Public Safety
Covering topics such as corrections, criminal justice, emergency management, gun control and police/fire/EMS.
Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation on May 1 that requires jailers to hold any suspect who is believed to be in the country without legal permission. The legislation gained momentum after the killing of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley.
Future in Context
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.
The rising number of gun deaths in Texas has inspired a $3 billion industry of active shooter training, consultants, surveillance technologies and safety infrastructure. Some experts aren’t certain the touted strategies are effective.
The state prison system’s medical provider, Wellpath, backed out of its contract with the Department of Corrections after spending millions in unanticipated costs, mostly due to prison violence.
The state has required all schools to develop an emergency plan since 2001, but some public schools still don’t have one or their plans don’t meet updated requirements.
The statewide clearance rate for crimes was just 13.2 percent in 2022, according to a new report. The rate for poverty crimes was only 7.2 percent.
The city will sever its ties with the gunshot alert system after September. Mayor Brandon Johnson’s political supporters applauded the decision, but many officers are opposed.
Of the eight Southern California counties that were under a state of emergency during the most recent storm, only 52,820 homes and businesses were covered by flood policies.
The state’s red flag complaint law went into effect on Tuesday. It will allow residents to seek temporary removal of firearms from at-risk individuals by obtaining an extreme risk protection order.
The legislative attempt to mandate worker heat protection standards would help train employers and employees on the signs of heat illness and would require supervisors to provide water and a 10-minute break every two hours.
About 41,700 speeding citations were issued in 10 of the city’s school zones during the first three months of the program, which started in September. In one South Atlanta zone alone, more than 15,800 citations were issued.
A new report studied 197 Category 5 tropical cyclones between 1980 and 2021 and it identified five storms that hypothetically could be classified as Category 6, including a cyclone that had wind speeds up to 215 mph.
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