Why Did New York Have to Decriminalize Marijuana Possession Twice?
The new law eliminates a loophole that allowed police to continue arresting people for something that was not supposed to be a crime anymore.
Police Abuse
Another Florida Sheriff's Deputy Arrested For Arresting People on False Drug Charges
In one month, two sheriff's deputies in Florida have been arrested for fabricating drug evidence during traffic stops.
Police Faked Evidence and the Real Killers Confessed. But Missouri Still Imprisoned an Innocent Man for 24 Years.
Lamar Johnson is finally getting a new trial.
Cops Can't Take a Joke? The First Amendment Doesn't Care
Plus: Behind the bipartisan war on internet speech, New York "decriminalizes" pot (but you'll still get fined), and more...
A Lawsuit Details a Horrific Night of Beatings in a Pennsylvania Jail
"If it were my client who behaved as they had, he would be on his way to prison."
'No One Will Hurt You,' a SWAT Officer Promised an Hour After Houston Cops Killed a Couple Falsely Accused of Selling Heroin
Evidence from the scene of the disastrous raid seems to contradict the official account.
A Corrupt Cop Sent Meek Mill to Prison. A Corrupt System Kept Sending Him Back.
The case is a perfect example of the overcriminalization of petty crimes.
Chicago Police Executed More Than 11,000 Search Warrants in Mostly Poor Neighborhoods Over 5-Year Period
As Chicago launches an internal probe of search warrants, new data shows where police are kicking in doors.
Police, Vigilantes Battle Hong Kong Demonstrators
Iran seizes British tanker, White House and Congress approach a budget deal, Bernie Sanders cuts campaign workers' hours, and more...
San Francisco Judge Overturns Illegal Warrant Used to Monitor Journalist's Phone
Superior Court Judge Rochelle East says the warrant violated California law.
24-Year-Old Booked on Drug Possession Charges Found Dead in Texas Jail
The inmate's death is the most recent in a string of fatalities at the Bexar County Jail.
Corey Atchison Freed After Serving 28 Years for a Murder He Didn't Commit
His case reminds us that the misuse of government power is still the biggest threat to liberty.
Court Rules Police Officer Who Shot 10-Year-Old Is Protected by Qualified Immunity
"No reasonable officer would engage in such recklessness," complains dissenting judge.
No Federal Charges in Eric Garner's Death at Hands of New York Police
Wednesday marks five years since an officer’s deadly chokehold was captured on video.
This Cop Is Getting $2,500 a Month Because Killing an Unarmed Man in a Hotel Hallway Gave Him PTSD
Phillip Brailsford was acquitted of murder for a shooting captured on video that subsequently drew national outrage. Now he's getting paid for it.
Florida Sheriff Deputy Arrested After Planting Drugs on Innocent People
Reason uncovered body camera footage of the officer lying about a roadside field test for drugs.
An Iowa Man Wins His Free Speech Suit After Being Charged for a Facebook Rant Against a Cop
Jon Goldsmith was charged with third-degree harassment after calling Deputy Cory Dorsey a "stupid sum bitch" online.
Venezuelan Government Uses Arbitrary Arrests, Torture, and 'Death Squads' to Keep Order, U.N. Finds
A new report from the U.N.'s High Commissioner for Human Rights finds a "shockingly high" number of politically motivated extrajudicial killings.
A Louisiana Cop Is Out of Prison Early After Fatally Shooting a 6-Year-Old
Two police officers fired 18 bullets into a car even after the driver put his hands in the air.
California Police Agencies Were Supposed To Make Misconduct Records Public. Why Isn't It Happening?
Media outlets are seeing foot-dragging, destroyed records, and demands for big money for compliance.
The NYPD Hasn't Substantiated a Single Bias Complaint Against an Officer Since 2014
The NYPD is 100 percent bias-free, NYPD investigators claim.
U.S. Cops Are Facing a Recruitment Crisis. Will It Force Them to Change Their Ways?
