Archive for the ‘criminal law’ Category

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

Throughout the city of Pittsburgh, burglaries are on the rise and officials are cautioning citizens to be “vigilant”. According to the Post-Gazette, 100 more burglaries were reported between January and May of this year than last. Read the rest of this entry »

He was beaten to a pulp after a “low speed” police chase. The video of his beating went viral. Now Robert Leone is serving a prison sentence for the events of that night and has most recently filed a federal lawsuit. Read the rest of this entry »

In 2009, Philadelphia took the first steps in reforming a bail system that hadn’t been touched in nearly 15 years. New court rules were issued in an effort to ensure judges were hearing cases “based on merits and not dismissed early because of witness fear and fatigue or gamesmanship by defense lawyers,” according to The Inquirer. This year, the city has begun working on those people who bailed out of jail pending trial and never showed back up, and on outdated bail guidelines. Read the rest of this entry »