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Showing posts with the label crime data

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Police conduct, gun violence, AI in policing

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Police stops of civilians, police oversight commissions, police advisory boards, decrease in gun violence, homicide numbers, temperature and crime, juvenile crime debates, facial recognition, generative AI to draft police reports, how frequently people are booked into jail and why, recidivism, and more... POLICE CONDUCT NYC lawmakers to grill NYPD leaders on police stops of civilians  (Gothamist) US jury finds Vegas police fabricated evidence in 2001 killing, awards $34 million to exonerated woman  (CNN) Police Oversight Commission Expands Data Collection and Oversight Initiatives  (Pasadena Now) Joliet City Officials and Police Department Respond to Report by Illinois Attorney General’s Office  (WJOL) Cops are calling in sick to clock overtime on side gigs, audit finds  (The San Francisco Standard) Lawsuit accuses Oak Point police chief of covering up officer’s alleged crime  (Denton Record Chronicle) Mountain View dissolves short-lived police advisory boa...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Police transparency, AI in policing, prison

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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 ...

The Decline of Police Data Transparency: A Case Study of Colonial Heights, Virginia

Abstract This paper examines the recent cessation of public crime data reporting by the Colonial Heights Police Department (CHPD) in Virginia, using it as a case study to explore broader trends in law enforcement transparency. The analysis reveals how technological advancement paradoxically correlates with decreased public access to crime data, despite improved data management capabilities revealing broader implications for law enforcement agencies across the United States, where increasing reliance on technology often leads to unintended reductions in transparency. Introduction In April 2024, the Colonial Heights Police Department, serving a population of approximately 18,000 residents, discontinued its 14-year practice of publishing monthly crime blotter reports. This decision represents a concerning trend in law enforcement transparency that warrants examination, particularly given the concurrent technological improvements in data management systems. Background and Context Historica...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Crime stats, FBI stats, AI

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Hate crime task force launched, Sheriffs' elections, police misconduct records, police oversight committee, FBI crime stats, crime rate, perception of crime, border security, progressive prosecution policies, police drones, AI to detect weapons, AI and facial recognition, AI to detect fraud, gunshot detection, juvenile detention center, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Central Florida Hate Crime Task Force launches after $1M grant from Justice Department  (WFTV) Austin Police contract is signed with 90% approval from the police union and city council  (CBS Austin) Valdosta State University Police Chief resigns following third-party investigation  (WTXL) Why Sheriffs’ Elections Matter From immigration enforcement to abortion access, sheriffs wield a surprising amount of power in their jurisdictions.  (The Marshall Project) Pittsburgh’s police chief puts down his badge for a referee’s whistle  (Associated Press) Can Police Departments Be Trusted to Release Their Own Mis...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Crime rate, transparency, surveillance

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Dropping crime rates, protecting murder victims, asset forfeiture, violent victimization decreasing, reducing gun violence, cameras are unbiased, federal lawsuit challenges use of cameras for surveillance, potential of public data for social impact, Boston broken transparency website, Austin police contract, Tennessee prisons, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Mahaska County to charge towns more for police services  (The Oskaloosa Herald) Former Indiana sheriff gets 12 years for spending funds on travel and gifts  (Associated Press) City: Police had no constitutional duty to protect murder victim  (Iowa Capital Dispatch) How you can provide input on Fresno's next police chief  (ABC30) Police officer helped steal thousands in Crime Stoppers rewards  (Fox4KC) The Topline: Asset forfeiture falls following reform  (Minnesota Reformer) CRIME RATE Inside the Carjacking Crisis On the street with an elite police unit as it combats a crime wave  (The Atlantic) Violent...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Police tech, gun violence, AI

