ArcaMax

Nearly every state has a citizen's arrest law allowing civilians to detain someone if they have witnessed a crime being committed. Some of these laws allow only felony suspects to be held until law enforcement arrives, while others also allow those suspected of "breach of peace" misdemeanors to be held.

Does this mean you can use any force ...Read more

The classified ad might read: "Looking for college-educated applicants who can handle serious on-the-job stress, constant public criticism and loss of co-workers by suicide. Must be skilled in handling firearms, life-and-death conflicts, domestic abuse suspects, the mentally ill and drug addicts. Training in murder, arson, cybercrime and white-...Read more

It is a sure bet that lots of lawyers have not stopped working during the quarantine. Judging from the number of COVID-19-related lawsuits that have been filed, lawyers may be the most fully employed of all the occupations, excluding health care workers.

The number of lawsuits stemming from the pandemic increases every day. Some of the suits ...Read more

Wow. Reaction to my last column, which was focused on today's political hypocrisy, was both shockingly swift and largely off-base.

I wrote about a new police report alleging a sexual attack by then-Sen. Joe Biden against one of his young staffers 27 years ago. I compared how her charges against the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee ...Read more

Sometimes, the world of crime and justice collides with the body politic. This is one of those times, although with all the news about the COVID-19 pandemic, this item may have escaped widespread notice.

A police report, filed in Washington, D.C., in early April, accuses former Sen. and Vice President Joe Biden of sexually assaulting one of his...Read more

These days, we are all worried about those most susceptible to the ravages of the COVID-19 virus -- not only the elderly and already sick but also those on the daily line of fire, like medical first responders and the countless essential workers still on the job.

But my inbox is filling up with letters beseeching Americans not to forget the ...Read more

Indulge me a quick personal story. Twice now, I've been duped by Facebook ads into ordering American-looking products (furniture polish and a blouse) that I later discovered came from China.

The packages arrived months late with return addresses written in Chinese that were indecipherable and unreturnable. The blouse was doll-sized with two ...Read more

I got a letter recently that made me wonder what Americans are doing to pass the time during the current pandemic and our strict stay-at-home directives. It was from an inmate at a federal correctional institute in Pennsylvania.

I first wrote about him three years ago. In 2010, Mark B. was sentenced to 17 1/2 years in prison for viewing and ...Read more

Yes. The world is in the midst of a pandemic of the COVID-19 virus. But in between all the political posturing and breathless, fear-inducing media coverage, can we all just take a deep, cleansing breath? In fact, take four or five.

I usually deal in crime statistics, but this week, let's look at health statistics, shall we?

The World Health ...Read more

We live in strange times these days. Nearly every American's life has been upended by something we can't even see, a miniscule coronavirus that has proven most deadly to those who already have compromised immune systems due to age or existing illness.

So, during this volatile time, what would cause Amazon -- the place where so many Americans ...Read more

Let's see a show of hands. Who, among readers of this column, has experienced some anxiety in their lives? Ahhh, as I suspected, there are lots of hands in the air. Everyone has had moments of stress, strain and fear to deal with. The trick is how you handle it.

Our 42nd president recently reappeared to tell us that, because he felt such ...Read more

The strange little man currently on trial for a 2000 murder in Los Angles admits he has killed before. He is now charged with putting a 9-millimeter bullet into the head of his longtime friend, Susan Berman, a woman who authorities believe knew his deepest, darkest secrets.

In 2001 in Texas, this man admitted he shot his aggressive next-door ...Read more

The verdict in the Harvey Weinstein sex crimes case was described as both a disappointment and a victory. Some court watchers felt the shamed movie mogul should have been found guilty on all counts. Others said the decision ushered in a new era for survivors of sexual assault and tamped down, once and for all, defense attorneys' tactics of ...Read more