Seventeen-year old Antawin White was shot and killed by an off-duty NYPD detective just over one year ago. To this day, his legal guardians—the nonprofit Graham Windham, where White was in foster care—has not received the answers it says are due to it. And now, they are taking it to court. Continue reading “Legal Guardian Demands Answers From NYPD in Teen Death”
NYPD Testing Device That Scans Body for Guns
In all the recent talk about gun control and weapons laws, a new device being tested by the New York City Police Department won’t likely get much resistance. It’s a high-tech gadget that scans through your clothes and can apparently identify whether or not you are carrying a gun. It’s called a T-Ray machine, and despite some pretty obvious privacy concerns, even the New York Civil Liberties Union thinks it might have some redeeming qualities. Continue reading “NYPD Testing Device That Scans Body for Guns”
Do NYC Cops Get Enough Firearms Training?
The majority of police officers will never fire their gun in a real-life scenario. Most of the time, it will rest on their hip. It’s because of this that NYPD officials think their officers don’t need a whole lot of training. A few days in retraining each year should be enough—but, is it? Continue reading “Do NYC Cops Get Enough Firearms Training?”
NYC DNA Lab Undertakes Huge Review for Potentially Mishandled Evidence
The NYC medical examiner’s office, responsible for processing DNA crime scene evidence, is reviewing the evidence from more than 800 rape cases after it was discovered a technician may have mishandled samples. According to the NY Times, that technician no longer works for the lab, but her impact is having far-reaching effects. Continue reading “NYC DNA Lab Undertakes Huge Review for Potentially Mishandled Evidence”
Blogger Fires Back at NY Newspaper’s Gun Owner Identifications
Last week, a reporter with the Journal News of suburban New York published an interactive map of the gun owning residence of Westchester and Rockland Counties. The map became viral and many were outraged at the paper’s seeming disregard for the safety of those lawful gun owners or their rights to privacy. One blogger thought they deserved a taste of their own medicine, and offered his own interactive map—this one including the names and residents of all of the Journal News’ employees. Continue reading “Blogger Fires Back at NY Newspaper’s Gun Owner Identifications”
Albany Cops Conducting “Shocking” Number of Strip Searches
Since 2009, Albany police have conducted more than 650 strip searches. Police Chief Steven Krokoff expressed surprise over the number, but many say “surprise” isn’t a strong enough reaction for such alarming practices. Instead, the Chief should be looking at why his officers are so quick to make someone strip down, especially considering only a fraction of those subjected to the humiliating searches are found to have any contraband.
Let’s be clear—these aren’t all strip searchers being conducted as someone is processed into jail after being arrested. On the contrary, these searches are mostly being done outside of the police stations—in private homes and other locations. Continue reading “Albany Cops Conducting “Shocking” Number of Strip Searches”
Ithaca Mayor Calls For NY Marijuana Legalization
Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick has called for legalization of marijuana and de-prioritization of criminal enforcement. The first-term Democrat called on the state to approve medical marijuana or legalize the substance outright. Continue reading “Ithaca Mayor Calls For NY Marijuana Legalization”
Marijuana Arrests are Not Future Felons
In response to the more than 500,000 people arrested in New York City for public possession of marijuana over the last 15 years, Human Rights Watch recently released a report, “A Red Herring: Marijuana Arrestees Do Not Become Violent Felons,” demanding a closer look at the allocation of resources to pot arrests.
Brooklyn Man Charged With Assault After Beating By Cops
This isn’t the first time someone has been charged with assault after being the victim of a cop beating. And like prior cases, this one is revolting and confusing. Continue reading “Brooklyn Man Charged With Assault After Beating By Cops”
Stop-and-Frisk Leads to Wrongful Arrests
Would you be shocked if we told you NYPD’s stop-and-frisk tactic was leading to wrongful arrests? Probably not. But it is. And the Bronx district attorney has recently decided to take a stand against them—refusing to prosecute the charges unless the arresting officer can be interviewed to substantiate the charges. Continue reading “Stop-and-Frisk Leads to Wrongful Arrests”