US police embrace AI, cloud computing to boost public safety efforts

foxbusiness.com

Thomas Barrabi

4-5 minutes

AUSTIN, Texas — Police departments around the United States are turning to artificial intelligence, cloud computing and other technological revolutions to streamline everything from aging data entry systems to treatment of workplace stress.

Seattle is exploring several technological innovations in its police force, including virtual reality to train officers on how to react in “difficult to recreate” situations, such as how to conduct a traffic stop on a busy highway, and artificial intelligence, which can track which officers have recently handled potentially traumatic cases. Using AI, those officers can be automatically reassigned to low-stress cases or flagged for support programs.

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When white privilege even extends to men who shoot 7 cops on a Wednesday evening

medium.com

 Shaun King

Good Morning Everybody.

Late yesterday afternoon, at around 4pm, police officers in Florence, South Carolina went to serve a search warrant on an affluent white home there. They have not yet released the details on what the search warrant was for or even given the name of the suspect, but soon after officers arrived on the scene, they came under fire.

Three officers from the Florence Police Department were shot, including Officer Terrence Carraway, a Black man who was a 30 year veteran of the force. Officer Carraway was wounded so badly from the gunfire that he died there on the scene.

Read more here!!

Incarnation House partners with more than 20 North Texas organizations to make a positive impact on young people

Published Apr 4, 2019 at 5:56 AM |

Updated at 8:00 AM CDT on Apr 4, 2019

By Evan Anderson

NEWSLETTERS

As part of a new partnership with Dallas police, officers have started hanging out at Incarnation House on Thursdays to build relationships with kids and help heal wounds and misconceptions. (Published Thursday, April 4, 2019)

Building a positive relationship between police and young people in the community: That’s one of the many missions of Incarnation House in Dallas.

At Incarnation House, it’s about helping kids succeed and bridge the gaps no matter what challenges present in their daily lives.

Overview of Street Gangs–Compiled

Compiled by Manny

Texas Penal Code 71.01 (d): “Criminal street gang” means three or more persons having a common identifying sign or symbol or an identifiable leadership who continuously or regularly associate in the commission of criminal activities.

Working definitions are based on informal and unique personal perspectives that differ from person to person. The district began the Gang Prevention/ Intervention Program during the 2004- 2005 school year to reduce the influence of street gangs on its campuses. The program model includes prevention, intervention, and enforcement strategies.

The purpose of these initiatives is to increase awareness and to provide every educator and parent in Dallas ISD with a working knowledge of how gangs affect schools and communities.

NRA-ILA | New Study: Cops Prevent Crime

nraila.org

NRA-ILA

Readers may have noticed that we review “gun policy” studies regularly. Those clamoring for federal funding for gun policy research should set themselves up a Google Scholar alert, but not everything we want to highlight is directly related to gun policy. Crime is a complex issue and criminals are – shockingly – at the root of “gun crime”.

Studies and position papers published by doctors or medical professionals call for a public health approach to reducing “gun violence” but their policy suggestions are always focused on law-abiding gun owners – and their recommendations omit any sort of law enforcement component when they write about having a conversation to determine the path forward.

“More COPS, less crime” is a new study published in The Journal of Public Economics that looks explicitly at the effect of law enforcement on crime.

Street Lighting Reduces Crime in City Public Housing

Information from Crimesolutions.gov

The program was designed to reduce nighttime crime in public housing developments by adding more light towers. The program targets public housing developments which are experiencing elevated crime rates.

The study focused on four main outcomes: 1) index crime complaints; 2) felony crime complaints; 3) assault, homicide, and weapons crime complaints; and 4) misdemeanor crime complaints. Index crime complaints were defined using an offense type variable and included murder and non-negligent manslaughter, negligent or unclassified homicide, robbery, felony assault, burglary, and grand larceny of a motor vehicle.

Evaluation

Nighttime Index Crimes
It was found that adding one additional light tower to public housing developments in the treatment group reduced complaints of outdoor nighttime index crimes by 48 percent, compared with the control group. This difference was statistically significant.

Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking

From:  National Human Trafficking Hotline

1-888-373-7888

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to control victims for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts or labor services against his/her will.

Sex trafficking has been found in a wide variety of venues within the sex industry, including residential brothels,  escort services, fake massage businesses, strip clubs, and street prostitution.

Labor trafficking has been found in diverse labor settings including, domestic work, small businesses, large farms, and factories.

• Overview
• Resources

Human trafficking is a crime involving the exploitation of someone for the purposes of compelled labor or a commercial sex act through the use of force, fraud, or coercion. Human trafficking affects individuals across the world, including here in the United States, and is commonly regarded as one of the most pressing human rights issues of our time. Human trafficking affects every community in the United States across age, gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic backgrounds.

After 15-hour Frisco standoff, gunman arrested in trooper shooting that was caught on video

dallasnews.com

 

Updated at 2 p.m. Saturday: Revised with information about road reopening.

Hours after a motorist shot a state trooper who tried to stop him for a traffic violation Friday afternoon, a suspect was taken into custody early Saturday following a 15-hour standoff at his Frisco apartment complex.

Bryan Cahill

(Collin County Jail)

Bryan M. Cahill, 42, of Frisco was arrested by SWAT officers about 5 a.m. Saturday, after authorities say he fired multiple gunshots at officers during negotiations.

Read more here

Hotels, airlines and tech companies must stop harboring sex traffickers

dallasnews.com

Dallas Morning News Editorial

That one scene in what is otherwise a deeply misleading portrayal of the brutality of the global sex-trafficking industry reveals what many in law enforcement and survivor advocacy groups have always known: The corporations, owners, managers and workers that run the country’s 50,000 hotels and motels too often turn a blind eye to sex trafficking. Sadly, many businesses choose profit over freedom for the thousands of young women and girls — many minors in their early to mid-teens — who fall prey to sex traffickers every day.

It’s not just those in the hospitality industry, including hotels, motels, resorts, casinos and cruise lines, who have traditionally looked away. It’s also owners, managers and workers in the transportation industry, including airlines, rental car, limousine and taxi companies and other ride-sharing services.

Get the full story here.

Why Plano police officers are using thermal cameras on patrol

khou.com

Author: Matt Howerton

Plano police tracking dangers in the dark. Read entire story  KHOU article.

Most of the department’s patrol fleet is utilizing infrared cameras that are attached to the spotlights of squad cars.

Plano police officers are using thermal cameras to track down dangers in the dark, giving suspects nowhere to hide.