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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