SpotCrime Weekly Reads: gun violence, crime rate, prison

Hot spot policing, police accountability board, no knock warrants, gun violence, fighting drug related crime and overdoses, human trafficking, surveillance drones, body cams, mandatory sentences, FOIA watchlists, juvenile court fees, and more...

POLICE CONDUCT

Mayor Harrell announces ‘hot spot’ patrol crime initiative, push to rewrite local gun laws (MyNorthWest.com)

Salt Lake City officers are responding faster to critical 911 calls, police data shows (Salt Lake Tribune)

Minneapolis Suspends No-Knock Warrants After Police Killing (The New York Times)

Opinion: Police Accountability Board Mandate Could Be an Opportunity (Maryland Matters)

Mother's desperate search for answers in son's death earns rare victory against police (NBC News)

CRIME RATE

What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. (Pew Research Center) see also: ‘It’s gotten out of control because now there’s no accountability.’ Ealum breaks down gun crime data (Owensboro Times) and also: Drops in St. Louis violent crime not greater in Cure Violence areas last year, analysis shows (St Louis Post Dispatch)

Firearm Dealers and Local Gun Violence: A Street Network Analysis of Shootings and Concentrated Disadvantage in Atlanta (SAGE Journals)

Baton Rouge listed in DEA’s new initiative to fight drug-related crime, overdose rates (BR Proud)

FTC Report: Social Media Scams Are Becoming More Common (GovTech)

It’s Not Just Rising Crime: Rogue Prosecutors Are a Huge Problem (Heritage.org)

Club owners and gubernatorial candidate say “backroom deals” behind crackdown on The Block (Baltimore Brew)

Air Force ordered to pay more than $230M in Texas church shooting (Air Force Times)

Louisiana DA: Teens Accused of Violent Crime to Face Adult Prosecution (US News)

Uncovering human trafficking in Boulder County (Daily Camera)

California crime story: The numbers, explained (Jefferson Public Radio)

CRIM-TECH

LAPD Emails Reveal Fallout of Citizen’s Botched Manhunt (VICE)

Two Arrested for Alleged Conspiracy to Launder $4.5 Billion in Stolen Cryptocurrency Government Seized $3.6 Billion in Stolen Cryptocurrency Directly Linked to 2016 Hack of Virtual Currency Exchange (Justice.gov)

Dashboard: What’s new in police body cameras? Updates on the latest body-worn camera legislation, funding, training and more (Police One)

Do Good Doorbell Cams Make Good Neighbors? (WIRED)

Louisiana State Police used surveillance drones at George Floyd protests in New Orleans and Baton Rouge (The Lens)

POLICE TRANSPARENCY

Minneapolis has an inconsistent history of releasing body camera video when police kill someone (MinnPost)

Note for readers: Where are the daily police blotters? (Point/Plover Metro Wire)

D.C. Police Delayed Or Denied Public Records Requests From Critics On ‘Watchlist,’ Says Lawsuit (DCist)

THE PRISON SYSTEM

The Rise and Fall of a Prison Town Queen. A family feud over drugs, money and fried fish roils the heart of the Texas prison system. (The Marshall Project)

Mandatory Sentences Make Comeback in Georgia Anti-Crime Bill (USNews)

Virginia couple operates trucking company to give felons second chance (10News San Diego)

Metropolitan Crime Commission releases report on controversial '701 release' policy (WDSU)

‘It Brought Life Back to Prison’: Content Analysis of Prison-Based Dog Training Programs in Four Midwestern Prisons (Taylor and Francis Online)

A massive criminal justice reform bill 5 years in the making is now up for debate in Ohio (The Enquirer)

While other states move to reduce or end juvenile court fees, Florida stays put  (Miami Herald)

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