BLOG AND INDUSTRY NEWS
Durham Police Department in North Carolina has just unveiled a new use-of-force simulator. With this new and portable device they will be able to better prepare for the use of force in the real world. “The simulator, which is portable, has a large screen that took up most of a conference room wall. It replaces a system that Lynde likened to an Atari, the video game system popular in the 1970s and ’80s, with tethered controls and technology that prevented officers from moving around.” (newsobserver.com) “The new system includes laser tools that look like a gun, pepper spray and a
Currently there is not a single United States wide system for Use of Force reporting. Four states (California, Colorado, Connecticut, and Texas) are implementing state-wide reporting requirements with California’s just becoming effective January 1, 2017. Individual State by State adoption of Use of Force reporting is not the answer to providing consistent and accurate data that law enforcement agencies can use to measure how their agency uses force. The result is inconsistent reporting of Use of Force across the United States. There needs to be a nationwide standard and mechanism for collecting Use of Force data. Here are a few
An article on USA Today titled, “’Ferguson effect’: 72% of U.S. cops reluctant to make stops” brings attention to a statistic that is unsettling in the United States, however is a reality that we face today in 2017. Due to the negative media attention law enforcement has received over the past few years, officers have become more reluctant to use force due to what the public eye will think. Over 80% of police said that their daily work is harder due to these high profile cases. Per the article, “Former Chicago police superintendent Garry McCarthy recently tied the surge in
