Tag: Police Operations

The Biggest Police Corruption Scandal of the NYPD | The Set

This is a 10 episode series. The focus is on the NYPD during the Mollen Commission. The time is the early 1990’s where drug use/sales was rampant and crime was at an all time high. There are about 20+ different persons involved in the scandal that are discussed or interviewed for the podcast. Zak Levitt does a fantastic job describing the corruption in the NYPD in the early 1990’s. It is difficult keeping track of all the persons involved, not Levitt’s fault. The 1990’s NYPD corruption is similar to a criminal organization, it was complicated to describe and unbelievable.

A few impressions: It is difficult to understand how the corruption took a foothold and allowed to sustain itself. It does raise the question of how easy is it for police to fall into corrupt practices. Are large police departments (the NYPD being the largest) more susceptible to corruption? Are mid-sized (100 to 500 officers) and smaller (under 100) just as susceptible to corruption? Episode 10 discusses the fallout from the corruption and police officers that lied under oath in criminal court cases. It is a great example of “Noble Cause” police corruption. The consequences of police officers lying under oath was that all the cases the officers testified in were dismissed. Many of the defendants were guilty even though the officers lied. However, because the officers lied the cases were dismissed and the criminals were released back on the streets. Instead of lying to help the administration of justice, the officers ended up losing all of their cases.

The podcast is available everywhere. Here are two links for the podcast:
Audacy and Spotify

Nashville Police Release Full Report on 2023 Christian School Shooting | Police Magazine

MNPD broke down the more than 40-page report by summarizing the incident, providing a detailed timeline of the attack and investigation, backgrounds of the shooter, Audrey Hale, and victims, what the shooter did and did not leave behind.
— Read on www.policemag.com/investigations/news/15741964/nashville-police-release-full-report-on-2023-christian-school-shooting

Get a PDF version of the report HERE

Hot spot policing in England and Wales, year ending March 2023

Following 2 successful pilots, the Home Office (HO) announced in April 2021 that 18 police forces with the highest levels of serious violence (SV) would receive funding to deliver enhanced hot spot policing. The aim of this programme, called Grip, was to deter SV through visible patrol activity in hot spots while also adopting strategic problem-oriented policing (POP) to address the root causes of violence within those locations. In September 2021, 2 further police forces were awarded bespoke funding to conduct hot spot policing, as they had the next highest volumes of SV. The 20 forces had a single-year Grant Agreement for the year ending 31 March 2022 and then a multi-year agreement for the next 3 years (though see below), to deliver the hot spot policing programme. Following consultation with leading hot spot policing scholars, we believe this is the first attempt to implement a national hot spot strategy and evaluate it robustly.
— Read on www.gov.uk/government/publications/hot-spot-policing-in-england-and-wales-year-ending-march-2023/hot-spot-policing-in-england-and-wales-year-ending-march-2023-evaluation-of-grip-and-bespoke-funded-hot-spot-policing

The Effectiveness and Implications of Police Reform: A Review of the Literature | ICJIA

Repeated and deadly encounters between law enforcement officers and Black Americans have given way to mounting calls for police reform. Reformers have proposed reallocating funds from policing to communities and social services, rethinking police use of force policies, and improving measures for officer accountability. This literature review briefly describes the impetus for police reform, reviews proposed police reforms, and examines available research on the effectiveness of police reforms. Overall, research indicates police agencies should not only focus on reducing crime, but also protecting and fostering the relationship between the public and police.
— Read on icjia.illinois.gov/

Mapping the Progress of Policies to Limit Non-Safety Related Traffic Stops | Vera Institute

Over the past decade, efforts to limit non-safety-related traffic stops have swept across the United States. These stops for low-level infractions—like a dangling air freshener, single burnt-out taillight, or expired registration—do not improve traffic safety, and police officers have used them in ways that disproportionately subject Black drivers to physical, psychological, and economic harm. Oftentimes, police have used these stops as a pretext to search for guns and drugs—with little success. Police departments across the country are proving that change is possible. The first known policy to eliminate non-safety-related traffic stops was implemented in 2013 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, under the direction of then-Police Chief Harold Medlock. Fayetteville’s experiment led to decreased racial disparities in traffic enforcement and fewer car crashes and traffic injuries/fatalities, with no impact on non-traffic crime, showing that this type of policy can work. Although the Fayetteville policy ended in 2017, it set the stage for state and local governments, police departments, and district attorneys across the country to take action for safer, fairer traffic enforcement.
— Read on www.vera.org/ending-mass-incarceration/criminalization-racial-disparities/public-safety/redefining-public-safety-initiative/sensible-traffic-ordinances-for-public-safety/stops-map