“‘Tremendously traumatized’ Houston police face the growing problem of domestic violence”
Lietenant Julie Pleasant is part of the Houston PD Domestic Abuse Response Team, which is made up of units including a “trauma-informed” police officer and a victims’ advocate. Primary officers handle arrest, DART units”focus soley on the victim.” Watch the video for more information on policing and domestic violence.
Police Reform in Minnesota
Minnesota’s Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board recently presented changes to policy governing police and sheriff’s departments for review by the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings. Two and a half years after Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and eighteen months after Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter and sentenced […]
Canada: The BC Federation of Labour Calls for Policing Alternatives
Several historic resolutions supporting Indigenous rights were considered at this year’s convention. “‘We have to come to terms with the violence that the police have on our people,’ Marjorie Dumont, a BC Teachers’ Federation delegate and a Wet’suwet’en member, told BC Federation of Labour conference attendees on Tuesday.” Reporting for the Tyee, Zak Vescera and […]
Maryland police to host traffic stop practice for disabled drivers & pedestrians
“Giving an individual who may have a disability the opportunity to have that first traffic stop, be in a controlled environment,” said Laurie Reyes, the Montgomery County Police Autism IDD Alzheimer’s and Dementia Unit Police Officer. “It’s more of a hands-on of, you know, what do you do when you get pulled over. Do you […]
Reforming Police Hiring Needed for Police Reform
Recently, there has been concern regarding police hiring practices. In Cleveland Ohio, there was a review of 44 files for the 148th Recruitment Class for their police force. The report showed that the background checks conducted were “superficial” and criminal background checks weren’t consistently done. The monitoring team also identified a troubling absence of full […]
Police Falsely Charging Physically Handicapped Black Man After Police Brutality Incident
Cop “tackled, handcuffed, and detained” unarmed 67-year-old black man, Michael Torrey-White who was using a walker. The suspect they were looking for was listed as in their 30s. “They never said, ‘sorry, we got the wrong guy,’” Torrey-White said. “They never apologized to me.” When Torrey-White filed a complaint days later, cops falsely charged the […]
Western Massachusetts Focusing on Police Alternatives
(Amherst, MA). Community Responders for Equity, Safety, and Service (CRESS) has a new director. The department has joined several initiatives to offer alternatives to police when a call involves a mental health crisis. CRESS will send responders, trained to deal with mental health, to these calls instead of police. More on this story here.
Police Reform Protests in New Jersey
Widespread support from the New Jersey community appeared at Bridgewater. Many have demanded police reform over the past year, especially since America’s racial reckoning heated up in 2020, yet very little has changed. The incident that sparked this protest started with two boys at the Bridgewater Commons Mall. Z’Kye, a 14-year-old boy who was Black, […]
North Carolina Adopting Psychological Exams and Other Required Training for Police Officers
Gov. Roy Cooper signed a slate of policing reforms into law Thursday, creating a new duty for officers to intervene if they see another officer using excessive force. In addition, there’s new required training for officers. For example, new psychological exams for officers and a new requirement that the State Bureau of Investigation must investigate […]
Washington State Police Reform
The Washington State Legislature has passed sweeping police reform laws as community policing policies and practices have been placed under scrutiny. A handful of police reform bills were passed during the 2021 legislative session and beginning on July 25.The law aims to reduce use-of-force usage by police and limit the amount of physical force necessary. […]