Nationally, 66 percent of police departments report seeing declining numbers of applications.
Rampant Criminal Laws Make Bullies and Tyrants Rejoice
When "almost anyone can be arrested for something," no one is safe.
Police Officer Threatens To Shoot Pregnant Woman After Her Child Took Barbie From Family Dollar Store
"There is no situation in which this behavior is ever close to acceptable," said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.
The City of Vallejo, California, Has a Police Problem—and It's All Being Caught on Camera
A small city in California has been plagued by police shootings, costly civil rights lawsuits, and incidents of excessive force.
Migrant Kids As Young As 5 Were Left in Vans Overnight While Waiting to Reunite With Their Families
It took 39 hours for every child to be reunited with their parents.
That Time Michael Moynihan Got Handcuffed at a NYC Checkpoint for an Unpaid 1998 Speeding Ticket
The most hilarious overpolicing story you'll hear this week, on the latest Fifth Column podcast
$6.75 Million Awarded to the Family of a Milwaukee Jail Inmate Who Died From Dehydration
The jail, which saw several deaths, was overseen by former Sheriff David Clarke at the time.
Dissenting From a Decision Blocking a Retaliatory Arrest Claim, Neil Gorsuch Notes That 'Almost Anyone Can Be Arrested for Something'
The Trump appointee warns that "little would be left of our First Amendment liberties" if cops could punish people who irk them by finding a legal reason to bust them.
Double Standards Endanger Press Freedom
The treatment of Bryan Carmody and Julian Assange reveals widespread confusion about who counts as a journalist and whether it matters.
Cops Strip-Searched a 4-Year-Old After Mom's Errand Took Too Long
Child services called because Holly Curry let her kids wait in the car while she bought a muffin.
A Retired NYPD Officer Pleads Guilty to Running a Prostitution Ring
The operation used its intimate knowledge of NYPD operations to thrive.
A Man Fights Back After His Profane Rant About a Deputy Ended in Harassment Charges
Jon Goldsmith called a local deputy a "stupid sum bitch" on Facebook, so the deputy's superior charged Goldsmith with writing a threatening statement.
Border Patrol Agent on Trial for Hitting Border Crosser With His Truck Called Immigrants 'Disgusting Subhuman Shit' in Texts
Matthew Bowen hit a man who crossed the border. Then he sent a text calling him a "human pit maneuver."
Reminder To All the News Outlets Hiring Rahm Emanuel: He's Awful
Emanuel was a habitual violator of Illinois' public records laws and shielded the police from public scrutiny whenever he could.
An NYPD Superior Reacted to Eric Garner's Death by Texting 'Not a Big Deal.' And That's Completely Unsurprising.
For five years, the NYPD, its apologists, and even Mayor Bill de Blasio have absolved cops of their role in Eric Garner's death.
In Deadly Drug Raid Case, a Texas County Refuses to Release Information It Has Already Released
Contradictory responses to a request for autopsy reports illustrate how law enforcement agencies take advantage of a broad exception to the state's public records law.
Forensic Experts Find 'No Evidence' That Houston Narcs Who Killed Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas Encountered Gunfire As They Entered the House
The physical evidence at the scene seems inconsistent with the story told by the officers who conducted the no-knock drug raid.
Trial (Sort of) Begins Over Police Officer's Conduct in Eric Garner's Death
Five years later, Daniel Pantaleo faces administrative justice.
Cellphone Video Provides Further Evidence That the Cop Who Arrested Sandra Bland Was Angry Rather Than Afraid
Trooper Brian Encinia could see that Bland, whom he stopped for failing to signal a lane change, was holding a cellphone, not a weapon.
Houston Police Shot Man Killed in Fraudulent Drug Raid at Least Eight Times
Dennis Tuttle and his wife, Rhogena Nicholas, who was shot twice, were pronounced dead shortly after police invaded their home based on a "controlled buy" that never happened.
