Good day, my friends! Welcome to another episode of America’s Criminologist. I’m Dr. Currie Myers, bringing you the latest insights and developments in criminal justice from across the United States.
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If you’re looking for more, I’m hosting two additional podcasts you might enjoy. The first is The St. Michaels Group Podcast at stmichaelsgroup.substack.com, where we focus on restoring the pillars of faith, family, and moral formation. The second is a gripping exploration of criminal psychology called Wired to Kill, available at wiredtokill.substack.com. This one dives into real criminal cases, laced with my professional insights into what may have been going on in the mind of the killer.
🎙️This Tuesday, drive time live on the Lou Desmond & Company, I was the featured guest on the show. We discussed my recent policy paper on the Nation’s Top 25 Most Dangerous Cities in America.
🎙️This Wednesday, drive time live on NewsTalk STL with Mike Ferguson to discuss the Nations Top 25 Most Dangerous Cities in America. Listen to the show on Apple Podcast here!
🎙️This Thursday, I was on the What’s Up with Terry Lowry Show discussing the Kohberger Case, the Idaho College Mass Killer, who reached a plea deal with the government.
🚨 NEW OP-ED Within eight days in June 2025, the State of Florida, in close partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), established a temporary detention facility at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, aptly nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.” Located deep within the Everglades, this remote site leverages natural deterrents, such as treacherous swamps and dangerous wildlife, to secure arrested criminal illegal aliens and streamline the removal process. This Op Ed argues that Alligator Alcatraz represents an essential, morally defensible, and operationally effective response to the bedspace crisis and rising criminal incursions at the southern border. Read Opinion/Alligator Alcatraz: A Critical Advance in Criminal Alien Detention
🚨 NEW OP-ED The plea deal accepted by Bryan Kohberger, accused in the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students on November 13, 2022, spares him the death penalty. As a criminologist, ethicist, and devout Catholic, I approach this outcome with seriousness, balancing the demands of justice and the depth of mercy, all rooted in faith, family, and formation. Read Op‑Ed: Justice, Mercy, and the Moral Cost of the Kohberger Plea Deal
🚨 NEW OP-ED In an age of political chaos and ideological fragmentation, New York City may soon find itself governed by a mayor whose radical views could pose a profound threat to public safety, institutional integrity, and the delicate civic balance of the most diverse metropolis in America. Zohran Kwame Mamdani, a 33-year-old New York State Assemblyman and self-described democratic socialist, recently stunned the political establishment by defeating Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for mayor. But his success, while hailed by progressives, should sound alarms across the law enforcement and national security communities. Read Opinion | From Radical Rhetoric to Mayoral Power
My Riff for the week! 💥
Good morning, and happy Independence Day. As we commemorate July 4th, it’s tempting to celebrate freedom simply as a gift from our Founders—yet true liberty demands active stewardship. Today’s “riff” explores how we must look to the past to lead us into the future, drawing on our nation’s founding ideals and the enduring pillars of moral and civic virtue: Faith, Family, and Formation.
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming that “all men are created equal” with “unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” (United States, 1776). These timeless truths were not mere platitudes but a call to responsibility—to uphold transcendent moral principles free from tyranny. Without a shared commitment to the common good, liberty devolves into license.
Our Founders understood that a free society requires a moral compass rooted in transcendent truth. John Adams observed that “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People” (Adams, 1813). Today, waning religious adherence has contributed to moral relativism and social fragmentation. Reinvigorating faith—not as coercive dogma, but as a source of moral accountability—reconnects individuals to a higher purpose and communal bonds.
“Faith stirs the soul toward virtue and binds a community in shared sacrifice.”
- Dr. Currie Myers
The family was conceived by the Framers as the bedrock of civil society. Alexis de Tocqueville famously noted that American households fostered habits of association and responsibility, essential for self-governance (de Tocqueville, 1835/2000). Strong, intact families instill respect for authority and empathy for others—qualities that deter the “feral man,” untethered from moral constraint. Investing in family stability not only nurtures future citizens but also reduces criminogenic risk (Myers, 2025).
