SpotCrime - The Public's Crime Map

Facial recognition inaccuracies, calls to end CompStat program, sending non-violent crimes to mental health experts, licensing cops, creating lawful police accountability, how much do we spend on police, predictive policing comes under fire, police and surveillance efforts with big tech, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Illinois’ Top Legal Officer Wants To License Cops, Just Like Doctors, Hairdressers  (WBEZ) Poorer Cities Spend More of Budget on Police, Even Where Crime Is Lower  (Sludge) see also:  What Policing Costs A Look at Spending in America’s Biggest Cities  (vera.org) FL Sheriffs Warn Citizens: Be Prepared And Get Armed  (BearingArms.com)  Clay County sheriff says he’ll deputize every gun owner if deputies can’t handle protesters  (Gainesville.com) A Look at Police Brutality in America  (NBC DFW) see also:  Cities with Black police chiefs have lower instances of fatal police shootings, research shows  (The Hill) California Law Would ...

George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Philando Castille. The list goes on . All were victims of failed policing - use of force, implicit bias, ineffective policing, and bad community relationships. Good policing relationships are based on trust . To obtain trust, transparency is needed to cultivate healthy police-community relationships fostering an effective and open accountability feedback loop between the police and the communities they serve.  Crime datasets are a good place to start when building trust. Think of crime data transparency or open crime data as the basis for a grassroots (and free) neighborhood oversight board. This level transparency telegraphs a modern, progressive, and accountable police department that is focused on facing the data to improve operations.  Asking for open crime data means requiring police agencies to release more than just annual FBI UCR/NIBRS data . It means demanding timely, robust, and raw datasets that are available for anyone to access, do...

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...

Looking at line of duty deaths, botched police raid, teleworking during COVID19, DOJ awards funding to fight violent crime, some cities still struggling with violent crime during pandemic, economic impact of open crime data, and more... POLICE CONDUCT COVID-19 Line-of-Duty Deaths  (Fraternal Order of Police) see also  National Police Week| Recognizes those Killed in Line-of-Duty  (Fox Baltimore) IMPD will have body cams by this summer, implement ‘use of force’ review board  (FOX 59) Media coverage of police misconduct and attitudes toward police  (Academia.edu) Woman shot and killed by Kentucky police in botched raid, family says  (NBC News) City Manager: Police Officers Teleworked in Case of ‘Much Worse’ COVID-19 Situation  (ALX Now) Portsmouth police chief stands up to push-back on budget demands  (Seacoast Online) Crypto Companies, Law Enforcement and Intelligence Firms Team Up to Fight Human Trafficking  (Coin Telegraph) Man repeatedly pu...

Protecting police against COVID19, domestic violence rises, some cities see increase in violent crime during pandemic, some cities using pandemic to ignore FOIA, flattening the curve in prisons, and more... POLICE CONDUCT 3 NYPD officers die within hours of each other due to coronavirus  (FOX35) What policing during the pandemic reveals about crime rates and arrests  (PBS) Police Protection and COVID-19: The Secrecy That Surrounds It  (FoxBaltimore) CRIME RATE Seattle-area police blotters from 1918 pandemic and 2020 coronavirus: Which is which?  (Seattle Times) Car tracking data reveals massive fall in crime  (GADGET) Armed thieves are capitalizing on the fact that everyone’s now wearing masks in public  (Quartz) Rise in violent crime in Jacksonville despite more people staying at home  (ActionNewsJax) see also:  Portland Shootings Increase Despite Stay At Home Order  (OPB) and also:  Motor Vehicle Thefts Rise in New York...

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...

Coronoavirus affecting first responders, using AI ethically to fight crime, geofencing warrants, open data makes safer cities, coronavirus upends justice system, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Miami Beach Commissioner Asks if City Should Infect First Responders With Coronavirus  (Miami New Times) Concerns about virus are changing how police respond to non-emergency calls  (KBTX) Video Appears To Show Louisiana Cop Planting ‘Crack’ On Handcuffed Black Suspect  (NewsOne.com) CRIME RATE Kansas City Looks To Florida For Help Solving Its Gun Violence Problem  (WUNC) CRIM-TECH How AI is being used to help fight crime  (Engineering and Technology) see also:  Cops need to come clean on predictive policing of 250,000 people  (The Bristol Cable) Coming to terms with biometrics in policing  (The Hindu) Data from man's ankle bracelet led police to charge him as an armed home invader, but court says that was unconstitutional  (Univer...

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...

Body cams bring transparency at a cost, using data to address justice system issues, open crime data helps create independent crime maps in KC, Clearwater placing cameras around city, Alabama prison plan, and more... POLICE CONDUCT We can do better for our kids and our communities by investing in programs proven to be good for them, writes the Pinellas sheriff.  (Tampa Bay Times) Florence County Sheriff’s Office uses traffic data to combat crime  (WMBF News) This Central Valley police chief forced an officer to remodel his home; now he’s California’s latest criminal cop  (The Mercury News) Clearwater police to create operations center linked to cameras around city  (Tampa Bay Newspapers Weekly) 'Catastrophic data loss' affects thousands of Hamilton County Sheriff's Office dashcam videos  (Chattanooga Times Free Press) CRIME RATE Bill would call for state of emergency to address Baltimore crime  (WBAL) 'Treat this as a public health crisis' |...

Addressing the inaccuracies of predictive AI in policing, Boston looks at new way behind parking tickets, ceasefire in Baltimore working?, changing course in addressing overdoses, and more... POLICE CONDUCT This Tiny Louisiana Police Force Is a National Leader in Taking Guns From Abusers  (The Trace) St. Paul police adopt policy changing how emergency calls are prioritized   (KMSP) D.C. issues record $1 billion in traffic and parking tickets, AAA calls it 'predatory'  (WJLA) see also:  Boston parking proposal: Adjust tickets based on driver's income  (WCVB) Video: Orlando Cops Arrest Crying Six-Year-Old Girl One of the officers was fired after arresting two six-year-olds in one day.  (Reason.com) LAPD not giving up on data-driven policing, even after scrapping controversial program  (CBS News) CRIME RATE Internal documents, whistleblowers point to alleged underreporting of crime by DC Police  (WUSA) With initiative to curb fear of ...

Abusing license plate readers, police use of DNA databases, effects of community policing, Congress expresses concerns over Ring doorbell relationship with PDs, State police's $12.2M database does not work, live streaming body cams, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Abilene Police 'Officer of the Year' also wins life saving award  (KTXS) Community-oriented policing to reduce crime, disorder and fear and increase satisfaction and legitimacy among citizens: a systematic review  (Academia.edu) see also: Charleston police to hold conversation with community to address crime reports  (Live 5 News WCSC) and also:  Neighborhood by Neighborhood: Community Policing in a Rust Belt City  (Academia.edu) California Police Have Been Illegally Sharing License Plate Reader Data  (Vice) see also:  Audit: police license plate readers at risk for data breaches, misuse Seymour police captain, former chief arrested on ghost employment charges  (Fox59) Neighbors sa...