SpotCrime - The Public's Crime Map

Use of force rules, fatal police shootings and training, encrypting scanners, anti-crime laws, state crime victims funds, 911 calls surge, deadly shootings involving 18-20 year olds, taking on rising car thefts, big data surveillance tech, school crimes, AI and body cam footage, discrepancies in crime data, loopholes in police transparency laws, rehabilitative services in prison, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Police in this Pennsylvania county slow to adopt new use-of-force rules, study finds  (The Morning Call) After fatal shootings, Rantoul police recommended more training. They just sent one officer to a gun range  (IPM News) Des Moines seeks to hire dispatchers as 911 calls surge to decade-high record  (Des Moines Register) Head of police oversight in Phoenix questions office's independence in resignation letter  (KJZZ) Many cities have anti-crime laws. The DOJ says one in Minnesota harmed people with mental illness  (MPR News) Justice Department proposes major...

FBI not releasing crime stats for 2021, place based police strategies, gun control studies, communities split on use of traffic cams, access to bad cop records, access to court and legal data, TikTok influencers reshape life behind bars, felony classification system in Oklahoma, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Why the FBI Won't Release Quarterly Crime Stats for 2021  (TIME) see also:  The Alarming Gaps in National Crime Data  (The Trace) Struggle continues to hire Burlington police, several community officers hired  (WCAX) Newport News looks to expand program that sends mental health professionals on 911 calls  (DailyPress) see also:  ‘People don’t think clearly in crisis:’ California law enforcement turns to mental health clinicians on toughest 911 calls  (Yuba.net) Experts: Place-Based Strategies Are Effective, Central to Police Reform  (NCJA.org) $14 million jury award for Denver protesters could resonate around U.S. There are at least 29 pending la...

Schools to monitor students social media, PredPol's (un)effectiveness, looking at the juvenile crime rate, violence in Mexico, big data policing, video surveillance, does legalizing marijuana have an effect on crime, and more... POLICE CONDUCT “It’s PredPol, and it’s going to reduce crime”: Agencies take algorithmic effectiveness on faith, with few checks in place Out of over 50 agencies surveyed, none indicated they had examined effectiveness of “data-driven” approach  (MuckRock) see also:  Cities Should Look At Los Angeles’ History of Big Data Policing and Avoid Its Mistakes  (Catalyst) The effects of body-worn cameras on police-citizen encounters and police activity: evaluation of a pilot implementation in Philadelphia, PA  (Journal of Experimental Criminology) Mayor Jim Strickland says consent decree limits MPD's ability to fight crime; activists cry foul  (Commercial Appeal) In a rare move, cop faces a criminal leak investigation  (Sun Sentine...

Civilian teams help police fight crime, looking at violence like a disease, sex offender recidivism, Catholic church charges as crime ring, big data used to fight human trafficking, asset forfeiture does not reduce crime, national public safety partnership, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Former Rochester police chief: Viral SPD arrest a 'teachable moment' for everyone  (CNY Central) 'Social Workers of Last Resort': Police Adopt New Training Techniques  (Governing.com) Justice Department Announces Addition of 10 Cities and Counties as Part of the National Public Safety Partnership to Combat Violent Crime  (DOJ) Denver Police Testing Idea Of Civilian Teams Responding To Some 911 Calls  (CBS Denver) see also:  Mayor, Top Cop Announce New Initiative To Team Up With Businesses To Fight Crime  (CBS Chicago) Asset Forfeiture Funding Has Little Impact on Solving Crimes, Says New Study  (reason.com) The Plain View Project is a database of public F...

Police involved shooting rulings tipping point, gun violence in schools leads to more security, cybersecurity spending, the promise of crime data and big data in policing, and more... POLICE CONDUCT What's Not Reported After a Police-Involved Shooting  (GovEx) Mississippi agency to stop probing police shootings in Jackson  (WJTV12) Officer shortage slows response time in Santa Fe  (SantaFeNewMexican) 2 Cop Convictions in 2 Months: Is This a Tipping Point in Police Accountability?  (Governing) ABQ working with NYC on crime rate  (ABQ Journal) Justice Department awards record $49 million to improve collection of crime data reported to police  (DOJ) Hiring female police officers helps women report violence, sexual assault, study finds  (Phys.org) CRIME RATE A hatchet, scuffle & violent ending: Was Lakeland City Commissioner Michael Dunn justified in pulling the trigger, killing Christobal Lopez?  (the Ledger) A Former CIA Offi...

