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It took just seconds for a routine traffic stop on a Texas highway to escalate into a fatal shooting that left 24-year-old Ashtian Barnes bleeding to death in the driver’s seat.

What happened during those seconds and the minutes prior during the April 2016 incident is now central to a Supreme Court case being argued on Wednesday that could make it easier — or harder — to hold police officers accountable for the use of excessive force.

12 regional federal appeals courts are divided, with four embracing a “moment of the threat doctrine” and eight rejecting it. That doctrine addresses how much time can be taken into consideration when police kill people.

Full story: ‘Split-second decision’: Supreme Court returns to the question of police killings

As U.S. police departments release preliminary or finalized 2024 crime numbers, many are reporting historic declines in homicides and drops in other violent crimes compared to 2023. In many parts of the country, though, those decreases don’t match the public perception.

Experts say most cities are seeing a drop in crime levels that spiked during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But they say misleading campaign rhetoric in the run-up to the November elections and changes in how people interpret news about crime have led to a perception gap.

New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Houston, Detroit, Baltimore, and dozens of other cities have reported drops in homicides last year compared to 2023. Some saw small decreases, including New York, which had 14 fewer homicides than the 391 reported in 2023. But others had large decreases, including Philadelphia, which had 255 in 2024 compared to 398 in 2023.

Full story: US cities largely saw a drop in violent crime in 2024, yet many still feel unsafe

The Fort Walton Beach Police Department has welcomed a unique addition to its team: Milo, a 9-week-old labradoodle serving as a community wellness K-9.

Unlike traditional police dogs, Milo’s role is to provide support at crime scenes, community events, and within the department itself.

“I think Milo is a visual reminder that mental health is important, and it allows people the opportunity now to de-stress,” Fort Walton Beach Police Chief Robert Bage said. “Bring down temperatures a little bit and communicate.”

Full story: New K-9 Milo offers stress relief to Fort Walton Beach community and police

In many places across the nation, the repeated shocking of Ms. Vivian Burks—a 65-year-old great-grandmother with no criminal record who was not acting aggressively and was largely under the officers’ control—would be considered an improper and dangerous use of a Taser by the police.

Not in Mississippi.

Here, police agencies set their own rules about Taser use, and many departments have held on to vague, outdated policies that allow officers to shock virtually anyone, for any behavior they see as threatening, with little fear of repercussions. As a result, cases like Ms. Burks’s have occurred all over the state without raising alarms, an investigation by the New York Times and Mississippi Today found.

Full story: Mississippi Police Use Tasers Freely, and Injuries Follow

Within minutes of his inauguration, new Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe is expected to issue a variety of orders targeting crime. The tone-setting move reflects a national trend.

After a period of relaxed sentencing laws, a tough-on-crime approach is back in political favor in the U.S.

Republicans and Democrats alike are promoting anti-crime initiatives as a new year of lawmaking gets underway in state capitols. That comes after voters in several states approved ballot
measures in the fall imposing stricter penalties for crimes ranging from shoplifting to deadly drug dealing.

Full story: A tough-on-crime approach is back in US state capitols

The “Pizzagate” gunman who fired his rifle in a Washington, D.C., pizza restaurant in 2016 after acting on a debunked conspiracy theory has died following a fatal traffic stop. Edgar
Maddison Welch was shot by police over the weekend and died from his injuries on Monday, authorities in North Carolina said Thursday.

Almost 10 years ago, Welch made national headlines when he traveled to the nation’s capital from North Carolina and fired shots in the Comet Ping Pong restaurant, spurred by a conspiracy
theory that had spread online.

Prosecutors said at the time that Welch was trying to investigate an internet conspiracy theory about the pizza restaurant being home to a child sex-trafficking ring connected to prominent
Democratic politicians, a false claim that became known as “Pizzagate.”

Full story: ‘Pizzagate’ gunman killed by police during traffic stop in North Carolina

The Australian federal police says it had “no choice” but to lean into using artificial intelligence and is increasingly using the technology to search seized phones and other devices, given the vast amount of data examined in investigations.

The AFP’s manager for technology strategy and data, Benjamin Lamont, said investigations conducted by the agency involve an average of 40 terabytes’ worth of data. This includes material from the 58,000 referrals a year it receives at its child exploitation centre, while a cyber incident is being reported every six minutes.

Full story: ‘It’s beyond human scale’: AFP defends use of artificial intelligence to search seized phones and emails

Unclear police policies, inefficient training and too little accountability is resulting in some North Carolina officers misusing tasers and similar devices, civil rights lawsuits and advocates say…

Full story: North Carolina Police Turn to Training to Stop Taser Misuse

With Congress failing to pass any meaningful immigration reforms, state legislatures are increasingly taking up the issue. But some police officials say the harshest of those laws will further overstretch police and drive many immigrants further into the shadows…

Full story: State immigration laws will harm local law enforcement, police say • Ohio Capital Journal