Public Safety
Covering topics such as corrections, criminal justice, emergency management, gun control and police/fire/EMS.
Enhancements and weatherization efforts mean this year’s freezing weather did not overwhelm the state’s electric system. But policymakers face tough decisions as future load projections grow.
Gov. Mike DeWine announced the formation of a safety task force that will be charged with finding ways to improve safety on school buses, including possibly requiring seat belts. Last week an Ohio school bus crashed, killing one student and injuring 23.
Six people died on Feb. 11, 2021, in one of the most destructive crashes in state history when a winter storm caused cars to skid along a two-lane tollway. On Sept. 1, two bills that aim to prevent similar crashes in the future will go into effect.
Keeping election workers and voters safe in a politically charged environment is an expensive challenge. Federal resources are available, and local election officials should take advantage of them now to get ready for 2024.
A federal judge who experienced the unthinkable is advocating for laws that restrict access to personal information about state and local judges.
With little in local tax revenue to help pay staff, rural Texas sheriffs are often forced to do more with less. Lawmakers hope a new grant program will help rebuild the ranks of rural law enforcement.
Experts worry that curfews disproportionately target young people of color.
As Chicago residents have spent the last few months hounded by wildfire smoke, experts have a variety of recommendations on how to avoid the bad air quality, including recirculating indoor air, using HEPA filters and creating a clean room.
It saw the 10th highest rate of 911 calls for heat of any state in August. This summer has been particularly hot and temperatures are likely to continue to rise in coming years, according to the N.C. Climate Science Report.
Kia and Hyundai auto thefts “exploded” last summer when social media users began posting how-to videos aimed at exploiting the security defect in the vehicles, according to the lawsuit.
The new state’s Attorney Ivan Bates had announced June 1 that he would resume prosecuting petty crimes, like drinking in public. His goal is to hold people accountable for quality-of-life crimes.
The island, one of the eight Channel Islands off of California, was ready to evacuate its 3,500 permanent residents if Tropical Storm Hilary became too unruly. But their comprehensive emergency plan was not needed in the end.
The U.S. Forest Service is distributing $1 billion to help communities protect themselves from wildfires, but congressional deadlines forced the first round of funding out in a hurry. For the next round, officials want to be more proactive.
It isn’t just about constitutional rights and fairness. Underfunded, undervalued public defense is also costly to taxpayers. A few states are showing the way toward meaningful reforms.
Despite the former president’s claims, data shows violent crime is down more than 20 percent across the city and for the first time in four years homicides were down amid efforts to curb deadly violence.
The Coachella Valley faced a particularly dire threat of flooding as it acts as a drainage basin for two 10,000-foot-plus mountain ranges and low-income farming communities, like Mecca and Thermal, sit at the valley’s low center.
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