Violence Isn't Down
for the Cops
(#468, 5/30/25)

More officers are being
murdered. And mostly,
with guns.

A Lethal Distraction
(#467, 5/12/25)

A foot pursuit of hit-and-run
suspects turns into
an exchange of fire with
an armed resident

Putting Things Off
(#466, 4/27/25)

Pursuits hurt and kill
innocents. What are
the options?

Gun Control?
What's That?
(#465, 4/1/25)

Ideological quarrels
beset gun laws.
And gun law-making.
And gun law-enforcing.

Forewarned is
Forearmed
(#464, 3/19/25)

Killings of police officers
seem inevitable.
What might help?

Who's Under the Gun?
The ATF, That's Whom
(#463, 3/6/25)

Going after gun controllers,
for the usual reasons

Who's Under the Gun?
The FBI, That's Whom
(#462, 2/14/25)

Going after the FBI
for going after
the Capitol rioters

Point of View
(#461, 1/30/25)

Do scholars really “get”
the craft of policing?

All in the Family
(Part II)
(#460, 1/6/25)

A decade after Part I,
domestic killings
remain commomplace

Acting...or Re-acting?
(#459, 12/8/24)

An urgent response
proves tragically imprecise

Citizen Misbehavior
Breeds Voter
Discontent
(#458, 11/20/24)

Progressive agendas
face rebuke in even
the "Bluest" of places

A Matter of Facts
(#457, 11/3/24)

Did flawed science place
an innocent man
on death row?

Want Brotherly Love?
Don't be Poor!
(#456, 10/12/24)

Violence is down in Philly,
L.A. and D.C.
Have their poor noticed?

Prevention Through Preemption
(#455, 9/16/24)

Expanding the scope of
policing beyond
making arrests

Switching Sides
(#454, 8/30/24)

St. Louis’ D.A. argues that
a condemned man
is in fact innocent

"Distraction Strike"?
Angry Punch? Both?
(#453, 8/11/24)

When cops get rattled,
the distinction may
ring hollow

Bringing a Gun
To a Knife Fight
(#452, 7/30/24)

Cops carry guns.
Some citizens flaunt knives.
Are poor outcomes inevitable?

"Numbers" Rule –
Everywhere
(#451, 7/2/24)

Production pressures
degrade what's "produced" –
and not just in policing

Is Crime Really Down?
It Depends...
(#450, 6/20/24)

Even when citywide
numbers improve, place
really, really matters

Kids With Guns
(#449, 6/3/24)

Ready access
and permissive laws
create a daunting problem

Keep going...

6/13/25 An in-depth investigation by The Trace revealed that Chicago’s homicide clearance rates are significantly lower when victims are Black. That finding comes on the heels of a major revamp of Chicago P.D.’s homicide investigation process, which implemented recommendations made by reviewers from the Police Executive Research Forum. Changes included increasing the number of specialized homicide detectives and adjusting their caseload to enable them to pursue long-term investigations. Technology was also upgraded. But reformers point out that residents of the city’s poorer areas continue to be deeply distrustful of the police. They are less likely to cooperate with detectives, which inevitably affects what crimes get solved. Related post

LAPD reported that its officers made 461 arrests in the downtown area between Saturday, June 7, when the immigration protests began, through Thursday morning, June 12. Overall, most arrests were for failure to disperse. But during the first two evenings, when officers had to use horses and discharge hundreds of rounds of less-lethal munitions to gain control over a “hostile crowd,” there were many arrests for vandalism, looting and assault on a police officer. An 8:00 pm curfew declared by Mayor Karen Bass on June 10 proved effective. While there were 203 failure to disperse arrests that evening, the number fell to 71 on the following night. Arrests for serious crimes also sharply declined. Immigration updates   Related post

