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Ideology (Still) Trumps Reason (#447, 4/9/24)
When it comes to gun laws, “Red” and “Blue” remain in the driver’s seat
Shutting the Barn Door (#446, 3/19/24)
Oregon moves to re-criminalize hard drugs
Houston, We Have (Another) Problem (#445, 2/28/24)
Fueled by assault rifles, murders plague the land
Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Wrong Cop (#444, 2/8/24)
Recent exonerees set "records" for wrongful imprisonment
America's Violence- Beset Capital City (#443, 1/20/24)
Our Nation's capital is plagued by murder
Are Civilians Too Easy on the Police? (II) (#442, 12/18/23)
Exonerated of murder, but not yet done
Warning: (Frail) Humans at Work (#441, 11/29/23)
The presence of a gun can prove lethal
See No Evil - Hear No Evil - Speak No Evil (#440, 11/14/23)
Is the violent crime problem really all in our heads?
Policing Can't Fix What Really Ails (#439, 10/18/23)
California's posturing overlooks a chronic issue
Confirmation Bias Can be Lethal (#438, 9/21/23)
Why did a "routine" stop cost a man's life?
When (Very) Hard Heads Collide (II) (#437, 9/5/23)
What should cops do when miscreants refuse to comply? Refuse to comply?
What Cops Face (#436, 8/24/23)
America’s violent atmosphere can distort officer decisions
Punishment Isn't a Cop's Job (III) (#435, 8/1/23)
Some citizens misbehave; some cops answer in kind
San Antonio Blues (#434, 7/20/23)
What poverty brings can impair the quality of policing
Keep going...
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4/24/24 After a late-evening argument with his wife, Jonathan Candy, an Oklahoma City father of
four, shot her dead. He then gunned down three of their boys, ages 12, 14 and 18, and committed suicide.
A fourth boy, 10, discovered the carnage when he awakened in the morning. His bedroom door had been
closed and a fan was running, so he slept through the massacre. He discovered the bodies and called
9-1-1. The child is now with relatives.
Related post
Acting on a condemned defendant’s long-standing petition, Alameda County,
Calif. D.A. Pamela Price reported that prosecutors underlined the word “Jewish” while his
jury was being selected. After a thorough review, D.A. Price announced that prosecutors had engaged in a
widespread practice of excluding Black and Jewish jurors. Her findings, she said, “suggests plainly
that many people did not receive a fair trial.” A Federal judge has now ordered that dozens of
convictions be reviewed.
Related post
4/23/24 Last October the Supreme Court temporarily set aside a ruling by a Fifth Circuit panel
which invalidated a 2022 Federal rule that defined gun parts kits as firearms, thus requiring they
bear serial numbers and be subject to the same controls as functioning guns. ATF had intended that the
rule stop the proliferation of so-called “ghost guns”, which are readily acquired by criminals
and cannot be traced when recovered. The Supreme Court has now agreed to take up arguments and make the
final decision.
Related post
Marijuana use is legal in Maine, but growers must be licensed. Many aren’t. According to
Federal authorities, an estimated one-hundred illegal growths dot the state’s countryside. Most are
supposedly funded by “international criminal organizations,” including China and Mexico.
Dozens of search warrants have been executed on such operations during the past year, and agents recently
seized “nearly 40 pounds” of processed marijuana at one rural home.
Drug legalization updates
Related post
4/22/24 Former Crawford County, Arkansas deputies Levi White and
Zackary King pled guilty to Federal civil rights violations for beating a man who shoplifted a bottle of
water in August 2022. Initial reports indicate that Randal Ray
Worcester punched one of three officers who approached him in the head. But his subsequent takedown,
which included the delivery of numerous violent blows, was merciless. A bystander captured it on video.
Video
Related post
Hundreds of
young persons had gathered for a “senior skip day” at a county park 15 miles NE of
Washinton D.C. when gunfire rang out. Five teens, ages 16 to 18, were wounded, one critically. The
shooter, also young, fled. While overall crime in Prince George’s County is down, violent crime
is up 9 percent, and youth violence has become chronic. Ninety-two juveniles were arrested on gun
charges in 2023. This shooting came only two hours after a shooting in D.C. wounded three men and a
16-year old.
Related post
Overruling her predecessor, who found the officers acted reasonably, Alameda, Calif. D.A.
