Law enforcement agencies across the country experienced a wave of retirements and departures and are struggling to recruit the next generation of police officers in the year since George Floyd was killed by a cop. And amid the national reckoning on policing, communities are questioning who should become a police...
San Francisco Police Make Rare Apology for Officer Shooting
SAN FRANCISCO — In a rare police apology Thursday, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott apologized for a police shooting last week that injured a burglary suspect. The man, 23-year-old Xavier Pittman, was shot in the wrist by a plainclothes officer as he was being arrested. Suspect Shot by Officer...
California’s Police Use-of-Force Law, Explained
In the culmination of one of the fiercest political battles in recent years, California in 2020 put in place a new legal standard tightening the rules around when police can use deadly force. The new standard was a compromise between police and civil rights groups. It legally permits police to...
Visalia Police Shoot and Kill Man They Say Charged Them
VISALIA — Police shot and killed a 27-year-old man accused of attacking a Visalia officer after an officer who arrived at the scene said the man charged him. Family members called 911 on Wednesday afternoon to report that Ivan Cuevas was trying to break into a home and that he...
No Charges for California Police Officer Who Injured Woman in May Protest
LA MESA — A San Diego-area police officer who struck a woman with a beanbag projectile during a protest in May, leaving her blind in one eye, acted reasonably and won't face criminal charges, authorities said Wednesday. Eric Knudson, a police detective in La Mesa, thought that 59-year-old Leslie Furcron...
Capitol Police Chief Defends Response to ‘Criminal’ Rioters
WASHINGTON — Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund on Thursday defended his department's response to the violent breach at the Capitol, saying officers “acted valiantly when faced with thousands of individuals involved in violent riotous actions” as they stormed the building. Rioters “actively attacked” Capitol police and other law enforcement officers...
Dallas Chooses Former California Police Chief as New Top Cop
DALLAS — A former California police chief will be the next leader of the Dallas police department and the Texas city's first Hispanic chief. Eddie Garcia, who retired as police chief in San Jose this year, will replace outgoing Police Chief U. Renee Hall, Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax announced...
Police Kept Black Man Naked in Yard While Looking for Teens
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A 71-year-old Black man in South Carolina was embarrassed and feared for his life when a police officer looking for teens who might have been breaking in cars held him outside naked and at gunpoint after he peeked out his door to check on the disturbance, the...
Minneapolis Approves Cuts to Police Budget, Not Staffing
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a budget early Thursday that will shift about $8 million from the police department toward violence prevention and other programs — but will keep the mayor's targeted staffing levels for sworn officers intact, averting a possible veto. Mayor Jacob Frey, who had...
Amid Soaring Crime, Minneapolis Eyes Deep Police Cuts After Floyd’s Death
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis City Council members who tried unsuccessfully to dismantle the police department in response to George Floyd's death are voting Wednesday on whether to shrink it, a move that could imperil the entire city budget because the mayor is threatening to use his veto to protect public safety...