SpotCrime Weekly Reads: gun violence, post pandemic crime rate, police transparency

Crime rate post pandemic, tackling gun violence, using data to stop crime, facial recognition tech rules blurred, body cam footage transparency, crime data transparency, license plate reader data shared transparently by police departments, some states working to make raps sheets disappear, and more...

POLICE CONDUCT

Police chief to provide update on pairing mental health clinicians with officers (The Modesto Bee)

Metro Nashville police officers start Crisis Intervention Team training for community policing (Tennessean.com)

Fargo police chief announces plan to reorganize department, increase transparency (Inforum)

'We didn't see an improvement': Montgomery mayor explains why former MPD Chief Finley resigned (Montgomery Advertiser)

Santa Ana Police Questioned About Why Some Sexual Assault Reports Receive Same Urgency as Graffiti (Voice of OC)

How many complaints against police officers can be abated by incapacitating a few “bad apples?” (Wiley Online Library)

Indianapolis committee Approves $3 Million In Public Safety Investments (WFYI)

CRIME RATE

How 5 police departments are tackling violent crime surge in US (ABC News)

As Battle Against Virus Wanes, Mayors Confront a New Challenge: Crime. Most city leaders, eager to rejuvenate downtown economies, have lifted coronavirus restrictions. But rising violent crime has kept both residents and tourists at home. (NYTimes)

Some stolen us military guns used in violent crimes (Associated Press)

Baltimore takes a data-driven approach to targeting gun trafficking (GCN.com) see also: Police call on Winston-Salem residents to help them reduce gun violence (Winston-Salem Journal) and also: To Curb Gun Violence In Gulf States, Activists Are Taking A Closer Look At Policing Alternatives (WBHM)

Half of the pandemic's unemployment money may have been stolen (Axios)

Most Businesses That Pay Off After Ransomware Hack Hit With Second Attack: Study (Newsweek)

CRIM-TECH

Can Data Technology Stop Serial Killers? (Rolling Stone)

RI Plans to equip all officers with body cams (WPRI)

Cops Elude Baltimore Ban on Facial Recognition Technology (TheCrimeReport.org) see also: Rules around facial recognition and policing remain blurry (CNBC)

POLICE TRANSPARENCY

Akron law would require police to automatically post deadly force video within seven days (Akron Beacon Journal) see also: What’s next in Huntsville’s push for access to police body cam footage (AL.com)

Rachael Rollins says a lack of consistent, accessible, and transparent data is hampering criminal justice reform (Boston.com)

Piedmont gives public access to data from license plate readers Police Department’s move said to make city first in U.S. to launch such a ‘transparency portal’ (East Bay Times)

2021 Update to the SpotCrime University Police Transparency Ranking (SpotCrime)

THE PRISON SYSTEM

Oregon Dept. of Justice invites public to join in ‘Community Conversations’ (KTVZ.com)

How some states are working to make your rap sheet disappear (Desert News)

NY lawmakers pass parole reform but Clean Slate Act falls short (Lohud.com)

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