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2/25/26 A traffic stop led to the shooting death of a Missouri deputy two days
ago. Early the next morning his killer, Richard Dean Bird, 45, opened fire on deputies
who had tracked him down. A second deputy was killed and two were wounded. Bird was also
killed. It's not the first time that Bird had shot at police. Bird served prison time in
Kansas for a 2014 incident in which he fired a rifle at a deputy who was investigating him
for a theft. After his 2023 release he moved to Missouri, and was soon charged with a
burglary. But he was let go after paying a small fine.
Related post
Colin Gray, the father of Colt Gray, the Apalachee High School killer,
is on trial for giving his son access to guns despite knowing he was a danger. Marcee,
Colin's estranged wife, testified that Colt stayed with her for a time, and that he became
very destructive and upredictable. Marcee said that she warned her husband to keep guns away
from their son. But she admitted that she never told him about Colin's interest in school
shootings, and specifically, his obsession with Nikolas Cruz. Marcie suffered from chronic mental health problems,
and Colin eventually moved back in with his dad.
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Moved by "the arrests and
detention of United States citizens, including children, at times in the dead of night;
masked agents unleashing chemical irritants on bystanders and non-violent protestors; the
killings of United States citizens by federal officers; and incidents involving racial
profiling," New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill issued an executive order barring the Feds from
entering State property to enforce civil immigration laws, or using State properties,
including parking lots and garages, as a staging ground for that purpose. State employees
are also prohibited from allowing such access. Only exception is with a judicial order.
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2/24/26 Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader "El
Mencho" got his start in San Francisco, where he collected three arrests for drug sales
between 1986 and 1992. After a prison term Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes was deported, and
in time became the infamous leader of Mexico's premier drug cartel. And so he remained until
his death at the hands of Mexican military troops a couple days ago. But his underlings have
viciously fought back and killed dozens of Mexican soldiers. And so the cycle continues.
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Between 2018-2025 citizens filed "at least 43" complaints of misconduct
against Chicago cop Richard Rodriquez Jr. But he remained on a tactical team until yesterday.
That's when a city lawyer suddenly pulled him away from a courtroom where he was being
deposed on one of the many lawsuits spawned by his team's alleged abuses during stops,
searches and arrests. Rodriquez and three colleagues, who were also stripped of their badges,
are now on desk duty. Meanwhile the plaintiffs' lawyer is demanding to know why Rodriquez was
hauled off, and insists that he be promptly brought back so that his deposition can continue.
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Homicides are down across the U.S.; homicide clearances are up.
Indeed, those two factors likely go together. According to LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton,
his agency's ability to clear 78 prior-year homicides in 2025 was a product of 2025's
low murder count. That, in turn, was likely helped along by various factors, including a
higher rate of gun seizures, more arrests for violent crimes, and benefits flowing from
community anti-violence programs. The (very) visible presence of immigration agents might
have also tamped things down.
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2/23/26 About 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, Feb, 22, a small-town North Carolina family called
the sheriff about the disappearance of 21-year old Austin Tucker Martin, who lived with his
parents and older brother in a ranch home northwest of Raleigh. That was about the same time
that two Secret Service agents and a local cop intercepted Martin as he drove into President
Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach. Martin had a (very long) shotgun, and when he defied
orders to surrender and picked it up, he was shot dead. Martin, who had no known encounters
with the law, passed the time doing artwork, which he displayed online. So the question is:
Why?
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Karl Jacobson was a cop in New Haven, CT for 15
years when he was appointed its chief in 2022. But he suddenly retired in January. That was
quickly followed by his arrest on charges of stealing public funds. According to prosecutors,
Jacobson, an inveterate gambler whose bets exceeded $4 million in a recent year, reportedly
helped finance his hobby with tens of thousands of dollars he snuck out from the agency's drug
enforcement and youth activity funds. He apparently started coming clean after underlings
discovered the shortages, and told Mayor Justin Elicker that the problem was caused by a
"gambling addiction" for which he was seeking help. He's out on $150,000 bond.
