Justice and Public Safety

A Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation error in the calculation of good conduct credits left some prison firefighters with increased sentences, an error that is now being addressed, officials say.

Identity thieves are posing as the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission through text messages as a means of conning residents out of their personal information, police in Franklin Township report.

Rhode Island recently approved a statewide program to fund body camera purchases for police departments. For some cities, like the Newport Police Department, a body camera program has been active for years.

Even amid calls to "defund the police," agencies are buying new technology, boosting efficiency and enabling new types of reporting. Mark43 aims to be a major global player in this industry.

Reno County, Kan., has found that hybrid patrol vehicles cut down on engine idle time and save at least $50 per year on gas. The county will keep the vehicles as a cost-saving tool.

As California faces a drought and another fire season this year, public safety agencies are looking to cutting-edge tech solutions, like drones and satellites, for new ways of putting out flames.

The suite brings together a range of applications, allowing personnel to view 911 calls, dispatch activity, live video, records and jail activity in one place — part of a larger trend of unification in public safety.

If used properly, a body camera when assigned to police officers does not take sides, and therefore it draws a distinction between the type of competing stories that can often muddy a court case.

The Missoula City Council approved a $307,000 request by the police department for new tasers as well as training — which includes a set of new virtual reality headsets — at Monday night's meeting.

Following controversy and the resignation of two police officers, the city has approved a contract with a California-based background investigation to improve its background check and hiring process.

The police department has provided the first update to its crime statistics web page since December with a report including crime totals for the city as well as for each neighborhood and police patrol area.

In an 8-7 decision, a federal appeals court rejected any possibility of Baltimore, Md., restarting its aerial surveillance program, which began years ago and collected about 6.7 million images.

Researchers from the Portland, Ore., metro area are collecting data on trees in urban environments to help predict the effects of climate change and resident health, particularly on underserved communities.

The COVID-19 pandemic and livestreamed murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin may have prompted lasting transparency, with the possibility of more cameras in Minnesota courtrooms.

City leaders reignited a debate over establishing more oversight of police and city surveillance, prompting a response from police officials who argue any measures might slow the department in reacting to violent crime.

Cameras have been used for security for some time, and like it or not, they will be used more in the future. We should work to find resources to offer this visual neighborhood watch opportunity to all communities.

The new state law in Washington goes into effect in January and requires local police officers to have a video and audio recording of any "interrogation" that involves either a felony or a juvenile.

Police say an overhaul in the way they record crime statistics has prevented publishing crime data for nearly six months, making it harder for the public to track trends for one of the city's most pressing issues.