The General Blog of Crime

Just For Fun!

2009-07-08T12:27:00.006-04:00

I thought I'd offer a couple of just-for-fun clips to lighten everyone's Hump Day.

First up, to be somewhat politically relevant, here's the newest senator from Minnesota, Al Franken, doing a truly remarkable Stupid Human Trick on Letterman's show in 1987 (fast-forward to the 6:30 mark):

Impressive, no? Whether you're thrilled by, appalled at, or indifferent to Franken's election to the U.S. Senate, we can all agree that he is likely among a very, very small group of elected officials who can draw the Lower 48 freehand from memory, let alone in two minutes! (h/t TPM)

Next, something that has no relevance to current affairs whatsoever -- which is precisely why I love it. Folk artist Billy Jonas has lots of great kids' songs, which you can check out his MySpace page here. One of my favorites, though, is "What Kind of Cat Are You?" -- a hilarious brain teaser of a song. I'll admit to being stumped by the engine one and the tunnel one, but not (if I may brag a bit) by the Moon Shadow one. (Many thanks to my parents' record collection for knowing that one!)

Enjoy! And, if you dare, check out the sequel to this song, "What Kind of Dog Are You?," on the MySpace page. It's a lot tougher -- you have to name kinds of dogs, cows, pigs, and yaks(!).

Happy Hump Day!

Details Emerge in McNair Slaying

2009-07-07T15:02:00.007-04:00

If you happened to successfully wade through the incessant media coverage of MJ's memorial services and Sarah Palin's "quitting-so-I'm-not-a-quitter" resignation, you may have seen that the police have released several details about the slaying of ex-NFL quarterback Steve McNair:

McNair was shot four times: twice in the head and twice in the chest;
McNair's girlfriend, Sahel Kazemi, also was fatally shot once in the head;
The semiautomatic pistol found at the scene was lying underneath Kazemi's body, and was purchased by her two nights before the killings;
Kazemi and McNair -- married father of four -- were pulled over late Thursday night, hours before she reportedly purchased the gun. Police charged her with a DUI; Kazemi reportedly told officers that she had been "high" from a "hookah situation;"
Authorities do not believe that the crime scene had been "cleaned up" between the time of the shootings and the discovery of the bodies.

Hmmm. Although Kazemi's death has not yet been classified pending ballistics tests, it certainly appears to be a murder-suicide. If that proves to be true, this case would be highly unusual as intimate partner murder-suicides are far more commonly perpetrated by men against women, rather than the other way around. I will update as more details emerge. (P.S. This story makes me miss our former contributor The NY Kid, whose "beat" was stories about sports and crime. Shout out to you, Kid!)

P.S. Speaking of MJ, it only seems apropos for the GBOC to honor the King of Pop by...what else? Linking to his "Smooth Criminal" video.

Update: Just as we suspected.

Happy Fourth of July!

2009-07-04T08:15:00.003-04:00

Happy Fourth of July, everyone! (And, for our Canadian friends, Happy Belated Canada Day!)

Hope you all enjoy the festivities wherever and however you're celebrating!

The Ricci Verdict & Sotomayor's Confirmation

2009-07-02T09:25:00.005-04:00

Anybody have thoughts about whether, or how, the Supreme Court's decision in the Ricci case will affect the confirmation of nominee Sonia Sotomayor? SCOTUSBLOG's Tom Goldstein doesn't think that the Court's 5-4 reversal of the Second Circuit's ruling will be a deal-breaker, nor does Salon's Glenn Greenwald, though others disagree. (Here is a great roundup of commentary on the Ricci ruling from various sources -- left, right, and otherwise.)

Perhaps more to the point, should it affect her confirmation?

