Police
What the Data Do and Don't Say about Policing and Race
Harvard's Roland Fryer argues both Left and Right misunderstand or misrepresent the empirical evidence
Will the Next Eric Garner Be Killed Over Black Market Fireworks?
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is creating a task force to crackdown on the sale and use of illegal fireworks.
A Senate Republican Has Officially Come Out Against Qualified Immunity
The legal doctrine frequently allows police officers to violate your rights without fear of civil liability.
To Demilitarize the Police, We Need To Change More Than Just Their Uniforms
The problem isn’t just that cops look like occupying soldiers, it’s that too many think and act like them.
Protesters Attacked a Journalist at the D.C. Protests. Then the Police Handcuffed Her.
A dispatch from the Black House Autonomous Zone
Seattle Says It Will Ask Protesters To Voluntarily Leave 'Autonomous Zone.' What Happens If They Don't?
Plus: Trump tries to cancel skilled worker visas, Seattle repeals "prostitution loitering" law, Pennsylvania makes cosmetologists prove "good moral character," and more...
Federal Policing Needs Reform Too
Deep ranks of enforcers with expansive powers and wide-ranging responsibilities will always pose a risk to the public, no matter which level of government employs them.
Protests Against Police Brutality Continue To Be Met With Police Brutality
Plus: IMDb wins First Amendment case, Akon launches a new cryptocurrency, and more...
A Labor Council Has Expelled Seattle's Police Union. Good.
Police unions exist to protect cops at the expense of the public.
Colorado Police Reforms Mandate Body Cameras, Strip Bad Officers of Lawsuit Immunity
The legislation rolls back regulations that have been shielding bad police from accountability.
Armed Agents of the State Shouldn't Be Enforcing Traffic Laws
Interactions between the public and the police should be kept to a minimum.
San Francisco Police Were Ordered To Turn Off Body Cameras in Raid on Journalist's Home
Their illegal search was not recorded.
This Week Confirmed That Control of the Supreme Court Will Be a Critical Part of Trump's Reelection Strategy
Plus: Seattle labor coalition gives cops the boot, supermarkets are a miracle of modern markets, Klobuchar is the last person to realize she won't be Biden's VP, and more...
How Police Reform Bills in Congress Compare
Everybody is talking about changing law enforcement, but not all proposals are equally worthy—or serious.
The War on Drugs Drug Spurred America's Current Policing Crisis
Police strategies have changed dramatically in the past few decades—and not because of soaring crime. America's War on Drugs is a prime culprit.
John Bolton Is Still Mad That Donald Trump Wouldn't Let Him Bomb Iran
Plus: A majority of Americans support policing reforms, say goodbye to Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben, and more....
NYPD Cops Claimed Shake Shack Employees Put Bleach in Their Milkshakes. An NYPD Investigation Found Otherwise.
Cops have a long history of thinking fast food workers are out to get them.
Senate Republicans Have Introduced Their Own Police Reform Bill
The bill would incentivize police to ban chokeholds and create a national use-of-force database.
Racially Skewed Policing Is Not a Statistical Mirage
One need not believe every cop is a bigot to recognize that the problem goes beyond a few "bad apples."
'Without Police, There Is Chaos': Trump Signs Police Reform Executive Order
It does not touch qualified immunity or police unions.
Was the Shooting of Rayshard Brooks 'Lawful but Awful'?
Every encounter with armed agents of the state has the potential to end tragically, which is a good reason to minimize such encounters.
The Cops Who Sicced a Dog on a Surrendered Suspect Got Qualified Immunity. SCOTUS Won't Hear the Case.
"I have previously expressed my doubts about our qualified immunity jurisprudence," writes Associate Justice Clarence Thomas in a dissent.
Treating Mental Illness With Care, Not Punishment, Goes Beyond Defunding Police
We need to remove all the ways that government deters people from seeking treatment.
The Atlanta Cop Who Killed a Black Man in a Wendy's Parking Lot on Friday Night Has Been Fired
Plus: "Twitter Robespierres," Trump's campaign does a weird flex on a bad poll, and more....
The Former Cop Who Killed George Floyd Will Get $50K Annual Pension Even if Convicted of Murder
The family of George Floyd probably won't be able to successfully sue Derek Chauvin in civil court because of qualified immunity, but they will help pay for the killer cop's retirement.
A Cop Shot a 10-Year-Old and Got Qualified Immunity. Tom Brady and 1,400 Other Pro Athletes Want To Fix That.
Citing work from Reason, players and coaches from the NFL, NBA, and MLB are urging Congress to end qualified immunity.
Chicago Cops Nap and Snack in the Ruins of Riots
If this is what cities are paying billions for, no wonder people are calling for defunding.
Police Reform Should Match the Needs of Different Communities
Leave people room to experiment with approaches to protecting life, liberty, and property.
With 1 Republican Cosponsor, Rep. Justin Amash Gains Tripartisan Support To End Qualified Immunity
Rep. Tom McClintock (R–Calif.) announced he will support the Ending Qualified Immunity Act.
Rights and Wrongs of "Defunding the Police"
If "defunding the police" means abolishing them completely, it's a bad idea. But there are ways to use cuts in funding to improve police incentives for the better.
Cops Who Shot Homeless Man 22 Times While He Lay on the Ground Are Not Protected by Qualified Immunity, Appeals Court Rules
It's a perverse kind of progress, but it's progress all the same.
These Judges Defend Qualified Immunity as 'a Deferential Rule' That Protects the Police
“Officers don’t have the time to pull out law books and analyze the fine points of judicial precedent.”
Minneapolis Police Chief Ends Contract Negotiations With Police Union
After George Floyd’s death, the city will bring in outside advisers to recommend changes to make policing more transparent and accountable.
Post-COVID Lockdowns, Early Big City Crime Stats Are Slightly Encouraging
Early COVID lockdown effects show no significant increases in most crime. In most cases, there were drops.
Senate Republican Police 'Reforms' Won't Touch Qualified Immunity
With Trump opposed too, there's little hope that a serious police reform bill will get through Congress anytime soon.
California Ammunition Raids Put Innocent People at Risk of Police Violence
The state boasts of blocking 754 illegal purchases, but it wrongly tagged 101,047 law-abiding people as prohibited. Any of them could have been targeted.
Cops Who Allegedly Assaulted and Arrested a Man for Standing Outside His Own House Are Protected by Qualified Immunity
The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals' decision is "a precedent-setting error of exceptional public importance," writes dissenting judge.
'Defund the Police' Should Include Federal Cops Too
Federal spending on policing has quadrupled since the 1980s, while state and local spending has increased by about one-third.
Recruitment of Bad Cops Shows How Misconduct Is Deeper Than a Few Bad Apples
Sometimes a "few bad apples" is systemic rot.
Will Big Labor Give the Boot to Police Unions? Be Skeptical.
Union leaders show very little interest in considering collective bargaining’s role in protecting bad cops.
The War on Terror Comes Home
The foreign policy lesson in the struggle for police reform
Video Shows Cops Slashing Tires Across Minneapolis During Protests
A spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety says they were scared people would drive too fast.
Professionalizing Police Hasn't Worked. Try Privatizing Instead.
No amount of protesting is likely to reduce police brutality in the absence of structural reforms that increase accountability, competition, choice, and incentives.
Protesters Want to Defund the Police. Joe Biden Wants to Hire More of Them.
The Democratic presidential candidate wants an extra $300 million in federal grants for cops.
The Case for Defunding Police Shouldn't Depend on How Much Privilege You Have
The police aren't good at solving crime in general, regardless of the victim's race, ethnicity, or income. Making this about "privilege" actually undercuts the strength of the argument.
