A police officer in Florida died from his injuries Saturday, a day after his colleague was killed when a suspect fired at them during a scuffle while they were on patrol. The suspect was later arrested at a bar.
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton decried the two recent police shootings of unarmed black men – and all those that have proceeded it the past two years – as “unbearable” and “intolerable” and vowed to do something about it as president. In a speech she gave in a predominantly black neighborhood in Orlando Wednesday, Clinton also decried the targeting of police officers, including the incident in Philadelphia Saturday in which a gunman targeting police killed a civilian and wounded two…
Claiming that black and disabled students are disproportionately arrested and restrained, the Southern Poverty Law Center has filed a federal civil rights complaint against the Pinellas County School System. The suit asks that the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Justice investigate and compel Pinellas County Schools to revise its arrest policies and practices. The SPLC also wants the OCR and DOJ to restrict the use of chemical weapons on students; eliminate arrests…
The Dallas shooting that killed five officers has spurred an outpouring of support for police, not only in Texas but hundreds of miles away. Around the country, people have showed up at local departments with flowers, sent social media messages or called to say thanks. They delivered coffee, pizzas, cakes and moments of solace for officers grieving after the deadliest day for U.S. law enforcement since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. SHARED SORROW One after another, members of the public…
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn is scheduled to give his State of the City this morning. Here are some things to look for in his speech. Transportation – In his 2014 speech, Buckhorn called for a funding referendum to support expanded bus service and light rail in Tampa, saying that the goal should be a referendum in the fall of 2016. With Hillsborough County Commissioners scheduled to vote on whether to do that later this month, undoubtedly the mayor will encourage not only…
Police would have to charge people with a crime before they can seize their money, cars, homes or other property under a bill going to Gov. Rick Scott. State Sen. Jeff Brandes‘ bill (SB 1044) was passed Tuesday by the House 116-0. The St. Petersburg Republican’s proposal garnered support from both liberals and conservatives. The measure is designed to prevent abuses of the current law, which doesn’t require an arrest before property is seized, but rather law enforcement’s belief that it was likely used…
Civil rights groups are sounding the alarm about public records exemptions in a police body camera bill moving through the Senate. A coalition that includes the ACLU intends to argue Thursday the exemptions are so broad they prevent disclosure of evidence of police misconduct “even in the most egregious circumstances,” Groups including Latino Justice, Organize Now, and Emerge USA say they support police-worn body cameras because they believe they will reduce instances of excessive force but that the exemptions defeat…
