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Sunday, October 07, 2007

The Pork Chop Bandit: Why cops give criminals nicknames

In the Edmonton Journal, Bill Mah takes a quick look at police-given names for criminals. “For us, instead of saying, ‘You know, the guy who’s running around with a hammer targeting bakeries,’ it’s easier to give the guy a name,” Hewko said.…While some of the names sound silly, Hewko says police aren’t being flippant about crimes that are often violent and terrifying for victims. “We’re not trying to trivialize the crimes or glorify these guys.”

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This is the personal weblog of Grant Barrett, editor of the Double-Tongued Dictionary, a collection of words from the fringes of English. More about this site...

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