law enforcement

A private organization announced this week that it is supplying every sheriff’s department in Oklahoma with a drug that can reverse opiate overdoses.

The Amarillo Police Department will soon begin employing the use of body cameras, reports The Amarillo Globe-News.

On Tuesday the Amarillo City Council approved the use of 11 body-worn cameras to be used by the department’s motorcycle unit.

A host of prominent Texas law enforcement officials came out this week in opposition to the controversial “bathroom bill” being re-introduced into the state Legislature.

As The Texas Tribune reports, police chiefs from three of Texas’s largest cities appeared at the Capitol in Austin this week to add their voices to the chorus of those resisting the legislation.

Law enforcement can be a thankless job. Even so, there are almost a million cops in America, most of whom work diligently to protect their communities.

The personal finance website Wallethub has produced a list of the best and worst states to be a police officer.

This week the Texas Senate gave the nod to new legislation known as the Sandra Bland Act, named for the black woman who was found hanged in a cell while in police custody two years ago.

The Oklahoma Senate drew praise from Governor Mary Fallin this week, after passing several measures aimed at improving criminal justice efforts in the state.

As KFOR reports, the eight reforms passed this week were initially recommended by a task force convened by the Governor last year. In her State of the State address earlier this year, Fallin urged lawmakers to consider the proposals.

A bipartisan coalition of Texas lawmakers has proposed a series of reforms that would help poor defendants get out of jail, reports The Houston Chronicle.

Last year, Texas led the nation in the number of law enforcement officers killed.

Statewide,  Texas saw a total of 17 officers give their lives in the line of duty. Now, in the wake of this deadly year, the state’s law enforcement community is experiencing a recruiting shortage.

Kevin Lawrence, the Executive Director of the Texas Municipal Police Association, said the job of a police officer is “more dangerous and it’s more difficult than it ever has been.”

A Texas lawmaker thinks schools should be teaching students the proper actions to take in the event of a police stop, reports The Houston Chronicle.

The nation is still reeling from the aftereffects of two more controversial police killings last week. And now Colorado officials are looking to shore up policies on who should be given access to body camera footage in the event of an incident in the state.

When it comes to police shootings, it’s rare for an officer in Texas to be disciplined or charged with a crime.

As The Texas Tribune reports, almost 900 officers were involved in police shootings in Texas’ largest cities between 2010 and 2015. Of those, only seven faced criminal charges for pulling the trigger. And not a single one has been convicted of a crime.

Kansas law enforcement organizations are having trouble keeping track of evidence and seized property, reports The Topeka Capital-Journal.

The number of qualified applicants at the Amarillo Police Department is dwindling each year, reports Amarillo.com. Changing societal attitudes toward marijuana and public furor over police-involved shootings are making it harder for APD to attract younger officers.

The Texas radio news magazine Texas Standard has published a list of “10 Things about The Sandra Bland Traffic Stop That Every Texan Should Know."

Bland was arrested on July 10, and charged with assaulting a public servant. She was later found dead in her cell. Investigations were launched by the FBI and the Texas Rangers.

If you’re driving through southeast Colorado this fall, you might encounter a different sort of roadside checkpoint. It’s not for drunk driving or border security.  It’s for poachers. 

Last week two dozen Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and law enforcement officials checked vehicles on Highway 50 at Lamar for hunting violations, as reported by Russ Baldwin in the Prowers Journal.