State Your Case
Columnists and contributors debate critical issues in law enforcement today. As in an actual debate, the pro and con sides are assigned randomly as an exercise in critical thinking and analyzing problems from different perspectives. In 2021, State Your Case received an Eddie Award for Best Overall B2B Column.
Issues recently discussed include whether armed teachers improve school safety, if law enforcement should endorse safe injection sites and whether curfews help reduce crime. If you would like our experts to debate a topic, or to submit your own response to a critical issue, email editor@police1.com.
California’s “No Secret Police Act,” introduced by Senator Scott Wiener, would make it a misdemeanor for officers to obscure their faces
Our experts debate if an emphasis on traditional attire is misplaced given more critical challenges like severe understaffing
The ramifications of marijuana legislation on police departments and their hiring processes
In May 2023, London’s police commissioner announced plans to stop police response to mental health emergencies unless there’s a direct life threat
There are many layers of complexity inherent in balancing transparency, public safety, and respect for the victims and their families
With supportive peers, an inquiring mind, and a mix of confidence and humility, a young chief might be just the thing a department needs
In a surprise move, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors recently voted to allow San Francisco PD to deploy robots equipped to deliver lethal force
A recent bill signed by Calif. Governor Gavin Newsom legalizes safe street crossings in the state that has the highest number of pedestrian deaths
A discussion about the pros and cons of law enforcement adopting a fire service shift model
Following the Uvalde school shooting, the question of whether teachers should carry firearms is in the news again
A woman whose rape kit DNA was used by San Francisco police to arrest her for an unrelated property crime is now planning to sue the city
Since two overdose prevention centers opened in NYC in late 2021, health department officials report they have prevented 59 overdoses
A UK agency recently swore in 24 part-time officers to make policing “open to more applicants” with a “flexible alternative.” Our experts debate the pros and cons of part-time cops
Our columnists debate whether age is an effective measure of a candidate’s maturity
After 7 people were shot, including a child, an Illinois mayor announced an indefinite curfew. Our experts debate the pros and cons of such a measure
The Dream Keeper Fellowship will give high-risk individuals $300 a month to avoid violence
Despite fewer cars on the road due to COVID-related shutdowns, the national trend has been higher incidents of speeding and fatalities
Many cities are piloting programs that take police officers out of certain duties such as mental health response
Following the deployment of a robotic K-9 in February 2021, public backlash led the NYPD to send ‘Digidog’ back to the doghouse
These videos spike officer awareness but do they help officers prevent or respond to sudden attack?
Following community criticism, two police chiefs announced they would be removing thin blue line imagery from display in their agencies
“We may have a false choice to make here: college or no college.”
Both academics and cities are advocating for decoupling traffic enforcement from the police — our experts debate the pros and cons
Promoting internal candidates to police leadership positions with no external input is causing concern in some communities
An activist’s call for cops to live within the communities they police has received millions of views online
San Francisco PD recently announced it would limit the distribution of booking photographs over concerns they reinforce negative stereotypes
Following a month of protests, firings, criminal charges and a chief’s resignation, there were reports of a high number of Atlanta police ‘call outs’
A number of LEOs have made headlines by joining activists during the George Floyd protests
A video of a cop criticizing COVID-19 decrees has amassed nearly 1 million views and reignited the discussion about what officers should and should not say in uniform
