Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
Police will no longer be able to stop drivers for things like driving without registration tags or broken tail lights. The idea is to cut down on those so-called “pretextual stops.”It’s a practice where proponents say officers use minor infractions to look for more serious crimes including drugs or weapons possession.Data shows people of color are stopped on this basis far more frequently…
Full story: San Francisco Police Commission Considers Policy on ‘Pretext Stops’ – NBC Bay Area
New federal data released on Thursday offers insight into the many, growing ways that schools have amped up security over the past five years, as the country has recorded three of the deadliest school shootings on record, and as other, more routine gun incidents on school grounds have also become more frequent.
About two-thirds of public schools in the United States now control access to school grounds — not just the building — during the school day, up from about half in the 2017-2018 school year. An estimated 43 percent of public schools have a “panic button” or silent alarm that connect directly with the police in case of emergency, up from 29 percent five years ago. And a stronger majority, 78 percent, equip classrooms with locks, up from 65 percent, according to survey data released by the National Center for Education Statistics, a research arm of the U.S. Education Department.
Full story: How Schools Have Boosted Security as Shootings Become More Common – The New York Times
Sixty-four officers were shot and killed in the line of duty in 2022, according to a preliminary annual report released Wednesday from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
That’s far below the number of firearms-related officer deaths 50 years ago. But the figure — the same as in 2021 — represents an increase over the average number of officer deaths in more recent history, according to the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, which warned of a “disturbing trend.”
Marcia Ferranto, CEO of the organization, said the data should prompt officer safety and wellness programs around the country to investigate why officers are dying by firearms at a greater rate today than they were 10 years ago.
Full story: A ‘disturbing trend’: More police are dying from gun violence today than a decade ago
A sweeping synthesis of gun policy research has found evidence that “stand your ground” and shall-issue concealed carry laws increase levels of violence, and that child access prevention policies reduce firearm injuries and deaths among children…
Full story: New Research Explores Which Gun Laws Actually Reduce Violence
Installing working windows and doors, cleaning trash, and weeding at abandoned houses led to safety improvements and should be considered in efforts to create healthy communities, according to researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia…
Full story: Abandoned house repairs reduced nearby gun violence | Penn Today
Critics say a successful appeal would undercut the background check system, damage the Biden administration’s gun safety law efforts and bolster the gun lobby…
Full story: DOJ appeals ruling that the federal government is liable for the Sutherland Springs mass shooting
“Given the lack of actionable information, the cost of the reports, and the possibility of missing a great candidate, we chose to request the change,” Capt. Tim Patton said…
Full story: Wis. PD ends credit checks for potential applicants, cites diversity concerns
Full story: In an Effort to Diversify, Cleveland Police Look to HBCUs | The Marshall Project
Study finds 7 percent of shootings in some of America’s most populous cities can be tied to above-average temperatures, but mitigating climate change impact may help prevent gun deaths…
Full story: Gun Violence Surges Linked to Unseasonably Warm Days | The Brink | Boston University
More than 950 defendants have been arrested for their alleged participation. More than 284 of them have been charged with assault and 99 with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer. 484 have pleaded guilty and 40 have been found guilty after taking their cases to trial in D.C. only one Jan. 6 defendant has been acquitted of all charges…
Full story: Department of Justice arrested 950 people ahead of Jan. 6 anniversary | KVII