Black and White and Thin Blue Lines

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The body of Gabrielle ("Gabby") Petito has been recovered and ruled a homicide. Fifteen days before the likely date of her death, Moab (Utah) Police responded to a reported assault. Their handling of the assault has been widely criticized by domestic violence experts and law enforcement sources. In this episode, Serge Antonin and Clarke Ahlers, dissect the police response. Serge and Clarke largely disagree in this interesting episode about one response to domestic violence.

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On September 11, 2021, FBI agents attempted to arrest Maryland Circuit Court Judge Jonathan Newell. The agents entered his residence in Caroline County, Maryland and found the judge dead from a single gunshot wound. The death has been determined to be a suicide. Serge and Clarke discuss this unusual case and the allegation of child exploitation. This is an interesting, and perhaps provocative, episode. 

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In this episode Serge Antonin and Clarke Ahlers attempt to figure out what a police officer in the District of Columbia may do to accomplish the handcuffing and disarming of a felony suspect in custody. As the listener will hear, the police and procedure of the Metropolitan Police Department is almost unintelligible. Please see the show notes for the actual Body Worn Camera video and the Attachments that officers are supposed to follow in a use of force situation. 

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On August 8, 2021, three officers (later joined by others) attempted to arrest a man in the 1500 block of U Street in the Anacostia neighborhood. The man was suspected of distributing drugs and was believed to possess a handgun. As two officers held the man's arms and attempted to handcuff him, another officer punched the man in the face/head approximately 8 times. The incident was captured on video, quickly uploaded, and became the source of community outcry. The officers were suspended and referred for criminal prosecution. In this episode of BWTBL, Serge and Clarke evaluate the case by use of the MPD's Use of Force policy. This is the first of two episodes on this subject that we hope will be of interest to anyone attempting to understand the actions of the officer, the Department or the United States Attorney. 

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Serge and Clarke interview our first guest, Police Officer "J.B."  JB, who is still working as a police officer, describes the evening that he and a partner were shot by a drug suspect that JB was chasing. JB describes his reaction in the seconds after the shots were fired, the effect that the crime had on himself and his family, the prosecution of the offender, and JB's continued commitment to the citizens he is sworn to protect. Police Commissioners take heed: these are the kind of outstanding police officers you serve!

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First recorded in March of 2021, Serge and Clarke evaluate evolving police tactics of response to "active shooters." The lexicon, history, and tactics are evaluated from the 1966 Texas Tower in Austin to the 2021 Boulder, Colorado grocery store mass shooting. For those familiar with Howard County, Maryland, Serge and Clarke also discuss the 2014 Columbia Mall active shooter situation. Clarke says: "one of our best."

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Serge and Clarke discuss the original idea of W.E.B. Du Bois that is now the slogan of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. Serge argues for more money for police agencies, while Clarke -- who disagrees with the basic idea of "defunding the police" -- argues that police departments need to use capitalist models to evaluate, plan and ultimately spend less money in the fight against crime. 

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An increasingly complicated problem in America is the wounding and killing of unintended victims. There are so many shootings in so many locations, including highways, that the daily news reports children and adults being harmed who weren't even intended to be harmed by the trigger pullers. Serge and Clarke talk about this phenomenon, especially in the context of some stop and frisk policies being labeled as racist.

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Videos of Ocean City, Maryland Police Officers kicking, tackling, and even using a taser on young African American males to enforce the prohibition against vaping on the Boardwalk prompt this week's discussion. Serge and Clarke explain the Ocean City ordinances and comment upon the enforcement strategies which have resulted in a public relations debacle for the resort town. 

Also, updates on Derek Chauvin's sentence, the trial date in the Cassie Johnson case, and MSP continues to discriminate against brown and black Troopers.

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Thirty-seven Baltimore businesses threatened a taxpayer revolt unless the city provided sufficient police protection to the Fells Points community. Counter-protestors threatened to boycott these same businesses unless they paid taxes. The politics of police protection in Baltimore is the topic of this podcast.