Economy Limiting Services of Local Law Enforcement
from USA Today
The recession is altering local law enforcement in the U.S. by forcing some agencies to close precincts, merge with other departments or even shut down. The Obama administration's $787 billion stimulus plan gives about $4 billion to local law enforcement, including $1 billion to hire and retain officers. But the hiring money has not been distributed, and applicants have requested more than is available. More

Report Urges Prison Reforms to Derail Gangs
from The Philadelphia Inquirer
Authorities across New Jersey periodically announce gang sweeps that net dozens or even hundreds of arrests and generate publicity on efforts to lower crime. But what if the state's prison system has enough loopholes to allow those same gang members to freely operate criminal organizations from behind bars? Saying taxpayers must have confidence that criminals are removed from society upon incarceration, the State Commission of Investigation (SCI) yesterday outlined suggested reforms following an 18-month examination into how gangs exploit vulnerabilities in the corrections system. More

Prospect of Gitmo Prisoners Paroled onto U.S. Soil Stokes Fears
from The Associated Press via the Miami Herald
President Barack Obama is reaching out around the world to find new homes for Guantánamo Bay detainees. But he is running into trouble in his own backyard. Rep. Frank Wolf, a Republican lawmaker who represents some of the Virginia suburbs outside Washington, is fighting the possibility that Obama will resettle 17 Uighurs - Turkic Muslims from western China - in or near his district. More

Some Cash, Few Guns Found at Southbound Border Checks
from The Associated Press via the San Francisco Chronicle
The Associated Press fanned out to the busiest crossings along the Mexican border — San Diego, Nogales, El Paso and Laredo — to see how effective the border inspections are. The findings? Wads of U.S. currency headed for Mexico, wedged into car doors, stuffed under mattresses, taped onto torsos, were sniffed out by dogs, seized by agents and locked away for possible investigations. No guns were found as the reporters watched; they rarely are. More

Horses, Inmates Find Care, Comfort in Each Other
from The Associated Press
Pete Luce moves easily among the one-ton horses at a Virginia prison in a program that allows inmates to care for retired racehorses. And he hopes to parlay newfound skills into a job at a racetrack after he is released from prison, where he is finishing a 23-month term for drug possession. Proponents say such programs, already operating in several states, give animals and inmates alike second chances. More

Potential Criminals Can Be Deterred By Longer Sentences, Study Suggests
from Science Daily
Deterrence is often a stated goal of criminal sentencing guidelines, but there is debate about whether the threat of punishment actually discourages people from committing crimes. A new study published in the Journal of Political Economy sheds some empirical light on the question of deterrence. Using a recently passed Italian law as a natural experiment, the study found that former prisoners are less likely to return to jail if they expect longer sentences for future crimes. More

LAPD Improves Its Public Image
from the Los Angeles Times
After several years of court-ordered reforms, the Los Angeles Police Department has heightened its image among Angelenos and made significant improvements in the performance and attitudes of its officers, according to a new Harvard University study released Monday. More

Detroit Police Unveil New Crime Alert System
from the Detroit Free Press
Coming soon to Facebook and MySpace pages near you: the Detroit Police Department. The department announced plans to become one of the first police organizations in a major U.S. city to launch pages on the popular social networking sites, in hopes of drawing tips. More

New Fitness Regime Aimed At Officer Safety
from WRTV
New recruits with Indianapolis police will experience an innovative fitness regime intended to take them safely all the way through retirement. The Crossfit program, a high-intensity strength and conditioning plan, was designed to address some of the dangers plaguing police officers. More