By Steve Pomper Local governments make police work harder when they impose harmful policies, carving out special treatment for the so-called, “homeless,” or this new one, “unhoused.” When I got a burglary call near a “homeless” camp, it didn’t take Sherlock Holmes to know where to start looking for suspects. Was I “profiling?” Well, what would Read more »
Law
Pro-Second Amendment Injunction Lasts All of 88 Minutes in Washington State
By Steve Pomper Woman target shooting with AR-15 “America’s Rifle” (Photo: Simonov, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0) According to David Gutman at The Seattle Times, about the court case, State of Washington v Gator’s Custom Guns Inc., brought by the Silent Majority Foundation, “A Cowlitz County judge ruled Washington’s ban on high-capacity magazines unconstitutional Monday, but just Read more »
Re-Criminalization
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D Every so often I think I should write something down and put it in a sealed, dated envelope. On the outside of the envelope would be the label “I Told You So”. I’m not the only one who predicted that the anti-police sentiment, the decriminalization of drug possession, and Read more »
Hawaii Supreme Court Achieves a Higher Caliber of Juris-Stupid
By Steve Pomper Hawaii Supreme Court (Aliiolani Hale 2011 by Don Ramey Logan.jpg, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0) You’re a child playing a game and some kids break the rules they don’t like. Would you play with them again? Could you ever trust them? Now, read on and tell me the difference between the Hawaii Supreme Read more »
Regulating Ghost Guns
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D Before we look at the literal nuts and bolts of the gun business, let us pause for a brief history lesson. In 1791 the fledgling United States of America had bills to pay left over from the War of Independence. One revenue source was a tax on alcohol and Read more »
Lawsuits Drive Training and Policy
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D The professionalization of law enforcement became solidified in the 1970s when U.S. states developed certification standards for police officers. Some were active before then and some states took longer. The minimum academy training hours vary widely with standards for hiring generally up to each individual agency. The reason for Read more »
You Have the Right to Remain Silent
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D One of the guilty pleasures in my early days working in the same college town where I was a young officer was arresting criminal justice students. There was something about having taken a few classes that made many of them have the confidence of a seasoned attorney. More than Read more »
Civil Responsibilities and Civic Duties
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D There is so much talk about law enforcement that the average citizen may think all justice must flow first through the badge. The police establishment has long been the gateway for a myriad of services beyond the mere enforcement of statutes and continues to be the first call of Read more »
The Birthplace of the American Revolution Has Abandoned It
By Steve Pomper “The Lexington Minuteman,” Lexington, Massachusetts When it comes to chasing cops out of the profession, despite putting their communities at grave risk, anti-cop/anti-self-defense/anti-gun legislators in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts take a backseat to no one. And, originally from Mass. but currently residing in Washington State, I know what it’s like to live in Read more »
Mental Health Civil Commitment Laws Must Adapt for Public Safety
By Steve Pomper As a cop in Washington State, I had the authority place people with mental health issues into an involuntary commitment hold for a psychological evaluation. But only if the person was a danger to self or others. This standard was intended to correctly balance a person’s liberty with public safety. However, as I quickly Read more »