Arson, Fiscal Crisis, and Community Action

1982 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
James P. Brady
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Organized Crime ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Action ◽  
Fire Departments ◽  
Land Use Conversion ◽  
Race And Class ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Explosive Reaction ◽  
In Fire

The article concerns arson and citizens' activism in Boston. The dimensions of the arson problem in the United States and the failure of law enforcement by government agencies are discussed, as part of an analysis of arson as an organized crime enterprise. Like other forms of racketeering, arson for profit typically involves recognizably "criminal" entrepreneurs and their underlings, as well as a network of corrupt officials in police and fire departments and insurance com panies. The greatest profits, however, are made by banks and "legit imate" real estate investors whose lending and development practices create the incentive for arson and yield the greatest benefits from land use conversion in the cities. Various forms of action by citizens have followed both the arson wave and the recent cutbacks in fire protec tion in major cities. The fragmented and contradictory nature of the sometimes explosive reaction points to the power of the political ma chine in Boston, as well as to larger race and class conflicts rooted in the capitalist urban economy.

scholarly journals A New State of Organized Crime

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Davina Shanti
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Organized Crime ◽  
The United States ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Organized Crime Groups ◽  
Criminal Groups ◽  
New Research

Organized crime is often associated with traditional criminal groups, such as the mafia or outlaw motorcycle gangs; however, new research suggests that cybercrime is emerging as a new branch of organized crime. This paper is focused on the changing nature of organized crime and the factors that influence this shift, particularly in the online space. It will address the question: Can the law identify cybercrime as organized crime? The results of this paper are informed by an in-depth analysis of peer-reviewed articles from Canada, the United States (US), and Europe. This paper concludes that cybercrime groups are structured and operate similarly to traditional organized crime groups and should, therefore, be classified as a part of traditional organized crime; however, cybercrime groups are capable of conducting illicit activities that surpass those typically associated with traditional organized crime. This shift suggests that these groups may represent a larger threat creating a new challenge for law enforcement agencies.

scholarly journals Cannabis in Danish newspapers

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (28) ◽  
pp. 173-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esben Houborg ◽  
Oscar Enghoff
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Organized Crime ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
The United States

Using quantitative methods Danish cannabis debate in national newspapers is investigated. The investigation shows that the most prevalent topics relate to law enforcement. Legalization has become an increasingly important topic in the Danish cannabis debate and the investigation shows a reframing of this debate to become increasingly related to concerns about organized crime. In this way the Danish cannabis legalization debate show the same development as the debates that have led to legalization certain states in the United States of America.

scholarly journals (A28) A Matter of Degree: Teaching “Disaster” and “Emergencies” to Public Safety Executives

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
pp. s8-s9
Author(s):  
J.J. Carroll
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Public Safety ◽  
First Responders ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mirror Image ◽  
Full Time ◽  
College Level ◽  
Fire Departments ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Government

What is the difference between a “disaster” and an “emergency”? One can safely say that for the victim of an event, it is always a disaster. But what about the first responders who are tasked with returning conditions to normal as quickly as possible? What about the executives who must direct the first responders, as well as coordinate resources? The difference is a “matter of degree” because it depends on the amount of resources that are required to respond to the incident. For example, an overturned gasoline tanker truck may only be an emergency for a major metropolitan area, but a disaster in a more rural region. American public safety is a mirror image of the government system of federalism that developed during the founding of the United States. Public safety entities are attached to the various local, state, and federal government agencies. There are almost 18,000 local law enforcement agencies across the US. Only 47 agencies have more than 1,000 sworn officers, while almost 90 percent have less than 50. There are more than 30,000 fire departments, yet only about one-quarter of all firefighters are full-time professionals. The rest are volunteers. The author, a 30-year law enforcement veteran, has developed a college-level course for public safety executives to help them understand the “matter of degree.” The intent of the course is to challenge executives to conduct a careful self-examination of their own public safety agencies to determine what they are capable of doing in an event. An executive only gets one chance to do it right, so being able to distinguish between a disaster and an emergency response will be critical to success. When the event occurs, a public safety executive will be better prepared to make key decisions.

scholarly journals An Exercise in Fire Safety: Readying Ourselves for the Unintended Consequences of Traditional I-O Approaches to Diversity Management

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 598-604
Author(s):  
Alison V. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Diversity Management ◽  
The United States ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Police Reform ◽  
Communities Of Color ◽  
In Fire

This commentary elaborates on the position taken in the focal article, “Baltimore Is Burning” (Ruggs et al., 2016), that partnerships between industrial–organizational (I-O) psychologists and law enforcement agencies could offer valuable insight and practical tools that help to alleviate long-standing and ongoing conflict between police officers and communities of color. I fully support this stance as well as many of the recommendations proposed within the focal article. I-O psychologists indeed have knowledge and resources that could prove useful for supporting police reform efforts. However, although I-O psychologists have much to contribute to the conversation, a recent review by Hall, Hall, and Perry (2016) draws attention to several ways in which law enforcement as a context and police officers as a population are distinct from many of the workplace environments and civilian employee populations that have informed current I-O knowledge and best practices. As such, our traditional methods may be wrought with unique challenges when implemented in law enforcement contexts. If we fail to give serious consideration to this, the role of I-O psychologists in preventing future fires in Baltimore and throughout the United States may be accompanied by unintended consequences. As I-O psychologists prepare to help law enforcement extinguish the flames between police and communities of color, we must anticipate and prepare to safely combat these dangers so we do not add fuel to the fire or get burned in the process of rendering aid.

If Addiction Is Incurable, Why Do We Try to Cure It?