Shocking Gun Violence in Detroit

2009-07-02T08:01:00.007-04:00

On Tuesday, Detroiters -- who experience more than their fair share of gun violence -- saw an especially brutal crime play out in broad daylight: two gunman, faces concealed by dark t-shirts, blasted a crowd of teens waiting at a bus stop with fire from semi-automatic handguns. Seven people were injured in the shooting, which happened on Detroit's west side near Cody 9th Grade Academy after summer classes had ended. Five of those seven victims are Detroit Public Schools students.

The attack was captured on surveillance video, seen below. The gunmen appear at the 0:44 mark entering from the left side of the screen. (Warning: contains disturbing images.)

There is speculation that the attack was gang-related, though other reports suggest that it may have stemmed from an altercation at the school. One suspect, 18-year old Jamel Turner, turned himself into police on Wednesday; police are still searching for the other gunman and the driver of the getaway car, a green minivan.

This crime is shocking, even by Detroit standards. (The shooting received some national media attention, and I suspect it will continue to do so.) The image of the two masked gunmen, arms outstretched and weapons drawn, running up behind a crowd of unsuspecting citizens is not easily erased from one's mind. That it happened in the middle of an otherwise ordinary day in a U.S. city -- not Baghdad or Fallujah -- makes it all the more surreal, though the terrorism comparison may be apt.

While this shooting is an extreme case -- unusual in its boldness and brutality -- the threat of gun violence is constant in many Detroit neighborhoods, as it is in urban neighborhoods from Baltimore to Los Angeles. This makes me simultaneously appreciate and doubt the research we as criminologists do on urban gun violence. On the one hand, I think PSN, Project Ceasefire, et al. are important programs that can result in real, measurable reductions in gun crime. On the other hand, I am skeptical that any program (or programs) can be truly effective in the long term as long as the socioeconomic and sociopolitical conditions that engender urban gun violence -- extreme poverty and joblessness, crumbling infrastructure, drug infestation, racial inequalities, etc. -- persist.

My colleagues who study gun crime can offer far more insight into these matters than I can. I'm not quite sure what I make of this case, other than to feel shocked and saddened like everyone else.

Late Update: Turner is set to be released for insufficient evidence.

Haiku

2009-07-01T13:50:00.004-04:00

Just in case you forgot to read the most recent copy of ACJS today, check out this haiku from John Klofas. Enjoy!

Haiku For Statisticians in Love
John Klofas

Exogenous one
Outside my analysis
The path not taken
*******************************
One standard deviation
Thirty-four point one percent
Close enough for love
*******************************
Regression can be mean
Till and toil work the soil
Count now begin again
*******************************
Living fair in Chi Square
Have good relationships there
More than meets the eye
*******************************
The perfect correlation
How can there be such a thing
More than similar?

**Breaking news, Sharks Stalk Prey like Serial Killers

Madoff Receives De Facto Life Sentence

2009-06-30T08:21:00.009-04:00

You have likely heard by now that Bernie Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison for masterminding the massive fraud -- the "longest, largest, and most widespread Ponzi scheme in history" -- that devastated the lives of the investors whose savings he swindled.

150 years -- that's a long time. The maximum sentence, in fact. As NPR reports, it is equivalent to one day in prison for every $1.2 million Madoff stole in his $65 billion scheme. And it all but guarantees that Madoff will spend the rest of his life behind bars:

Mr. Madoff, looking thinner and more haggard than when he pleaded guilty in March, stood impassively as Federal District Judge Denny Chin condemned his crimes as “extraordinarily evil” and imposed a sentence that was three times as long as the federal probation office suggested and more than 10 times as long as defense lawyers had requested...
In remarks before announcing his decision, Judge Chin acknowledged that any sentence beyond a dozen years or so would be largely symbolic for Mr. Madoff, who is 71 and has a life expectancy of about 13 years.
But “symbolism is important for at least three reasons,” he said, citing the need for retribution, deterrence and a measure of justice for the victims.

