Peter Moskos
Author of Back from the Brink. t.co/mABbQyS1jf
Professor. Writer. New Yorker. Here for the pigeons and also discourse on policing and criminal justice.
- I'll be on Katie Couric's substack live at 5:30PM eastern (1 hour from now) substack.com/@katiecouric
- Me on NPR www.npr.org/2026/01/27/n...
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- Is there anybody on bluesky saying it's actually bad (both morally and politically) to go into churches -- even ones with people you really really disagree with -- and interrupt and protest? I haven't looked too hard, granted, but I can't find anybody saying, uh, actually, no, _don't_ do this.
- Charts I made of the homicide rate for whites and blacks, going back to 1968. (2025 is an estimate)
- I have a new blog post on murders being down in most cities. It's happening nearly everywhere. It's still not a "trend." qualitypolicing.com/murders-down...
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- "Peter Moskos’s Back from the Brink is both oral history and urban epic." 2026 starts strong! "Urban epic" sure has a nice ring to it. From Michael Fortner's review of "Back from the Brink," just out today in the Washington Monthly. Positive _and_ insightful! washingtonmonthly.com/2026/01/01/h...
- Pigeon Pic of the Day
- Why yes, for those who prefer to listen, my book "Back from the Brink" *is* available on audio. And yes, it does make a great Christmas present for yourself and your loved ones. And all for the low low price of $21.49! Or buy a ten pack for just $214.90 and give them out like candy. amzn.to/3MONwfW
- If you like ambient sound or any sound, check this out: mynoise.net It's a great website. (It's so great it's in the acknowledgement of my book "Back from the Brink." I honestly don't think I could have focused enough to write it without "Japanese Garden")
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- Great book review of "Back from the Brink" (my book) by Richard Day in "A City that Works": "A dark, funny and insightful oral history covering the inner workings of the department. It’s also deeply inspiring. It’s hard to recommend highly enough." citythatworks.substack.com/p/book-revie...
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- Cool. Look who is tops on the "Urban Optimist Holiday Gift Guide"? My book! Back from the Brink. It does indeed make a great stocking stuffer. Buy it right now, before you forget! amzn.to/48wt2j5 p.s. It's good for pessimists, too! www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/the...
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- My newly rediscovered 2017 phone call with Baltimore Police legend Tony Barksdale. On how to police down violence and save lives. That was all he cared about. And he succeeded. Rest in peace. qualitypolicing.com/qpp-63-tony-...
- Miss baseball? Watch this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPfL...
- Bill Bratton came in to speak to my master's program today. Three legends and me. John Miller, Bill Bratton, Chauncey Parker. This was a good class.
- "Rates of imprisonment have grown dramatically in the last 40 years." What a fabulously hilarious progressive spin on their own data/chart which shows NY incarceration rates in massive decline over the past 30 years! www.prisonpolicy.org/profiles/NY....
- For those who insist poverty is the driving force behind crime and violence, please answer me this: From 1990 to 2000, NYC saw a 20.5% increase in people living in poverty (a 10% increase in rate). 283,994 more people! How did murders simultaneously drop by two-thirds in 1990s NYC?
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- On "bail reform." Does it "work"?
- There's an edited 16 minute version, too. qualitypolicing.com/qpp-62-bail-...
- Your occasional reminder that in NYC the vast majority of criminal cases are not prosecuted. In the Bronx just 22% of felony and 12% of misdemeanor arrests result in a conviction. (Outside NYC, in the rest of the state, the figures are 67% and 52%, respectively.) qualitypolicing.com/same-city-di...
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- I discuss NY Bail Reform with the authors of 5 reports on bail reform. If you care about bail reform (or think it works perfectly or it's all bad) it behooves you to listen to this Quality Policing Podcast episode. It's a deep hour-long dive. qualitypolicing.com/qpp-62-bail-...
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- [Excuse me while I hit my head against a wall.]
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- So sad. Tony was a great guy. And his leadership saved so many lives. Only 53. www.thebanner.com/obituaries/a...
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- Absurdest protest is so much better (ie: more effective in actually helping your cause) than passionate yelling or breaking-shit or blocking-traffic protest.
- The L flag flying above Wrigley tonight
