SpotCrime - The Public's Crime Map

Coronavirus scams, bail reform connected to increase in crime, AI, video surveillance, facial recognition, more officers needed for more foot patrols, and more... POLICE CONDUCT What Law Enforcement Personnel Need to Know about Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)  (CDC) Florida deputy comforts child whose parents crashed their car, took off without her  (WTHR) Man arrested compliments deputies for being 'polite' and 'professional,' Florida sheriff says  (Fox35 Orlando) Myrtle Beach police hope to combat crime hot spots with $1.5M grant  (WBTW) Study finds SFPD patrol staffing ‘severely inadequate’  (SF Examiner) CRIME RATE Criminals Cash In on Coronavirus. Hospitals from Italy to Japan have reported disappearing inventories of newly precious masks and hand sanitizer  (WSJ) Does Bail Reform Increase Crime? An Empirical Assessment of the Public Safety Implications of Bail Reform in Cook County, Illinois  (SSRN) see also:  846 new cri...

Mary's law in FL hides crime data and police use of force, collecting gun violence data, police installing cameras and license plate readers on roads, the facial recognition debate, using algorithms in the justice system, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Cold but not forgotten: how a retired officer is helping solve dormant investigations  (KTVL News10) Santa Clara County clears rape kit backlog, says it has sped up processing  (The Mercury News) Police say clearance data tells more about crime incidents in Sioux Falls  (KELOLand.com) ‘It’s lunacy’: Pa. cops still busting plenty of people for pot despite de-criminalization, report says  (Pennlive.com) CRIME RATE Thirty Most Violent Cities Based On Crime Rate-2018-USDOJ  (CrimeInAmerica.net) Surge in Minnesota drug seizures reflects influence of cartels  (Star Tribune) Washington: Bill would create office to collect firearm violence data  (The Lewiston Tribune) Number of Idaho childhood sexu...

Police shortage, bail reform increased crime in NYC?, artificial intelligence and facial recognition in policing, crime data transparency, police shootings in Colorado, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Town wanted to hire 12 cops but couldn’t. It’s doing something creative instead.  (NJ.com) Detroit Chief Wishes For 1,000 More Cops And A Lot More Money  (Deadline Detroit) We tracked every police shooting in Colorado last year. Here’s what we learned. Police shootings are more frequent here than in other states with similar population sizes  (The Denver Post) 13 Dallas officers disciplined for Islamophobic and other offensive social media posts  (The Washington Times) LAPD scandal opens window into California's secret gang database as reforms debated  (MSN) 30 state troopers fired in training cheating scandal  (AJC) CRIME RATE Rocks and Riches: How Crack Cocaine Affected America  (TheCrimeReport) Bail Reform, Mayor Blamed For January Crime S...

States starting to take new approaches to the opioid crisis, deescalation training rolling out, lowering risk for violent crime, communities react to facial recognition tech, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Assessing Similarities and Differences in Self-Control between Police Officers and Offenders  (American Journal of Criminal Justice) Dallas Mayor’s Task Force On Safe Communities Is Weeks Away From Presenting Recommendations  (21 CBS DFW) Cop who blew whistle on arrest quotas felt ‘threatened’ by then-NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton: court docs  (NYDailyNews) N.C. County Takes Preventive Approach to Opioid Crisis  (GovTech) see also:  Massachusetts Is Trying a Radical But Shockingly Simple New Response to the Opioid Crisis  (Mother Jones) De Blasio's Answer to Garner Death, NYPD Deescalation Training Slowly Evolves Toward Meeting Mayor’s Rhetoric  (Gotham Gazette) IRS touts 91% conviction rate for its 2019 tax crime cases  (Post Bulletin...

