Category: News

Every day we place an enormous amount of trust in the police to keep the peace and protect us from violence. More than that, we expect a perfect duality — we ask officers to make split-second life-or-death decisions while possessing the wisdom and wherewithal to slow down, evaluate, and proceed cautiously. We ask police to…

A law that took effect on Jan. 1 means San Francisco police officers can no longer ask, “Do you know why I pulled you over?” Instead, they have to tell you the reason… Full story: New San Francisco policy aims to limit ‘pretextual’ traffic stops, tackle racial bias – ABC7 San Francisco

The head of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says he fears that a drumbeat of mass shootings and other gun violence across the United States could make Americans numb to the bloodshed… Full story: Chief enforcer of US gun laws fears Americans may become numb to violence with each mass shooting

A group of law enforcement leaders urged President Biden to reclassify marijuana to a lesser status in a Thursday letter. “We are current and former police chiefs, sheriffs, federal and state prosecutors, and correctional officials from across the country dedicated to protecting public safety and reducing unnecessary arrests, prosecutions, and incarceration,” reads the letter from…

AT&T says it has restored about three-fourths of its cellphone network after tens of thousands of customers in cities across the country lost service overnight, causing frustration and concern about disruptions to 911 dispatches. Around 3:30 a.m. ET Thursday, outages reported by downdetector.com suddenly spiked from just a handful, peaking at more than 73,000 by…

Virtual-reality could assist researchers in decoding how emotions spur a decision to commit a crime. Full story: Virtual Bar Scenes Are a New Tool to Study Why People Commit Crimes in the Heat of the Moment | Scientific American

Lisa Monaco, deputy attorney general at the Justice Department (DoJ), announced last week the launch of Justice AI – a new initiative that aims to understand and prepare for how the emerging technology will affect the criminal justice system. Full story: DoJ Launches ‘Justice AI’ to Study Use of AI in Criminal Justice

Should noncitizens be able to serve as Denver police officers and firefighters? Some Denver City Council members want to change the city’s charter to make it possible. Right now, Denver’s city charter requires anyone applying to become a police officer or firefighter to be a U.S. citizen. Denver City Council President Jamie Torres says that…

Violent assaults on police officers have risen sharply in recent years, according to the comprehensive data included in the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s Uniform Crime Reports. But those assaults rarely turn fatal: From 2004 to 2023, 11 Minnesota police officers died in the line of duty, according to the BCA data. That relative rarity is…

Two police officers and a firefighter were killed in Minnesota while responding to a domestic dispute involving a suspect previously convicted of assault and accused of domestic violence, a type of call experts say can be among the most dangerous for first responders and those they’re trying to help. Though each case is unique, domestic…