Summer time. Vacation Time. But no time to let your guard down. Traditionally, crime goes up during warmer weather with property crimes and aggravated assaults on the rise. In some locations murder rates increase too. When temperatures get hotter there are more windows left open, more sweaty and irritated people seeking relief outside and more…
The parents of Michael Brown, who was killed by Ferguson (Mo.) police Officer Darren Wilson in 2014, have just gotten a financial windfall. The city’s insurance company has agreed to pay them $1.5 million to settle their wrongful death lawsuit against the city, the former police chief and Wilson. In other words, Ferguson folded, probably…
A reader from New Hampshire wrote to ask, “Why, just because you are born here, are you an American citizen? I know the history of this law but it is out of date and just encourages more illegal immigration.” Well, I cannot argue with that. The reader, who goes by the handle Rocheleau, expressed displeasure…
Sherry Johnson gave birth when she was 10 years old. When she turned 11, her parents, members of a conservative Pentecostal church, decided she should marry the 20-year-old man who had raped her. Their reasoning? Marriage would deflect a criminal case and help protect the reputation of the church. Amazingly, a clerk in Pinellas County,…
Summertime is upon us, the season when out-of-school kids are frequently left alone in the house. Here’s a question for all parents and grandparents out there: Do you have guns in your home? According to a new report from the Children’s National Hospital, 20,000 American children — yes, 20,000 — will be rushed to the…
As you read this the President of the United States might very well have said or tweeted out more intemperate things. It is pretty clear that Donald J. Trump plays fast and loose with the English language and diplomatic speak is not in his wheelhouse. He shoots from the lip and worries about cleaning up…
He raped an 8-year-old girl in 1984 and served four years in prison. He has now pleaded guilty to the 2016 rape of a 12-year-old girl. But for some reason the prosecutor agreed to plea bargain with William Dixon this time around agreeing he would go back to prison for only three years. Unconscionable in…
This nation has faced some tough law enforcement dilemmas in recent years. An increase in murders and drug and gang violence in several major cities, a breakdown in citizen’s respect for authority, police overreaction to situations – ignited either by a macho officer or by one who, honestly, fears for their safety – and, of…
We should all have a profound respect for our jury system. In a justice system that is obviously not perfect, average citizens put their lives on hold to serve as jurors so defendants get a fair shot at impartiality. Jurors act as a counter balance to attorney’s legal maneuverings as they apply their common sense…