Rural America is struggling with rising crime rates, police using big data, hot weather means more crime, binge drinking causing crime, Uber monitors driver criminal records in real time, sporting events lead to rise in violence, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Does legal weed make police more effective?  (WaPo) The chief wanted perfect stats, so cops were told to pin crimes on black people, probe found  (Miami-Herald) FBI to Add National Data Exchange System to National Instant Criminal Background Check System  (ESR) Toronto police plan to deploy 200 more officers to priority areas in evening to combat gun violence  (The Star) Body cam footage shows officers use coin toss to decide whether to arrest driver  (The Holl) CRIME RATE In Rural America, Violent Crime Reaches Highest Level in a Decade  (Governing) Heatwave: Is there more crime in hot weather?  (BBC) A massive new study puts a pin in one of the oldest myths about mental illness. R...

Criminal justice data for prison reform, regulating algorithms, Baltimore scrutiny, gun violence, Apple watch helps investigators, new mental health unit, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Pugh says new police technology, changes to recruiting will continue to lower violence rates  (Baltimore Business Journal) St. Paul Police launch new Mental Health Unit  (KARE11) How heroin overdoses in the suburbs exposed Baltimore's corrupt police squad, the Gun Trace Task Force  (Baltimore Sun) To find suspects, police quietly turn to Google  (WRAL) Are America’s Police Getting an Unfair Rap?  (TheCrimeReport.org) Why There Are So Many Bad Sheriffs  (Governing) CRIME RATE Patriots’ Julian Edelman May Have Thwarted a School Shooting  (NYTimes) Multiple Cleveland homes sprayed with bullets Easter night  (Cleveland19) Guns are responsible for the largest share of U.S. homicides in over 80 years, federal mortality data shows  (WaPo) Firearm, ...

Baltimore police department loses officers while facing corruption woes, mental health programs helps police, AI predicting crime debate continues, how transparent is your government, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Baltimore Mayor Pugh opposes state commission to investigate police corruption (Baltimore Sun) see also: Baltimore police had net gain of 4 officers in 2017, but hundreds lost in recent years, according to data (Baltimore Sun) Commish: Boston police bodycam pilot mostly successful (Boston Herald) Lincoln police study finds mental health referral program reduces crisis calls  (Journal Star) Assessing police use of force data with the help of the Police Foundation  (Sunlight Foundation) Why Social Media Plays an Important Role in Law Enforcement  (InPublicSafety.com) CRIME RATE Proposed bill aims to change how DUIs are reported across U.S.  (WMC) U.S. attorney meeting with community partners for crime reduction project  (GainesvilleTimes....

Comey fired, 900 pedophiles arrested, 'Open By Default' in DC, big data bias, what cops aren't learning, and more... POLICE CONDUCT FBI Director Comey Fired by Trump (NY Times) Columbus police find officer’s stomping of suspect ‘unreasonable’ (Columbus Dispatch) What cops aren’t learning (RevealNews.org) San Jose’s rape kit backlog is over twice the official count (MuckRock) Criminology Leaders Assail Trump for “Uninformed Policy Initiatives” (TheCrimeReport) Hennepin County sheriff joins new Shield private-sector partnership (StarTribune) 'Backdoor' Search Of FBI Records Helps Parents Learn How Local Cops Killed Their Son (TechDirt) CRIME RATE Penn State fraternity hazing death of Timothy Piazza: 18 students charged (Today.com) 900 suspected pedophiles arrested as ‘darknet’ child porn kingpin jailed for 30yrs (RT.com) POLICE TRANSPARENCY Not just for books: Public libraries partnering with police to engage communities wit...