When Ron Zeida woke up in the middle of the night to a barrage of texts, he knew something was wrong. On Dec. 1, a burglar broke into his Vanguard Comics store in Barnstable and swiped roughly $1,000 worth of merchandise from the shelves. In under a minute, the thief left the store’s glass doorContinue reading “Pokémon cards bring business — and thieves”
Yearly Archives: 2025
Anxiety Over Pace of Brown University Shooting Investigation Mounts As Search For Killer Continues
In a city where police can tap live feeds of hundreds of surveillance cameras, the identity of the Brown University campus shooter remained unknown to the public Monday evening as the community mourned the two students who were killed and rallied around the nine others injured on Saturday. But newly released images and the offerContinue reading “Anxiety Over Pace of Brown University Shooting Investigation Mounts As Search For Killer Continues”
Research Mirrors Cleveland Reports that ShotSpotter Helps Police Respond To Gunshots But Doesn’t Reduce Crime
Growing national research shows that the gunshot detection system used in Cleveland helps police respond to shootings but does little to reduce crime or improve case outcomes. A new report by Cleveland State University, released Friday, reviewed 87,000 ShotSpotter alerts, surveyed officers and residents and examined how the technology is used.
Is ShotSpotter Effective? Gunshot-detection technology can help police departments if they use it properly.
Facial recognition. Drones. Police have adopted a range of new technologies in recent years to help prevent and respond to crime. Yet some of the most intense controversies still swirl around a product that’s been around for decades: gunshot-detection technology (GDT), most prominently ShotSpotter, which now operates in roughly 170 cities. ShotSpotter uses an arrayContinue reading “Is ShotSpotter Effective? Gunshot-detection technology can help police departments if they use it properly.”
Judge orders agents in Chicago area to wear bodycams, adding she’s “startled” over violent clashes
A federal judge in Chicago has ordered immigration agents in Chicago to wear body cameras on duty, after raising concerns about agents’ use of tear gas against protesters. U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis said her order would require any federal agents working under Operation Midway Blitz to wear body-worn cameras and keep them on during “lawContinue reading “Judge orders agents in Chicago area to wear bodycams, adding she’s “startled” over violent clashes”
Using Automated Vehicle Locator Data to Classify Discretionary Police Patrol Across Space
Eric L. Piza, Nathan T. Connealy, Savannah A. Reid, and Christianna M. Palermo Journal of Criminal Justice (2025) Research BriefVersion of Record (Open Access) Key Takeaways Research Summary Place-based policing has been supported by decades of research demonstrating that crime is highly concentrated in small areas and that proactive policing can reduce crime when resourcesContinue reading “Using Automated Vehicle Locator Data to Classify Discretionary Police Patrol Across Space”
When Police Stop Policing With Guests Dr. Eric Piza and Nathan T. Connealy
In 2020, there were protests in Seattle, Washington following the death of George Floyd. For a period of 24 days, an area that became known as the Capitol Hill Occupation Protest (CHOP) was treated as an autonomous zone where the police did not respond to calls. As a result, the CHOP zone became an exampleContinue reading “When Police Stop Policing With Guests Dr. Eric Piza and Nathan T. Connealy”
President Trump spotlights crime in US cities: Here’s what the data shows
President Donald Trump has cast a spotlight on crime in several cities across the United States. Washington, D.C., was the first target when, in early August, Trump deployed National Guard troops to crack down on crime. Now, the president has said Baltimore and Chicago are next. “(Washington, D.C.,) serves as a template, and we’re going to doContinue reading “President Trump spotlights crime in US cities: Here’s what the data shows”
As Trump Deploys Troops To D.C., Research Shows Crime Is Already At Historic Lows
As National Guard troops from Ohio, Mississippi, Tennessee, and other states flood into Washington, D.C. under the Trump administration’s “crime crackdown,” one thing is missing: a crisis. In fact, crime in the nation’s capital is at a historic low. Violent crime is down 26% year-over-year, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Nationally, the FBI’s most recentContinue reading “As Trump Deploys Troops To D.C., Research Shows Crime Is Already At Historic Lows”
Will Sacramento keep controversial gunshot-detection tech? Budget may be an issue
As Sacramento grapples with its multimillion-dollar structural deficit, officials are considering whether to commit money to a controversial gunfire-detection technology. For more than a decade, Sacramento has contracted and spent millions on ShotSpotter — a system that detects and locates suspected shooting incidents. Roughly 180 cities across the U.S. use this technology, according to California-basedContinue reading “Will Sacramento keep controversial gunshot-detection tech? Budget may be an issue”
Eric L. Piza, Ph.D. 