Public Safety
Covering topics such as corrections, criminal justice, emergency management, gun control and police/fire/EMS.
President Donald Trump’s push to eliminate a federal disaster preparedness program threatens a fund used by state health systems from Republican-led Texas to the Democratic stronghold of California.
The Petroleum Products Corporation Superfund site in Pembroke Park acted as a dumping ground for an oil-processing and refining facility from 1957 to 1971. Now it’s one of the nation’s worst hazardous waste dumps.
A Los Angeles fourth-grader brought a stolen 0.40-caliber Glock 22 to his elementary school this week, reflecting a larger problem. As of April 15, there were 903 weapons incidents across L.A. schools.
Climate and weather disasters are more frequent and more costly. What can be done to keep insurers viable and property owners protected?
The Army Corps of Engineers is expected to have the Port of Baltimore’s main channel fully open by June 10. To meet the deadline, large pieces of the Key Bridge’s steel truss must be removed from the waterway to ensure boat safety.
Some conservatives want Washington to stay out of disaster zones, leaving the job to states and localities, along with private insurance. This won't fly politically or practically.
California has long relied on its prison population to battle wildfires. But a steady decline in the state’s incarcerated population and a $45 billion budget shortfall has left the state with gaps when it comes to wildfire response.
On May 31, 2019, a city engineer shot and killed 12 people and injured five others before being fatally shot by the police. Five years later, the community is still healing and implementing new systems to prevent violence.
Four in 10 school buses in New Jersey failed initial inspections, according to an analysis of 22 months of New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission records. Nearly 6,000 inspections led to buses being taken off the road.
A massive storm pummeled the state with strong winds and heavy rain, causing widespread destruction, impassable roads and the deaths of four residents. The state, 14 counties and five cities declared a state of emergency.
Staff levels at Class I railroads declined about 28 percent between 2011 and 2021. Trains have also gotten longer, often reaching 2 or 3 miles long. Many are concerned that the combination poses a safety risk.
The police department pledged to honor a federal consent decree that required officers to report whenever they pointed a weapon at someone. Only 12 incidents have been reported, despite nearly 17,000 occurrences.
The workplace fatality rate for construction workers in North Carolina in 2022 was about 20 percent higher than the rest of the nation and about 2.5 times higher than the occupational death rate for all North Carolina workers.
A 6-year plunge in federal funding that aids victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse is causing alarm among state and local organizations that rely on those dollars to provide services.
Rather than calling in police to remove students and faculty, those who lead our colleges and universities should come out of their offices and let protestors know that they are being heard. It’s about academic freedom.
Increasing climate risks are spiking demand for weather technology as businesses try to protect themselves against changing climate and social norms.
Most Read