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Online reporting systems, crime rates, growing up under the gun, data driven solutions, reckless driving, drone tech to improve emergency response, AI tools convict people of murder, public safety dashboards, Louisiana juvenile detention centers, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Hartford police announce new online reporting system for non-emergencies  (Fox61) Kansas Supreme Court affirms police conduct allegedly ‘akin to a psychological rubber hose’ Court majority views Salina police tactics as constitutional, but two justices disagree  (Kansas Reflector) CRIME RATE New Jersey has some of the lowest crime rates. Why do some residents still feel unsafe?  (NorthJersey.com) ‘Run, Hide, Fight: Growing up under the gun,’ a documentary on how gun violence changed a generation  (PBS) Data shows street projects led to less speeding in Milwaukee as officials crack down on reckless drivers  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) VOICES: Tackling crime in Dayton: The power of data-driven ...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Domestic violence awareness, gun violence, AI

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Mental health emergency response, safe gun storage and minimum age laws, domestic violence awareness, criminal charges over pregnancy, reimagining Chicago's public safety, surveillance cameras, AI in policing, facial recognition, deactivated bodycams, new homicide county dashboard, progressive prosecutors, and more... POLICE CONDUCT City Removing Police And Fire Departments From Mental Health Emergency Response Program  (Block Club Chicago) New Des Moines police chief finalists announced  (KCCI) New Austin police contract worries some city council members  (FOX7 Austin) CRIME RATE Safe storage and minimum age gun laws would curb violence, study says  (Stateline.org) UMich study finds rising firearm mortality rates among youth in most states  (The Michigan Daily) Nearly Nine out of 10 Women Murdered by Men are Killed by Someone They Know and Two Thirds Die by Gunfire, New Violence Policy Center Study Finds  (Violence Policy Center) see also:  Toward a B...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: AI, crime rate, policing

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Police leadership, police staffing, mental health calls, NCVS, FBI data, gun violence, EMS data used to identify violence, police use AI to write reports, AI detective, AI body cam review, police AI and ethics, license plate readers, police drones, the push for police transparency, cash bail, depression and anxiety and contact with the criminal justice system, and more... POLICE CONDUCT What do we know about police leadership? A review of the current status of police leadership research and practice, with suggestions for future research directions  (Taylor and Francis Online) NJ AG plans reforms following investigations into the state police  (NBC Philadelphia) Creating 21st-Century Campus Police  (Suffolk University) As Vallejo police force shrinks, 911 response times soar  (Open Vallejo) Presocialisation and police misconduct: Exploring new tools for predicting officer exposure to misconduct investigations  (Sage Journals) Ocean City Police Department provides...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: School shootings, cyber crimes, social media

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Traffic stops and searches, yearly crime stats, police certification and licenses, school shootings, cyber crimes, NCII and sextortion, Snapchat sued by New Mexico AG, social media facilitates violence, AI and police report writing speed, updating 911 dispatch systems, gun shot detection software, Capitol Police watchdog reports, centralizing criminal justice data, bail reform, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Lawsuit Forces Release of Operation Rolling Thunder Records  (Institute for Justice) Why doesn’t the Austin Police Department publish yearly reports on the crimes it solves?  (Austin Monitor) News outlets take fight for access to police certification database to Colorado Supreme Court  (Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press) see also:  All Texas police officer licenses now searchable online  (KXAN) CRIME RATE The precedent-setting push to hold parents responsible for school shootings  (Vox) see also:  Children and teens are more likely to die by...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Police civilian review boards, police background checks, transparency

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Police background checks, facial recognition at NFL games, Columbus cyberattack, police commission and civilian review boards, CT reduces traffic stop racial profiling, post arrest DNA swabs, Real Time Crime Index is live, violence against teacher, ghost gun manufacturer shuttered, security robots, AI body cam tech, NJ law requires more transparency for sexual assault victims, body cam footage fees, transparency on bail decisions, and more... POLICE CONDUCT All Texas police officer licenses now searchable online  (KTAL) see also:  New Software Aims to Revamp the Police Background Check  (GovTech) and also:  Austin, police must end use of confidential police personnel file, judge rules  (Austin American Statesman) Las Vegas police refuse to comply with NFL facial recognition tech at games  (Red River Radio) Audit Calls Honolulu Police Commission’s Oversight ‘Inconsistent And Ineffective’  (Honolulu Civil Beat) see also:  Do Civilian Review Boards W...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: AI, gun violence, bail reform