So Madoff essentially received a life sentence for a crime that did not involve loss of human life. This may seem fundamentally unfair, until you consider the effect of Madoff's crimes on his victims' lives. While it is true that no victims died as a result of the fraud, their lives -- at least as they knew them -- nevertheless were abruptly ended:

Nine victims, some choked by sobs or swiping at tears, told the court of the damage he had caused, describing him as a psychopath and a monster who had destroyed their lives.
“It feels like a nightmare that we can’t awake from,” said Carla Hirschhorn, a physical therapist who said her daughter was juggling two jobs in her junior year to help pay for college expenses that their lost savings were supposed to cover.
Michael Schwartz, who said Mr. Madoff had stolen money set aside to sustain his disabled brother, expressed the hope that “his jail cell will become his coffin.”

What's your take? Is this a fair sentence, befitting the crime? Do you agree that it is largely a symbolic sentence, or (as Mr. Madoff's attorney argued) an act of "mob vengeance"? Personally, I'm not losing any sleep over this sentence. If we can sentence teenagers to die in prison without questioning our societal ethics, then we can certainly do the same for a grown man who understood full well that he was ruining lives with his greed.

GBOC Lightning Round: Looooong Overdue Edition

2009-06-26T15:17:00.004-04:00

Hello, loyal readers. Please enjoy another GBOC lightning round. As always, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

Item 1: Rick Rosenfeld on the Economy & Crime
In several prior posts we've considered what effect (if any) the recession will have on patterns and rates of offending, especially violent crime. Recently, ASC President-elect (and Velma's colleague) Rick Rosenfeld spoke to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about this very topic:

Reports of crime were down across the nation last year — especially in the Midwest — but the St. Louis area saw a mixed bag, according to figures released by the FBI on Monday and other available data.

The national crime rate continued a downward trend started in 2007. But an expert who tracks local and national crime statistics said the data provide few clues about how the global recession might have influenced crime rates.

"If one were going to see crime increases, one would have expected to see them later in the year last year and into the first part of 2009," said Richard Rosenfeld, a criminologist with the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and president-elect of the American Society of [Criminology].

I don't have much to add, other than that I appreciate Rosenfeld's clear, consice discussions of crime statistics. For more of his media commentaries, see here and here.

Item 2: "AG Holder Vows Science-Based Crime Policy"
I saw this headline about Holder's remarks to the NIJ in my Ted Gest e-mail a few weeks ago and was ecstatic! Here's an excerpt:

President Obama has renewed our nation’s commitment to rely on science in the development of public policy. He understands, as do I, that sound judgment derives from solid evidence. Moreover, we understand that the production of such evidence requires resources. As a result of this understanding, the President’s 2010 budget calls for increased investment in scientific research, including criminology.

Woo hoo! The word "criminology" appeared in a description of President Obama's proposed budget! How exciting is that? Finally, I thought, there might be some recognition at the federal level that criminal justice policy is often divorced from empirical research, especially where drug policy is concerned. But then I wondered if my excitement wasn't a bit misplaced; after all, isn't this step just a necessary corrective? More importantly, what does it say about the state of contemporary U.S. crime policy that we are celebrating the announcement that policy decisions will now be based on actual research? It sort of begs the question: what are these decisions based on now? Intuition? Fear? Personal beliefs? A giant Magic 8-Ball?

Item 3: Chris Brown Sentenced
Chris Brown struck a deal with prosecutors earlier this week just hours before the hearing in his assault case was set to begin. Brown avoided prison time for assaulting then-girlfriend and fellow pop star Rihanna back in February. However, in exchange for pleading guilty to felony assault he was sentenced to five years' probation, a year-long domestic violence class, and six months of "community labor" . He also was ordered to stay at least 50 yards away from Rihanna for the next five years (though the restriction was lessened to 10 yards for industry events at which both singers are present).

It will be interesting to see whether or how this story develops: will the two reuinte? Will there be a lot of publicity during his community service? (I'm thinking TMZ cameras at his trash-pickup sessions or something). Stay tuned, I guess.

