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US - News: Increasing violence as a health and safety threat - 2021

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  • Emily
    replied

    Entire police department resigns in Missouri
    Officers reported a number of reasons for why they resigned.
    By Christian Spencer | Sept. 10, 2021

    Story at a glance:
    • An entire Missouri police department, including the police chief and his officers, resigned.
    • Kimberling City Police Chief Craig Alexander resigned on Aug. 23.
    • The mass resignation reportedly caught Mayor Bob Fritz of Kimberling City off guard.
    ...
    About 2,600 officers from New York retired in 2020, according to The New York Times, compared to the 1,509 who retired the year prior.

    Portland, Ore., had 69 officers resign and 75 retire from April 2020 to April 2021, compared to 27 and 14 the previous year, respectively.

    In Seattle, resignations went from 34 to 123 and retirements went up from 43 to 96.

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  • Shiloh
    replied
    Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tan...ampaign=buffer


    What we know about the increase in U.S. murders in 2020
    By John Gramlich

    The U.S. murder rate rose 30% between 2019 and 2020 – the largest single-year increase in more than a century, according to data published this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The findings align with a separate tabulation of the nation’s murder rate published in September by the FBI.

    The CDC tracks murders by analyzing information contained in death certificates. The FBI tallies murders by collecting information from thousands of law enforcement agencies across the country. Despite their different methodologies, both sources point to a sharp rise in the U.S. murder rate during the pandemic year of 2020, even as the rate itself remained well below the level of earlier decades.

    Below are some key takeaways from the two new sets of government data...

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  • sharon sanders
    replied
    bump this

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  • Emily
    replied
    Video at link. The man is a senior - should have been safe walking at 8am with a German Shepherd, but was not.


    Southeast Portland man held at gunpoint, hit by car while walking his dog
    • Audrey Weil
    • Updated Oct 22, 2021 | Posted on Oct 22, 2021
    ...
    Realizing he didn’t have his phone or wallet, he decided he and his dog Greta should make a run for it.

    But as they tried to get away, the car hit him.

    "That’s when I thought, 'I’m dead, they’re gonna shoot me and they’re gonna go,'" Wenberg said. "When I was laying on the ground the only thing going through my mind was my wife is gonna be alone, she’s gonna lose me."

    He said there must have been three or four young teenagers in the car. They drove off, Greta was unharmed, and with his broken leg, Wenberg crawled to neighbors houses to call 911. A homeless man helped him get someone to find his wife.

    "I can’t believe we’ve gotten to this point," he said.

    He said what scares him is people could be so brazen to do something like this in the middle of a neighborhood during the day.

    He fears criminals are emboldened amid rising gun violence and a police force stretched too thin.

    "Our city is supposed to take care of the citizens," Wenberg said...

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  • Shiloh
    replied
    Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hate-cr...0-fbi-highest/


    2020 saw highest number of reported hate crimes in two decades, updated FBI data shows
    By Nicole Sganga
    October 25, 2021 / 12:30 PM / CBS News

    The number of hate crimes reported in 2020 was the highest recorded in two decades, according to updated FBI data released Monday. The FBI revealed its amended hate crime statistics for fiscal year 2020 following a technical submission error that had excluded some data from Ohio in the agency's original release in August. The FBI has since addressed the technical challenge in the state's reporting system.

    Law enforcement agencies submitted reports for 8,263 criminal incidents and 11,129 related offenses motivated by biases toward race, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender, and gender identity. The updated release reflects an increase in more than 500 hate crime incidents with the inclusion of the new data.

    The total number of criminal incidents represents a 16% increase from 2019 and the highest number of hate crime incidents recorded since 2001, a year that documented 9,730 incidents and a sharp rise in hate crimes directed toward perceived Muslim Americans in the wake of the September 11 attacks...

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  • Emily
    replied

    3 dead, Fort Smith Police officer recovering following Sunday morning incident
    Fort Smith Times Record Oct. 17
    ...
    In an afternoon press conference, Fort Smith Police Chief Danny Baker said officers were dispatched to a report of a disturbance fight with weapons at 6:20 a.m.

    Upon arrival, the unidentified officer found a man hitting another individual, identified as a 15-year-old boy, in the face and head with a brick.

    When told by the officer to stop, 40-year-old Christofer Conner appeared to comply but Baker said when the officer attempted to put Conner in restraints, he produced an edged weapon and sliced the police officer in the throat and neck.

    The officer then fired two shots, killing Conner.

    The boy, identified as Conner's son, was pronounced dead at the hospital. He had sustained multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma.

    Inside the home, police saw evidence of a violent attack and located the body of Julia Marie Moore who had suffered multiple stab wounds. A 5-year-old child, also found inside the house, was placed with relatives...

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  • Shiloh
    replied
    Source: https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2021/10...nt-mile-crime/


    Magnificent Mile: More Trouble For Area That Was Once A Crown Jewel Of American Retail
    By Tara Molina
    October 20, 2021 at 8:47 am

    CHICAGO (CBS) — Chicago Police have issued a formal warning after continued robberies on and around the city’s Magnificent Mile, at a time when stores continue to leave while others fight to stay in business after big pandemic hits.

