Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Use Of Force By Police Still A Problem In America
For those who believed that police use of force would decline after the tumultuous year of BLM protests in the recent past, the disappointing news is that these incidents are on the rise. Across the country as a whole, and in Nevada specifically, documented instances of police use of force are increasing. According to… Read More »
Can Police Lie During Your Interrogation?
If you have ever been locked in an interrogation room, you know it can be pretty intimidating. Of course, you have the right to remain silent, and if the police are doing their jobs, they’ve already Mirandized you and made you aware of that fact. Still, the pressure to reveal what you know about… Read More »
The Debate Over Police Presence In Schools: Providing Both Safety & Equity
Should the school district in the Las Vegas vicinity disband their police department? Some student activists say that police target black and brown students, giving them records for minor offenses that wind up positioning them for a spot in the school-to-prison pipeline. Kids Don’t Feel Safe The fact is 40 percent of students surveyed… Read More »
Your Right To Appeal A Criminal Conviction
If your run-in with the law resulted in a criminal conviction, you may have lost hope of ever regaining your life. But the truth of the matter is you have a right to challenge that conviction through the appeals process. Appellate courts do offer a remedy to address the miscarriage of justice, and an… Read More »
Defending Against Prostitution, Solicitation, And Pandering
Nevada is famous for its legalized prostitution. But what many people don’t realize is that prostitution is legal only in select counties—and Clark County—home of Las Vegas—is not one of them. Here, solicitation and prostitution could result in misdemeanor charges. Pandering—the act of inducing someone to engage in prostitution—is illegal throughout the state– and… Read More »
Are K9s Allowed At Traffic Stops?
While it’s never pleasant to realize you are being pulled over by law enforcement, what could be more terrifying than having a police dog there participating in the incident? Police may cite suspicion of drugs in your vehicle in order to justify the presence of dogs to sniff them out. But you should be… Read More »
Challenging DNA Evidence In Court
If you’re like most people, you probably believe that lab findings related to DNA at a crime scene are completely credible. It’s important to remember that the protocols and procedures around it rely on humans. And that means—you guessed it—there’s always a potential for error. To be sure, correctly matching DNA samples is much… Read More »
What To Do When The Men In Blue Come Knocking
Imagine this scenario: you’re home watching t.v. and working on a jigsaw puzzle when a knock at the door startles you. You’re not expecting anyone and are shocked when you look through the peephole and see a couple of officers out on the porch. What could they possibly want? You’re about to find out…. Read More »
LGBTQ Face Police Discrimination
Are you an LGBTQ individual who has felt the disdain of law enforcement when you needed their help? Or worse, have you experienced harassment from police due to your LGBTQ status? Although we all hope for an enlightened law enforcement presence in our communities, LGBTQ folks have been disappointed in the realities across the… Read More »
Capital Punishment Is Alive And Well In Nevada Despite Protest
Dashing the hopes of anti-capital punishment advocates, Governor Sisolak ended the debate about whether to abolish the death penalty in Nevada as AB395 suffered a final blow. This comes as Zane Floyd faces an upcoming execution within month, the first in Nevada in well over a decade. Despite pressure from the public and from… Read More »
