SpotCrime Weekly Reads: facial recognition, prison, juvenile crime

Virtual mugshots, facial recognition, crime data, guns and suicide, Log4J flaw, retail thefts, violent crime by children, body cams, predictive policing, police misconduct database, prison population decreased in 2020, criminal justice data, marginal cost of incarceration, and more...

POLICE CONDUCT

NYPD Utilizes ‘Virtual Mugshots’ Despite City Hall’s Words (GovTech)

The Challenge of Attracting More African Americans to Police Careers (TheCrimeReport.org)

Citizens Police Data Project collects and publishes information about police misconduct in Chicago (Citizens Police Data Project)

Bogged down by data, police services need process rethink: study New research shows too much paperwork may hinder effective policing (Western U News)

Justice Department Awards More Than $17.5 Million to Support Project Safe Neighborhoods (Justice.gov)

CRIME RATE

Hackers launch over 840,000 attacks through Log4J flaw (ArsTechnia)

Increase in Colorado’s property crime rate bucks national trend, report says (The Durango Herald) see also: After Decreases in 2020, Both Property and Violent Crimes Are Up in 2021 (Public Policy Institute of California)

Neighborhood Crime Data Doesn’t Belong on Real Estate Sites. Redin removes crime data from their website.  "And the fact that most reported crimes go unsolved means that some of the crimes being reported in fact may not be crimes." (Redfin)

Across-the-Aisle Recommendations on Guns and Suicide (The Trace)

Hertz customers claim they were arrested, some jailed and even held at gunpoint after false theft reports (CBS News)

How to protect yourself from data breaches and what to do if your personal data is compromised online (Business Insider)

Uber, Lyft drivers want more protection as rising crime keeps many off the roads (Mint)

Kim Foxx rethinking retail theft policy Amid growing outrage over organized retail crime, the Cook County state's attorney says she's reconsidering her stance on what constitutes a felony. (Crains Chicago Business) see also: Executive Elrich says retailers can decide whether or not to call police on shoplifters (WJLA)

Durham programs show progress in slowing spread of violent crime by children (WRAL)

CRIM-TECH

Facial Recognition Finds Its Match In Once Crime-Plagued Bronx Housing Complex. Some residents surveyed by THE CITY said they didn't know the cameras had facial recognition capabilities. (Patch)

Are your home security cameras vulnerable to hacking? (CNet)

Technological innovation in policing and crime prevention: Practitioner perspectives from London (Sage Journals)

Vancouver Police testing use of video cameras (Clark County Today)

Crime Levels in Jacksonville FL Following Hurricane Irma This story map examines crime statistics in Jacksonville, Florida from 2015 to 2019. (ArcGIS Story Maps)

“Predictive policing” technology is showing up in communities across the country (Marketplace)

POLICE TRANSPARENCY

Copyright Versus the Right to Copy: The Civic Danger of Allowing Intellectual Property Law to Override State Freedom of Information Law (Loyola University Chicago)

DPSS Advancing Public Safety Update (University of Michigan Department of Public Safety)

Bexar County sets 10-day mandate to release body cam footage for sheriff’s office, county law enforcement (Texas Public Radio)

THE PRISON SYSTEM

US Prison Population Decreased 15% in 2020 (TheCrimeReport.org)

Methods of Calculating the Marginal Cost of Incarceration: A Scoping Review (Sage Journals)

Tennessee lacks full data on criminal justice fines and fees, research shows (Tennesseean)

Examining the Gap Between Prosecutor Attitudes and Decisions: Case Prioritization Through Case Elimination Mechanisms in Driving With a Suspended License Cases (Sage Journals)

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