SpotCrime Weekly Reads: use of force, criminal justice data

Use of force, mental health calls, intelligence-led policing, police use of force and race, crime rate, overdose death data, body cam tech, criminal justice data, voting rights, filming police, and more...

POLICE CONDUCT

Kentucky sheriff honors prisoner who pulled people from rubble of collapsed candle factory (CNN)

How police say they're changing to not be seen as the ‘easy button,' answer to all calls (Lansing State Journal) see also: 'The mental health system is broken:' Mental health calls strain Lynchburg police (WSET)

Salt Lake City officers used more force in 2021 — but less than expected, department report finds (Salt Lake Tribune)

Lawsuit alleges Pasco sheriff’s ‘intelligence-led policing’ violates civil rights (WFLA)

Arizona HB 2319 would make it illegal to film police within 15 feet (NPPA)

Does Race Matter for Police Use of Force? Evidence from 911 Calls (American Economic Association)

Ontario replacing three Ottawa police board members after one attended 'Freedom Convoy' protest (CTV News)

Settlement prohibits Minnesota State Patrol from attacking or arresting journalists (Star Tribune)

LA Police Commission to consider disciplining officers who don't explain pretext for traffic stops (ABC7)

CRIME RATE

Is crime decreasing or increasing in downtown Spokane? The same data is being used to make both cases (The Spokesman Review)

Violent Crime Soared During the Pandemic. But Does the Political Debate Reflect the Data? (KQED)

Carjackings down from last year but still above pre-pandemic levels (Axios Chicago)

South Carolina Overdose Death Data for 2020 Shows Stark Increase during First Year of COVID-19 Pandemic (South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control)

CRIM-TECH

‘Signal Sidearm’ bodycam technology could be used across Hampton Roads — here’s how it works (WAVY)

A Look Inside the Black Box of New York State’s Criminal Justice Data (Measures for Justice)

The secret police: Cops built a shadowy surveillance machine in Minnesota after George Floyd’s murder An investigation by MIT Technology Review reveals a sprawling, technologically sophisticated system in Minnesota designed for closely monitoring protesters. (MIT Tech Review)

POLICE TRANSPARENCY

Minneapolis to streamline police data requests To help process data requests, five employees from the MPD's Records and Information Unit are being moved to work in the city clerk's office. (KARE11)

THE PRISON SYSTEM

Forget national politics for a sec. A new site brings a local lens to criminal justice and voting rights. (Nieman Lab)