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SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Use of force, crime rate, AI

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Use of force rules, fatal police shootings and training, encrypting scanners, anti-crime laws, state crime victims funds, 911 calls surge, deadly shootings involving 18-20 year olds, taking on rising car thefts, big data surveillance tech, school crimes, AI and body cam footage, discrepancies in crime data, loopholes in police transparency laws, rehabilitative services in prison, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Police in this Pennsylvania county slow to adopt new use-of-force rules, study finds  (The Morning Call) After fatal shootings, Rantoul police recommended more training. They just sent one officer to a gun range  (IPM News) Des Moines seeks to hire dispatchers as 911 calls surge to decade-high record  (Des Moines Register) Head of police oversight in Phoenix questions office's independence in resignation letter  (KJZZ) Many cities have anti-crime laws. The DOJ says one in Minnesota harmed people with mental illness  (MPR News) Justice Department proposes major changes to address

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Gun violence trends, Ring footage, bail

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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  (Retail Dive) CRIM-TECH Amazon reverses

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Police AI transparency, school safety, crime rates

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Shielding officer names, police overtime, Uvalde shooting grand jury, mass shootings stats, safety in schools, gun violence. DNA and AI to predict suspect's face, facial recognition, addressing the lack of up to date crime data, surveillance transparency, AI assisted law enforcement transparency, life in prison without parole, criminal justice debt, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Local police using victims’ rights law to shield names of officers who shoot suspects  (Dayton Daily News) Yakima spent more than $2 million on police overtime in 2023  (NBC Right Now) Downtown Raleigh businesses, city leaders and police praise safety measures: 'Definitely noticed'  (ABC11) How many police officers die in the line of duty?  (USA Facts) Texas prosecutor convenes grand jury to investigate Uvalde shooting, multiple media report  (AP News) In Minneapolis, police staffing levels continued to drop in 2023. So did crime.  (Star Tribune) CRIME RATE Visualizing how mass shootings in 2024 compar

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Police conduct, cameras, transparency

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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

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Crime rate, homicide drop, AI in policing

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Crime rate, staffing shortage, homicide drop, juvenile curfews, retail theft, police and Google, child firearm deaths, AI in policing, LMPD sued over access to police data, incarceration uptick in Arkansas, and more... POLICE CONDUCT In Louisville, only one person can discipline the police chief  (Louisville Public Media) Amid staffing shortage, Norfolk 911 averaged 750 calls daily in 2023  (WAVY) Will Jackson’s youth curfew lower crime? Research suggests no  (WJTV) CRIME RATE Why It’s Confusing to Know Whether Crime’s Really Up or Down  (Governing.com) 'It is historic': US poised to see record drop in yearly homicides despite public concern over crime  (ABC News) see also:  Homicides Dropped by More Than 10% in America’s Biggest Cities in 2023, Including Chicago  (WTTW) ‘Miami is the safest it’s ever been’: Police chief credits officers, technology for lower crime rate  (Local10) Testimony: Crime Data on Retail Theft and Robberies in California  (PPIC.org) ‘State of the Child

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Police training, school violence, prison conditions

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Trauma and empathy training, body cams, mental health calls, smash and grab, school violence and arrests, where gun violence is surging, cameras to reduce crimes, Marsy's Law doesn't apply to police officers, police records transparency, prison conditions, First Step Act, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Baltimore’s new approach to police training looks at the effects of trauma, importance of empathy  (Courthouse News Service) How Police Have Undermined the Promise of Body Cameras  (PorPublica) Starting in January, non-law enforcement team can respond to mental health crisis calls  (ABC30) Stark County Sheriff's Office rolls out new program to improve staff performance and community relations  (News 5 Cleveland) CRIME RATE ‘Smash-and-grab’ robberies fuel new laws, but critics question the need  (SW Iowa News) see also:  Member of Congress calls for better data on organized retail crime and other theft  (Retail Dive) 185 weapons, seven guns reported at Wake County high schools, re

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Staff shortages, traffic stops, surveillance

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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 guard but not sworn: The relat

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Juvenile violence, drones as first responders, rethinking public safety

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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

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: police funding, crime data, restorative justice

