Tag: Crime Statistics: Page 20

Editor's Notes

Top 10 Law Enforcement Stories of 2009

Which stories will make the PoliceMag.com list of the top LE stories of 2009? You can bet you'll find President Obama on this list.

December 29, 2009

Patrol

Police Say Criminals Packing More Heat

Nearly 40 percent of the departments reported an uptick in the use of assault weapons, according to the Police Executive Research Forum, a law enforcement think tank. In addition, half reported increases in the use of 9mm, .40-caliber, and 10mm handguns in crimes — among the same types of weapons that police use. The survey offers one of the broadest indications of officers' concerns about the armed threat from criminals involved in murder, assault, and other weapons-related offenses.

December 16, 2009

Patrol

Experts Say Dallas PD Manipulates Violent Crime Stats

In a one-week sample of cases from this summer, a Dallas Morning News review estimated that the department's tally of aggravated assaults should have been at least 50 percent higher.

December 14, 2009

Technology

High-Tech System Streamlines Reports

It's not that I begrudge writing reports, although I certainly appreciate anything that makes the job easier. But I am always looking for other ways police departments help officers handle reports quicker, such as Coplogic.

October 26, 2009

Patrol

Detroit Mayor Dismisses Police Chief

Detroit Mayor David Bing has fired the city's police chief, James Barren, who had been on the job less than a year, the Detroit Free Press reports. The move comes two days after the department acknowledged it undercounted 2008 homicides.

July 3, 2009

Patrol

Officer-Involved Shootings Spike In Long Beach, Calif.

Nine people have been shot by Long Beach (Calif.) PD police officers this year, a trend officials attribute to a poor economy and work furloughs by the police department, the Los Angeles Times reports. In each case, violent suspects failed to comply with commands or brandished weapons.

May 28, 2009

Special Units

Counterfeit Check Scheme Reportedly Run by San Diego Street Gang

Having a street gang behind a conspiracy that caused a credit union to lose $500,000 could be a first in California history. State and federal law enforcement officials made that announcement yesterday morning with the arrests of 40 people in the check-cashing scheme, including some active members of the military. Twenty more people are being sought.

May 14, 2009

Patrol

Dallas' Drop in Crime Benefited from Change in How Incidents are Reported

Without recent changes in how alleged crimes are reported, Dallas' crime would have dropped only about 7 percent in 2008 rather than the 10 percent that was recorded. The difference is due to new policies aimed at eliminating the reporting of crimes where there's no evidence that a crime occurred.

January 21, 2009

Special Units

Portland Mobilizes Against Gang War

Though the city's homicide rate and overall crime rate are down, gang violence has increased sharply over the past year, with a rapid rise in shootings in the past month. On Friday, law enforcement officials sounded an alarm about the surge of violence, the same day one of the victims was buried in North Portland.

January 12, 2009

Patrol

Raleigh Crime Up, Bucking Trend

Though crime declined across the country in the first six months of last year, an FBI report released Monday shows both violent and property crime rose in Raleigh.

January 12, 2009

Patrol

Los Angeles Officials Expect Crime Dip in 2009

Even as they touted another year of falling crime rates in Los Angeles and expressed confidence that 2009 could bring further declines, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief William J. Bratton said Monday that the LAPD's success in the upcoming year is tied to the city's financial picture.

January 10, 2009

Patrol

Charlotte-Mecklenburg PD Reports Significant Crime Drop

Mecklenburg crime dropped sharply in the second half of last year after months of spiking violence and home break-ins drove residents to march on City Hall and in some cases hire their own security.

January 10, 2009