Jena Six Back in the News

2009-06-26T13:26:00.005-04:00

I was just listening to CNN and heard that 5 of the 6 defendants in the Jena 6 case are close to entering pleas relating to the case. I was curious if any of the six were charged with hate crimes and was surprised to find out that the answer to this question was no. Even more surprising, my very quick scan of the news articles I searched indicated the only "hate crime" discussion was around the original incident when the noose was hung from the tree. It seems that this original incident did not result in hate crime charges because of the age of the defendants (all juveniles not eligible to be certified as adults - fyi, I am embarrassed to say I only recently learned juveniles cannot be charged in federal court....good or bad I will not conclude. I just didn't realize that was the case).

Maybe there was a discussion on charging the "Jena 6" with hate crimes (age notwithstanding) and I missed it, but I simply cannot believe anyone would conclude this did not meet any such definition. For what is worth, I don't think anyone should be charged with hate crimes, including the Jena 6. I think it is quite simply the worst piece of federal (political) legislation ever written. Ok, maybe "worst" is a bit strong but it is close at a minimum.

PS: Dr. H, I MISSED the man-step post you did a while back. That quite simply is the best commerical of all time! As you suggest, you need to lighten up!

The Activism of Iranian Women

2009-06-25T14:07:00.002-04:00

Among the many compelling stories of the ongoing uprising in Iran -- including the martyrdom of Neda Agha-Soltan, an unarmed protester whose final moments of life after being shot by a government sniper were captured on a gruesome cell-phone video and broadcast around the world -- is the active role that Iranian woman are playing in the demonstrations.

I have been loosely following the Iranian women's movement ever since, to my great surprise, a citation for an article I published in Feminist Criminology showed up on the Farsi-language website of the Iran Women's Information and Statistics Center. (Visit the English-language site here). While the Iranian women's movement has been strengthening in recent years, the current demonstrations denouncing the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have given women in Iran an even more prominent platform for their activism:

For years, women's defiance in Iran came in carefully planned flashes of hair under their head scarves, brightly painted fingernails and trendy clothing that could be glimpsed under bulky coats and cloaks.
But these small acts of rebellion against the theocratic government have been quickly eclipsed in the wake of the disputed June 12 presidential elections. In their place came images of Iranian women marching alongside men, of their scuffles with burly militiamen, of the sobering footage of a young woman named Neda, blood pouring from her mouth and nose minutes after her fatal shooting.

In a part of the Muslim world where women are often repressed, these images have catapulted Iran's female demonstrators to the forefront of the country's opposition movement. It is a role, say Iranian women and experts, that few seem willing to give up, and one that will likely present President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's hardline government with even greater challenges in the wake of the recent violence and protests.

The Washington Post's Anne Applebaum, writing at Slate.com, has more:

The Iranian clerics know that women pose a profound threat to their authority: As activist Ladan Boroumand has written, the regime would not bother to use brutal forms of repression against dissidents unless it feared them deeply. Nobody would have murdered a young woman in blue jeans—a peaceful, unarmed demonstrator—unless her mere presence on the street presented a dire threat.

They may succeed. Violence usually succeeds, at least in the short term, in intimidating people. In the long term, however, the links, structures, organizations, and groups set up by Iranian women, not to mention the photographs of the last week, will continue to gnaw away at the Iranian regime's legitimacy—and we should take note. I cannot count how many times I've been told in recent years that "women's issues" are a secondary subject in the Islamic world. Whether it's the Afghan Constitution under discussion or the Saudi government, the standard line among the standard commentators has always been that other things—stability, security, oil—matter more. But regimes that repress the civil and human rights of half their population are inherently unstable. Sooner or later, there has to be a backlash. In Iran, we're watching one unfold.

Indeed.

