In The News: Department of Criminal Justice
For three years the official death toll of the 1 October mass shooting in Las Vegas was 58. And two survivors who passed away later from complications directly related to their injuries in the incident were not initially added to that count until Thursday.
A statewide standard for Ohio police departments to follow when dealing with mass protests could assist small agencies that don't have experience in handling such demonstrations and give bigger departments the chance to review procedures, according to the head of the state's criminal justice services office.
A state board wants to create a unified policy for how Ohio police handle mass protests.
Following a summer of protests across the state, The Ohio Collaborative, a statewide panel that works to improve relations between the police and the community, is working on developing a new standard on dealing with such demonstrations nonviolently and allowing demonstrators to perform their First Amendment rights.
In response to mass protests across the state this summer following the death of George Floyd, an advisory board is looking into setting a standard for how police departments respond in Ohio.
At a time of wrenching division, police officers and those returning from prison share unexpected commonalities that can bring us together. On the surface, these two groups would seem dissimilar, but a groundbreaking Las Vegas program that bridges this divide has caught the attention of both the White House and the governor of Nevada. Perhaps more importantly, it has taken a bite out of crime by reducing re-offending while boosting employment.
On August 5, street medic Davis Beeman was using his truck to block other vehicles from driving into a crowd of protesters鈥攁 practice known as 鈥渃orking鈥濃攚hen Portland police declared the gathering a riot. As officers used tear gas and munitions to push the crowd of protesters away from Portland Police Bureau鈥檚 (PPB) East Precinct, Beeman sprinted back to his truck and tried to drive away.
Many advocates of 鈥渄efunding the police鈥 contend that too many police encounters with civilians concern trivial matters. Defunding proponents worry that poor decisions by officers can escalate tensions and lead to unnecessary uses of force. They argue that the police mandate should be more narrowly focused on responding to 鈥渟erious鈥 crimes, especially violent felonies. All other matters should not be considered police business. This premise has gained a receptive hearing in our political climate. Most people instinctively support the idea of leaving management of serious felonies to the police, who are certainly less likely to get into trouble if their job is simply to arrest violent felons.
The Boise Police Department currently doesn鈥檛 have a set policy governing how it responds to civil disturbances and protests.
Many advocates of 鈥渄efunding the police鈥 contend that too many police encounters with civilians concern trivial matters. Defunding proponents worry that poor decisions by officers can escalate tensions and lead to unnecessary uses of force. They argue that the police mandate should be more narrowly focused on responding to 鈥渟erious鈥 crimes, especially violent felonies. All other matters should not be considered police business. This premise has gained a receptive hearing in our political climate. Most people instinctively support the idea of leaving management of serious felonies to the police, who are certainly less likely to get into trouble if their job is simply to arrest violent felons.
Louisville's newly formed Place-Based Investigations unit was thrust into the spotlight this month after a lawsuit filed in the Breonna Taylor shooting labeled it a "rogue police unit" formed to target people and homes on Elliott Avenue.
I have been researching and teaching about crime and justice for more than 40 years. My work has focused on the importance of race and social class in understanding the issues that people face in these systems. Within this broad area of concern is the relationship between the police and communities of color, especially Black communities. The use and abuse of force has been a constant throughout the history of this relationship. This was on full display when a video was released of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.