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 ...

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...

Joint crime office, traffic stops, police job vacancies, police commission meetings, gun violence data hub, sextortion on the rise, sexual assault, 2020 homicide spike, drones used to respond to police calls, location boost to 911 calls, accessing police records, yoga in prison, recidivism, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Memphis, Shelby County to launch joint crime office to address violence  (Local Memphis) National groups say Fayetteville is stopping more Black drivers than it was a decade ago  (Fayetteville Observer) Oceanside gets new police chief after retirement announcement  (OSide News) Records Show Vacancies Across City of Durham Departments; Police and emergency communications departments show high vacancies  (Indy Week) Watchdog group launches social media campaign publicizing details on Maui police commission meeting  (Hawaii News Now) CRIME RATE Nearly $1M on the way to fight crime in Stockton  (ABC10) The Trace Launches Gun Violence Data Hub ...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

New police chief promises trust and transparency, better crime data means better crime policy, racial profiling, Boeing criminal charges, family violence, gun violence public health crisis, active shooters targeting public spiked, Biden gun safety law, gun violence, automated license plate readers, gunshot detection software, body cam transparency, California in contempt over prison mental health staffing, and more... POLICE CONDUCT 'Trust, confidence, transparency' — Chatham-Kent gets new police chief  (Windsor Star) This police department's autism unit is saving lives  (Red River Radio) see also:  Alternative 911 Responses Can Build Trust and Improve Outcomes  (Governing) Better Crime Data, Better Crime Policy  (Council on Criminal Justice) Pinellas officers track where people sleep outside ahead of DeSantis law  (Tampa Bay Times) Connecticut Racial Profiling Prohibition Project releases annual report on traffic stops  (Fox61) Boeing should face crim...

DOJ says Phoenix police have pattern of violating civil rights, Louisville police Chief suspended, police shootings, reporting crime data in 2022 explained, big cities big victories over crime, Baltimore city gun violence drop, police drones, facial recognition tech, license plate readers, NYPD dodge surveillance transparency laws, LAPD removes crime data from public, incarceration and crime, dying in prison, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Florida deputy who fatally shot airman fired for ‘not objectively reasonable’ use of force  (WFLA) Minnesota law enforcement officers are facing increase in attacks by shooters, state data shows  (CBS News) Phoenix police have a pattern of violating civil rights, Justice Dept. report says  (WGLT) Louisville community leaders calling for more transparency after LMPD police chief suspended  (KTVZ) County’s New Approach To “Emergency” Calls Is Working Swimmingly  (Rhino Times) When Police Shootings Don’t Kill: The Data That Gets Left...

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...

Fired cops, police advisory committee, police community relations, traffic stops clogging courts, police discipline records, National Crime Victimization Survey, stranger danger and violent crime, reducing gun crime, stolen guns, rap music used as evidence to convict, AI tool in criminal cases faces legal challenges, AI cameras, drones respond to 911 calls, police transparency in Pittsburgh, police data transparency, dashboards for criminal justice, and more... POLICE CONDUCT The Police Department for Fired Cops  (Illinois Answers Project) New police advisory committee formed after changes from state law  (Fox13Memphis) Using basketball to improve police-community relations and lower gun violence  (The Philadelphia Inquirer) In Memphis, Minor Traffic Stops are Clogging Courts and Draining Resources  (Vera.org) Yonkers PD must hand over police discipline records to civil liberties group, judge rules  (AOL) CRIME RATE National Crime Victimization Survey: Prevalenc...

Basic police data kept secret, sports celebrations violence, violent crime drop, language models on police report writing, gunfire detection, AI surveillance to spot crime, police oversight board, releasing police chase policies, homicide transparency, correctional system oversight, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Officer who stood trial for death of Freddie Gray to oversee Internal Affairs for BPD  (CBS News) Virginia keeps even basic police data secret  (VPM) Names of police who use deadly force could be shielded under proposed law  (Tampa Bay Times) CRIME RATE Shooting after Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade latest violence to mar sports celebrations  (APNews) The “Red” vs. “Blue” Crime Debate and the Limits of Empirical Social Science  (Manhattan Institute) Violent crime is dropping fast in the U.S. — even if Americans don't believe it  (NPR) Dallas’ overall violent crime rate drops nearly 30% — but business robberies increase over last year  (KERA) CRIM-TECH T...

Police misconduct and killings published in Louisiana, recruiting officers, 2023 gun violence trends, transit crime rates, schools and hate crimes, retail shrink and theft, Amazon revokes police access to Ring footage, halt funding to predictive policing, cyberattacks, RMS overhaul in Pennsylvania, broadcasting law enforcement frequencies, bail in Tennessee, and more... POLICE CONDUCT New data dashboard for police misconduct, killings in Louisiana  (BRProud) Alameda went far beyond what other cities were willing to pay to recruit officers. Did it pay off?  (The Mercury News) CRIME RATE In 2023, Gun Violence Trended Down Across the Country  (American Progress.org) Schools are 3rd-highest location for hate crimes: FBI  (ABC News) As some transit crime rates triple, FTA releases data, other resources  (Smart Cities Dive) Maryland crime trends show increase in unsolved violent crimes  (FOX45) 7 reasons why everyone’s confused about shrink and theft  (Retai...

Reviewing body cam footage, police staff shortages and mandatory overtime in Baltimore, traffic fines generate revenue, racial bias in traffic stops, Seattle homicides, gun violence, automated license plate readers, crime data transparency, future of US jails, GA understaffed prisons, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Mobile public safety director to review all use of force body cam footage amid growing tensions  (AL.com) Baltimore police union sounds alarm over severe staffing shortages and mandatory overtime  (Fox Baltimore) This Louisiana Town Runs Largely on Traffic Fines. If You Fight Your Ticket, the Mayor Is Your Judge.  (ProPublica.org) DOJ announces expansion of program to Memphis to fight violent crime in the city  (LocalMemphis.com) City efforts to address racial bias in traffic enforcement have reduced the number of stops, but disparities remain  (PublicSource.org) CRIME RATE Seattle Ties Record For Homicides Set In The 1990s  (The Seattle Medium) On g...