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Hip-Hop Police Bust Careers, Not Crime
by Kevin Bliss
The New York Police Department’s (“NYPD”) Enterprise Operations Unit, also known as “the hip-hop police,” is accused of racially targeting rap bands. They surveil certain rappers, halt their video shoots, and stop their shows in an attempt to prevent violence. Instead of being called “crime stoppers,” they’re …
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More from this issue:
- The Infuriating History of Why Police Unions Have So Much Power, by Samantha Michaels
- Wrongly Convicted North Carolina Man Released After 44 Years in Prison, by Douglas Ankney
- Law Review Article: Plea Bargains Lack Transparency, by David Reutter
- Eleventh Circuit Holds RICO Conspiracy Doesn’t Qualify as Crime of Violence for § 924(c) Purposes and Defendant’s 120-Year Sentence Was Procedurally Unreasonable, by Douglas Ankney
- Nevada Supreme Court: Search Invalid Where Police Failed to Properly Inventory Bag, by Anthony Accurso
- Don’t Call the Cops. Especially if Your Loved Ones Are Old, Disabled or Have Special Needs, by John W. Whitehead
- Ninth Circuit Announces Panels of Court of Appeals May Fashion Remedy When District Court Commits Daubert Error, by Douglas Ankney
- Hawai’i Supreme Court: Search Unreasonable Where Officers Knocked and Announced Their Presence Four Times Within 25 Seconds, Then Forced Entry, by Douglas Ankney
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Announces Use of Pole Cameras for Extended Surveillance of Residence Constitutes Search Under State Law, by Douglas Ankney
- Kentucky Supreme Court: Criminal Defendant Has Right to Independent Counsel During In-Chambers Hearing on Fitness of Defense Counsel, by Matthew Clarke
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Vacates Guilty Plea Conditioned on Waiving Right to Pursue Claim Racial Bias Infected Jury Deliberations, by David Reutter
- Washington Supreme Court: Prosecutor’s War on Drugs Comments Denies Fair Trial, by David Reutter
- Louisiana Supreme Court: Statute Compelling Registered Sex Offenders to Carry ID Emblazoned with ‘SEX OFFENDER’ Unconstitutional, by Douglas Ankney
- Tenth Circuit: District Court’s Failure to Justify Special Condition Was Plain Error, by Dale Chappell
- Denver 911 Calls Routed to Mental Health Professionals, by Jayson Hawkins
- Arizona Supreme Court: Stipulated Plea Agreement Cannot Bar Review of Illegal Sentence, by David Reutter
- Ninth Circuit: District Court Abdicated Daubert Gatekeeping Function by Failing to Make Reliability Findings on Expert Witness’ Testimony, by Anthony Accurso
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court: No Probable Cause to Search Cellphones Merely Possessed in Proximity to Drugs and Guns, by Dale Chappell
- Ninth Circuit Reiterates Presumption of Innocence Remains Until Conviction, Grants Habeas Relief, by Dale Chappell
- Third Circuit: No Categorical Ban on Reliability of Recantations as New Evidence, by Dale Chappell
- First Circuit: Prosecution Under Puerto Rico and Federal Law for Same Drug Offense Constitutes Double Jeopardy, by Matthew Clarke
- Fifth Circuit: Special Conditions of Supervised Release That Barred Use of Internet, Computers, and Electronic Devices for 10 Years Not Substantively Reasonable, by Douglas Ankney
- Court of Appeals of Maryland Clarifies Issues Involving Plea Agreements and Sentence Modifications Under Justice Reinvestment Act, by David Reutter
- 7th Circuit: Ice Methamphetamine Sentence Enhancement Requires Proof of Purity, by Anthony Accurso
- Illinois Law Firm Offers Web Application to Help Automate Expungement, by Douglas Ankney
- Sixth Circuit: Probation Officer’s Warrantless Search of Probationer’s Cellphone Violated Fourth Amendment, by Douglas Ankney
- New Mexico Supreme Court Clarifies Meaning of Key Terms in Aggravated Fleeing From Law Enforcement Statute, by Anthony Accurso
- New York Court of Appeals Clarifies When Police May Conduct Traffic Stops, by Douglas Ankney
- Sixth Circuit: Savings Clause Available for Retroactive Case of Statutory Interpretation Decided While § 2255 Motion on Appeal, by Dale Chappell
