Welcome to the America’s Criminologist Podcast for November 1, 2024. This is Dr Currie Myers with some interesting criminal justice news and events that have occurred in the United States recently.
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This week I was the guest-host on the Lou Desmond Show on KMET in San Bernardino in which our guest was Bob Scales the CEO of Police Strategies LLC. Bob served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for King County, Special Assistant United States Attorney, the Assistant Director for Public Safety for the City of Seattle, and the Director of Government Affairs for the Seattle City Attorney. Bob also served as the Compliance Coordinator for the Seattle Police Department to implement the Consent Decree with the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve allegations of misuse of force. Bob was elected to two terms on the Bainbridge Island City Council and served one year as Mayor. When the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) enacts consent decrees to oversee police departments accused of misconduct, the intention is to reform and rectify abusive practices within these agencies. However, the consequences of these federally mandated reforms are often far more complex and concerning. Consent decrees, in theory, promise to reduce police abuses, ensure accountability, and build community trust. Yet, in practice, they frequently hamper the efficacy of local law enforcement and create a path toward federal overreach, threatening the very autonomy that allows police agencies to respond flexibly to local needs. In this interview Dr. Myers and Bob discuss those unintended consequences that often have devasting impacts on law enforcement agencies. It is Eye-opening to say the least! Here the full interview here Audio courtesy of KMET San Bernardino, CA.
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Okay, here are my pressing issues this week that I have offered an opinion on as an applied criminologist, ethicist and career law enforcement officer at the local, state, and federal level:
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives have become defining priorities across American universities, seeking to create equitable learning spaces. While the intentions behind DEI are commendable, its implementation has prompted significant challenges to academic meritocracy and intellectual diversity. As an applied criminologist, I have seen how the rise of DEI can narrow academic inquiry, particularly in social sciences like criminology, where the variety of perspectives is vital for a balanced view of complex societal issues. See my full report here.
Good criminal justice policy is the foundation of public safety, order, and protecting citizens' constitutional rights. For law enforcement candidates—sheriffs, district attorneys—what platform are they running on when party policies often conflict with their sworn duty to protect the public? The reality is that these candidates are supported by those backing these changes to criminal justice. Consider cashless bail, which returns repeat offenders to the streets as quickly as they're booked. The Defund the Police Movement still impacts police resources, and rioters have damaged property and injured people without facing consequences. Meanwhile, vagrancy and property crime go unchecked, deteriorating public spaces and instilling fear in residents. DEI mandates compromise merit-based hiring and promotion standards, distracting agencies from their core mission of public safety. Additionally, sanctuary county policies if imposed, undermine federal law, fueling lawlessness. And what of the nexus to illegal immigration and rising crime? The lack of focused deterrence is the reason for these significantly elevated crime rates. And it's not only a refusal to enforce essential laws. It is also about restrictions on citizens’ Second Amendment rights which hinder law-abiding individuals’ ability to protect themselves as crime rises. A balanced approach to criminal justice is essential. We must elect law enforcement officials who uphold the Constitution, prioritize community safety, and resist enforcement of mandates or edicts my politicians. Only with fair, consistent law enforcement can we secure our neighborhoods, safeguard rights, and prevent government overreach. Do we want to follow the path of Kansas City, MO, with high crime and unsafe neighborhoods? In this election, please consider the principles these individuals stand for as they seek to represent you as Sheriff and District Attorney. Local elections matter!
