SpotCrime - The Public's Crime Map

Small town policing, disbanding civilian review boards, violent crime reduction steering committee, flawed national crime data, air pollution shaping public safety, records management vendor woes, deepfakes and criminal justice, AI in policing, police transparency, use of force policies, art therapy in prison, the death penalty, and more... POLICE CONDUCT McLean County's smaller communities embrace 'a different way of policing'  (WGLT) Scathing DOJ report on Worcester police echoes recent Springfield probe  (Mass Live) Judge says 'coaching' by Minneapolis police not discipline, records not public  (Fox 9) Tampa City Council votes to disband civilian police review board  (Tampa Bay Times) CRIME RATE Readout of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime Reduction Steering Committee Meeting  (Justice.gov) National Crime Data Has Always Been Flawed  (Jeff-alytics) Advocates urge Harris County DA’s office to address ‘potentially misleading’ crime data dashboard ...

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-mann...

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 poli...

FBI crime stats reporting problem, hate crime reporting and legislation, cost of police misconduct, gun policies that really work, technology that keeps tripping up criminals, scraping court records protected by first amendment, police open crime data websites, juvenile diversion programs working, and more... POLICE CONDUCT The Monterey Park shooting exposes a major problem with crime data  (Axios) FBI Recognizes Sharp Increase In Crime Statistics Reporting  (KSFR) Justice Department report says police aren't fully reporting hate crimes to the federal government: "An incomplete picture"  (CBS News) The hidden billion- dollar cost of repeated police misconduct  (Washington Post) Disoriented KCK police officer in viral video deserves help — and public needs clarity | Opinion  (Kansas City Star) Tampa city council candidate Chase Harrison had 10 sustained violations as a police officer  (Creative Loafing Tampa) CRIME RATE Shot on the Job: Philly’s Public Worke...

Minnesota police race discrimination, Justice Department releases funds to hiring officers, crisis hotlines, gag rules frustrate police accountability, shortcomings of police on campus, violence against police, juvenile gun possession, police surveillance, tech suppliers hostile to transparency, Illinois politics and prison board, and more... POLICE CONDUCT The Minnesota Department of Human Rights on Wednesday released a report showing the Minneapolis Police Department has engaged in a pattern of race discrimination for at least a decade.  (Pioneer Press) Justice Department Releases over $320 Million in Solicitations for Hiring Law Enforcement Officers, Improving School Safety, and Combating Distribution of Illicit Drugs  (DOJ) A new crisis hotline, 988, is coming this summer. Is Washington ready?  (Yakima Herald Republic) see also:  Most 911 Calls Have Nothing To Do With Crime. Why Are We Still Sending Police?  (vera.org) You Have the Duty to Remain Silent: How...

Louisiana law department that polices itself, medical workers for mental health, police officer identification stickers for special needs residents, stopping retail mob thefts, Indianapolis campus safety, gun violence, transparency and trust in law enforcement, public access to body cam footage, Tallahassee backtracks on new crime alert policy, second chances in Pennsylvania's sentencing system, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Former Clay County sheriff's criminal trial could be delayed  (First Coast News) UNWATCHED: A Louisiana Law Department That Polices Itself  (ProPublica) Florida massacre families to get millions for FBI’s inaction  (AP) As O.C. police face scrutiny for shootings, Irvine starts using medical workers for mental health calls  (LATimes) Police offering stickers for special needs residents  (The Downey Patriot) Billionaire Ross Perot, Jr. donates new helicopter to Dallas Police Department  (WFAA) Biden signs three bills benefitting police, firs...

Officers tired of overtime, police use data driven decision making, K9 disobedience, dangerous domestic violence calls highlight need for reform, police tech and the connection to transparency, lack of data hinders studies on police, Dallas Police remove data from open data portal, data transparency builds trust in police, access to body cam footage, prison banking practices,  and more... POLICE CONDUCT Head of Illinois police training agency fired over improper law enforcement certification given to son of legendary investor Warren Buffett  (Chicago Tribune) Tired of overtime, officer announces resignation on police radio  (WABI) Disobedient: Police K-9 disobedience caught on camera  (WTSP) Chicago Police face stricter reporting rules under settlement of decade-long dispute over inequitable deployment of officers  (Chicago Sun Times) Police use data driven decision making to protect Tucson  (KGUN 9) Lincoln Police mental health coordinator improving depart...

DHS commission looks at best law enforcement practices, CA law strips badges from bad officers, NYC union leader resigns,  'hunting' protestors in Minneapolis, domestic violence awareness, looking at recent FBI crime data, flawed gang database, geofence warrants, OH promises transparency in felony cases, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Columbus police to focus on gangs as part of crackdown on violence  (WBNS) St. Louis is overhauling its 911 system to fix long hold times  (STLPR) California enacts law to strip badges from bad officers  (AP News) Flagstaff City Council approves $2.5 million contract for mobile alternate response unit  (AZ Daily Sun) Fatal police violence by race and state in the USA, 1980–2019: a network meta-regression  (The Lancet) see also:  More Than Half of Police Killings Are Mislabeled, New Study Says  (New York Times) New DHS commission will look at best law enforcement practices: Mayorkas  (ABC News) Body cam footage shows...

