law enforcement news stories on Newser

More Officers Shot to Death Than Killed in Car Accidents

John Johnson — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:39:05 CDT

The New York Times takes a look at the rising number of police officers getting shot, according to FBI stats. A few of the details: Spike in 2011: 72 officers were fatally shot last year, up 25% from 2010 and 75% from 2008. Bad milestone: That marks the first time...

New Threat to Cops: 'Sovereign Citizens'

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:32:05 CST

Anti-government crusaders have apparently become dangerous enough that the FBI issued an official warning about them yesterday. These extremists sometimes call themselves "sovereign citizens," and they may refuse to pay taxes, defy government regulations, or argue fervently for a return to the gold standard . They also pose a threat to...

Police Line-of-Duty Deaths Up 13%

Rob Quinn — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 06:03:00 CST

Law enforcement deaths in the line of duty rose 13% this year to 173—the second sharp rise since 2009's 50-year-low, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Gunfire claimed the lives of 68 officers, making this the first year since 1997 in which more law enforcement officers...

Cops Fired for Opposing War on Drugs

Kevin Spak — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 15:33:04 CST

Bryan Gonzalez was working as a Border Patrol agent in New Mexico when he made the fatal mistake of musing to a colleague that legalizing marijuana would end Mexico’s violent drug war. He was fired soon afterwards; his termination letter said he held “personal views that were contrary to the...

Deportation Program May Raise Crime: Report

Matt Cantor — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 09:14:38 CDT

A federal panel reviewing a contentious US deportation program found that it hurt community policing, potentially leading to “greater levels of crime.” The stated goal of the Secure Communities program, which provides immigration officials with police-obtained fingerprints, was to deport serious criminals. But the program has cracked down on many...

US Will Review Rash of Police Deaths

Nick McMaster — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 14:12:27 CST

Here's a disturbing trend: The number of US police officers killed in the line of duty increased by 40% in 2010, including a 20% increase in those shot to death. And the trend shows no sign of slowing—10 officers have already been killed nationwide in 2011, including the pair...

Miami Police Buy Spy Drone

Kevin Spak — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 11:15:05 CST

Soon, America’s fearsome spy drones will prowl the sky in Kandahar, Waziristan, and … South Beach? The Miami-Dade Police Department has struck a deal to buy a drone, WSN-TV reports. Many residents aren’t particularly happy about this, but police are eager to have “an eye up there,” the police director...

US Agencies Link Up to Spy on ... You

Matt Cantor — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 15:31:06 CST

Aiming to fight home-grown terrorism, the US is linking local, state, FBI, and military resources to gather information about American citizens: It’s “the largest and most technologically sophisticated” domestic intelligence system the country has ever assembled, write Dana Priest and William Arkin after a Washington Post investigation that’s spanned several...

Cops Screen Recruits' Texts, Facebook Posts

Matt Cantor — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 11:16:33 CST

Law enforcement agencies are probing potential recruits’ digital lives for information that might make them unfit for the job, USA Today reports. More than a third of police agencies look into applicants’ social media presence, says a new report conducted for police executives. Reviewing postings to sites like Facebook, MySpace,...