Police
Some traffic violators getting off with bribes in South Africa
According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation, 65% of fatal crashes that happen on weekends, in South Africa, are because of alcohol abuse by drivers and pedestrians. However, in a report filed by Kirsti Buick, a journalism student from Wits University in Johannesburg, South Africa, many drivers are getting off with paying a bribe, “some…
Read MoreDead zone for police radios may have led to deputy’s death
The Times-Picayune reports that “as legal proceedings continue for a group accused of shooting four sheriff’s deputies in St. Johns and Baptist Parish testimony in a preliminary hearing has spotlighted something deputies in the parish have known for a long time: Throughout St. John, there are areas where emergency radios cannot snag a signal from…
Read MoreBorder patrol agents shooting into Mexico, killing civilians
Washington Monthly reports that “over the past five years U.S. border agents have shot across the border at least ten times, killing a total of six Mexicans on Mexican soil.” According to the report, border patrol shootings were a rarity before 2009, with only a handful occurring. But after an increase in border patrol agentst between…
Read MoreRising Arizona public safety pensions strain budget
“The cost of funding retirement for Arizona’s first responders has risen 500 percent during the past decade, inflated by enhanced benefits and battered by investment losses, forcing some communities to curb their hiring of police officers and firefighters, The Arizona Republic has found.” Read The Republic’s full investigation here.
Read MoreOakland police quick to fire, slow to investigate questionable shootings
Oakland police have been questioned for years by court-appointed watchdogs for questionable shootings and a failure to investigate them, The Bay Area News Group reports. A review by the news group finds that police can’t account for all shootings since 2000 and that an alarming pattern has persisted in the face of warnings. The news…
Read MoreBattle Lines: Gangs of Toledo
“Police track known gang members in an electronic database and, although police won’t make public exact numbers, Lt. Ed Bombrys, who oversees the gang unit, said there are an estimated 2,000 gang members in Toledo. There are, he said, anywhere from 25 to 40 ‘big, major gangs.’ In 2012, gang-related homicides were down from 2011, said…
Read MoreWashington police departments sold seized firearms
In its continuing series of investigative reports on gun crimes, Seattle’s KING TV found that police departments have not only been taking firearms off the streets with gun buyback events – some departments have been putting more firearms into circulation.
Read MoreMenlo Park cop caught with prostitute keeps job
The Almanac looks at how binding arbitration, written into contracts with California police unions statewide, makes it nearly impossible for cities to fire problem officers. In this case, a Menlo Park police officer was caught with a prostitute and subject to internal investigation, but ultimately kept is badge.
Read MoreDuring federal gun ban, data show drop in high-capacity magazines
According to a Washington Post analysis, during the 10-year federal ban on assault weapons, the percentage of firearms equipped with high-capacity magazines seized by police agencies in Virginia dropped, only to rise sharply once the restrictions were lifted in 2004. In Virginia, the Post found that the rate at which police recovered firearms with high-capacity…
Read MoreCalifornia police ignored, mishandled sex assaults reported by disabled
In three dozen cases of developmentally disabled patients accusing caretakers of rape and molestation during the past four years, police failed to complete even the simplest tasks associated with investigating the alleged crimes, according to a California Watch investigation.
Read More