6/12/25 An academic study examined a national sample of 288,250 firearm homicides and 450,956 firearm suicides between 1998-2020 to determine whether States with Extreme Risk Protection Orders had better outcomes. Its findings, just published in Journal of Preventive Medicine, revealed that suicides were significantly reduced in States where health professionals could request orders, and particularly for White persons. Homicides were significantly reduced in States where family members could request ERPO’s, and this effect was most pronounced when victims were Black. Related post

Oklahoma’s Richard Glossip had been locked up for nearly three decades when the Supreme Court threw out his murder conviction last February. During that time he endured nine proposed execution dates and ate three “last meals.” But something always came up. Such as a mix-up over the correct lethal injection drugs. State Attorney General Gentner Drummond concedes that prosecutors knowingly used false testimony at Glossip’s trial. Indeed, he asked the Justices to overturn the conviction. But he insists that Glossip is guilty, and will be retried. It’s no longer a death penalty case, though. Related post

According to a former DHS official, pressures to make immigration arrests have produced defacto “quotas.” Some are obvious. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has ordered ICE to make at least 3,000 arrests each day. “Border Czar” Tom Homan promises “more worksite enforcement than you’ve ever seen...” Criminal investigators have been diverted to those ends. Consider Ambiance Apparel, a fashion warehouse in downtown L.A.  Ambiance has long been on the Fed radar for tax fraud and money laundering, and in 2021 its owner served a brief prison term for those crimes. But last week’s raid at Ambiance was all about bodies. More than forty undocumented workers were arrested. Many were long-time U.S. residents and had raised families. And their children weep. Related posts 1   2

6/11/25 A Washington Post investigation reveals that D.C. youths arrested for even the most serious crimes are routinely released on ankle monitors, which they are responsible for keeping charged. Some kids told reporters that they don’t bother to keep the devices working; one admitted that he committed robberies while supposedly being “tracked.” And even when teens get hauled in for failing to comply, judges simply release them again. Experts criticize the devices, as there is no evidence that they deter misbehavior or help young persons heal. “A monitor is just a black box. It doesn’t educate young people, it doesn’t rehabilitate them, it’s not a substitute for going to school or getting counseling...” Related posts 1   2

In Graz, Austria’s second-largest city, a 21-year old man opened fire at a high school he once attended, but from which he didn’t graduate. Ten were killed, including a number of youths ages 14-18, and a dozen persons were wounded, many seriously. Among them was an adult who has since reportedly passed away. According to police, the gunman had legally acquired the pistol and shotgun that he used in the massacre. After he stopped shooting he apparently called one of his parents, then committed suicide. Austria has relatively high gun ownership for the EU, with 30 guns per 100 citizens. But its 2021 gun murder rate/100,000 pop. was a low 0.1 (it was 4.5 in the U.S.). Related post

In 2010 the Supreme Court’s landmark McDonald v. City of Chicago decision, which held that the 2nd. Amendment applies to States and localities, overruled the city’s ban on handguns. A new study just published in JAMA Pediatrics analyzed firearms deaths in children and adolescents post-McDonald. Its findings indicate that States which adopted more permissive laws went on to suffer an excess of “thousands” of child deaths from gunfire. Meanwhile California, Maryland, New York, and Rhode Island, which retained strict gun laws, actually enjoyed a decreased rate of children killed by gunfire. Related post

6/10/25 Despite the Supreme Court’s rejection of its lawsuit against U.S. gun makers, Mexico has been assured that the U.S. will take steps “to stop southbound arms trafficking and dismantle networks fueling cartel violence.” Although Mexico’s gun laws are highly restrictive - the country has only two gun stores - homicides are at a historic high. Problem is, an “iron pipeline” sneaks in hundreds of thousands of guns from the U.S. each year. Most come from border states, where they are bought from dealers and at gun shows by “straw” buyers who then smuggle them across. Click here for a court decision about one of the blogger’s guns-to-Mexico cases while he served as an ATF agent in Arizona. Related post