Pamela Price charged two current police officers and a sheriff’s deputy (he was then a cop) with
negligent manslaughter in the 2121 death of Mario Gonzalez. In response to a 9-1-1 call, they encountered
Gonzalez, who seemed drunk, and “pinned him to the ground.” Gonzalez’s death was
attributed to meth intoxication, with contributing factors of “altercation and restraint”,
obesity and alcoholism. Video
Related post
LAPD officer Alan Carrillo is being held on $100,000 bond
on charges that he stole items, “including brass knuckles and knives,” from persons he stopped
last year while assigned to the Mission Division’s scandal-beset gang unit. It’s expected that
other officers will also be arrested. Alleged misconduct by Carrillo and another officer could imperil as
many as 350 cases in which they had been involved. Related posts
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D.C. legalized recreational pot in 2014 but restricted its commercial sale to a handful of medical
dispensaries. An exception, though, allowed retailers to “gift” an ounce or less. That bred a
horde of “gifting” shops, where buying a t-shirt or knickknack earned an ostensibly
“free” helping of pot. D.C has now opened up medical marijuana licensing, and over 200
“gifting” shops have applied. And no, a prescription isn’t needed. All that customers must
do is affirm they have a bona fide medical need.
Drug legalization updates
Related post
4/19/24 Feds are bringing in special tools to help violence-besieged cities. To help trace the
path of firearms used in crimes, Chicago is getting its very own Crime Gun
Intelligence Center. And the surge in carjackings will be addressed by Federal-
local task forces in Alabama, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oregon, Texas and Washington.
Related post
Former St. Louis police officer Luther Hall, a Black man, was viciously beaten by four White
uniformed officers as he worked undercover monitoring a protest over a St. Louis cop’s acquittal
for the 2011 killing of a Black man. Hall, a 22-year veteran, was disabled and retired. His four
assailants were convicted of civil rights charges. Mr. Hall settled with the City for $5 million. And a
judge just awarded him $23 million in a default judgment against one of the convicted cops, who is now
in home confinement.
Related post
An L.A. County Deputy Sheriff faces felony charges
for keeping a coin purse containing money that she found while searching a vehicle during a traffic stop.
Deputy Jessica Lynn later discarded the purse, which was apparently recovered. Months earlier another
deputy was investigated for stealing poker chips from a professional gambler whose vehicle he searched
outside a casino. Prosecutors declined to follow through on that case, though, since the victim, citing
fears of deputy gangs, refused to cooperate.
Related post
4/18/24 Inspired by the Lewiston mass shooting, Maine’s legislature approved
a “sweeping” gun-control bill that imposes a 72-hour wait on gun purchases, bans bump
stocks, requires criminal record checks for private gun sales, and makes it a crime to
“recklessly” transfer a gun to a prohibited person. But while the State’s
“Yellow Flag” law was strengthened, a proposed “Red Flag” measure that would
allow family members (not just police) to petition for gun seizures was not included. Related posts
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California’s A.G. ruled that LAPD Officer William Jones
was justified in shooting at a man who rampaged through a Burlington clothing store in 2021. Jones’
gunfire killed the suspect, who turned out to be unarmed. But one of the bullets pierced an inner wall,
fatally wounding a 14-year old girl who was in a changing room with her mother. LAPD Chief Bratton had
ruled that Jones’ gunfire was wholly inappropriate, but he was overruled by the LAPD Commission.
Officer Jones remains on duty.
Related post
In a concerted effort to tackle an epidemic of “flash robberies” by mobs of thieves, LAPD
released a detailed series of images depicting hooded young persons swarming retailers on two occasions
in March. They are described as “male Hispanics, five to six feet tall, 120 to 250 pounds, and
appear to be between the ages of 15-25 years old.” Police cautioned that the thieves “used
force and displayed a lack of regard for the safety of witnesses and victims.” They fled on
bicycles.
Related post
4/17/24 After the foreperson announced the panel was deadlocked 7-5, a
Los Angeles Superior Court judge declared a mistrial in the case against ex-schools cop Eddie Gonzalez.
Charged with 2nd. degree murder for shooting and killing a passenger in a car that he approached
after an altercation on a nearby campus, Gonzalez insisted that he fired because the car’s sudden
movement placed him in danger. But that’s been strongly disputed. According to the foreman, the
holdouts favored a manslaughter conviction. A lawsuit against the school district was settled for $13
million last year. A retrial is pending.
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Buffalo homicides,
which reached a high of 70 in 2022, plunged to 38 the following year. What led to such a steep drop?
According to a deep look by The Trace, it can be credited to a collaborative effort between
government agencies, police, and, most importantly, non-profit groups and neighborhood organizations,
which sought to “interrupt” violence and redirect youths to positive ends.
Related post
In upstate New York, Onondaga County Sheriff’s Lt. Michael Hoosock and Syracuse
police officer Michael Jensen were shot and killed by a driver who had fled from a traffic stop. When
confronted at his residence, Christopher Murphy, 33, told a friend to leave and opened fire on the
officers with an “AR-15 style” rifle. His only criminal record was a decade-old arrest for
drunk driving. Murphy was also shot and killed during the exchange.