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Aurora, CO paramedic Peter Cichuniec
has been serving a five-year prison sentence for a 2019 episode in which the negligent
administration of ketamine caused the death of Elijah McClain. But a judge just ruled that
Cichuniec has proven himself a model inmate and released him on probation.
Cichuniec, though, didn't actually administer the drug. He had ordered the drug be used and
measured it out. But another paramedic actually injected the dose. He, though, was acquitted at
trial. So Cichuniec is appealing.
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"Not Guilty." Had she been found guilty of manslaughter, former small-town
South Carolina cop Cassandra Dollard faced up to thirty years. But a jury just absolved her of
criminal blame for the death of Robert Langley, who "had something in his hands" when he stepped
out of his car after a protracted high-speed chase. (That "something" was $100 cash.) So she shot
him dead. Dollard had worked as a cop at six different agencies during her 30-year career,
and was fired twice. Related posts
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Thirty-three-point-five million. Just south of Chicago lies Dolton, IL. An
incorporated village of about 20,000, Dalton has its own cops. A decade ago they chased a car
that "skidded through a stop sign." Their quarry soon crashed. One occupant, John Kyles, was
killed. His companion, Dwayne Dunlap, sustained "severe, catastrophic and permanent injuries."
A lawsuit led to that judgment against the city. A judge just declared it must be paid,
with interest. That brings the debt to $40.6 million. And yes, it may bankrupt the
community.
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2/20/26 "Rapid Enforcement, Support, Evaluation, and
Triage Center." San Francisco's new approach to combatting the scourge of street drug use is
reportedly coming into effect. Instead of jail, as of April 1 deputies can begin taking persons
whom they arrest for drugs to a new center, where staff will watch over them while they sober up.
Clients are then referred to selected providers for follow-up treatment. At its start, there will
only be room for two-dozen clients. But there's hope for expansion.
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2/19/26 One had been a
Navy Captain. Another, an Army Ranger. Two U.S. Senators and four U.S. Representatives (each
happens to be "Blue") released a ninety-second video that urges members of the military to resist following orders they deem
illegal. In their view, "the threats to the Constitution aren't just coming from abroad, but from
right here at home." Their message was blasted by President Trump, and the Justice Department
moved to prosecute the lawmakers for seditious conspiracy. But a D.C. Grand Jury just turned the
Government down.
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2/18/26 In 2024 an Immigration judge ordered the deportation of
Guatemalan man Oscar Vasquez Lopez. And when red lights flashed in his rear-view mirror on a
Savannah, GA street two days ago, he pulled over. But when Lopez realized the agents' intentions,
he sped away. And ICE chased. Lopez soon rammed a vehicle at an intersection. Its driver, a
teacher going to work, was killed. And the community's very upset. Chatham County police can't
chase except for violent felonies. Had ICE asked for help, cops say they would have cut the man
off without risking a pursuit. But ICE didn't. Meanwhile, Maryland Governor Wes Moore (a
"Blue") just barred the state's cops from 287(g) partnerships with ICE. Its officers will no
longer help enforce immigration laws. Ditto, New Mexico, whose Governor (also a "Blue") signed a
similar measure two weeks ago. Related posts
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2/17/26 Bursts of gunfire upended a hockey game between
high-school teams at a Pawtucket, R.I. arena. Officials say that the father of a high-school
senior burst into the venue and shot five family members, killing the youth's mother, fatally
wounding the youth's sister, and leaving three other family members in critical condition. He
then committed suicide. A December, 2025 shooting at nearby Brown University took two lives and
wounded nine. Related posts
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2/16/26 A deadlocked jury ended the trial of former
Whittier, CA detective Salvador Murillo. In 2020 the driver of a vehicle connected with a
robbery backed his car - it now seems, accidentally - into a vehicle occupied by Murillo and his
partner, Det. Cynthia Lopez. Both ultimately fired on the driver. As it turns out, the man,
Nicholas Carrillo, was unarmed and unconnected with the robbery. But Murillo's shots struck
Carrillo in the back and permanently crippled him. Assault charges were filed against both
officers. Those against Ms. Lopez were dismissed last year. Whether Murillo will be retried
hasn't been decided.
