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Crime Scene

Crime Scene

It’s All About the Benjamins

Was Puff Daddy singing about small towns in Utah and the speeding tickets they write? I attended BYU in the late-1970s and drove through a lot of small towns along I-15 to get home for the holidays and back for school. Those towns funded more than one Policeman’s Ball with…
Robert AveryFebruary 2, 2016
Crime SceneUncategorized

Unconstitutional Penalties

When we hear of unconstitutional penalties, most of us immediately think of the the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against "cruel and unusual punishments." But a statute itself can be unconstitutional if the penalties imposed are disparate and there is no reasonable legislative objective to warrant the disparate treatment of offenders. In Utah, "ll…
Robert AveryFebruary 1, 2016
Crime Scene

Public Intoxication

Everybody knows (or should) that you cannot drive a car while intoxicated. However, many people are surprised to find that Utah, like most states, places restrictions on where you can drink and how much. Utah law prohibits you from consuming liquor in a public building, park, stadium, or on a…
Robert AveryJanuary 26, 2016
Crime Scene

What to do When the Police Say they “Just Want to Talk.”

When I was young, my parents always told me that if I were in any kind of trouble, I should try to find a policeman. A man in uniform was always there “to protect and to serve.” Things have changed a bit over the last half-decade and I don’t repeat…
Robert AveryJanuary 22, 2016