Beyond blood and belief lies formation—the disciplined cultivation of character, intellect, and civic virtue. From the one-room schoolhouses of early America to today’s classrooms and community programs, education must go beyond technical skills to emphasize personal responsibility and virtue ethics (Peterson, 2018). Moreover, the “Broken Windows” approach reminds us that disorder begets disorder: well-kept environments reinforce respect for law and neighbor (Wilson & Kelling, 1982). Similarly, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) strategies demonstrate that thoughtfully organized spaces deter wrongdoing at its root (Crowe, 2013).
Our nation faces complex threats—rising polarization, community disintegration, and debates over government reach. Drawing on our heritage, we can:
Reaffirm faith-based community outreach, partnering churches and synagogues with social services.
Promote family-supportive policies, such as parental leave and faith-based mentoring programs.
Embrace formative discipline in schools and neighborhoods through partnerships with law enforcement and civic organizations.
These measures reflect subsidiarity —empowering local institutions while reserving government for what truly requires its scale.
This Independence Day, let us honor our forebears by renewing Faith, strengthening Family, and committing to Formation. By looking back at the moral architecture that birthed our republic, we equip ourselves to defend freedom in the years ahead. As I often remind my students, liberty flourishes not in chaos, but in the fertile soil of virtue and shared responsibility (Myers, 2025).
May God bless America—and may He renew our hearts to lead us forward.
For 2024, the total line of duty deaths in law enforcement was 145 officers. So far in 2025 there have been 41 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Since last week’s episode we have had seven officer deaths as of this date. St Michael Pray for them, their families, and us!
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Okay here is Dr C’s top five blitz on CJ News and Information for this week:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) interfered with an investigation into Chinese meddling in the 2020 election to cover for former Director Christopher Wray, who had just testified to Congress that he had seen no evidence of a coordinated voter fraud effort, According to previously classified documents released Tuesday by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. The FBI “suppressed intelligence” of alleged Chinese Communist Party (CCP) interference in the 2020 election, including the production of ‘”tens of thousands’ of fraudulent drivers’ licenses to manufacture mail-in votes for then-presidential candidate Joe Biden,” according to a press release.
My Take: The FBI’s decision to yank and “destroy” a field‐office report on alleged CCP schemes to mass‐produce fake driver’s licenses for fraudulent mail‐in votes was more than internal foot‐dragging—it was a breach of the very charter tasked with safeguarding our elections. Subordinating credible intelligence to preserve a director’s Congressional testimony not only invites foreign malign actors to exploit gaps in oversight, but also corrodes the moral formation and civic trust essential to deter the “feral man”—individuals untethered from communal accountability. In applied criminology, we know that suppressed intelligence equals unchecked opportunity; restoring faith in institutions demands transparency, robust whistleblower protections, and a recommitment to investigating every threat, no matter whose reputation is on the line.
The U.S. Department of Justice has issued a directive to civil division employees outlining new priorities for pursuing denaturalization cases against individuals who obtained U.S. citizenship through fraud or who have engaged in serious criminal conduct. Denaturalization refers to the legal process of revoking U.S. citizenship from individuals who were naturalized but are later found to have violated immigration or criminal laws before, during, or after their naturalization.
My Take: Elevating denaturalization to a top-five Civil Division priority is a decisive affirmation that U.S. citizenship is both a profound privilege and a solemn trust. By targeting individuals who secured naturalization through fraud or later engaged in grave criminality—ranging from terrorism and espionage to human-trafficking and financial fraud—the DOJ sends a clear message: those who violate our laws forfeit the rights they abused. This strategic focus not only deters malign actors from exploiting our immigration system but also reinforces the integrity of the naturalization process itself. In applied criminology, such calibrated enforcement maximizes deterrence and upholds public confidence in the rule of law.
Congress has officially passed President Donald Trump’s "one big, beautiful bill" on Thursday afternoon after back-to-back sleepless sessions for both the House and Senate. The massive agenda bill now goes to Trump’s desk to be signed into law just in time for Republicans’ self-imposed Fourth of July deadline. The bill – which advances Trump’s policies on tax, the border, defense, energy and the national debt – narrowly passed the House of Representatives in a mostly party-line vote.
