The FBI Secretly Ran an Encrypted Messaging Service To Conduct the Same Old Drug War Stings
Plus: ACLU identity crisis, Texas bans vaccine rules, and more...
Law enforcement
New Yorkers Are Watched by More Than 15,000 Surveillance Cameras
People have only official assurances that the technology isn’t being used to invade their privacy.
Barely Legal Strippers Now Fully Illegal in Texas
The penalty for employing 18- to 20-year-olds to work nude, topless, or "in a sexually oriented commercial activity" is now 2 to 20 years in prison.
Phoenix Authorities Used 'ACAB' Slogan To Designate Protesters as a Gang
Umbrellas, black clothing, and chanting "all cops are bastards" signal criminal street gang membership, prosecutors said.
Texas Deputies Say They Were 'Molested and Traumatized' by Colleagues During Federally Funded Prostitution Stings
Plus: Georgia loses suit over anti-boycotting law, conservatives rally against Biden's IRS plan, and more...
Get a Warrant, Supreme Court Tells Cops Who Seized Guns From Home Without Due Process
Plus: On SATs and bias, what changed when Texas lifted its mask mandate, and more...
He's on Montana's Sex Offender Registry for Consensual Gay Sex—and the State Wants To Keep Him There
Plus: Cult panic, what the AT&T merger means, and more...
This 38-Year-Old Man Will Spend Life in Prison Over 1.5 Ounces of Marijuana
Plus: The gas crisis, it's time to free Reality Winner, and more...
Mississippi Cops Kill Baby in Barrage of Gunfire
Plus: Florida's cronyist social media bill, who corporate tax increases really hurt, and more...
Former Oregon House Speaker Gets Busted by Prostitution Law He Helped Put in Place
Portland police are calling it "human trafficking," but it was just an old-fashioned vice bust.
Fight Crime by Ending Civil Asset Forfeiture
Even government officials can occasionally admit the need for limits to their thievery.
Joe Biden Wants To Close the 'Boyfriend Loophole.' Here's What That Means.
Plus: Ghost guns, the unintended consequences of criminalizing sex work, and more...
Manhattan Will Drop Charges for Prostitution and Unlicensed Massage but Continue Prosecuting Prostitution Patrons
The Nordic Model comes to Manhattan.
Daunte Wright Shooting a Reminder That It's Not Cops Who Should Fear for Their Lives During Traffic Stops
Plus: Feds recommend "a pause" on Johnson & Johnson vaccine, marijuana legalization measure signed in New Mexico, and more...
Maryland Lawmakers Purge Decades-Old Law That Shielded Bad Cops
Over the objections of Gov. Larry Hogan, the state’s Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights is tossed out.
Cops Are Using Facial Recognition Technology More Than Previously Revealed
The surveillance state is available as a plug-and-play solution for any cop interested in a free trial period.
Backpage Judge Accused of Bias Will Remain on Case
Plus: Effort to decriminalize psychedelics gains traction in California, crony capitalism at its worst, and more...
Europeans Embrace America's Policing Mistakes
The pandemic pushed Americans to consider police reform while other countries moved to unleash their cops.
Police Kill Suspect Who Rammed Vehicle Into U.S. Capitol Barricade: 1 Officer Dead, 1 Wounded
The suspect, 25-year-old Noah Green, is reportedly connected to the Nation of Islam.
The Changing Faces of George Floyd Square: Dispatch From Minneapolis
Sometimes vibrant, sometimes crime-ridden, a local tells Reason what it’s like to live blocks from where George Floyd died.
Violent Crime in Baltimore Plunges After City Ditches Prosecution of Prostitution, Drug Possession, Other Minor Offenses
Plus: The "infrastructure plan" that isn't, the Institute for Justice challenges cash seizures at airports, and more...
Is Matt Gaetz a Child Sex Trafficker? Here's What the Law Actually Says.
Not all sexual misdeeds are sex trafficking.
The Derek Chauvin Trial Begins: Dispatch From Minneapolis
“I think if Chauvin’s acquitted, we’re fucked,” says one local cop.
Florida Cops Sued for Hassling People Over Crimes They Might Commit in the Future
Predictive policing lets authorities add a science-y gloss to hammering people who rub them the wrong way.
