In Minneapolis, yet another case of heavy-handed policing has occurred and has left one African American man dead at the hands of the police officers who were arresting him. The case in Minnesota has quickly gained national attention about a serious problem in this country: overzealous police off...

Yet another Seattle resident was shot and killed by the police this week. In 2019, 34 people were fatally killed by Seattle Police Department officers, which was a 6 percent increase from 2018. Mental illness, homelessness, and substance abuse issues plague a lot of people in Seattle, but police ...

While many of us are still continuing to shelter at home during the COVID-19 outbreak, or at least are practicing social distancing and wearing facial masks when we are out, some folks in Miramar, Florida decided to throw a house party last week. And now two professional football players, includi...

We are now two months into the coronavirus pandemic, and Governor Inslee has initiated a phased re-opening for Washington businesses and stores that will both get the economy going and keep Washingtonians healthy and safe. Life certainly looks much different than it did over two months ago. Some ...

Most all criminal charges that end up going to trial begin with an arrest by the police. Because of this frequent interaction of the police and the general public, it is very important that police act in a safe and ethical way. In fact, many of the protections that constrain police activity are w...

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, there are questions and concerns over another segment of the population who may be hit hard by the virus. Similar to nursing home or long-term care residents, those who are incarcerated in Washington's correctional facilities are not able to practice social dist...

Getting arrested is, in and of itself, a very stressful experience. The fear and stress associated with the situation can be enhanced even further if you have no clue what is going on or what might happen to you. When knowledge is sometimes half of the battle, hiring an experienced Seattle crimin...

With millions of Americans working from home now due to COVID-19, cybersecurity experts say hackers are targeting regular people to obtain personal information. Hackers are crashing video conferences to learn anything they can about a person and then using that information to create elaborate phi...

While some crimes are undoubtedly committed out of malice, there are certain instances in which a person must take action in order to protect himself from harm by another person. If you have been charged with a violent crime in Seattle and believe that you were forced to act out of self-defense, ...

In the late 1970s, two criminologists named Marcus Felson and Lawrence E. Cohen came up with the “routine activity theory.” This theory, in short, states that when societal circumstances change, so do opportunities for crime. The routine activity theory revolves around three things: a motivate...

We have discussed him before, but the Snohomish County sheriff is in the news again. Sheriff Adam Fortney says he believes Governor Inslee's “stay home, stay safe” statewide mandate is unconstitutional and he has no plans to enforce it in Snohomish County. Past Controversies Fortney, who is in ...

If you have been arrested and charged with a crime, then it can often feel like your life is caving in on you. After a conviction, this feeling can intensify. Returning to life as normal with a conviction on your record can be difficult. Jobs are harder to come by, obtaining insurance can be diff...

As the novel coronavirus has spread across the globe, life has been drastically altered for the vast majority of the population. People in the Seattle area have felt the impact of the virus particularly strongly. The first case of the novel coronavirus in the United States was confirmed in Washin...

Since Governor Inslee enacted a stay-at-home mandate starting on March 24, 2020, to slow the spread of COVID-19, much of Seattle has resembled a large ghost town, with businesses closed and fewer people on the streets. While many cities across the country are seeing dramatic drops in crime rates ...

Last summer, we examined the issue of aging behind bars in Washington prisons. According to the Washington Department of Corrections, there were over 17 thousand inmates in our state at that time, and 18% of them were over the age of 50. The number of older inmates behind bars has risen in recent...

The novel coronavirus is hitting the United States particularly hard. The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that the U.S. may possibly become the next epicenter of the viral outbreak. The greater Seattle area was the focus of the initial outbreak in our country, but the rate at which the...

The effects of the coronavirus pandemic have been catastrophic, especially for older local residents. The incident at the Life Care Center in Kirkland helped the rest of our country realize the seriousness of the virus which is now facing us all. At least 37 deaths have been associated with the o...

Nearly two weeks ago, authorities in both King and Snohomish counties have suspended all criminal jury trials for a period of time, in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 in our local area. Now the rest of the state has followed suit, with jury trials for criminal matters suspended. Superior Co...

As the world continues to focus on the global pandemic of COVID19, many of us feel uncertain about what the next few days and weeks might look like. There is a general sense that "life as we know it" will not return to normal for a significant period of time. There are many groups deserving of ou...

Lawrence Callanan was convicted in 1996 of murder in St. Louis, Missouri. Mr. Callanan was prosecuted by then St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch, who proclaimed that the conviction was a victory and that Callanan's guilt was convincingly demonstrated. However, Prosecutor McCul...

The Office of Police Accountability has announced that an officer has been fired after facing allegations of domestic abuse, recreational drug use, and a pattern of using slurs related to race, sexual identity, and gender.  The complaint submitted to the organization included instances during wh...

Last month, in one of our blogs, we discussed how Seattle has often been seen as an example of how a city should target issues behind criminal behavior. One of the more popular programs in Seattle that has been successful in stemming the number of repeat offenders of low-level crime has been the ...

Last week we discussed the Fourth Amendment and some scenarios during which it may come into play during an encounter with the police. To recap, the Fourth Amendment grants us certain safeguards when we are stopped and/or searched by law enforcement, and also prevents unlawfully seized items from...

Smart technology has reached the home security market. It used to be that only wealthy people could afford to install a home security system that monitored doors and windows, but now there are simpler and cheaper options available to homeowners that lets them monitor their homes from their smartp...

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution is one that comes into play quite often in the criminal justice system. The Fourth Amendment grants us certain safeguards when we are stopped and/or searched by law enforcement, and also prevents unlawfully seized items from being used agains...