Category: Crime, Corrections, Law Enforcement
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A Grand Compromise on Crime, Mental Health and Guns
by James C. Sherlock Had enough? People organize into governments first for their collective protection. Virginians are not sufficiently protected from violence. The mass shootings of the past couple of weeks in Virginia offer an impetus to strike a grand bargain on public safety. Staying in corners waiting for control of all three branches of…
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Cause, Effect, and Regret
by Jim McCarthy Bacon’s Rebellion recently hosted a series of articles exhaustively parsing the procedures and policies at the University of Virginia regarding threat assessments in preventing violence related to the killing of three students and wounding of two by a colleague. The examination included the possible human failures that contributed to the event. Under…
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Mass Shootings: Take A Breath Before Bloviating
by Kerry Dougherty On Wednesday morning I woke up at 4:00 a.m., planning to head to the radio studio for four hours of happy holiday banter with my co-host, Mike Imprevento. Then I glanced at my phone. A news blast from The Wall Street Journal: “Six Killed in a Shooting in a Chesapeake, Va. Walmart.”…
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Homelessness in Petersburg – Part 2
by James C. Sherlock I wrote yesterday about the excellent investigative reporting by the Progress-Index about the knock-on effects of the renewal of fire and building code enforcement in Petersburg. My position is that Petersburg must enforce its codes for public safety and the livability of the city. But I also recognize the need to provide…
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Violence Prevention and TATs: A Dissenting Opinion
by Dick Hall-Sizemore There has been a lot of discussion on this blog about violence prevention committees and threat assessment teams (TAT). There have been disagreements over whether the University of Virginia is in compliance with state law as well as lamentations about the lack of enforcement where it is considered that an institution is…
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Norfolk: Where Attorneys Flee and Criminals Go Free
by Kerry Dougherty Let’s be frank, shall we? Republicans can’t win elections in Norfolk. They don’t even bother recruiting candidates to run in most races. Why waste the money and effort? Since 2009 — as far back as I checked- – Norfolk’s Democrat commonwealth attorneys have run unopposed. While former Norfolk Commonwealth Attorney Gregory Underwood…
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Virginia Should Enforce Threat Assessment Laws. Noting Lack of Compliance Not Enough.
by James C. Sherlock I have written about the Threat Assessment Teams (TAT’s) of two state universities, the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. I assessed Tech to be compliant with state law. I reported that UVa is not. That of course raises the issue of the rest of Virginia’s colleges and universities. The Virginia…
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Petersburg Resumes Important Actions Against City Code Violators — Homeless Needs Increase
by James C. Sherlock Sometimes absolutely necessary actions have more than one outcome. Such is the case in Petersburg. Joyce Chu of Petersburg’s indispensable Progress- Index last evening initiated a multi-part series on the impacts of the city’s closure due to safety violations of two motels used by otherwise homeless people. Her first article makes…
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Threat Assessment Done Right — Virginia Tech
by James C. Sherlock Yesterday I harshly critiqued the structure, authorities and actions of the University of Virginia Threat Assessment Team. Today, in stark contrast, I offer Virginia Tech. Tech has complied with state law by simply doing what the law requires, and done it thoughtfully. As a result, Tech has established a far more…
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UVa Policy on Threat Assessment So Flawed It Seems Intentional
by James C. Sherlock I have reported in this space on the actions and inactions of the Threat Assessment Team (TAT) and its members at the University of Virginia in the case of the man now in jail for three murders and two woundings. I refer readers to my previous posts for my take on…
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Alleged Shooter’s Dorm Room on UVa Property Exposed Him to University Actions Not Taken
by James C. Sherlock Updated Nov. 19 at 8:50 AM. See details at end. So, the University of Virginia conducted a formal threat investigation of allegations of student possession of firearms on the Grounds. Except it really didn’t. The accused was found after three murders and two woundings to have possessed in his dorm room…
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UVa’s Investigators Missed an Arsenal in Shooter’s On-Grounds Dorm Room
by James C. Sherlock The Daily Progress just reported: The student charged in the shooting deaths of three University of Virginia football players had a semi-automatic rifle, pistol, ammunition, magazines and a device used to make bullets fire faster in his on-Grounds dorm room, according to a search warrant inventory that the Daily Progress obtained.…
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Who is an “Appropriate Disciplinary Authority” at UVa? Excellent Question, as it Turns Out
by James C. Sherlock The University of Virginia, as required by state law, has a policy on Preventing and Addressing Threats of Acts of Violence. It defines “unsanctioned possession of firearms, weapons, or other dangerous items.” as Violent or Threatening Behavior. The policy currently states: The (Threat Assessment Team) TAT does not serve as a…
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AG’s Office to Review UVa Handling of Shooting Threat
Attorney General Jason Miyares has agreed to conduct an external review of the events that led up to the shooting deaths of three University of Virginia students Sunday. He will enlist special counsel to assist his office in the completion of its work, said spokesperson Victoria LaCivita. The review will produce a report to be…
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President Ryan’s Ship Has Hit the Shoals
by James C. Sherlock This is the Nov 16, 4:35 p.m. update to my highly controversial article on the failures of the University of Virginia to act against the alleged killer of three students before the crime. I was too gentle with the leadership of the University, my alma mater, in that article. I wrote…