A Racial Shift in Drug-Crime Prisoners
from The Washington Post
For the first time since crack cocaine sparked a war on drugs 20 years ago, the number of black Americans in state prisons for drug offenses has fallen sharply, while the number of white prisoners convicted for drug crimes has increased, according to a report released yesterday. The findings represent a significant shift in the racial makeup of those incarcerated for drug crimes and could signal a gradual change in the demographics of the nation's prison population of 2 million. More

Prisons Press Fight Against Smuggled Cell Phones
from The Associated Press via the Austin-American Statesman
Drugs were once the contraband of choice of prisoners. These days, corrections officials across the country are on the lookout for a more high-tech scourge — cell phones. These phones have been used to help at least two inmates escape from minimum-security conservation camps. Prison investigators fear they also are being used by gang leaders to order assaults on other inmates and employees and to coordinate the timing of prison uprisings. More

Be on the Lookout for New Law Enforcement Tool: Twitter
from The Associated Press via the Minneapolis Star-Tribune
When Milwaukee police wanted to get word of a murder out quickly, they did it in 113 characters on Twitter. Milwaukee's department is one of a growing number of police and fire agencies turning to social networking Web sites such as Twitter, which lets users send text-message "tweets" to a mass audience in 140 characters or less. More

Economy May Contribute to Rise in Family Violence
from The Associated Press via KPIX-TV
Across the country, signs point to a troubling effect of the recession: The American home is becoming more violent, and the ailing economy could be at least partially to blame. Calls to domestic-violence hotlines have risen, and more than half the callers said their families' financial situation has changed recently. More

When Should LA Law Enforcement Use Lights and Sirens?
from The Los Angeles Times
In police lingo it's known as Code 3: An emergency call that sends cops speeding through traffic with the squad car's lights flashing and sirens blaring. Then there's "Code 2 1/2 ," an off-the-books practice of racing to a call without lights or sirens to warn other drivers. It's the street cops' way to work around strict Los Angeles Police Department rules that limit when they can drive Code 3. The unsanctioned response has been responsible for some of the worst officer-involved traffic collisions, costing the city more than $11 million since 2006. More

Atlanta College Students Investigate Cold Cases
from The Associated Press via The Miami Herald
At Bauder College in Atlanta, 100 or so students who make up an unusual club that calls itself the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute. They gather in the school library to discuss leads and examine coroners' reports and witness statements in real-world whodunits, gaining experience that can help them land jobs in the criminal justice system and appreciation for the people involved in each case. More

Survey: ER Doctors Suspect Excessive Police Force
from USA Today
Nearly 98 percent of emergency room physicians report that they believe some patients were victims of suspected excessive force by police, a national survey concludes. Yet most of the suspected incidents went unreported because no laws require physicians to alert authorities. More

Experts Track the Patterns of Mass Murders
from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In the past month alone, eight multiple-shooting incidents have occurred in the United States and Europe, leaving 70 dead. In the criminology trade, they are known as mass murders, and they usually share several common traits, experts say. More

YouTube Riddled with Drug Cartel Videos, Messages
from USA Today
The violence among Mexican drug cartels is not filling just the streets of Mexican border towns: It's also spilling into gruesome online videos and chat rooms. Such videos are used to intimidate enemies and recruit members by touting "virtues" of cartel leaders, says Scott Stewart, vice president of tactical intelligence for Stratfor, a Texas-based global-intelligence company. More

Springfield, Mo., Police Sirens Now Feature Vibrations
from the Springfield News-Leader
With modern-day drivers distracted by cell phones, iPods, kids in the back seat and more, Springfield, Mo., Police have purchased some new sirens that send out vibrations in addition to sound. The Rumblers were fitted in about two dozen cars, at a cost of about $400 each. More