September 8, 2015

The Media and Criminal Justice

For over a year now I have watched as the media has regularly criticized law enforcement officers, inaccurately portraying officers as “racist”, “overzealous”, and “poorly trained”, just to name a few. On the natio...

May 26, 2015

Police Body Cameras and Realistic Expectations

In the wake of recent riots around the nation, the Department of Justice is preparing to equip an additional 50,000 law enforcement officers with body-worn cameras.  As an officer who has been wearing a body camera for the last 18 months, I can ...

January 19, 2015

'What's the Big Deal With Selling Cigarettes?'

In the aftermath of the Eric Garner death in New York City, there has been ongoing analysis criticizing the NYPD’s response.  As you might recall, Garner was being arrested for selling loose cigarettes on a city sidewalk at the time o...

October 13, 2014

Terror Threat on the Southwest Border

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, Jeh Johnson, recently spoke out about rumors that ISIS fighters had been apprehended on the U.S./ Mexico border.  Johnson denied that any fighters had been apprehended on there.  But, regardless of whether ...

March 6, 2014

The U.S. Love Affair With Addiction

When President Obama made his “Pot is no worse than alcohol” comments, he revealed one of the main underlying problems with the arguments posed by marijuana advocates  Said the president: “We should not be locking up kids or in...

October 15, 2013

The Threat of Al-Shabaab: Not an Illusion

The recent terrorist attack in Nairobi, Kenya, executed by the al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Shabaab (AS), has ignited a new debate over the extent to which AS poses a threat to the U.S.  Some have described AS as on the verge of defeat and said th...

September 5, 2013

Pakistan: Ground Zero for U.S. Counterterrorism

When Secretary of State John Kerry visited Pakistan last month, the media barely reported on the trip. With the ongoing violence in Syria, Iraq, and Egypt quickly spiraling out of control, those nations dominate the headlines. But Pakistan quietly re...

July 14, 2013

Are U.S. Hospitals in the Crosshairs?

In the world of homeland security, hospitals often receive a lot of focus about their preparedness to treat hundreds of victims in the event of a terrorist attack or natural disaster. But are our hospitals prepared if they Are in fact the target of ...

May 29, 2013

Al Qaeda Re-emerging

While the U.S. has undoubtedly had many successes fighting Al Qaeda (AQ), AQ is re-emerging due to a wide array of regional alliances. Much in the way that private businesses adapt to changing social trends and government regulations, AQ has ada...

March 23, 2013

Mental Illness and Guns

Ever since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting there has been much discussion about improving the nation's mental health care system. But what exactly does that mean? It seems that nearly all of us agree that we should keep firearms away from p...