The Weekly Briefing
Curated News for Public Safety
REAL-TIME OPERATIONS – Tucked away in the bowels of San Francisco's Hall of Justice lies a crime-fighting nerve center bringing the city's police force into the age of changing technology. The San Francisco Police Department said its new Real Time Investigation Center — also known as RTIC — has assisted in more than 500 arrests since its launch, with officials pointing to the facility as a game-changer in reducing crime across the city. "This technology is the future of policing for SFPD officers, using their training and judgment supported by the best tools available to keep our communities safe as we continue to fully staff the RTIC and using drones and first responders will be a force multiplier," said Mayor Daniel Lurie. "It will give officers more support, and it will help ensure that every neighborhood benefits from smarter, faster and more coordinated public safety."
PATHWAY TO VIOLENCE – The same day a shooting was reported on the campus of Florida State University, a Nevada man was arrested for threatening gun violence at Iowa State University. Tanner Bandy was arrested after making violent threats targeting a student and planning to cause harm at a graduation ceremony at Hilton Coliseum. "He was on what we would call a pathway to violence. He was already into the pre-prep. Getting ready to prepare for an attack. We knew at this point we needed to get an intervention in place," Iowa State University Police Chief Michael Newton said. According to the arrest report, Bandy's threats were increasingly violent and graphic, including specific plans to harm the targeted student and others at the commencement ceremony. He expressed intentions to gather more firearms and carry out a mass attack.
DEHUMANIZED SOLDIER – After his arrest, the boy’s mother was stunned to discover that her 12-year-old had been learning how to kill and gorging on videos of decapitation and torture so gruesome they made even case-hardened French court officials look away. The mother told criminal investigators that she’d thought her son had been playing video games and doing homework during the hours he spent in his room. The child’s descent into the internet’s darkest recesses started innocently enough, with online searches about Islam after an aunt gave him a Quran as a gift, says the boy’s lawyer. From there, more searching, automated algorithms that steer users’ online experiences and the boy’s curiosity ultimately led him to encrypted chats and ultraviolent propaganda pumped out by Islamic State militants and other extremist groups that are worming their way via apps, video gaming and social media into the minds of the very young.
MORE: The prosecutor believes that left unstopped, the boy was on a trajectory to possibly becoming a “completely dehumanized soldier” who risked joining the ranks of digitally radicalized teenagers in France and beyond who are hatching terror plots and expressing support for extremism. The huge library of violent content, several terabytes of data, that the boy amassed included video tutorials on bomb-making, the prosecutor said.
SOLVING UNSOLVED CASES – The Tulsa Police Department is gearing up to start using the state's first ever M-VAC DNA testing machine. The M-Vac Systems Company showcased its advanced machine on April 16, demonstrating how it collects DNA evidence from challenging surfaces. The machine, capable of extracting genetic material from deep within cracks and crevices, represents a significant advancement in forensic technology. Currently, the Tulsa Police Department faces approximately 300 unsolved cases, some dating back to the 1960s. Homicide Lieutenant Brandon Watkins expressed optimism regarding the machine’s capabilities.
POLICE ALGORITHM – Her ex-partner had been threatening her at home in the Spanish seaside town of Benalmádena. That day, he'd allegedly raised his hand as if to hit her. “There had been violent episodes - she was scared," Lina's cousin Daniel recalls. When she got to the police station, she was interviewed and her case registered with VioGén, a digital tool which assesses the likelihood of a woman being attacked again by the same man. VioGén - an algorithm-based system - asks 35 questions about the abuse and its intensity, the aggressor's access to weapons, his mental health and whether the woman has left, or is considering leaving, the relationship. It then records the threat to her as "negligible", "low", "medium", "high" or "extreme". The category is used to make decisions about the allocation of police resources to protect the woman. Lina was deemed to be at "medium" risk.
MORE: She asked for a restraining order at a specialist gender violence court in Malaga, so that her ex-partner couldn't be in contact with her or share her living space. The request was denied. "Lina wanted to change the locks at her home, so she could live peacefully with her children," says her cousin. Three weeks later, she was dead. Her partner had allegedly used his key to enter her flat and soon the house was on fire.
COST SAVINGS – Five years after the Bargersville Police Department unveiled the first Tesla police vehicle in Indiana, department officials say they've saved nearly half a million dollars over time in car upkeep and repair costs. Despite the negative perception and controversy over the vehicle and its owner, Elon Musk, police chief Todd Bertram said nothing has changed the department's commitment to their Tesla models. He said they haven't had major issues with their makes and models and are happy with how cost-effective the vehicles have proved to be. "I couldn't even begin to say how much" money the department has saved, Bertram told IndyStar. "Since 2020, I'd say we've been saving about $70-80,000.00 a year from having our vehicles, and the more cars we get, the more savings too."
COMING TUESDAY! – New podcast drops on Spotify and Apple Music
GRANTS.GOV – U.S. DOGE Service employees have inserted themselves into the government’s long-established process to alert the public about potential federal grants and allow organizations to apply for funds, according to four people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a sensitive situation. The changes to the process — which will allow DOGE to review and approve proposed grant opportunities across the federal government — threaten to further delay or even halt billions of dollars that agencies usually make in federal awards, the people said. The moves come amid the Trump administration’s broader push to cut federal spending and crack down on grants that DOGE and other officials say conflict with White House priorities. DOGE employees have made changes to grants.gov, a federal website that has traditionally served as a clearinghouse for more than $500 billion in annual awards and is used by thousands of outside organizations, the people said.
ANTS ALIVE – Two Belgian teenagers were charged Tuesday with wildlife piracy after they were found with thousands of ants packed in test tubes in what Kenyan authorities said was part of a trend in trafficking smaller and lesser known species. Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, two 19-year-olds who were arrested on April 5 with 5,000 ants at a guest house, appeared distraught during their appearance before a magistrate in Nairobi and were comforted in the courtroom by relatives. They told the magistrate they were collecting the ants for fun and did not know that it was illegal. Kenya has in the past fought against the trafficking of body parts of larger species of wild animals such as elephants, rhinos and pangolins among others. But the cases against the four men represent “a shift in trafficking trends — from iconic large mammals to lesser-known yet ecologically critical species,” KWS said.
DIGITAL SCENT – The latest team of digital detection dogs has been chosen to help combat digital crime. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary has been using dogs to hunt down digital devices for six years. The force has introduced its latest recruits, who will also help Thames Valley Police uncover evidence. The new four-legged detectives in training include springer spaniels Iggy and Moss, who are currently undergoing an intensive eight-week course. Their superior sense of smell means they can detect a range of digital devices, like mobile phones, laptops, USB drives, SIM cards, crypto wallets, hard drives, spy cameras, and tracking devices.
OFFICER DOWN – South Fulton (GA) Police Lieutenant Helio Garcia was killed when his patrol car was struck by another vehicle. Lieutenant Garcia was on patrol when a vehicle veered into his lane and hit his patrol car head-on. Lieutenant Garcia was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries early the next morning. The driver of the other vehicle remains in serious condition.