The Weekly Briefing 🇺🇸
Curated news and insights for police leaders, technologists, and researchers
In This Issue
What We Get Wrong About Violent Crime
Florida Expands Virtual Trooper Program
LAPD Expands Drone Use to Routine Calls
NYPD Eyes Net-Firing Drones
Milwaukee Officer Killed in Ambush Attack
Can Public Safety Keep Up with the Future?
Glorified Shootings in YouTube Rap Videos
DHS Restores Anti-Terror Funds to Major U.S. Cities
Remembering Ronald Clarke
What We Get Wrong About Violent Crime
Malcolm Gladwell profiles criminologist Jens Ludwig’s new book Unforgiving Places, arguing that most U.S. homicides are not premeditated or profit-driven—they’re “System 1” acts of expressive violence: spontaneous, emotional, and situational. Ludwig contends that our justice system overemphasizes deterrence for rational actors, when most killers act in the heat of the moment. His solution? Focus on place-based prevention (like cleaning vacant lots or improving lighting), behavioral intervention (such as Chicago’s BAM program), and community-led de-escalation. 🔗 Read more
Florida Expands Virtual Trooper Program
Florida Highway Patrol is scaling up its Desk Trooper Program, which lets drivers involved in minor crashes video chat with a trooper instead of waiting on-scene. Initially piloted on Central Florida’s toll roads, it now covers a dozen counties statewide. The goal: reduce wait times, ease trooper workload, and keep traffic moving. Since launch, 41% of eligible crashes on the Central Florida Expressway have used the tool, with positive early feedback. 🔗 Read more
LAPD Expands Drone Use to Routine Calls
The Los Angeles Police Commission has approved a major policy shift allowing LAPD drones to respond to routine emergency calls, not just high-risk incidents. A pilot program launching next month will cover four divisions and enable faster situational awareness for officers while keeping drones unarmed and free of facial recognition. Officials promise transparency via a public portal and regular audits, though civil liberties advocates remain skeptical of potential surveillance overreach — especially at protests. 🔗 Read more
NYPD Eyes Net-Firing Drones
New York City is exploring a deal with American Robotics to deploy net-launching drones that can detect, track, and safely intercept hostile UAVs. The Iron Drone Raider System would be stationed citywide and used during major events to entangle suspect drones midair, then lower them to the ground via parachute. However, deployment hinges on a change to federal law — local police are currently banned from neutralizing drones. Deputy Mayor Kaz Daughtry, who oversees NYPD’s 150-drone fleet, is actively lobbying the Trump administration for authority. 🔗 Read more
Milwaukee Officer Killed in Ambush Attack
Milwaukee Police Officer Kendall Corder, 32, has died after being ambushed while responding to a domestic violence call on June 26. He and his partner were shot in an alley before they could return fire. Officer Corder served over six years with MPD and was described by his family as deeply proud to wear the badge. A 22-year-old suspect is in custody, and charges are pending. 🔗 Read more
Can Public Safety Keep Up with the Future?
Ray Kurzweil says the 21st century will bring 20,000 years of change at today’s pace. AI, drones, brain-computer interfaces—it’s already happening. And policing? It's on the edge of exponential transformation. The tools are arriving faster than the policies, training, or trust to match them. Dive into why the future is arriving faster than you think: 🔗 Read more
Glorified Shootings in YouTube Rap Videos
Phillip Baca Sr., leader of the “Few But Plenty” gang, has been sentenced to 33 years in prison for directing drive-by shootings across the Denver area—many of which were later featured in violent rap videos posted to YouTube. The music videos showcased gang activity and city landmarks, helping generate nearly $13,000 in revenue. Prosecutors say this takedown marks one of the city’s most significant gang cases in years. 🔗 Read more
DHS Restores Anti-Terror Funds to Major U.S. Cities
The Department of Homeland Security has reinstated counterterrorism funding to cities like Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, and Boston—just as officials raise alerts following U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The Securing the Cities program supports training, gear, and security for large-scale events. The cities had sued DHS after the Trump administration withheld the funds, and payments are now resuming amid a “heightened threat environment. 🔗 Read more
Remembering Ronald Clarke, Pioneer of Situational Crime Prevention
Ronald Clarke, the British-born crime scientist who reshaped modern criminology, has died at 84. Clarke's legacy includes founding the field of situational crime prevention, which shifted focus from criminal motives to reducing crime opportunities. His research showed that simple environmental changes—like better lighting, window locks, or even replacing carbon monoxide-rich gas—could dramatically reduce crime and suicide rates. He co-founded the U.S.-based Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, helped launch the British Crime Survey, and spent decades challenging offender-centric orthodoxy. Clarke preferred the label “crime scientist,” and his impact still shapes police strategy and policy today. 🔗 Read more
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I'm currently working my way through Unforgiving Places. Law Enforcement leaders need to put this on their "Must Read" summer book lists! The roots of gun violence are not much different from the roots of all crime. Understanding the potential sources helps us to build strategies, and even technologies, that help us identify them and intervene at the earliest possible time. Failure to leverage this understanding leads to lost "opportunity costs," which ultimately leads to higher crime and significantly higher "real" costs. Thanks for sharing!