate five-foot-long garden tool, with a sharp bladed end.” Gainer ignored commands to
“get back,” and the deputy, who had already drawn his pistol, shot him dead.
Video
Related post
Pittsburgh police will no longer respond to calls other than
“in-progress emergencies.” Chief Larry Scirotto told reporters that short-staffing requires
they cut yearly call volume about 75%, from 200,000 to 50,000. According to Pittsburgh PD’s portal, complaints about criminal mischief,
theft and harassment will be handled by a “Telephone Reporting Unit”. But officers will still
respond to calls “where a suspect may be on scene, any crime where a person may need medical aid, any
domestic dispute, calls with evidence, or where the Mobile Crime Unit will be requested to process
a scene.”
Related post
Originally signed into
effect by President Ronald Reagan, the “Undetectable Firearms Act” was just renewed. Until at
least 2031, guns will be required to have enough metal to set off ordinary X-ray machines and metal detectors.
Sneaking 3-D printed plastic guns through checkpoints will continue to require that they be disassembled and
that metallic components such as firing pins be removed.
Related post
3/11/24 According to the Feds, last November’s hail of gunfire that left an 11-year
old Cincinnati boy dead and wounded four other children and a woman was produced by a gun that was illegally
converted to fire fully automatically. Tiny devices that turn pistols and rifles into machineguns can be made on
a 3-D printer or ordered online from shady sources. Thousands have been recovered during the past few years. And
while these “switches” are illegal under Federal law, most states still don’t forbid them.
Related post
DNA scientist Yvonne Woods had served Colorado for nearly three decades when she was placed on leave last
October. She retired the next month. Her forced departure is attributed to her alleged “manipulation”
of data. So far authorities have identified 652 cases in which she “deviated from standard
protocols.” Ms. Woods insists that she never purposely made or failed to make a match. But investigators
assert that she “tampered” with results, then “deleted and altered data” to conceal it.
Related post
During the 1980’s, former L.A. County Undersheriff Tim Murakami served as a deputy at the East Los
Angeles station. In testimony he just delivered to the civilian Oversight Commission, he said that’s when
he got a tattoo (since removed) depicting “a caveman carrying a club.” But he insisted that the East
L.A. station’s “Cavemen”, and the “Executioners, the Banditos, the Regulators and the
Little Devils” at other stations, were simply symbols of “station pride.” Indeed, there was no
such thing as a rogue “deputy gang.” Related posts
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3/8/24 Ronald Velasquez Jr. got fifty years for murdering a member of a rival gang in 2000. One
day ago, on the motion of the L.A. County D.A., he was exonerated and released after serving 23 years. His
alleged partner, Abraham Villalobos, was paroled and deported in 2015. Torres, who confessed of his foul deed to
an uncle, had coerced a witness to pin it on Velasquez, who had been at the scene but was uninvolved, and on
Villalobos, who wasn’t even there. Torres was killed in a drive-by a year later.
Related post
According to a comprehensive report by the City of Uvalde, police Lt. Javier Martinez and Sgt. Eduardo
Canales promptly went after the Robb Elementary school shooter. But Salvador Ramos had ensconced in a classroom
and was unleashing barrages through its door. They couldn’t see him, thus couldn’t return fire
because it might strike students. Ramos was armed with an AR-15, and there were no shields or body armor on site
that could defeat its highly penetrating rounds.
Related post
Once a big shot in the Bloods, Harlem resident Sheldon Johnson was released from prison last May after serving
25 years for attempted murder. Mr. Johnson, whose father had also been imprisoned, soon became well known for his
work helping rehabilitate others. Acclaimed as a “community leader and mentor,” he was on
Joe Rogan’s podcast a month ago. Mr. Johnson seemed to have accomplished his goal of leaving gangs, drugs
and guns behind. Alas, he’s now back in custody, charged with shooting a man dead and dismembering his
body.
