The Dallas Morning News ran a probing article that examines how the Dallas Police Department classifies what most people would think of as burglaries. The newspaper found that the police department often called it vandalism if someone broke into a home but didn’t take anything. The FBI, in the UCR Handbook (warning: big PDF here) that’s used by law enforcement agencies to classify crimes, calls burglaries “The unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft.” The UCR handbook further distinguishes between burglary and vandalism: “A forcible entry or unlawful entry in which no theft ... Read more ...

My editors at USA Today asked me to scrutinize Barack Obama's fundraising. Obama had portrayed himself as independent of special interests. But were his big donors and fundraisers really so different from those of other candidates? I started by examining the bundlers – the folks who gather up checks from their family, friends, business associates and social networks. One thing immediately jumped out: Obama's policy of refusing contributions and fundraising help from Washington lobbyists was not nearly as far-reaching as one might imagine. Going down the list, I could see that many bundlers were partners at law firms with ... Read more ...