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Despite criticism from the (very Blue-ish) L.A. Times, L.A.'s new
D.A., Nathan Hochmann, has made good on his pledge to ease up on the cops. Unlike his
predecessor, George Gascon, he rarely charges them with using excessive force. According to
Hochmann (and Court records bear him out) those cases rarely succeed. Perhaps the most notorious
was the prosecution of seven CHP officers for manslaughter in the death of Edward Bronstein, who
was "piled on" after a DUI stop. Gascon ultimately dismissed all the charges but one, against the
supervisor, and that was disposed of as a misdemeanor. But that officer is no longer a cop.
Related posts
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Launched in January, DHS
"Operation PARRIS" intends to review the qualifications of all refugees admitted to the U.S.
during the four years of the Biden administration. To begin addressing that weighty number - it
totals nearly 200,000 - the Feds are targeting the 5,600 who settled in Minnesota. DHS has also
moved to rescind a long-standing policy that prohibits detaining refugees simply because they
fail to earn lawful permanent status (a "green card") within a year of arrival.
Related post
Two ICE officers were placed on leave after a video and
witnesses contradicted their justification for shooting an alleged assailant. According to the
officers, Alfredo Aljorna and Julio Sosa-Celis went after one of them with a broom handle and a
snow shovel during a confrontation in Minneapolis. They then ran off, and during the chase an
officer fired, wounding Sosa-Celis. But testimony at their initial hearing suggests that there was
no assault, and the judge dismissed the case. FBI agents are now investigating...ICE.
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2/13/26 Self-admitted Latin Kings gang member Jaime Rios had served 17 years for
murder when he was paroled in 2007. His current lawsuit against Chicago is the latest in a torrent
of litigation spawned by the reported misdeeds of retired CPD detective Reynaldo Guevara and his
colleagues. Chicago has already paid out tens of millions to recompense those who were wrongfully
convicted thanks to lies and false confessions allegedly obtained through force and coercion.
Guevara, who is testifying by video from his home, has invoked the Fifth dozens of times. As this
is a civil case, the judge has told jurors that his refusal to answer can indeed count.
Related post
"Mean Arms" of Georgia has gone out of business. But on the way, it's agreed to
pay $1.75 million to settle lawsuits filed by families and survivors of the 2022 massacre at
the Tops market in Buffalo, N.Y. "Mean Arms" had made and marketed a small device that allowed
persons slinging assault-style rifles to disable the locking mechanisms, required by New York
state law, which prevents swapping out the weapons' magazines for high-capacity versions. Thus
enabling gunslingers like Payton Gendron to cause even more unspeakable harm.
Related post
2/12/26 According to the
BBC, the 18-year old who stormed into a remote Canadian schoolhouse had transitioned from male
to female and was the subject of repeated mental health calls to police. Jesse Van Rootselaar
opened fire at home, killing her mother and a step-brother, then stormed a secondary school and
used a handgun and a "long gun" to murder a teacher and five students, ages 12 and 13. She then
committed suicide. While Canada's gun death rate is far below that of the U.S., it's nonetheless suffered from
a string of school and college shootings.
Related post
Forty-
eight years ago small-town Missouri woman Donna Hughes-Brown legally emigrated from Ireland
with her parents. A green-card holding permanent resident, she's also married and, at 59, a
grandma. Problem is, she collected two misdemeanors a decade ago for passing two bad checks
totaling $75. So when she returned from an overseas jaunt last July, ICE snatched her at the
airport. Mrs. Hughes-Brown spent almost five months locked up before a judge canceled her removal.
