Tag: Police Reform

Syracuse auditor recommends ways for police to improve

Syracuse City Auditor Alexander Marion released a study Monday of the city of Syracuse Police Department’s operations and staffing.

The analysis, which outlined recommendations to improve efficiency, found areas in three fields were crucial: Modifying staffing across certain units, developing an approach to mental health calls and working with residents in the community.

The study was commissioned in 2022 by the Syracuse Common Council.

— Read on spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2024/09/09/syracuse-auditor-recommends-ways-for-city-police-to-improve-operations

Get a .PDF copy HERE

Woke policies cost lives – American Thinker

Like many people around the country, I have noticed that the roads and highways of my town have become more dangerous and that the number of fatal crashes and hit-and-run incidents seemed to be more deadly and frequent.  I became curious and dug into the data.

The information led to some conclusions that were obvious, but unpopular.  The local police, politicians, and news outlets have no interest in exploring the problem from its source and instead offer study groups and costly infrastructure solutions rather that addressing the problem. I suspect that this dynamic is repeated in countless cities across the country. 
— Read on www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/09/woke_policies_cost_lives.html

Alternative Traffic Enforcement: Identifying Areas for Future Research | National Institute of Justice

Alternative traffic enforcement is an emerging crime and justice issue prompted by efforts of dozens of jurisdictions throughout the United States. In response to documented dangers and disparities, they seek to change how some traffic violations are handled.[1] Specifically, these strategies try to increase public safety and reduce demands on officers by deprioritizing some traffic offenses and shifting enforcement responsibilities to alternative agencies or technologies. Most of these programs are in their infancy.
— Read on nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/alternative-traffic-enforcement-identifying-areas-future-research

2 Chicago police oversight officials fired amid allegations of anti-cop bias at the agency – Chicago Sun-Times

Commentary: Is it good for the process of police accountability if the oversight entity is biased against police? An administrator for the COPA said that their commitment is to the people of the city of Chicago. What exactly does that mean? Does that mean to find police guilty of misconduct? Does that mean to provide a fair process? Is there damage done to the city of Chicago, its police department, and the citizenry if police officers are wrongly found guilty of police misconduct? Isn’t there a cost to the City of Chicago when police officers are lost especially for biased reasons? 

The two high-ranking officials with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability were abruptly fired Friday, just days after one of them complained to the inspector general about bias against police.
— Read on chicago.suntimes.com/police-reform/2024/08/30/officials-police-oversight-agency-copa-dismissed-retaliation-bias-against-police

States approved nearly 300 bills affecting policing in wake of George Floyd’s murder – CNS Maryland

Governors approved nearly 300 police reform bills after Floyd’s May 2020 killing in Minneapolis, according to an analysis of data from the National Conference of State Legislatures by the Howard Center.
— Read on cnsmaryland.org/2022/10/28/states-approved-nearly-300-bills-affecting-policing-in-wake-of-george-floyds-murder/

Do Civilian Review Boards Work? in Governing

In Brief:
In the wake of 2020, states and localities created a number of new civilian police accountability boards to meet widespread demand for transparency.

Civilian boards have limited power, and despite community members’ attempts to change that, law enforcement and legislators are increasingly aligned. In states like Florida and Tennessee, legislators have all but banned civilian boards from being created or from operating.

However, advocates for police reform continue to push for what they see as a necessary phase of accountability, encouraging legislators to develop a civilian-led oversight agency that has both power and independence
— Read on www.governing.com/workforce/do-civilian-review-boards-work