    CBS 2’s Tara Molina reports that retail leaders say the problem is so bad, that new business is hesitant to move in. That hesitation stems not only from the continued retail theft and robbery issue here, and across the city, but the perception that the city isn’t a safe place to be right now.

    A stretch of North Michigan Avenue remains vacant and locked up–telling of the struggle on the city’s Mag Mile. Former tenants like Macy’s and Disney are gone, and there are no plans for a new tenant for the old Macy’s space at the Water Tower Place anytime soon.

    “I think it does not help in terms of the recovery for downtown Chicago,” said Robb Karr, president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association. “The impression around the nation is that Chicago is not a very safe place to be. And the incidents we saw this morning, over the weekend, the episodes before that, only feed that.”...

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  • Shiloh
    replied
    Source: https://denver.cbslocal.com/2021/10/...n-hold-caller/


    911 Calls In Denver On Hold: ‘It Was Frightening’ Says Caller
    By Brian Maass
    October 18, 2021 at 11:59 pm

    DENVER (CBS4) – Denver’s 911 system is out of compliance with nationally recognized standards for answering calls as thousands of callers are finding themselves on hold when they call in to report an emergency.

    Andrew Dameron, Denver’s Director of Emergency Communications, said “Obviously no one in the Department of Safety wants anyone to end up on hold when they call 911.”

    A CBS4 investigation found it’s happening frequently.

    In September, the average 911 caller in Denver was put on hold for 23 seconds and more than 1,000 emergency callers, or 2.5% of actual emergency calls, were put on hold for at least two minutes...

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  • kiwibird
    replied


    UK - Psychosis cases soar in England as pandemic hits mental health


    75% rise in referrals for first suspected episode of psychosis between April 2019 and April 2021
    The charity is urging the government to invest more in early intervention for psychosis to prevent further deterioration in people’s mental health from which it could take them years to recover.

    It says the statistics provide some of the first concrete evidence to indicate the significant levels of distress experienced across the population during the pandemic.
    Condition can cause serious, but temporary, psychotic episodes Ben Price, 48, from Morris, Illinois, was a loving husband, father, and a dedicated business owner and farmer. In February 2021, Ben contracted Covid-19. His symptoms landed him in the hospital for five days, during which he received the antiviral medication remdesivir and supplemental oxygen. Two days after


    Covid Psychosis

    Condition can cause serious, but temporary, psychotic episodes


    Ben Price, 48, from Morris, Illinois, was a loving husband, father, and a dedicated business owner and farmer.

    In February 2021, Ben contracted Covid-19. His symptoms landed him in the hospital for five days, during which he received the antiviral medication remdesivir and supplemental oxygen. Two days after returning home, he began acting unusual, anxiously pacing around the house.

    “He was very worried and panicked about getting farm field work done, even though it was February and not even a possibility. You could not rationalize with him. He would stand and stare out the window,” his wife Jennifer Price says.

    With no pre-existing mental health conditions, Ben’s behavior worried her. Doctors prescribed him antianxiety medication, and Price assumed he was experiencing Covid brain fog.

    However, 16 days after his diagnosis, Ben died by suicide.

    Price now believes her husband was experiencing Covid-19-induced psychosis — a condition that involves severe psychotic symptoms, such as losing a grip on reality.



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  • Emily
    replied
    WA state:

    Some Tacoma residents feel crime is ‘taking over.’ They demand change from the city
    By Allison Needles
    October 19, 2021 5:00 AM

    “I run a housing complex for vulnerable women (and) their children working hard to escape poverty and, in many cases, domestic violence. When there are threats to my residents, I call 911. At times I have been told that no police will come, ‘you will just have to protect yourself,’” Patterson said in a press release.

    As part of the Tacoma Safe effort, Connelly and other members of Tacoma Safe traveled Thursday to O’Reilly Auto Parts on Sixth Avenue to clean graffiti off the building.

    Store manager Sarah Burton told The News Tribune that one of the business’ truck windows was smashed Wednesday evening by thieves who stole a battery.

    “I’ve been here 4-1/2 years, and this is the most crime I’ve seen,” Burton said. “The staff is leery. Society is going downhill fast.

    Leave a comment:


  • Shiloh
    replied
    Source: https://abc7ny.com/11140772/?ex_cid=...source=twitter


    Surge in New York City subway crime fueled by robberies, muggings
    Monday, October 18, 2021 11:27PM

    NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- NYPD's new crime statistics show an alarming jump in violence in New York City's subway system, and robberies are fueling that trend.

    New Yorkers are returning to the city transit system. Now, more than three million people ride the subways every day. Double what it was last year when the pandemic drove ridership to historic lows.

    But with the increase in riders there is an increase in crime. While overall crime in the system is down for the year, over the past few weeks, it's surging...

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  • Shiloh
    replied
    Source: https://apnews.com/article/portland-...63774c2fed48ac

    ‘A dangerous time’: Portland, Oregon, sees record homicides
    By SARA CLINE15 minutes ago

    PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — It was nearly last call on a Friday when Jacob Eli Knight Vasquez went to get a drink across the street from the tavern where he worked in northwest Portland — an area with a thriving dining scene, where citygoers enjoy laid-back eateries, international cuisines and cozy cafés.

