SpotCrime - The Public's Crime Map

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...

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...

Police staffing crisis, use of force, addressing violent crime, focused interruption, evaluating camera surveillance use by police, geofence warrants, body cams, crime rate, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Officials vow to increase police staffing, with available officers at historic low  (Berkeleyside.org) see also:  Chicago on pace to lose more than 1,000 officers due to resignation, retirement  (WGN) and also:  How Phoenix is handling 'crisis' police staffing situation  (KJZZ) Five times as many police officers have died from Covid-19 as from gunfire since start of pandemic  (CNN) Governor releases third-party review of state law enforcement. The report assessed curriculums, training standards, policies and practices.  (WTHR) Examining the Risk of Recurring Use of Force Incidents Among Newly Hired Police Officers  (SAGE Journals) Trainers show media the ‘other side’ of deadly shootings and use of force by police  (KETK) Tiny wrists in cuffs: Ho...

DHS commission looks at best law enforcement practices, CA law strips badges from bad officers, NYC union leader resigns,  'hunting' protestors in Minneapolis, domestic violence awareness, looking at recent FBI crime data, flawed gang database, geofence warrants, OH promises transparency in felony cases, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Columbus police to focus on gangs as part of crackdown on violence  (WBNS) St. Louis is overhauling its 911 system to fix long hold times  (STLPR) California enacts law to strip badges from bad officers  (AP News) Flagstaff City Council approves $2.5 million contract for mobile alternate response unit  (AZ Daily Sun) Fatal police violence by race and state in the USA, 1980–2019: a network meta-regression  (The Lancet) see also:  More Than Half of Police Killings Are Mislabeled, New Study Says  (New York Times) New DHS commission will look at best law enforcement practices: Mayorkas  (ABC News) Body cam footage shows...

In 2019, we published an op-ed at the University of Florida Brechner Center Freedom of Information outlining the issues Marsy’s Law has caused in the collection of public crime information. Two years later, Marsy's Law in Florida continues to take its toll on police transparency. Many other states have implemented their own version of Marsy’s Law without creating problems related to police transparency now faced in Florida. It appears other states have found ways to discern between the intent of Marsy’s Law to protect victims rights to privacy, while also making sure the public has access to pertinent information related to crime, policing, and government transparency. Luckily since our op-ed, we have not run into any other notable police agencies using Marsy’s Law as a blanket exemption to releasing public crime blotter information. However, the original three agencies - Polk County Sheriff, Pasco County Sheriff, and Lake County Sheriff - are still not making crime blotter inform...

Chicago police pause new foot pursuit policy, police in schools, staffing woes in Baltimore PD, effects of one day foot patrols on hot spots, campus sexual assault, Texas will 'eliminate all rapists', MN county stops prosecuting low level traffic stops, body cam law to standardize operations across the state, recidivism rates over the past 10 years, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Chicago police will delay making temporary foot pursuit policy permanent, saying more time is needed for data analysis  (Chicago Tribune)  When Schools Call Police On Kids  (WFAE) see also:  Gun violence in city prods Erie School District to propose delay in reducing police force  (GoErie.com) State Police takes no action against trooper who lied about Ronald Greene body cam footage  (WBRZ) Police staffing woes complicate reform effort in Baltimore  (Associated Press) South Dallas Property Owner Sues City Over Habitual Criminal Property Designation  (Dallas Observer) Dallas p...

Mental health, search and seizures, police reform and procedural justice, concealed carry linked to increased gun violence, license plate readers used to track vehicle locations, facial recognition, police data tracking needs more transparency, school-to-prison pipeline, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Cook County Sheriff dealing with mental health crisis one Zoom call at a time  (Associated Press) see also:  Crisis counselors soon to be on scene with first responders to assist individuals exhibiting mental health needs  (Hometown Stations) Female police officers are less likely to search a car during a traffic stop but more likely to find contraband when they do  (PsyPost) see also:  Police revise rules for searches after people report confusion, intimidation  (Fox5 San Diego) Beverly Hills: 99% of people arrested by ‘safe streets’ unit were Black, suit says  (The Guardian) Mirage of Police Reform: Procedural Justice and Police Legitimacy  (Academia.e...

Gun violence and mass shootings, looking at violence prevention programs, police mental health, extremists and racism in police ranks, use of force, police conduct, license plate readers, drones, police data lacks in domestic violence and hate crimes, treating substance abuse, and more... POLICE CONDUCT In Chesterfield, assaults on police and use-of-force incidents increased in 2020  (Chesterfield Observer) Dallas Activists, Police Officers Work Together to Offer Opportunity to Young Black Men  (NBC DFW) 'That's a massive mistake.' Police chief sounds off on lack of regular psych help for officers  (WXYZ) Pushing for police reform: Local police chiefs weigh in on recruiting challenges  (WXYZ) Transphobia, hostility about protesters in private cop group  (AP) see also:  From Insult to Estrangement and Injury: The Violence of Racist Police Jokes  (Academia.edu) 'A nightmare scenario': Extremists in police ranks spark growing concern after Capitol riot ...

Surveillance drones and spy planes, winter crime rate, more police agencies begin sharing crime data with the public, jail costs went up when crime went down, looking at crime concentration in specific neighborhoods, giving ex-offenders a second chance, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Memphis Police increasing patrols for ‘Operation Winter Freeze’  (NewsChannel3 Memphis) see also:  Houston leaders increasing patrols in 'hot spot' violent crime areas; 40+ homicides already in 2021  (KHOU11) Mediation of complaints against police: a review of programs in Los Angeles and New York City  (Taylor and Francis online) Policing Policy Trends: Balancing Accountability With Safety  (NCSL.org) Four State Police troopers arrested, identified after 'use of force encounters' at Troop F in Monroe  (The Advocate) CRIME RATE New research examines the cost of crime in the U.S., estimated to be $2.6 trillion in a single year  (Vanderbilt University) 2020 a ‘Perfect Storm’ for ...