Tag: Criminal Justice System

Considering the role of local police in monitoring federal law enforcement and remembering pioneering criminologist Al Blumstein

Something unusual has been happening recently: Several cities and states have enacted measures to limit federal law enforcement’s actions, potentially leaving local police in an incredibly difficult position. This emerging dynamic—where local agencies must navigate, interpret, or even enforce restrictions directed at federal agencies—creates unprecedented operational, legal, and personal challenges.

Six Massachusetts cities, including Boston, have put orders in place banning federal agencies from staging for civil immigration enforcement actions on city-owned property; requiring city officials to “publicly release video footage of violence or property damage by federal officials;” and affirming that “consistent with its statutory authority and longstanding practice,” police will “investigate all violence, property damage, and allegations of criminal conduct, including by federal officials, and appropriately document such incidents.”
— Read on www.policeforum.org/trending21feb26

Review Finds Multiple Police Failures Preceded Violent Response to Counterprotests During Anti-LGBTQ Event in May – PubliCola

The city’s Office of the Inspector General released a report today finding that the Seattle Police Department’s actions during the anti-trans “Don’t Mess With Our Kids” rally, held by an extremist group called Mayday USA last May, showed a bias against counter-protesters who showed up to demonstrate against the right-wing event. The report also found that officers didn’t understand why it was a provocation to hold an anti-LGBTQ event in Cal Anderson Park, at the heart of Seattle’s historic LGBTQ neighborhood.
— Read on publicola.com/2026/02/12/review-finds-multiple-police-failures-preceded-violent-response-to-counteprotests-during-anti-lgbtq-event-in-may/amp/

Vantage Point: History of Police Oppression of Africans in America (with Ronald Hampton), Part I

Part I — From slave patrols to modern policing, this Vantage Point conversation with Ronald Hampton examines the history of police oppression of Africans in America and the ongoing struggle for justice, accountability, and transformational change in public safety.

NOTE: Part 2 is also available on the website below.

— Read on HERE

Utah Takes Aim at Unsolved Violent Crime – R Street Institute

Despite a nationwide decline in violent crime rates, Utah faces a persistent challenge: too many violent crimes go unsolved. The consequences ripple through communities across the state, leaving victims and families without closure, allowing dangerous offenders to remain at large, and eroding confidence in the justice system. Recent data from Utah’s law enforcement agencies reveal troubling clearance gaps that demand attention.
— Read on www.rstreet.org/commentary/utah-takes-aim-at-unsolved-violent-crime/

What Federal Immigration Enforcement Is Doing Isn’t Policing—and It Isn’t Normal | Seth W. Stoughton, Ian T. Adams, Geoffrey P. Alpert, Gil Kerlikowse, Maureen Q. McGough, Jeffrey J. Noble | Verdict | Legal Analysis and Commentary from Justia

This opinion piece by policing experts Seth W. Stoughton, Ian T. Adams, Geoffrey P. Alpert, Gil Kerlikowse, Maureen Q. McGough, and Jeffrey J. Noble addresses federal immigration enforcement tactics under the Trump administration. The authors argue that the conduct of agencies like ICE and CBP has departed from established norms in policing in a way that has undermined public safety, particularly through fatal shootings. They contend that these actions—marked by poor planning, aggressive field tactics, and a disregard for accountability—are not just unprofessional but dangerously authoritarian, threatening public safety and the legitimacy of policing itself.
— Read on verdict.justia.com/2026/01/29/what-federal-immigration-enforcement-is-doing-isnt-policing-and-it-isnt-normal