Public Safety
Covering topics such as corrections, criminal justice, emergency management, gun control and police/fire/EMS.
It’s about governance and whether these systems can avoid reinforcing existing inequities. States, local governments and agencies need to move to embed fairness, transparency and accountability into every stage of AI use.
The new open data portal will be accessible to the public, to increase transparency as the department continues to work towards police reform. Officials hope to develop a long-term public safety plan with the community.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot pledged police reform while campaigning for mayor, but two years later and the Chicago Police Department looks much as it did before she took office. Many are upset with the lack of change.
The City Council unanimously approved an ordinance to regulate the police department’s use of “militarized” gear, and the department will be required to submit reports of equipment use and purchases.
State lawmakers have proposed a 13-bill bipartisan reform package to better address police accountability and improve training, but it's unclear if there will be a vote on the package before the end of session.
Housing and crime round out top urban concerns and mayors are scrambling to use much-needed federal funding as austerity issues recede, according to the latest State of the Cities report from the National League of Cities.
In the first quarter of 2020, the city’s police solved 31.7 percent of major crimes compared to 36.8 percent the year prior. The drop could be attributed to COVID-19 and social unrest caused by the killing of George Floyd.
Several big-city mayors have announced retirements or have been defeated this year, their approval ratings driven down by the pandemic and policing.
The city’s new $15 million emergency response systems overhaul will encrypt the frequencies of nine city departments, making it no longer possible for the public to monitor police and fire scanners.
The state approved legislation that will require all uniformed police officers to wear body cams by Jan. 1, 2025, but many local agencies cannot afford the technology without financial assistance.
They suffer from sexual assaults at alarming rates. The much-maligned private prison industry can have an important role to play.
Maryland, Montana and Utah are the only states in the nation that limit what police can access through genealogy websites. State lawmakers have agreed that the final law is a fair compromise.
Left turns are dangerous and slow down traffic. One solution? Get rid of them. New research shows that limiting left turns at busy intersections would improve safety and reduce frustrating backups.
The proposed California bill would have created excise taxes on the sale of new guns and would have raised more than $100 million annually for gun violence prevention programs. It failed by nine votes.
An appellate court ruling determined that public records penalties against the city of Tacoma, Wash., will be reviewed for the police department’s use of a cellphone tracking system to locate suspect devices.
Taking away a license over unpaid fines for minor traffic infractions makes work and family life a misery for low-income Americans. States should reform this punitive, unjust practice.
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