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.
The ballot initiative would tax residents making more than $2 million a year and use the funds to help the state curb wildfire, smoke and other air pollution. But some say the measure is overkill, given the state’s ambitious climate plans.
Without any documented potential crime or policies with instructions, officers collected and stored personal data and social media posts about demonstrators who participated in the 2020 racial justice protests.
Despite medical risks and a department policy that requires officers to assist injured people, Los Angeles police officers will often wait several minutes before approaching a person they’ve just shot.
Eight jurisdictions say they have either approved or installed automatic license plate readers, nine reported having no plans to consider the devices and three are still undecided.
California has the nation’s strictest gun control laws, yet the state’s capital city experienced its deadliest shooting ever this weekend, leaving six dead and 12 wounded. Gun control activists wonder what more can be done.
Mayor Ted Wheeler suggested that the Committee on Community-Engaged Policing “take a breather” to allow the city to hire more support staff, provide more training and find facilitators. The group only has seven of 13 seats filled.
The new commission, which was first proposed two years ago in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, will have subpoena power, access to crime scenes and records and will conduct a variety of investigations.
The billing would happen when private ambulance services are overwhelmed and the city’s fire department has to fill the gap. Residents already receive a bill from private firms, such as AMR. Staffing shortages are behind the problem.
In a vote along party lines, the state Senate rejected $20 million in matching grants to equip local and county police agencies with body and/or dashboard cameras, with Republicans claiming the bill was premature and open-ended.
The Alabama city voted unanimously to install cameras to support ShotSpotter, an auditory gunshot detection technology, which has raised concerns about potential governmental monitoring and data collection.
A new report found that while harmful police tactics were reduced overall, there are still inequities. Last year the city’s police still used force on Black people 12 times more than white people and five times more than Hispanic people.
Recommendations issued to the state Legislature include banning the technology from being used for live surveillance and that local police be prevented from using it unless explicitly allowed to do so by law.
While not intended to be a permanent ban on Amazon’s autonomous personal delivery devices or the dispenser that houses them, it will allow the Washington city to address the safety and zoning issues surrounding the tech first.
The city’s controversial anti-crime unit will return to Staten Island’s North Shore with a new name, new uniforms complete with body cameras, and new tech that uses facial recognition technology. But some still worry about the unit’s impacts.
It’s not a household name, but it’s a place with a distinct culture and a raft of economic opportunities.
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