Category: Crime, Corrections, Law Enforcement
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Now It’s Time to Get It Right
by Jon Baliles We can all take some comfort in the fact that Police Chief Gerald Smith has resigned, not because there is comfort in someone else’s downfall, but rather it gives the city a chance to start over with new leadership in public safety and repair the damage that has been done. Smith did…
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Drug Dealers Are Murderers
by Kerry Dougherty If you thought Virginia lawmakers wouldn’t be able to reverse some of the damage done by the past two administrations, next winter’s session may ease your mind. Governor Glenn Youngkin announced this week that he wants the law to change so that prosecutors can charge drug dealers with murder when their wares…
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Opioid Epidemic Costs Virginians $3.5 Billion a Year
Over and above the lives it has destroyed, the opioid epidemic cost Virginia’s economy about $3.5 billion in 2020, according to data published by the Virginia Department of Health. The major costs calculated include lost labor, health care and crime. Mapping the costs by locality, the database shows per-capita costs ranging from $132 in Falls…
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Is It Still a Hate Crime If the Perp Was Protesting Pedophilia?
An Albemarle County man, Shane Dennis, has been charged with intimidation for placing a noose on the statue of Homer at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville news media are reporting. Dennis, who appeared for a bond hearing Tuesday in Albemarle County District Court, also has been charged with contempt of court for misbehaving in the…
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Ah, Those Woke Prosecutors!
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Here is a quiz. Below is the description of a crime that was released by the public information office of a Virginia locality. The killer pled guilty to charges of first-degree murder, attempted robbery (2 counts) and use of a firearm (3 counts). The judge sentenced him to 63 years in prison…
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Homicide Charges for Drug Dealers — Yes!
by James A. Bacon Governor Glenn Youngkin has told Southwest Virginia law enforcement officials that he would sign a bill charging drug dealers with homicide if they sold illegal drugs that resulted in an overdose death. With the number of fatal overdoses exceeding 100,000 a year across the U.S., drug addiction is a scourge in…
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Bias-Based Traffic Stops — A Rejoinder
by Dick Hall-Sizemore The Department of Criminal Justice Services has published its annual report on traffic stop data. In a recent article on this blog, Jim Bacon rendered his verdict on whether the data shows police bias in traffic stops: Still No Proof. The report shows that, in the period of July 1, 2021, to…
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Safety and Accountability
by Jon Baliles Richmond City Council approved plans earlier this week for a Civilian Review Board (CRB) for the Police Department that left people on all sides a bit upset, which fulfills one of the telltale signs of good legislation — if everyone is a little bit upset, then it is probably done right. If…
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Some Pretty Good Clues to the EnRichmond Saga
by James C. Sherlock Jon Baliles wrote an article about the EnRichmond Foundation. Seems everyone is in the dark. To throw some light, I offer the last Form 990 from EnRichmond that is available online. It was filed October 20, 2020. It offers some clues, such as … the name of the Executive Director; the…
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Police Bias in Traffic Stops? Still No Proof.
by James A. Bacon The Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) has published a new report that finds that Black and Hispanic drivers in Virginia are more likely to be stopped than Whites, and they are more likely to be searched and arrested. However, the report also says there isn’t enough data to draw definitive…
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Crime, Cops, Steve Descano and the “Needs and Values” of Fairfax County
by James C. Sherlock Deterrence of crime, measured as a combination of fear of getting caught and fear of punishment, has been visibly collapsing in Fairfax County since January 2020. In that month, Steve Descano took over as Commonwealth’s Attorney and has by policy greatly reduced risk of punishment for crimes in that county. He…
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Norfolk’s Self-Defunding Police Force
Shootings are becoming such a problem in downtown Norfolk that city officials are cracking down on nightclubs that violate city ordinances — inspiring charges of racism in the process. Good luck holding down the homicide rate, guys. If you shut down a nightclub, you don’t eliminate demand for partying and booze. Local businessmen will set…
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Ungrateful Citizens of Fairfax County
by James C. Sherlock Jeff McKay, Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, can’t catch a break. Violent crime is up. The Fairfax County Police Chief has declared a police emergency for staffing. There has been a fairly brutal back and forth up there about who is responsible and who is or is not…