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With Abuse Victims Trapped at Home, Detroit Moves Restraining Order System Online

Jennifer Mascia Katlyn Alo

May 29, 2020 |

The Trace |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

Domestic abuse risks are on the rise, at a time of social isolation, economic disruption, and gun-buying, and so Wayne County, Michigan, court officials responded to the closing of their courthouses by allowing people to seek orders of protection online. A replacement for an onerous, face-to-face process, the new e-filing system processed fewer applications in its first month than before the pandemic crisis, but at least preserved a steady flow of cases that enable victims to block their abusers from possessing guns. Victim advocates hope the new system expands access even after the courthouses reopen.

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How police forces in western Canada are working to speed up ballistic imaging to solve gun crimes quicker

Marsha McLeod

May 27, 2020 |

The Globe and Mail |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Canada, Edmonton, Alberta

As Canada sees an increase in gun violence, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are increasing their capacity to do ballistic imaging – an analysis that is able to potentially connect multiple crimes. Across the country, individual police agencies are developing their own way of conducting this analysis or working with the RCMP, which has access to an integrated network of crime information, to expedite the process.

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Arkansas Moms Turn to Food Pantry Boxes to Distribute Safe Gun Storage Tips

Ann Givens

May 26, 2020 |

The Trace |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Jonesboro, Arkansas

After a 14-year-old girl in Jonesboro, Ark., accidentally shot and killed a friend, local activists distributed hundreds of fliers promoting safe gun storage strategies that have been proven to save lives. They gained access to a particularly vulnerable population by piggybacking on pandemic-related free-food distribution. Nationwide, children's deaths and injuries from accidental gunshots have increased substantially during the pandemic lockdown, with children idled at home and with gun sales surging.

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With More Releases From Rikers Due To Coronavirus Pandemic, What's The Real Impact On Crime?

Beth Fertig

May 12, 2020 |

Gothamist |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Long the target of jail-reduction advocates, New York City’s Rikers Island jail released more than one-quarter of its inmates within the first two months of a coronavirus outbreak behind bars. The early releases stemmed from a combination of factors: a strategy to limit the spread of the virus, a result of a new state law limiting the imposition of cash bail, and a significant drop in crime during New York’s social-distancing lockdown. Police complained that large numbers of those released committed new crimes, but decarceration advocates say the releases on the whole were conducted safely.

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Las Vegas Mural Project Brings Color to Businesses Closed By Coronavirus

Sonja Swanson

May 08, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Las Vegas, Nevada

The City of Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency is providing funding for businesses closed by COVID-19 to board up their windows with public art. Offering up to $2,000 per business, its purpose is to help support local artists who have become unemployed, and bolster public safety by discouraging break-ins. So far, more than 30 businesses have participated, with no mention of ending the program soon.

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Not just another statistic

Janice Cantieri

May 06, 2020 |

National Observer |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Lekungen Traditional Territory, Canada, Victoria, British Columbia

The number of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada is high, so a group of Indigenous women formed an organization called Power Our Women (POW) to teach other Indigenous women across the country self-defense skills. Participants talk about their cultures, learn physical self-defense, build confidence, and learn situational awareness. Participants describe the program as healing but difficult. POW has now reached more than 5,000 women across Canada, including remote areas in northern Manitoba.

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Band of Others: Breaking patterns of violence

Sergio Olmos

April 27, 2020 |

Underscore |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Texas

Specialty dockets are used in some states to provide extensive follow-up and supervision to help juveniles end gang affiliations. The enhanced supervision usually includes a curfew, frequent unannounced home visits, regular courthouse meetings, and in depth mentoring. A federal grant recently made it possible for a Texas docket called Juveniles United Navigating Obstacles Successfully (JUNTOS) to also offer therapy services to at least 36 adolescents over 3 years. Gang re-entry data is scarce and there is a risk of focusing only on youth of color because the gang designation excludes white supremacy groups.

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Text-to-911 Saves Lives, but Data Suggests It Remains Rare

Ben Miller

April 14, 2020 |

Government Technology |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Significant growth in the availability of text-to-911 technology has meant greater safety for people whose speaking ability or dangerous surroundings prevent them from making voice calls to 911. Various states have used different methods to enable the spread of such services, with no one-size-fits-all approach. Federal data show the number of emergency texts grew from about 1,000 in 2014 to more than 188,000 in 2018. While data are incomplete, a majority of the U.S. evidently remains outside areas with 911 call centers that can receive text messages.

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Chicago's Gun Violence Interrupters Take on Coronavirus

Lakeidra Chavis

March 17, 2020 |

The Trace |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Street outreach workers who work to reduce gun violence in Chicago are using the relationships they've built to now spread the word about the dangers of the coronavirus. “To the extent that we are the sort of conduits to vulnerable neighborhoods, it makes sense for us to sort of disseminate that information because it’s an important public service,” one outreach worker explains.

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Responding to Hate

Sergio Olmos

February 28, 2020 |

Underscore |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

"De-radicalization" interventions are turning into a business, with former members of extremist hate groups charging fees to deprogram current extremists, using methods based on questionable science. One former member of the neo-Nazi group White Aryan Resistance says his Chicago-based nonprofit, Life After Hate, represents an evidence-based attempt to professionalize the field by adopting an addiction-recovery model. The group claims to have helped 350 people exit violent extremist groups. Skeptics warn against shifting public money to these groups away from law enforcement.

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