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...
Robust Donations Help Faith in the Valley Shape Fresno Policing
By Jim Renson The Chronicle of Philanthropy EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is the result of a partnership between The Associated Press and The Chronicle of Philanthropy examining the billions of dollars committed to philanthropic racial justice initiatives after George Floyd’s murder by police a year ago. Roger Brown, 33, a...
Feds Fund Mental Health Crisis Teams to Stand in for Police
WASHINGTON — When police respond to a person gripped by a mental health or drug crisis, the encounter can have tragic results. Now a government insurance program will help communities set up an alternative: mobile teams with mental health practitioners trained in de-escalating such potentially volatile situations. The effort to...
Bill McEwen: Five Steps to Heal America Under Biden
Our nation's capital looks like a far-away authoritarian land with 25,000 National Guard soldiers and thousands of police officers deployed to keep Joe Biden safe for his presidential inauguration on Wednesday. America hasn't been this divided since the Civil War, and the immediate future is filled with huge challenges that...
Virus Aid, Police Reform Dominate New US Laws for 2021
Responses to the coronavirus pandemic and police brutality dominated legislative sessions in 2020, leading to scores of new laws that will take effect in the new year. Virus-related laws include those offering help to essential workers, boosting unemployment benefits and requiring time off for sick employees. A resolution in Alabama...
To Guide Police Reform in Fresno, Look at What the Data Reveals
The Fresno Commission for Police Reform was established to examine the future of policing in the City of Fresno. Many claim there is over-policing and discriminatory arrests among segments of our community. Fresno is not alone. Across the country protests and demonstrations have called for an end to racial injustices...
Governor’s Panel Urges Police to De-Escalate, Show Restraint in Protests
SACRAMENTO — Days after police and members of an unruly crowd were injured following the Los Angeles Lakers' latest basketball championship, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday released a report urging better communication and restraint by officers and warning that the use of tactical weapons for crowd control can escalate the...
US Police Registry Would Fail Without Changes in States
HOUSTON (AP) — Without major changes in almost every state, a national police misconduct database like what the White House and Congress have proposed after George Floyd's death would fail to account for thousands of problem officers. Lawmakers nationwide are struggling with how to reform policing following massive demonstrations, increased calls for change...
Plan Advances to Allow Dismantling Minneapolis Police Department
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council on Friday unanimously advanced a proposal to change the city charter to allow the police department to be dismantled, following widespread criticism of law enforcement over the killing of George Floyd. The 12-0 vote is just the first step in a process that faces...
Poll Shows Nearly All in US Back Criminal Justice Reform
WASHINGTON — Americans overwhelmingly want clear standards on when police officers may use force and consequences for officers who do so excessively, according to a new poll that finds nearly all Americans favor at least some level of change to the nation’s criminal justice system. The new poll from The...