Public Safety
Lawmakers in one state are considering regulating police use of automated license plate readers
Virginia lawmakers are debating whether to regulate law enforcement departments’ use of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR). They heard constituents’ perspectives on the technology and reviewed studies from the Virginia State Crime Commission.
Local fire department testing new wildfire risk reduction app
The wildfire mitigation app uses AI to recommend tips for making people's homes more fire resistant.
A new take on robocop? Georgia lawmakers look into ways AI can improve public safety
With artificial intelligence rapidly advancing, what public safety jobs can look like is changing quickly, sometimes in a seriously sci-fi kind of way.
Russian email domains sent uncredible bomb threats to polling places, FBI says
Kremlin-backed actors have a long record of sowing fear and disinformation into the U.S. election process.
What has been learned about civilian oversight of law enforcement
It’s been four years since the murder of George Floyd, and while political tensions have thrown up obstacles to the approach, the experience of some cities and counties indicates it can help heal sour relations.
Letter from Congress warns county against Chinese drone use
Arguing that the drones put privacy and national security at risk, a U.S. House committee is asking the country to stop buying them. The letter hints its efforts could expand to localities nationwide.
A boy’s bicycling death haunts a Black neighborhood. 35 years later, there’s still no sidewalk.
Pedestrian deaths are highest in formerly redlined areas, neighborhoods where Black people lived because of discriminatory federal mortgage lending practices. The lack of sidewalks, damaged walkways and roads in these communities are creating a little-recognized public health crisis.
Crime is down, FBI says, but politicians still choose statistics to fit their narratives
Murder in the United States fell nearly 12% in 2023 compared with 2022.
Move over! Two map apps to notify drivers when state police are stopped ahead
The Illinois State Police is using Waze and Google Maps to alert drivers in real time about roadside personnel in an effort to cut down on injuries.
Local 911 systems face a national emergency
Call takers and dispatchers are working with technology from the 1980s, experts say. But there’s a possible solution.
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Six months later, what did cities learn from the solar eclipse? Plan, plan, plan.
Communities in the path of totality look back at the lessons learned. Preparing for the worst and biggest impacts is worth it, they say.
Mayors rally to support Springfield amid 'unprecedented' situation
Local leaders have experience responding to crises that attract national attention, from natural disasters to shootings, but the politics and threats of violence in the central Ohio town make this situation different.
These counties are recruiting teenagers to shore up a corrections guard shortage
Two counties in Texas house training programs in local high schools as officials pitch corrections jobs as gateways to criminal justice careers.
A national blueprint for taking money out of justice
COMMENTARY | A year ago, Illinois became the first state to abolish cash bail. Critics argued this reform would result in an increase in crime—they were wrong.
Study finds prevalence of firearms is driving soaring gun deaths in U.S.—not mental illness
Researchers compared the U.S. to 40 countries and found that Americans are 20 times more likely to die by firearms, even with a similar rate of mental health illness.
Dark highways, fast cars, few sidewalks—and more pedestrian deaths
More than three-fourths of counties with the highest pedestrian death rates also had persistently high poverty rates.
Hundreds of cities get federal help to make streets safer
The $1 billion funding announcement is the second round of grants this year. To date, the federal government has provided money for safer streets to nearly three-quarters of the country.
Cities are increasingly embracing violence interventions programs to control deadly violence
Initial research indicates the approach is working—saving lives and money. But supporters admit more analysis is needed.
State dam safety programs could get new look after summer storms
The pressure is on aging dams as climate change fuels more intense weather, but it often takes high-profile incidents to focus lawmakers and other officials on the problem.
Data shows rural disparities in traffic deaths
An analysis of federal highway data shows that rural counties have higher traffic death rates compared to their urban counterparts.
