SpotCrime - The Public's Crime Map

Addressing gun control after Parkland, Baltimore crime and police problems continue, tax identity theft, Tesla and autonomous driving future of police vehicles, drones used to respond to gunshots, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Parkland shooting: Troopers bought flight to funeral for friend of victim  (NBC News) Policeman Dragged by Motorist For Half a Mile  (The Epoch Times) Disband the Baltimore Police Department? After corruption trial, Maryland official proposes it  (Baltimore Sun) Santa Barbara Police Department Proposes Mental Health Detail Medical Professionals Would Engage the Chronically Homeless  (Santa Barbara Independent) Pittsburgh police bureau’s work with a technology company sparked FBI, city investigations and a whistleblower lawsuit  (PublicSource.org) CRIME RATE After Parkland:   As students watch, lawmakers debate porn but refuse to take up assault weapons ban  (Miami-Herald) see also:  In wake of Parkland...

We are midway through tax season - have you filed your tax return yet? Or has a criminal already filed them for you? What is tax-related identity theft? More often referred to as ‘tax identity theft’, tax-related identity theft is when an unauthorized person files a tax return with a stolen social security number in order to obtain a fraudulent refund. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been beefing up efforts to help stop tax related identity theft. The number of taxpayers who reported they were victims of identity theft dropped 32% in 2016 and 40% in 2017. The amount of refunds protected from those fraudulent returns was $6.4 billion and $6 billion respectively. How do you know if you are a victim of tax identity theft? Some signs you are a victim of tax identity theft are : You have been paid by an employer you don’t know. In order for businesses to pay employees, a social security number (SSN) is needed. If someone uses your SSN to get a job, the business will fil...

Parkland school shooting is number 18 of 2018 (it's only February), Sacramento crime drop attributed to community policing, algorithms can tell when kids are in danger, DNA imaging tech helps solve cold cases, Chicago murder clearance rate and gun violence decreases, rethinking probation, and more... POLICE CONDUCT West Palm Beach Police lieutenant files whistleblower lawsuit against the city  (WPTV) ATF ballistics database would get budget bump  (FCW) 2 cops, 2 stories: LPD internal affairs finds few facts, but leaders say 1 sworn officer is lying  (The Ledger) Murder ‘clearance’ rate in Chicago hit new low in 2017  (Chicago Sun Times) See Also:  Los Angeles-style policing driving down Chicago shootings, city’s experts say  (Chicago Sun Times) CRIME RATE There have already been 18 school shootings in the US this year: Everytown  (ABC News) See also:   After Sandy Hook, More Than 400 People Have Been Shot in Over 200 School Shoot...

Police officer retention rates, the opioid epidemic may have fueled the murder spike, medical marijuana to fight the opioid epidemic, Portland might scrap $12 million records system, Chinese police start using smart glasses, cyber crimes, and more... POLICE CONDUCT DOJ charges 36 in global cyber crime ring takedown  (TheHill.com) The Utah Department of Public Safety says violent crime is increasing, but that it’s losing officers to higher-paying jobs  (Salt Lake Tribune) See also:  More than 80% of Berkeley officers have looked to leave BPD, cop union says  (Berkleyside) Social worker to join SLOPD officers in the field to help address mental health issues  (KSBY) Detroit a model when it comes to solving the opioid epidemic  (TheHill.com) CRIME RATE People are committing violent crimes after suffering brain damage — and researchers are trying to figure out why  (Business Insider) States and cities are taking the lead on bump stock bans ...

Autonomous police cars, Sessions is at it again, Google takes on cybersecurity, police agencies turn to mental health professionals, building better cops, weekly crime stats to FDLE, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Sessions Takes Credit for Reversing Crime Wave; Criminologists Disagree  (VOAnews.com) Slow Down, Officer: An Experiment in ‘Building a Better Cop’  (TheCrimeReport.org) Johnson County police agencies employ specialists to assist in mental health situations  (FOX4KC) Sessions in Louisville: Federal agents will help city in crackdown on drugs and gun violence  (Courier Journal) CRIME RATE 5 facts about crime in the U.S.  (Pew Research Center) An Updated Lead-Crime Roundup for 2018  (MotherJones) Drug firms shipped 20.8M pain pills to WV town with 2,900 people  (Charleston Gazette-Mail) LAPD analysis shows homicide victims are overwhelmingly young, nonwhite and poor  (LA Times) Kansas City’s epidemic of stolen guns hits new...