Related post
Faced with a steep rise
in drug use and homelessness, progressively-minded San Francisco has (somewhat) retrenched. Police were
prohibited from pursuing suspects except under the gravest circumstances. But with voters’ passage of
Proposition E, they can do so when there is “reasonable suspicion that a person committed, is committing or
is likely to commit a felony or violent misdemeanor.” Police will also be allowed to deploy drones and use
facial recognition technology. But Proposition B, an expensive move to boost police staffing, was overwhelmingly
rejected. Official digest
Related post
3/7/24 Philadelphia’s bus system has endured a shooting on each of the past four days. Today,
Wednesday, the occupants of a passing car discharged “more than 30” rounds at high school students
waiting at a bus stop. Eight teens were wounded, one critically. Shootings during the prior three days killed two
adults and a 17-year old dead and left four persons wounded. No arrests have been made. Police blame persons who
illegally carry weapons and use them to settle arguments. Related posts
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New York City subways
have suffered a 45 percent year-to-year increase in major crimes. That’s led Governor Kathy Hochul to send
1,000 State police officers and National Guard troops to “conduct bag checks” and otherwise help NYPD
tamp things down on the beset system. Her move is welcomed by transit workers. But it’s drawing rebukes
from civil liberties groups, who prefer she focus on “longstanding problems of homelessness, poverty or
access to mental health care.”
Related post
3/6/24 King City is a working-class Northern California town of about 14,000 mostly Latino
residents. Most are employed in agriculture. And on Sunday it suffered a mass shooting. It’s offering
$20,000 for information about three men who drove up to a home where a birthday party was in progress and opened
fire. Four adults were killed and seven were wounded. King City’s police chief said there were
“gang issues” years ago, and that there’s still “a homicide here and there...but nothing
on this scale.”
Related post
During the first four months of 2021, ex-Boyle County (KY) deputy Tanner Abbott punched
motorists and passengers who angered him during three traffic stops. And on a fourth occasion he used the pretext
that he had a warrant to get the key to a motel room, then forced his way past its occupant and rummaged through
their belongings. These four episodes just led a Federal jury to convict Abbott on four counts of deprivation of
rights under color of law and other charges. Sentencing is pending.
Related post
3/5/24 Boston PD implemented a body-worn
camera program in 2016. It was assessed by comparing officers wearing cameras with those who did not. Results
indicate that camera-equipped officers had 63.6 percent fewer use-of-force reports and 50.5 percent fewer citizen
complaints during the study period. These differences are considered statistically significant, and DOJ has rated
the program “effective.”
Related post
Enacted post-Floyd, Colorado law lets citizens sue individual police officers for violating their State
constitutional rights. And a Denver state jury just awarded $3.76 million to Ruby Johnson, 78. She had sued two
SWAT officers for wrongly searching her home and damaging its contents. The owner of a stolen truck had used his
phone’s “Find My” app to track the vehicle to her house. Police used that information to get a
search warrant. But they ignored the fact that the app’s location data is imprecise.
Related post
3/4/24 Twenty-five to life. That’s the sentence handed down to 66-year old Kevin Monahan for
murdering the passenger of one of the vehicles that mistakenly drove up the driveway of his rural, upstate New
York home. Monahan said he opened fire with a shotgun to “scare the group away” while his wife
hid inside. But jurors agreed that his rage was “irrational”, and the judge gave him the maximum
penalty for 2nd. degree murder. His victim, 20-year old Kaylin Gillis, has been deeply mourned.
Related post
Five years in prison. That’s the sentence handed down to Colorado paramedic Peter Cichuniec for
causing the death of Elijah McClain by forcefully, and needlessly, injecting ketamine on the struggling man. A
jury convicted Cichuniec of assault, and this was the minimum term he could have received. Paramedic Jeremy Cooper
is yet to be sentenced. Their convictions have been sharply criticized by the paramedic’s union, which says
that their “scapegoating” is discouraging candidates from applying.
