SpotCrime - The Public's Crime Map

Baltimore spy plane settlement, San Francisco rape kit DNA used to arrest rape victims, NIJ mass shooting database, Philadelphia's lost gun reporting law, gun shot detection technology, police access to facial recognition, innovation and access to justice, and more... POLICE CONDUCT More police departments are hiring women, here's why  (THV11) San Francisco Cops Used DNA From Rape Victim to Arrest Her Over Property Crime: Report (Gizmodo) see also:  Use of Rape-Kit DNA to Probe Other Crimes Shocks Prosecutors  (USNews) Florida police officer arrested on excessive force charges  (Tampa Bay Times) Here's what Georgia law enforcement discussed at a recent crime roundtable  (11Alive) Settlement reached in 'spy plane' case; BPD must remove data collected  (WBAL) Police in Ohio can seize property without criminal convictions  (Dayton Daily News) Hands Up at Home: Militarized Masculinity and Police Officers Who Commit Intimate Partner Abuse  (Academia.ed...

Should schools have SROs, mental health unit for crisis calls, gentrification and murders by youths, gun violence during the pandemic, connection between debt and crime risk, new HHS task force to prevent human trafficking, drones and robocops, Anton's Law transparency survey, steep fees for body cam footage, school to prison pipeline, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Third Denver police officer has been suspended for using excessive force during the 2020 protests  (Denverite) Should every school have a police officer?  (Virginia Mercury) Hochul focuses on stopping illegal guns coming from other states  (WGRZ) see also:  Spending, Crime Top Lawmakers' Agendas for 2022 Session  (USNews) Ferriday Police Dept. deactivated until further notice, sheriff’s office says  (KNOE) Leon County Sheriff’s Office establishes mental health unit for crisis calls  (WCTV) CRIME RATE ‘There’s something wrong when Jackson’s murder rate is higher than Atlanta,’ official says ...

Developing programs for mental health calls, ending qualified immunity, cost of policing, trends to shift public safety in 2022, San Jose to require insurance and fee for gun owners, homeless camps crime, Tampa PD turns open data feed back on, Justice Department establishes initiative to strengthen crime data,  expert witness reform, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Police, Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Service partner to provide alternative for mental health calls  (CKOM) see also:  Mental Health Experts Will Respond To Some Emergency Calls Instead Of Police As Part Of New Far North Side Program  (Block Club Chicago) and also:  A 988 crisis line is coming. Mental health services ask: How do we stretch even more?  (WHYY) The Fight to End Qualified Immunity Is Just Beginning in States Across the Country  (Governing) Six Trends That Will Shape Public Safety in 2022  (TheCrimeReport.org) Police in this tiny Alabama town suck drivers into legal ‘black hole’...

Racial and ethnic disparities in law enforcement, police accountability task force issues recommendations in Hartford, duty-to-intervene laws, police begin sending warnings and tickets via text, Marsy's Law wrecking havoc on police transparency in Florida, Anton's Law transparency in MD slow or non-existent, tough on crime debate, and more... POLICE CONDUCT New report finds racial, ethnic disparities in law enforcement stops across California  (CBS8) Greater transparency, more training, increased diversity: The police accountability task force issues its recommendations to the legislature  (Hartford Courant) Actions of officers who didn't stop Derek Chauvin spur duty-to-intervene laws  (NBCNews) see also:  Sunrise police sergeant relieved of duty after grabbing fellow officer by the neck  (Local10.com) Minneapolis argues to dismiss lawsuit on MPD 'coaching' data  (KARE) Should firearms be allowed in K-12 public schools? An analysis of law enforcement’s perc...

