We need competent responders every hour of the day, every day of the week. But we often don’t have them.
A coalition of police officers, firefighters and other city employees have claimed that the city’s COVID-19 vaccine and testing rules are discriminatory. The city has a vaccination rate of approximately 78 percent.
Despite having less bike infrastructure than other neighborhoods, Chicago police issued citations for biking on the sidewalk eight and three times more often in Black and Latino neighborhoods, respectively.
The Ohio city hopes to receive a $222,000 grant to cover most of the costs required to outfit 19 patrol officers over the next five years. It would cost $55,000 annually to maintain the technology after implementation.
The police department has started implementing drones to track stolen and illegal vehicles, search for missing people and manage large crowds; the technology will only be used for specific events and not regular patrols.
A two-person kidnapping situation reinforced the need for Tucson to develop a co-response model in which mental health professionals and 911 dispatchers would be able to share information and respond to incidents together.
In addition to increasing the minimum age for police officers from 18 to 21, the new law will also work to establish a college education requirement, involving courses in psychology, ethnic studies, law and others.
The plan would train officers how to use less violent tactics when responding to mass protests and implement a new team that would monitor social media. But the community-created plan doesn’t please everyone.
Law enforcement agencies in Skagit County, Wash., are purchasing and installing body cameras on their officers to adhere to a law that goes into effect in the new year. Many see the tech as beneficial, despite the costs.
Months of bipartisan talks in Congress aimed at reaching consensus over policing reforms have ended with no agreement. Two policing scholars argue that federal efforts are better placed focusing on supporting local measures.
In 2020, 86 percent of the nation’s police departments reported staffing shortages, including the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. But the lack of officers isn’t due to the pandemic; numbers have been down since 2013.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has called for oversight of the department after an investigation following the death of Elijah McClain found patterns of racial bias, excessive force and other misconduct.
The City Council has voted to redistribute funds from approximately 200 police officer departures and reinvest it in technology projects and other department needs. $3 million will be used for community-based public safety programs.
In one town, police say products like Nextdoor and Ring are helping fight crime. But racism and vigilantism are pervasive on safety platforms.
The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office has been using a software since Jan. 2020 that removes names, location and race from police reports in an attempt to implement “race-blind” charging.
There have been plenty of failures along the way, but there’s no question coordination between levels of government has improved over the past 20 years, along with security capabilities for blocking catastrophic attacks.
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