Media coverage of gun violence, can crime be predicted with AI and machine learning, lack of facial recognition laws, SpotCrime's FOIA testimony, open data to transform and engage communities, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Beyond crime rates and community surveys: a new approach to police accountability and performance measurement  (Crime Science Journal) IRS Claims to Have Identified “Dozens” of New Crypto Criminals  (Inside Bitcoins) Detailed look into Winston-Salem Police Department’s need for gunfire detection system  (MyFox8) Can We Trust the FBI's Crime Estimation Procedures?  (Academia.edu) Lessons to learn from a school resource officer  (PressHerald) Portland police chief walks out of meeting as school board asks for more time on body camera issue  (PressHerald) CRIME RATE Bias, Sensationalism Distort Media Coverage of Gun Violence, Conference Told  (TheCrimeReport) Chicago gun violence, drug cartel mayhem fueled by straw purcha...

Ethics behind the camera/license plate reader/facial recognition surveillance tech adopted by police, hotspot policing in Schenectady, high pollen days show correlation to lower crime, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Schenectady police talk data, hotspots following conference  (Daily Gazette) New grant funds partnership to fight violent crime  (Local 21 News) Civil Rights Groups Ask Legislators To Block Ring's Surveillance Partnerships With Law Enforcement  (TechDirt) Milwaukee police officer buys children car seats instead of ticketing their mom  (CNN) CRIME RATE More sneezing, less crime? Health shocks and the market for offenses  (ScienceDirect) Crime in Maine has declined more than 56% in 7 years, annual report shows  (Press Herald) WSU study of connection between marijuana legalization, crime turns up surprises  (Spokesman-Review) 18 pounds of fentanyl seized in Southern California — enough to make 4 million lethal doses  (CBS Ne...

Surveillance planes to combat crimes, facial recognition tech in schools, hot spot policing, mental illness and crime, AI, CA ends private prisons, and more... POLICE CONDUCT LAPD changing controversial program that uses data to predict where crimes will occur  (LA Times) Community Based Public Safety Solutions Are Working in South Los Angeles  (LA Sentinel) Fort Bend County Sheriff Nehls: Mental illness ‘biggest issue’ in Fort Bend County  (Houston Chronicle) STUDY: Where’s The Crime? Exploring Divergences Between Call Data and Perceptions of Local Crime and the microgeographic dynamics of this ‘hidden hot spot’  (Oxford Academic) Fort Collins Police Chief oped: Mindful approach to policing, community health helps increase safety  (Coloradoan) How Many Police Officers Should A City Have?  (WCCO) IRS Followed Bitcoin Transactions, Resulting In Takedown Of The Largest Child Exploitation Site On The Web  (Forbes) CRIME RATE Air Pollutio...

The age of surveillance, facial recognition, using blockchain with body cam footage and to fight deepfakes, domestic violence, cops get sued for untested rape kits, and more... POLICE CONDUCT $455 per minute: NYC speed cameras issue over $28M in fines following expansion, data shows  (Staten Island Live) US and UK Sign Crime Data Sharing Agreement  (OODA Loop) Cities want technology vendors that listen, not just 'sell stuff'  (StateScoop) Privacy, Civil Rights Groups Press Amazon’s Ring to End Its Local Police Partnerships  (Fortune) see also:  Team-Up Aims to Give 911 Dispatch Access to Camera Feeds  (GovTech) Women All Over the Country Are Suing Police for Failing to Test Their Rape Kits  (Mother Jones) What if Your Abusive Husband Is a Cop?  (The New Yorker) CRIME RATE New FBI Data: Violent Crime Still Falling  (The Marshall Project) How to predict whether a gun owner is more likely to commit violent crimes  (MarketW...

DNA databases help solve crimes or invasion of privacy, the rise of the surveilled neighborhood with license plate readers, home security cameras, and smart streetlights, fighting violence with community engaged greening, Facebook and police facial recognition, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall Says Summer Crime Initiative Made ‘Significant Impact’  (CBS DFW) DC expands gun testing to link and close shooting crimes  (WTOP) Police say complaints have dropped thanks to body cameras  (mrt) ‘Critical’ shortage: More than 100 Seattle Police officers left the department last year  (Q13Fox) CRIME RATE Uber allegedly discourages staff from disclosing crime reports to police  (Engineering and Technology) Busy Streets Theory: The Effects of Community-engaged Greening on Violence  (Society for Community Research and Action) see also:  Fighting gun violence in Chicago with trees, rakes and cleanup crews Deportations don't re...

