Policing Prostitution in New York by Jayson Hawkins by Jayson Hawkins Undercover operations to combat street prostitution are standard fare in pop-culture depictions of big-city police work, but the reality is often seedier than television dramatizations. A 2020 investigation by journalists at ProPublica, a nonprofit news organization, revealed that New …
News in Brief by California: Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Deputy Sukhdeep Gill, 27, was arrested in January 2021 for faking his own shooting and alleging he’d been a victim in a drive-by shooting while on patrol, according to thefreethoughtproject.com. He was charged with felony vandalism and falsely reporting a crime, …
Second Circuit Clarifies What Constitutes ‘Possession of a Dangerous Weapon’ and ‘Physical Restraint’ Under the Guidelines by Dale Chappell by Dale Chappell The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that merely gesturing with a hand that a defendant possessed a gun during a robbery and ordering bystanders …
SCOTUS: RFRA’s ‘Appropriate Damages’ Includes Monetary Awards by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney A unanimous Supreme Court of the United States (“SCOTUS”) held that the express remedies provision of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, 42 U.S.C. 2000bb et seq. (“RFRA”), permits litigants, when appropriate, to obtain money damages …
NYPD Agrees to Alter Religious Headwear Policy by Casey Bastian by Casey Bastian Jamilla Clark and Arwa Aziz were arrested on minor charges in 2017 by the New York Police Department (“NYPD”) – Clark in Manhattan and Aziz in Brooklyn. Clark and Aziz are devout Muslims who wear the appropriate …
New York Court of Appeals Reverses Denial of Suppression Motion Where Prosecution Fails to Provide Specific Facts to Show Traffic Stop Was Lawful by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The Court of Appeals of New York reversed the decision of the appellate division that had affirmed a county court’s denial …
New York Man Exonerated of Murder and Freed After 25 Years in Prison by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney On November 19, 2020, New Yorker Jaythan Kendrick was exonerated of murder and freed from prison after serving 25 years. The Queens County Supreme Court vacated his 1995 conviction based on …
Hip-Hop Police Bust Careers, Not Crime by Kevin Bliss 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 …
News in Brief by Alaska: A plan to shift the response to mental health crises away from police and into the hands of mental health professionals made strides in November 2020. The Assembly approved money to launch a mobile crisis intervention team. In Anchorage, it would operate at the fire …
They’re Not Secret Police, Just Police by Anthony Accurso by Anthony Accurso Disturbing images were coming out of Portland, Oregon, where protesters were being arrested by camouflaged federal agents in unmarked vans and taken to undisclosed locations for “processing.” Lawmakers rightfully called this behavior reprehensible for its utter lack of …
In New York, Former Prisoners With Mental Illnesses Lack Needed Support by Casey Bastian by Casey J. Bastian For human beings suffering from mental illness, living a safe and productive life can be extraordinarily difficult. Far too often, and all across America, thousands end up in prison as a result …
New York Court of Appeals Clarifies When Police May Conduct Traffic Stops by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The New York Court of Appeals clarified when police may lawfully conduct traffic stops, explaining that “stopping a vehicle for a traffic infraction requires probable cause; stopping a vehicle for suspicion of …
New York State Police, Trooper Michael G. Raap Letter of Censure, 2020 Jnsp. 11 Rev 6/10 Personnel Complaint Work Sheet Tvoe: Personnel Inv. Initiated Bv: ISub Tvoe: Iincident Date: 5/12/20 I Detail ~ Troop ICTV: F3659 [8:JC = Citizen □ s = NYSP I I Case Number ID ID Incident …
Second Circuit: Nondescript Photo of Unidentified Black Male Insufficient Grounds to Conduct Investigatory Stop by Anthony Accurso by Anthony Accurso The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed a lower court order denying defendant’s evidence suppression motion on the grounds that a photo, which provided very little identifying …
Review Board Has No Power Over NYPD by Kevin Bliss by Kevin Bliss The New York Police Department (“NYPD”) has consistently hindered police misconduct allegation investigations, withholding documentation and body-camera footage, as well as advising its police not to cooperate with interviews. That’s according to an August 2020 article in …
Proliferation of Police Drones Feeds Big Brother’s Need for Big Data by Anthony Accurso by Anthony Accurso A recent article by Nick Mottern on Truthout.org highlights the growing trend of big data collection made possible by tech in policing, specifically the proliferation of drones with cameras. Julie Weiner was …
PBA Cards and the Problem with Police Discretion by Jayson Hawkins by Jayson Hawkins Police officers have recently been under fire for excessive or even deadly force being used in routine arrests and traffic stops, but some critics have begun to draw attention to a different police behavior that …
Letter to Governors Cuomo and Hutchinson Regarding Affordable Prison Communication Services September 22, 2020 The Honorable Andrew Cuomo Governor of the State of New York and Chair of the National Governor’s Association The Honorable Asa Hutchinson Governor of the State of Arkansas and Vice Chair of the National Governor’s Association …
Second Circuit: District Court’s Failure to Offer Explanation for Its Sentence Constitutes Plain Error by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that a district court’s failure to offer an explanation for its sentence was plain error in violation of 18 U.S.C. …
When Police Caught Lying, the Spin Begins by Edward Lyon by Ed Lyon Traditionally, police have been the ones to call when a common citizen has been assaulted, robbed, had his home burgled, or a car stolen. They were called noble, even honorable names like Blue Knights or New Centurions …
