Texas SWAT Team Held Innocent Family at Gunpoint After Raiding the Wrong Home
The officers are avoiding accountability after getting qualified immunity.
Law enforcement
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.
Louisiana Law Lets Wildlife Agents Trespass on Private Property
A lawsuit from the Institute for Justice claims the law violates the Louisiana Constitution.
Republicans Use Fuzzy Math To Claim Large FBI, ATF Cuts in Budget Bill
The total appropriations package would cut $200 billion over 10 years, as the national debt expands by $20 trillion.
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.
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.
Feds Target Journalist Tim Burke With Law Intended for Hackers
An escalation in the war between people who publish secrets and those who seek to keep them.
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.
Frozen Embryos Are Now Children Under Alabama Law
State Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Parker cited the Bible to explain why.
Lawmakers Want Pause on Federal Funds for Predictive Policing
The dangers inherent in targeting criminals-to-be have yet to be addressed.
Tennessee Deputy Dies While Texting and Driving, Killing Suspect in the Back Seat
While the deputy's death is tragic, all evidence indicates that the woman handcuffed in his back seat died as a result of his negligence.
This Prosecutor Secretly Worked for the Judges Overseeing His Cases. Will His Victims Be Able To Sue?
Ralph Petty likely violated the Constitution. In a rare move, a federal court signaled this week that lawsuits against him may not be dead on arrival.
Wisconsin Police Held a Man and 3 Kids at Gunpoint During Routine Traffic Stop
Luke Weiland has filed a lawsuit alleging that police used "excessive" force.
Georgia Bill Would Hobble Bail Funds Even as It Expands Cash Bail
By definition, people assigned bail have been judged safe to release into the general population. Requiring them to post cash bail is needlessly punitive.
An Alabama Couple's Lives Were Upended by an Unconstitutional Police Raid. A Jury Awarded Them $1 Million.
Greg and Teresa Almond lost their house and livelihood over a misdemeanor drug crime. Sheriff's deputies never got a warrant to search their house.
AI Versus Age-Verification Laws
AI tools churning out images of fake IDs could help people get around online age-check laws.
Texas Cops Held a Terrified Couple at Gunpoint After Raiding the Wrong House
Tyler Harrington has filed a lawsuit after four police officers burst into his home in the middle of the night.
He Was Charged With Human Trafficking for Driving His Wife to Work
"The sole basis for targeting Joe was the race/ethnicity of his wife and her occupation" at an Asian massage parlor, the lawsuit claims.
She Was Arrested for Her Journalism. A Federal Court Says She Can't Sue.
Priscilla Villarreal, also known as "Lagordiloca," has sparked a debate about free speech and who, exactly, is a journalist.
Florida Bills Would Hide the Names of Police Officers Who Kill People
The bills would classify police and correctional officers who kill people on the job as crime victims.
Florida Legislation Would Ban Civilian Police Oversight Boards
Florida Republicans and police unions insist that toothless civilian oversight boards are still more scrutiny than police deserve.
Feds Will Try Backpage Co-Founder Michael Lacey for a Third Time
It's a frightening reminder of how far the government will go to get their way—and to warn tech companies against platforming speech it doesn't like.
Is Facial Recognition a Useful Public Safety Tool or Something Sinister?
Your Face Belongs to Us documents how facial recognition might threaten our freedom.
Long Beach, California, Police 'Brutally' Arrested a Cancer Patient. Now, the City Is Paying $300,000.
Johnny Jackson had just had surgery for his prostate cancer when three officers arrested him with "brutal force" over his expired vehicle registration.
Maine's Bad Prostitution Law Could Be Coming Soon to Your State
Beware the “Equality Model” of sex work law reform in 2024.
The Flimsy RICO Case Against Atlanta's Cop City Protestors
Law enforcement officials appear to have tarred ad hoc bands of protesters as members of an organized criminal movement.
10-Year-Old Kid Offered Probation for Peeing Behind His Mom's Car
His mom is rejecting the prosecutors' absurdly strict probation rules.
This Innocent Woman Is on the Hook for Thousands After a SWAT Team Destroyed Her Home
An error-prone investigation in search of a fugitive led police to Amy Hadley's house.
Ohio Vice Cop Who Got Away With Killing Sex Worker Pleads Guilty in Kidnapping Case
Andrew Mitchell, who was acquitted on state murder charges in April, plead guilty this month to abducting and detaining two sex worker victims.
Abortion 'Sanctuary Cities' Under Scrutiny in New Mexico Supreme Court
Abortion issues come before two other state Supreme Courts—in Arizona and Wyoming—this week as well.
Will Abortion Issues Return to the Supreme Court?
The Court has been asked to intervene in cases involving abortion pills and criminal prosecution of abortion doctors.
Alabama Police Officer on Leave After Viral Video Shows Her Tasing Handcuffed, Compliant Man
The Alabama State Bureau of Investigation is now looking into the incident as well.
Want To Challenge Your Speed Camera Ticket? That'll Be $100.
Only 536 people live in this Ohio town that issues 1,800 speeding tickets per month.
Janet Reno Is No Hero
A new biography by Judith Hicks Stiehm ignores Janet Reno's many failures as attorney general.
Florida Supreme Court Rules Police Can't Use Marsy's Law To Hide Names of Officers Who Shoot People
"Marsy's Law guarantees to no victim—police officer or otherwise—the categorical right to withhold his or her name from disclosure," the Florida Supreme Court ruled.
The Backpage Defendants Never Stood a Chance
Moral panic plus government power is an inescapably potent combination.
Texas Troopers Killed 74 People in Vehicle Chases Since Implementing Controversial Border Program
From March 2021 to July 2023, 74 people were killed and nearly 200 were injured in vehicle chases occurring in counties affected by Operation Lone Star.
San Francisco's APEC Cleanup Hasn't 'Fixed' Its Homelessness Problem
No amount of encampment sweeps and pressure-washing sidewalks is going to solve the problem of thousands of people living on the streets.
The FBI Needs Downsizing, Not $3.5 Billion for a New Headquarters
Lawmakers from Maryland and Virginia fought over which state should house the new site rather than whether the bureau even needs so many agents.
Civil Forfeiture Defendants Have the Right to a Jury Trial, Says the Indiana Supreme Court
That prosecutors in the Hoosier State successfully denied people this due process is a reflection of how abusive civil forfeiture can be.
He Was Strip-Searched and Jailed for Criticizing Cops. Now He's Fighting Back in Court.
In an apparent case of retaliation by humiliation, Jerry Rogers Jr. was arrested for speaking out about a stalled murder investigation.
Photo: Ready for RoboCop?
New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently showed off the autonomous security robot the city is piloting.
An Iowa Man Published Body Camera Footage From His Arrest. The Cops Are Suing Him for Defamation.
Tayvin Galanakis was arrested last year on suspicion of intoxication, even after a Breathalyzer showed he was sober.