CCJA Quickfire Recap: First Week September

Sept. 8, 2014
Officer.com and the Commonwealth Criminal Justice Academy present this week's top stories.

It can be hard to keep up with all of the news that occurs on a daily basis.

Because of this, Officer.com and the Commonwealth Criminal Justice Academy present the "Quickfire Weekly Recap."

Here are some of the stories you may have missed that ran on our site this week:

Weekend (Aug. 29-31)

The Sept. 11 memorial plaza for the first time this year will be open on the night of the attacks' anniversary.

The plaza will be closed to the public during the remembrance ceremony and much of the rest of the day, but it will open from 6 p.m. to midnight.

Officers in Ferguson, Mo. began wearing body cameras on Saturday as marchers once again took to the streets in protest.

Police Chief Tom Jackson said his department was given about 50 body cameras by two companies, Safety Visions and Digital Ally®, about a week ago.

In New York City, the police department's leader said officials are "actively looking" at equipping officers with body-worn cameras.

The Los Angeles Police Department, which NYPD Police Commissioner Bill Bratton once led, has already implemented the devices.

More than 100 Seattle police officers are suing to block new use-of-force polices.

The complaint claims that the policies have led to more assaults on the city's police officers.

Monday (Sept. 1)

A Greenville, S.C. police officer was seriously wounded and a suspect was dead following a shooting at the Greenville County Law Enforcement Center.

A man armed with a shotgun fired at the officer around 10:20 p.m. and struck him three times before turning the gun on himself.

An Athens-Clarke County, Ga. police officer was recovering after being shot while responding to a domestic incident.

Officials say that James M. Marcantonio attempted to take Officer Michael Ward's firearm during a struggle and was able to fire one shot through the holster, hitting the officer.

Two Waldo, Fla. police chiefs have been suspended over allegations that the town victimizes motorists in order to turn a profit.

The north Florida town has long had a reputation as a speed trap and the police department has rebelled as the state is investigating possible wrongdoing.

Peruvian police displayed 7.7 metric tons of cocaine, which officials called the country's largest cocaine haul ever.

The drugs, which were seized in a raid last week, were displayed in a Lima airport police hangar.

Tuesday (Sept. 2)

A massive manhunt was underway after 32 teens escaped from a Nashville youth detention center by crawling under a weak spot in a fence late Monday.

Officials say the teens — ages 14 to 19 — left their rooms at Woodland Hills Youth Development Center and went into a common area, where they overwhelmed 16 to 18 staff members.

Chicago children walked past even more safety officers on their first day of school than last year.

Thanks to an infusion of $1 million from the city, another 100 "Safe Passage" workers were on routes that students walk through crime-ridden neighborhoods to get to school.

A veteran Fort Worth, Texas police officer was seriously injured after he was hit by a vehicle on a freeway.

Officials say that the officer suffered a broken leg, cuts and bruises after he was struck while trying to remove a couch from the road.

Lake County, Fla. Sheriff's Office busted a ring of 74 suspected drug dealers following a four-month undercover investigation.

The charges resulted from the operation dubbed "Close to Home," which was prompted by citizen complaints.

Wednesday (Sept. 3)

A Rochester, N.Y. police officer was fatally shot during a foot pursuit of a man who fled a traffic stop.

Officer Daryl Pierson had chased and caught Thomas Johnson III when he was hit by the .25-caliber bullet.

A Florida Highway Patrol trooper was eating lunch when he revived an 89-year-old woman who stopped breathing.

Lt. John Halpern, who is also an emergency room doctor, began CPR immediately on Beth Chalmers.

A police charity has stopped taking donations for the Ferguson, Mo. police officer at the center of a national shooting controversy.

The Shield of Hope, a nonprofit arm of the Fraternal Order of Police, has halted donations until the tax implications of spending proceeds on his legal bills are determined.

The Nashville juvenile detention center where 30 teens escaped under a fence has a long history of previous efforts to break out.

The Woodland Hills Youth Development Center was the site of a previous breakout attempt in 2004, in which more than a dozen teens armed with broom handles and hurling bricks injured 16 staffers before they were dispersed by police in riot gear.

Thursday (Sept. 4)

The Justice Department launched a broad investigation into the police department in Ferguson, Mo. following the shooting last month of an unarmed black 18-year-old by a white police officer.

The investigation, which is separate from an existing federal probe into the shooting itself, will look for patterns of discrimination within the predominantly white police department.

Police departments across the U.S. are beginning to use technology to try to identify problem officers.

While such "early warning systems" are often treated as a cure-all there is little research that exists on their effectiveness.

About the Author

Paul Peluso | Editor

Paul Peluso is the Managing Editor of OFFICER Magazine and has been with the Officer Media Group since 2006. He began as an Associate Editor, writing and editing content for Officer.com. Previously, Paul worked as a reporter for several newspapers in the suburbs of Baltimore, MD.

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