SCOTUS: AZ Strip Search was Illegal

2009-06-25T12:59:00.008-04:00

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that the strip search of a 13-year-old Arizona girl in a (futile) attempt to find concealed ibuprofen -- which, if found, would have violated the school's drug policy -- was unconstitutional:

The court ruled 8-1 that such an intrusive search without the threat of a clear danger to other students violated the Constitution's protections against unreasonable search or seizure.

Justice David H. Souter, writing perhaps his final opinion for the court, said that in the search of Savana Redding, now a 19-year-old college student, school officials overreacted to vague accusations that Redding was violating school policy by possessing the ibuprofen, equivalent to two Advils.

Justice Thomas was the lone dissent; he argued that "Judges are not qualified to second-guess the best manner for maintaining quiet and order in the school environment."

Recall that this case was one that Justice Ginsburg referenced in her condemnation of the current gender imbalance on the Court:

Her status as the court's lone woman was especially poignant during a recent case involving a 13-year-old girl who had been strip-searched by Arizona school officials looking for drugs. During oral arguments, some other justices minimized the girl's lasting humiliation, but Ginsburg stood out in her concern for the teenager.

"They have never been a 13-year-old girl," she told USA TODAY later when asked about her colleagues' comments during the arguments. "It's a very sensitive age for a girl. I didn't think that my colleagues, some of them, quite understood."

I have to say that I think this is a pretty unsurprising ruling; honestly, can anyone (besides Justice Thomas) say with a straight face that school officials were justified in forcing a 13-year old girl to strip down to her underwear because they heard that she might have been carrying the equivalent of two Motrin? It's absurd. The school officials used absolutely no discretion (or common sense) with this girl, and I'm pleased to see that the high court recognized that the girl's constitutional rights were violated.

P.S. Thanks to the Trailing Spouse for providing a link to the ruling, which you can read in PDF format here.

Happy June Birthdays!!

2009-06-18T09:31:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday to Scooby today, and to former GBOC author the NY Kid, whose birthday is next week. Many happy returns!

P.S. Look for a lightning round soon!

Are you jealous?

2009-06-10T20:48:00.002-04:00

I got to see Velma today!!! She's in Michgan for a few days to talk NIJ stuff with an MSU colleague, so on her way to campus she was kind enough to stop by Chez Huginkiss for a few hours. We hung out, made guacamole (no jalapeno this time, Cranks, because the kiddies were having some -- maybe next time), had a yummy dinner and dessert, and got to catch up in person. (And she got to witness first-hand our girls' obession with dress-up clothes!)

It was so great to see you, Velma -- can't wait to see you again at ASC!!

Blogging Break

2009-06-10T08:38:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone,

Well, now that it's summer break, things will be a bit quieter than usual on the blog. We'll still be posting, though not as frequently. (We don't want to get any sunscreen on the computer keys -- ha!)

We'll be back to posting regularly once the fall semester begins -- thanks for reading!

Summer Plans

2009-06-03T08:07:00.006-04:00

Anybody care to share their plans for the summer? Will you be busy working on manuscripts? Analyzing data? Completing grant applications? Prepping a new course or two? Or just vegging out and enjoying some time away from campus?

I'm home with all three girls this summer, so in between visits to the park, pool, zoo, etc. I will be prepping my courses for fall and dusting off some manuscripts that have been sitting in my "to do" pile for way too long. Oh, and I'm going to the DMB show for my birthday in July -- woo hoo!

How about you?

Friday CJ Funnies: Don't Drink and Drive

2009-05-29T11:38:00.004-04:00

I know, I know... there's nothing funny about drinking and driving. Nothing can drive that message home quite like the Tiny Toons. That's right, our favorite Tiny Toons Characters Buster, Plucky & Hampton get drunk, steal a cop car, crash it, and DIE. It just goes to show that just ONE BEER can have devastating consequences (lightweights!).

And this is why I read the BWE blog every day.

And if you're thinking I'm too old to reminisce about Tiny Toons, you're right. I watched them frequently in grad school (that, and the Rich the copy guy on SNL).

