2009 in Mug Shots

Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Accused of: disorderly conduct
A professor at Harvard and one of America's most respected scholars of African-American literature and culture, Gates was arrested after trying to force open the front door of his own home. The arresting officer said that when questioned about the situation, Gates yelled at him and behaved in a disorderly fashion. Though the charges were later dropped, the incident provoked a national conversation about the police and race, culminating in a meeting between Gates and the arresting officer over beers with President Obama at the White House.

• The Crimes of the Past Century