Police Legitimacy, Bail Reform, and January 6

My father and I had an interesting conversation about one of my recent stories. I did a piece about the unsolved killing of a 9-year-old boy in Springfield, Illinois, and how the police don’t have enough credibility in the neighborhood to solve it. In our conversation, I suggested that someone in the community likely knows something that could help the police, but because of the mistrust, they won’t talk.

My dad was more concerned about the responsibility of someone who has knowledge of such a tragic incident and not say anything that could help the family. “If you can live with keeping that to yourself, that’s on you,” he said. For the sake of argument, I was on the side of believing the police need greater legitimacy in the neighborhood if they want people to talk to them. It’s a divide that plays out in these communities all the time when it comes to public safety: the role of the authorities and the government vs. the individual’s role in doing the right thing.

So here’s my question:

What’s the middle ground between personal responsibility and law enforcement’s responsibility?

ICE Agent Charged in Shooting of a Venezuelan Immigrant in Minnesota — The New York Times
Federal prosecutors in Minnesota charged an ICE agent with felony assault in the January shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant during Operation Metro Surge. The case has intensified scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement, especially after video footage and dropped charges contradicted initial claims about the incident. [Link]

Topeka police accused of training officers to “have a plan to kill” — The Topeka Capital-Journal
The National Police Accountability Project joined the legal team representing the family of Taylor Lowery, a man killed by Topeka police in 2022 after officers fired 34 shots. The lawsuit accuses the department of teaching officers to “have a plan to kill” instead of prioritizing de-escalation, raising questions about training and use of force in the department. [Link]

House Passes Bill Aimed at Cracking Down on Localities’ Cashless Bail Programs — Truthout
The House passed a Republican-backed bill aimed at discouraging cashless bail programs, despite research showing there’s no meaningful link between bail reform and rising violent crime. According to experts, the legislation could punish local governments for pursuing pretrial reform and deepen disparities in the justice system. [Link]

Visibly Armed, They Patrolled the Streets to Protect the Public From ICE. Now Their Gun Licenses Are Being Revoked. — The Trace

A Philadelphia activist group known as the Black Lions says the city revoked several members’ gun-carrying licenses in retaliation for armed patrols meant to monitor police and protect residents from crime and ICE agents. [Link]

Jan. 6 Police Officers Sue to Block Trump’s Payout Fund — The New York Times

Two officers who defended the Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack sued the Trump administration over a proposed $1.8 billion compensation fund that could reward rioters and extremist groups involved in the insurrection. The lawsuit argues the administration illegally created the fund without congressional approval. [Link]

It’s no secret that news consumption habits are constantly changing, and everyone in journalism is grappling with that. I did a lot of video work in college, grad school, and earlier in my career. But writing was my first passion, and I was always going to return to that at some point in my career. Still, that doesn’t mean I’m going to ignore how people are consuming news, even if I’ll always be a writer.

I’ve started dabbling in some video work. I just did a social video for one of my recent stories on The Trace’s Instagram page. I’m going to start doing more of these on my own for my stories and will probably start sharing them here as well. I want to get more comfortable being on camera. I also think this type of short video will be useful when it’s time to start promoting my book. Be on the lookout for more of these.