On Feb. 22, the Huffington Post published a column by Professor Lisa McElroy discussing an example of over-zealous neighborhood policing.

In the column, McElroy describes one town’s law enforcement response to a resident’s complaint of a “suspicious male . . . standing by the bus stop.”  When it turned out that the man was merely a new resident who had just moved into the area, McElroy questioned whether it was excessive for local law enforcement officials to send email alerts to local residents, mobilize, and track down the male simply for standing on a public street.

The Philadelphia Inquirer blog, Blinq, also cited McElroy’s column.