SpotCrime - The Public's Crime Map

Accountability and transparency, DOJ recommendations for protests, police efficiency, police conduct, US crime and policing trends, random acts of violence, crime ballot measures, access to police press briefings, Boston police accountability, thwarting transparency, criminal courts a black box, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Kissimmee Announces Plans for New Accountability and Transparency Measures Following Grand Jury Findings on Police Misconduct  (Positively Osceola) New DOJ recommendations for police and press bridge protest divide  (Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press) Report finds lack of police efficiency leading to fewer arrests in CA  (ABC 7) Not believed: Charged with filing false report, Polk teen captured own evidence during rape  (The Ledger) Ohio Sheriff’s Lieutenant in hot water after social posts; “I am sorry. If you support the Democratic Party, I will not help you”  (WTRF) 13 Lewisville officers disciplined after 'inappropriate contact' during prostituti

Houston ignored cases, NJ police discipline, traffic stop racial disparities, homicides falling, kids' online safety bill, image based sexual abuse, youth and delinquency, DNA, gunshot detection impact, AI to predict crimes, DA transparency dashboard, death in prisons, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Houston police misused ‘lack of personnel’ code for eight years, Chief Satterwhite says, leading to 260,000 ignored cases  (Houston Public Media) 460 cops faced major discipline in 2023, new report shows  (New Jersey Monitor) An Analysis of Racial Disparities in Police Traffic Stops in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, from 2010 to 2019  (Vera) CRIME RATE Homicides in U.S. Continue to Fall from Pandemic Highs  (New York Times) see also:  Crime in Austin continues downward trend, though homicides still above pre-pandemic levels  (Austin American-Statesman) LAPD warns residents after spike in burglaries using Wi-Fi jammers that disable security cameras, smart doorbells  (Tom's Hardware) Tole

Police encryption and access to encrypted data, reporting police misconduct, high-speed police chases, surveillance expansion, US crime data, DOJ seeks input on AI use, machine learning flags issues with police forces sooner, AI assessing traffic stops, cyber security training, body cam transparency, forensic DNA lab transparency, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Police Chiefs Call for Solutions to Access Encrypted Data in Serious Crime Cases  (The Hacker News) Myrtle Beach police fully encrypts scanner traffic, drawing transparency concerns  (WMBF) Colorado law enforcement groups object to bill requiring officers to report colleagues' alleged misconduct  (Colorado Politics) In reversal, more areas allow high-speed police chases  (The Mercury News) Firing the police chief, probing his complaints two resolutions facing Mobile City Council  (NBC15) Surveillance expansion threatens press freedom – and everyone else's  (Freedom of the Press Foundation) 34 charges filed as Houston PD wrap

Police raid at wrong house leaves baby injured, neck restraints, roadside drug tests result in wrongful arrests, Operation Ceasefire in Oakland, public cameras for video evidence, police scanners to go dark, no more floppy discs for police records in Holyoke, non-lethal police weapons, AR FOIA exemption for police, AL prison returns bodies missing organs, and more... POLICE CONDUCT 'It's the wrong house': Audio of Ohio police raid that left a baby injured raises new questions  (NBC News) Neck-restraint bans, law enforcement officer unions, and police killings  (Wiley Online Library) Study Estimates Roadside Drug Tests Result in 30,000 Wrongful Arrests Every Year  (reason) CRIME RATE Oakland seeks to resurrect Operation Ceasefire after new audit links its end to rising crime  (ABC 7) Residential addiction treatment for U.S. teens is scarce and expensive, OHSU-led study finds  (Oregon Capital Chronicle) Pittsburgh’s new police records system will help federal agencies better

Jersey City behind on crime data reporting, responding to mental health calls, Portland progress in policing reform, police chiefs reimagine mission and culture of law enforcement, overdose sites not associated with increase in crime, impact of gratitude on unethical behavior, juvenile violence, addressing gun violence, drones as first responders, lags in releasing body cam footage, rethinking prison, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Jersey City Police Over Two Years Behind on Crime Reporting, State Official  (Jersey City Times) Police Chiefs Reimagine the Mission and Culture of Law Enforcement  (Governing.com) Cities know the way police respond to mental crisis calls needs to change. But how?  (NPR.org) Justice Department and City of Portland, Oregon, Seek Independent Monitor and Partial Termination of Consent Decree Covering the Portland Police Bureau after Substantial Progress in Policing Reform  (Justice.gov) School-based law enforcement strategies to reduce crime, increase perceptions o