The last jobs report prior to the election is out and it is not good news. In 2024, the U.S. economy is witnessing troubling trends in consumer debt, workforce reduction, and an alarming correlation between these financial stressors and crime rates. Credit card debt has reached an unprecedented $1.142 trillion in the second quarter of 2024, while employment reports reveal a stark disparity between government and private-sector job growth. This economic strain, combined with reduced job prospects, leaves many Americans vulnerable to high stress and poor decision-making—factors often linked to criminal behavior. As an applied criminologist, there is researched connections between financial debt, job instability, and crime. Economic hardship and financial insecurity have long been associated with higher crime rates. The link between financial debt and criminal behavior, as outlined in a study by Richardson and colleagues (2013), suggests that individuals under severe financial strain may become more susceptible to engaging in criminal activities due to diminished decision-making capacities and increased risk-taking behavior. Financial instability and debt are among the most significant stressors, leading to anxiety, depression, and in severe cases, desperation. Criminal organizations frequently exploit this vulnerability, targeting individuals in debt as potential recruits or victims of schemes that involve illegal activity. Criminal organizations and predatory lenders often take advantage of those with significant financial debt, offering illegal avenues for financial relief. Financially distressed individuals, unable to find conventional means of support, may be coerced into participating in illicit schemes, including drug distribution, theft, and other crimes. Richardson et al. (2013) indicate that these organizations often prey on those experiencing economic hardship by promoting illegal means of debt repayment, making it difficult for individuals to extricate themselves from these cycles of criminality. The link between financial debt, job instability, and crime is clear. As credit card debt climbs and private-sector employment stagnates, Americans are facing unprecedented economic pressure. When individuals lack the means to escape financial hardship, they are more likely to fall prey to criminal organizations or engage in illegal activities to survive. Addressing this issue requires a commitment to job creation, financial literacy, and social support systems that can provide individuals with legitimate means to meet their financial obligations. To view my full perspective, click here.
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Okay here is my five-minute blitz on CJ News and Information for this week:
President Donald J. Trump is backing a restitution program for the victims of violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants. The former Republican president—speaking at a press conference in Palm Beach, Florida, just days before the 2024 presidential election—said if voters send him back to the White House, he will seize the assets of criminal immigrant gangs and cartels and use the assets to create a compensation fund for their victims. “I’m announcing that for the first time under my administration, we’ll be seizing the assets of the criminal gangs and drug cartels, and we will use those assets to create a compensation fund to provide restitution for the victims of migrant crime,” Trump said to applause. He noted that the U.S. federal government would help with the restitution.
New York City appears to be giving up on civic law and order completely. I can barely believe I’m writing this, but I am: New York City just legalized jaywalking. Why? Because of “racial disparities.” What does that mean? It means that because black people got caught jaywalking more than other groups, that New York was “doing a racism” to them. It’s necessary to spell it right out: you are not allowed to notice or react to black people displaying disproportionate criminality. If you do, you’re a racist. Black people are not allowed to be thought of as criminals, called criminals, or punished for criminal behavior. I guess the standards get lowered until they’re gone.
This evolutionary expansion of executive branch powers originally occurred somewhat gradually over the past half-century, it has incrementally led to impose sweeping influences over our lives and fortunes that the Framers of our Constitution would never have countenanced. Included are unprecedented rulemaking regulatory excesses, of these U.S. Departments: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Energy Department (DOE), and the Education Department (ED). And yes, this trend demonstrably correlates with the emergence of far-left control-obsessed Democratic Party influence. The upcoming U.S. presidential election will determine whether edicts and agencies of the federal executive office will continue to strangle our vital energy industry with anti-fossil regulations, phase out internal combustion vehicles and gas stoves, invite millions of unvetted immigrants into our country, indoctrinate our children with anti-patriotic and racially divisive propaganda in public schools, and even require girls' sports teams to include biological boys. Is the next step to criminalize these violations of presidential fiats? In many ways fines are already the criminalization of regulatory laws!
For years, gun control activists have sought to “debunk” the so called “good guy with a gun myth” in an effort to pass more stringent controls on one of our nation’s most cherished liberties. In support of this agenda, the federal government in conjunction with legacy media has sought to suppress the abundant evidence in support of the truth that armed, law-abiding citizens are one of the most effective deterrents against public mass casualty attacks. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) under the Biden Administration has sought to suppress data proving that armed citizens help prevent crime by removing its estimates of defensive gun uses from its website. For almost a decade, the CDC referenced a 2013 National Academies of Sciences report noting that people used guns to stop crime anywhere from about 64,000 to 3 million times a year. The FBI has also shown itself to be susceptible to political pressure. The FBI defines an active shooter attack as occurring when an individual actively kills or attempts to kill people in a populated, public area. This measure includes everything from just one person shot at, even if the target isn’t hit, to a mass public shooting. It doesn’t include, however, shootings involving other crimes, such as robbery or fighting over drug turf. According to Dr John Lott, a leading researcher of gun related crime, The FBI dataset is missing so many defensive gun uses that it’s hard to believe it isn’t intentional and the fact that they never correct mistakes that are brought to their attention is even more damning. All the while, the news media unquestioningly reports the FBI’s numbers, actively distorting the truth regarding the pivotal rule responsible gun owners have played in preventing crime and limiting casualties during mass public shootings.