- Ninth Circuit: Asking Single Objectionable Question Insufficient to Justify Termination of Defendant’s Right to Pro Se Representation, by Douglas Ankney
- In New York, Former Prisoners With Mental Illnesses Lack Needed Support, by Casey Bastian
- Lawsuit Challenges DEA Cash Seizures, by Jayson Hawkins
- Futuristic Crime Predictor Targets, Monitors People Across Florida County, by David Reutter
- Who Pays for Police Surveillance?, by Jayson Hawkins
- First Step Act Relief Shows Modest Results, by Dale Chappell
- Retiree’s Home Taken for $8.41 Tax Bill Draws Michigan Supreme Court Ire, by Jayson Hawkins
- They’re Not Secret Police, Just Police, by Anthony Accurso
- Georgia Supreme Court Affirms Right to Resist Unlawful Arrest and Announces Right Includes Use of Proportionate Force Against Government Property, by Douglas Ankney
- A New Style of Crime Documentary, by Jayson Hawkins
- Report: Judicial System Gives Cops a Pass in New Jersey, Elsewhere, by Michael Fortino, Ph.D
- Startup Surveils Communities of Color for Police Using Twitter, by Anthony Accurso
- Michigan Supreme Court Reverses Murder Conviction Due to Unreliable, Suggestive Showup, by Matthew Clarke
- Texas Police S.W.A.T. Woman Over Anti-Cop Bumper Stickers, by Edward Lyon
- Effective Crisis Management Without Police, by Jayson Hawkins
- Hip-Hop Police Bust Careers, Not Crime, by Kevin Bliss
- Mother Calls 911 for Assistance With 13-Year-Old Autistic Son; Police Arrive and Shoot Him, by Douglas Ankney
- News in Brief
More from Kevin Bliss:
- After Florida Appellate Court Holds Crimes of ‘Attempt’ Eligible for Incentive Gain Time, Supreme Court Refuses Review, Jan. 15, 2025
- LGBTQ+ Detainees at Rikers Island Suffer Under Mayor Adams, Sept. 15, 2023
- Government Watchdog Adds BOP to List at “High Risk” of Mismanagement, Sept. 15, 2023
- At Massive and Corrupt Philippine Prison, Contraband Includes Jacuzzis and Horses, Sept. 15, 2023
- Second Circuit Affirms $600,000 Punitive Damage Award to New York Prisoner Brutally Beaten by Guards, Sept. 15, 2023
- Maryland Sheriff Charged with Illegally Procuring Machine Guns from ATF, Sept. 15, 2023
- Voting Rights Restoration for Virginia Ex-Felons Once Again Subject to Governor’s Whim, Sept. 15, 2023
- Prison Profiteer Who Chairs Christian Seminary Board Called Not Very ‘Christlike’, Aug. 15, 2023
- Menstruation Weaponized Against Women in Prison, Aug. 15, 2023
- Idaho Revives Firing Squads, Aug. 15, 2023
More from these topics:
- $6.75 Million Settlement Reached in Suit Accusing Massachusetts Guards of Retaliatory Assaults on Prisoners, Aug. 1, 2025. Racial Discrimination, Retaliation, Guard Brutality/Beatings.
- Multiple Prisoner Suits Accuse Guards of Violence at Virginia BOP Lockup, Aug. 1, 2025. Racial Discrimination, False Charges (Disciplinary Hearings), Guard Brutality/Beatings, Restraints, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Discrimination (Transgender).
- Prison Gerrymandering Alive and Well in Oklahoma, Aug. 1, 2025. Racial Discrimination, Census.
- Class Incarceration Has Become a Prominent Factor in Mass Incarceration, July 1, 2025. Racial Discrimination, Racial Profiling, Racial/Ethnic Bias/Profiling, Bias/Discrimination, Police Bias, Disproportionality.
- Maryland Targets Highest-in-Nation Racial Incarceration Gap, May 1, 2025. Racial Discrimination, Racial/Ethnic Bias/Profiling.
- New Jersey Guard Sacked for Mocking George Floyd Killing Loses Appeal, April 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Racial Discrimination.
- California Court of Appeal Vacates Former NFL Star’s Rape Conviction Because Prosecutor’s Racial Statements During Closing Constituted ‘Racially Discriminatory Language’ in Violation of Racial Justice Act, March 15, 2025. Racial Discrimination, Attorney Misconduct, Misleading Advice/Statements to Defendant.
- U.S. Navy Exonerates Wrongly Convicted Black WWII Sailors, Feb. 15, 2025. Wrongful Conviction, Military, Racial Profiling, Racial/Ethnic Bias/Profiling.
- Oregon Holds BLM Protestor in Solitary Confinement for 250 Days, Feb. 15, 2025. Protests, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Racial Profiling, Prison Classification.
- Surveilling the Harms of Electronic Monitors, Feb. 1, 2025. Racial Discrimination, Electronic Monitoring, Breathalyzer Tests.