Facial recognition use by police agencies debated, crime prediction software ineffective, more cities want camera and license plate reader networks, violent crime in St Louis, Kansas City teens fed up with crime, and more... POLICE CONDUCT California DOJ Data Shows Drop In Police Uses Of Force In 2018  (Witness LA) Police dropping 'crime prediction' software… because it's ineffective, not because it's Orwellian  (RT.com) see also:  LAPD pioneered predicting crime with data. Many police don’t think it works  (LA Times) Top 100 Cities for Police Officers  (Safety.com) 8 reasons you may need to leave your departmentThere are many factors other than pay that determine whether an officer chooses to stay with or leave an agency  (PoliceOne.com) Coast Guard crewman jumps onto moving submarine full of drugs  (TODAY) Grand Jury investigates Fresno Police Department for long wait times on 911 calls  (KMPH) 'Something we're not proud of': Fire...

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...

Ransomware and cyber attacks costing cities and business millions, facial recognition on body cams, mobile first policing, emerging science of violence prevention, high temps lead to higher crime rate, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Dallas PD Tries to Reduce Officer Workloads with New Online Reporting System  (Dallas Observer) Groups encouraged to apply for ‘Alert Neighbor Program,’ aimed at preventing crime  (Fox6Now) Denver using data to approach public safety in unique way  (KDVR) Pasco County Sheriff’s Office Creates Mental Health Team  (BayNews9) Body cam footage shows Orlando police officer dragged by suspect’s car: report  (Orlando Sentinel) ATF was supposed to destroy thousands of guns. Instead, a guard stole and sold them  (USA Today) CRIME RATE NOPD data shows decrease in crime as new juvenile crime initiatives go into effect  (Fox8Live) Higher temperatures can lead to more violent crime, especially in poorer neighborhoods ...

Homemade and untraceable guns, the abortion crime rate debate, pot legalization looked at in Louisville,  CA moves to ban facial recognition from police body cams, mental health incorporated into policing, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Once enemies, now police join forces with violence data activists  (Ozy.com) see also:  Cochise County joins violent crime data-sharing program  (Benson News-Sun) How KCPD calls for service can impact your call for help  (KSHB) ‘Future Of Policing’: How The LASD Incorporates Mental Health SharePrint This! ‘Future Of Policing’: How The LASD Incorporates Mental Health  (Hometownstation.com) see also  DA Calls For De-Escalation Training For Police Who Encounter Mentally Ill  (KPBS) Raleigh police chief rejects need for citizen-led review board  (ABC11) Police Seizing More Homemade, Untraceable Weapons Used in Local Crimes  (NBC San Diego) Ex-Allentown police chief Joel Fitzgerald fired as Fort W...

Community policing focus for agencies, deciphering PredPol through it's manual, Orlando's round two of facial recognition, Milwaukee ACLU ruling, health data and crime relationship and more... POLICE CONDUCT 73 Law Enforcement Line-of-Duty Deaths in First Half of 2018 Firearms-related fatalities increase 24 percent over same period last year  (NLEOMF.org) Long Island's top cops use technology to target guns, gangs and drugs  (Newsday) The Park City Police Are Reaching Out To HOA's To Lower Crime Rates In Neighborhoods  (KPCW) see also:  Police outreach in DC community where tensions are high doesn't go as planned  (WUSA) Baltimore police stopped noticing crime after Freddie Gray's death. A wave of killings followed.  (USAToday) Callback system aims to close loop for APD reports  (KTVA) Common Council approves historic settlement with ACLU over unconstitutional traffic stops (Milwaukee Independent) CRIME RATE Live in a Chicago neighborhoo...