"We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.” Black and White and Thin Blue Lines is an original podcast created by two former police officers, Serge Antonin and Clarke Ahlers, who are inspired by the hopeful words of the Reverend Martin Luther King. Serge Antonin is African American. Clarke Ahlers is Caucasian. The podcast is a discussion about current issues in criminal justice and law enforcement, especially where these issues intersect the topic of race.
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The 25th Amendment and Presidential Disability
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Send us a text Join summer intern and law clerk Lauren Pountnay, Serge Antonin, and Clarke Ahlers as they veer off the beaten path of criminal justice issues to discuss something that everybody is talking about: the 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution. This isn't a political diatribe. One (or maybe two) of the hosts make reference to a…
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Send us a text Say her name: Rachel Morin. On August 5th, 2023, Rachel -- a mother of five -- was murdered while exercising on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in Hartford County, Maryland. Rachel's family turned to Maryland attorney Randolph Rice, the managing partner of Rice, Murtha & Psoras for assistance. In today's episode, Randolph Rice describes t…
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Live from the United States Courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware: The Biden Trial
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Send us a text Join Serge and Clarke and special guest Lauren Pountnay for this podcast about the Hunter Biden trial. Lauren is a rising senior at N.C. State. She is Clarke's intern/law clerk for the summer of 2024. Lauren and Clarke attended one day of the Hunter Biden trial in Delaware and are interviewed by Serge about the trial. If you follow t…
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Send us a text In this episode, Serge and Clarke discuss a video of Sean "Diddy" Combs assaulting Cassandra "Cassie" Ventura in the hallway of the L.A. InterContinental Hotel in 2016 as well as the recent Homeland Security search warrant raids on Diddy owned properties in Los Angeles and Miami. Clarke offers Diddy's team some legal advice. Serge di…
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Season IV -- Episode One: Okaloosa Shooting Death & Marilyn Mosby's Sentencing
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Send us a text Serge and Clarke begin Season IV with a discussion of the tragic shooting death of a United States Airman in his own home by a Deputy Sheriff in Okaloosa, Florida. Then Serge and Clarke discuss the efforts of Marilyn Mosby and her supporters, including the NAACP, to have the President of the United States pardon her before her senten…
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Artificial Intelligence Used in Genuine Stupidity and Crime!
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Send us a text In Baltimore County, Maryland a man has been arrested and accused of creating and publishing a recording that purported to be a high school principal making offensive racial remarks to the vice-principal. This is the new world of artificial intelligence and is the topic of a discussion between Serge and Clarke. Be assured: this episo…
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The Kenny Somers Story -- A Baltimore Tale -- Part 2
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Send us a text In part 2 of the podcast, Kenny Somers reflects on the arrest, his incarceration, and his thoughts on the past and future of Baltimore.By Clarke Ahlers & Serge Antonin
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The Kenny Somers Story -- a Baltimore Tale of a Broken Criminal Justice System
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Send us a text Imagine the following story. "John Doe" steals a car -- or more accurately, John Doe steals the same car two times. The car owner, Kenny Somers, a professional automobile recycler, recovers the car the first time and attempts to recover the car a second time. But John Doe has other plans and tries to kill Kenny Somers. Somers fights …
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The Inside Skinny on a Jury Trial in Manatee County, Florida
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Send us a text Join Serge and Clarke as they share Nathan Steelman's experience sitting as a juror in judgment of a woman charged with domestic violence in Florida. You have heard the expression "I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6." (Clarke disagrees: he would rather be carried by six than judged by 12). But as you will learn, that expres…
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The Tragic Death of NYPD Police Officer Jonathan Diller
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Send us a text Serge and Clarke comment in the murder of Ofc. Diller and update the listeners on renewed efforts on the Columbia Project. Worth a listen.By Clarke Ahlers & Serge Antonin
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Stand Your Ground Doesn't Legalize Illegal Deadly Force
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Send us a text Serge and Clarke celebrate Easter. We have friends who have a blessed Ramadan. We have friends who we will wish Happy Passover in several weeks. We have re-uploaded an episode. We will be back next week with a brand new episode. In rural New York, a 65-year old man fired two shots from his porch killing a young woman in a car who was…
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If Only There Was a Way for Civilians to Experience "Shoot Don't Shoot."
