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SpotCrime Weekly Reads: AI, police conduct, transparency

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Police conduct, retired officers back to work, misconduct files released, lack of data stalling cases, association between food insecurity and intimate partner violence, crime victim federal aid drops, crimes against USPS workers, AI in policing, police tech and AI ease workforce woes, WisDOJ sued over police transparency, states that publish current crime data, independent oversight for federal prison system, and more... POLICE CONDUCT N.M. Police Department to Bring Retired Officers Back to Work  (Officer.com) New Louisiana law will criminalize approaching police under certain circumstances  (KGET) Chicago police misconduct files will soon be made public. ‘This is a huge step forward for transparency’  (Chicago Sun Times) A cop gave Fresno man a jaywalking ticket. Then came ‘campaign of hate and revenge’  (Fresno Bee) George Floyd’s murder led to a national reckoning on policing, but efforts have stalled or reversed  (NBC News) L.A.’s dirtiest cop: A mild-mannered traffic officer who

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Police oversight, gun violence, prison

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Police oversight, officer resilience, misconduct data, gun violence, green space and crime, ADHD and criminality, predictive policing, drones as first responders, police transparency, police hiring and crime, juvenile justice programs, states spending on prisoners, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Problems continue to plague the Minneapolis Community Commission on Police Oversight  (MinnPost) see also:  Speaking of Reform: Experimental Insights into Influencing Police Executives' Perspectives on Civilian Oversight  (CRIMRXIV) U.S. Law Enforcement Officers’ Stress, Job Satisfaction, Job Performance, and Resilience: A National Sample  (Sage Journals) Crime and Punishment Can American policing be fixed?  (Harper's Magazine) Power Check: Missing police misconduct data  (Axios) House passes Law Enforcement Officers’ Due Process, Accountability and Transparency Act  (Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly) CRIME RATE Urban greenspace and neighborhood crime  (Wiley Online Library) IMPD depending on da

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Violent crime, AI tech, transparency

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Fired cops, police advisory committee, police community relations, traffic stops clogging courts, police discipline records, National Crime Victimization Survey, stranger danger and violent crime, reducing gun crime, stolen guns, rap music used as evidence to convict, AI tool in criminal cases faces legal challenges, AI cameras, drones respond to 911 calls, police transparency in Pittsburgh, police data transparency, dashboards for criminal justice, and more... POLICE CONDUCT The Police Department for Fired Cops  (Illinois Answers Project) New police advisory committee formed after changes from state law  (Fox13Memphis) Using basketball to improve police-community relations and lower gun violence  (The Philadelphia Inquirer) In Memphis, Minor Traffic Stops are Clogging Courts and Draining Resources  (Vera.org) Yonkers PD must hand over police discipline records to civil liberties group, judge rules  (AOL) CRIME RATE National Crime Victimization Survey: Prevalence Estimation Methods  (C

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Surveillance, crime rate, prison

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Naming officers in police misconduct investigations, easing restrictions on marijuana, citizen oversight board, traffic stops, decline in use of force, support for police, drop in crime, National Crime Victimization Survey, expanding surveillance, proactive policing and surveillance, automated license plate readers, crypto money laundering, AI, residents demand more transparency, charging for prison cells, juvenile detention centers, and more... POLICE CONDUCT State supreme court: DA must name officers in police misconduct investigations  (AOL) US poised to ease restrictions on marijuana in historic shift, but it’ll remain controlled substance  (AP News) The Louisiana Town Where a Traffic Stop Can Lead to One Charge After Another  (ProPublica) New citizen oversight board legislation enacted to support police, 'worrisome' to critics  (Herald-Tribune) 21 senior members of DC police to be dismissed — more than half due to ‘serious misconduct’  (WTOP) Despite Increase in Arrests, H

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Encryption, AI, crime data

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Police encryption and access to encrypted data, reporting police misconduct, high-speed police chases, surveillance expansion, US crime data, DOJ seeks input on AI use, machine learning flags issues with police forces sooner, AI assessing traffic stops, cyber security training, body cam transparency, forensic DNA lab transparency, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Police Chiefs Call for Solutions to Access Encrypted Data in Serious Crime Cases  (The Hacker News) Myrtle Beach police fully encrypts scanner traffic, drawing transparency concerns  (WMBF) Colorado law enforcement groups object to bill requiring officers to report colleagues' alleged misconduct  (Colorado Politics) In reversal, more areas allow high-speed police chases  (The Mercury News) Firing the police chief, probing his complaints two resolutions facing Mobile City Council  (NBC15) Surveillance expansion threatens press freedom – and everyone else's  (Freedom of the Press Foundation) 34 charges filed as Houston PD wrap

