Law Enforcement System

Modern states take a variety of approaches to curtail or regulate the drinking of alcoholic beverages by young people. The United States, with its across-the-board minimum legal drinking age of 21, is something of an outlier; many other countries have a lower legal age.

By Zach Taras

Gun laws in the United States vary by state, especially when it comes to open carry of firearms. In open carry states, people can carry firearms openly without special permits as long as they follow state laws. Most states allow the open carrying of long guns for self-defense in the home, target practice and lawful hunting.

By Mitch Ryan

What does Spider-Man do when he sees someone commit a crime and there are no police officers around to help? He swings in, wraps the wrongdoer in his web and leaves them hanging from a telephone pole until the cops take over.

By Seth W. Stoughton & Caroline McAtee

Navigating copyright law has never been more confusing. With the onslaught of AI in art and content, is copyright law now as good as dead?

By Robert Mahari, Jessica Fjeld & Ziv Epstein

The arrest warrant issued today for Russian President Vladimir Putin will not guarantee his arrest and it will not bring the children home, but it's a start.

By Stefan Schmitt

Five of the 10 Sodder children disappeared after the family home went up in flames in 1945, but their bodies were never found. Strange theories have abounded ever since. So, what happened to them?

By Kate Morgan

Now that we're working at home more often than before, we may have got to know our neighbors better - and found out they're very noisy during the day. So, how can you get them to quiet down?

By Dave Roos

Amid the furor over George Floyd's death while in custody, there have been increasing calls to cities to divert funding away from police departments to other means of solving social problem. But how does that work?

By Patrick J. Kiger

The U.S. has declared martial law in the past, but only sparingly and in dire situations. So, what would it take for the president to use it now?

By Patrick J. Kiger

On the advice or orders of your elected leaders, you've been 'sheltering in place' and limiting outside activities. It's starting to feel like you're on house arrest, just without the ankle bracelet. But how similar is it really?

By Dave Roos

As far as we know, it has never happened, but a murder in space would most definitely create numerous jurisdictional, legal and investigative complications.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Cursing during road rage? A ton of trash in your car? Both can get you in trouble if you're not careful. What other crazy driving laws are on the books?

By Cherise Threewitt

Police and fire departments across the U.S. are eliminating jargon like "10-4" in favor of every-day vernacular. And there's a good reason why.

By John Perritano

Omarosa did it, but does that mean you can too - legally that is? A lot depends on which state you live in.

By Dave Roos

Ordinary citizens are allowed to make arrests in every U.S. state, but legal experts warn that it's a risky thing to do.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Stand Your Ground laws are controversial and exist in nearly half the states in the United States. But what exactly are they?

By Jerad W. Alexander

The conviction of 80-year-old Bill Cosby on aggravated indecent assault charges raises the question of how sentencing works in the case of an elderly defendant.

By Patrick J. Kiger

The United States doesn't have a national ID, but it's slowly moving toward one with the REAL ID law. But what happens if a citizen doesn't have identification?

By John Perritano

Hotels/motels must balance guests' privacy with the safety of other guests and employees.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Reports of famous people being accused of sexually harassment have been all over news sites and social media. What does U.S. law actually say sexual harassment is?

By Alia Hoyt

Antarctica belongs to no one nation. So what happens in the event of a crime?

By Dave Roos

While the press often gets a beating from the public and politicians, journalists have brought to national attention lots of issues that would otherwise remain hidden.

By Patrick J. Kiger

After you get a speeding ticket, you've probably mumbled (after the police officer left, of course) something about being stopped to satisfy a quota. Well, you're probably right. Lots of police departments have speeding ticket quotas.

By Cherise Threewitt

After you get a speeding ticket, you've probably mumbled (after the police officer left, of course) something about all this being some kind of racket. Well, you're probably right. Many police departments depend on traffic ticket revenue.

By Cherise Threewitt

Johnny Law has some new flying toys that could come in handy in the fight against crime.

By Chris Opfer