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Send us a text Law Enforcement firearms training has historically emphasized reaction time and marksmanship. But the decision to shoot or don't shoot is the most fundamental choice the police officer faces in highly stressful situations. For the most part, civilians (who sit in judgment of the police) have not had large scale access to simulator tr…
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Seize the Day But Don't Necessarily Take the Bonus
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Send us a text At the request of a listener, Serge and Clarke offer their advice to young people without law enforcement experience who wish to apply to become police officers. People: this is solid advice from two men who have been there.By Clarke Ahlers & Serge Antonin
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Seven Seconds and One Shot Into a Burglary Investigation and Melvin Jay is Dead.
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Send us a text February 1, 2024 -- Prince George's County, Maryland. Prince George's County Police Officer Braxton Shelton is dispatched to a burglary in progress at an apartment in Suitland. He arrives within a minute of the dispatch, finds the apartment door ajar, and enters by himself. Seven seconds later Shelton fires one shot killing Melvin Ja…
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What's Worse Than a Criminal With a Handgun? A Criminal with a Glock andGlock Switch.
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Send us a text What is worse than a plethora of undereducated, jobless, and unfocused young men with semi-automatic handguns shooting at each other in cities across America? Answer: A group of undereducated, jobless, and unfocused young men with machine-guns shooting at each other in cities across America. Welcome to the $50 "Glock switch." This sm…
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The CSI Checklist Phone App is the Preeminent Tool for Criminal Investigators
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Send us a text There IS something new under the sun! Tom Mauriello, the mastermind of FORENSIQ, has organized decades of law enforcement expertise in a CSI phone app that is exceptional, affordable, and practical. Any criminal justice stakeholder can access an investigative blueprint for every type of investigation from arson to mass casualty event…
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Our 100th Episode -- Serge, Clarke, and our Listeners Reach a Milestone
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Send us a text The Black and White and Thin Blue Lines podcast began in spring of 2021 as the effort of Serge Antonin and Clarke Ahlers. The podcast concerns itself with issues of criminal justice, particularly at the intersection of race in America. Since then, Serge and Clarke have learned the technology of podcasting, produced and edited 100 epi…
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Maryland Fights Crime by Taxing Law Abiding Citizens and More.
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Send us a text The Maryland General Assembly proposes an excise tax on the sale of guns and ammunition, the Howard County Council debates a ceasefire in Gaza, and several state senators propose to eliminate good time credits for a very small number of convicted felons. Is our government fiddling while our community burns? Serge and Clarke add their…
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A NY City Cop Gets a Complaint When He Doesn't Write a Ticket
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Send us a text Dateline Harlem: Friday night January 26, 2024 about 6:30 P.M. A NY City police officer stops city councilman Yosef Salaam for unlawful tinted windows on a BMW sedan. The officer was polite and professional and sent Mr. Salaam on his way after Salaam, the driver, identified himself as a city councilman. Professional courtesy? Presuma…
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Send us a text In 1968, Graham Nash, later of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, wrote a song about the difficult relationship he had with his father who was sent to jail for receiving stolen goods. The song “Teach Your Children” has beautiful lyrics including this stanza: “Teach your children well, Their father’s hell did slowly go by, Feed them on you…
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Cop Flash Bangs Are Bad For Babies . . . or maybe not.
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Send us a text On the afternoon of January 10, 2024, more than 20 police officers in tactical gear carrying long arms and deploying flash bangs served a search warrant in Elyria, Ohio. Sure ... the usual stuff. You know. The guy the police were looking for hadn't lived at the residence the cops trashed for more than a year. Oh, and there was anothe…
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A Man in Las Vegas Tries to Kill the Judge Who Sentences Him for a Crime of Violence
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Send us a text Serge often observes that America is declining into anarchy. Clarke is sometimes pessimistic. Serge and Clarke bring their inclinations to the story of a young man who jumped the bench in a Las Vegas courtroom and beat up the judge who was sentencing him to prison for beating up a person with a baseball bat. What the heck is in the w…
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Maryland Police Claim Constitutional Protection for Juveniles Makes Their Job Harder
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Send us a text Almost six decades after the United States Supreme Court's landmark Miranda decision, police administrators in Maryland are claiming that a 2022 Maryland law that requires police adhere to Miranda during juvenile arrests is making their job more difficult. In a now familiar whine, our state and local governments blame their inability…
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The Baltimore Police Commissioner Orders Every Officer to Empathy Instruction.
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Send us a text Police Commissioner Worley has implemented 8 hours of empathy instruction for every Baltimore Police Officer. In this episode, Serge and Clarke discuss the instruction. Serge begins with the valid premise that it is a good idea for victims of trauma -- like most police officers and many Baltimoreans--to learn understanding. On his pa…
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Mayor v ATF: Who cares who wins we just want to see a lot of hits!
