Trump is seeking to militarize the approach of the more than half a million sworn police officers charged with protecting and serving communities across the country.
Jim Jordan
Posted inOpinion
Why police officers should get sabbaticals
If we take seriously the idea of sabbaticals as a valuable break from the demands of daily work life and a time to recharge before returning, rejuvenated, to that routine, there may be no group for whom the restorative power of a well-planned sabbatical makes more sense that police officers.
Posted inOpinion
Trump’s mass deportation order would create a disaster for communities – and a crisis of legitimacy for local police
Trump’s promise to deport one million undocumented residents per year will compromise public safety and create a crisis of legitimacy for many municipal police departments in the Commonwealth and across the US.
Posted inOpinion
How AI could enhance policing
Artificial intelligence could be harnessed to analyze thousands of hours of police body cam recordings and provide valuable feedback on decision-making across the range of situations officers encounter each day.
Posted inCriminal Justice
How ‘cop watchers’ can help improve policing
CAN POLICE TURN a perceived nuisance into an opportunity? Can they benefit from the efforts of smartphone-wielding “cop watchers” who dog them at crime and emergency scenes? The answer is […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Drugs, Opinion
When drug busts lead to more overdoses we’re on the wrong path
MOST THOUGHTFUL police leaders will tell you that they will not arrest their way out of the drug abuse epidemic. A mountain of research supports their views. Still, as opioid […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
To address police recruit shortage, raise standards
POLICE DEPARTMENTS across the Commonwealth and around the country are concerned about declining numbers of qualified recruits. The Boston Globe reported two months ago that the number of officers who […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
In quest to improve policing, time is on our side
IN THE WORLD of policing, what do waiting for nature to call to a drunken – and disruptive – Red Sox fan, taking a measured approach to car stops, and […]
Posted inOpinion
Time for Boston sports team owners to up their civil rights game
HAVEN’T WE HAD enough racist behavior in the seats of Boston’s pro sports venues? Segregationist management practices and racial animus in the stands are as old as pro sports in […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Criminal justice goal should be eliminating ‘systemic racialization’
BOSTON IS APPROACHING an unusual opportunity to create a bold program of police reform: the leaders of police and prosecution will be coming into their new positions at about the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Mass. police among least likely to shoot
POLICE IN MASSACHUSETTS rarely shoot anyone. According to the latest Washington Post analysis, Massachusetts is virtually tied for the lowest rate of officer-involved shootings in the US – six per […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. has blind spot when it comes to assault weapons
WHAT IS OUR moral responsibility as a Commonwealth for preventing the predictable loss of life from products manufactured in Massachusetts? Four state legislators — Democratic Reps. Marjorie Decker of Cambridge, Frank Moran […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
There should be no slowdown on police reform
IS THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION going slow on police reform? Recently, the White House announced it is putting on hold the formation of a national commission on this critical matter. “Based on close, […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Cops, docs, and systemic racism
REFORM COMMISSIONS AT the state and national level have been charged with exploring ways to improve law enforcement, with a particular focus on addressing the issues of racism and racial […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Capitol insurrection unmasks the real terrorist next door
OUR FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT and criminal justice agencies have been dropping the ball on domestic terrorism. They simply have not seen the terrorists for what they are. At play are […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
A ban is not a plan
THE MASSACHUSETTS SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT has reminded us that we are not going to ban our way to social justice and public safety. The SJC on December 15 declared that […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
What a Biden administration could mean for policing
LOOK FOR THE terms “procedural justice” and “police legitimacy” to re-enter the vocabulary of the West Wing. As the incoming Biden administration forms its policy on policing in the US, […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Opinion
Boston police reform panel asked the wrong question
LIKE MANY “blue ribbon” commissions that came before it, the recent Boston police reform panel took its job seriously and approached the important issues it was asked to address with […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
History suggests SJC rulings will improve policing
IF HISTORY IS a guide, three unanimous Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rulings on race and police practices issued last week will make policing more effective and more just. In one, […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
National mayors group calls for change in policing
ANY REFORM OF police policies and practices in the US will happen municipality by municipality. It’s in the nature of locally-controlled police governance in our country. So when the leading […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Here’s how we can build better police departments
PROTEST MARCHES AND disturbing headlines on officer practices have cast a harsh spotlight on US police departments. As painful as recent events have been, this is also an opportunity for […]