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Feds award police funding in CT, police service requests via text, police mental health, shoplifting trends, deciphering federal crime data trends, Baltimore homicides dip, Cop Con tech, public access to police radio traffic, Clery Reporting, restorative justice, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Feds award $8.8 million in police funding to Connecticut, municipalities  (Inside Investigator) Community can now receive Santa Monica Police service request updates on their phone  (SantaMonica.gov) In one 24-hour period, 4 LA county sheriff employees died by suicide: What we know so far   If you or someone you know needs mental health support, contact the national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988  (USA Today) CRIME RATE Shoplifting Trends: What You Need to Know  (Council on Criminal Justice) New Data Shows Violent Crime Is Up… And Also Down. Property crime and violence against young people are both up, recent federal data shows, but other crime trends are murkier.  (The Marshall Project

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Crime data problems, crime reduction, transparency

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Recruitment and retention, responses to active shooters, reducing mental health calls, officer involved shootings, 911 call prioritization, problems with FBI crime data, violent crime reduction, gaining access to Google data, juvenile crime, access to public records deteriorating, investing in data, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Justice Department Releases Report on Recommendations for Law Enforcement Agencies Facing Recruitment and Retention Challenges  (DOJ) Baltimore County to use millions of dollars to clear decades-old sexual assault evidence  (Baltimore Banner) New ‘first-in-the-nation’ policy limits Seattle police from knowingly lying  (MyNorthwest.com) Wait for backup or not? How police officers view their role when responding to an active shooter event  (Springer Link) Bloomington looks to reduce police mental health calls with no-cost therapy program  (CBS News Minnesota) A closer look into the civilian majority use of force board that evaluates IMPD officer-involved shootings  

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Police performance, data transparency, criminal justice

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Denver police performance, Mississippi tough on crime talk, co-responder program, FBI data incomplete, tough on crime package in DC,  Ithaca's crime transparency problem, tracking the size of the US criminal justice system, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Are Denver Police trustworthy? Do they keep you safe? The department wants to know what you think about its performance  (Denverite) Delayed homicide autopsies pile up in Mississippi despite tough-on-crime-talk  (ABC News) Supreme Court Asked (Again!) To Rule That Recording Cops Is Protected By The 1st Amendment  (TechDirt) Sheriff gives 2023 Buncombe County crime data, eyes making co-responder program permanent  (Citizen Times) CRIME RATE The FBI released its annual national crime stats. The data is horribly incomplete  (The Guardian) 4 key takeaways from the FBI's annual crime report  (NPR) Scoop: D.C. mayor to unveil new tough-on-crime package  (Axios) 41 arrested in ‘Operation Big Easy,’ targeting 7 high-crime neighborhoods  (F

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: crime rate trends and crime data

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2022 crime rate, violent crime decrease, property crime increases,  Dodge Chargers top list for stolen vehicles, KS police chief resigns, free weekly credit reports, working with police crime data, better data easing burden on corrections system, and more... POLICE CONDUCT The impact of police uniforms in changing views of police legitimacy and driving intentions among young people: an experimental trial  (Springer Link) Kansas police chief resigns after body cam footage shows him rifling through records about himself  (Missouri Independent) CRIME RATE FBI report: Violent crime decreases to pre-pandemic levels, but property crime is on the rise  (AP) Birmingham homicide numbers drop 12% in third quarter of 2023: ‘We still have a lot of work to do’  (AL.com) see also:  Homicides fall in area supported by city-wide approach to violence  (KCPD) 500K Vehicles Stolen in H1 2023; Dodge Chargers Top List  (Insurance Journal) CRIM-TECH You now have permanent access to free weekly credit report

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: crime stats, Clery Act, health crisis teams

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Wrong crime stats at State and FBI level, Universities noncompliant with Clery Act, inventory of untested rape kits, mental health crisis teams, residents join forces to create safer blocks, predictive policing software, calls for service transparency, Mass. police disciplinary records released, 'Prison Ramen', and more... POLICE CONDUCT FBI publishes wrong crime numbers for St. Louis again amid technology woes for city police  (St Louis Today) see also:  LMPD says 'none' of its crime numbers are correct in annual Kentucky report  (WDRB) Liberty University failed to disclose crime data and warn of threats for years, report says  (AP News) see also:  UNM is noncompliant with crime transparency law Daily Crime log missing data, LoboAlerts never sent  (Daily Lobo) New bill seeks to pressure police nationwide to take inventory of untested rape kits or lose funding  (USA Today) Non-carceral emergency response initiatives require a cultural shift  (Prism Reports) see also:  B