Fifteen States and D.C. have sued to reinstate the ATF regulation that bans devices, known as “forced-reset triggers”, which allow pistols to mimic full-auto machinegun fire. That rule was contested by the manufacturer, Rare Breed Triggers, and the new Administration recently allowed them to resume producing the devices and selling them to the public. But the plaintiff States (all are “Blue”) called the Government’s decision reckless. According to New Jersey A.G. Matt Platkin, “it is one of the most insane things I’ve seen in my more than two decades involved in the gun violence prevention movement.” Related post

Last October a 15-year old D.C. youth and a 17-year old companion violently robbed a 39-year old man, beating him so violently that he lapsed into a coma and passed away after two weeks. At the time the 15-year old had five open robbery and assault cases, to which he had pled guilty. But he was nonetheless released. He’s since turned sixteen, and just pled guilty to murder. As mandated by D.C. law, that was done in juvenile court. His maximum sentence is detention until he turns 21. Bryan Smith’s friends were dismayed. And the judge conceded that their criticism “was not unreasonable.” Related posts 1   2

As largescale protests over immigration policy continued, burglaries and vandalism beset L.A.’s downtown area. Hooligans torched Waymo driverless vehicles, damaged parked police cars, and festooned buildings with graffiti. Although National Guard troops had arrived, they were mostly deployed to protect Federal offices. Hands-on law enforcement was left to LAPD, whose officers made “at least” forty arrests. Marine corps units have also been mobilized and are on the way. Union leader David Huerta and eight others face Federal charges for impeding the Feds. Huerta was arrested and released. Immigration updates
Related post

6/9/25 Chicago police officer Krystal Rivera and her partner chased a man they thought was armed into an apartment. Inside they encountered a second man, Adrian Rucker, 25. As officer Rivera kept chasing after the first man, Rucker reportedly pointed an AR-15 style pistol at her partner. He responded with a gunshot. Tragically, the partner officer’s bullet struck officer Rivera in the back, inflicting a fatal wound. A four-year CPD veteran, officer Rivera had already seized two guns during that shift. She is the only Chicago police officer killed in the line of duty so far this year. More guns and ammunition were found in the apartment. Rucker, who had six active warrants, faces a host of charges. Related post

It’s now official. U.S. will pay the family of slain Capitol rioter Ashli Babbit $4,975,000 to settle a lawsuit that claimed her shooting by a Capitol police officer was, in effect, an act of murder. Ms. Babbitt, who was unarmed, was shot by then-Capitol police Lt. Michael Byrd as she clambered into the lobby through a broken window. Officers had in effect ceded the area to the rioters, and Byrd was a distance away and in plainclothes. He was investigated and cleared. But not everyone’s on board. Retiring Capitol police chief Thomas Manger (he took over after the assault) “blasted” the settlement as a needless gesture that “sends a chilling message to law enforcement nationwide. Agreement   Capitol updates   Related post

“The Plaintiffs themselves did not obstruct the proceedings at the Capitol, destroy government property, resist arrest, conspire to impede the police, or participate in civil disorder....” Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio and underlings Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, Ethan Nordean and Dominic Pezzola were convicted and locked up. But Presidential pardons and commutations freed them and nearly 1,500 other alleged rioters. And now they’re the “plaintiffs.” Their suit for false prosecution seeks compensation “and $100 million plus interest in punitive damages.” Meanwhile former D.C. police Lt. Shane Lamond, who was convicted by a judge of obstructing justice by secretly sharing sensitive police information with Tarrio, just drew eighteen months. Will he be pardoned? Capitol updates
Related post

“Operation Justice Trail,” an initiative of Dallas police chief Daniel Comeaux, draws on the resources of his agency and the U.S. Marshals Service to arrest the city’s “most wanted criminals.” In its first month the project has arrested 98 persons wanted for violent crimes. These offenders had amassed a startling 700 convictions. Problem is, criminals often go on the lam after bonding out. Keeping that from happening may not be easy. According to the D.A., “...the way the system is set up in Dallas County, we’re not even present when the initial bonds are set.” Information that leads to the arrest of a wanted violent felon can earn a tipster up to $5,000. Related post