Waterboarding & Police Interrogation

2009-05-26T21:16:00.000-04:00

For weeks now I have wanted to write a post about the ongoing CIA/waterboarding/torture controversy. I think the discussion of whether the United States tortured detainees -- and if so, whether the responsible parties should be prosecuted -- is an important one to have, especially among people who study crime and criminal law. However, I have resisted doing so as I've had difficulty composing a post that addressed the issue without seeming polemical, or without simply starting an "is-it-or-isn't-it-torture?" debate. I saw something the other day, though, that pulled the discussion more closely into the realm of criminal justice issues, which finally prompted me to write about the subject.

A few weeks ago, former Minnesota governor (and ex-Navy SEAL) Jesse Ventura appeared on Larry King Live, where he averred quite memorably that waterboarding is indeed torture:

VENTURA: That's right. I was water boarded, so I know -- at SERE School, Survival Escape Resistance Evasion. It was a required school you had to go to prior to going into the combat zone, which in my era was Vietnam. All of us had to go there. We were all, in essence -- every one of us was water boarded. It is torture.

KING: What was it like?

VENTURA: It's drowning. It gives you the complete sensation that you are drowning. It is no good, because you -- I'll put it to you this way, you give me a water board, Dick Cheney and one hour, and I'll have him confess to the Sharon Tate murders.

This dandy of a quote was passed around the interwebs with predictable fervor. Then last week, Ventura appeared on The View and, when Elisabeth Hasselbeck pressed him on waterboarding, repeated many of the same points he had raised previously on Larry King. However, he also made this additional argument, which caught my attention:

“If waterboarding is OK, why don’t we let our police do it to suspects so they can learn what [the suspects] know?”

Interesting point. So what is the answer?

It's hard to even entertain this idea, I think, because we know that police suspects will never be waterboarded. Still, the question remains: Is it fair to draw parallels between the interrogation of military detainees and suspects in police custody? Or does the distinction between the military and civilian justice systems render this an untenable comparison? Do our policing or legal scholars have any insight on this?

P.S. On a lighter note, I recall with fondness the year that Minnesota-bred Patch hosted the annual MSU-SCJ Halloween party wearing a (very convincing) Jesse Ventura costume. If only I had the photographic evidence! Maybe Pap, resident archivist, can help?

SCOTUS Open Thread

2009-05-26T12:56:00.003-04:00

Thoughts on the Sotomayor selection? I'm reading various analyses and will post comments soon. For now, though, I'll say that a female nominee is not much of a surprise.

Enabling, Lazy Parenting, or Neglect?

2009-05-22T14:45:00.006-04:00

Last weekend, I came upon Half Ton Teen on TLC. First aired in January 2009, this documentary covered the story of Billy Robbins--an 850 pound, 18 year old man. His mother readily indicates that she catered to him and brought him anything he wanted to eat, at any time. Doctors estimate he was ingesting 30,000 calories each day. She also made sure he had his own TV and video game system (actually, I think he had two), rubbed his feet, brought him cool washcloths to clean up, and generally enabled his unhealthy lifestyle.

Half Ton Teen and the later episode, Survival of the Half Ton Teen trace Billy's weight loss journey. Because he was too heavy to undergo normal gastric bypass surgery, he needed preliminary surgeries that removed some fat and skin from his body (79 pounds worth) and must follow a regimented diet to allow him to lose enough weight to have the surgery that will allow him to lose weight.

John, another young man in this documentary, is 16 years old and weighs 572 pounds. His mother spends $200 per week on groceries for him alone. In order to slim down enough for the surgery, he had to lose 30 pounds. As indicated in the article cited above, a glimpse inside the daily life of this family is captured in this conversation between the mother and her other children:

Three young children lived in the house with John, his mother and father. In an effort to get John to lose the 30 pounds, the mother was making some announcements to John and the three young kids, presumably his siblings.

One of the things she announced to the younger kids was, "Do not give him soda. Do not give him chips. Do not give him candy."

