The Perils of Restorative Justice

The Perils of Restorative Justice

By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D According to a report from the National Institute of Justice “Restorative justice centers on repairing harm to victims, rather than retribution for those who offended, with a focus on inclusion, accountability, and the community. It provides an alternative that may improve school safety without creating a punitive culture.” Restorative Read more »

Retired Seattle P.D. LT’s Exit Letter Torches City and Department Leadership

By Steve Pomper Seattle Police Dept. East Precinct during 2020 CHOP/CHAZ debacle Some people get writer’s block, struggling to put words on the page. Others, like recently retired Seattle police Lieutenant Jessica Taylor, seem to suffer from a writer’s logjam—that finally breaks. She had so much built-up over her 23 “soul-draining” years on the SPD that Read more »

Border Patrol Deploys to Maui

By Stephen Owsinski As the natural disaster on the island of Maui, Hawaii, sees the death toll uptick, U.S. Border Patrol agents put boots on the ground to search for many missing individuals while also catering humanitarian aid to survivors hard-pressed for basic sustenance. As the Maui wildfires news broke and hit the airwaves, the Read more »

Cops Who Shoot

By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D Dallas Police Officer Matthew Brady was one of four officers who fired shots that killed an armed murder suspect as they tried to arrest him. Brady committed suicide the next day. We can’t automatically assume that Brady’s death was immediately connected to the murder suspect’s death, but it appears Read more »

Mass. State Troopers Fired for Refusing Vax Reinstated

By Steve Pomper According to a story at FOX News, “[Mass. State Trooper Union President Patrick] McNamara said that Gov. [Charlie] Baker ‘refused to listen or work with our Association,’ saying that his administration ‘trampled’ on the fired trooper’s religious conviction.” He also “called Gov. Baker’s executive order an ‘attack on organized labor and the rights of our members.’” So, Read more »

Back-To-School Training for SROs

By Stephen Owsinski Summer break for students is segueing to back-to-school sales at retailers, marking the season when school resource officers (SROs) gear up and prep for the new semester. Given the tumultuous climate in our society, with educational institutions targeted by armed whackos harboring hatred, it is increasingly imperative for school-assigned cops to train, Read more »

Celebrating Alive Day

By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D When I first served as a chaplain for a wounded officer and spouse retreat at a Montana ranch, I heard a term for the first time. Officers were talking about their “alive day”. It was the day they could have died but somehow survived, borrowed from military combat survivors. Read more »