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: civilian review boards, crime rates, prison

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Florida bans civilian boards from investigating police misconduct, police reform behind closed doors in Virginia, more transparency for asset seizures, internal reviews, facial recognition laws for law enforcement, peace officers in NYC, high speed chases, crisis intervention in Tampa, homicides plummeting, crime rate drops, encrypting police radios, police surveillance, benefits of police data transparency, mental health facility instead of prison, Massachusetts' prison population drops, and more... POLICE CONDUCT DeSantis signs controversial bill banning civilian boards from investigating police misconduct  (Sun Sentinel) Police reform may expand In Virginia, but behind closed doors  (Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism) More transparency needed for WA police asset seizures, audit says  (Seattle Times) Glendale Police force shows its hand in internal review  (Glendale News-Press) Maryland lawmakers approve ‘strongest’ facial recognition rules for law enforcement yet  (St

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Body cam, AI, gun violence

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Access to body cam footage, public safety demands better funding, illegal guns trafficked used in hundreds of shootings, Operation Ceasefire, violent crime rates, sexual assaults on cruise ships rise, AI in policing, generative AI, AI risks creating black box at heart of US legal system, police transparency committees, deaths after leaving prison, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Public Safety Demands Better Funding  (DC Journal) see also:  Delray Beach PD receives nearly $1 million to curb crime  (CBS12) Knox County Sheriff's Office told the D.A. that video of a raid didn't exist. But it did.  (Knox News) Town of Elizabeth intended to fire its police chief, sued 9NEWS trying to keep that secret  (9News) CRIME RATE As NYC grapples with crime concerns, police commissioner says safety is 'perception versus reality'  (NBC News) 68,000 guns illegally trafficked by U.S. dealers over 5 years were used in hundreds of shootings, ATF says  (CBS News) see also:  Gun cases in Chicago tu

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Police discipline, use of force, AI

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Entire police force suspended, police discipline hearings, use of force, FBI crime data, undercounting sex crimes, tracking threats to Congress, how firearms move from legal to criminal use, AI in policing, predicting crime, online discussions about crime and safety, police surveillance, GPS tracking darts, use of force transparency, prosecutorial dashboards, accountability in restorative justice, and more... POLICE CONDUCT ‘Blindsided': A Maryland small town suspended its entire police force. Residents want to know why  (NBC Washington) Serious Chicago Police Discipline Hearings Must Take Place in Public, Judge Rules  (WTTW) Why did more than 1,000 people die after police subdued them with force that isn’t meant to kill?  (AP News) CRIME RATE FBI’s National Crime Data Paints Incomplete Picture  (The Dallas Express) New Orleans police undercounted sex crime data; advocates fear lost funding  (NOLA.com) Congress makes it easier to track threats to members  (Axios) How firearms move

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: AI in policing, police transparency, crime rate drop

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Replacing suspect faces with Lego heads, police staffing shortages, stricter policies on pursuits and drugs, stiffer sentences for AI related white collar crime, proactive policing sent searches soaring, FBI data shows crime dropped in 2023, Chinese organized crime dominating US illegal marijuana market, fentanyl epidemic getting worse, Kentucky crime data, school hate crimes, teacher misconduct, AI and LLM can help police, AI tech fighting retail crime, addressing non-consensual deepfake pornography, closed public records on crime in South Dakota, police transparency and the public's right to know, video tech to improve criminal justice, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Why a California police department is replacing suspects’ faces with Lego heads  (The Hill) South Bend Police take an 'aggressive stance' in getting weapons and drugs off the streets  (South Bend Tribune) see also:  Michigan State Police implements stricter policy on pursuits, chases  (Click On Detroit) Balancing

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Use of force, AI in policing, transparency

