The Weekly Briefing 🇺🇸
AI Deepfakes Target Kids
AI-powered “nudify” tools that can digitally undress anyone from a single photo are spreading rapidly among teenagers, creating a new form of harassment and bullying that schools, law enforcement, and parents are struggling to address, according to the Wall Street Journal. More than half of 557 U.S. teens surveyed by George Mason University said they had created at least one image using nudification tools, and a third said someone had created and shared a nude image of them without their permission. In May, the federal Take It Down Act took effect, making it a federal crime to publish nonconsensual intimate images — including AI-generated ones — and requiring platforms to remove content within 48 hours of a victim’s notification. But enforcement remains inconsistent and victims say the burden of scrubbing images from the internet falls largely on them. The Internet Watch Foundation reported AI-generated child sexual abuse videos increased from about a dozen in 2024 to more than 3,400 in 2025. 🔗 More here
Anti-AI Violence on the Rise
A wave of violent incidents targeting tech leaders and infrastructure is prompting researchers and law enforcement to track what they’re calling “anti-tech extremism” — a threat that spans ideological lines and is growing in step with public backlash against AI, according to The Guardian. Earlier this year, a Texas man was arrested for allegedly attempting to burn down OpenAI’s headquarters and Sam Altman’s home, an anti-AI manifesto in hand. The two teenage shooters behind last month’s San Diego mosque attack cited AI and tech-industry ties in their manifesto. An Indianapolis city councilor found gunshots fired into his home with a note reading “NO DATA CENTERS.” Researchers say what separates this wave from previous tech backlash is the speed of change — too fast for communities to build resilience — and the fact that tech CEOs’ own apocalyptic rhetoric about AI provides a ready-made radicalizing narrative without any ideologue needed. Law enforcement experts warn that conflating peaceful anti-AI protest with violent extremism risks pushing more people toward the fringe. “When authorities don’t care enough to regulate and take action,” one researcher said, “people affected are going to take action themselves.” 🤖 More here
Mascots Make the Arrest
Peruvian police officers disguised as FIFA World Cup mascots Clutch the bald eagle and Maple the moose helped arrest a suspected drug dealer in Lima during the tournament’s opening match, according to CBS News. Intelligence had revealed that suspect Carlos Cabrera, 48, was a “diehard football fan” consumed by World Cup fever — so officers from the Green Squadron dressed the part, approached without raising suspicion, then broke down his door with a sledgehammer. Police recovered 2,524 packets of cocaine base and a firearm at the scene. It’s not the first time Peruvian police have gone creative with costumes — previous operations have featured officers dressed as the Grinch, Freddy Krueger, Deadpool, Wolverine, Santa Claus, and a Valentine’s Day teddy bear. 🧸 More here
Tampa Chief Heads to Academia
Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw, who will retire from the Tampa Police Department on August 6 after more than 30 years of service including three and a half years as chief, will join the University of South Florida as an associate professor of instruction in the fall, according to USF. Bercaw — a two-time USF alumnus with a doctorate in criminal justice — will help lead the university’s Master of Arts in Criminal Justice program, bringing direct law enforcement leadership experience into the classroom. During his tenure as chief, Tampa saw a decline in violent crime and homicides that significantly outpaced national trends. “Teaching, mentoring and developing future leaders has always been among the most rewarding parts of my career,” Bercaw said. More here
Chief Reflects on 32-Year Career
Outgoing Miami Police Chief Manny Morales spoke exclusively with CBS Miami on his final weekday on the job, crediting his officers with dramatic crime reductions during his four-year tenure — including a 56% drop in homicides, a 36% reduction in robberies, and a 28% decline in aggravated assaults. Morales, who joined the department in 1994 after four years in the U.S. Army and rose from patrolman to chief, called his service “the honor of my professional lifetime.” He will be succeeded by Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez, who was sworn in Tuesday. Morales offered his successor simple advice: “Patience and trust your team.” 🔗 More here
LPR Lawsuit Targets Flock
A coalition of civil rights groups has filed a class action lawsuit seeking to shut down Westchester County, New York’s Flock Safety license plate reader network — nearly 600 cameras that have amassed 1.6 billion plate scans and shared data with more than 50 outside law enforcement agencies, including ICE, according to ABC News. The suit alleges the county never received proper legislative authorization for the program and that it violates the state constitution by conducting warrantless, indiscriminate surveillance of law-abiding residents. One plaintiff’s vehicle was captured more than 2,400 times. Flock paused its work with the Department of Homeland Security last year after it was revealed that police departments were sharing its data with immigration authorities — but the Westchester data-sharing appears to have continued. The case is part of a growing national legal effort to rein in Flock’s rapid expansion, which now spans more than 6,000 communities and has generated controversy over privacy, data security, and use by federal immigration enforcement. 🔗 More here
