Policing Matters

Should simply drawing your sidearm be considered a use of force?

For many — if not most — agencies, the act of drawing the service pistol from the holster and pointing it at a subject is considered a use of force. However, context should be considered. Is the firearm out and hidden behind the leg upon approach at a traffic stop? Is it out and at the low ready during a building search for a suspect known to be armed and dangerous? In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss what constitutes force, and what constitutes sound tactical judgment.

The premise of the 9th Circuit‘s ‘provocation theory‘

The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear a 9th Circuit case involving two Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies who shot and wounded a man who pointed a gun — later found to be a BB gun — at them. The premise of the 9th Circuit decision is a "provocation" theory — followed by no other federal courts — that essentially undermines the objectively reasonable set forth by Graham v. Connor. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss the case and the ramifications it may have on law enforcement.

How telecommuting will impact the future of law enforcement

In many lines of employment, the advent of high-speed internet and the cellular phone network has made “the office” obsolete — people can successfully do their work from a coffee shop or from their living room. Police work is obviously much more dependent on being present out in the public, but cops too can do a number of tasks remotely. They can file reports via computer and phone, do forensic analysis, do research and planning for special events, and a host of other duties. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss the future of telecommuting in law enforcement.

What effect will decriminalizing transit fare evasion have in California?

According to the Los Angeles County Probation Department, transit fare evasion is the number one cause of juvenile citations in Los Angeles County. The California Senate recently passed legislation that prohibits youths from being charged with a criminal violation for transit fare evasion and instead treats the offense like a parking ticket. California State Senator Robert Hertzberg — who introduced the legislation — said, "No kid should go to jail or be charged with a crime simply because he or she can’t pay to ride the bus or train." Kids will receive a fine, similar to parking tickets.

Riveting new book explores crime, race, gangs, and the death penalty

A new non-fiction book entitled "The Valley of the Shadow of Death — A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption" is a riveting read about crime, race, gangs, the death penalty, and African American victims of violent crime. It was co-authored by former NFL defensive back Kermit Alexander, with Criminal Justice Professors Alex Gerould and Jeff Snipes. Alexander’s mother, sister, and two nephews were brutally murdered on August 31, 1984. Publisher’s Weekly called the book a “compelling narrative that rivals a first-rate thriller,” and that description is completely accurate. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug sit down with Professor Gerould to discuss how the book came to be and what lessons it offers for readers.

How technology is changing police work

Body cameras, drones, Shotspotter, analytics, GPS … police work has evolved significantly over the past couple of decades as new technologies such as these have been introduced, adopted, and utilized. In this podcast episode, Jim and Doug discuss some of the top technologies that have helped improve police work, and what may be on the horizon.

How Terry v. Ohio became Stop and Frisk

The 1968 Supreme Court Decision in Terry v. Ohio held that a person’s Fourth Amendment rights are not violated when a police officer stops a subject and frisks him as long as the officer has a reasonable suspicion that the person has committed, is committing, or is about to commit a crime and has a reasonable belief that the person may be armed. However, some civil rights organizations contend that a number of agencies took advantage of this ruling to inappropriately stop and frisk people without being able to articulate that reasonable suspicion. In this podcast segment, Jim and Doug discuss the fact that officers must be able to report in detail (in a narrative form, not just check boxes) what led them to stop and frisk an individual.

Do gang injunctions work? Are they fair?

Gang injunctions prohibit illegal activities and impose restrictions on behavior of named gang members such as displaying colors or associating in public with other gang members. Gang injunctions restrain the movement of named gang members in certain areas, typically called safety zones. Gang injunctions are the result of significant investigative legwork by the police, who have to provide the court with detailed documentation about the individuals named in the injunction. However, organizations like the ACLU say that gang injunctions lead to “serious civil liberties violations” and suggest job programs and job training instead. In this week’s podcast, Jim and Doug discuss the efficacy and fairness of gang injunctions.

Why 4AM last call is a bad idea

In California there is a proposal to allow bars to keep serving until four o’clock in the morning. Other states have similarly late (or early, depending on how you look at the clock) last call times. Alaska has last call at five in the morning, for example. Most cities in Florida close at 3AM — it's up to the communities to decide. In Louisiana, bars can technically serve 24 hours a day if there's no local law stating that they can't. In New York City closing time is four in the morning, but most municipalities throughout the state close at two. Jim and Doug discuss how much trouble tends to happen at closing time — disputes, altercations, DUI arrests — and why four o’clock last call is not a good idea.

Should cops shoot at moving vehicles?

Try to think if you’ve heard this one before: A man uses a vehicle as a weapon in a terrorist attack. That sounds familiar because this method of has become commonplace ever since ISIS and Al Qaeda began promoting it in their online instructional magazines. It recently happened in Stockholm, Sweden — an attack that left four people dead. In December 2016, a truck plowed into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people and wounding nearly 50 others. A Somali-born student at Ohio State University crashed his car into a crowd of pedestrians in November before getting out and stabbing several of them with a butcher knife. Meanwhile, agencies across America are instituting policies that all but prohibit shooting at violent subjects in vehicles. Jim and Doug discuss why they feel “no shooting at vehicles, ever” policies don’t make sense.