Police
Battling by rattling the opponent’s agenda while keeping both eyes on the prize
If the prosecutor comes to court with a smirking attitude, the defense lawyer does not need to do anything to wipe the smirk off the prosecutor's face other than doing the criminal defense lawyer's job, keeping his eyes on the prize.
Virginia adopts the police collective knowledge doctrine
Today, the Virginia Court of Appeals adopted the police collective knowledge doctrine that already applies in federal courts. Edmond v. Virginia, ___ Va. App. ___ (Aug. 2, 2016). Under the collective knowledge, "an officer is justified in acting upon an instruction from another officer if...
A how-to for police suspects, starting with the power of “no”
Go and enjoy the rest of the Fourth of July weekend, and remember that Independence Day has less meaning when criminal suspects do not assert their rights to remain silent with the police and to refuse police searches.
Policing is an undemocratic, militaristic culture
Policing is a necessary evil that is antithetical to a free, open and democratic society. Policing is a poison on society and the body politic when our society is overpoliced, which it has been for decades,
What would have happened if Video had not Captured Laquan McDonald’s Murder by police
Repeatedly, police harass and arrest people for unobtrusively filming their public activities, despite the countless times that video reveals police misconduct.
Critical Crossroads for Overhauling the Police State, Supporting Good Policing and Speaking Out Against Police Abuse
The United States is at a critical crossroads for overhauling the police state, supporting good policing and speaking out over wrong policing, in the face of widespread police abuse, with some of the starker recent examples being the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner,...
Sifting intelligence gems out of police hollering
Recently, I asked a police officer a few very direct questions about his actions with my client. Had I asked the questions more gently, I may have gotten no less a beneficial result, but I asked them as I did. The officer got irritated. He...
My Duty as a Fairfax criminal lawyer is to win
My duty as a Fairfax criminal lawyer is to sin. A client recently remarked how he was impressed to see me good-naturedly bantering in the hallway with the same police against whom I did not let go of during cross examination at trial an hour...