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Reforms, gun violence, school crime

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NJ reforms Paterson PD, CO police work history hidden, gun violence drives violent crime, Kia and Hyundai thefts, 2022 school crime data, AI to solve cases, open crime data, prison medical company goes bankrupt, and more... POLICE CONDUCT AI, Tasers and more supervision: NJ's plan to reform the troubled Paterson police department  (Gothamist) Colorado police work history data remains withheld from public despite new laws, reforms  (The Gazette) CRIME RATE The Crime Data Explorer For Dummies  (Jeff-alytics) 'We knew the numbers were bad': Law enforcement staff raised concerns about Ron DeSantis' top crime talking point  (NBC News) Hundreds of Kansas Citians are shot each year and survive. Their families have to pick up the pieces  (KCUR) Gun Incidents Drive a Climb in Violent Crime Rates  (Public Policy Institute of California) see also:  Ohio launches new intelligence center for fighting gun violence  (State Scoop) U.S. Cities Have a Staggering Problem of Kia and Hyunda

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Crime rates, retail theft, police staffing

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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

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Fentanyl, police data, cash bail

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Police contract negotiations, false ticket scandal, police seizures, cash bail, fentanyl, FBI crime data, active shooter, teen curfews, AI to answer calls, real-time crime centers, police records fees, limiting FOIA, investigation into TX prisoner deaths, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Minneapolis city attorney launches probe into source of KSTP story on MPD chief  (KSTP) Yale police union distributes flyers alleging a crime-ridden New Haven during contract negotiations  (Yale Daily News) CT State Police false ticket scandal could jeopardize prosecution of criminal cases  (The Register Citizen) Report: $25.3 million seized by Kansas law enforcement between 2019 and 2022  (WIBW) CRIME RATE Students criticize the University of North Carolina's response to an active shooter emergency  (NBC Washington) Welcome To Crime Data Fall. You've heard of Hot Girl Summer, now the crime data craze is sweeping the land!  (Jeff-alytics) Is Cash Bail Reform Working? Behind the Controversy  (The Wash

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: retail theft, DNA, measuring anti-crime efforts

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Massachusetts releases officer disciplinary records, relationship between food insecurity and family violence, retail theft concerns and cracking down, measuring anti crime efforts, cost of body cams, DNA processing, criminal justice data tools, holistic alternatives to criminal justice, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Mass. police oversight board releases 1000s of officer disciplinary records  (MassLive) East Bay police officers arrested in FBI raid  (NBC Bay Area) Embodying Evidence to Action: Tracking the Impact of Three Key NIJ Research Investments  (NIJ) CRIME RATE Examining the Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Family Violence: a Systematic Narrative Review  (Springer Link) Retail theft: Walmart, Home Depot, Target detail 'unacceptable amount' of crime  (Yahoo!Finance) see also:  San Francisco ‘Crime Shadow’ Report Predicts the Next Commercial Real Estate Collapses  (The San Francisco Standard) and also:  Retailers are shaping a wave of laws to crack down on organized t

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Data sharing, violent crime, police turnover

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Kansas police force raids newspaper and publisher's home, facilitating law enforcement data sharing, turnover in police agencies, violent crime falling, cost-benefit analysis of gun shot detection, license plate readers, women in prison, and more... POLICE CONDUCT A central Kansas police force sparked a firestorm by raiding a newspaper and the publisher’s home  (AP News) Grant-funding opportunities to facilitate law enforcement data sharing  (Police1) Chicago’s newly selected top cop says reducing violence, officers’ well being among top priorities  (KTSM) Turnover in Large US Policing Agencies Following the George Floyd Protests  (CRIMRXIV) 911: Don't Hang Up!  (City of Raleigh) Clergy call for resignation of Indianapolis Police Chief Randal Taylor  (Indy Star) CRIME RATE Violent crime is falling in Philly  (AXIOS Philly) The Post-Pandemic Murder Wave Is Cresting  (WSJ) 'The plan is working': Albany city leaders see decrease in crime, increase in illegal handgun arrest