SpotCrime Weekly Reads: drones and spy planes, crime rate, jail costs

Surveillance drones and spy planes, winter crime rate, more police agencies begin sharing crime data with the public, jail costs went up when crime went down, looking at crime concentration in specific neighborhoods, giving ex-offenders a second chance, and more...

POLICE CONDUCT

Memphis Police increasing patrols for ‘Operation Winter Freeze’ (NewsChannel3 Memphis) see also: Houston leaders increasing patrols in 'hot spot' violent crime areas; 40+ homicides already in 2021 (KHOU11)

Mediation of complaints against police: a review of programs in Los Angeles and New York City (Taylor and Francis online)

Policing Policy Trends: Balancing Accountability With Safety (NCSL.org)

Four State Police troopers arrested, identified after 'use of force encounters' at Troop F in Monroe (The Advocate)

CRIME RATE

New research examines the cost of crime in the U.S., estimated to be $2.6 trillion in a single year (Vanderbilt University)

2020 a ‘Perfect Storm’ for Homicide Surge (USNews) see also: America Saw a Historic Rise in Murders in 2020. Why? (NYMag)

Crime-fighting myth | The effect of cold weather in Baltimore (Fox Baltimore)

How and Why is Crime More Concentrated in Some Neighborhoods than Others?: A New Dimension to Community Crime (Springer Link)

Crime and Anxiety in the Beverly Hills of the South (Governing.com)

Testing public policy at the frontier: The effect of the $15 minimum on public safety in Seattle (Wiley Online Library)

'This has gone too far': San Franciscans call for change, solutions amid string of violent crimes (ABC7 News) see also: San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott explains crime stats, drop in violent crime (ABC7 News)

Juveniles Part Of A Huge Increase In Carjackings Across The Country (NPR)

CRIMTECH

New Ohio web-based tool provides way to track stolen guns (WHIO 7)

The black box of justice: How secret algorithms have changed policing. Crime prevention efforts increasingly depend on data analysis about neighborhoods. But there’s a lot we don’t know—and vast opportunities for bias. (FastCompany) see also: Predictive policing is still racist—whatever data it uses (MIT Tech Review) and also: Is ‘Smart City’ a Euphemism for ‘Plain Old Surveillance’? (GovTech)

Florida Legislation Could Bolster Police Use of Drones (GovTech) see also: Baltimore’s spy planes will fly no more (The Verge)

‘World’s Most Dangerous Malware’ Emotet Taken Down in International Cyber Crime Effort (Good News Network)

POLICE TRANSPARENCY

San Mateo police launch data site to increase transparency (Climate Online Redwood City)

Chicago police leaders admit need for more transparency as they file progress report on reform, a document critics dismiss as deflection (Chicago Tribune)

Crime across time: date and time in crime data feeds (SpotCrime Blog)

Savannah police chief discusses crime data with downtown business association (Fox28 Media)

THE PRISON SYSTEM

Jail costs go up as crime goes down (Legal Examiner) see also: Local Jail Spending Grew 13% Over a Decade, Despite Falling Crime (Pew)

‘It’s a showdown’: California district attorneys battle over criminal justice reforms (LA Times)

How Data Can Drive Real Justice System Change (CA FWD)

Online Criminal Records Impose ‘Digital Punishment’ on Millions of Americans: Study (The crime Report)

'You just want to ... have a chance': Ex-offenders struggle to find jobs amid COVID-19 (USA Today)

DUMB CRIMINAL OF THE WEEK

Missouri State Lawmaker Indicted for Stem Cell Fraud Scheme, Illegally Distributing Prescription Drugs (DOJ)

Crime in San Francisco, CA. Head to SpotCrime to see crime in your neighborhood.