SpotCrime - The Public's Crime Map

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: Prevalenc...

Police begin to change policies in order to secure budgets, facial recognition tech arrests wrong person, researchers denounce AI powered predictive policing, a call for body cam transparency, private companies selling your location data to law enforcement, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Chicago’s Peace Academy Graduates a New Class of Violence Interrupters  (The Trace) San Jose mayor releases nine-point police reform plan  (The Mercury News) see also:  Chief: '8 Can't Wait' already police policy  (The High Point Enterprise) and also:  Cincinnati Council To Vote On A Series Of Police Reforms  (WVXU) and  Colorado governor signs police accountability bill, ending qualified immunity defense in the state  (Efficient Gov) and finally:  3 Boston City Councilors Want To Divert Nonviolent 911 Calls From Police  (CBS Boston) 3 North Carolina police officers fired over racist rants  (Charlotte Observer) Transit agencies weigh security f...

Domestic violence and disturbance calls prove most dangerous for officers, can prisons make us safer, algorithm to solve murders, license plate readers on campus, hiring ex-convicts to help fight crime, body cam facial recognition, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Crime Reduction Unit met with success, crime on the decline  (Cochrane Today) Illinois deputy gunned down while responding to call, becomes 5th officer fatally shot nationwide in last 8 days  (ABC News) 'More inherently dangerous and unpredictable' | Why ‘Disturbance’ calls are a wildcard for police  (ABC10) see also:  'Abuse Is A Pattern': Law enforcement says they respond to domestic dispute calls daily  (KRCR News) and also:  Sacramento Officer Tara O’Sullivan was gunned down during a domestic disturbance call. Her death sent the region into mourning  (LA Times) City and organizers to push back against summer spike in crime and violence  (Indianapolis Recorder) New Alabama Law Pe...

Algorithm helps case investigations, body cams impact jurors, fight crime by addressing addiction, counting hate crimes, immigration crime data misunderstood, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Slain Utah police officer Joseph Shinners mourned by police departments across US  (Yahoo News) A UK police force is dropping tricky cases on advice of an algorithm  (New Scientist) Indianapolis Responds to Record-Setting Homicides  (Nuvo.net) How police body cam videos impact jurors differently than dashcam videos  (Phys.org) CRIME RATE Many police departments report decline in murders in 2018 — but not in these cities  (CBS News) 5 facts about crime in the U.S.  (Pew) New St. Louis County prosecutor wants to fight crime by addressing addiction and mental health  (St Louis Post-Dispatch) Many hate crimes never make it into the FBI’s database  (The Conversation) Majority of Baltimore homicide victims in 2018 were shot in the head, analysis show...

Lower crime rate linked to Medicaid expansion, Trump talks prison reform, police create mental health partnerships, the debate on accuracy of crime prediction software and risk evaluation continues, legalized marijuana can help lower violent crime, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Hopkins study finds disbanded Baltimore Police plainclothes unit provided most effective violence strategy, despite problems  (Baltimore Sun) Phoenix police link 9 murders within hours using in-house technology  (AZCentral.com) Memphis police's new way of tallying killings will mean fewer recorded homicides  (CommericalAppeal.com) Simulation model finds Cure Violence program and targeted policing more effective in curbing urban violence  (UC Davis) Mason City police, Cerro Gordo County start mental health partnership  (Globe Gazette) CRIME RATE New Evidence Links Medicaid Expansion to Lower Crime Rates  (TheCrimeReport.org) Violent Crime Has Dropped In Border States W...

WHAT IS AI AND MACHINE LEARNING? Artificial intelligence and machine learning are hot topic terms that are sometimes used interchangeably. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence. Machine learning is the field of computer science and application of AI that gives computers the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed through access to data.  Google’s DeepMind lab project ‘AlphaZero’ recently learned chess in four hours. It’s being labeled a ‘superhuman performance’ because not only did AlphaZero learn chess, it absorbed all data on the entire history of chess and then figured out how to beat anyone or anything in the game in one-sixth of a day. This type of technological advancement not only changes the way chess will be played, but it creates endless possibilities for technology that can be applied to other aspects of everyday human life. THE BIG DA...

Algorithms disrupting criminals and police work, new database tracks criminal cops, crime data is the most popular dataset in cities nationwide, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Coroners and medical examiners reported nearly 2,200 more homicides to state and federal health authorities in 2015 than police departments (Murder Accountability Project)  DOJ won't charge Baltimore officers involved in Freddie Gray's death (USA Today) Inside the first database that tracks America’s criminal cops (VICE) See also: The Henry A. Wallace Police Crime Database (BGSU) CRIME RATE The Equifax Data Breach: What to Do See also: Credit Freeze FAQs and Equifax isn’t calling (FTC) Baltimore on track to surpass New York City in homicides for first time (Baltimore Sun) See also: Nearly 40 shot in Chicago over weekend as city nears 500 homicides (Chicago Tribune) CDC intervention plan for Wilmington teen violence lacks political will (DelawareOnline.com) Little Rock Police De...