SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Police reform, violent crime, recidivism

Police chief change ups across the US, police and cities seek answers to violent crime, link between police reform and drop in violent crime, facial recognition, reducing recidivism with housing project, and more...

POLICE CONDUCT

Violent Crime Rates Declined in 10 Jurisdictions Following Comprehensive Police Reform (Center for American Progress) see also: North Carolina sheriffs group recommends criminal justice reforms. Are they enough? (The News & Observer) and also: Minneapolis City Council appoints new police oversight board members, following criticisms for letting it go dark (StarTribune)

Police commission: Verbal consent now a must to search someone during a routine stop (DailyNews.com)

Sheriff plans implicit bias training, no discipline for deputy in webcam incident (CBS6Albany)

Columbus Police Department welcomes new police chief (WTVM) see also: Portsmouth fires chief of police Angela Greene (WAVY)

FBI will reject crime data from Phoenix, 2 other Valley agencies that fail to change reporting (ABC15 Arizona)

Something in the Water was created after Virginia Beach officials asked for help, Pharrell says in new video (PilotOnline)

CRIME RATE

State troopers being sent to aid Dallas PD to deal with 'out of hand' violent crime (The Center Square) see also: 'Policing is not nearly enough.' Durham mayor and police chief respond to shootings (Greensboro.com) and also: Wounded St. Louis seeks answers as groups try to stem violence (St Louis Today)

Fraudsters 'targeting Christmas online shoppers' (BBC)

FBI Releases 2019 Hate Crime Statistics (FBI.gov)

"They took her soul": Army did "nothing" for soldier who reported sexual assault, mom says (CBS News)

Nearly half of suspects recently arrested by BPD for violent crimes are juveniles (Fox Baltimore)

CRIM-TECH

Dallas Takes Up a New Tool to Map Crime Risk, but Reformers Worry It'll Reproduce Old Biases (Dallas Observer)

Resisting the rise of facial recognition Growing use of surveillance technology has prompted calls for bans and stricter regulation. (Nature.com) see also: New Orleans Police Dept. Admits to Facial Recognition Use (Governing.com)

Open Data for Crime and Place Research: A Practical Guide in R. (osf.io)

How to tell the difference between AI and BS (TheNextWeb)

Independence police setting up automated license plate cameras (Cleveland.com)

POLICE TRANSPARENCY

New Initiative Aims to Produce New Open Data on Policing Sentiments in American Cities (DataFoundation.org)

Create open data culture to feed hungry world, say experts (Phys.org)

City of Tacoma will start tracking, analyzing race data for traffic stops by police (KIRO)

THE PRISON SYSTEM

The ‘Airbnb for Returning Citizens’ Gives People More Than Just a Second Chance (NextCity.org)

Public Defenders In D.C. Say The U.S. Parole Commission Is Keeping Too Many People Jailed During The Pandemic (DCist)

Gates Police Chief: bill on horizon to amend bail reform, ‘we need to find a middle ground’ (RochesterFirst.com)

DUMB CRIMINAL OF THE WEEK

Ponzi scheme suspect uses underwater scooter to try and evade FBI in California (NBC News)

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