ICE, though, has said that her behavior "[does]not make for an upstanding lawful permanent
resident." They intend to keep using "crimes of moral turpitude" to negate green cards. So there!
Related post
2/11/26 Young men striving to reform are recruited by crime-beset
communities to counsel their peers and help "interrupt" violence before it occurs. But
sometimes they get sucked back into the mix. As in D.C., where two "violence interrupters" are
facing charges for a murder. And it's not the first time that a D.C. "interrupter" has gotten
crosswise with the law. In September 2024 D.C. cops shot and killed an "interrupter" working
for the A.G.'s "Cure the Streets" program. He crashed his car, and when officers showed up he
had a gun in his lap. Then reportedly grabbed for a cop's.
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Police pursuits are dangerous for the cops. Even after they seemingly end.
In Indiana, a wild pursuit - the fleeing vehicle reached 130 mph - was brought to a seemingly
successful end by a Trooper who used an "immobilization" technique to stop the suspect's car. But
as the officer walked over to confront the driver he was struck by a Sheriff's patrol car that
slid out of control as its driver jammed on the brakes at the end of the chase. The trooper was
seriously hurt.
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2/10/26 "Despite our belief that this is
useful technology we recognize that public trust is far more valuable." With these words, a
Milwaukee P.D. representative announced that her agency will no longer use facial recognition
technology, period. Criticisms of its intrusiveness and propensity for error, and particularly
with persons of color, had reached a fever pitch in the city. A prospective deal to supply
over two-million jail and booking photos to a data company in exchange for its software was
apparently the last straw.
Related post
Four Massachusetts State Police officers were indicted over the 2024 death of a
trainee from brain injuries suffered during an "unauthorized, unapproved and unsafe" boxing match.
Charges include involuntary manslaughter and, in the case of a supervisor, perjury. Lasy year, in
"Dying to Serve," the AP attributed "dozens" of
police recruit deaths to unsafe police training practices in use across the U.S.
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2/9/26 Guilty of 2nd. degree manslaughter. Rendered on February 6th. by
a New York judge, the verdict - reportedly the first such conviction in a decade - led to the
immediate firing of NYPD Sgt. Erik Duran. Two years ago Sgt. Duran threw a cooler chest at a fleeing
drug seller, causing the man to lose control of his motorbike and crash to his death. Although Sgt.
Duran testified that he was only trying to keep fellow officers from being run over, the judge
apparently concluded that his actions were really intended to prevent the flight of Eric Duprey, who
had just sold a small amount of cocaine to an undercover officer. Duran faces a term of five to
fifteen years.
Related post
Expert testimony about false confessions isn't a given. Ruling
in South Dakota v. Timothy Huante, a panel of the South Dakota Supreme Court altogether
excluded the proposed testimony of an expert about the issue of false confessions. In this case,
the evidence against the accused is substantial, and there is no indication that his confession
was coerced. Absent that, there is no "reliable methodology" that jurors can apply to determine
whether a confession is false. Reliable data about how often people falsely confess is also
lacking, so testimony about its supposed prevalence cannot be admitted.
Related post
"A public safety
crisis." According to Calif. A.G. Rob Bonta, that's what "ghost guns" have brought on in the
no-longer-so-Golden State. Using 3-D printers, readily available gun parts and computer code,
virtually anyone can skirt whatever regulations and prohibitions exist and assemble working,
unserialized guns at home. So California's suing. It accuses the Gatalog Foundation Inc., CTRLPew
LLC and several individuals with knowingly helping customers skirt State and Federal laws by
providing them online access to all the code needed to assemble 3-D printed guns in a day's time.
Complaint
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Fifty-caliber ammo. manufactured in an Army plant has long been smuggled to
the Mexican cartels. Private firms produce the bullets at the Lake City Armory, and their contract
permits selling their lethal product to the civilian market. Loads wind up in the hands of
smugglers, who then make big bucks hauling the rounds across the border. Where they get used in
inter-Cartel squabbles, and against the military and police.