Related post
4/16/24 Authorities in Eagle Pass, Texas, the border community that’s at center in the
bitter dispute between the State and the Feds, are “overwhelmed” by a profusion of immigrant
deaths. Many crossing attempts end in tragedy as would-be immigrants are overcome by heat and starvation
or drown in the unpredictable waters of the Rio Grande. “You want to make sure they get back
to their loved ones, but it’s too many people crossing the river. Where do we put the
bodies?” asked a local Justice of the Peace.
Immigration updates
Related post
Following in the footsteps of D.C., Baltimore and Los Angeles, Philadelphia has secured an agreement
from Polymer 80 to stop selling unserialized gun parts kits to its residents. Philadelphia’s move
is intended to force would-be gun owners to undergo a background check, which can be avoided by
assembling a gun from parts. As part of a court-approved settlement, the “ghost gun” maker
is paying the violence-beset city $1.3 million to recompense it for its troubles.
Related post
4/15/24 Plainclothes-wearing
police tactical officers in Chicago’s beset Humboldt Park area pulled over Dexter Reed on March 21
because he wasn’t belted. His windows were tinted, and he refused to roll them down. Reed then
opened fire on the officer on the passenger side of the car, wounding him in the arm. Police responded
with a barrage of 96 shots, and an officer reportedly kept shooting as Reed, fatally wounded, lay on the
ground. COPA, the city’s civilian police overseer, criticized the stop and urged that the four
officers involved (they’re under investigation for alleged past misdeeds) be suspended. At the time,
Reed was pending charges for “aggravated unlawful use of a
weapon.” COPA reports and videos
Related post
Despite a
reported citywide easing in violence, residents of D.C.’s beset “Carver-Langston”
area, in the Fifth Ward, continue to suffer. During the late afternoon hours of April 10, two persons
exited a car with tinted windows and fired “dozens of rounds” as pedestrians, including
children, strolled by. A 29-year old man was killed and five persons, including a 9-year old and his
12-year old friend, were wounded. Their mothers said they plan to leave the area. The shooters managed to
evade police.
Related post
During America’s post-9/11 occupation of Iraq, interrogators supplied by military
contractor CACI instructed U.S. military police to “soften” detainees housed at notorious Abu
Ghraib prison. And that the soldiers did, engaging in notorious physical and psychological abuses that
eventually led to court-martials and convictions. But the civilians were never held to account. Until
today, when a Federal civil lawsuit filed against CACI by three of its victims gets underway in Virginia.
Related post
Texas man Raul Meza Jr. was 32 when he was paroled in 1993 after serving 10 years for murdering an 8-
year old. That caused a stir. And now there’s another, as Meza is back in custody after offering to
accept a 50-year term in exchange for pleading guilty to recently murdering his roommate and to killing a
woman during a 2019 sexual assault. That earlier murder would have been long solved, it turns out, but for
an Austin detective’s then-failure to
follow up on a positive DNA match. It’s now thought that Meza may have committed as many as ten
killings after his early release.
Related post
In
Chicago’s violence-ridden New City neighborhood, shots fired from a passing car at a family
gathered in its front yard killed a 9-year old girl and wounded three other
children, two critically. Seven adults, ages 19 to 40, were also wounded. The homeowner, who was shot in
the foot, said that gun violence had led his family, which had lived in the area more than thirty years, to
seek a home elsewhere. “We were just a little too late.” No arrests have yet been made, and
police said that gang violence was suspected.
Related post
Mary
Moriarty, Minneapolis’ one-time chief public defender, was elected as the city’s D.A. on
promises of reforming the police and reining in punishment. Her tenure has been marred by criticism of her
supposedly over-progressive tendencies. Two judges rejected plea deals they found excessively
lenient, and the State A.G. took over a case in which she tried to divert a youth who killed a
child’s mother. Most recently, she charged a State trooper with murdering a motorist who tried to
flee from a traffic stop. It’s a complex case, and even top Democratic officials have criticized
her actions.
Related post
4/12/24 A lawsuit against the L.A. County Sheriff’s
Dept. by eight deputies who allege they were mistreated by their agency after clashing with members of
the Banditos “deputy gang” has been cleared for trial. Aside from the County, the suit names
four former deputies who were in the gang; three were fired and one retired. Another lawsuit, filed by a former deputy, claims that his opposition to the
“Regulators” deputy gang led his superior officer, a “tattooed” member of the gang,
to unjustly fire him for misconduct. His then-boss is presently the agency’s acting chief of
training and personnel. Related posts
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According to the Attorney General, ATF’s “final rule”,
which implements the language of the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, clarifies that no matter where guns are sold,
“on the internet, at a gun show, or at a brick-and-mortar store,” if the motive is to
profit, a Federal firearms dealer license is required, and a background check must be conducted.
