School Resource Officers, 2019–2020 | Bureau of Justice Statistics

This report provides details on demographics and certification of school resource officers (SROs) by the type of law enforcement agency that employs them. It also describes law enforcement, mentoring, and teaching activities performed by the officers. The report discusses equipment typically carried and training received by the officers.
— Read on bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/school-resource-officers-2019-2020

One in Five: Disparities in Crime and Policing

As you read this report draw your own conclusions but I must highlight that the usual attacks are made on police. It almost amounts to “nothing works” in policing in it’s current state which is absolutely false. The usual attacks are: racial disparities in policing are driven solely by racism and nothing to do with offender accountability, police tactics like pedestrian and vehicle stops are bad, police in schools are bad, broken windows doesn’t work, reduce police use of force (not that it’s a function of police being attacked), Increase police oversight (where members have personal agendas that conflict with the community and police goals). This list of grievances is a broken record without viable or proven examples of what works without policing. Nonetheless I present their argument.

Executive Summary

This report interrogates the large footprint of policing—particularly of Black Americans— as, in part, a failed response to racial disparities in serious crimes.  The wide net that police cast across people of color is at odds with advancing safety because excessive police contact often fails to intercept serious criminal activity and diminishes the perceived legitimacy of law enforcement. Excessive policing also distracts policymakers from making investments to promote community safety without the harms of policing and incarceration. In addition, the large footprint of policing gets in the way of, as the National Academies of Sciences has called for, needed “durable investments in disadvantaged urban neighborhoods that match the persistent and longstanding nature of institutional disinvestment that such neighborhoods have endured over many years.”

Nate: There are several parts to this series.

Read more here: https://www.sentencingproject.org/reports/one-in-five-disparities-in-crime-and-policing/

Get a .PDF of the report here: https://www.sentencingproject.org/app/uploads/2023/10/One-in-Five-Disparities-in-Crime-and-Policing.pdf

Moncton Dieppe RiverviewPublic SafetyPolicing Services Study

The idea of this report was to assist in making a determination whether to continue to maintain police services from the local police departments or to use the services or the RCMP. There are tradeoffs that can’t be measured by a study without being specific in it’s purpose. There are benefits have the police live in the community they patrol. Having a police force committed solely to the community that it patrols. Then there are the community networking and knowledge of the community that is important. Intimate knowledge of the local crime issues and the local criminals, which the RCMP officers probably would be less aware about. Lastly there is a tendency to for the RCMP to deploy minimal resources and to draw resources from neighboring areas when needed even for routine matters. This will decrease police sevices overall.

Executive Summary

The focus of the Study is to determine the requirements for a modern public safety police service and to compare and contrast the delivery of policing services by either the current Codiac Regional Police – a contracted RCMP model, or a regional municipal police force, or a
combination of RCMP and municipal services.

The methodology included:

  • an analysis and measurement of the Codiac policing workload
  • comparisons with other Canadian police agencies
  • research of policing initiatives and approaches across Canada, the US, and the UK
  • interviews with Tri-Community elected officials and administrative staff, and with senior Codiac Regional Police officers and RCMP ‘J’ Division
  • interviews with the New Brunswick Department of Justice and Public Safety Canada staff
  • a Space Analysis of existing and future facility needs
  • a site visit by eight members of the Study team
  • a literature review of the public safety issues under study
  • a review of the Final Report of the Mass Casualty Commission

The Study identified significant costs, challenges, and risk in considering a move to create a
regional municipal police force, and a combined model is not considered feasible. A transition
plan to a regional municipal police force would require – most importantly – a long-term
agreement and commitment by all stakeholders: the community, councils, the Department of
Justice, and Public Safety Canada to move ahead with a change in service provider.

A .pdf of the report can be downloaded HERE

Did Gun Violence Actually Surge in 2022? – by Jeff Asher

Trying to make sense of NCVS 2022.

I think that a possible cause for the disparity could be that official violent crime data might be lower because Cities have a police manpower shortages causing delays in police response. The result could be victims leaving the scene before the police arrive. There would be a 911 call indicating a violent crime but no police report. The initial call might be changed or downgraded because the victim was GOA/UTL (gone on arrival/unable to locate). This could cause the NCVS to have an artificial increase over police data.

Read Jeff Asher’s and see how my theory fits.

— Read on jasher.substack.com/p/did-gun-violence-actually-surge-in

Portland’s Police Staffing Crisis | Manhattan Institute

Like other major cities, Portland, Oregon, has experienced a surge in crime and disorder over the past three years. But unlike other major cities, Portland is uniquely ill-equipped to deal with this problem, because its police department is uniquely understaffed. With just 1.26 officers per every 1,000 residents, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) ranks 48th […]
— Read on manhattan.institute/article/portlands-police-staffing-crisis

A Second Look: An Analysis of Persistent Disparities in Dallas Misdemeanor Arrests

The five findings revealed a picture that is summarized below:

1. Overall arrests and misdemeanor arrests by the Dallas Police Department continue to decrease.

2. Arrests for possession of 2 ounces or less of marijuana have significantly decreased.

3. Overall racial disparities persist in low-level misdemeanor arrests. Racial disparities are particularly stark in marijuana possession and criminal trespass arrests.

4. Drug paraphernalia and public intoxication arrests show that there is more work to be done to reduce the footprint of DPD in the day-to-day lives of Dallas residents.

5. The City of Dallas and the Dallas Police Department’s data policies and practices continue to create challenges for transparency, accountability, and analysis.

dallascityhall.com/departments/office-of-community-police-oversight/PublishingImages/Pages/default/OCPO A-Second-Look-Dallas-Report-2023.pdf