Reducing Deaths in Law Enforcement Custody:  Identifying High-Priority Needs for the Criminal Justice System

Congress enacted the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013 (DCRA) to address the lack of reliable information about law enforcement–related deaths and deaths in correctional institutions. The U.S. Department of Justice has conducted several activities designed to respond to the provisions specified in the DCRA legislation, as well as their own federal mandates, toward a comprehensive understanding of the prevalence and characteristics of deaths that occur in law enforcement custody. Despite these efforts, no national data collection program currently describes all deaths that occur in law enforcement custody. These data are critical to support strategies to reduce such deaths; to promote public safety through appropriate responses to reported crimes, calls for service, and police-community encounters; and to build trust with communities.

See more and get a copy of the report HERE

Racial Disparities in Traffic Stops – Public Policy Institute of California

Key Takeaways
Stark racial inequity has long been a deeply troubling aspect of our criminal justice system. In recent years, traffic stops have emerged as a key factor driving some of these inequities and an area of potential reform. Are there opportunities to identify kinds of traffic stops that could be enforced in alternative ways—potentially improving officer and civilian safety, enhancing police efficiency, and reducing racial disparities—without jeopardizing road safety?

To explore this question, in this report we use data on 3.4 million traffic stops made in 2019 by California’s 15 largest law enforcement agencies to examine racial disparities in stop outcomes and experiences across time of the day, type of law enforcement agency, and type of traffic violation.
— Read on www.ppic.org/publication/racial-disparities-in-traffic-stops/

Snohomish County leaders push video calling for changes to police reform laws in Washington

Law enforcers and lawmakers in Snohomish County released a new video calling for Washington legislators to change police reform laws enacted last year.

This is an interesting way for police to show why the reforms are not working. The link to whole video is below.
— Read on www.q13fox.com/news/snohomish-county-leaders-push-video-calling-for-changes-to-police-reform-laws-in-washington.amp

SEE THE WHOLE VIDEO HERE:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uIspsjarZXBNT87-UrpwaEsL1KWKP31F/view

INDIANA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH COMMISSION – FINAL REPORT

Like many other states, Indiana’s Behavioral Health System infrastructure has been underfunded for years and is in need of systemic reforms to improve and enhance behavioral health care throughout the state. Now more than ever, clear pathways to those reforms exist, and that work has already begun in Indiana. These recommendations build upon that work and, if adopted, will result in a higher quality, more accessible and integrated system.

In order to address and improve the overall health and well-being of all Hoosiers, the Commission recommends (1) strategies to improve Hoosiers’ mental health literacy; (2) increase capacity of psychiatric consultation programs for primary care providers; and (3) increase enforcement of mental health parity requirements.

See report here:

www.in.gov/fssa/dmha/files/INBHC-Report.pdf

Police Review Panel – Welcome to the City of Fort Worth

The full report and the video presentation to the Fort Worth government are available on the link below.

City Manager David Cooke has selected a review panel of national experts to review police department policies and practices and provide recommendations on changes the police department should implement to improve and retain public trust and confidence.
— Read on www.fortworthtexas.gov/departments/citymanager/review-panel