The Weekly Briefing 🇺🇸
Wrong Math on Police Disparities
A new peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Criminal Justice challenges a foundational assumption behind most racial profiling analyses — that a city’s residential population is the right benchmark for measuring police enforcement disparities. Using automated red-light camera data in Boulder, Colorado, researchers found that 78% of traffic violators lived outside the city, meaning the population actually present and subject to police contact is far more diverse than census figures suggest. When that real-world “at-risk” population is used as the benchmark instead of residential data, the apparent racial disparities in traffic stops and tickets largely disappear or reverse — including for Black drivers, who showed a 349% greater risk of tickets under the residential benchmark but a 26% lower risk under the ambient benchmark. The authors are careful not to claim bias doesn’t exist, but argue that much of what appears to be racial disparity in enforcement may actually reflect denominator error — the wrong population in the denominator of the calculation. The findings have significant implications for how departments across the country measure and report enforcement disparities, particularly in cities with large commuter, tourist, or pass-through populations. 🧮 More here
Five Arrested in UFC Attack Plot
Federal authorities disrupted an alleged plot to attack last weekend’s UFC event on the White House South Lawn, arresting five people across multiple states on conspiracy to commit murder charges after investigators uncovered plans to fly explosives-laden drones over the crowd and then shoot into the fleeing attendees, according to NBC News. The FBI learned of the threat four days before the event and conducted a multi-state operation to take the suspects into custody. Among those arrested was a 19-year-old Ohio man whose own mother called local police after noticing alarming changes in his behavior, including recent firearms purchases, antisemitic social media posts, and contact with unknown online groups — leading to the discovery of thousands of rounds of ammunition and multiple weapons at his home. Court documents show suspects shared maps and photos of the area, discussed escape routes, and maintained encrypted group chats. One suspect allegedly shared a target list that included references to President Trump, Vice President Vance, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, and Elon Musk. FBI Director Kash Patel credited rapid multi-agency coordination for stopping the attack. More here
ICE App Comes to Local Police
A newly revealed Department of Homeland Security document outlines plans to give local police participating in the federal 287(g) Task Force program access to a mobile facial recognition app that scans faces and compares them against more than 250 million government records — including State Department visa files and TSA traveler data — according to NPR. The app, called the ICE Task Force Module, instructs officers to either release a person or obtain a reference code for further ICE action, and stores every photo taken for 15 years. Approximately 1,300 law enforcement agencies participate in the Task Force Model nationwide. DHS said the technology is constitutional and that ICE is committed to giving local partners the tools needed to support immigration enforcement. The department’s own document acknowledges, however, that photos taken through the app could capture U.S. citizens, since officers won’t know immigration status before scanning — and facial recognition technology has previously led to wrongful ICE detentions. How and when officers are permitted to deploy the app — whether a pre-existing basis for a stop is required or whether it can be used more broadly — remains unclear. 🔗 More here
San Antonio Searches for Chief
San Antonio has posted the opening for police chief as longtime Chief William McManus, 74, prepares to retire this fall after leading the department for most of the past 20 years, according to KSAT. The city hired the Police Executive Research Forum to conduct a national search and community engagement process. The job posting signals continuity over overhaul — the next chief is expected to “stabilize and strengthen the department from within” rather than dramatically reshape it. Community voices are calling for stronger officer discipline and accountability, clearer policies on immigration enforcement cooperation, and deeper community relationships. The position is posted through July 15. 👮♂️ More here
Violence Renews Military Debate
Seven people were killed and at least 38 wounded in a wave of shootings across Chicago since Friday evening, prompting President Trump to renew calls for deploying military forces to the city, according to the Los Angeles Times. Among the incidents, a Juneteenth street gathering turned violent when two people in an SUV opened fire on a crowd, wounding 12 people ranging in age from 17 to 47. Mayor Brandon Johnson called it “a horrific act of violence” that “shattered what should have been a night of celebration.” Trump posted Sunday that he could make Chicago “one of the safest” cities within a year, while Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who has repeatedly rejected federal military intervention, did not respond to requests for comment. Chicago Police Department data show a slight increase in shooting incidents compared to the first half of last year, though violent crime has generally declined in the city over recent years in line with national trends. 🔗 More here
100 Days Without Gun Violence
A Dayton, Ohio neighborhood that once experienced gun violence at six times the national average has reached 100 consecutive days without a shooting, according to WDTN. The milestone was achieved by Felons with a Future, a community intervention group working in North Riverdale through resource distribution, community partnerships, and what program director Curtis Johnson calls a focus on mindset change. The achievement was tempered by a shooting death just outside the intervention zone on the same weekend. “For it to be right outside our zone, we take that very, very, very seriously,” Johnson said, adding that the group is working to expand its reach into neighboring areas. “Our goal is for no one to have to experience gun violence in this area.” 📉 More here
Cameras Speak 50+ Languages
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel is calling AI-powered body camera translation technology a “game changer” as the department deploys cameras capable of real-time interpretation in more than 50 languages ahead of the World Cup and the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration, according to ColombiaOne. The system — built on Axon’s latest body camera platform — allows officers and non-English speakers to hold full conversations without waiting for an interpreter or locating a bilingual colleague, a process Bethel said has long consumed significant time and resources. “They know they can walk up to a police officer, talk to them, and the officer can fully understand what they’re saying,” Bethel said. The technology will remain in place after the World Cup ends, with Bethel emphasizing that Philadelphia’s diverse population — where large Latino, Asian, and African communities speak dozens of languages daily — makes it a year-round operational necessity. One important limit: AI-generated transcripts cannot replace certified human interpreters when conversations become criminal evidence. “When the case moves into the criminal phase, there will still need to be certification by someone who can attest to its authenticity,” Bethel said. 🔗 More here