Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association
President of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, the union representing Cleveland's police officers
PROFILE
Stephen Loomis
Guest
FROM Stephen Loomis
To the Point
How local cops are becoming tax collectors So-called "zero tolerance" policing has been embraced as a way of reducing major crimes by focusing on minor ones. But there's another reason: fines and fees for low-level violations are now major sources of revenue for cities that have reduced taxation. When poor people can't pay, they're assessed with penalties — often increased until jails become debtors' prisons, especially for blacks and other minorities. That's led to anger, resentment and sometimes to violent confrontations with the police. We hear how back-door municipal finance causes social chaos.
To the Point
How local cops are becoming tax collectors So-called "zero tolerance" policing has been embraced as a way of reducing major crimes by focusing on minor ones. But there's another reason: fines and fees for low-level violations are now major sources of revenue for cities that have reduced taxation. When poor people can't pay, they're assessed with penalties — often increased until jails become debtors' prisons, especially for blacks and other minorities. That's led to anger, resentment and sometimes to violent confrontations with the police. We hear how back-door municipal finance causes social chaos.
To the Point
Do Cops Need Guidance on When They Can Shoot to Kill? Continual shootings of unarmed suspects have America's 18,000 police departments re-thinking policies on the use of deadly force. Some new training programs now include "tactical disengagement," "emotional intelligence" and "de-escalation." What does that mean on the street? During training in one major city, cops can only fire two bullets before they're required to stop and assess the situation. Some rank and file officers claim politics is making their lives more dangerous -- in a debate that's raging from Baltimore to San Francisco.
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Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?
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Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.