Now here's the really disturbing part: One of the kids asked, "What will he get?"

Makes you wonder what kind of diet this obese mother was feeding the entire family, if the child, who appeared to be 10 to 12 years old, had no idea what else there was to eat besides soda, chips and candy.

Even in the brief clips of John in his bedroom indicated a serious problem in the household. Jars of candy and other treats rested atop the headboard of his bed. Anyone think he put them there himself? Or that he buys himself $200 of groceries each week?

Here's a trailer/summary of the first episode:

(Warning: this video contains images from surgery that some may find unpleasant.)

These stories were certainly on my mind when I came across this news story today:

"Authorities Arrest Mom for Medical Neglect of 500 Pound Teen"

A South Carolina mother was charged with neglect of her son, and she fled the state to avoid a hearing in family court. They were found in Baltimore, Maryland. Every national report I've seen implies the mother was arrested because of her son's weight. However, the Baltimore News reports:

Marilyn Matheus, a spokeswoman for the South Carolina Department of Social Services, said, "This agency doesn't get involved in such cases based on a child's weight alone, but will take action in cases where health care professionals believe the child is at risk due to the parent's possible neglect in providing medical care."

The local authorities aren't talking, so perhaps she failed to take him to the doctor on a regular basis. It's difficult to believe that would fit the definition of neglect, but there's a good chance that he has developed medical problems (such as diabetes) as a result of his weight.

So, here's my question: when does spoiling a child become child neglect? Are social service agencies overstepping their bounds when investigating these cases? Are these parents truly neglecting their children, or are they relying on a constant diet of fast food and candy because it's the easiest solution (it is, after all, more difficult to cook a healthy meal than hit the drive thru)?

Whatever the answer, it's certainly sad to see young people deal with serious health issues that could have been avoided with a responsible parent.

Friday CJ Funnies: Pow! Zap! Ker-sploosh!

2009-05-22T09:21:00.004-04:00

Velma's comment about the paragliding cops in Florida "swooping down like Batman" inspired me to dig up some vintage Adam West - Burt Ward footage for today's Friday CJ Funny. And I found some, in all its fantastically campy glory! True, this clip is only marginally related to criminal justice (well, Batman & Robin did fight crime), but that's OK -- you don't really need an excuse to watch (and re-watch, and then watch again) this clip. "Bon voyage, pussy!" And Happy Friday to all!

Paraglide Patrol?

2009-05-21T08:41:00.005-04:00

Officers in the Palm Bay, FL police department are patrolling their city in an innovative new way -- on powered paragliders:

The Palm Bay Police Department in Florida has become the first in the nation to put its officers in powered paragliders, the ultra-light flying machines usually associated with adventure sports, not police work.

Police Chief Bill Berger says they are a way for the department to have a bird's eye view of the semi-rural city at minimal cost...

The gliders have the ability to fly at low altitudes and controlled, low speeds, which may be useful in search-and-rescue operations and some types of surveillance...

The pilot program has the blessing of the U.S. Justice Department, which encourages police departments in small and rural towns to experiment with low-cost ways to get in the air. According to the department, out of almost 19,000 law enforcement agencies in the nation, only about 300 of them have aviation assets.

[Linda Richman] Police in powered paragliders: legitimate patrol strategy or excuse for cops to have fun on duty? Discuss. [/Linda Richman]

The Bath School Disaster

2009-05-19T09:52:00.013-04:00

Events such as the Columbine High School shootings and the more recent incident at Virginia Tech have captured both media and public attention. Debate continues about whether we are in the midst of a school violence epidemic, or whether the proliferation of 24 hour news stations have created a media culture that highlights unusual cases and skews public perception of crime. The data itself indicate school violence has not been on the rise (leave it to the librarians, the masters of information, who keep us grounded):

SAVD [School-Associated Violent Death] data continue to indicate that individual violent events involving numerous homicides, such as the 1999 event that involved 15 deaths at Columbine High School in Colorado, are rare. Most school-associated student homicides continue to involve a single victim and a single offender.

