Posts by BWTBL_admin
Massachusetts Inmates May be Permitted to Lower Sentences by Organ Donations
Serge and Clarke discuss a controversial January 2023 proposal in the Massachusetts legislature to let Massachusetts inmates reduce their prison sentences by donating bone marrow or organs, such as a kidney. Their are pros and cons of course and these ideas are the subject of today’s podcast.
Read MoreReverend PM Smith Preaches to the Choir: Serge and Clarke
Reverend P.M. Smith, Pastor of the Huber Memorial Church in Baltimore City is this week’s guest on Black and White and Thin Blue Lines. Pastor Smith brings an unmatched focus on crime in Baltimore. He is a Baltimore born and raised former criminal defense attorney and now the Pastor of Christian community. If you watch…
Read MoreThe Death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis
On January 7, 2023, the Memphis Police Department’s Scorpion Unit stopped and caused serious physical injury to 29-year-old Tyre Nichols. Mr. Nichols died in a hospital three days later. Five officers were fired on January 20, 2023. The same five officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr., and Justin Smith…
Read MoreFatal Police Encounters – 2022
In the first episode of 2023, Serge and Clarke discuss an alarming statistic: 2022 had more people killed by law enforcement than at any time since police deadly force has been tracked. Also, there was an increase in the number of police officers who were shot in the line of duty.
Read MoreAttorney Sam Nalli on Defending a Juvenile Charged with First-Degree Murder
The legal profession is filled with high-extroversion, low-content self-promoters, more interested in lining their pockets than achieving justice for their clients. And then, there is Sam Nalli. Sam tells the listeners about his background and interest in the law, and takes us behind the scenes in the defense of a 17-year-old child charged as an…
Read MoreJudge Hammerman Imposes a 70 Year Trial Penalty — The Gary Baynor Case
In the last episode, Serge and Clarke discussed the idea of a trial penalty. A trial penalty occurs when an accused citizen rejects a plea offer, goes to trial, and is convicted but receives a sentence grossly disproportionate to the plea offer. In this episode, Serge and Clarke interview Gary Baynor about an incredible story…
Read MoreThe Diminishing Trial by Jury
In this episode, Serge and Clarke explore the phenomenon of the diminishing trial by jury. After explaining the statistics — which are shocking — Serge and Clarke seek to answer the questions of why the trial by jury is disappearing and the consequences of this significant change to the criminal justice process in America.
Read MoreBrittney Griner’s Arrest and Sentence
Serge and Clarke discuss the tragic circumstances surrounding the arrest, guilty plea, and sentencing in the Brittney Griner case. Brittney, a WNBA all-star, was arrested at a Moscow airport in February of 2022 for .7 grams of cannabis oil in her luggage. She was convicted and sentenced to 9 years of hard labor in a…
Read MoreDamned If You Don’t
The Supreme Court tells us that we have no constitutional right to expect the police to protect us, unless we are in their custody. Yet a Baltimore City Police Officer is sentenced to 60 days incarceration for not preventing an assault and a Yonkers Police Sergeant is under investigation for not stopping an assault. Serge…
Read MorePolice Leader Osborne “Moe” Robinson on Police Leadership & Firearms Training
Two for the price of one in this episode. Serge and Clarke contacted Moe Robinson because he teaches firearms law and skills to applicants for Maryland’s carry permits. But he first shared his views on police leadership; they are so good we made the episode about both things: police leadership and firearms training for carrying…
Read MoreThoughts on Hiring a Lawyer
Several listeners have asked Clarke and Serge for their advice on hiring a lawyer. In this episode, Clarke and Serge discuss everything from solo to big firm, hourly to fixed rate, young lawyer to senior advocate, local attorney to outsider, as well as the personal bias of the co-hosts when it comes to hiring a…
Read MoreDr. Keith Hannan, Ph.D. on Maryland’s Juvenile Justice Flaws & His Solution
In Maryland, most of the rehabilitation of adjudicated delinquent offenders is the domain of correctional personnel. Dr. Keith Hannon, Ph.D., has had a 30-year career as a licensed psychologist with extensive experience in the Maryland juvenile justice system. Dr. Hannan challenges the efficacy of the Maryland system, compares it to the District of Columbia juvenile…
Read MoreAn analysis of NY State Pistol & Rifle Association, Inc. v. Bruen
On June 23, 2022, the United States Supreme Court in a case called NY State Pistol & Rifle Association v. Bruen decided that New York’s penal statute which required a particularized showing of “proper cause” in order to obtain a wear and carry pistol permit was unconstitutional. The second amendment guarantees to all citizens the…
Read MoreJust a Podcast about Another Cop Changing the World One Soul at a Time
This podcast is the story of “Randy” Morton. Randy grew up in West Baltimore where a mentor steered him into Boy Scouts. Randy committed and became an Eagle Scout. After high school, he joined the military. After the military, he worked as a “drill sergeant” with the North American Family Institute which held a contract…
Read MoreA Deep Dive Into the Texas House of Representative’s Report on Uvalde
On May 24, 2022, 73 minutes passed between the time the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police arrived at Robb Elementary School and when Room 111 was breached by the Border Patrol Swat Team. By then 376 law enforcement officers had arrived on the scene. How is it possible for hundreds of police officers…
Read MoreAn old school police lieutenant talks Baltimore, O’Malley, police commissioners…
BPD Police Lieutenant Wayne Wilson takes us back to old school policing in Baltimore. Wilson shares his wisdom about the O’Malley years, the best Baltimore Police Commissioner in the last 50 years, the police response to the Uvalde school shooting, and how the failure of the Baltimore School System is related to the city’s homicide…
Read MorePolice Accountability and Discipline Act — Part II
Are you a police officer serving any department in the State of Maryland? Serge and Clarke implore you to listen to Parts 1 and 2 of the Maryland Police Accountability and Discipline Act podcasts. The new law went into effect on July 1, 2022. This is what YOU need to know.
Read MoreMaryland Police Accountability and Discipline Act — Effective July 1, 2022
If you are a police officer anywhere in the State of Maryland, or a lawyer with police officer clients, this is part one, of a two-part podcast about the new Police Accountability and Discipline Act. The Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights has been repealed. It is critical for police officers and the lawyers who…
Read MoreWe’re Talking SWAT with a City Swat Officer
Have you ever wondered why certain search warrants are served by SWAT teams and whether you are safer — or in great danger — when a SWAT team arrives? This episode is a very interesting discussion with a SWAT officer in a “major city on the East coast of the United States.” Serge and Clarke…
Read MoreThe Columbia Project — Our Ten Point Plan to Address Intentional Mass Casualty Events
Our last podcast described the racist criminal mayhem in Buffalo, NY. After the podcast was uploaded for broadcast, but before it was released, Salvadore Ramos killed 19 school children and two teachers in Ulvade, Texas. Serge and I promised our listeners that we would address this ongoing problem in our next podcast. We have. After…
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