CALEA Bits & Pieces
Faith Based Organizations and Local Police
Departments
With
President Bush taking office, the American public has become more familiar with
the term “faith-based” organizations. According
to a new, national survey by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change, most
Americans say that these types of organizations, as well as other nonprofits, do
far more than the federal government to solve social problems at the community
level. Interestingly, among those
surveyed, 58 percent felt that their local police departments played a vital
role in solving community problems. This
was a higher percentage than for local religious institutions and the more
recognizable nonprofits such as Goodwill Industries and the Salvation Army.
 CANADA
Canada is
experiencing a growth in the number of female police officers. The latest numbers available show that the number of female
police officers has more than double over the last decade.
As of June 2000, there were more than 7,600 female officers making up 14
percent of all police officers. Further,
women represented 3 percent of the senior officers, 6 percent of the
non-commissioned officers, and 17 percent of the constables.
Overall, there were 56,000 police officers in Canada equaling one officer
for every 549 Canadians.
Court
Approves $1.25 Million Verdict For NYPD Cop In Retaliation Case
A
federal judge in New York refused to throw out a jury's decision to award
$1.25 million to a New York City police officer repeatedly harassed, criticized,
overly scrutinized, and eventually ousted in retaliation for complaining about
sexual harassment. Rejecting the
city's motion for a new trial, the Judge also added an additional $110,000 in
punitive damages against three police department officials, prejudgment interest
on the back pay portion of the award, and $867,809.09 in attorney's fees and
costs.
Fifteen Percent Drop in Violent Crime in 2000
A
survey by the Justice Department stated that violent crime in the United States
dropped by a record 15 percent in the year 2000.
This is the largest one-year drop since 1973, when the DOJ began the
annual survey of crimes reported, but not necessarily to police.
The bureau estimated there were 25.9 million violent and property crimes
in 2000, 3 million less than the previous
year, and substantially less than the 44 million estimated in the first survey
in 1973. The survey was based on interviews of approximately 160,000
people across the nation.
With
the legalization of marijuana for medical use in eight states, some insurance
companies have paid claims for stolen marijuana plants under homeowner’s
policies. It is reported that State
Farm Insurance will not pay these claims in the future and other insurers are
reviewing their legal positions.
A
Federal Appeals court ruled the man accused of killing two U.S. Capitol Police
officers in 1998 can be made mentally competent to stand trail by requiring
forcible medication.
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