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 policy had allowed some officers to earn tens of thousands of dollars in overtime pay and will no longer be allowed. The department was spending almost $50 million a year in overtime.
Police officials didn’t support a recent proposal for gunshot detection technology, but as violence increases, the City Council is looking for a mobile version of the technology. So far, nothing is within budget.
With deadly wildfires across the state, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has said that the federal government will do a better job providing more personnel and funds to assist the firefighting efforts.
Local governments could turn to special assessment districts to cost-effectively assure safety improvements, bypassing occupants’ foot-dragging and dysfunctional homeowners’ associations.
The county has started requiring its police officers to wear a body camera after launching training courses that began in early July. They expect all officers to finish by October.
A special two-person team hopes to crack down on the most prolific and violent criminals. By the end of 2020, 305 people had been shot in Denver — a 51 percent increase from the year prior.
The Washington state Legislature passed more than 300 bills last session and many of them become laws this weekend. From drug possession to education, here’s a snapshot of what’s new in the state.
While the rest of the developed world has made progress in reducing the number of pedestrians killed by vehicles, America continues to move in the wrong direction. Author Angie Schmitt talks about root causes and solutions.
Over-reliance on fees, fines and forfeitures drives a wedge between police and the communities they serve. It's detrimental to both crime-solving and the profession of law enforcement.
Law enforcement agencies across Tampa Bay claim that they do not have an issue with racial profiling and yet six major police departments and sheriff’s offices in the area couldn’t offer any data when requested.
Congress should rewrite the ground rules to minimize nuisance lawsuits that can cost local taxpayers millions, while focusing civil courts on bad cops and blind-eye departments.
The city’s Department of Violence Prevention will receive $17 million across the next two years in an effort to combat steeply rising rates of homicides and violent crimes. But making significant changes will take time.
The good conduct system California recently implemented is mistakenly adding time to inmate firefighters’ sentences. Officials have fixed the malfunction and are working to recalculate the sentences.
Ridership on trains and buses has plunged, yet crime is on the rise. Transit advocates say now is the time to change how to handle fare evaders and illegal behavior. But will the riding population feel safer?
Officials recently announced a statewide program to provide municipal police departments with money for body cameras, but some cities already have purchased and maintained the technology for years.
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