Tag: Police Reform

Aurora allows police to pursue stolen-car suspects despite studies exposing danger – Sentinel Colorado

Contradicting decades of national research, Aurora’s police chief has eased restrictions on when officers can chase criminal suspects, allowing for car pursuits linked to stolen vehicles and drunken-driving suspects.

“Over the past several years, the Aurora Police Department has not engaged in pursuits of stolen vehicles, despite auto theft being a felony offense,” Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said in a statement last week. “This has created a reality where offenders believe they can victimize our community with no consequence, simply fleeing from law enforcement to avoid accountability.”

Aurora police have for years allowed officers to pursue suspects who have committed or are committing a felony and considered a serious risk to public safety if they are not immediately apprehended.  Police policy has also allowed officers to pursue a suspect committing a crime involving a firearm who the officer believes poses a serious threat to the public
— Read on sentinelcolorado.com/metro/aurora-allows-police-to-pursue-stolen-car-suspects-despite-studies-exposing-danger/

Deputization and Privileged White Violence | Stanford Law Review

A number of high-profile and racially charged killings, such as Trayvon Martin’s, Kenneth Herring’s, Ahmaud Arbery’s, and Jordan Neely’s, have been at the hands of civilians declaring themselves the law. These deaths stemmed from a phenomenon best described as “deputization.” Deputization describes a latent legal power that has empowered White people throughout American history to claim authority to enforce the law, as they see it, upon racial minorities generally and Black people in particular. This power turned the ancient common law duty to police all felons in England into a specific American common law duty to police Blacks. From the founding clauses of the Constitution to the Fugitive Slave Acts, to the birth of racist citizen’s arrest laws, there has always been an implicit understanding that part of Whiteness in America is a privilege to use private force to police Black people.
— Read on www.stanfordlawreview.org/print/article/deputization-and-privileged-white-violence/

Rebuilding the Force: Solving Policing’s Workforce Emergency – R Street Institute

Executive Summary

This policy study explores the recruitment and retention crisis in U.S. law enforcement, analyzing historical, social, and economic factors that have shaped the problem. It describes the staffing shortage, evaluates its consequences, and explores innovative strategies to address the issue. The findings and recommendations offered in this paper provide a practical, comprehensive framework for agencies to build and sustain a strong, resilient workforce.
— Read on www.rstreet.org/research/rebuilding-the-force-solving-policings-workforce-emergency/

Seattle federal monitor’s communications with police raise questions over impartial oversight

This is an interesting article on the “inside” discussions that take place with police monitoring and reform.

Messages obtained by Prism reveal backchannel coordination with the Seattle Police Department about policing tactics and budgeting
— Read on prismreports.org/2025/03/10/seattle-police-federal-monitor-antonio-oftelie/