Law Enforcement

Law Enforcement

Police Should Never Use Rubber Bullets Against Civilians, Experts Say

The projectiles that officers are firing at protestors are “dangerous, indiscriminate, and potentially lethal,” said a researcher who examined data on nearly 2,000 people hit by them.

How We Fix This

This Tiny Louisiana Police Force Is a National Leader in Taking Guns From Abusers

How a survivor of domestic violence, now working as a cop in the bayou, made her small community a model for the rest of the country.

How We Fix This

Fresh Data Shows How Focused Deterrence Can Keep At-Risk People from Crime

A wide body of evidence demonstrates the crime-prevention strategy's ability to curb community gun violence. In Detroit, new research also shows its potential for reducing recidivism.

Law Enforcement

Some Florida School Districts Are Forming Their Own Police Forces, Despite Safety Questions

Parkland renewed enthusiasm for placing law enforcement on K-12 campuses. But research casts doubts about whether the approach prevents shootings.

How We Fix This

How a Silicon Valley Start-up Is Helping Police Get Smarter About Solving Gun Crimes

Calling itself the “Google of Crime,” Forensic Logic processes and analyzes troves of gun-related data so officers can spot patterns and make more informed decisions in the field.

How We Fix This

Gun Investigators Cautiously Optimistic About New Fingerprint Technology

Years ago, most detectives stopped trying to retrieve fingerprints from shell casings. A new method, touted as 25 times better, could change that.

Law Enforcement

NYPD Deploys ‘Scoop and Run’ to Rush Brownsville Shooting Victims to Treatment

After gunfire erupted at a community event in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn on the evening of July 27, officers with the New York Police Department had a choice to make: Wait for an ambulance to arrive and transport victims…

Community Violence

Ghost Guns Are Everywhere in California

Feds say nearly a third of firearms recovered in the state are homemade, unserialized, and untraceable.

How We Fix This

Denver Builds Out Pioneering Gun Crime Investigation Unit

The city that set the bar for sharing ballistic intel is pushing its successful approach regionwide.

How We Fix This

The Police Chief Who Learned to Listen

To curb homicides, Eric Jones started by having the Stockton, California PD focus on repairing its relationship with residents. “More than ever, I see trust in police connected to reducing violent crime.”

How We Fix This

A New Method of DNA Testing Could Solve More Shootings

Criminologists thought it was impossible to get DNA off of shell casings, but a technique pioneered in the Netherlands is having notable results.

ATF

ATF’s Push to Solve More Gun Crimes Is Stymied by Local Police, Report Finds

A push by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to improve gun crime investigations has been hindered by local police departments that fail to trace guns or to promptly enter shell casings into a national ballistics…

Law Enforcement

Police Departments Fail to Regularly Trace Crime Guns

We set out to determine how domestic killers in South Carolina got their guns. Instead, we found evidence of a widespread breakdown of critical crime-fighting intel.

Missing Pieces

Spurred by The Trace’s Reporting, Atlanta Stiffens Punishment for Cops Who Leave Their Guns Unattended

After being contacted by The Trace’s reporters, the Atlanta Police Department clamped down on officers whose behavior contributed to the loss or theft of a department-issued firearm. Under a new policy adopted this month, officers who violate the department’s rules…

Missing Pieces

Law Enforcement’s Lost and Stolen Gun Problem

An investigation by The Trace shows that police departments’ uneven storage rules have put deadly weapons into the hands of criminals.