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AI chatbots in report writing, adopting police transparency reforms, fatal police encounters in Wisconsin, police radio encryption, AI deepfakes, link between local news and perceptions of crime, gun violence in the US, MD facial recognition policy, AI added to emergency communications, lack of transparency in police chief hiring, short term impacts of bail reform, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Police officers are starting to use AI chatbots to write crime reports. Will they hold up in court?  (Associated Press) NBPD has yet to adopt transparency reforms recommended one year ago Department falls short on openness, handling officer misconduct, and a new anti-discrimination policy.  (The New Bedford Light) ‘A shoot can be legal. That doesn’t mean it was necessary.’ Fatal police encounters rise in Wisconsin  (Wisconsin Watch) Over and out? Bronx police radios silenced in latest encryption rollout as local journalists fear apocalyptic end to NYC crime reporting  (AMNY) Dall...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Police misconduct laws, transparency, AI in criminal justice

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Former police chief facing charges over KS newspaper raid, police misconduct laws, CT ticket scandal, unmarked cruisers, campuses fail to report crime, crime and punishment in DC, Surgeon General's declaration on gun violence, Cleveland's summer of safety, drug use and criminality, Austin 911 system hacked, AI and crime analysis, encrypting police radios, Houston chief vows transparency, crime data transparency, AI in criminal justice, family incarceration and children's health, pregnant women in prison, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Prosecutors say they plan to charge former police chief over Kansas newspaper raid  (NPR) Little progress on police misconduct laws  (Cape Gazette) see also:  Police misconduct database offers too limited a look at disciplinary histories, critics say  (New Jersey Monitor) Feds Close Criminal Probe into Connecticut Ticket Data Scandal  (GovTech) Columbia Looks to Give Campus Police Arresting Power After Protests  (Wall Street Journ...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Homicide rate, AI crime prediction, youth crime

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Houston ignored cases, NJ police discipline, traffic stop racial disparities, homicides falling, kids' online safety bill, image based sexual abuse, youth and delinquency, DNA, gunshot detection impact, AI to predict crimes, DA transparency dashboard, death in prisons, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Houston police misused ‘lack of personnel’ code for eight years, Chief Satterwhite says, leading to 260,000 ignored cases  (Houston Public Media) 460 cops faced major discipline in 2023, new report shows  (New Jersey Monitor) An Analysis of Racial Disparities in Police Traffic Stops in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, from 2010 to 2019  (Vera) CRIME RATE Homicides in U.S. Continue to Fall from Pandemic Highs  (New York Times) see also:  Crime in Austin continues downward trend, though homicides still above pre-pandemic levels  (Austin American-Statesman) LAPD warns residents after spike in burglaries using Wi-Fi jammers that disable security cameras, smart doorbells ...

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Police conduct, algorithms, transparency

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Police conduct in Pittsburgh, US confidence in police up, releasing body cam footage, drug smuggling networks, mental health and 911, violent crime spike during COVID, facial recognition arrests, deepfake AI porn bill, gunshot detection, police algorithms, transparency advocates worry about access in TN, bail law changes, and more... POLICE CONDUCT After Jim Rogers' death, Pittsburgh got a close look at police conduct. It may not happen again  (WESA) U.S. Confidence in Institutions Mostly Flat, but Police Up  (Gallup) Anchorage police now have a 45-day deadline to release certain body camera footage  (Alaska Public Media) Crime Labs audit calls for faster processing times of forensic evidence  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) Why LA is pulling the plug on a 911 pilot that sent mental health workers on some calls  (LAist) CRIME RATE ‘I want her to worry about who’s waiting on the corner’: How one man uses Facebook to frighten his children’s mother and why police do n...