Even in light of such comforting information, no one can argue that the rare cases have been horrific. Before the Virginia Tech shootings, in which 32 people were killed, the deadliest incidents of school violence included Columbine (13 deaths), and the "Texas Tower" shootings at the University of Texas (14 deaths).

No doubt most readers are familiar with these tragedies, but few may know about the deadliest incidence of school violence in the United States: the 1927 Bath School Disaster. Forty-five people were killed in this incident, most of whom were children aged 7 to 12.

Bath is a small community just north of Lansing, Michigan. It's a mixture of suburban and farming communities with a small recreational lake. It's a nice place to live--I know, because I live there. I can only imagine it was even smaller, and quieter, in 1927.

The bomber, Andrew Kehoe, was a School Board member in Bath Township and part-time handyman at the school. After his farm was foreclosed upon, he blamed the property tax used to build the school. Over several months (while doing his handyman work) he planted hundreds of pounds of dynamite throughout the school. On the morning of May 18, 1927, he killed his wife, set his farm on fire, and set off the dynamite under the school. He then drove to the school in his truck (loaded with dynamite and shrapnel), and detonated it amongst the rescuers. That explosion killed him and three others.

[The "Criminals are made, not born" sign at the top of this post was found attached to Kehoe's fence at the farm. You can see more pictures in this Lansing State Journal article.]

As bad as it was, the tragedy could have been much worse--500 pounds of dynamite under one wing of the school failed to detonate.

The Bath School Disaster differs from modern examples of school violence in that, (a) the offender was not a student at the school, which is common in recent incidents, and (b) explosives were used rather than guns. (Perhaps this incident should not even be considered "school violence," as it might more accurately be described as a terrorist event--or even a suicide bombing.) Still, it shares at least one similarity with modern-day school shootings, in that it was perpetrated by a distraught individual who sought to exact revenge for a personal loss by killing innocents en masse. Other aspects of the crime also feel sadly contemporary: a man devastated over financial ruin kills his wife then commits suicide, which recalls several recent events following this exact scenario. Also, the plotting of the Bath attack over an extended period of time echoes the Columbine killers' methodical preparations, while an explosives-laden truck was used in the Oklahoma City bombings as well.

While media accounts of recent school shootings may create the impression that these crimes are the product of contemporary ills (decaying family values, violent video games, what have you), the Bath School Disaster reminds us that, sadly, mass murders on school grounds are nothing new.

Back Up Plan

2009-05-18T23:03:00.006-04:00

I love going to the mailbox and finding a new issue of Runner's World. Each month they highlight the back story of an accomplished runner. This month, they feature German Fernandez, an 18 year old runner currently attending Oklahoma State. He set an indoor record for the mile (3:55:02) and like Patch has a poster of Pre in his room.

What is his Fall-back plan? He will become a criminologist

If I didn't get tenure, my back up plan was to become a sprinter. Whew!

On another note

Marathon Mama has posted an interesting story about a South Korean professor who gave his students extra credit for participating in endurance events. Sadly, one of his students died during a marathon - he was held partly responsible.

Woot! Girl Power!

2009-05-16T21:25:00.004-04:00

"Filly Rachel Alexandra flies past all-male field to win Preakness"

Preakness Stakes favorite Rachel Alexandra lived up to her billing Saturday, thundering past an all-male field of competitors and becoming the first filly to win the Triple-Crown's second jewel since 1924.

How cool is that?

Evaluation Comments

2009-05-15T10:47:00.003-04:00

The Chronicle is running a bit on "What are the strangest comments you’ve ever seen on student evaluations?"

You can review the comments made to others and upload your own contributions (Velma?).

#15 could have been lifted from my evaluations.

Dr Cranky (once again, contributing nothing of substance)