New York City’s Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), once envisioned as a mechanism for fostering trust between the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the public, has degenerated into an overreaching anti-crimefighting nightmare. Originally designed to ensure accountability, this organization now serves as a blunt instrument wielded against the very officers tasked with maintaining order Read more »
Audio of the shooting that took the life of Chicago police officer Enrique Martinez. It reflects the climate “progressive prosecutors” have created by criminally charging police officers for doing their job. A climate where officers second guess themselves and are endangered by hesitating to act. The rise of “progressive prosecutors” who criminally charge police officers Read more »
The trial of Daniel Penny is not merely about one man’s actions on a New York City subway train; it is a referendum on the moral cowardice of our society. Let us not mince words—Daniel Penny is being scapegoated for the failures of a system that allows chaos, mental illness, and violence to run rampant 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 »
Federal consent decrees imposed on local police departments are court enforced rules initiated by the federal government, typically the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), after an allegation of misconduct. The court appoints a monitor who reports on compliance to the court. The court decides when, if ever, the department is released from federal oversight. The Read more »
In Columbus, Ohio, a tragedy unfolded when police officers were forced to make a split-second decision, resulting in the death of Colin Jennings, a man in the midst of a mental health crisis. On that cold February morning, the Columbus Police Department responded to a 911 call describing Jennings’ erratic behavior and threats to himself Read more »
By Steve Pomper Okaloosa County Courthouse, Crestview, Florida Photo: (Hoteltwo, CC Wikimedia 4.0) When I investigate stories about cops being wrongly prosecuted, normally, I furrow my brow, scratch my head, and ask, where’s the crime? After reading and watching a video about the ordeal of three Florida cops, Ofc. Brandon Hardaway, Ofc. William Johns, and Cpl. Read more »
By Steve Pomper I don’t know why this story surprised me, I mean, she couldn’t still be the county prosecutor, could she? But when I read about another mockery of justice in Cook County (Chicago), there was State’s Attorney Kim Foxx standing behind it. I was stunned because even though I would have remembered with Read more »
By Steve Pomper These two stories flew onto my radar on the same day, and though only tangentially related, both tell the story of failure (or success, if the aim was to bring down the Seattle Police Department (SPD). There is the failure to honor a police department’s history, culture, cops, and their sacrifices and the Read more »
By Steve Pomper This article stems from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’s latest round of controversial gun law legislation, but it’s not about the new law itself. I’m not addressing what the new gun law does to Mass. citizens’ self-defense rights. I’ll even set aside opponents’ efforts to repeal the law However, being a native of the Read more »