Voters in Minneapolis Rejected A Proposal To Replace City's Police with Community Responders
During this year's general election, Minneapolis voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot measure that would have replaced the city's police department with a team of social workers and other public safety responders. Support for the measure grew out of last year's killing of George Floyd by members of the Minneapolis police force.
Some opponents viewed the results as a rejection of the "defund the police" movement. Other opponents argued the proposed "Department of Public Safety" lacked a clear plan of transition or failed to address issues central to the strife between law enforcement and minority residents.
For more information about why the ballot measure failed through the perspective of a local reporter, check out the linked article by Slate.
Illinois Governor Declares Gun Violence a Public Health Crisis, Outlines Investment Plan for High-Crime Areas
Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order declaring gun violence in Illinois a "public health crisis." Over the next three years, the state will invest $250 million toward violence prevention programs in high-crime communities — geographic locations that reported the highest number of per capita fatal and non-fatal firearm-shot victims (excluding self-inflicted cases) between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2020.
The act also creates a new internal division within the Illinois Department of Human Services — the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention. This office will allocate grant funding and provide technical assistance to various organization types working with specified service areas.
For more information, check out the linked article by Chicago's PBS station WTTW.
Ohio Releases a Public Online Database Documenting Police Officer Use-of-Force Statistics
The Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services has unveiled a new online database detailing various statistics related to law enforcement use-of-force. Data is voluntarily reported by police and sheriff's departments from across the state.
Information reported in the database includes the number of times officers have fired their weapons while on duty, the number of times non-lethal weapons have been used against individuals, and the number of times officers have physically restrained a person — referred to as "empty hand techniques".
To date, the database reflects the reporting from over 200 law enforcement agencies. According to the information reported, there have been more than 5,500 instances of law enforcement use-of-force in Ohio since 2018.
For more information, check out the linked article by the Vindicator.
Michigan's 'Jobs Court' Proposal Would Give Low-Level Offenders Paid Jobs Instead of Incarceration
Instead of a prison sentence, some low-level offenders in Michigan may have the opportunity to gain on-the-job training skills. Known as "Jobs Court", the proposed pilot program would allow certain residents in Marquette, Genesee, and Wayne Counties to plead guilty and then secure paid employment for one year.
If the person is able to stay in the program and demonstrate growth, their criminal charges will be wiped away. If not, they would face incarceration — something public officials would like to avoid.
The program is among a package of criminal justice proposals outlined in Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's "MI Safe Communities" plan.
