PHOENIX — The repercussions from a federal lawsuit against the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office continue. It stems from the department’s racial profiling practices under former Sheriff Joe Arpaio. But over the last 15 years, it’s cost taxpayers nearly $240 million. Some of that was spent on a court-appointed monitor. Arizona’s Family Investigates found that the…
This paper provides the first empirical examination of the impact of federal and state “Pattern-or-Practice” investigations on crime and policing. For investigations that were not preceded by “viral” incidents of deadly force, investigations, on average, led to a statistically significant reduction in homicides and total crime. In stark contrast, all investigations that were preceded by…
What is a consent decree and how would one impact the City of Phoenix? President of PLEA Darrell Kriplean joins Mike to talk about the possibilities and implications. Listen to the episode here.
In 2019, my homicide sergeant, speaking to reporters, spoke the truth of our unsolved murders. The few unsolved cases for the year had plenty of witnesses but no one will do the right thing and come forward, even reporting anonymously to our Crime Stoppers program. These were hardly ‘whodunits.’ They were unsolved because the community…
Seattle, Washington – The city of Seattle is struggling to hire new police officers as their response times cross ten minutes for emergency calls for service. The Gateway Pundit reports that crime is so bad in some parts of the city that the mail is not being delivered by the Postal Service. KTTH News reports that while the budget…
HARTFORD, Conn. — U.S. District Court Judge Kari Dooley has ended 50 years of federal oversight of police in Hartford, Connecticut. The relief was met with opposition saying the agency still has not hired enough minority officers to reflect the city’s black and Hispanic populations at a time when hiring police officers of any race is…
As the Cleveland Division of Police nears its eighth year under federal oversight, “consent decree fatigue” is hampering the city’s efforts to keep residents interested in the required reforms. While this article by The Marshall Project calls the frustrations from the community as “fatigue,” what was actually said sounds like anger. City officials said they…
NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell told a town hall on Thursday that Mardi Gras 2023 may not occur if police staffing is not corrected. Calling it her top concern, Cantrell said that the shortage of officers may impact Mardi Gras. “First of all, if we don’t have adequate police, it could mean that there…
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the Department of Justice has drafted new rules governing consent decrees and the legal firms, former officers, and other experts who monitor them. Let’s hope that Garland’s rules rein in this growing “industry” that sucks away millions from cash-strapped American cities. The use of consent decrees to “reform” law enforcement…
Most Baltimore Police officers who participated in a recent informal survey feel restricted by the department’s federal consent decree, inadequately trained and unsupported by city leadership. Some of the officers surveyed said they don’t even feel comfortable intervening in incidents and making arrests without having been called to the scene. “They’re afraid,” said City Councilman Isaac “Yitzy”…