Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Appalachian State University
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
The Moore Police Department has hired a new officer, but his job is not tracking down suspects. Department officials said on Tuesday that Leo was leading the way in the metro as the first, full-time mental health patrol dog, making him the most popular officer on the streets…
Full story: Moore PD Puts One-Of-A-Kind Mental Health Patrol Dog To Work
Forensic science has deadly stakes, but half of the largest labs in the U.S. haven’t adopted federal standards, including for DNA tests and guns…
Full story: Forensic science failures persist as labs fail to adopt standards
While 56% of Americans favor stricter gun laws in general and 52% back an assault weapons ban, a near-record-low 20% support banning handguns…
Full story: Majorities Still Back Stricter Gun Laws, Assault Weapons Ban
Decades of research has shown that alcohol contributes to violence in a couple of ways. Where alcohol businesses cluster, violence follows. And although most people who consume alcohol do so safely, people who have been drinking are also more prone to conflict. Perpetrators of homicide are rarely apprehended in time to measure their toxicology, but a global meta-analysis found that about half of killers were under the influence of alcohol at the time of their crimes. Data is more reliably collected from the dead, and in Baltimore between 2017 and 2021, nearly a quarter of homicide victims had alcohol in their blood, according to the Maryland Violent Death Reporting System, similar to patterns nationwide.
Excessive drinking is no more common in Baltimore than elsewhere in the state, according to the data. But because the city has long endured an extraordinarily high rate of gun violence, public health scientists there have dug into the role that alcohol sales play in fueling it. And residents and a few policymakers have pushed reforms that are more creative and ambitious than in any other American city. In several neighborhoods that require alcohol outlets to close earlier than the regular call-time of 2 a.m., a recent study suggests, the change may be playing an unheralded role in the city’s decline in homicides.
Full story: To Battle the Bullet, Baltimore Goes After the Bottle
Crime is trending down in Los Angeles, with homicides alone on track to fall 15% compared to last year, but newly sworn-in LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell is concerned that statistics aren’t telling the full story.
Speaking ahead of the ceremony Thursday to mark his arrival as the city’s 59th chief of police, McDonnell voiced concern about the perception of disorder — and the reality that crimes are going unreported because some believe nothing will be done to investigate.
McDonnell said he would rather see the city’s crime numbers rise because it would give him a real picture of the problem and a better idea of what he must do to handle it.
Full story: The LAPD’s new chief wants residents to start calling the police again – Los Angeles Times
During the 2024 general election voters in Arizona overwhelmingly supported Proposition 314, a measure that would give the state and local law enforcement agencies the ability to enforce immigration laws.
But some law enforcement leaders voiced concerns about the measure and question why it was allowed on the ballot. If it becomes the law of the land they fear what it would mean for their budget.
A woman was shot to death while walking on a trail in Nashville, and police said they arrested her suspected killer Tuesday and charged the man with her murder. To identify him, authorities followed an unusual trail of clues that ended with one detective recognizing the suspect as the identical twin of someone involved in a case three years ago.
A 37 percent rise in the number of adolescents accused in serious crimes mirrors a broader increase. But it has alarmed the police, who say young offenders could grow up to break the law again…
Full story: Number of Young People Accused of Serious Crimes Surges in New York City – The New York Times
WASHINGTON — The threat of political violence will likely hang over the nation’s capital in the weeks following Election Day, security experts say, despite intensive preparations by law enforcement officials determined to avoid another Jan. 6 insurrection…
Full story: Law enforcement officials prepare for possible post-election violence in D.C. | News From The States