The Weekly Briefing
Curated news and insight for police leaders, technologists and researchers
In This Issue
Supreme Court widens the “totality-of-circumstances” test (AP)
2025 on pace for a record-low U.S. murder rate (Jeff Asher)
CDC: overdose deaths drop 27 % in 2024—the steepest drop ever recorded (AP)
Suspect seizes CA officer’s side-arm; two NY troopers stabbed (AP / WKBW)
Five-year Pew survey tracks shifts in views on policing & BLM (Pew)
DEA’s 2025 threat assessment flags fentanyl’s continued dominance (DEA)
RCMP study finds mental-health injuries 6 times higher than public (NPF)
High Point PD hires wellness coordinator, adds annual exams (WXII)
Chinese brokers laundered $50M for the Sinaloa cartel via U.S. banks (WSJ)
Violent “wrench attacks” target crypto executives for their private keys (WSJ)
VP Vance hails the “thin blue line” at National Memorial (Spectrum News)
Supreme Court Expands Excessive-Force Review — Associated Press
In a unanimous opinion reviving Barnes v. Felix, the Court ruled that judges must weigh the full chain of events, not just the instant an officer fires, when deciding whether force was reasonable. AP News
Murder Rate Could Hit Historic Low — Jeff Asher
Crime analyst Jeff Asher’s shows homicides down more than 15 percent nationwide versus 2024; if that pace holds, 2025 would undercut the modern-record low set in 2014. Jasher
Overdose Deaths Fall 27 Percent — AP / CDC
Provisional CDC data put 2024 overdose fatalities at roughly 80,000, down from 110,000 the prior year—the sharpest single-year drop ever. Wider OTC naloxone, state crackdowns on xylazine-laced pills and sustained port-of-entry interdiction get much of the credit, though fentanyl still appears in 70 percent of toxicology screens. AP News
Weapon-Retention, California — Associated Press
Body-cam from Fountain Valley CA shows a burglary suspect wrestling a firearm from an officer, climbing into her cruiser, and being shot by a backup officer seconds later. AP News
Two New York Troopers Stabbed During Traffic Stop — WKBW
A female carjacking suspect in Bolivar stabbed one trooper above the eye and another in the head before arrest; both officers survived after hospital care. State Police note that edged-weapon assaults at roadside stops are now rivaling firearm ambushes in frequency. WKBW 7 News Buffalo
Five Years After George Floyd — Pew Research Center
Pew finds 55 percent of Americans rate their local police “excellent/good” on appropriate force—up 11 points since 2020—while BLM support has slipped to 52 percent (from 67 percent). The partisan divide remains wide, but steady year-over-year gains suggest that transparency paired with proactive policing is rebuilding confidence. Pew Research Center
DEA 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment
Illicit fentanyl remains “the most dangerous drug threat the nation has ever faced,” tied to more than 80 percent of 2024 overdose deaths. The NDTA highlights Mexican pill-press labs and Chinese precursor suppliers, urging wider field-test kit distribution and tighter intel sharing with local task forces. DEA
Escalating Mental-Health Injuries Among RCMP — NPF / University of Regina
A survey of 1,348 Mounties shows officers six times more likely than the public to screen positive for a mental-health disorder and five times more likely to have contemplated suicide. Researchers call for proactive counselling, reduced overtime and a national wellness framework—findings that mirror challenges faced by many U.S. rural agencies. NPF-FPN
High Point PD Launches Comprehensive Wellness Program — WXII
North Carolina’s High Point PD hired a full-time wellness coordinator, instituted mandatory annual psychological exams and is rolling out an app for nutrition and workout tracking. Chief Curtis Cheeks says the program aims to boost retention and could serve as a template for peer agencies. WXII
Cartel Cash Washed Through U.S. Banks — Wall Street Journal
Federal agents say Chinese brokers working with the Sinaloa cartel funneled $50 million in drug proceeds through branch deposits and ATMs, converting cash to cashier’s checks and crypto to dodge reporting rules. Regulators are now probing “structuring” patterns below the $10K threshold. WSJ
‘Wrench Attacks’ on Crypto Executives — Wall Street Journal
Criminals have abducted tech founders in France, Florida and Estonia—severing a victim’s finger in one case—to force access to cold wallets. Investigators link multiple assaults to leaked customer data at major exchanges, urging agencies to brief local crypto firms on personal-security protocols. WSJ
Vice President Vance Honors Fallen Officers — Spectrum News
Appearing in person on the Capitol steps for National Peace Officers Memorial, Vice President J.D. Vance thanked law‑enforcement families and pledged ongoing federal support for recruitment, equipment grants and mental‑health services. He highlighted pending bipartisan legislation to boost duty‑death benefits and praised agencies for helping drive a 15 percent year‑to‑date homicide decline. Spectrum News
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