    The 34-year-old had been at the pizza bar only a short time when shots rang out. Vasquez was struck by a stray bullet and died at the scene.

    His killing in late September was one of the 67 homicides this year in Portland, which has surpassed its previous full-year record of 66 in 1987. And with more than two months remaining in the year Portland will likely well exceed its previous high mark.

    Fear and frustration with gang violence have settled over the metropolis, as stories like Vasquez’s make some wary to go out at night. Unlike previous years, more bystanders are being caught in the crossfire — from people mourning at vigils and sitting in cars to children playing in a park...

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  • Shiloh
    replied
    Source: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/...chaos-80613763

    'Lawless city?' Worry after Portland police don't stop chaos
    A crowd of 100 people wreaked havoc in downtown Portland, Oregon, this week, smashing storefront windows, lighting dumpsters on fire and causing at least $500,000 in damage
    By By SARA CLINE Associated Press
    16 October 2021, 12:30

    PORTLAND, Ore. -- A crowd of 100 people wreaked havoc in downtown Portland, Oregon, this week – smashing storefront windows, lighting dumpsters on fire and causing at least $500,000 in damage – but police officers didn't stop them.

    Portland Police Bureau officials say that's because of legislation passed by Oregon lawmakers this year, which restricts the tools they can use to confront people vandalizing buildings and causing mayhem.

    “The reason that we did not intervene goes back to what we talked about last month with House Bill 2928 and the restrictions placed on us in a crowd control environment,” KOIN reports that Portland Police Lt. Jake Jensen said in a neighborhood meeting Thursday.

    Residents frustrated by the latest round of destructive demonstrations Tuesday questioned whether that meant anything goes now in Portland.

    “Does that mean we are now like a lawless city?” Linda Witt asked during the meeting with police. Jensen replied saying people can still face consequences later.

    The legislation in question is House Bill 2928, which prohibits the use of things like pepper spray and rubber bullets for crowd control. However there is an exception – when the circumstances constitute a riot and if the officer using the chemical incapacitant reasonably believes its use is necessary to stop and prevent more destructive behavior.

    “The law clearly allows Portland Police to use effective tools necessary to control violent crowds,” House Minority Leader Christine Drazan told The Associated Press on Friday. “However, activist attorneys are deliberately misinterpreting legislation to prevent police from intervening. They have no business putting law enforcement and community safety at risk.”...


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  • Shiloh
    replied
    Source: https://pamplinmedia.com/pt/9-news/5...-crowd-control


    Sheriff's riot squad likely to step back from crowd control [Oregon]
    Nick Budnick
    June 22 2021
    Mass defections from Portland's rapid response unit cited as sheriff's unit curbed.

    Multnomah County will rein in use of its crowd control unit to police protests in the wake of the mass resignation of Portland Police Bureau's Rapid Response Team, a top union official says.

    The informal commitment was made in response to concerns voiced by the county's 15-member unit, which bears the same name as the Portland RRT, said Sgt. Matt Ferguson, president of the Multnomah County Deputy Sheriffs Association, which represents the unit's members.

    Ferguson said the concerns driving the informal change echoed those voiced by the Portland unit when its 50 members resigned from their controversial assignment on Wednesday, June 16: lack of support by Portland's leaders, and a feeling that District Attorney Mike Schmidt was more tolerant of rioters attacking police than of police who use force as trained and directed by management. (See story, Page A1; editorial, Page A6.)

    Ferguson said the message came from managers that his members would only be deployed with great caution.

    "We're probably going to greatly restrict our activities. ... I don't think it's in our members' best interest to go clear rioters from the streets," he said.

    "The perception is violence directed at police is sanctioned in our community now: It is OK to throw rocks and bottles and stones at the police," he added. "One of our deputies had a mortar round explode in his face and knocked him unconscious. He lost his hearing for two or three days. He was in the hospital, and he resigned."

    Asked about the change described by Ferguson, a spokesman for Sheriff Mike Reese provided a general comment. Communications Director Chris Liedle said the priorities of the office have not changed, but declined to say whether the office would continue to provide support for Portland police crowd control efforts as it has in the past...

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  • sharon sanders
    replied

    From Chicago to NYC, cities grapple with rise in shootings, murders: 'It's been a very bloody year'

    Crystal Hill 6 days ago

    As the U.S. enters a new post-pandemic reality, cities across the country are dealing with a surge in homicides and other violent crimes — including a rash of mass shootings — with some officials fearing that the worst is yet to come.

    “The spike in homicides and nonfatal shootings is extremely alarming,” said Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo, who recently left the Houston Police Department and leads the Major Cities Chiefs Association, an organization of law enforcement executives. “One of the reasons we talk about a bloody summer ahead for our country is because it’s already been a very bloody year, a very deadly year for Americans.”

    Recent crime data shows that relatively few cities have been spared from a rise in homicides this year. While experts have some hope that this summer won’t be as deadly as 2020, which saw the biggest one-year spike in homicides in more than a generation, they cautioned that the U.S. may be on a troubling trajectory.


    more...


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