Tapachula, Mexico is a hellscape. No one really knows how many people stacked up, but local shelter managers in Tapachula indicated they had filled up long ago. The publisher of Noticia De Tapachula, the daily newspaper, told a reporter 150,000 immigrants were in town at any given time, a 40 percent increase in the city’s normal population of 350,000. Only a few months into the Mexican operations, 20,000 immigrants had been internally deported to Villahermosa, a number that must be many times that by now for the city of 340,000. Tapachula is a border town 40 miles north of Guatemala and the wave of migrants from Central and South America staged in this city will be headed to America within a week or two after the election. Why? Well, if former President Trump is elected again to office, the concept of open borders will only last for another two months resulting in a rush to the American border.
Los Angeles, known for its sunny skies and vibrant sports culture, became a scene of chaos following the Dodgers triumphant win in the 2024 World Series. Reports emerged of fans igniting an MTA bus near Dodger Stadium, where a crowd of about 200 to 300 people surrounded the vehicle, some even climbing atop it before it was set on fire. Several stores, including a Nike outlet, became targets for looters. Videos circulated on social media showed individuals running in and out of stores with stolen goods, throwing merchandise into waiting cars. The LAPD reported that the looting was not confined to one area but spread across multiple locations in downtown LA. Watching Los Angeles descend into chaos as they celebrate a World Series win with criminal activity is ironic, considering that during the offseason, San Francisco Giants co-owner Buster Posey stated that his team may have lost out on the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes to the Dodgers because of crime in his team’s city. “There’s been a bit of uneasiness with the city itself as far as the state of the city with crime and drugs,” Posey told reporters.
Los Angeles City Council candidate Ysabel Jurado continues to receive massive backlash after her “F— the Police” remark last week. Jurado has been feeling the burn of her statement with more groups coming out against her as she refuses to apologize. Jurado and the other candidate for the Council seat, scandal-ridden City Councilman Kevin de Leon, are currently locked in a tight race for their district. However, the race made national headlines last Monday when Jurado, speaking to young supporters at CSU Los Angeles, was answering questions about police spending. When a question came about police overtime funding from a student who said, “As someone who is myself pro-abolishment of police, where do you stand on that spectrum?”, Jurado responded by saying “What’s the rap verse? F— the police, that’s how I see them. The city’s budget is broken, with the LAPD funded more than it’s actually ever been funded before.” The comment was met with immediate backlash from police unions and citizens groups.
On Monday, newly released campaign finance documents have shown that the recall of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is more and more likely to succeed, with pro-recall supporters having raised over five times the amount as Thao has. Since being elected as Mayor in the closest Mayoral election in city history in 2022, violent crimes have skyrocketed in Oakland. In 2023, burglaries shot up by 23%, with vehicle thefts jumping up by 45% and robberies up 38%. The murder rate also remained high, staying above 100 in a single year for yet another year in a row. With many believing that Thao has not been addressing crime and public safety concerns, and other issues coming up such as continued homeless issues, the firing of the police chief LeRonne Armstrong, and Thao’s failure in trying to keep the Oakland Athletics from relocating to Las Vegas, residents began calling for her recall last year.
This is Dr Currie Myers, America’s Criminologist. To view my work please visit drcurriemyers.substack.com and please share and like our page! And please remember my friends at Howard Wagyu for some of the best beef in America. Howard Wagyu, Kansas homegrown Wagyu Beef so tender you can cut your steak with a fork! Stay safe and have a great weekend!
Dr C
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America’s Criminologist Podcast for November 1, 2024