Public Safety
Covering topics such as corrections, criminal justice, emergency management, gun control and police/fire/EMS.
We need competent responders every hour of the day, every day of the week. But we often don’t have them.
In recent years, the public perception of police culture has been defined by acts of violence against citizens. A group of chiefs and sheriffs are working to change the narrative by emphasizing a mission of service.
Preliminary data, which is current through Sept. 30, shows that more than 6,079 residential property and personal motor vehicle claims were filed for losses in West Maui and Upcountry Maui.
Police stations have long served as entry points for Chicagoans in need of social services. As the city tries to maneuver the influx of thousands of migrants, some homeless residents are also using the city’s police stations as shelters.
The state was among 25 states that received an “F” grade for gun safety from the Giffords Law Center; of the Northeastern states, Maine and New Hampshire were the only ones to receive a failing grade.
The results of an audit found a “high likelihood” that hundreds of state troopers falsified tens of thousands of traffic tickets and skewed racial profiling data. Now the department is working to restore public trust and legitimacy.
The city’s police reported using force against Black people 502 times from January through June of this year, which is more than against Hispanic (311), white (223) and Asian (80) people. Black people make up 5 percent of the city’s population.
Two county lawmakers have called for a 12-month moratorium on the construction and siting of battery energy storage systems, citing the fire risks of lithium-ion batteries. Battery energy storage systems have become a growing concern across the state.
Focusing on prevention doesn’t stop us from preparing for disasters, it just makes them less likely. We can and should do the same for mass shootings.
City officials have until Nov. 1, 2024 to submit a plan to the state as to how they will close the $3 billion shortfall and have the system fully funded by 2055, but it remains unclear how officials will do so.
But researchers found plummeting inmate totals had no consistent impact on violent or property crime. Local police leaders have pushed back against the findings.
A working group formed three months ago to create possible emergency shelter options for the city’s unhoused population during the days of the winter months. A storm rolled across Montana this week and the group still has no plans.
A survey found that 69 percent of voters were in favor of requiring school districts to place an armed security officer in every school; 73 percent believe it would make schools safer.
The attorney general’s office would participate in regular jail audits alongside a separate group of inspectors working with the County Sheriffs of Colorado, a nonprofit organization.
The use of artificial intelligence is partly a response to an acute staffing crisis and the pressing need to address the mental health challenges that emergency responders face.
The state, under court order, reduced its prison population from about 136,000 to 92,000 over the past decade, but the percentage of people behind bars with mental illness continues to grow.
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