My Take: The swift passage of President Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” just ahead of the self-imposed July 4 deadline exemplifies the power of unified government to translate policy vision into law without undue delay. By enshrining permanent tax relief alongside robust investments in border security, defense, energy infrastructure, and debt reduction, Congress has reinforced deterrence at the nation’s frontiers and bolstered the resources law-enforcement and community safety programs need to operate effectively. From an applied criminologist’s standpoint, predictable funding streams for ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and local task forces dismantling transnational criminal networks will raise the perceived risk of illicit activity, a proven strategy for reducing opportunity‐driven crime. Moreover, by linking fiscal discipline with investments in public-safety formation—training, technology, and interagency coordination—the legislation strengthens institutions charged with upholding the rule of law and thus helps forestall the disaggregation of civic trust. In sum, this omnibus represents not only a legislative victory but a comprehensive framework for preempting crime through both “hard” enforcement and “soft” formation measures. There are also many other criminological pluses as a result of the bill being signed by the President tomorrow on Independence Day. I will have a in-depth policy paper on Monday!
The FBI announced Tuesday that it had selected the Ronald Reagan Building complex in Washington, D.C., to replace the historic J. Edgar Hoover Building as its headquarters. The news comes after FBI Director Kash Patel said in May that the bureau would be leaving the Hoover building, where it has been for over 50 years. The announcement was made in conjunction with the General Services Administration (GSA), which said the move to an existing government building instead of a new one would save taxpayer dollars.
My Take: Choosing the Ronald Reagan Building as the FBI’s new headquarters is a textbook example of cost-effective crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED): by repurposing an existing federal property rather than constructing anew, the Bureau not only saves taxpayers billions but also accelerates access to a modern, secure facility equipped to meet today’s threats. From an applied criminologist’s perspective, well-maintained, purpose-built environments bolster officer morale, streamline collaboration with co-tenants like Customs and Border Protection, and close exploitable gaps that aging structures inevitably develop. Moreover, this move signals a recommitment to institutional integrity—addressing years of deferred maintenance at the Hoover Building restores public confidence that the FBI safeguards both national security and fiscal responsibility. In sum, by marrying practicality with enhanced operational capacity, the relocation embodies how strategic facility management is itself a form of crime prevention.
In a letter to every governor, Secretary Duffy asked that their states participate in the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Safe Arterials for Everyone through Reliable Operations and Distraction-Reducing Strategies—SAFE ROADS—initiative. The program targets non-freeway arterial roads where more than half of U.S. roadway deaths occur. [...] "Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork. Today I am calling on governors in every state to ensure that roadways, intersections, and crosswalks are kept free of distractions,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “Far too many Americans die each year to traffic fatalities to take our eye off the ball. USDOT stands ready to help communities across the country make their roads safer and easier to navigate."
My Take: Secretary Duffy’s SAFE ROADS initiative—focusing on non-freeway arterial roads where over half of U.S. traffic fatalities occur—embodies an evidence-based, crime-prevention approach akin to CPTED principles: by systematically eliminating environmental distractions, it narrows opportunities for “risky misbehavior” and bolsters guardianship of all road users. Empowering state DOTs, in coordination with metropolitan partners, to use safety data to identify high-risk segments and intersections aligns neatly with Broken Windows logic—addressing minor hazards to avert major tragedies—while honoring subsidiarity through local-federal collaboration. The directive to keep crosswalks free from political messages underscores safety’s primacy over aesthetic or ideological expression, reinforcing public confidence that our transportation infrastructure is governed by objective risk management, not transient politics.
And finally, a little levity - This week, a flustered husband rang 911 when he caught his wife sneaking three strips of bacon from their fridge. Officers arrived to find the two grilling each other over breakfast etiquette—no charges filed, just a reminder that some sizzles are best handled at the breakfast table, not by dispatch. 911 is for emergencies morons!
My Take: Next time the bacon disappears, try relationship counseling—not the police.
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This is Dr. Currie Myers, America’s Criminologist—signing off with gratitude and grit! Dive deeper into my work at drcurriemyers.substack.com and don’t forget to like, share, and spread the word. Stay sharp, stay safe, and have an incredible weekend ahead!
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