It took the voters of Los Angeles County far too long to wake up, but when they did, they roared. Last month, they delivered a decisive, earthshaking blow to George Gascon, the man who spent years turning the District Attorney’s office into a circus of chaos, lawlessness, and disgrace. Enter Nathan Hochman, a man whose Read more »
The recent brutal stabbing spree in Manhattan, allegedly committed by Ramon Rivera, 51, is a chilling indictment of our failure to address the intersection of criminality, homelessness, and severe mental illness. Rivera, a career criminal with a well-documented history of violence and mental health issues, was inexplicably released from Rikers Island just a month before Read more »
By Steve Pomper There’s so much negative stuff out there for cops, but most of us are nevertheless happy warriors. So, the adage, laughter is the best medicine, applies. Here are three stories that may tickle your funny bone. The first two stories are from my career, which I’ve written about in two of my books. Read more »
By Steve Pomper In a continuing effort to keep the public informed about the actions of bad guys to victimize you comes this advisory from the Washington State Patrol (WSP). Keep in mind that bad things tend to happen when you least expect them. Just ask any cop. That’s why law enforcement officers try to expect Read more »
By Steve Pomper Intentionally lax law enforcement policies and laws combined with an unbalanced criminal justice system have many consequences for society, none of them good. For example, some communities, such as in West L.A., California, felt forced to hire private security. This can be effective, but it does other horrible things. Worst of all, it Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D Google Maps shows that it takes over an hour to drive from Colorado Springs, CO to Denver but motorcyclist Rendon Dietzmann made the trip in 20 minutes. As daredevils are wont to do, Dietzmann videoed his adventure showing his speedometer displaying speeds, sometimes reaching up to 173 mph. Thanks Read more »
By Steve Pomper It’s essential that people who believe in the critical importance of law and order, not be silent on public safety issues. Nothing in society functions safely or efficiently without robust, constitutional law enforcement. What’s the first thing societies do after a natural disaster, like the 2010 Haitian earthquake? Restore law and order so Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D When seconds count, the police will be there in minutes, goes the old funny/not funny saying. While police officers are fully ready to respond to calls, as a profession we pay little attention to helping people prepare for events that prompt that 911 call. Using the emergency medical response Read more »
By Steve Pomper I just had an experience that refreshed for me those concealed firearms carriers’ special considerations. First, being a legally armed good guy is a good thing. But being armed also means being judicious and restrained. Police trainers stress prudence and, as I wrote about in these pages, teach cops starting in the academy Read more »
By Steve Pomper We tend to revisit specific topics important to policing because no matter what else captures a news cycle, no matter how grave, these issues continue to affect the cops and residents daily, even more directly than the grand events. The depths to which anti-public safety-run American cities have fallen over the past few Read more »