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Police Chief resignations, DNA data manipulation in Colorado, combatting swatting calls, higher use of force linked to training conference in NJ, addressing mental health in communities, DOJ opens investigation into Boeing, cybercrime losses reach $12.5 billion, violent crime numbers, gun violence, AI and police real time crime centers, police record transparency, reversing criminal justice reform, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Lakes Wales to begin looking for new police chief amid nepotism, transparency concerns: Memo  (Fox13 Tampa Bay) Colorado Bureau of Investigation finds DNA scientist manipulated data in hundreds of cases over decades  (WPSD Local 6) Uvalde police chief announces resignation after report on Robb Elementary School shooting  (NBC News) Georgia bill would impose harsher penalties on more 'swatting' calls  (11Alive) Use of force incidents high among cops who attended controversial police training conference  (New Jersey Monitor) Rats are 'all high' on mar

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Fighting crime, civilian oversight, tough on crime

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Liberty University fined for crime reporting violations, DC could be doing more to fight crime, FL curtails civilian oversight, PA lost data, police accountability reports, Baltimore sues ATF, fentanyl arrests surpass heroin arrests for first time, NYC deploys national guard, the cost of juvenile crime, juvenile crime rates, Shotspotter research, LAPD new RMS, police termination transparency, tough on crime grows prison populations, federal prisons are getting worse, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Liberty University fined $14 million for federal crime reporting violations  (NPR) D.C. agencies could do more to fight crime, reports auditor  (WashingtonTimes.com) see also:  DC auditor points to lagging performance by some crime-fighting agencies  (WTOP) A bill curtailing civilian oversight of police has passed the Florida House  (WFSU) see also:  Phoenix city agency tasked with monitoring police defends its work and independence  (AZFamily.com) Pa. state police have yet to fully determine los

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Data transparency, predictive policing, cold cases

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Data dashboards, predictive policing, civilian oversight, social programs reduce crime, regulating AI-generated calls, Louisiana law enforcement not reporting crime stats, police IT delays access to domestic violence court orders, intersection of AI and criminal justice, body cams, ShotSpotter data leaked, encrypted scanners, town asks for more transparency from police department, juvenile courts transparency, and more... POLICE CONDUCT APD has a new data dashboard – is it reliable?  (KXAN) see also:  Aurora Police Department releases data in a step towards transparency. Community wants to see more  (CPR News) Lawmakers Want Pause on Federal Funds for Predictive Policing  (reason) A bill curtailing civilian oversight of police has passed the Florida House  (WMFE) New CA data: Social programs reduce crime  (Public News Service) How law enforcement can use data from cell phones or smartwatches to solve crimes  (KCRG) FCC declares authority and intent to regulate AI-generated calls under

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: 911, police transparency, crime rate

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Alternative policing hits road blocks, police data and use of force on kids, active shooter defense industry, boosting the 911 system, crime in public schools,  DOJ lack of data for online hate crimes, cyber crime, tech to fight crime, police transparency, body cams foster transparency, criminal charges more likely for black people in MI, and more... POLICE CONDUCT CRESS Policing Alternative Faces Institutional Barriers  (The Amherst Student) Metro councilwoman wants more police data when use of force is used on kids  (WKRN) 5 things to know about the growing active shooter defense industry in Texas  (The Dallas Morning News) Legislative committee considers bills to boost Nebraska’s 911 system, add transparency  (Nebraska Examiner) see also:  The first 911 call in US was made 56 years ago today  (Live Now Fox) 'You can't trust what is going to happen with the crowds' | Charlotteans hesitant about large events following Kansas City shooting  (WCNC) Chattanooga Police Departm

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Police transparency, crime rate, AI

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Basic police data kept secret, sports celebrations violence, violent crime drop, language models on police report writing, gunfire detection, AI surveillance to spot crime, police oversight board, releasing police chase policies, homicide transparency, correctional system oversight, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Officer who stood trial for death of Freddie Gray to oversee Internal Affairs for BPD  (CBS News) Virginia keeps even basic police data secret  (VPM) Names of police who use deadly force could be shielded under proposed law  (Tampa Bay Times) CRIME RATE Shooting after Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade latest violence to mar sports celebrations  (APNews) The “Red” vs. “Blue” Crime Debate and the Limits of Empirical Social Science  (Manhattan Institute) Violent crime is dropping fast in the U.S. — even if Americans don't believe it  (NPR) Dallas’ overall violent crime rate drops nearly 30% — but business robberies increase over last year  (KERA) CRIM-TECH The impact of large language mo