Final rule
Related post
4/11/24 Homeless and troubled, William Woods gave up. In 2020 he pled
guilty in Los Angeles to a series of financial crimes. Woods was jailed, then placed under mental
care. In fact, the crimes had been committed by Matthew Keirans. A long-ago coworker, he had stolen
Woods’ identity and posed as him since 1988. Finally, in 2023, a detective at the Iowa college where
the pretend Woods worked used DNA from Woods’ father’s birth certificate to confirm who the
real Woods was. Keirans recently pled guilty to Federal impersonation charges; he faces
thirty years. Woods’ exoneration is pending.
Related post
Twenty-five million. That’s what L.A. County has agreed to pay Isaias
Cervantes, a seriously mentally-ill man who was shot and paralyzed during a 9-1-1 response. Family members
called because Cervantes had become combative during a “mental health crisis”, and he tried to
fight off deputies when they tried to handcuff him. One deputy repeatedly exclaimed “he's going
for my gun,” and another opened fire. LASD declared the shooting “in policy,” and the
D.A. declined to prosecute. Video
Related post
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill making it a crime for immigrants who
have been deported or denied entry to the U.S. to be in Iowa. Those who fail to leave the U.S. would be
subject to prosecution. It’s now the second State, after Texas, to make illegal immigration a State
crime. But Des Moines police said they would not expend the resources to pro-actively enforce the measure.
“Senate File 2340” will become effective July 1st. Bill
Immigration updates
Related post
4/10/24 Two and one-half years have passed since Ethan Crumbley’s parents were
jailed for making a newly-bought pistol easily accessible to their deeply troubled 17-year old son. Ethan
Crumbley promptly used the gun to murder four students and wound seven. He was convicted and got life
without parole. Jennifer and James Crumbley were tried and convicted of manslaughter earlier this year.
Both were just sentenced to fifteen years and will have to serve at least ten, with credit for time
served. Related posts
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In 2008 Missouri
man Brian Dorsey pled guilty to gunning down his cousin and her husband, allegedly while high on
cocaine. He was sentenced to death. During his 17 years in prison, Dorsey reportedly became a model of
reform and drew great praise from his keepers. So much so, that more than seventy signed a letter asking that his life be
spared. His victims’ families took both sides. But the Supreme Court turned away his plea, and Gov.
Mike Parson insisted the execution be carried through. And on April 9, 2024, it was.
Related post
The Supreme Court will soon decide whether the D.C. Court of Appeals was correct when it upheld the
prosecution of January 6th. Capitol rioters for obstructing or impeding an official proceeding, a felony.
Challengers argue that the statute only applies to the destruction of evidence in Government custody. In
anticipation, some judges have granted a number of early releases. While a majority of serious Jan. 6th.
sentences were based on other, violent felonies, more than 100 cases could be affected.
Capitol updates
Related post
According to the Justice Department, since its establishment in May 2021 the COVID-19 task force has
filed criminal charges against more than 3,500 persons for purposely misappropriating over $2 billion in
pandemic relief funds. In addition, civil actions have led to over 400 settlements, and more than $1.4
billion has been recovered through seizure and forfeiture. Report
COVID-19 updates
Enacted in 2014, California Proposition
47 raised the threshold for felony theft to $950. That, say retailers, spurred on an epidemic of smash
-and-grabs. A ballot initiative would address the issue by allowing felony charges for three-time repeaters
and for strings of thefts where the total loss is at least $950. “The homelessness, drug addiction
and theft reduction act” also targets the fentanyl crisis. Among (many) other things, drug treatment
would be required for chronic users. Initiative 23-0017
Related post
4/9/24 A meta-review just
published in Criminology examined seventeen studies of preventive police patrol in large urban
areas. According to reviewers, increased preventive efforts led to statistically significant reductions in
property and violent crime, but had no appreciable effect on drug offenses and disorder. It’s
suggested that in addition to regular patrol, police adopt a “hot spots” approach that deploys
officers to troubled areas during the periods when crime is most prevalent.
Related post
4/8/24
More than thirteen-million bucks. That’s what New York City has set aside to recompense
residents who were forced by police to remove religious head coverings. This settlement was brought on by a
lawsuit from two Muslim women who had to remove their hijabs for booking photos after their arrests for
violating protective orders. Those incidents took place in 2017, and the policy was discontinued four years
later. By that time, “thousands” of persons of various religions had been affected.
Related post
Caribbean nations
are beset by arms smuggled from America. In 2021, nearly 85 percent of guns recovered in Haiti that were
traced by ATF turned out to have come from the U.S. Haitian gangs are the primary consumers. Their guns are
often acquired by straw buyers, then disassembled and packed aboard ships among legal cargo. Corrupt Haitian
officials are often in the mix.
Related post
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