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 heavy rains and flash flooding caused by Hurricane Ida inflicted an estimated $8 million in damages to 28 buses, about 12 percent of all buses housed, at Staten Island’s Castleton Bus Depot.
There have been plenty of failures along the way, but there’s no question coordination between levels of government has improved over the past 20 years, along with security capabilities for blocking catastrophic attacks.
The legislation that bankrolls medical screenings and treatment did not account for inflation-fueled increases, which means the program could run out of cash unless Congress modifies the funding formula.
Since 9/11, it’s the only state Capitol in the Northeast without metal detectors and one of only eight nationwide that anyone can bring a gun into, whether the firearm is concealed or carried openly.
Natural disasters such as fires, floods and storms are more intense and are developing more rapidly. The “new normal” that climate change has brought to emergency managers is unpredictability.
Democratic state lawmakers want to broaden immigrant legal protections by closing exemptions under the sanctuary law, but police unions are ramping up efforts to block the legislation.
Federal pandemic relief funds offer state and local governments the chance to invest in public health programming and infrastructure to make communities safer, particularly those that have been the most harmed.
Georgia’s capital city continues to be deeply divided when it comes to policing: some want to defund the department, while others want more officers. But police culture reform without defunding might be the best solution.
As a part of reshaping the duties of the police department, city and Capital Metro officials are considering a new police force entirely devoted to regional public transit. Many details of the proposed security team are still undecided.
A federal judge has proposed that the city of Portland, Ore., and the U.S. Department of Justice use a court-appointed monitor to oversee their nine-year-old settlement on police reform.
A Los Angeles Fire Department Captain filmed a searing critique of the city council’s vote last week to require city employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by early October. Many firefighters oppose the mandate.
A police employee accidentally deleted 22 terabytes of case files when trying to migrate data between servers. Officials say they’re now working to recover what they can and prevent future issues.
Election workers were the targets of harassment, threats and intimidation during the 2020 elections. Proposed legislation would make it illegal to harass election workers and would punish offenders with jail time, a fine or both.
A new report claims the city has failed to address longstanding practices of excessive force and racial discrimination. The police department says the report is an ‘attack’ and contains misinformation.
Since the beginning of this year, six people have died in jail custody and the county’s sheriff’s office has only publicly announced one of the fatalities. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 10 people have died.
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