Gun violence, stolen guns from cars, FBI launches police suicide database, US violent crime rate, racial divide in policing, gun violence, analyzing body cam footage, lack of data hinders policy efforts, freedom of the database, federal solitary confinement, and more... POLICE CONDUCT BPD looks to improve service, accountability with tracking program  (Bakersfield.com) NYC Mayor Eric Adams names younger brother deputy NYPD commissioner, raising more concerns about conflicts of interest  (The Grio) Burbank Police are Improving Crime Measurement and Reporting  (MyBurbank.com) The American racial divide in fear of the police  (Wiley Online Library) see also:  The pandemic tanked traffic stops in 2020 — but racial disparities remained, data shows  (VTDigger) Ann Arbor may use federal stimulus to launch unarmed 911 response program  (MLive) see also:  APD 311 diversion helps with emergencies, creates backlog for low-level crimes  (KXAN) FBI Launch...

Virtual mugshots, facial recognition, crime data, guns and suicide, Log4J flaw, retail thefts, violent crime by children, body cams, predictive policing, police misconduct database, prison population decreased in 2020, criminal justice data, marginal cost of incarceration, and more... POLICE CONDUCT NYPD Utilizes ‘Virtual Mugshots’ Despite City Hall’s Words  (GovTech) The Challenge of Attracting More African Americans to Police Careers  (TheCrimeReport.org) Citizens Police Data Project collects and publishes information about police misconduct in Chicago  (Citizens Police Data Project) Bogged down by data, police services need process rethink: study New research shows too much paperwork may hinder effective policing  (Western U News) Justice Department Awards More Than $17.5 Million to Support Project Safe Neighborhoods  (Justice.gov) CRIME RATE Hackers launch over 840,000 attacks through Log4J flaw  (ArsTechnia) Increase in Colorado’s property crime rate b...

Civil forfeiture, FBI 2020 data and potential shutdown of use-of-force database, violence and relations to socio-economic structures, gun violence, body cams, justice-as-a-platform, tech and data help improve police transparency, access to police disciplinary records, data driven solutions in the justice, US public divided over prison sentences, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Yes, police in most states can seize your money even if you’re not charged with a crime  (11Alive) The Emerging National Tragedy of Police Suicides  (TheCrimeReport.org) FBI may shut down police use-of-force database due to lack of police participation  (Washington Post) see also:  New report hits DOJ over lack of police shooting data  (AXIOS) Gender Differences in Law Enforcement Officer Stress and Coping Strategies  (SagePub Journals) Denver DA supports some recommendations in public safety task force report  (9News) Ron DeSantis calls for Florida state military guard that he would ...

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...

Communities highlight need for crime prevention, USCs troubling delay in reporting crime, police traffic stops, inside gun detection software, Tesla police cars tested in Spokane, using tech to stop human trafficking, a billionaire's son border war, prison staff shortages among COVID, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Dayton to use mediation response for some nonviolent 911 calls  (Dayton Daily News) What do the Rural Folks Think? Perceptions of Police Performance  (Oxford Academic) The Demand for Money Behind Many Police Traffic Stops  (NYTimes) Central Pa. police officers fired for turning in fake COVID-19 vaccination cards: report  (PennLive.com) LMPD youth Explorer sexual abuse lawsuits settle for more than $3 million  (WDRB) USC admits to ‘troubling delay’ in warning about fraternity drugging, sex assault reports  (LATimes) Howard Buffett's Border War: A Billionaire's Son Is Spending Millions in Cochise County  (Phoenix New Times) CRIME RATE Community me...

Police budgets are used not only to hire officers, but also to purchase tech from companies to aid in police work. Anything from body cams to surveillance tech to in-car computers to RMS/CAD systems are typically hired out to a private vendor company rather than created and maintained in house by the police departments themselves. We came across a paper by Elizabeth E Joh published at the NYU School Law Review titled ’The Undue Influence of Surveillance Technology Companies on Policing’ . Joh specifically focused on the influence surveillance companies have over police departments which adversely affects policing leaving consequences for civil liberties and police oversight. This same concept can be applied to police vendors hired to house police data in Records Management System (RMS) and Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems. These vendor systems are in charge of a trough of public data - from arrest records to body cam footage to crime blotters to use of force to police reports. Th...