Tampa assistant police chief on leave, Afroman defamation suit, Colorado Springs dissolving police advisory committee, police military equipment, behavioral health unit, pregnant and postpartum gun deaths, violent crime drop, drop in opioid overdoses, surveillance drones and tech, Las Vegas police deploy AI, MA State police misconduct report, long police FOIA timelines, restorative justice diversions, and more…
POLICE CONDUCT
A Tampa assistant police chief is on leave. No one has said why (Tampa Bay Times)
Afroman prevails in cops’ music video defamation suit after a brief but viral trial (NPR)
Jersey City to end ‘fixed posts’ for police, launch new data sharing (Gothamist)
Data breach linked to Crime Stoppers; Portland Police urge avoiding tip service for now (KATU)
Colorado Springs police advisory commission recommends dissolving (KOAA)
Fresno police will (finally) host a public military-equipment meeting — but is it enough? (Fresnoland)
Behavioral Health Unit expands crisis response with new grant funding (The Leavenworth Echo)
CRIME RATE
Mississippi leads the nation in gun deaths among those who are pregnant and postpartum (Mississippi Today)
Denver’s violent crime has dropped — but not everywhere in the city (The Denver Gazette)
Drop in opioid overdose deaths nears 50% since 2023 (Stateline)
All Hearts on Deck: How a Hip-Hop Artist and Five Crisis Mediators Cut Lexington’s Gun Violence by 60 Percent (LexingtonKY.news)
Oakland homicides fall to 25-year low – how did it stem the violence? (The Guardian)
CRIM-TECH
SFPD credits surveillance drones with aiding crime decline but some have privacy concerns (ABC7)
As Las Vegas Police Deploy AI, Privacy Advocates Voice Concern (Govtech)
Does Syracuse’s surveillance tech evaluation group have a right to privacy? Experts say no (Central Current)
Who watches more than 900 security cameras at Texas State University? Students. (Austin American Statesman)
POLICE TRANSPARENCY
Long FOIA timelines lead to transparency questions in Grand Rapids after police shooting (Michigan Advance)
Mass. State Police Misconduct Report Demands Transparency (Boston Today)
Records request shows lack of transparency about Oklahoma City license plate reader use (KOSU)
THE PRISON SYSTEM
Restorative Justice Diversion: A Better Way to Provide Meaningful Accountability for Youth (The Sentencing Project)
Brittany Suszan 