Public Safety
Covering topics such as corrections, criminal justice, emergency management, gun control and police/fire/EMS.
The causes of these alarming gaps in equitable access to emergency care are complex. Fixing the problem won’t come from patchwork efforts or temporary fixes.
The total damage in Western North Carolina is estimated at $53 billion; Gov. Roy Cooper has proposed a small fraction from state funds for costs that won’t be covered by the federal government or private insurance.
A study has found that Black drivers in Chicago receive approximately 54 percent of automated camera citations, but they make up 70 percent of police stops.
Few homeowners are protected against flood damage. What can be done to reduce the burden of recovery on them and their communities?
When Hurricane Francine hit Louisiana last month, much of Terrebonne Parish lost power and some roads and houses flooded, but most flood-protection measures held strong.
The majority of U.S. agricultural exports rely on the Mississippi River to reach the international market.
Voters and voting offices in Western N.C. face unprecedented challenges in finding their bearings, and each other.
The state has opened a handful of gasoline distribution sites, where residents can go to get 10 gallons for free, to help the state recover from the recent Category 3 storm. But lines to get the free gas are long and supplies are limited.
The FBI’s quarterly data shows there has been a 23 percent decrease in murder nationally. New Orleans, however, has seen a sharper decrease, with a 39 percent drop in murders and less than 100 murders so far this year.
Brandon Johnson had promised to veto the ordinance that would continue the gunshot detection system but failed to make the move before the deadline. Political battles over the technology are ongoing.
Louisiana’s criminal justice system now treats all 17-year-olds as adults. Lawmakers lowered the age from 18 to curb teen violence, but nearly 70 percent of the 17-year-olds arrested in the state’s three largest parishes aren’t accused of violent crimes.
Elevating buildings to avoid storm surges and flooding can increase the chance of survival for people and homes along the coast. But as hurricanes like Helene, and possibly Milton, continue to break records, building higher may not be enough.
As cities step up their enforcement efforts in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling, they should consider both the financial costs and the public safety ramifications of treating homelessness as a crime.
Historic rainfall that devastated the Southeast was generated by conditions that still exist. What lessons can local governments in other parts of the country take from Helene?
More than 6,200 National Guard troops from a dozen states are responding to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which has left millions without power and at least 121 dead.
As president, Trump signed a sweeping criminal justice reform measure. During the campaign this year, he's returned to his roots as a tough-on-crime politician.
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