SpotCrime - The Public's Crime Map

Mental health police response programs seeing results, reimagining policing in Seattle, Chicago controversial gang database still in use, Pasco County controversial intelligence program still in use, evidence from gun-shot detecting AI altered, DOJ launches firearms trafficking strike force, officers from January 6 insurrection testify, hate crime laws lack uniformity across US, reentry programs change inmates lives, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Chicago Police Defend Use of Gang Database, More than 2 Years After Watchdog Called it ‘Deeply Flawed’  (WTTW) Pasco Sheriff’s Office letter targets residents for ‘increased accountability’. Critics of the agency’s intelligence programs called the letter ‘patronizing’ and ‘offensive,’ and raised continued concerns about civil rights  (Tampa Bay Times) Policing in America Project: The Value of Community Engagement  (Data Foundation) Police Are Telling ShotSpotter to Alter Evidence From Gunshot-Detecting AI  (VICE) Seattle mayor ...

Police surveillance tech evolves, police overtime increases in some cities, getting evicted for calling 911, minimum wage hike had no effect on crime in Seattle, open government is good government, white supremacist propaganda high in some states, Asian-American hate crimes increase, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Racial gaps continue in St. Louis County police traffic stops, use of force, report says  (St Louis Post Dispatch) St. Louis County police tout success of partnership with city pushed by consulting firm  (St Louis Public Radio) More details needed in Jackson police chief’s crime plan, council members say  (WLBT) Why people are getting evicted for calling 911 One way cities are quietly circumventing due process and fair housing laws to evict renters.  (Vox) Boston police overtime is projected to be $15 million over budget for this fiscal year  (Boston Globe) see also:  San Jose audit: Police overtime skyrockets  (San Jose Spotlight) Home surveilla...

Policing riots and civil unrest, peaceful George Floyd protests, police and rioters clash while police and protesters work together, police accountability, police reform, police transparency, and more... POLICE CONDUCT 3 more cops charged in George Floyd death, other officer’s murder charge upgraded  (CNBC) Law enforcement agencies ban carotid restraint  (NBC San Diego) Houston officials to honor George Floyd with march, rally and offer to escort body  (Houston Chronicle) see also:  WATCH: Des Moines law enforcement kneels with protesters, dispersing group  (KCCI) and also:  Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson joins protesters marching for George Floyd  (NBC 25) These 4 charts describe police violence in America  (CNBC) see also:  Officer accused of pushing teen during protest has 71 use of force cases on file FDLE investigating Sunday incident involving Fort Lauderdale police officer Steven Pohorence  (Local10 News) How to reform Ameri...

Assessing and reassessing police violence and use of force, gun violence over Memorial Day, police surveillance oversight, looking at the coronavirus crime spike and drop, and more... POLICE CONDUCT A thread of police chiefs strongly condemning the murder of George Floyd  (Twitter) Police killed 1,099 people in 2019 - a map  (MappingPoliceViolence.org) Louisiana cop fired for saying 'unfortunate' more black people didn't die of coronavirus  (NBC News) The Strange Saga of the Rogue Kentucky Constables Who Arrested an FBI Agent  (Daily Beast) Audit: Austin police need more time, better data in community policing  (Austin-American Statesman) CRIME RATE Cincinnati police ramp up efforts to curb gun violence after shooting death of 8-year-old  (WCPO) see also:  Police roll out ShotSpotter technology in three more Cincinnati neighborhoods  (WCPO) Addressing Terrorism and Crime in Your City: Why the Public and Private Sectors Need to Work Together  ...

Questioning the ethics behind facial recognition software, addressing gun violence, data boosts trust in public safety, dangers of constantly monitored society, spike in sextortion scams, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Fewer calls has local law enforcement focused on community policing  (SkyHiNews) Pandemic-era policing: Fewer crimes, but signs of rising stress  (Public Source) Smart Policing for Safer Cities: A Data-Driven Approach  (TowardDataScience.com) Q&A: Cameras, Police, the Dangers of a Constantly Monitored Society  (Berkeley.edu) Indianapolis Police Officer Shoots Man in Livestreamed Killing. Here's What to Know  (Time) New State Data Show 97 Percent Drop in Backlogged Rape Kits  (BCTV.org) San Francisco police chief bans 'thin blue line' face masks  (ABC News) CRIME RATE Link found between early post office locations and modern crime rates  (Phys.org) Gun Violence Reduction Programs Struggle With Long-Term Success  (IdeaStream) see...

Are COVID19 related jail releases effective and fair, crime rates slowly crawling back to 'normal', cybercrime increases dramatically during pandemic, using drones to enforce social distancing, and more... POLICE CONDUCT What is Known About the Effectiveness of Police Practices in Reducing Crime and Disorder?  (Academia.edu) Tickets for speeding in excess of 100 mph surge 87% amid coronavirus shutdown, CHP says  (LA Times) While patrolling reopened beaches, Florida officers find man wanted for homicide  (WFLA) CRIME RATE Portland police say commercial thefts, shootings on the rise; crime rate trending back to normal Calls for service initially decreased since Gov. Brown's emergency declaration, but crime is now trending back to normal or above normal levels.  (KGW8) Some Crimes Are Spiking in America’s Major Cities Lack of social interaction leads to overall decline in crime  (Bloomberg) FBI says cybercrime reports quadrupled during COVID-19 pandem...

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...

Crime rate changes during the pandemic, fines and ankle monitors for coronavirus violations, downsides of relying on predictive policing outlined by DOJ, looking at surveillance of citizens to fight pandemic, and more... POLICE CONDUCT A Minnesota trooper pulled over a doctor for speeding. Then he gave her his N95 medical masks  (CNN) A 3rd NYPD member dies of coronavirus after hundreds of officers test positive  (CNN) Kentucky puts ankle monitors on coronavirus patients who break quarantine  (Global News) and also:  Six months in jail, $11,000 fine for leaving home without a 'reasonable excuse’  (The Sydney Morning Herald) What to expect on patrol during the COVID-19 pandemicA BOLO for five call types officers may respond to during the current national emergency  (PoliceOne) 'Blue wall of silence': When the sexual assault suspect is a police officer  (Star Tribune) Flood of retired Norfolk police officers offer services in wake of corona...

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...

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...

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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...

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...

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...