Disbanding police forces, cops in schools, gang database scrapped, retail crime, asset forfeiture, big city crime rates, violence against MD youth, online crime data base for transparency, crime on cruise ships, prison guard corruption, and more... POLICE CONDUCT ‘It’s scary’: America’s small towns are disbanding police forces, citing hiring woes  (Winston Salem Journal) Do cops actually make schools safer?  (Minnesota Reformer) Do police stations deter crime?  (Crime Science) Police Oversight Board Votes to Permanently Scrap New Chicago Gang Database  (WTTW) After George Floyd’s murder, more states require release of police disciplinary records  (Stateline) Memphis Police pressured to change culture after high-profile killings and beatings  (WGLT) Federal Appeals Court Rules Detroit's Asset Forfeiture Violates Due Process Rights of Drivers  (Reason) CRIME RATE Americans are hopelessly confused about big-city crime. Partisanship is partly to blame  (LA Times) see also:  Rising crim

Paperwork amounts to stress, new emergency response teams for mental health, social media fueling homicides in young Americans, lead exposure linked to higher risk of criminal behavior, smart city model bears fruit, body cam skeptics, police officer names secret, hiding mistreatment behind FOIA, treating addiction in prison, and more... POLICE CONDUCT “It's frustrating … I didn’t join to sit behind a desk”: Police paperwork as a source of organizational stress  (Sage Journals) Philadelphia creates new emergency response team for behavioral health calls  (CBS News Philadelphia) see also:  Long Beach launches community crisis response team to address certain calls for service  (KTLA) and also:  Albany Common Council president calls for new crime response. The proposal from Corey Ellis would create "community quality of life" patrols in the city  (Times Union) CRIME RATE How Social Media Apps Could Be Fueling Homicides Among Young Americans  (ProPublica) see also:  Young Ame

Social workers on non-criminal police calls, increase in police salaries to combat crime, making sense of unofficial deadly force data, risks of police tech, police transparency, juvenile justice system, abuse in prison systems, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Bridgeport sending social workers on 'non-criminal' police calls  (CT Post) see also:  Sarasota County implements new system for non-emergency calls  (Observer) Can an increase in police salaries combat Memphis' crime problems?  (ABC24) Making Sense of Unofficial Deadly Force Data  (IACP) CRIME RATE Can a doorbell ring justify a ‘stand your ground’ shooting?  (ABC7) 'Gummies, candies, cookies': State Crime Lab opens, sees critical levels of fentanyl in many items  (ABC11) Outgoing D.C. police chief on city's rising crime rate: "A lot more guns are in communities now"  (CBS News) Mayor Scott gives update on Baltimore's 'Community Violence Intervention Ecosystem'  (Fox 45) CRIM-TECH Fact Ver

Misleading crime stats,  mental health calls response, violence intervention programs, effects of increased police presence on perceptions of arrest risk, surveillance tools in your city, AI security tech, OH mayors launch data innovation, re-offending, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Antioch police chief assures residents there will be no gaps in service  (The Mercury News) McCurtain County residents demand Sheriff, Commissioner’s resignation  (KFOR) Exclusive: Analysis shows Jackson police chief misled council members, public about city’s crime rate  (WLBT) see also:  Editorial: With a Touch of Orwell, Mayor Misleads Again on Crime Stats  (Jersey City Times) Indy FOP wants police to stop responding to mental health calls after officer indictments  (IndyStar) CRIME RATE Police chief says Austin has seen a big drop in violent crime since state troopers started helping out  (Austin Monitor) D.C.’s Violence Intervention Programs To Receive In-Depth Evaluation  (DCist) New crime solutions tool

