Brickbat: Policing Broken Windows

Michael Hayes, a Lakeland, Florida, police detective, was arrested for falsely reporting a crime, a first-degree misdemeanor. Hayes claimed three juveniles threw an object and shattered the rear window of his agency-issued unmarked Chevrolet SUV while he was driving. But deputies later found a picture of his car, with the window damaged, taken 24 hours before the reported incident. Hayes, a 12-year veteran assigned to the Property Crimes Unit, then admitted his child likely broke the window with a baseball. He was released on a $1,000 bond and placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.