SpotCrime Weekly Reads: use of force, police staffing, violent crime

Police staffing crisis, use of force, addressing violent crime, focused interruption, evaluating camera surveillance use by police, geofence warrants, body cams, crime rate, and more...

POLICE CONDUCT

Officials vow to increase police staffing, with available officers at historic low (Berkeleyside.org) see also: Chicago on pace to lose more than 1,000 officers due to resignation, retirement (WGN) and also: How Phoenix is handling 'crisis' police staffing situation (KJZZ)

Five times as many police officers have died from Covid-19 as from gunfire since start of pandemic (CNN)

Governor releases third-party review of state law enforcement. The report assessed curriculums, training standards, policies and practices. (WTHR)

Examining the Risk of Recurring Use of Force Incidents Among Newly Hired Police Officers (SAGE Journals)

Trainers show media the ‘other side’ of deadly shootings and use of force by police (KETK)

Tiny wrists in cuffs: How police use force against children (NPR)

Maine police shootings have more than doubled so far this year (Bangor Daily News)

Tool for police reform rarely used by local prosecutors (Denver Post)

CRIME RATE

The policy lessons learned from the criminal justice system response to COVID-19 (Wiley Online Library)

What we know about the increase in U.S. murders in 2020 (Pew Research) see also: ‘A dangerous time’: Portland, Oregon, sees record homicides (AP News)

Lyft releases sexual assault data: 4,158 incidents, including 360 rape reports over three year period (Jackson Progress-Argus)

Little Rock to spend $1.5M of federal covid-19 funds to address rise in violent crime (Arkansas Democrat)

Focused Interruption furthers fight against gun violence in Madison (The Badger Herald)

CRIM-TECH

The cost of a camera. New Orleans has spent millions on surveillance, but the full price tag is unclear. (The Lens NOLA) see also: A look at local surveillance mapping programs (WHEC)

To solve murders, Louisville police turn to ‘geofence’ warrants — but net few arrests (WFPL) see also: Ky. Supreme Court to decide if police need a warrant for real-time phone tracking (WFPL)

Study: Newtown, Conn., Police Behave Well With Body Cams (GovTech)

POLICE TRANSPARENCY

Watsonville committee calls for more police transparency (SantaCruzLocal.org)

Alternative Channels for Police Transparency (Lawfare Blog)

THE PRISON SYSTEM

Baltimore Sun . Better protections for LGBTQ detainees sought after transgender teen says she was discriminated against at Baltimore jail (Baltimore Sun)

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