Tag: Police Reform

Episode 5: Procedural Justice

Police In-service Training Podcasts

This is an interesting and straightforward discussion on Procedural Justice. More of an overview on Procedural Justice. The host Dr. Scott Phillips is a great guy that I know personally. The guest Dr. Justin Nix is a excellent professor that I follow on Twitter. Check out Nix’s website.

Procedural Justice is more than a simple buzzword.  It is related to police legitimacy, de-escalation, hot spots policing, and organizational justice.This week we talk with Dr. Justin Nix, a Distinguished Associate Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University…
— Read on www.buzzsprout.com/2413505/episodes/16416693-episode-5-procedural-justice

Attorney for victim’s family in fatal Spokane Police shooting slams department after release of body camera footage

The Spokane Police Department released excerpts of body camera footage from the fatal police shooting of an unarmed 35-year-old man, David M. Novak, earlier this…
— Read on www.inlander.com/news/attorney-for-victims-family-in-fatal-spokane-police-shooting-slams-department-after-release-of-body-camera-footage-18356706

Old Saybrook Releases Damning Outside Investigation of Police Chief Michael Spera, Workplace Practices – CT Examiner

A long-anticipated study by the Police Executive Research Forum concluded that the high rate of turnover in the Old Saybrook Police Department was the result of a toxic and “unpleasant” workplace characterized by mandatory overtime, fear of retaliation, unfair promotions and an overall poor organizational climate. 

“In interview after interview, employees described an unhealthy work environment filled with stress and paranoia,” the report read. 

The study was prompted by persistently high levels of turnover in the department. In July 2023, with a staffing level of only 17 officers, Police Chief Michael Spera requested that the town increase officer pay and benefits to incentivize more officers to stay. But First Selectman Carl Fortuna said he wanted to be sure that increasing benefits would reduce the turnover, and asked for an organizational study of the department. 

Residents overwhelmingly voted in January 2024 to approve the study. 
— Read on ctexaminer.com/2025/01/08/old-saybrook-releases-damning-outside-investigation-of-police-chief-michael-spera-workplace-practices/

Get a copy of the report HERE

Audit of the Municipal Police Training Committee

Executive Summary
In accordance with Section 12 of Chapter 11 of the Massachusetts General Laws, the Office of the State Auditor has conducted a performance audit of the Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC) for the period January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2022.

The purpose of our audit was to determine the following:

whether MPTC developed and implemented the trainings required by Chapter 69 of the Acts of 2018 (also known as the Criminal Justice Reform Act) and Chapter 253 of the Acts of 2020 (also known as the Police Reform Law), which are codified in Sections 116 A–D and G–K of Chapter 6 of the General Laws;
whether MPTC ensured that all MPTC-operated and MPTC-authorized training academies delivered a standardized training curriculum as required by Section 4(f)(1) of Chapter 6E of the General Laws; and
whether MPTC processed permanent exemptions to, and temporary waivers of, training requirements in accordance with Section 3.03 of Title 550 of the Code of Massachusetts Regulations.
— Read on www.mass.gov/audit/audit-of-the-municipal-police-training-committee

What Happened after California Changed the Rules Related to Police Use of Deadly Force? – Public Policy Institute of California

Five years ago, state lawmakers limited the legal justifications for police officers’ use of deadly force. We examine recent trends in the number of people seriously injured or killed during police encounters as well as in the provision of timely medical care for those injured.
— Read on www.ppic.org/blog/what-happened-after-california-changed-the-rules-related-to-police-use-of-deadly-force/

10 years after the targeted killing of 2 NYPD officers, policing in NY has changed – Gothamist

Ten years ago today, two NYPD officers were shot and killed while sitting in their patrol car in Brooklyn.

It was a shocking act of violence that came on the heels of citywide protests over police brutality in the wake of Eric Garner’s death. Garner had been placed in an prohibited chokehold by an NYPD officer who was never charged with a crime.

The 2014 killings of officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu as they sat in their patrol car marked a turning point in New York City’s relationship with law enforcement. Law enforcement experts said the tragedy caused police to put new safety measures in place for officers, and public sentiment about criminal justice reform has swung back and forth over time. Families of the men killed said there is more work to do to improve police-community relations.
— Read on gothamist.com/news/10-years-after-the-targeted-killing-of-2-nypd-officers-policing-in-ny-has-changed

US appeals court reverses ruling that Arizona police used excessive force against anti-Trump protesters – JURIST – News

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found that qualified immunity applied to the police interactions because the protestors did not cite a case that “‘clearly establish[ed]’ that Defendants’ use of force … was objectively unreasonable.” The appeals court explained that qualified immunity is granted to government officials “unless (1) they violated a federal statutory or constitutional right, and (2) the unlawfulness of their conduct was ‘clearly established at the time.’”

Protestor Ira Yedlin was part of a crowd aggressively pushing a fence separating the Free Speech Zone from another security zone distancing the anti-Trump protestors from the rally. The police fired pepper balls that struck and bruised Yedlin. The court found that the police did not use excessive force because the breach would have been “an immediate and substantial threat to the safety of the officers, nearby members of the public, and potentially [Trump’s] motorcade.”
— Read on www.jurist.org/news/2024/12/us-appeals-court-reverses-ruling-that-arizona-police-used-excessive-force-against-anti-trump-protesters/