Traffic impunity in Nevada

Between 2017 and 2021, courts in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Henderson in Nevada reduced more than 200,000 traffic tickets to parking violations, as reported here. This included over 80% of 95,000 speeding tickets in Las Vegas. Among these, “Deals were given to more than 400 people cited for driving more than 30 mph over, as well as about 80 people accused of going more than 40 mph over.” Reducing the tickets to parking violations meant no points on licenses. As a result, Nevada suspends driver licenses at a much lower rate than neighboring California, Idaho, and Utah. The story cites several traffic-related tragedies caused by drivers who had previously accumulated numerous tickets but evaded any consequences.

Police Academic Dean position — Portland, OR

The Portland Police Bureau is advertising a new position of Police Academic Dean, posted here. As described, the position will “assist the Portland Police Bureau in overseeing, managing, and supporting the design, implementation, and management of training programs. This position will co-manage the Training Division with the Training Captain.” The deadline to apply is February 7.

Training development position in Oregon

The Center for Policing Excellence (CPE) at the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training is searching for an Instructional Design & Delivery Specialist to join their nationally-recognized team to help develop and maintain curriculum for public safety academy programs. Here’s a link to the job posting and a link to the CPE team page.

Private security in Portland

Businesses and non-profits in Portland, OR have turned to private security out of frustration with the city’s inability or unwillingness to deal with nuisance crimes and disorder, including homeless encampments. One company, in particular, is providing both patrol and investigations in one of the city’s business districts. According to a 3-part public radio series, available here, here, and here, officials are seriously concerned about the lack of training and accountability of private security officers and their employers. Prosecutors have regularly found evidence inconsistencies in arrests made by the private officers, leading to dropped charges. Critics say the private officers have far over-stepped their authority in harassing the homeless. But city officials are also aware and appreciative of some of what private security has been able to accomplish.

Uneven use of Brady lists

The Supreme Court’s 1963 Brady ruling requires prosecutors to “turn over exculpatory evidence to defense attorneys, including information that could be used to question the officers’ credibility.” According to this article, prosecutors around the country vary substantially in how they adhere to Brady. One reason is that the court’s ruling did not specify either the procedures to be followed or precisely what information might implicate an officer’s credibility. As a result, some prosecutors and police agencies, but not all, maintain lists of officers whose testimony should be avoided. Also, some include complaints of unnecessary or excessive force among the criteria affecting an officer’s credibility, while others argue that use of force and honesty are separate and independent considerations.

Challenging situation in Portland

After a year of contentious and frustrating protest policing, members of the Portland Police Bureau’s Rapid Response Team resigned their posts recently, as reported in this article and public broadcasting segment. They cited deteriorated morale, lack of confidence in their superiors, and unfair discipline — “After the fact, they’re finding out that changes in legal interpretations, policy interpretations — all those things — are looked back at retroactively and they’re saying, ‘No, that’s in fact wrong even though you thought you were doing everything right.'” In addition, relations between the police and the district attorney are strained, the agency is short-handed, and shootings and homicides have dramatically increased.

Medicaid funding for crisis response

The recent COVID relief bill has an estimated $1 billion in Medicaid funding over the next 10 years for mobile crisis teams, as reported here. Co-responder and non-police response models are becoming increasingly popular, although none have been rigorously evaluated. One official thinks “It’s really exciting to see the federal government support this model. I am hopeful that three years from now we will have multiple models and ideally some data that shows this has actually saved people’s lives.”

Portland exit interviews

Portland PD has had nearly 10% turnover in the last 9 months. Exit interviews reflect frustration and burnout, as reported here. One officer wrote “The community shows zero support. The city council are raging idiots … the mayor and council ignore actual facts on crime and policing in favor of radical leftist and anarchists fantasy.” An obvious burnout factor is the 100+ straight days of protest experienced in the city. Meanwhile defunding is still under consideration and the police department isn’t authorized to fill vacant positions. An assistant chief sums up the situation: “The problem with Portland right now is that we are too progressive compared to some of our neighbors, and we are not progressive enough for some people in Portland.”

Promising non-police response in Denver

The STAR program in Denver, which provides a non-police response to selected incidents, handled 748 calls during its initial 6-month pilot phase, as reported here. No police assistance was required for any of the calls, and no arrests were made. Officials plan to expand from one 2-person team to six teams in the coming year. Interestingly, even with the expansion, they only expect to handle 3% of Denver PD’s calls, far short of the 17% of police calls handled by the CAHOOTS program in Eugene, Oregon.

Non-police and co-response models

Interest in non-police and co-response models to calls involving behavioral health and behavioral crisis continues to be strong. Here’s a nice new video highlighting some of the options currently being used in several jurisdictions.