Law Enforcement

How a Newark Program Is Pushing Police and Community Members to Heal Old Wounds Together

How We Fix This

How a Newark Program Is Pushing Police and Community Members to Heal Old Wounds Together

The city hopes that providing officers and residents the space and tools to listen to each other can remedy distrust and prevent further violence.

J. Brian Charles
‘Outrageous’: California Lawmakers Slam Police for Failing to Use Gun Database

Data

‘Outrageous’: California Lawmakers Slam Police for Failing to Use Gun Database

The development comes after an investigation by The Trace and NBC Bay Area found police are violating state law by not logging guns into the database so they can be traced.

Champe Barton
Accusations of Cronyism Plague the ATF’s Gun Ballistics Program

ATF

Accusations of Cronyism Plague the ATF’s Gun Ballistics Program

An internal report urged the ATF to open up its exclusive contract. Instead the contract was renewed, and several ATF officials went to work for the contractor.

Ann Givens
California Police Aren’t Tracking Crime Guns, Ignoring Thousands of Potential Leads

ATF

California Police Aren’t Tracking Crime Guns, Ignoring Thousands of Potential Leads

For more than a decade, agencies have flouted a state law requiring them to use a tool that policing experts say can help reduce gun violence.

Champe Barton
Florida Teen Is Latest Person Killed By Police While Carrying a Toy Gun

Law Enforcement

Florida Teen Is Latest Person Killed By Police While Carrying a Toy Gun

At least 245 people have been fatally shot by authorities while in possession of replica firearms in the last six years, according to a Washington Post database.

Alain Stephens
Baltimore Still Thinks It Can Defund the Police

Law Enforcement

Baltimore Still Thinks It Can Defund the Police

The modern defund movement has roots in Baltimore activism. A new focus on bringing residents into city budgeting could inform the national movement.

J. Brian Charles
The Problems With Chicago’s Gang-Centric Narrative of Gun Violence

Law Enforcement

The Problems With Chicago’s Gang-Centric Narrative of Gun Violence

City officials have repeatedly blamed gangs for driving up shootings. But analysis shows that the Chicago Police Department’s own data doesn’t back up its leaders' claims.

Lakeidra Chavis
In Chicago, Controversy Mounts Over the Use of Gunshot Detection Sensors

Law Enforcement

In Chicago, Controversy Mounts Over the Use of Gunshot Detection Sensors

The city quietly renewed its multi-million dollar contract with ShotSpotter. But a growing body of evidence suggests the technology is ineffective and activists say it leads to deadly over-policing.

Jim Daley
Missouri’s ‘Second Amendment Sanctuary’ Law Could Complicate Police Efforts to Solve Gun Crimes

Law

Missouri’s ‘Second Amendment Sanctuary’ Law Could Complicate Police Efforts to Solve Gun Crimes

Victim advocates and law enforcement officials say that a new state law taking aim at federal gun rules could hamstring attempts to disarm abusers and prevent local authorities from reporting stores for failing to run background checks.

Jennifer Mascia
How Police Gained Control of America’s Roadways

Law Enforcement

How Police Gained Control of America’s Roadways

A conversation with Professor Sarah Seo, whose work explores the fraught history of traffic enforcement and the problems that emerge when officers get to decide whose cars to stop.

Ann Givens
Federal Supervision and Decades of Activism Changed Policing in Newark. Can the Reforms Hold?

Law Enforcement

Federal Supervision and Decades of Activism Changed Policing in Newark. Can the Reforms Hold?

Newark’s Police Department went a full calendar year without shooting a civilian. But with cops still using force disproportionately against Black residents, activists are split on the future of public safety there.

J. Brian Charles
St. Louis Has Never Shared Police Shooting Investigation Results With Its Civilian Oversight Board

Law Enforcement

St. Louis Has Never Shared Police Shooting Investigation Results With Its Civilian Oversight Board

The board, established five years ago in the wake of Michael Brown’s killing, is supposed to review all concluded internal investigations of police shootings. Despite dozens of incidents, it has yet to see a single case.

Champe Barton
Austin Police Pledged to Stop Using ‘Less Lethal’ Rounds on Crowds. Then the Department Ordered Thousands More.

Law Enforcement

Austin Police Pledged to Stop Using ‘Less Lethal’ Rounds on Crowds. Then the Department Ordered Thousands More.

The department came under national scrutiny after officers used beanbag rounds on demonstrators, sending dozens to the hospital with serious injuries.

Andrew Weber and Alain Stephens
Portland’s High Stakes Experiment to Shrink the Role of Police in Fighting Gun Violence

Community Violence

Portland’s High Stakes Experiment to Shrink the Role of Police in Fighting Gun Violence

Away from the protests, shootings are on the rise. City leaders recently disbanded a police unit meant to prevent them — and what happens next might shape public safety for years.

Casey Parks
How Often Are Police Shot in the Line of Duty?

Law Enforcement

How Often Are Police Shot in the Line of Duty?

New research on officers killed and injured in shootings shows a dangerous profession — but not one that’s getting riskier.

Jennifer Mascia and Chip Brownlee

Help our journalists shine a light on gun violence

Law Enforcement

How a Newark Program Is Pushing Police and Community Members to Heal Old Wounds Together

‘Outrageous’: California Lawmakers Slam Police for Failing to Use Gun Database

Accusations of Cronyism Plague the ATF’s Gun Ballistics Program

California Police Aren’t Tracking Crime Guns, Ignoring Thousands of Potential Leads

Florida Teen Is Latest Person Killed By Police While Carrying a Toy Gun

Baltimore Still Thinks It Can Defund the Police

The Problems With Chicago’s Gang-Centric Narrative of Gun Violence

In Chicago, Controversy Mounts Over the Use of Gunshot Detection Sensors

Missouri’s ‘Second Amendment Sanctuary’ Law Could Complicate Police Efforts to Solve Gun Crimes

How Police Gained Control of America’s Roadways

Federal Supervision and Decades of Activism Changed Policing in Newark. Can the Reforms Hold?

St. Louis Has Never Shared Police Shooting Investigation Results With Its Civilian Oversight Board

Austin Police Pledged to Stop Using ‘Less Lethal’ Rounds on Crowds. Then the Department Ordered Thousands More.

Portland’s High Stakes Experiment to Shrink the Role of Police in Fighting Gun Violence

How Often Are Police Shot in the Line of Duty?