How calls to ‘defund the police' took Austin to a crossroads of police reform

Tony Plohetski

August 31, 2021 |

Austin American-Statesman |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Austin, Texas

The 2020 protests over abusive policing nationwide led to Austin city leaders' decision to be the first major city to make major cuts in their police budget. These early and rapid "defund-the-police" measures, cutting hiring of new police and moving $150 million to other agencies, led to a political backlash that has further polarized the local debate over policing. The police budget was restored and is now at its highest ever with some residents complaining that they need better protection. Now the city is rethinking, more deliberately, where to go from here.

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Dealing with mental health crisis one Zoom call at a time

Don Babwin

August 29, 2021 |

Associated Press |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

In Chicago, where the city's size and traffic would pose logistical and cost barriers to make mental health professionals first responders to mental-crisis calls, the Cook County sheriff's office has put 70 Zoom-enabled tablets in deputies' hands to set up on-the-spot counseling sessions with people in crisis. Instead of being confronted by a cop, people threatening suicide or harming others can talk to one of eight counselors on call. It's the first step toward getting the care they need, instead of an arrest and violent clash with police officers.

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Undocumented crime victims who assist police are often denied help in getting visa

Yilun Cheng

August 23, 2021 |

The Columbus Dispatch |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Whitehall, Ohio

Congress created the U visa program in 2000 to encourage undocumented immigrants to report crimes to the police and cooperate with investigations and prosecutions. The visa legalizes an immigrant's status, if certified by a law enforcement agency and approved by the federal government. Some police departments, like Whitehall, Ohio's, routinely reject requests for certification because they want to avoid entanglements in immigration matters, or simply because they are anti-immigrant. No national rules require agencies to comply with the system, though some states do.

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Solutions and Struggle: Native American tribes receive federal COVID-19 relief |

Mackenzie Wilkes Nancy Marie Spears Beth Wallis

August 15, 2021 |

News21 |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Blackfeet Nation, United States, Montana

During the pandemic, indigenous communities received massive federal funding through the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, and the Relief and Economic Security Act for a number of needs, like infrastructure and tribal housing improvements. Many indigenous entities received smaller funds too. But COVID exacerbated several long-pending and neglected issues, local officials and tribal members say, and the funding does not sufficiently address them in the longterm.

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Alaska failed to obtain DNA samples from 21,000 people accused of crimes, contrary to state law

Kyle Hopkins

August 11, 2021 |

Anchorage Daily News |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Alaska

Alaska put itself at the cutting edge of rape investigations in 2007 by passing a law requiring the collection of DNA samples from people arrested for a variety of crimes. The system is meant to aid in solving rapes, homicides and other crimes, and prevent serial offenses. But the state now admits that 1 in 4 qualifying cases never have a DNA sample collected, often because police either didn't know or didn't care about the requirement. Investigators are trying to collect samples from more than 20,000 old cases while improving procedures going forward.

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Marsy's Law was supposed to help victims. In Jacksonville, it shields police officers.

Uriel J. García

August 03, 2021 |

The Tributary (Jacksonville Journalism Collective) |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Jacksonville, Florida

A Florida constitutional amendment enacted in 2018 called Marsy's Law protects crime victims' rights, including the right to privacy when public-records laws would otherwise reveal victims' identity. But the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has interpreted a court decision to justify erasing from public records the names of police officers who shot or killed people, on the grounds that the police should legally be considered crime victims. Marsy's Law has been enacted in 14 states. Critics say it was not meant to undermine police accountability, but they have been unable to enact corrective legislation.

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Federal monitors cost millions, with disputed results. Seattle's police watchdog was a case in point.

David Nakamura

August 02, 2021 |

The Washington Post |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Federal consent decrees install court-appointed monitors to oversee reforms agreed to by a police department and the U.S. Justice Department after federal officials have found a department violates people's civil rights. In Seattle, a long-running monitor program oversaw great improvement in the police department's use of force. But the project turned so acrimonious that the monitor called the department a failure and the department said the monitor lacked accountability and a sensible yardstick to measure success. The Biden administration has revived the program nationwide but is studying ways to fix it.

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Shootings and murders are down in Chester as new community-driven program takes root

Vinny Vella

July 30, 2021 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chester, Pennsylvania

Barely half a year after creating the Partnerships for Safe Neighborhoods, the Delaware County district attorney's office and Chester police have seen a sharp drop in shootings. While multiple factors may affect the violence levels, officials and community members give much of the credit to the new program, which uses a focused deterrence approach to threatening to arrest people at risk of committing violence, but in return offering trade school training, rental aid, and counseling from community partners. The program shows the residents officials want to address the root causes, not just lock people up.

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The Path Forward: Decriminalizing addiction through diversion

Ryan Lowery

July 29, 2021 |

Las Vegas Optic |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Alamosa, Colorado

In Alamosa County, law enforcement officers who believe drug abuse is at the root of a person's criminal behavior can refer that person to treatment and other services, rather than arresting and jailing them. The Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program, used in multiple places around the country, has helped the county jail fewer people and send more into treatment. It also has caused a large drop in arrest warrants, because case workers help people make their appointments in court and elsewhere. Now, San Miguel County, N.M., is working to adopt LEAD, though it needs more treatment facilities.

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This city de-funded the police. Here's what happened next

Richard Hall

July 29, 2021 |

The Independent |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Rochester, New York

Less than a year after Rochester experienced its own version of the George Floyd case, when a clash with police led to the death of Daniel Prude, a man in a mental health crisis, Rochester diverted money from the police to fund a Person In Crisis team to respond differently to such crises. Two mental health and social workers accompany police on relevant calls 24/7, about 100 calls per week. Their presence can de-escalate potentially violent encounters and get people the help they need without an arrest.

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