Public Safety
Covering topics such as corrections, criminal justice, emergency management, gun control and police/fire/EMS.
Maryland legislators are taking steps to protect workers and businesses affected by the port and highway closure. There are broader, indirect effects, however, that are creating additional uncertainty.
The Smokehouse Creek Fire began on Feb. 26 and grew to become the largest wildfire in state history. The wildfire burned across several counties in the Texas Panhandle, killed at least two people and destroyed hundreds of homes.
Milwaukee County has one of the nation’s highest death rates from synthetic opioids. It’s deploying millions of opioid settlement dollars to fund programs across a variety of agencies.
An audit by a federal watchdog found several instances of poor planning, misallocation of funds and a lack of workers which undercut millions of dollars of federal aid meant to keep stormwater at bay.
Kennewick, Wash., police officers were called to a single avenue more than 280 times to address a range of issues, from loitering to assaults. Officials voted to rezone the area.
Gov. Maura Healey called for a blanket pardon on Wednesday. A few contemporary governors have made far more use of their pardon power than recent predecessors.
Since 2019, the state has experienced 263 outages, each lasting an average of 160 minutes and impacting an estimated 172,000 Texans. During Texas’ deep winter freeze in 2021, there were 47 outages.
Maryland students are already allowed to carry the drug to combat opioid overdoses, which are spiking among young people. A bill would set standards and outline expectations for students.
Americans with the fewest resources, those with disabilities and the marginalized suffer the most after a hurricane, tornado or wildfire. We need to provide more support to our most vulnerable residents.
The city police department faced criticism for failing to publish detailed reports for such a lengthy period.
A new $1 billion fund will help Texas communities fix crumbling water infrastructure. Advocates say much more will be needed due to population growth and climate change.
Two years ago, vacancy rates at the Santa Fe Regional Emergency Communications Center climbed to more than 65 percent. Since then, the number of unfilled positions has declined, though gaps remain.
Gov. Greg Abbott declared an emergency declaration on Tuesday for 60 counties as the Smokehouse Creek Fire continued to spread. As of 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the fire had burned 850,000 acres and was just 3 percent contained.
It's been seven years since the New Jersey city has seen a traffic fatality, with injuries down significantly as well. Many of its improvements could be replicated elsewhere.
Experts say that most crime data is too unreliable to pinpoint specific policies as the primary drivers of crime rates. Yet politicians often draw a straight line between bail laws and crime rates, potentially misleading voters.
The 2023 legislation establishing the grant program also includes new equipment for rural sheriffs.
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