Related post
In 1994 the Philadelphia D.A. secured the murder conviction of Daniel Gwynn, 25. And a death
sentence, which was fortunately never carried out. And now, nearly 30 years later, the same D.A.’s office
obtained his exoneration and release. Witnesses testified they picked Gwynn from a photo lineup. It went missing
for years. But when found, Gwynn wasn’t in it. His confession also turns out to have been coerced. Meanwhile
authorities have identified the suspected real killer. He’s doing life on another case.
Related post
Both poverty
and crime-wise, D.C.’s 6th. Ward is definitely on the privileged end of the scale. But its influential
residents have also suffered some nasty encounters, and many “Blues” are upset with their liberal
Councilmember’s progressive views about crime. Charles Allen helped slash the police budget, and he wants to
reduce mandatory minimum sentences for some violent crimes. So they’ve mounted a recall campaign.
Related post
3/1/24 Acting on a lawsuit filed by DOJ, a new Texas state law that makes illegal immigration a State
misdemeanor, and a felony for repeat violations, has been blocked from taking effect by a Federal judge. Among its
provisions, the law authorizes judges to order that illegal immigrants be expelled by police. But DOJ argues that
Texas has unconstitutionally exceeded its jurisdiction.
Immigration updates
Related post
For the last thirty years, Federal law has
required that private persons who buy guns from licensed dealers pass a criminal record check. These are now
quickly accomplished through the FBI’s “Insta-Check” system. But according to The Trace, “nearly a quarter
of gun sales” happen wholly between private parties. So there’s no Federal records check. Twenty states
have laws that require checks for such transactions, but the others do not. And it turns out that many guns that
are used in crimes wound up in the wrong hands thanks to this loophole.
Related post
2/29/24 Try and try again? Idaho’s execution team tried to carry out Thomas Eugene Creech’s
death sentence earlier today. But they couldn’t tap into a vein. After eight tries, things got put off.
Creech, 73, has been locked up fifty years. He was doing life for five murders when he beat a fellow inmate to
death forty-three years ago. That earned him the death penalty. Citing the State’s “inability to carry
out a humane and constitutional execution,” his public defenders now demand that Creech be left alone.
Related post
Arguing before the Supreme Court, gun-rights advocates insist that bump stocks, which enable a form of
automatic fire, are legal accessories. ATF once agreed. But the 2017 Las Vegas massacre, in which two shooters
used bump-stock equipped rifles to murder sixty persons, led ATF to issue a ruling that bump stocks are illegal.
Fifteen States and D.C. have outlawed them. But lower Federal courts have clashed over their status. And today,
the Justices seemed split. Garland v. Cargill
Related post
2/28/24 A newly-published study analyzed the sales history of 38,441 handguns and 6,806 long guns
recovered in California crimes between 2010-2021. Recoveries were positively associated with several factors,
including dealer sales volume, percent of sales that were denied, less expensive handguns, larger-caliber
handguns, and buyers with previous arrests or living in more “socially vulnerable” census
tracts. Study
Related post
To help prevent gun misuse, the White House wants gun owners to lock up guns kept at
home. Oregon and Massachusetts have passed such laws, and several other States, including California, have
proposed legislation to that effect. But while the move is supposedly to help keep children safe, opponents
counter that it would make guns harder to access in emergencies, such as break-ins. So far,
California SB 53 lacks the support to
pass. And Federal safe-storage legislation has stalled.
Related post
2/27/24 San Francisco’s crime problem may be changing public attitudes about policing. Deaths
from Fentanyl have skyrocketed, leading the D.A. to warn dealers that overdoses will be
prosecuted as murders. And on the March city ballot, Proposition E would relax rules that limit pursuits to the
most urgent situations. Instead, they would be authorized to arrest persons who are reasonably suspected of
having committed a felony or violent misdemeanor. Use of drones, cameras and facial recognition technology
would also be expanded. Related posts
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