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SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Crime rate, crim-tech, oversight

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Police reform, NY police misconduct records, regional crime data, mental health, Baltimore gun violence transparency, clearance rates, relationship between climate and crime, facial surveillance, robot bomb dog, AI for report writing, gunshot detection, police drones, license plate readers, AI use in non emergency calls, real time crime centers, speed cameras, FOIA, facial recognition transparency, LMPD oversight, after prison, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Savannah mayor backs police reform, addresses crime criticism from Georgia AG  (WJCL) Our 5-year fight to publish NY's police misconduct records, and what we've found so far  (Democrat and Chronicle) Official: Texas authorities illegally access Illinois data to locate woman who had abortion  (The State Journal Register) LAPD is illegally sharing license plate data with ICE and Border Patrol  (LA Public Press)  see also:  FOIA records reveal Evanston data accessible to out-of-state police making ICE searches...

Baltimore Says Shootings Are Down. But Their New Crime Feed Makes It Harder to See Them

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In 2025, the Baltimore Police Department updated its public crime data, switching from the old UCR Part I system to the more detailed NIBRS (National Incident-Based Reporting System) . The change was part of a national push for more comprehensive crime reporting. But in Baltimore’s case, one critical data point has effectively vanished from public view: shootings. In 2024, Shootings Were Easy to Find Even though “shooting” isn’t a standard UCR Part I crime type, Baltimore took the extra step of listing it as a distinct incident category in its 2024 public data feed. That decision gave residents, journalists, researchers, and advocates a powerful tool to track gun violence directly. No guesswork or complicated filtering required. It was a simple but effective act of transparency. But now it’s gone. In 2025, the Shooting Category Vanishes The 2025 NIBRS-format feed dropped the Shooting category, making it hard to track shootings. The public-facing feed no longer includes a clear way to ...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Murder rate, gun violence and children, transparency

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Real time information centers, behind the scenes of being a cop, GPS monitoring juveniles, use of force concerns, new law to help solve homicides, murder rate plunging, crime trends in summer, gun violence decline, impact of gun violence and children, NG911, police drones, new crime labs, police overtime use transparency, body cam footage transparency, health and human rights bill for pregnant women in prison, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Aurora police use real time information center to boost officer, public safety  (CBS) ‘Inside SDPD’ event offers public behind-the-scenes look at being a cop  (Times of San Diego) Philly is monitoring more kids by GPS than ever. And it’s turning over geolocation data to law enforcement, no warrant required.  (The Philadelphia Inquirer) Savannah Police to address use-of-force concerns after chief pens open letter to public  (Savannah Now) Chicago Police Have Failed to Solve More Homicides. Could a New Law Help?  (The Trace) Jackso...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Police oversight, transparency, AI

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Honolulu police chief steps down, private security, new policing model in Wichita, police reform, civilian police review board, innovations in policing, police accountability boards, firearm data tracing, violent crime, ARPA violence reduction, AI, real time data fighting crime, high tech policing, cameras, police drone transparency, use of force database in Washington, 'Cop City' records released, felony data transparency, prison closure, bail reform, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Honolulu police chief steps down amid controversy over vacancy rate, recent shootings, transparency issues  (Hawaii News Now) Malibu hires private security to protect homes in fire zone from burglars after PCH reopens  (LA Times) New Wichita policing model aims to identify locations, not demographics, to lower gun crime  (KMUW) Police Reform: How To Fix A Watchdog That Will Barely Bark, Let Alone Bite  (Honolulu Civil Beat) see also:  As Virginia police reforms take hold, decertification...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Automated license plate readers, police budgets, violent crime

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Police budgets, police accountability boards, juvenile criminal offenses, violent crime rate in the US, AI in law enforcement, phone data location data used in court, automate license plate readers, body cam funding, facial recognition use on the rise, legislation to improve police transparency, FOIA, prisoner review boards, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Lehi police asking city for additional million dollars to grow department  (KJZZ) Rochester Police Accountability Board Loses Investigatory Powers  (New York Focus) CRIME RATE ‘Killing each other’: Juvenile criminal offenses skyrocket by 100% in Durham’s quarterly crime report  (Queen City News) Something remarkable is happening with violent crime rates in the US  (Vox) see also:  Could 2025 See the Lowest Murder Rate Ever Recorded?  (Reason) Prince George’s Co. police say crime is down again this year, and here’s how they’ll plan for the summer  (WTOP) Data broker LexisNexis discloses data breach affecti...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Police reform, department staffing, crime rate

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Police reform efforts, DOJ dismisses investigations, police department staffing, police oversight commission, community policing boards, Take It Down Act signed into law, drug possession decriminalization, cracking down on fare jumpers, crime rates, violence during COVID-19, real-time facial recognition, crime algorithms, FOIL reform effort, Alabama prison litigation, AI in court filings, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Minneapolis makes history with civilian hires in police reform effort  (KARE11) Inclusion, transparency, trust top priorities for new Santa Maria police chief Christopher Williams  (Santa Maria Times) Trump DOJ dismisses investigations of police in several cities, including Minneapolis  (WGLT) Big Police Departments Have Stopped Shrinking. But they aren't growing, for the most part.  (Jeff-alytics) Citizens Police Oversight Commission Names Civil Rights Attorney Ewuare Osayande as Deputy Executive Director  (City of Philadelphia) Olympia opens applica...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Police transparency, high tech crime, police complaints

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Medical professionals to help 911, Detroit police complaint backlog, limiting police accountability in Austin, non-consensual intimate imagery, DOJ rescinds grants, high tech policing, murder rate, gun violence, firearm involved expulsions, policing and social media, AI to enhance emergency response, Columbus crime report portal offline, FOIA exemptions, police dashboards, open crime data, police transparency, prisoner release, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Police Chief In Catawba County Indicted On Charge Of Altering, Stealing Or Destroying Evidence In Murder Case  (WHKY) Louisville mayor proposes new money for medical professionals to help 911 call center  (WDRB) Detroit police complaint backlog grows despite efforts to bolster closure rates  (Bridge Detroit) Kissimmee's new police chief emphasizes community trust and transparency  (WESH) Two bills could limit police accountability in Austin, as legislative session nears end  (CBS Austin) CRIME RATE Distributing ...