Latest Law Enforcement Headlines
All the headlines from our Law Enforcement Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Police Sergeant Arrested for Filing Fraudulent Claim Over Sunken Boat
Mar 2 2020 // A sergeant with the Tampa Police Department has been arrested on a charge of filing a false and fraudulent insurance claim to defraud his insurance company after his 23-foot boat sank, a statement from the Florida...
New Florida Law Ensures Police Officers Can Park Marked Vehicles at Home
Feb 28 2020 // Some Florida law enforcement officers have been told they aren’t allowed to park their marked cars at home, but that’s about to change. One of the first bills in the 2020 legislative session signed into law...
Missouri Woman Wins Jury Award in Police Stun Gun Lawsuit
Feb 24 2020 // Jurors have awarded $3,500 to a woman who was shocked three times with a stun gun after a St. Louis, Mo., march protesting police misconduct. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that jurors found in favor of University...
Second Person in Days Killed by Mardi Gras Float in New Orleans
Feb 24 2020 // A man was struck and killed by a Mardi Gras float during a raucous Saturday night street parade in New Orleans, becoming the second person in days killed along a parade route during this year’s Carnival season,...
Hold the Phone: Massachusetts’ Hands-Free Driving Law to Take Effect
Feb 21 2020 // Massachusetts’ new hands-free driving law takes effect this Sunday, February 23rd. The law, signed by Governor Charlie Baker in November, is intended to reduce the number of distracted driving injuries and deaths in...
Gun-Selling Website Sued by Widow of Slain Chicago Police Commander
Feb 18 2020 // The widow of a slain Chicago Police Department commander has filed a lawsuit against the website used to sell the gun tied to her husband’s death. The Chicago Sun-Times reports Erin Bauer and the nonprofit gun...
Missouri Officer Told to ‘Tone Down’ Gayness Settles Lawsuit for $10.25M
Feb 12 2020 // Missouri’s St. Louis County has agreed to a $10.25 million settlement with a gay police lieutenant who says he was passed over for promotion 23 times and was told to “tone down” his...
EU Prepares for Coming of Facial Recognition– On Its Privacy Terms
Feb 3 2020 // The European Union has accepted there is no escape from facial recognition, but is seeking to ensure any roll-out that includes U.S. and Chinese players will abide by European values like strict personal privacy. Facial...
Father Sues Police in Oregon for Using Stun Gun on 14-Year-Old
Jan 24 2020 // A father is suing Redmond, Ore. police because he says they used excessive force when they used a Taser stun gun on his 14-year-old son nearly two years ago. Michael Francisco filed the civil rights lawsuit last week in...
Alabama Police Say ‘Batman’ Bandit Stealing from Churches
Jan 16 2020 // Police in Alabama are looking for a man who disguised himself as Batman while stealing musical instruments from churches. A burglary happened on Dec. 11 at King’s Way Church in Irondale, AL.Com reported. The caped...
Southern California Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger
Jan 15 2020 // An Uber driver was arrested on suspicion of raping a woman who said she fell asleep in his car after a night of drinking and woke up to him assaulting her, authorities said. The suspect, Alonso Calle, had contacted police...
Lawsuit Accuses Police in New Mexico of Wrongful Death
Jan 13 2020 // A lawsuit accuses Albuquerque police of wrongfully killing a pipe-wielding man during a 2018 encounter in a home after officers found him hiding in a closet. The lawsuit filed last week by 24-year-old Daniel...
UMass Student Newspaper Editor Cannot Be Held Liable in Defamation Suit
Jan 13 2020 // The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) has ruled that a University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass) student newspaper editor cannot be held liable for defamation after republishing police blotter entries describing...
Police Report Multiple Injuries in 30-Car Maine Highway Pileup
Jan 9 2020 // Multiple people were injured in a major pileup involving about 30 vehicles during the Tuesday morning commute on a highway in Maine, state troopers said. There were no fatalities, but several ambulances and a medical...
Atlanta Police Chief Halts Police Chases after Deaths, Injuries
Jan 9 2020 // Atlanta’s police chief has ordered a halt to all police car chases after crashes that killed or injured people. “I don’t want to see us cost someone their life in pursuit of an auto theft person or...
Feds to Investigate Deadly Tesla Crash in California
Jan 3 2020 // The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the crash of a speeding Tesla that killed two people in a Los Angeles suburb, the agency announced Tuesday. Agency spokesman Sean Rushton wouldn’t...
California Man Choked Unconscious Can Sue Police, Court Rules
Dec 27 2019 // A California man can proceed to trial with a lawsuit against a police officer who choked him unconscious at a Las Vegas nightclub, a federal appeals court ruled this week. “It has long been clear that a police...
Former Oregon Officer Sues Officials Claiming Retaliation
Dec 27 2019 // A former Oregon police officer filed a lawsuit saying he faced retaliation within the department for reporting a former police chief struck him with his arm while holding a metal sign, court records said. Joseph Patnode is...
Police Say City Employee Targeted Co-Worker in Deadly North Carolina Shooting
Dec 24 2019 // A deadly shooting at a city building in Winston-Salem, North Carolina was an act of “workplace violence” by one city employee who targeted a co-worker he’d disliked for a long time, police said...
Southern California Bride Tied up in Insurance Fraud Scheme
Dec 13 2019 // Vermyttya Miller, 37, of Santa Clarita, Calif., was sentenced this week to five years in county jail and ordered to pay $22,500 in restitution after pleading no contest to one count of felony insurance fraud for a wedding...