Toronto Officer Killed
A Toronto police officer was shot and killed early Thursday during a tactical raid connected to an investigation into shots fired at the U.S. consulate in March, according to the New York Times. Const. Marc Pinizzotto, 43, a 18-year veteran who spent the last five years on Toronto’s Emergency Task Force, died after officers executing a search warrant at a north Toronto apartment building came under fire. A 19-year-old suspect, Nicholas Bennett, has been charged with first-degree murder. A second 19-year-old suspect, Zara Jabbi, evaded police during the raid and remained at large, believed to be armed. “No words can capture the impact on Marc’s family who expected him to come home today,” Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said. The March consulate incident involved two men who drove to the building in the early morning hours and fired multiple shots at the building before fleeing. 💙🖤 More here
Vegas Expands Counter-Terrorism
With the FIFA World Cup, a potential Golden Knights parade, and Fourth of July celebrations converging on Las Vegas in the coming weeks, LVMPD is expanding its counter-terrorism unit by 30% and increasing high-visibility patrols as part of its Meridian Project — a permanent counter-terrorism and intelligence capability announced earlier this year, according to KLAS. Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said there is no credible threat to Las Vegas but emphasized the moves are about readiness. He also highlighted the department’s drone program, which has already logged 12,000 flights in 2026 — on pace to exceed last year’s 10,000 — with drones arriving on scene before officers 71% of the time. “That means we’re having faster police response, better situational awareness, and ultimately safer outcomes for the community,” Koren said. 🔗 More here
Executive Healthspan Summit
For several years, Rick and I have been standing in front of police leaders talking about something that sounds like science fiction but isn’t — AI, exponentials, the law of accelerating returns, and how fast the world is about to change. Just over the past year, we started adding a segment on what that means for human health and longevity — including what some are calling “longevity escape velocity,” the idea that advances in AI and medicine may soon extend healthy human life faster than we age. We weren’t sure it would land. But it did. After nearly every session, leaders pulled us aside to ask serious questions about their own health and what the science says about performing and living better in the age of AI.
That’s behind an idea we’re now seriously considering: the Executive Healthspan Summit — an invitation-only gathering of public safety executives in Scottsdale, Arizona in December 2026. World-class physicians, scientists, and high-performance experts. Evidence-based approaches to sleep, strength, nutrition, recovery, and cardiovascular health. The emerging science of longevity and AI-enabled healthcare. And a room full of leaders ready to take action.
We’d love to know if this resonates with you. [Click here for a quick 5-question survey] — your input will directly shape whether and how we move forward.
Three Philly Officers Shot
Three Philadelphia police officers are expected to recover after being shot Saturday night in the Wynnefield section of the city, according to KYW. Officers responding to a report of a vehicle that had been shot up encountered a man who refused repeated commands to stand down. When officers moved to arrest him, he drew a weapon and an exchange of gunfire followed. The 57-year-old suspect, identified as Eric Franks — a former Philadelphia firefighter and Marine veteran — was struck and pronounced dead at the hospital. One officer was shot in the face, another in the hip, and a third in the leg; all are in stable condition. Commissioner Kevin Bethel said four officers discharged their weapons. “These officers are husbands and fathers, sons and brothers, and they almost didn’t make it home tonight,” Bethel said. 🔗 More here
New Chief, First Policy Change
Just 30 days into his tenure, Greensboro Police Chief Kamran Afzal has already implemented his first policy change — requiring officers to carry their Tasers on the opposite side of their body from their firearm to reduce the risk of accidentally drawing the wrong weapon, according to WFMY News 2. Afzal, who brings more than three decades of experience including prior chief roles in Dayton, Ohio and several other cities, says additional reviews are underway covering internal investigations and disciplinary consistency. He is also focused on identifying crime patterns rather than simply tracking statistics, and has flagged traffic fatalities and violent crime in one district as early priorities. His leadership philosophy is direct: “I love my officers, and I tell them I have their back. But my love is conditional — conditional upon them following policy, procedures, doing things legally and ethically.” 🔗 More here