Is the coverup a crime?
Obstruction of justice. The phrase is in the air recently. Two incidents, one reported in the press and one not, straddle the line between bad record keeping and a crime. The Massachusetts State Police destroyed evidence of its corruption. Massachusetts RMV hid evidence of police misconduct. Obstruction of justice? Maybe not. The recent string of […]
Three felonies a shift
It’s hard to commit just one crime. Voluminous indictments are routine in the federal system. A single act can be many crimes and a continuing crime can be divided into discrete events. So Judge Mark Wolf was skeptical when corrupt police officers were allowed to plead guilty to just one minor crime. The Massachusetts State […]
The game of life
We have another episode of “signs as toys.” The city of Medford, Massachusetts earned a lot of media attention by putting school children in charge of traffic control. A picture shows a row of children standing behind a row of ramps. As I see it, drivers are supposed to hit the ramps and fly over […]
The love of money
The word that got all the media attention shouldn’t have been a surprise to anybody. Quotas. A federal prosecutor said Massachusetts State Police had ticket quotas. Eight to ten tickets per four hours or they would have their pay cut. It’s only news if you’re not paying attention. The same situation was reported years ago. […]
Catch 22
We all know that failing a field sobriety test is evidence against you. The Massachusetts Court of Appeals reminds us that passing one can be too. At a DUI trial the prosecution has to show that you were intoxicated and that you were driving. That’s two separate facts. It’s not DUI if you’re not driving. […]
Formula for failure
A Massachusetts town got a bucket of money to grease some squeaky wheels. Connecticut towns got a forest of signs to make some squeaky wheels. Taking money and giving it back is how higher government justifies its existence. The town of Weymouth was rewarded for chanting a rhyming slogan. Part of the reward, paid out […]
A half million dollar lie
A police officer won $500,000 for being falsely accused of writing a bogus ticket. A man claimed his ticket for using a cell phone was retaliation for a complaint about the police officer’s own cell phone use. The dispute made local TV news before cell phone records cast doubt on the accuser’s story. If I […]
Carbo cults
Massachusetts is considering another money grab in the name of carbon. A few years ago the Governor announced higher parking rates, in the name of carbon. This time Boston Mayor Marty Walsh ordered up a report calling for a $15 per day tax on nonresidents driving into the business district, in the name of carbon. […]
Follow you follow me
The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts says using a GPS device to track a car is criminal harassment. The Boston Globe wrote “private citizens can not deploy GPS tracking devices to spy on people.” The court did not limit its holding to private citizens. Judges agreed that a GPS tracker “would cause a reasonable person […]
I can’t drive 25
Do as I say, not as I do. That was the message from Debra Panetta, chair of the Saugus Board of Selectmen, at a public hearing on reducing speed limits to 25. She said 25 miles per hour was too slow. The police chief did not recommend changing the speed limit. A traffic consultant’s report was […]