Related post
2/6/26 "The system sucks. This job sucks." That's
only a snippet of what Homeland Security lawyer Julie Le told the frustrated Minneapolis Federal
judge who must deal with the mass of habeas petitions and other motions filed by immigration
detainees on which the Government is yet to act. Complaining that she, too was swamped, Ms. Le
asked to be held in contempt "so that I could get 24 hours of sleep." And, yes, Ms. Le's detail
to help out in Minnesota was cut short.
Related post
Newly-installed Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (she's a "Blue") worries that
immersing state and local cops in immigration enforcement damages community trust in the police. So
she's ordered an end to all 287(g) agreements between state officers and ICE. Her predecessor,
Glenn Youngkin (a "Red") championed State cooperation in immigration matters, and "Red" members of
the State legislature bemoan its passing. But the new Guv, a former Federal agent, views the
present immigration enforcement drive as "fear-based policing [or] enforcement theater."
Related post
2/5/26 "We got away from it a little bit." Newly-installed immigration czar
Tom Homan's words reflect the Administration's supposedly renewed emphasis on going after illegal
immigrants who pose a threat to public safety. That, asserts Mr. Homan, will be the focus of the
two-thousand agents who remain in the Minneapolis area after 700 are pulled back. That re-do was
made possible, he says, by the "unprecedented number of counties" that have been turning over
unauthorized residents upon their release from jail on local charges. On the other hand, the
Washington
Post reports that recent lethal missteps by ICE are leading a number of States to strip
local agencies of Federal 287(g) authority, which had enabled cops to arrest persons for immigration
violations.
Related post
2/4/26 California law requires that gun dealers make real-time audio and video
recordings of all gun transactions. Enacted in 2024, P.C. Sec.
26806 was unsuccessfully challenged in Federal Court as a breach of the Second Amendment. But
the plaintiffs, a coalition of firearms businesses and gun advocates, appealed to the Ninth Circuit.
And that's where their challenge presently sits.
Related post
Minneapolis ICE agents have shifted from staging major sweeps to targeting specific
residences and neighborhoods. That led activists to start following Government cars. And that, in
turn, just led agents to arrest, at gunpoint, the occupants of a car that was trailing them.
Meanwhile, New York Attorney General Letitia James is preparing to deploy observers clad in "purple
safety vests" to watch ICE agents and gather information that could be useful in a "legal action".
Related post
Before her 2022 election to Congress, Florida U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick helped
run her family's healthcare company. And, according to a Federal indictment, seized on the
opportunity presented by the COVID-19 pandemic to submit a copious amount of false, vaccine-related
claims for reimbursement. She allegedly used the proceeds to reimburse donors to her Congressional
campaign. And for other things, including a $100,000-plus diamond ring.
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2/3/26 Police credit license-plate reader cameras with
helping to locate wanted persons and solve crimes. Their use, though, has come under fire from civil
liberties advocates, and particularly so as immigration enforcement ramps up. While agencies around
the U.S. have shared license plate data with ICE, Detroit, a major user of the cameras, insists it
doesn't. But other Michigan cities that wish to deploy the cameras are finding that they must now
contend with the "hard questions" that their citizens will inevitably pose.
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Brian O'Hara took over as chief two years after the murder of George Floyd forever upended Minneapolis
policing. He just told a new set of hires about the challenges they will face gaining - and
keeping - citizen trust. That chore has become far more burdensome since ICE invaded his city. So
far, though, his agency has successfully "threaded a narrow needle," keeping its distance while
only stepping in when it must. And so far, so good.
Related post
Federal tax credits have proven a powerful tool for lifting children from poverty. According to a
new report from the National Academies, the 2021 American Rescue Plan helped free "more than 2
million children" from the clutches of poverty. It accomplished this by temporarily expanding the
Earned Income (EITC) credit and the Child Tax Credit (CTC), thus helping to ease the burden that the
devastating pandemic imposed on American families.
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