Last month, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a landmark policy putting in place long-overdue requirements on how federal agencies can – and cannot – use artificial intelligence.
Here are our main takeaways on what it means for law enforcement.
The Policing Project at NYU School of Law, the global law firm Jones Day, the law firm Lawrence & Bundy, and Canfield Law LLC have filed an appeal to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the dismissal of a civil rights lawsuit against Clayton County police. A range of groups and individuals, including law enforcement officials; Tyler Perry, Jamie Foxx, and other prominent Black actors; empirical scholars; Cato Institute; NAACP Legal Defense Fund; Institute for Justice; ACLU of Georgia, have filed amicus briefs in support of the appeal.
This week, we’re highlighting testimony we provided to the New York City Council on how the NYPD has skirted democratic accountability in deploying intrusive policing technologies.
During this year’s legislative session, we provided input and drafting support on 36 pieces of legislation or regulations across 12 states. Notably, 22 of these engagements came at the express invitation of state or local partners, including both advocates and lawmakers. The most popular topics were use of force, officer decertification, and data collection and transparency, but legislators also sought to address a wide range of others, from warrant reform to police use of robots, and more.
How much does police misconduct and abuse cost each year? How much has your local police department paid out in settlements?
Odds are, it’s all but impossible to find out. Basic questions such as how much is being paid, by whom, and for what kind of misconduct are virtually unanswerable in most places.
The Policing Project at NYU School of Law today released a first-of-its-kind report on community safety and non-police alternative first response in Denver. The report, Transforming Denver’s First Response Model, found that there is broad agreement – among community members, police leaders, and alternative first responders – that “sending police to deal with every social problem simply isn’t working.” The report also found that, among people from communities most affected by policing, there is broad agreement that transforming first response is a high priority issue.
During this year’s legislative session, we provided input and drafting support on 36 pieces of legislation or regulations across 12 states. Notably, 22 of these engagements came at the express invitation of state or local partners, including both advocates and lawmakers. The most popular topics were use of force, officer decertification, and data collection and transparency, but legislators also sought to address a wide range of others, from warrant reform to police use of robots, and more.
Our new report finds that police militarization is more complex than we thought — but meaningful reform is possible by strengthening democratic accountability.
The Oregon TITAN Fusion Center is a covert domestic spying program run by the Oregon Department of Justice that targets the people of Oregon with aggressive and illegal surveillance. Our lawsuit, Farrell-Smith v. Oregon, is brought by environmental, indigenous rights, and social justice advocates who peacefully protested a $10 billion fossil fuel pipeline and were targeted by TITAN.
The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability needs experts from a variety of fields, including law, organizing and public safety. We must demand that the mayor and council members find the best residents, as there may be no more important issue facing the city than the safety of our residents.
Philadelphia’s just became the first major city to ban traffic stops for minor violations. The “driving equality” law presents a real opportunity to improve police-community relations and reduce dangerous encounters between officers and motorists. While the city’s decision to decrease these types of stops should be applauded, real change must happen at the state level.
Last week, in two unsigned opinions, the Supreme Court showed its disdain for police reform. Taken together, they create an almost insurmountable barrier to holding police officers responsible for violating people’s constitutional rights. With this latest move, the Supreme Court has abdicated its responsibility to regulate police behavior. Now legislators must step up and do what the justices won’t.
Last week, Chicago City Council Members voted to pass legislation that will create a “Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability.” This is a significant victory for Empowering Communities for Public Safety – a coalition of community organizers in Chicago, who collectively have worked on this issue for decades. The Policing Project was privileged to work with the organizers, lending drafting and strategic assistance.
Social science research strongly suggests the advancement of women officers is associated with improved outcomes for both policing agencies and the communities they serve. Yet women make up only 12% of sworn police officers and less than 3% of police leadership in the U.S., numbers that have remained stagnant for decades. We want to change this.
