A study of data concerning NYPD stop and frisk practices was released by the Rand Corporation last Tuesday. Reactions to the report were so varied that it's difficult to say if Rand came to any conclusive findings whatsoever. The New York Times lede indicates that police are biased against blacks and Hispanics. "Whites and members of minorities have a roughly equal chance of being stopped by police officers and questioned on the street in New... more ›

An interesting turn in the post-Sean Bell shooting NYPD: The NYPD has hired the RAND Corporation to examine NYPD weapons-use records and firearms training. The independent review will take 6 months and cost $500,000 (paid out of funds from the NYC Police Foundation). Police Commissioner Ray Kelly announced the study, but said that the review will "not directly investigate" the Bell shooting, though it will look at the phenomenon of "contagious shooting." more ›

After the NY Times reminded everyone that the MTA had only spent $30 million out of $600 million that it committed to upgrading subway security over the past few years (this was something that City Councilman John Liu had been outraged about back in March), New Yorkers wondered if the MTA was really concerned with subway security. Gothamist is totally pissed off about the MTA's feet dragging, but we can only assume that the $600 million was a made up number, since the MTA can barely get more money from the state to maintain its facilities. Anyway, the Times article pointed out that DC and Boston transit systems have "employed sensors to detect the presence of biochemical agents in their subway systems," while Houston has live closed circuit surveillance and Atlanta has upgraded its radios to connect with the police. But the big pee-your-pants quote was from a Rand Corporation (spooky already) counterterrorism expert, Brian M. Jenkins:

"Apart from Israel, there is no public that has been trained to be more vigilant than London's," he said, citing the Irish Republican Army's repeated attacks on the London Underground since the 1970's. "It didn't prevent the bombings this week, and that's the reality... more ›

Areas with the least suburban sprawl: New York City; San Francisco; Boston; Portland, Ore.; Miami; Denver; Chicago; and Milwaukee. more ›