Feds fund mental health response teams, addressing the mental health of officers, reforming use of force practices, research showing body cams good investment, Houston chief focused on reforms and crime rate, Chicago sues gun store tied to 850 firearms involved in crimes, NYPD robot dog sent to the pound, Zoom court, and more... POLICE CONDUCT A former Georgia sheriff's deputy said he wanted to charge Black people with felonies to prevent them from voting, court documents show  (Business Insider) How Pa. troopers use sweating, stuttering during traffic stops to launch vehicle searches  (The Morning Call) Feds fund mental health crisis teams to stand in for police  (ABC News) see also:  “There Was No Plan in Place to Get Us Help”: Strategies for Improving Mental Health Service Utilization Among Law Enforcement  (Springer Link) St. Louis police group opposes move to cut 100-plus vacant officer positions  (St Louis Post Dispatch) US Department Of Education Now...

Coronavirus continues to effect domestic violence, crime on subways, a call for researchers to embrace open crime data, looking at effectiveness and equity, GA no longer allows private companies to copyright the law, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Policing during a pandemic (Part 1): A new normal  (CCX Media) Life as a prosecutor during coronavirus: People spitting at grocery clerks, telling police they have COVID-19 during arrests  (CPR News) Effectiveness vs equity in policing: Is a tradeoff inevitable?  (Academia.edu) Baltimore police have seized 165 illegal firearms, arrested 19 murder suspects during coronavirus state of emergency  (CBS Baltimore) RPD, other agencies tracking calls for service over groups larger than 10  (WDBJ) Thousands of criminal charges delayed during the pandemic, Maricopa County data shows  (AZCentral) COVID-19: PGPD temporarily suspends beard policy and issues N95 masks to officers  (WJLA) CRIME RATE Not every...

Protecting police against COVID19, domestic violence rises, some cities see increase in violent crime during pandemic, some cities using pandemic to ignore FOIA, flattening the curve in prisons, and more... POLICE CONDUCT 3 NYPD officers die within hours of each other due to coronavirus  (FOX35) What policing during the pandemic reveals about crime rates and arrests  (PBS) Police Protection and COVID-19: The Secrecy That Surrounds It  (FoxBaltimore) CRIME RATE Seattle-area police blotters from 1918 pandemic and 2020 coronavirus: Which is which?  (Seattle Times) Car tracking data reveals massive fall in crime  (GADGET) Armed thieves are capitalizing on the fact that everyone’s now wearing masks in public  (Quartz) Rise in violent crime in Jacksonville despite more people staying at home  (ActionNewsJax) see also:  Portland Shootings Increase Despite Stay At Home Order  (OPB) and also:  Motor Vehicle Thefts Rise in New York...

Domestic violence increases during pandemic, police see more calls for mental health, some cities crime rate stays the same, cyber attacks and scams increasing during pandemic, using cellphone data to track coronavirus, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Montgomery County Sheriff: Mental health calls up 81 percent since COVID-19 outbreak  (WDTN) Coronavirus California: Grisly work of crime scene cleaners changes due to COVID-19 pandemic  (ABC7News) Justice Department researchers: Mass shootings 'elusive as they are disruptive'  (Washington Times) CRIME RATE 'I have corona, you’re going to die' - police release shocking bodycam footage. Three men were jailed  (Bristol Post) see also:  Criminals continue to use coronavirus as a weapon against police after four thugs are jailed for spitting, coughing or sneezing on officers during lockdown  (Daily Mail) and also  Texas police searching for woman ‘willfully spreading’ COVID-19  (The Grio) After Th...

Some cities see crime rate decline due to coronavirus, police limit interaction with public, online police reporting programs launch nationwide, gun and ammo sales soar, heightened surveillance during the pandemic, and more... POLICE CONDUCT The coronavirus, crime and law enforcement responses  (CrimeInAmerica.net) Police work goes on as people shelter in place  (Santa Fe New Mexican) Local law enforcement agencies take steps to limit public contact  (VTDigger) Police foundation launches tool to track virus impact on cops  (TheCrimeReport.org) Police officers rescued a girl’s birthday. Their kind act was found two months later on body cameras.  (Washington Post) CRIME RATE What LA looks like on lockdown  (Crosstown) On top of everything, restaurants are becoming burglary targets  (RestaurantBusinessOnline.com) INSIGHT: The Hidden Magic of Mandatory Crime Reporting Laws  (Bloomberg Law) U.S. cybersecurity experts see recent spik...