police accountability
Law and Technology Quickly Converging to Allow Unblinking Aerial Surveillance
As its law enforcement application continues to evolve and proliferate, drone deployment in municipalities across the country has attracted spirited resistance by civil libertarians. Considering the degree to which drones can compromise the privacy of individuals, notably in their … Read more »
San Francisco Debuts Nation’s First Facial Recognition Regulation with Ban on Government Use
An article last week from Wired reported that San Francisco has passed the nation’s first ban on government use of facial recognition technology. Enacted by the city’s Board of Supervisors, the measure was adopted as part of a suite of … Read more »
Research Shows Poor Americans More Severely Harmed By Surveillance
According to a piece in The New York Times, a recent study by the Pew Research Center revealed that Americans in lower income groups confront greater privacy and security concerns, but enjoy less access to means of addressing them… Read more »
San Francisco Moves to Prohibit Government Use of Facial Recognition and Limit Surveillance Technology
According to a new piece by The Atlantic, San Francisco legislators are moving ahead with a bill that would prohibit city government agencies from using facial recognition technology. While the draft legislation, known as the “Stop Secret Surveillance … Read more »
CPD’s Impending Consent Decree Holds Promise to Improve Safety for Over-Policed Disabled Population
According to a new article from the Chicago Reporter, the current draft of the consent decree imposed by federal court on the Chicago Police Department will include provisions intended to specifically address the safety of individuals with disabilities. The … Read more »
More Trump Inauguration Protester Prosecutions Dropped as Judge Rules Government Suppressed Evidence
Al Jazeera reports that US attorneys prosecuting a group of protesters at a Washington, DC Inauguration Day demonstration (known as J20) for felony rioting charges have dropped charges against a new group of defendants after a judge ruled that the … Read more »
Muslim Leaders Settle Lawsuit with NYPD in Resounding Win for Equal Constitutional Protection
The Guardian reports that last week a settlement was reached in a lawsuit against the New York Police Department in which lawyers representing New Jersey-area Muslim community leaders won significant concessions from the defendant. The suit, filed jointly by Muslim … Read more »
Rauner Signs Broadly Supported Civil Forfeiture Protections Into Law
Governor Bruce Rauner signed a bill into law (HB303) restricting civil forfeiture practices of law enforcement agencies in the state. The newly enacted regulations, which CCDBR profiled previously, raise the evidentiary threshold for seizing citizens’ property from “probable … Read more »
Trump’s Law Enforcement Address is Only the Latest Encouragement in a Pattern of Normalizing Police Brutality
In a piece for Portside, columnist Jelani Cobb underscored the dangerous pattern of the Trump administration, spearheaded by President Trump himself, to normalize abusive policing practices. While Trump’s speech last week to police officers in Long Island grabbed headlines … Read more »
Illinois Legislature Overwhelmingly Approves Bill Requiring Transparency and Accountability in Civil Forfeiture Practices
UPDATE (7/21/17): According to a new report from The Intercept, the US Department of Justice has announced that it will scrap reforms made under President Obama to rein in the practice of civil asset forfeiture by federal law enforcement… Read more »