Federal raids of Los Angeles-area workplaces that allegedly employ illegal aliens led to violent confrontations between immigration protesters, ICE and sheriff’s deputies. That, in turn, led the Trump administration to call up “at least 2,000” national Guard troops to help authorities quell the disorder. Three-hundred troops have arrived in L.A. and deployed to several locations. Smoke and pepper spray was used to clear a path for their vehicles, and clashes with protesters have begun. Immigration updates  Related post

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the El Salvadoran man who was was wrongfully deported, is back. He’s in custody, facing Federal charges of participating, over nearly a decade, in a smuggling ring that allegedly trafficked women and children from South and Central America throughout the U.S. Immigration updates  Related post

6/6/25 Enacted in 2005, the “Protection of Lawful Commerce in Firearms Act ” shields the gun industry from lawsuits over gun misuse that it did not aid or abet through risky sales or marketing practices. That, according to the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Smith & Wesson et al. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos, absolves it from civil liability over the actions of corrupt dealers who sold guns to arms suppliers for the Mexican cartels. Bottom line: Mexico’s “$10 billion dollar lawsuit” is out. Related posts 1   2

A Memorial Day mass shooting in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park killed two and wounded nine. Police say that one of the shooters used a gun fitted with a small device that enables pistols to mimic full-auto fire. Fifty-seven guns so equipped have been seized by Philly cops this year. These so- called “Glock switches” are readily available online for $25, and ATF reported a near eight-fold jump in the number seized in the U.S. between 2019-2023. Related post

Nearly half of California counties lack full-time investigators in their public defender offices. That includes eight of the ten counties with the highest rates of imprisonment. According to CalMatters, even where full-time investigators are on staff, their numbers are grossly inadequate. Poor people who are charged with crimes are thus far more likely to be wrongfully convicted. And that’s not just a problem in California. Most counties in Mississippi pay private lawyers flat fees to defend the indigent. And excepting in murder cases, investigators are never hired. Related post

6/5/25 On June 4th., two days after gunfire erupted during a gathering of young persons in a North Carolina town, police arrested Garon Nathaniel Killian for attempted murder. As it so happens, the 20-year old was then out on a $100,000 bond for an April 6 incident in which he allegedly opened fire during a dispute in a parking lot. No one was hurt on that occasion. But the more recent incident led to the death of one young person and caused injuries to eleven others. This time, the judge set a bond of $200,000. Killian remains in custody. Police have voiced outrage over his release the first time around. And what it apparently helped enable. Related post

“Project Safe Neighborhoods,” a long-running collaboration between Federal law enforcement agencies and local police, focuses on economically distressed areas that are beset by gangs and violence. Already in effect in seven of Chicago’s most hard -stricken zones, it’s being expanded to cover the city’s downtown sector and its public transit system. Federal funds will be reportedly provided for lots of things, from hiring and training cops to installing anti-violence signage. And the FBI, ATF and DEA will be pitching in. Related post

“The court finds that deportation without process could work irreparable harm and an order must issue without notice due to the urgency this situation presents.” With those words a Colorado Federal judge blocked the Government from summarily deporting the family of Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the Egyptian national who hurled firebombs at persons marching in support of Israelis held hostage in Gaza. But while “expedited removal” seems out, the family remains in Government custody. The judge set a hearing on the matter for June 13. Immigration updates   Related post

6/4/25 Last year a 9th. Circuit panel ruled 2-1 that the “qualified immunity” doctrine protected LAPD officer Toni McBride from being sued for continuing to fire at an assaultive man after he was wounded and laying on the ground. But an en banc panel of the Court just cited an earlier case in which it held that “continuing to shoot a suspect who appears to be incapacitated and no longer poses an immediate threat violates the Fourth Amendment.” And whether it was violated in this matter is for a fact-finder to decide. So the case is back with the District court; and presumably, for a trial by jury.
9th. Circuit decision  Related post

