the crime report

Read more of Mark’s work at his blog D.A. Confidential.

I read a story earlier this week about the Dallas police considering a new policy when it comes to DWI cases: blood tests in every case. Here’s the story.

So I guess show it works is: you get pulled over and the cop suspects you have been drinking.  He does the usual tests and if you fail, you are arrested.  He then asks if you would consent to a blood test, and if you refuse he goes in search of a warrant to draw blood.

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Read more of Mark’s work at his blog D.A. Confidential.

There has been much talk of closing prisons here in Texas.  The Crime Report covered that issue a week or so ago, and the local paper has also written about it.  From what I’ve read, the move seems budgetary rather than a result of some philosophical shift, and as I sit down to contemplate the subject a case that came up in court this week seems like a good representation of how I feel.

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Philosophical Cop is a serving police officer in an urban city. Read his  blog here.

When I read about a career like Officer Justin Barrett’s ending the way it did, it always makes me angry.  And not for the reasons you might imagine.  These cases of racial “running the mouth” make me want to punch someone – usually the officer involved.  His comment makes it harder for me to get a fair trial with internal affairs.

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Read more of Mark’s work at his blog D.A. Confidential

As a former newspaper reporter and now a prosecutor, it’s hardly surprising that I devour news stories on the criminal justice system. I am very interested in policy issues but also fascinated by the worm’s eye view of our system, the way people as individuals are affected.
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Read more of Mark’s work at his blog D.A. Confidential

Gotta love California.  Not only do they produce our movies, our wackiest news stories, and some of our avocados, but they have Arnie.  And he hit the headlines Monday while talking about the state’s massive budget deficit.  His idea is that California could save a billion dollars if 20,000 illegal immigrants currently held in the state were housed across the border in Mexico.

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Philosophical Cop is a serving police officer in an urban city. Read his  blog here.

The US Justice Department recently accused New Jersey of using a discriminatory civil service test.  The test in question is multiple choice, covering laws and regulations and other dry, memorization – based trivia.  Candidates just fill in the bubbles.

Now, I could forcefully argue that this is not the best way to evaluate cops (I find them mind-numbing and useless), but to say it is racist is a cheap side step of the true issue at play here. More on that true issue later.

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Mark Pryor, Assistant District Attorney in Travis County, Texas writes the blog DA Confidential. He will be blogging for The Crime Report every other Wednesday. Read his blog here.

The New York Times recently wrote about the American Law Institute’s decision to, essentially, walk away from the death penalty.  This is significant in that the ALI is the body responsible for the synthesis and (usually theoretical) standardization of our system of laws.  Thus, the ALI developed the model penal code (the “MPC”), including language providing for the death penalty.  Some states adopted the language of the MPC, some didn’t, but now the ALI has decided that, in the words of the NYT, “the system could not reconcile the twin goals of individualized decisions about who should be executed and systemic fairness.”

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Mark Pryor is an assistant district attorney in  Travis County,Texas. A former newspaper reporter, he will write for theCrimeReport.org every other Wednesday giving readers a glimpse into the world of a state prosecutor in Texas. Today, he explains to our readers the “anatomy of a trial.”

In substance they (trials) are all different, of course, all fact-dependent, but the basic skeleton is the same: a two-part sytem whereby guilt is assessed in the first phase, in other words where the jurors are faced with the yes/no issue of “Is the defendant guilty of the crime charged?”
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I noticed with pride that over 20,000 peace officers from all over the world attended the recent police officer funerals in the Tacoma, Washington area.  It reminded me of one of my four steadfast guidelines for law enforcement professionals.  Number 3: “Attend all law enforcement funerals when practical.”

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The Crime Report welcomes our newest blogger: Philosophical Cop . As  an  officer in one of America’s largest cities for over a decade, he has  spent time in various police assignments, from patrol to the fight against terrorism.  For the purposes of this blog, TheCrimeReport has allowed this cop to remain anonymous, so readers can get a true and honest view of policing. This blog will appear ever other Monday.

It’s moving day!

I truly enjoy the thrill of a new place, and I am pleased and honored to be contributing to the Crime Report.  Before we start our law enforcement conversation, though, I think it is appropriate that I introduce myself and orient you to my mission.

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