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SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Crime rate, surveillance, prison

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Complaints against officers, New Orleans ending federal oversight, DOJ reforms in Minneapolis, crime rate falling, shooting data, anti-hazing laws, homicides, dispatch system glitch, police surveillance cameras, charging for body cam video, youth charged as adults, expungement, and more... POLICE CONDUCT New bill would seal unproven complaints against officers  (City & State New York) New Orleans Police can begin the process of ending federal oversight  (The Minnesota Star Tribune) Minneapolis, DOJ agree on police reforms in wake of George Floyd murder  (WGLT) CRIME RATE Crime Is Falling. Why Don’t Americans Believe It?  (Governing)  The Disappearing American Bank Robbery  (Jeff-alytics) What We Learned From Analyzing 10 Years of Shooting Data  (The Trace) A vanishingly small number of violent sex crimes end in conviction, NBC News investigation shows  (NBC Philadelphia) The partisanship of mayors has no detectable effect on police spending, p...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Police conduct, gun violence, AI in policing

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Police stops of civilians, police oversight commissions, police advisory boards, decrease in gun violence, homicide numbers, temperature and crime, juvenile crime debates, facial recognition, generative AI to draft police reports, how frequently people are booked into jail and why, recidivism, and more... POLICE CONDUCT NYC lawmakers to grill NYPD leaders on police stops of civilians  (Gothamist) US jury finds Vegas police fabricated evidence in 2001 killing, awards $34 million to exonerated woman  (CNN) Police Oversight Commission Expands Data Collection and Oversight Initiatives  (Pasadena Now) Joliet City Officials and Police Department Respond to Report by Illinois Attorney General’s Office  (WJOL) Cops are calling in sick to clock overtime on side gigs, audit finds  (The San Francisco Standard) Lawsuit accuses Oak Point police chief of covering up officer’s alleged crime  (Denton Record Chronicle) Mountain View dissolves short-lived police advisory boa...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Police transparency, AI in policing, prison

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Small town policing, disbanding civilian review boards, violent crime reduction steering committee, flawed national crime data, air pollution shaping public safety, records management vendor woes, deepfakes and criminal justice, AI in policing, police transparency, use of force policies, art therapy in prison, the death penalty, and more... POLICE CONDUCT McLean County's smaller communities embrace 'a different way of policing'  (WGLT) Scathing DOJ report on Worcester police echoes recent Springfield probe  (Mass Live) Judge says 'coaching' by Minneapolis police not discipline, records not public  (Fox 9) Tampa City Council votes to disband civilian police review board  (Tampa Bay Times) CRIME RATE Readout of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime Reduction Steering Committee Meeting  (Justice.gov) National Crime Data Has Always Been Flawed  (Jeff-alytics) Advocates urge Harris County DA’s office to address ‘potentially misleading’ crime data dashboard ...

The Decline of Police Data Transparency: A Case Study of Colonial Heights, Virginia

Abstract This paper examines the recent cessation of public crime data reporting by the Colonial Heights Police Department (CHPD) in Virginia, using it as a case study to explore broader trends in law enforcement transparency. The analysis reveals how technological advancement paradoxically correlates with decreased public access to crime data, despite improved data management capabilities revealing broader implications for law enforcement agencies across the United States, where increasing reliance on technology often leads to unintended reductions in transparency. Introduction In April 2024, the Colonial Heights Police Department, serving a population of approximately 18,000 residents, discontinued its 14-year practice of publishing monthly crime blotter reports. This decision represents a concerning trend in law enforcement transparency that warrants examination, particularly given the concurrent technological improvements in data management systems. Background and Context Historica...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: AI, body cam, crime rate

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US police chiefs discuss AI, use of force, open source intelligence, AI offers data-driven approach to police reform, fewer crimes and higher clearance rates, AI to help victims of domestic violence, encrypting police scanners, Louisville consent decree transparency, prison experiences, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Ex-Kansas detective dies by suicide as long-awaited criminal civil rights trial set to begin, sources say  (CNN) U.S. Police Chiefs Discuss Artificial Intelligence  (GovTech) Aurora Police says reports by officers of using force went up in 2023, even as lethal use dropped  (CPR News) New intelligence software used during the Republican National Convention - A look at Babel Street, Milwaukee PD’s Open Source Intel tool  (Wisconsin Examiner) Phoenix Police Crime Lab Significantly Reduces Backlog of Sexual Assault Kits  (Phoenix.gov) CRIME RATE Fewer Crimes Usually Means Higher Clearance Rates  (Jeff-alytics) Boulder considers North Boulder police sub...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Community review boards, police staffing, gun violence

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Community review boards, police staffing, preventing crime, shoplifting, gun violence, domestic abuse, sexual assault investigations, crime rates, AI in criminal justice, license plate readers, FOIA, police transparency, death in custody data, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Community Review Board Approves Long-Sought Agreement With Nashville Police  (Nashville Banner) see also:  New Austin police oversight group selected at random through lottery  (KVUE) and also:  Detroit police oversight board launches dashboard tracking complaints against officers  (Detroit Free Press) Law Enforcement Suicides Online platform provides current data on suicides, aims to reduce stigma  (FBI) Technology Helps Fill Gaps Amid Public Safety Staffing Shortages  (GovTech) see also:  Pryor Creek Police Chief discusses how department is managing while down 5 patrol officers  (Fox 23) City of Memphis allocates $1 million into community-based organizations to help prevent ...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Gun violence, 911 calls, transparency

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Joint crime office, traffic stops, police job vacancies, police commission meetings, gun violence data hub, sextortion on the rise, sexual assault, 2020 homicide spike, drones used to respond to police calls, location boost to 911 calls, accessing police records, yoga in prison, recidivism, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Memphis, Shelby County to launch joint crime office to address violence  (Local Memphis) National groups say Fayetteville is stopping more Black drivers than it was a decade ago  (Fayetteville Observer) Oceanside gets new police chief after retirement announcement  (OSide News) Records Show Vacancies Across City of Durham Departments; Police and emergency communications departments show high vacancies  (Indy Week) Watchdog group launches social media campaign publicizing details on Maui police commission meeting  (Hawaii News Now) CRIME RATE Nearly $1M on the way to fight crime in Stockton  (ABC10) The Trace Launches Gun Violence Data Hub ...