Reading the Department of Justice Report on the Ferguson Police Department is a lot like reading a “How-Not-To-Do-It Guide” to law enforcement. The findings of the DOJ are shocking in the extreme. The report highlights so many violations of human and civil rights of the residents of Ferguson – mostly African Americans - that it... Read More
Few people would disagree that Blacks and other non-whites are treated differently than whites by the criminal justice system. All the statistical data show that Blacks get harsher penalties, longer sentences and are over-represented in prisons . Many people blame police for this disparity and they are partly right; but the average cop on the beat is... Read More
Rodney King died without ever getting the answer to the question he asked so many years ago: "Can we all get along?" The man who ignited one of the worst urban riots in U.S. history left this world not with a bang but with a whimper when he apparently accidentally drowned in his backyard swimming pool on June... Read More
[caption id="attachment_158" align="alignleft" width="180" caption="Re-imagining the Future"][/caption] Looking into the future forces you to come to terms with the present. That's precisely what happened recently at a workshop with senior police executives and leaders from a variety of services from across Canada. The session, led by futurist and political scientist Sohail Inayatullah, was held at the... Read More
Racial profiling is one issue that can ignite emotions and inflame situations; partly because the allegations strike at the very core of our personal beliefs and partly because it is so difficult to prove or disprove. Who knows what runs through a cop’s mind when making split-second decisions to stop and/or detain someone? What role... Read More