Being a police officer, similar to serving in the military, can be a rewarding, albeit dangerous, career. Nationwide, this year alone, just through early May, over 120 officers have died in the line of duty, including over 64 from Covid-19. So much of this is lost on the people the police profession serves.
Violent crime surged in several U.S. cities that saw massive Black Live Matter and anti-police protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death last summer. The number of murders alone increased by 36.7% in 2020 compared to 2019.
H.B. 1900 would penalize cities that defund police if they have a population of over 250,000 people by allocating the city’s sales tax money to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Activists and critics argue that “Blue Lives Matter” is offensive and even racist, but pro-police advocates say the phrase is intended to draw awareness to the sacrifices that American law enforcement make every day to fight crime and protect their country.
“After years with no further offenses, a person’s risk of committing a new crime drops to that of the average person in the general population. Moreover, contact with the criminal justice system has had a disparate impact on people of color and the poor in our state.”
Initial media reports suggested that Bryant had been unarmed when she was killed, but body cam footage released by the Columbus Police Department (CPD) revealed that she was swinging a knife at the time of the shooting.
Calls to defund the police have once again been thrust into the national spotlight after a string of high profile police shootings, but data show the rallying cry for police reformers may not hold water.
Residents may have noticed steady reports of out-of-state fentanyl and heroin dealers being apprehended in Vermont, often associated with well-organized and extremely violent inner city gangs who also traffic in guns, sex workers, and anything else that makes a profit.
The New Hampshire House of Representatives has rejected a proposal that would have allowed police officers to be sued for misconduct. The measure was rejected 184-178.
We think jail is the appropriate place for someone who kills an elderly couple while texting and driving; or stabs or chops a person to death in broad daylight; or shoots somebody in the face multiple times; or shoots innocent bystanders downtown, or at the mall. Sarah George sees things differently.
The proposal would ban the use of chokeholds, eliminate qualified immunity for police officers, and ban no-knock warrants in drug case. It would ban racial, religious and discriminatory profiling and establish a National Police Misconduct Registry among many other changes.
According to research coordinator, Emily Anderson, the -0.45% is the first time the average percentage has been a negative number, meaning that police spending across the state is decreasing. These findings are especially remarkable because data from previous years yielded much higher average percentages of police spending.