Appeals Court Rules That Cops Can Physically Make You Unlock Your Phone
The 9th Circuit determined that forcibly mashing a suspect's thumb into his phone to unlock it was akin to fingerprinting him at the police station.
Police
The Kansas Legislature Unanimously Passed a Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill
Kansas had among the most lax civil asset forfeiture laws in the country, but a bill sent to the governor's desk would strengthen protections for property owners.
SCOTUS Misses a Chance To Protect Peaceful Protesters
Under a legal theory endorsed by the 5th Circuit, Martin Luther King Jr. could have been liable for other people’s violence.
Ron DeSantis Signs Florida Bill Limiting How Close Bystanders Can Get to Police
The law makes it a misdemeanor to approach within 25 feet of a first responder after receiving a verbal warning to stay away.
Georgia Cops Are Still Hassling Vape Stores Over Legal Products
Courts have repeatedly ruled that delta-8 and delta-10 products are legal. So why are officers and district attorneys still raiding shops?
A Cop Shot Her 11-Year-Old Son. Now She Might Lose Custody of Her Kids.
The local prosecuting attorney in Sunflower, Mississippi, is seeking to take away Nakala Murry's three children.
Kansas Police Seized Her Truck. It Took Her 8 Months To Get it Back, Despite Never Being Charged With a Crime.
Dewonna Goodridge quickly discovered that Kansas civil asset forfeiture laws were stacked against her when sheriff's deputies seized her truck.
California Cops Tased a Man Having a Seizure, Then Booked Him on Bogus Charges To Cover Their Mistake
Bruce Frankel was tased by a police officer in 2022 after his fiancee called 911 seeking medical help. Now he's suing.
Albuquerque's Police Chief Ran a Red Light and Broadsided a Car. A Review Board Says It Was Unavoidable.
Harold Medina, who severely injured a driver while fleeing a gunman, ordered a thorough investigation of his own conduct.
Kansas Police Facing Lawsuit After Conducting 'Illegal' Raid Against Small-Town Paper
Last year, the offices of the Marion County Record were raided by police. A new lawsuit claims the search was illegal retaliation against the paper.
Parents Investigated for Letting 7-Year-Old Get a Cookie From the Store
"You just can't raise kids like that anymore—it isn't safe," the cops told the Widner family.
DARE Didn't Make Kids 'Say No' to Drugs. It Normalized Police in Schools.
DARE to Say No details the history of an anti-drug campaign that left an indelible mark on America.
Squatters Invaded His Mom's House—so He Fought Back
Thanks to "squatters' rights" laws, evicting a squatter can be so expensive and cumbersome that some people simply walk away from their homes.
Maurice Jimmerson Was Locked Up for 10 Years Without a Trial. He's Finally Free.
The Georgia man was released after making a plea deal. He spent a decade in jail before ever being convicted of a crime.
Texas SWAT Team Held Innocent Family at Gunpoint After Raiding the Wrong Home
The officers are avoiding accountability after getting qualified immunity.
Peter Moskos: What Does Good Policing Look Like?
Peter Moskos, criminal justice professor and former Baltimore police officer, discusses ways to reform policing and turn failing cities around on the latest Just Asking Questions podcast.
'15 Days To Slow the Spread': On the Fourth Anniversary, a Reminder to Never Give Politicians That Power Again
In the name of safety, politicians did many things that diminished our lives—without making us safer.
Law Enforcement Trainers File Scotus Amicus Brief against Maryland Rifle Ban
Citizens should be able to choose the same high-quality defensive arms that peace officers choose
Racially Discriminatory Enforcement Lawsuit Against Duluth Police Officer Can Go Forward
A black resident called the police to complain about alleged racial harassment by white neighbor; the resident alleges the police arrested him for leaving the scene after the police arrived, but didn't arrest the neighbor for doing the same thing.
Rats Dine on Marijuana Confiscated by Police
New Orleans police found rats eating marijuana the department had confiscated as part of the War on Drugs.
Oklahoma Autopsy Finds That a Bullied Nonbinary Student Committed Suicide
After blaming the state's bathroom law, The New York Times says "it has never been clear" whether gender identity figured in the fight that preceded Nex Benedict's death.
Coleman Hughes vs. Radley Balko: Who's Right About George Floyd?
On the latest episode of Just Asking Questions, Radley Balko debates Coleman Hughes about Hughes' recent column arguing that Derek Chauvin may have been wrongly convicted of George Floyd's murder.
New Orleans Police Say Rats Are Eating Drug Evidence
The admission came as the agency pushed for funding. It's a reminder that the cops should spend fewer resources seizing cannabis and more on solving serious crimes.
Empire State Police State
Plus: Microaggression discourse, AI espionage, housing policy wins, and more...
78-Year-Old Grandmother Awarded $3.8 Million After Illegal SWAT Raid
The legal victory has been attributed to a 2020 law banning qualified immunity for police in Colorado.
New Mexico MADD 'Officer of the Year' Resigns Amid DWI Corruption Scandal
Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina, who promised to "get to the bottom of this," is himself the subject of an internal investigation after broadsiding a car last month.
A Paramedic Got 5 Years in Prison for Elijah McClain's Death. That's Not Justice.
It can certainly be true that Peter Cichuniec made an egregious professional misjudgment. And it can also be true that punishing him criminally makes little sense.
Sheriff Who Presided Over Violent 'Goon Squad' Tries To Play Dumb
"Nobody's ever reported that to me," Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey said after his deputies admitted to brutalizing innocent people.
Pennsylvania Police Settle Lawsuit With Woman Forced to Undergo 'Humiliating' Strip-Search
Even though police found no signs of drugs or other contraband, Holly Elish was strip-searched by Pennsylvania police officers.
Why Did Cops Point a Gun at a Burning Gaza Protester?
The Secret Service’s strange reaction to the U.S. airman who lit himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy.
Mississippi Police Arrested a 10-Year-Old for Peeing Behind His Mom's Car. Now, the Family Is Suing
Third-grader Quantavious Eason was arrested and charged as a "child in need of services" after being caught peeing behind his mother's car.
Albuquerque Cops Allegedly Got Paid To Make DWI Cases Disappear
The scandal has resulted in the dismissal of some 200 DWI cases, an internal probe, and an FBI investigation.
Don't Let Crime Fears Undermine Americans' Rights
Amid fear of rising crime, let's take a careful and deliberate approach—lest innocent people lose their rights and property.
The New York Times Implausibly Implicates Oklahoma's Bathroom Law in the Death of a Nonbinary Student
Don’t let culture war politics overwhelm a commitment to the facts.