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Send us a text This week, the Mayor of Baltimore filed suit in federal court against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It turns out that ATF sends gun trace information to the Police Commissioner but does not send the same information to the Mayor. Rather than figure a workaround, the Mayor -- represented by Everytown Law -- …
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The Dust Settles on Sexual Assault Forensic Examinations.
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Send us a text For three decades, the United States Congress has passed laws to fund forensic examinations in sexual assault cases. But it doesn't seem to matter. The country is awash in untested rape kits while repetitive sex offenders continue to violate. In fact, Maryland leads the nation in rape kit backlogs at the forensic lab. But at least th…
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Is the federal government finally satisfied with the Derek Chauvin sentence?
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Send us a text After Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd, the federal government permitted anarchists to loot and burn communities across the country. The State of Minnesota successfully prosecuted Chauvin and he was sentenced to 22 years in prison. But the federal government was not satisfied. A federal grand jury was convened. Chauvin was federally…
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Not All Prosecutors Think Alike; Some Thoughts on the Marilyn Mosby Case
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Send us a text The United States Attorney for the District of Maryland successfully indicted and convicted former Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby of two counts of perjury. In this weeks episode, Jack Mitchell -- a former police officer who worked for Ms. Mosby as an Assistant State's Attorney -- joins Serge and Clarke to discuss Mosby…
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Is it the Shoplifting Season, or Are We a Culture Devolving into Anarchy?
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Send us a text Who would have thought that in 2023, shoplifting could become a major crime in the United States. Wait -- stop. Not everyone believes that shoplifting is even on the rise. But we do! In this episode Serge and Clarke discuss the changing social conventions surrounding the crime of shoplifting as further evidence of a breakdown of cult…
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The Plot Thickens in the Kashef Khan MSP Termination Case
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Send us a text Kashef Khan was the Maryland State Trooper of the Year until he was fired for allegedly writing a false report. The "falsity" in the report was the location of a traffic stop which Khan accurately documented in many ways. Khan uploaded a slightly inaccurate longitude and latitude location from a reporting system that MSP admits was N…
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Send us a text You can always find three things in Baltimore: Natty Boh beer, Old Bay seasoning & ludicrous "justice." In this week's podcast, Serge and Clarke discuss the case of Baltimore Police Sergeant Marlon Koushall whose videotaped conduct during a late night arrest were simultaneously deemed completely consistent with the rules, policies, p…
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Should the FBI be Downsized or Deconstructed?
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Send us a text In this episode, Serge and Clarke discuss the popular idea among conservatives for downsizing the FBI and deconstructing it into as many as five independent investigative agencies, each with a focused interest in the type of cases being investigated. Clarke says, as it stands today, just writing the word FBI into the title likely inv…
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WTH is the Balkanization of Law Enforcement?
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Send us a text In three recent incidents, the police got it right and prevented serious mass casualty events. In this episode, Serge and Clarke discuss how the number of police agencies impacts the ability of sharing information and investigating criminal incidents. Clarke -- but not Serge -- thinks it is a miracle that the police got it right in o…
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A Maryland Circuit Court Judge is Murdered in His Driveway
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Send us a text The Honorable Andrew F. Wilkinson, Judge of the Circuit Court for Washington County, Maryland, was murdered in his driveway on the evening of October 19, 2021. Serge and Clarke discuss this shocking crime, assess how social media was tracking the law enforcement investigation, and offer thoughts on the root causes -- and a possible i…
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Sage Advice from Baltimore's Unrivaled "Barber's Son."
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Send us a text Reverend P. M. Smith, a "barber's son" and Pastor of Baltimore's Huber Memorial Church, shares the wisdom of his life with Serge and Clarke. Reverend Smith never fails to challenge all of us to be better people. Please listen to be inspired.By Clarke Ahlers & Serge Antonin
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Tu Culpa Part 2 -- Can an Attorney General Issue an Executive Bill of Attainder?
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Send us a text Tu Culpa is a Latin phrase meaning "your fault." In part 2 of the podcast on the (Maryland) Attorney General's Report on Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Serge and Clarke and special guest FJ Collins, discuss whether the AG's report is fair, the impact of expanded statutes of limitation, and whether the Attorney Ge…
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Tu Culpa -- The Attorney General Points the Finger of Fault at the Archdiocese of Baltimore
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Send us a text Most Catholics, and many lawyers, know the meaning of the Latin phrase, "mea culpa." The phrase is literally translated as "through my fault." It is the foundation of a traditional prayer sometimes recited during the Penitential Act of the Roman Catholic Mass: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Recently, Maryland's Attorney Gene…
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How Does Inaction Merit a 173-Page "After Action" Report?