Lawsuit Challenges Clearview's Use of Scraped Social Media Images for Facial Recognition
Databases of involuntarily supplied identities make for a plug-and-play surveillance state.
Despite Its Own Warning That 'Congress Itself Is the Target,' the Capitol Police Did Not Expect Anything Like Last Month's Riot
The agency also missed an FBI bulletin citing "specific calls for violence."
South Dakota Supreme Court Rules Property Owners not Entitled to Compensation for Severe Damage to their Home Inflicted by Police During a Law Enforcement Operation
The ruling denies relief under a state constitutional provision requiring compensation for "taking" or "damaging" of private property by the government. Many other states have similar provisions.
Study: Democratic Governors Feed the Prison-Industrial Complex
Electorally vulnerable Democratic governors have historically been tougher on crime than Republicans.
Biden Says Drug Users Shouldn't Be Jailed but Won't Do Anything To Stop It
Plus: "Cancel culture" confusion, Biden rejects student loan forgiveness, Stossel and Snowden on internet privacy, and more...
FBI Arrests Activist Daniel Baker Over Posts About Police Abuse and Self Defense
Plus: The aftermath of the New York Times' anti-Pornhub crusade, and more...
In a Year of Wild Conspiracy Theories, Super Bowl Sex Trafficking Is a Classic
Plus: A reminder that censorship backfires, Wyoming city considers ban on "performance prostitution," and more...
Milwaukee Cops Left 4-Year-Old in Freezing Car Overnight
Plus: Texas sends out Amber Alert for Chucky doll, people are fleeing California and the Northeast, and more.
Federal Mask Cops To Start Targeting Travelers Today
Plus: Trump's PAC windfall, the European Union's dairy protectionism, and more...
Sedition Cases Against Capitol Rioters 'Will Bear Fruit Very Soon,' Says FBI
Plus: Senators call impeachment trial unconstitutional, Biden cancels private prison contracts, Apple sued over Telegram, and more...
Cops Must Destroy Illegal Surveillance Videos From Spa Visited by Robert Kraft
Authorities "shall destroy the videos unlawfully obtained through the surveillance of the Orchids of Asia Day Spa," a federal judge says.
Carl Hart: Drug Use for Grown-Ups
The Columbia neuroscientist talks frankly about using heroin responsibly and "chasing liberty in the land of fear."
Don't Let the Capitol Riot Become a 9/11-Style Excuse for Authoritarianism
Frightening events create openings for attacks on civil liberties.
42 People Now Face Federal Charges for the Capitol Riot
Plus: Happy birthday to Wikipedia, Airbnb's pandemic rebound, and more...
Sedition Charges Are Almost Always a Terrible Idea
Laws against sedition have historically been used by insecure officials to punish critics.
No Federal Charges for Police Officer Who Killed 12-Year-Old Tamir Rice
Justice Department: “It is not enough to show that the officer made a mistake, acted negligently, acted by accident or mistake, or even exercised bad judgment.”
Pandemic Lockdown Battles Offer Glimpses of Political Conflicts to Come
Under punitive federalism, localities refuse dictates from above while state and federal officials retaliate.
Southern California Sheriffs Rebel Over Gavin Newsom's New Stay-at-Home Order
Policymakers "must not penalize residents for earning a livelihood, safeguarding their mental health, or enjoying our most cherished freedoms," said Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes.
Inside the NYPD's Biased Prostitution Policing
Plus: White women and Trump votes, Biden taps California AG as HHS Secretary, and more...
Florida Masseuse Ordered to Pay $31,573 After 'Soliciting' Robert Kraft To 'Commit Prostitution'
Charges against Kraft were (rightfully) dismissed. The women he patronized now have criminal records.
The "I'm for Legal Immigration" Dodge
My response to a common, but vacuous trope often brought up in debates about immigration policy.
The Feds Are Spreading Fake Facts About Fentanyl
While fentanyl is a dangerous drug, it is very difficult to overdose on it through accidental exposure.
More Cops Say They Won't Enforce Coronavirus Curfews
Plus: Biden definitely wins Georgia, Alaskans approve ranked-choice voting, Facebook faces next antitrust lawsuit, and more...
Coronavirus Curfews Are Trending Again, Despite Total Lack of Evidence They Help
Plus: Against the conservative case for antitrust action, New York City shuts down schools again, and more...
