Hundreds of thousands of crimes involving firearms occur each year in the United States. In 2022, for example, guns were used in more than three quarters of murders, one third of robberies, and a quarter of aggravated assaults.1 But less is known about how people who use guns in violence acquire their weapons.
One source of guns used in crimes is theft.2 While research on the role of gun theft in gun crime is limited,3 a small but growing body of evidence suggests that stolen guns may play a significant role in violent crime. Stolen guns are more likely than other guns to be recovered in crimes,4 and gun crime appears to increase in neighborhoods from which guns have been recently stolen.5 Despite the potential importance of stolen guns as a source of guns used in crime, data on gun theft trends are limited
— Read on counciloncj.org/trends-in-gun-theft/
Tag: Statistics
Discipline for police misconduct on the rise in New Jersey, data shows • New Jersey Monitor
Nearly 550 officers in New Jersey were fired, demoted, or suspended for more than five days in 2024 for misconduct, up from 460 cops in 2023.
— Read on newjerseymonitor.com/2025/07/07/discipline-for-police-misconduct-on-the-rise-in-new-jersey-data-shows/
See the NJ Attorney General’s website on police discipline
ECHC Needs Assessment Report – Erie County NY
Final Report Issued for Erie County Holding Center and Erie County Correctional Facility Comprehensive Facility and Operational Needs Assessment
Friday, May 30, 2025
As authorized by the County Legislature, Erie County DEP commissioned a Needs Assessment of the current Erie County Holding Center and Erie County Correctional Facility. The intent was to critically evaluate the condition of each facility and associated programs, to estimate future bed space and programming needs, determine what a new state of the art, trauma informed facility would need to include, and develop preliminary cost estimates. The Consultant Team completed their report in May 2025.
A presentation was given by the Consultant Team to elected County officials and staff members on May 29, 2025.
The Final Report can be viewed here.
Visit https://erie.gov/jailstudy to view the full website.
Why I Think Murder Is Plunging – by Jeff Asher
It’s complicated, but this is what I find compelling.
— Read on jasher.substack.com/p/why-i-think-murder-is-plunging
Police Use of Force Policies Across America – Stanford Center for Racial Justice – Stanford Law School
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Five years after George Floyd’s killing sparked unprecedented demands for police reform, questions persist about the changes that have—and haven’t—been made to American policing. Many Americans may be surprised to learn that policing rules vary significantly across jurisdictions, with stark differences in how officers are permitted to use force. One city may require officers to try de-escalating a traffic stop before using any force, while another city may permit officers to immediately draw their weapons without attempting alternatives.
— Read on law.stanford.edu/2025/06/25/police-use-of-force-policies-across-america/
Province Commits to Public Safety Improvements Following Policing Review | Government of Nova Scotia News Releases
The Province released the findings of the comprehensive policing review today, June 25.
The government will introduce six foundational changes and expand the role of the provincial police to improve public safety.
“Today marks a pivotal moment for the future of policing in Nova Scotia,” said Attorney General and Justice Minister Becky Druhan. “We accept the recommendations that Deloitte Canada has brought forward and we are taking action to ensure every Nova Scotian – regardless of where they live – has access to high-quality, modern policing services.”
— Read on news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/06/25/province-commits-public-safety-improvements-following-policing-review
Consulting Group Presents Results of Millburn Police Department Staffing Analysis
MILLBURN, NJ – John Scruggs, Manager of Matrix Consulting Group, presented the results of their police staffing study last week. He began by saying that they have been in business for 23 years and have worked in 45 states. He added that their work is fact and data-based. Matrix used the police’s Computer Dispatch Data (CAD) for 2023.
“We also looked at their caseloads, fixed payroll, income reports and those kinds of things. We do all this data collection at the same time, and we’re also doing a bunch of interviews. So, we interviewed many members of the police department, asked them about their civic roles, things they are doing, and the programs the police department is involved in.”
Scruggs mentioned that his company implemented an anonymous online survey. He noted that the analysis also covered future needs, projecting out to 2034. Please click HERE to see the entire slideshow.
Read the article HERE
You can view the entire slideshow HERE and/or watch the presentation HERE.
Get a .PDF copy of the study HERE.
Crime Is Down in 2025. Trump Doesn’t Deserve Credit. | Vera Institute
For the past year, Donald Trump has been saying that “homicides are skyrocketing” and the country is “breaking down” with violence even as the data told a much different story. Now, as crime keeps declining, even Trump is finally changing his tune. Data and analysis from the FBI, Council on Criminal Justice, and Major Cities Chiefs Association all show that, overall, crime went down significantly in 2024, with violent crime largely returning to pre-pandemic levels. The good news defies expectations: homicide rates in Baltimore, Detroit, and St. Louis declined even beyond pre-pandemic levels to historically low 2014 rates. Now, early data suggests that the crime drop is continuing under Trump’s second term. It is still too early in the year to talk with confidence about crime trends in 2025, but at least one researcher projects that 2025 is on track to follow 2024 in terms of continued declines in homicides and violent crime.
— Read on www.vera.org/news/crime-is-down-in-2025-trump-doesnt-deserve-credit
State and Local Law Enforcement Training Academies’ Training Topics and Instructors, 2022 – Statistical Tables | Bureau of Justice Statistics
Description
This report describes the number and types of basic training curricula of state and local law enforcement training academies in the United States in 2022. Conducted periodically since 2002, the findings in the report are based primarily on BJS’s 2022 Census of Law Enforcement Training Academies (CLETA), the fifth iteration of the data collection.
— Read on bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/state-local-law-enforcement-training-academies-training-topics-instructors-2022-statistical-tables
POLICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING ANALYSIS – MILLBURN, NEW JERSEY
Access the report here:
www.twp.millburn.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/15888/Millburn-Police-Department-Staffing-Analysis