On June 1st., in Boulder, CO, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year old Egyptian national, threw firebombs at demonstrators who were peacefully marching in support of Israelis held hostage in Gaza. At least a dozen suffered serious burns, and Soliman was quickly arrested. He, his wife and five children arrived in 2022 on a non-immigrant (i.e., tourist) visa. But it expired in 2023, and Soliman applied for asylum. It was never granted. Soliman’s family - a daughter just graduated from high school - reportedly cooperated with authorities. But they’ve been detained by ICE and face “expedited removal.” Immigration updates   Related post

6/3/25 Four months in Federal prison. That’s the sentence just handed down to L.A. Sheriff’s Deputy Trevor Kirk, who was convicted in February by a Federal jury of using excessive force on a woman during a 2023 encounter. That could have drawn Kirk ten years. But L.A.’s new U.S. Attorney stepped in and recommended that Kirk’s conviction be reduced to a misdemeanor, and a judge agreed. Still, he declined to impose straight probation, as had been requested. Kirk remains on leave from his job. Related post

Bloomfield, NM police officer Timothy Ontiveros succumbed to injuries suffered during a vehicle stop on Memorial Day. He had stopped a car for a traffic violation, but its driver refused to roll down his window or show ID. And when Officer Ontiveros and a partner tried to break in to the car, Dennis Armenta, 58, opened fire with a handgun, badly wounding officer Ontiveros. Armenta, who reportedly has past arrests for “assault, trespassing, resisting an officer and threatening hospital staff,” was shot dead by the other officer on scene. Related post

The Federal assault weapons ban is long expired. However, ten States and D.C. have enacted their own prohibitions. In response, pro-gun groups have a number of legal challenges in progress. In an ideologically- split decision, the Supreme Court just decided to let Maryland’s ban on the AR-15 rifle stand. But the majority cautioned that its denial of certiorari from a Fourth Circuit decision (it had approved the ban) wasn’t necessarily its ultimate judgment, and that it’s interested in reviewing the reasoning of other appeals courts as they rule on similar bans elsewhere. Related post

“Fear and uncertainty” reportedly besets the FBI as its newly-installed Director charts his path. In his 2024 book “Government Gangsters,” Kash Patel warned that the agency was “thoroughly compromised” and that “drastic measures” were urgently needed. And he’s been taking some. Such as disbanding the public corruption squad that investigated President Trump, placing top agents on leave, and forcing others into lesser jobs. And there’s the newly-installed practice of polygraphing employees, including those in the upper ranks, to discourage them from making leaks to the media. Capitol updates   Related post

6/2/25 Baldwin Park, Calif. police officer Samuel Riveros, a nine-year veteran, was killed and his partner was seriously wounded when they arrived in a residential neighborhood to confront a man who was reportedly shooting a rifle in the street. In the exchange of fire the suspect was wounded, and the body of an innocent citizen whom he apparently shot was also discovered. It took place on a Saturday evening as local residents had gathered for social events. Related post

In unanimous decisions, members of Ohio’s House and Senate have voted to strip State law of a provision that lets police departments discipline officers who fail to meet ticket or arrest quotas. Police chiefs heartily agree. According to their association, quotas “erode public trust by creating an environment where officers are pressured to issue citations or make arrests not based on the merits of each situation, but to meet arbitrary numbers.” It’s now up to Gov. Mike DeWine to act. Meanwhile, in Hawaii, the ACLU filed suit against Honolulu for imposing DUI arrest quotas on its cops. That practice has allegedly led officers to use wrongful accusations of erratic driving to make DUI arrests. Even if the blood alcohol level turns out to be zero, and gaining a conviction is impossible, that was never the point. Related post

Former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik, 69, passed away on May 29, 2025. He had been hospitalized for heart disease. Mr. Kerik led a storied law enforcement career until the early 2000’s, when he pled guilty to State ethics violations for employing an illegal alien as a nanny. He subsequently pled guilty to a string of Federal tax fraud charges and served four years in prison. President Trump pardoned Mr. Kerik in 2020. Related post