Asset Forfeiture Reporting Obscures Facts and Undermines Transparency

By Clay Wirestone, a guest columnist for the Kansas Reflector Editor’s Note: The Kansas Reflector recently investigated  Kansas’ new database for civil asset forfeiture and found many irregularities. Even though this piece is Kansas-focused, the type of issues Wirestone describes, particularly the lack of accountability and transparency, are traits shared by CAF programs in many other states. […]

Asset Forfeiture Reporting Obscures Facts and Undermines Transparency: NMA E-Newsletter #695

By Clay Wirestone, a guest columnist for the Kansas Reflector Editor’s Note: The Kansas Reflector recently investigated Kansas’ new database for civil asset forfeiture and found many irregularities. Even though this piece is Kansas-focused, the type of issues Wirestone describes, particularly the lack of accountability and transparency, are traits shared by CAF programs in many […]

Where to get a ticket in Wichita

In the sea of empty-headed speed reporting I came across something informative recently, an analysis of speeding tickets in Wichita including a map of top ticketing locations. In space, most tickets are on a highway with a low speed limit or near an airport. In time, most tickets are written in the middle of the […]

Was that wrong? Should I not have done that?

One of the privileges of being a police officer is being able to plead ignorance of the law. It’s called “qualified immunity.” When a government official violates your rights, “I didn’t know that was wrong” is a legitimate argument. Sometimes the plea of ignorance fails. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against a Kansas […]

Speed limit roundup, March 2016

There’s a good amount of speed limit legislative activity this year. Here’s a summary of the major changes and failures to change. I’ll go from east to west. A New Jersey politician wants to raise the speed limit to 70 or 75. The police union responded maybe 70 on a few roads would be OK. […]