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Send us a text On July 8, 2023, Serge and Clarke discussed the South Baltimore Brooklyn Day Party that ended when 30 people were shot. Two died. On August 30th, the BPD and other city agencies issued an “After Action Report.” Join Serge and Clarke and our distinguished guest, Colonel Osborne “Moe” Robinson, Baltimore Police Department (ret.) and fo…
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Would you like to pose for a picture with Danilo Cavalcante? Get in line.
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Send us a text The "picture of the week" was a group shot of heavily armed law enforcement officers surrounding the bleeding, captured and pathetic Danilo (or "Danelo") Cavalcante in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Taking and posting the "trophy" photograph violated the rules of many of the law enforcement agencies that participated in the escapee's …
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Why has everyone heard of George Floyd and no one has heard of Ta'Kiya Young?
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Send us a text On August 24, 2023, a police officer of the 14-member Blendon Township (Ohio) Police Department shot and killed Ta'Kiya Young, a 21-year-old woman being detained for suspicion of shoplifting alcohol from a grocery store. The body worn camera evidence shows Young operating a vehicle in the parking lot of the grocery store during dayli…
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How to Make a Living While Under Federal Indictment and Ordered Not to Possess a Gun.
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Send us a text In this episode, Serge and Clarke acknowledge that Frederick County, Maryland is openly competing with Baltimore City, Maryland for the most upside down criminal justice non-system in America. Frederick County Sheriff "Chuck" Jenkins is under federal indictment accused of lying about machine gun purchases, Jenkins was required to tur…
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You're in trouble or, if you prefer, urine trouble.
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Send us a text In this -- the 75th episode of Black and White and Thin Blue Lines -- Serge and Clarke discuss the public nuisance offense of urinating in public in the context of two cases: one in Mississippi and one in Texas, You decide if race was a motivating factor for what happened. Also, "you're in" and "urine" aren't the only homonyms or bad…
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Send us a text The recent controversy and criticism of Justice Clarence Thomas was the subject of enough off-air debate by Serge and Clarke that they turned it into an episode. What are some of the public mistakes (or worse) by Judges, and what should we as citizens do about it.By Clarke Ahlers & Serge Antonin
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Training Maryland Police Officers in the 21st Century
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Send us a text Join Serge and Clarke for a discussion with our special guest, Michael ("Mike") Johnson, who shares his smart, committed, and motivated view of training men and women to be law enforcement officers in this day and age. This is a must listen episode. Mike has unique ideas that ought to become the national standard for de-escalation an…
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Is it possible to be arrested in the United States by a non-citizen of the United States?
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Send us a text The title of this episode asks a question that few have ever thought about. Is it possible to be arrested in the United States by a non-citizen of the United States? It is! But listen anyway because Serge and Clarke discuss listener mail, and the topic of non-citizen police officers in this episode of Black and White and Thin Blue Li…
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LA County Deputy Sheriffs Apparently Never Got the Memo.
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Send us a text On June 24, 2023, two LA County Deputy Sheriffs arrested two persons in Lancaster, CA under confusing circumstances. The first arrest was of a man that the deputies told was being detained for investigation. He was arrested -- but the deputies conducted no investigation from detention to arrest. The second arrest was of a woman who r…
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Send us a text This story begins with a 1989 rape in Central Park, involves a New York real estate tycoon who threw gas on a fire, and evolves into a remarkable and inspiring story of citizenship. Serge and Clarke discuss the life (at least so far) of Yusef Salaam. This episode is a short listen about a modern mentor.…
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The Supremes Aren't Just Classic Motown: Our Top 5 Cases
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Send us a text Do you have a favorite Supreme Court decision? Join Serge and Clarke and attorney Shawn Vinson in a lively discussion about each person's top five favorite decisions of the United States Supreme Court. We might surprise you!By Clarke Ahlers & Serge Antonin
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South Baltimore Brooklyn Day Block Party Nets Thirty Casualties
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Send us a text On July 2, 2023, two to 12 gunslingers shot 30 people, including 14 children, at a single holiday block party in Baltimore. No police officers were assigned to the event where 700 to 1000 people had gathered. But at the same time, many extra police officers were assigned to traditionally white areas of Baltimore festivity. Serge and …
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Scot Peterson Acquitted of All Charges for Inaction at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High
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Send us a text Join Serge and Clarke in a discussion with our special guest Kemp Freund as we discuss the charges brought against School Resource Officer Scot Peterson for his inaction during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre on February 14, 2018. On June 28, 2023 Peterson was found not guilty on all 11 counts brought against him by…
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