C.O.P.S. Celebrates 25 Years During National Police Week
from Concerns of Police Survivors
Join the Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) for their 25th Anniversary Celebration during National Police Week, May 14. C.O.P.S. Provides healing programs and emotional support to the surviving families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. They do not charge for their programs since the families have already paid too high a price. Festivities are being held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC with a reception starting at 6pm followed by dinner and a program. Tickets and Sponsorships are available. More

Citizen Police Academies: A Model for Smaller Agencies
from The Police Chief
Citizen police academies (CPAs) have become one of the most beneficial programs developed under the community-based policing philosophy. The first CPA was showcased in Orlando, Fla., in 1985; today, they are used across the country to educate citizens on the basics of the law enforcement profession, to bring citizens closer to police, to recruit potential employees (both civilian and sworn), and to recruit a strong volunteer base. More

Mean Dogs Stand Guard at Idaho Prison
from The Associated Press
Nobody has broken out of the Idaho State Correctional Institution in more than 20 years. Prison officials like to think a hard-bitten corps of sentries with names like Cookie, Bongo and Chi Chi has had something to do with that. The institution is the only state prison in the U.S. to use snarling, snapping sentry dogs to patrol its perimeter. More

Kansas Senate Approves Bill to Provide Easier Access to Cell Phone Location Data
from the Lawrence Journal World
Senators in Topeka, Kansas, approved a bill that would make it easier for law enforcement to track down a missing person through wireless devices. The measure, adopted 40-0, says cell phone companies must release caller location information promptly to police when asked. The bill was inspired by the 2007 kidnapping and slaying of an 18-year-old in Overland Park. The Kansas House of Representatives has already approved a similar bill, voting 118-1 in February. House and Senate negotiators will now work to eliminate any differences between the bills before sending it to the governor for signing. More

Simple Bumper Sticker Can Save $57 Billion and over 14,000 Lives Nationwide
from Yahoo! Canada Finance
"There's a new sheriff in town and it's you," says Alvin Butler, President of TTI, Inc., a national organization with a new program that targets high-risk drivers by placing "How's My Driving?" bumper stickers on their cars. Much like Neighborhood Watch programs have done for street crimes, TTI, Inc. plans to use citizen advocacy to enforce our highways to reduce car crashes and save lives. More

More U.S. Police Using Gunfire Detection System
from The Associated Press via the St. Petersburg Times
East Palo Alto, Calif., is the first U.S. city completely wired with ShotSpotter, a system of strategically placed acoustic sensors linked to a computer designed to help police locate gunfire in high-crime areas, but the technology is spreading. Thirty-six cities across America are currently using ShotSpotter - triple the number two years ago. More

Dallas Officers Dropping Police Code for Plain English
from the Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Police Department recently moved to a new plain-language system that's supposed to make communications more universal and less complicated. No more of those distinctive radio codes or signals. The department says it's following a nationwide trend, but some call it the end of an era. More

Ohio Prosecutors Seek Elimination of Mandatory Prison for Some Drug Offenders
from the Columbus Dispatch
Ohio's county prosecutors are recommending major changes to state drug laws, including the elimination of mandatory prison sentences for trafficking and possession of chemicals for the manufacture of drugs, except in the most serious cases. If approved, the changes would ratchet back some "tough-on-crime" laws enacted in the 1980s and 1990s. More

White House Unveils Anti-Cartel Effort for Border
from the Enquirer-Herald
The Obama administration plans to send more agents and equipment to the southwestern border to fight Mexican drug cartels and keep violence from spilling over into the United States. Officials said President Barack Obama is particularly concerned about killings in Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana, and wants to prevent such violence from spilling over into the United States. More

Iowa Courtrooms Dark, Deserted
from KCCI-TV
Hundreds of state workers in Des Moines, Iowa, felt the impact of budget cuts on Friday as court workers were given the day off without pay. This is the latest step in an effort to cut the court’s budget; workers will be given six more furlough days through the fiscal year that ends in June. More