DUI checkpoint

Here in Pennsylvania, we are one of the many states that allow sobriety checkpoints—roadblocks set up by law enforcement to see that everyone driving is sober. Such checkpoints aren’t allowed in all states, however. Many say the stopping of vehicles without probable cause is unconstitutional and a sign of the growing police state. Here, however, state officials say the checkpoints do far too much good to be considered bad. Read the rest of this entry »

Viral Video of SEPTA Officers’ Brutality

September 20th, 2013 by admin

When it comes to videos of police brutality, there are usually at least three sides to the story—the one that the officers tell, the one that the victim tells, and the one that the video tells. Rarely, when you put these three together, do you get a full picture. Usually, there are pieces missing. Read the rest of this entry »

When violent crime decreases, you would think police would have an easier time of it. You would think that fewer violent offenses would mean fewer violent interactions between cops and citizens. Well, as numbers show in Philadelphia, that isn’t necessarily the case. Read the rest of this entry »

philly stop and frisk

In the last three years, Philly police are exercising their ability to “stop and frisk” citizens less frequently. But according to the ACLU, they are still doing it without just cause. According to Philly.com, the department says the stops aren’t illegal or even a problem, but the documentation after the fact may be. Read the rest of this entry »

The police department in Upper Gwynedd township are very enthusiastic about their new high-tech police surveillance device: an automated licence plate reader, or ALPR, with it’s ability to scan and identify 3,600 plates per minute. But what happens with all the data for which there are no “hits”. That data still lives somewhere. Read the rest of this entry »

Nine judges have been charged in a ticket-fixing scheme that overran the Philadelphia Traffic Court. Just two weeks ago, two of those judges pleaded guilty in federal court. While the criminal justice system is handling the judges, state lawmakers have decided to rid the city of the court altogether. State Senators voted to abolish the Philly Traffic Court and now the bill goes before the House. Read the rest of this entry »

Brutal Philly Cops Seldom Held Accountable

February 19th, 2013 by admin

In a just world, cops don’t beat innocent civilians. Even in a somewhat-fair world, cops who beat civilians are held accountable, through firing or even criminal charges. But, if this is the case then Philadelphia is neither just nor even fair. Officers there, accused and even proven to have beaten citizens to a bloody pulp are still on the force, reprimanded with a verbal warning and sometimes not reprimanded at all. Read the rest of this entry »

If the head of a large city’s police department issues a memo to both his officers and the people they protect, you would think the memo’s contents would be adhered to. Not so in the case of Philadelphians right to video-record police officers. Despite a memo issued in 2011 by Commissioner Charles Ramsey, cops in Philly continued to arrest people for recording them. And now, the ACLU is involved. Read the rest of this entry »

When the media uses the word “drug kingpin”, most people envision a seedy and scary person working in the underbelly of society. Perhaps that’s why they aren’t calling Dr. Oliver Herndon a kingpin, because if the term were applied to those who supplied thousands of addicts with their drug of choice, he would certainly fit the bill. Read the rest of this entry »

In 2007, Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter promised the people of Philadelphia he would use a “stop and frisk” method to crack down on crime. He followed through on that promise, with the city’s police making 136,711 such stops that year. In 2009, they made 253,276, more per capita than the 685,725 NYPD made last year. Read the rest of this entry »