2022 deadliest year for mass shootings, police obtain location data without warrant, agencies fail to report FBI data, crime and American opinion, justice tech procurement, campus crimes, bail in Ohio, criminal codes changed in DC, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Denver city leaders launch “downtown action team” to address crime, drugs, homelessness  (Denver Post) Florida Law Enforcement Fails to Participate in FBI Annual Crime Report  (Miami New Times) see also:  Less than 25% of New York police submitted data to the FBI 2021 crime statistics  (WSHU) Police Quietly Obtain Private Location Data with a Checkbook and not a Warrant  (POGO.org) CRIME RATE In wake of Colorado Springs massacre, 2022 is deadliest year for mass shootings, Northeastern expert says  (Northeastern.edu) Virginia youth from areas with high rates of crime and economic disadvantage are at the highest risk of recidivism, VCU study finds  (VCU.edu) Crime, American Public Opinion and the Election  (Gallup News) King County u

Police suicides, police insurance, under policing America, stand your ground laws, abandoned cars cause crime, extremist incidents, AI to fight illegal dumping, Minneapolis police drones, lack of crime data in America, reporting hazing incidents on college campus, mental health in prison, prison labor, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Police Suicides: Silence is No Longer an Answer  (The Crime Report) Texas sheriff opens criminal investigation into Martha's Vineyard migrant trips  (NBC News) Insurers force change on police departments long resistant to it  (The Washington Post) ‘The Injustice of Under-Policing in America’: Paper  (The Crime Report) Federal Oversight of Police Has Cost Cleveland Millions. What’s Changed?  (The Marshall Project) The Price Kids Pay: Schools and Police Punish Students With Costly Tickets for Minor Misbehavior  (ProPublica) CRIME RATE Gun Deaths Hit an All-Time High (Again) in 2021  (The Trace) see also:  Guns Are Driving Rising Suicide Rates in American Citi

Minnesota police race discrimination, Justice Department releases funds to hiring officers, crisis hotlines, gag rules frustrate police accountability, shortcomings of police on campus, violence against police, juvenile gun possession, police surveillance, tech suppliers hostile to transparency, Illinois politics and prison board, and more... POLICE CONDUCT The Minnesota Department of Human Rights on Wednesday released a report showing the Minneapolis Police Department has engaged in a pattern of race discrimination for at least a decade.  (Pioneer Press) Justice Department Releases over $320 Million in Solicitations for Hiring Law Enforcement Officers, Improving School Safety, and Combating Distribution of Illicit Drugs  (DOJ) A new crisis hotline, 988, is coming this summer. Is Washington ready?  (Yakima Herald Republic) see also:  Most 911 Calls Have Nothing To Do With Crime. Why Are We Still Sending Police?  (vera.org) You Have the Duty to Remain Silent: How Workplace Gag Rules Fru

Crime statistics influence police strategy, firearms leading cause of life lost, Stand Your Ground laws linked to increase in homicides, gun violence declared public health crisis, AI help with 911 staffing shortages, Maine law enforcement FOIA audit, criminal justice fee's trap people in poverty, Utah's clean slate law, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Phoenix police release bodycam footage of officer 'ambushed' by shooter  (AZ Central) 2 JP deputies arrested on manslaughter counts in shooting that left man dead  (WWLTV) Former St. Tammany Sheriff Jack Strain gets 4 life sentences in rape, incest case  (KNOE) Colorado could become 3rd state to ban police from lying to kids during interrogations  (Oregon Live) Michigan City crime statistics will influence police strategy  (NWI Times) CRIME RATE Firearms: the leading cause of years of potential life lost  (BMJ Journals)   ‘Stand Your Ground’ Laws Linked to Increase in Homicides  (TheCrimeReport) More accurately capturing data

Gun violence, stolen guns from cars, FBI launches police suicide database, US violent crime rate, racial divide in policing, gun violence, analyzing body cam footage, lack of data hinders policy efforts, freedom of the database, federal solitary confinement, and more... POLICE CONDUCT BPD looks to improve service, accountability with tracking program  (Bakersfield.com) NYC Mayor Eric Adams names younger brother deputy NYPD commissioner, raising more concerns about conflicts of interest  (The Grio) Burbank Police are Improving Crime Measurement and Reporting  (MyBurbank.com) The American racial divide in fear of the police  (Wiley Online Library) see also:  The pandemic tanked traffic stops in 2020 — but racial disparities remained, data shows  (VTDigger) Ann Arbor may use federal stimulus to launch unarmed 911 response program  (MLive) see also:  APD 311 diversion helps with emergencies, creates backlog for low-level crimes  (KXAN) FBI Launches Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection  

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 control  (Independent) The Crimina