Carpundit

Self-Defense in Cambridge

I've covered this before, but there's news today.  The state's highest court ruled that Alexander Pring-Wilson is entitled to a new trial, one in which he'll be allowed to introduce evidence of his alleged-victim's violent past in support of his self-defense claim.  Pring-Wilson is the former Harvard graduate student sent to prison for killing one of the two convicted felons who attacked him four years ago.

I had hoped Gerry Leone wouldn't pursue this case the way Martha Coakley did, but I guess he's protecting his political future too.  Middlesex DA is a launching post for political careers.

Combine that with the utterly irrational knee-jerk liberalism of Cambridge and you've got a real good reason not to go there.

Paid Police Details and Useless Overtime

Over two hundred thousand dollars a year as a State Police lieutenant?  That's crazy.  And a lot of it wasn't paid details - it was overtime, because it took place on a Mass. Turnpike Authority road.  But that kind of overtime is just as wasted as the paid detail money: paid to a guy sitting in a car reading a newspaper, in the middle of the night, behind traffic barriers, in a closed tunnel.

In a rational society, that money would be spent paying police officers to fight crime, so vigilantes don't have to volunteer.

Guardian Angels Versus the Union

Curtis Sliwa is obnoxious, and I doubt the Guardian Angels bring any more to crime fighting than the Hells Angels brought to concert security in California.  Curtis Sliwa is a publicity hound who stages crimes.  Police union president Thomas Nee, another publicity hound, wants them to stay home and is calling for more cops on the streets.  He says we should leave the policing to the police.  I tend to agree.  But we'll have to get a bunch of them off their details first.  Nee's not for that.

If you want your own beret, you can get one here.

Boston Police Helicopter?

The Boston Police are not actually getting their own helicopter, as this article in the Boston Globe explains, but they will be flying in one.  The State Police are supplying the helo, the fuel, and the pilot.  This is a great deal for the city.  There is a crime problem here, the helicopter can help, and the cost is borne by the whole state.

Boston police are already girding for criticism about noise and intrusion from city residents who are now accustomed to having copters whirring overhead only in the case of a manhunt or disaster.

Who would criticize?  It's not as if they'll be setting it to hover over one house at a time.  It's a great idea.  My only concern was that the Troopers and the Boston cops inside the cockpit might kill each other, because the inter-agency rivalry has been known to boil over on occasion.  But it seems everyone is playing nice, and that's to the benefit of the city.

Car-Related Work for Boston's Vagrants?

BPD reported a sharp rise in vehicle break-ins, as you may have seen on BPD News.  It's in the Boston Globe this morning, here.  The article includes this gem, from a high-ranking BPD official, speaking about people they've arrested for breaking into cars:

"They've actually made statements, 'If you're not letting me panhandle, I've got to do something else,' " he said in an interview yesterday.

The bum blames society.  I blame the bum.  How about getting some honest work at a modern facility?

Like sewing jumpsuits here.

If You Can't Take the Heat...

Physical and mental abuse are hallmarks of state police academy training, at least in the northeastern states.  Yes, we're in the 21st century, but some of the bad guys are still tough and mean in an 18th century way.   When you're a trooper or a rural cop, you need to be able to handle whatever is thrown your way.  Your nearest friend could be miles out and three minutes' fighting seems like a lifetime.  (That's not to say you can be soft if you're in urban policing.  That takes toughness, too, and you probably get in a lot more tussles.  But it's usually not one-on-one.)

No, I don't think police academy swirlies are necessary, but if you can't take the academy, maybe you need another job.

This Is What the State Police Mean By Turnpike Cruiser

I always understood the Massachusetts State Police take-home cruiser policy to be void at Troop E, where the Turnpike runs the show and owns the cars.  That is, for years I misunderstood, thinking the lack of a take-home cruiser was a reason not to transfer to Weston or Charlton.  The now-defunct per diem must have been an attempt to compensate, although a clumsy one.

Most folks consider the car at right to be a Turnpike Cruiser, but not the MSP.  To the MSP, that car at left (Herald photo) is.

This is about what I drove, back in the day (and, yes, that is the tail of a C4 Corvette next to it; the 55 Team guys had some).

Massachusetts Judge Opines On Law Enforcement - Oh, the Irony

U.S. District Judge William Young is a pretty serious guy; he takes his job and his rulings seriously and examines issues the way a judge should, logically and disinterestedly.  So his criticism of the U.S. Marshals Service is worth thinking about.  But if Young was prompted by the expected nomination of Reed Hillman to the post in Massachusetts, he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Hillman is a career professional law enforcement officer who rose through the ranks of the State Police to the top job: Colonel/Superintendent.  When that was over, he went to the state legislature and made issues of crime and punishment his top projects.  He would have done a great job as Lieutenant Governor and he will do a great job as Marshal.

Sure, you have to be political to get the appointment, but that doesn't make you unqualified.  Or does it, Judge Young?

Policing In Small Town Massachusetts

War protestors convicted of misdemeanor; police officer wishes them well:

"All these people are nice people," [Sergeant] McLaughlin said after the court proceedings. "They're dedicated to their cause. We didn't arrest them because of their beliefs. We arrested them because of their activity, which created a dangerous situation."

Right on the money.

Driving in Chicago - Warnings From the Police

Chicago PD is using automated license plate readers.  While these devices certainly have an application in law enforcement, I'm wary of their widespread deployment.  They have the capability to ensure that every minor motor vehicle regulation is enforced.  (In Boston, the city transportation department mounted them on a Ford Explorer for parking enforcement.)  While I'm not opposed to motor vehicle enforcement, I am opposed to the 100% enforcement of almost any regulatory scheme.  A society that has no wiggle room is a society that has no freedom, hence no spirit or creativity.

Chicago PD has also deployed lidar, the laser speed guns against which your radar detector is probably useless.  Watch the traffic in front of you for brake lights.

Finally, keep an eye on your catalytic converter in Chicago.  It seems they're being cut out of cars in large parking lots.  The police wonder why, and blog to ask what the thieves want the rhodium and palladium for.  The PD is asking what the metals are for?  Apparently they haven't heard of Google.

Sheesh....