1975 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Barbara ◽  
June Morrison
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Great Britain ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Organized Crime ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
The United States ◽  
Western World ◽  
Incurable Disease ◽  
The World ◽  
Illicit Traffic

The method of controlling opiate addiction in the United States is compared with the method being used in Great Britain. Al though both start with the concept that the addict is ill and needs treatment, the methods used by the two nations are different. In the United States it is illegal for a physician to prescribe any form of opium to addicts; in Britain, registered addicts are maintained on heroin legally by authorized medical personnel. There is a small amount of illicit traffic in heroin in Britain; in the United States, the bureaucratized federal and state criminalization of addicts has created the most widespread black market in heroin in the Western world, and intensifying the criminal law penalties —which have been among the most severe in the world—has suc ceeded only in further inflating the price charged for inferior and adulterated substances. The condition of the addict in the United States continues to deteriorate. The high profits to be made by the sale of this small bulk commodity have made drugs a large con tributor to organized crime. Addiction may be an incurable dis ease. Treatment efforts have been surpassed in their lack of success only by the efforts of law enforcement to conquer addiction by making it illegal. Perhaps we should accept the addict as a person who has an incurable disease, treat him medically as required, and stop supporting unenforceable legislation.

Unholy Alliances and their Threat: The Convergence of Terrorism, Organized Crime and Corruption

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-110
Author(s):  
Emilio C. Viano
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Organized Crime ◽  
The United States ◽  
September 11 ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
Military Interventions ◽  
Transnational Organized Crime ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Terrorist Groups ◽  
General Operation

AbstractSince the tragedy of September 11, 2001 (9/11) there have been a growing awareness and recognition of the expanding threat presented by the transmutation and convergence of international organized crime and terrorist groups. There is a semantic debate on whether these organizations are “converging” or “transforming.” Regardless, this worrisome development is complicated and progressively difficult to combat and calls for law enforcement, intelligence and military interventions. While the United States and other countries have been dealing with the post-9/11 world of persistent problems like Iraq, Afghanistan, al Qaeda, “Islamic State in Iraq and Syria” (ISIS), Syria, and more, the links between organized crime and terrorism could prolong these challenges and generate further disruptions and menace to global security and development. There are strong operational needs and requirements that bring organized crime and terrorists together for collaboration and even seamless transitions within the same general operation. However, there are substantial hurdles that make a total teamwork between the two groups not so easily achievable. For example, organized crime normally avoids the publicity and the indiscriminate killings often used by terrorists. However, it is clear that the merging of international organized crime and terrorist groups is growing and presents unique challenges and opportunities. This paper examines this ongoing transmutation, convergence and cooperation between transnational organized crime and terrorism, and offers examples and recommendations on how to prevent it and defeat it.

Mafias on the Move

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Varese
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
New York ◽  
Organized Crime ◽  
The United States ◽  
The West ◽  
Market Expansion ◽  
The North ◽  
Economic Transformations ◽  
At Will

Organized crime is spreading like a global virus as mobs take advantage of open borders to establish local franchises at will. That at least is the fear, inspired by stories of Russian mobsters in New York, Chinese triads in London, and Italian mafias throughout the West. As this book explains, the truth is more complicated. The author has spent years researching mafia groups in Italy, Russia, the United States, and China, and argues that mafiosi often find themselves abroad against their will, rather than through a strategic plan to colonize new territories. Once there, they do not always succeed in establishing themselves. The book spells out the conditions that lead to their long-term success, namely sudden market expansion that is neither exploited by local rivals nor blocked by authorities. Ultimately the inability of the state to govern economic transformations gives mafias their opportunity. In a series of matched comparisons, the book charts the attempts of the Calabrese 'Ndrangheta to move to the north of Italy, and shows how the Sicilian mafia expanded to early twentieth-century New York, but failed around the same time to find a niche in Argentina. The book explains why the Russian mafia failed to penetrate Rome but succeeded in Hungary. A pioneering chapter on China examines the challenges that triads from Taiwan and Hong Kong find in branching out to the mainland. This book is both a compelling read and a sober assessment of the risks posed by globalization and immigration for the spread of mafias.

Applicability of management guidelines for surfing resources in California

Shore & Beach ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 53-64
Author(s):  
Edward Atkin ◽  
Dan Reineman ◽  
Jesse Reiblich ◽  
David Revell
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
National Level ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Management Guidelines ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
Coastal Marine ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
Legal Frameworks

Surf breaks are finite, valuable, and vulnerable natural resources, that not only influence community and cultural identities, but are a source of revenue and provide a range of health benefits. Despite these values, surf breaks largely lack recognition as coastal resources and therefore the associated management measures required to maintain them. Some countries, especially those endowed with high-quality surf breaks and where the sport of surfing is accepted as mainstream, have recognized the value of surfing resources and have specific policies for their conservation. In Aotearoa New Zealand surf breaks are included within national environmental policy. Aotearoa New Zealand has recently produced Management Guidelines for Surfing Resources (MGSR), which were developed in conjunction with universities, regional authorities, not-for-profit entities, and government agencies. The MGSR provide recommendations for both consenting authorities and those wishing to undertake activities in the coastal marine area, as well as tools and techniques to aid in the management of surfing resources. While the MGSR are firmly aligned with Aotearoa New Zealand’s cultural and legal frameworks, much of their content is applicable to surf breaks worldwide. In the United States, there are several national-level and state-level statutes that are generally relevant to various aspects of surfing resources, but there is no law or policy that directly addresses them. This paper describes the MGSR, considers California’s existing governance frameworks, and examines the potential benefits of adapting and expanding the MGSR in this state.

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