The Weekly Briefing

Curated News for Public Safety

SOLVING MURDERS – More than five years ago, a police research firm recommended that the Chicago Police Department overhaul its homicide investigations to address low clearance rates. This week, the group said that the department has since made significant improvements to its staffing and training. “The Chicago homicide unit divisions look substantially different today than they did in 2018,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum. “They didn’t even have a ‘homicide unit’ in 2018.” The research group had found that the department lacked proper tools, equipment, staffing and a clear procedure for homicide investigations. The group published 89 recommendations in all.

MORE: In 2018, Chicago police were reporting a homicide clearance rate of 45%, significantly lower than the national average, according to the report. In 2024, Chicago’s murder clearance rate was 56%, according to the department. But that includes “exceptional clearances” in which no arrest was made because the suspect died or because prosecutors declined to file charges. The percentage of murders cleared by an arrest in Chicago is only 25%. Still, Wexler said the department is building the proper infrastructure to solve and prevent homicides, which in turn will aid in investigations of nonfatal shootings.

SHINING A LIGHT ON CRIME – A study found that new LED streetlights helped reduce crime and prevent gun violence after dark in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Energy Authority (PEA) and city leaders announced during a press conference that findings from a study, led by University of Pennsylvania Professor of Criminology and Sociology John MacDonald, Ph.D., demonstrated that large-scale streetlight upgrades can lead to significant reductions in crime rates. The study analyzed the effect of upgrading 34,374 streetlights across 13,275 blocks in Philadelphia between August 2023 and May 2024. Officials said during that period, the studied areas experienced a 21-percent reduction in outdoor nighttime gun violence, a 20-percent decline in violent crimes, and a 16-percent decrease in property crimes.

INTERNET CRIME REPORT – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released its Internet Crime Report 2024, highlighting US $16.6 billion in losses reported to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) over the past year. Fraud accounted for the majority of these losses, while ransomware remained the most pervasive threat to critical infrastructure, with complaints increasing by 9 percent compared to 2023. Among all demographics, individuals over the age of 60 experienced the highest financial losses and filed the greatest number of complaints.

NEW PODCAST – The Boldly Go Podcast, hosted by Rick Smith and Mike Wagers, explores the intersection of public safety, leadership, and the exponential future. Taking inspiration from Star Trek’s spirit of exploration, the podcast dives into the transformative changes shaping law enforcement, technology, and society. The first episode is live on Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube. New episodes drop weekly.

BEST JOB IN THE WORLD – Seattle’s police chief believes the department can be at full strength in a year or two based on new hiring numbers and applications in the pipeline. Chief Shon Barnes has only been on the job for three months but stood at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center in Burien this week with a smile on his face. He had just taken part of the fourth graduation ceremony in his short time as chief. “We've hired 50 (officers) year-to-date, which is five times the number we added last year. We've had over 4,000 applications,” said Barnes. “I think that in the next coming one or two years, I will be back to full strength.

MORE: That ambitious goal comes after years of staffing declines in the Seattle Police Department. The department said right now it has 924 deployable officers. Barnes called 1,300 officers “full strength.” Among the new officers is Janelle Willit. She said she’s been in the Army National Guard and health care. Friends had suggested she apply to be a Seattle police officer, and her 6-year-old son did, too. “That's so cool, Mom, that's so cool. It's the best job in the world." Willit recalled her son saying. "So, that's where I got my motivation.”

WARTIME POWERS – The U.S. on Wednesday added terrorism-related charges to its criminal case against an alleged high-ranking member of Tren de Aragua, the first time U.S. authorities have used those charges against the Venezuelan street gang. Jose Enrique Martinez Flores was charged in a new indictment with conspiring to provide and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, according to a court filing. In February, the U.S. designated Tren de Aragua and other transnational gangs as terrorist organizations. Under President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigrant gangs, the administration has also sought to use wartime powers to deport alleged members of the gang, sparking court fights around the country. Martinez Flores also faces international cocaine distribution charges, according to the indictment, filed in federal court in south Texas.

FOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY – Two Florida men were arrested in Virginia after police found nearly $2 million worth of cocaine in their vehicle. Police pulled the vehicle over for following too closely to another vehicle.

SUITED UP – The Memphis Police Department is trying to reassure residents that officers are patrolling the streets and protecting the public following a violent week and month in the city. Friday night, MPD posted several pictures of officers on its Facebook page with the caption, “Our officers are suited up, briefed, and ready to get to work. We’re out in the community with one goal in mind: keeping Memphis safe.” The police department said it was part of the city’s ‘Operation Code Zero,’ and its commitment to proactive policing and building trust with the people they serve.

SUPPORTING VICTIMS – A new mobile care unit will soon hit Atlanta’s streets, offering critical, immediate support to victims of violent crime. City officials and leaders of the nonprofit Atlanta Victim Assistance cut the ribbon on its new community care unit at Carver STEAM Academy High School on Friday night. "It could be a family affected by homicide, a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, robbery, any crimes on person. We can serve them on this mobile unit," Shontel Brunson-Wright, executive director of Atlanta Victim Assistance, said. "Be it clothing, be it food, be it other financial resources, counseling, therapy, all of those things, we can get that done right here."

JTTF TURNS 45 – In spring 1980, the FBI's New York Office created the Bureau's first Joint Terrorism Task Force. The task force model united Bureau personnel and members of the New York Police Department (NYPD) in investigations of potential acts of terrorism. And in the 45 years since, the JTTF model—which started as a local solution to a local problem—has spread across the country. Today, each of the Bureau's 55 field offices has at least one JTTF, and a National Joint Terrorism Task Force (NJTTF) in the National Capital Region reinforces these field-level teams' capabilities and expertise.

OFFICER DOWN – Dawson County (TX) Deputy Sheriff Jesse Perez was killed when debris from a commercial vehicle struck him during a traffic stop. Deputy Perez had served with the Dawson County Sheriff's Office for eight months.