Tabatha Wethal, Officer's Law Enforcement Technology Editor, shares insights and thoughts with the law enforcement community.
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Chief to legislators: ‘This is not about you’ …
By Tabatha Wethal - Thursday August 9, 2012The news this week of the shooting at a place of worship in my home state of Wisconsin that left seven people dead, including the gunman, and an officer in critical condition has me feeling disgusted and outraged. As has been widely reported in the national mainstream news this week, the mass killing at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek near Milwaukee takes place just 16 days after another man in Colorado, kitted up in tactical gear, entered a theater shooting, killing 12 and wounding 58 movie-goers. The investigations into the separate shootings continue. Outside of the occasional small news bite update, presently there’s not a lot of information to add to Officer.com’s coverage of the events. Coverage of the theater shooting in... -
Fact-finding bodies paint a still-somber picture of the law enforcement industry
By Tabatha Wethal - Wednesday August 8, 2012
“… some good news in the fact that the budget-cutting that began as early as 2008 seems to have stopped in some departments. “The bad news is that most local police agencies are still suffering.” – Chuck Wexler, Police Executive Research Forum executive director In reviewing industry facts and figures for another project, I came across several revealing particulars I thought worthy of calling out. Understanding any survey or report has its limitations, the following notes and pertinent numbers from various research and fact-finding bodies paint a still-somber picture of the law enforcement industry: the numbers indicate that budget cuts are still a reality, as well as hiring freezes throughout the United States... -
On insanity, justice & mass killers
By Tabatha Wethal - Friday August 3, 2012It’s inescapable—talk of the Aurora theater shooting and the suspected killer, James Holmes. Not that I’m looking to avoid it entirely, but rather I specifically steer clear of reporting I consider drivel such as, for example, articles investigating the meaning behind Holmes’ heavy blink during his initial court appearance at Arapahoe County Courthouse. I give my opinion on stories like that passively; that is, by not reading them and thusly, not indulging them. But there will be reporting in the coming months on aspects of this case and the man charged with the murders of 12 people that is timely, appropriate, and worthy of discussion. Take for example a piece on CNN.com from a sociologist and criminologist professor who... -
I can't look at this photo and not smile
By Tabatha Wethal - Thursday August 2, 2012
A few months ago, I attended National Police Week in Washington, D.C., a week-long variety of events hosted by various law enforcement and LE-supporting organizations to celebrate the lives of officers and honor the sacrifices of those who died serving . This year was the second time I’d had the opportunity to go, and as I wrote about in a previous column in Law Enforcement Technology, it is a moving event with lots of spirit and heart. During the Police Week events, we took a couple thousand photos, and as is the nature of photojournalism and reporting, we only ever get to publish a couple dozen. So I’d like to take the second post in my project to blog every day in August (BEDA*, as it’s also known) to share a photo I love... -
The first one
- Wednesday August 1, 2012
This blog kicks off the first post in what is to be a month of blogging every day in August (known to some on the web as BEDA, though I'll be modifying the tradition slightly to blog every week day in August). Not only is a project like blogging every day a good writer’s exercise, It will help get this brand new blog section underway with an influx of posts. Let me start, as is mannerly, with an introduction—although technically, I’ve already started. And therein is the nature of this blog; because where manners are concerned, I’m an elbows on the table kind of individual anyway. Sure, if we go to a nice place in Chicago or D.C., I’ll go napkin-on-the-lap and use the proper forks, but for the most part, I’d be better suited...
