Policing

Law enforcement agencies across the country experienced a wave of retirements and departures and are struggling to recruit the next generation of police officers in the year since George Floyd was killed by a cop.

Baltimore police officials say they’re reviewing whether a longtime homicide detective violated department policy in a social media post with a graphic photo of a homicide victim

Erroll Southers used to run background checks on police officer applicants and worked in law enforcement for decades. He says there should be a registry of officers’ past firings for misconduct – a database like that can help chiefs and police departments ensure they’re hiring someone with a good record in their community.

Tiffany Crutcher is the twin sister of Terence Crutcher, who was fatally shot by a Tulsa, Oklahoma police officer in 2016. The officer was found not guilty after a jury trial. Since her brother’s death, Tiffany Crutcher has become a voice speaking out against police killings.

In the days of slavery, Black people were commonly referred to as subhuman or inherently different than white people. Professor, attorney and former NJ Assistant Attorney General Shavar Jeffries says that racism was built into American law enforcement and manifests today as an attitude that Black people are “presumptively criminal.”

It was difficult to deal with George Floyd’s sudden death in Minneapolis police custody, but his family has been inspired by all the change in the past year. Shareeduh Tate, Floyd’s cousin and the president of the George Floyd Foundation, talks about the last year and her hope for the policing legislation named after her cousin.

To be an ally as the world is undergoing a new reckoning on race will require having uncomfortable conversations. Having those is part of the work. You also can’t just dub yourself an ally and call it a day – the community has to welcome you, says activist Jamira Burley on a panel discussion with LX Storyteller Ngozi Ekeledo.

Howard University African-American Studies Chair Greg Carr questions why Wednesday’s rioters were so underestimated by authorities.

Lawmakers are pushing for a statewide mandate requiring every police department in Maryland to equip officers with body cameras, but the cost of equipment and maintenance may be the biggest challenge

Many residents in Montgomery County want police to be less involved in certain issues including homelessness and responding to mental health crises, new preliminary survey results show. The Montgomery County Police Reform Task Force conducted a survey of about 6,500 residents and presented early findings on Thursday night. The survey asked residents how much of a role they think the…

More than 6,500 people in Montgomery County were surveyed on how they think police should be involved in the community. News4’s Justin Finch breaks down the results.

Duncan Socrates Lemp became a martyr for an anti-government movement after a police officer shot and killed the 21-year-old man during a pre-dawn raid on his family’s Maryland home in March

A new project based in the D.C. area aims to prepare police officers to do something that can be at odds with their traditional training. News4’s Jackie Bensen reports.

The president of Maryland’s Bowie State University says it will investigate an incident during which a campus police officer apparently pulled a student down a set of stairs

Lisa Broderick, the Executive Director of Police 2 Peace, speaks about her organization’s efforts to introduce the word “peace” instead of “police” on officers uniforms and vehicles and the psychological impact that wording change could have for both officers and the communities they serve.

D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham is resisting calls for his resignation or firing and compared a critic on the D.C. Council to President Donald Trump. Outgoing Councilmember David Grosso says Newsham “needs to go” and on Wednesday sent a letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser saying the chief should be fired. Grosso said Newsham pushes an outdated, tough-on-crime approach and has...

News4 anchor Aaron Gilchrist led a discussion on racism, police and how Black Lives Matter became a movement. Watch it here in its entirety.

After weeks-long demonstrations demanding police reform across the country over the police-involved killings of Rayshard Brooks, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, Arlington County is moving ahead with a plan to provide police and the sheriff’s department with body-worn cameras. County Manager Mark Schwartz is budgeting more than $1 million for the program. Schwartz said the decision was spurred by calls…

Richmond’s mayor said Tuesday that he has asked for and accepted the resignation of the city’s police chief, saying Virginia’s capital needs “a new approach” to public safety

While the use of body cameras are widely considered key to police reform, NBCLX storyteller Noah Pransky explains that costs and privacy issues can inhibit how they are adopted by police departments.