DAVENPORT, Iowa — The racial justice protests following the death of George Floyd earlier this year prompted calls to “defund the police” in cities across the country, a priority for activists that has now become a central point in the presidential contest. A review by The Associated Press finds that...
National Guard Taps Units for Rapid Response to Civil Unrest
WASHINGTON — The National Guard has designated military police units in two states to serve as rapid reaction forces so they can respond quickly to any potential civil unrest around the country, following violent protests that rocked the nation’s capital and several states this summer. Military leaders don't explicitly tie...
Ban on Chokeholds Among California Criminal Justice Reforms
SACRAMENTO — Spurred by the slayings of George Floyd and other Black people in police custody across the country, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday banned certain chokeholds as he approved several new laws designed to increase oversight of the criminal justice system. But amid national calls to defund the police,...
LA Area Sheriff Says Black Man Grabbed at Gun Before Fatal Shooting
LOS ANGELES — The sheriff in Orange County released a grainy photograph Thursday that he said showed a Black man grabbing at a deputy’s gun during a struggle on the ground that ended with the fatal shooting of the man. Sheriff Don Barnes said the photo was a frame of...
AP-NORC Poll: Support for Racial Injustice Protests Declines
NEW YORK — As the decision in Kentucky to bring charges against only one of three police officers involved in a raid that killed Breonna Taylor sparks renewed protests nationwide, a new survey finds support has fallen for demonstrations against systemic racism. The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public...
Photos Fuel Concerns Over in-Custody Death of La. Black Man
Graphic photos that surfaced online this week appear to show deep bruises on the face of a Black man who died following a police chase in Louisiana last year, raising new questions about whether his injuries were caused by the crash that ended the chase or an ensuing struggle with...
Multi-Million Settlement Reached in Breonna Taylor Lawsuit
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The city of Louisville will pay millions to the mother of Breonna Taylor and reform police practices as part of a lawsuit settlement months after Taylor's slaying by police thrust the Black woman's name to the forefront of a national reckoning on race. A person who has...
Harris Draws on Her Past as US Faces Reckoning on Police
SACRAMENTO — When Kamala Harris won her first election for San Francisco district attorney in 2003, the office's relationship with the city police force was in tatters. She promised to rebuild trust, but the goodwill didn't last. Three months after Harris took office, a young city police officer was shot...
Sheriff: Deputy on Video Punching Black Man in Georgia Fired
A sheriff's deputy in Georgia has been fired after being captured on video repeatedly punching a Black man during a traffic stop, authorities said Sunday. The deputy was being let go for “excessive use of force,” the Clayton County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. It did not identify the...
Search Continues for Gunman Who Shot California Deputies
LOS ANGELES — Authorities were continuing to search Monday for a gunman who walked up to a parked sheriff's squad car and opened fire, critically wounding two Los Angeles County deputies in an ambush recorded on surveillance video. Officials asked for the public’s help in identifying the gunman in a...