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Digging up information on the police beat
This document provides links to various resources for obtaining information on law enforcement, courts, corrections, and criminal records: - It lists websites that contain FBI crime reports, campus crime statistics, inmate databases for state corrections departments, the federal prison inmate locator, criminal record checks, and the national sex offender registry. - Additional resources listed include a state law enforcement standards agency, a site for criminal searches, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and legal document databases like PACER and RECAP. - Suggested documents to request include salary/overtime data, police recruiting stats, 911 calls, emergency response times, warrants, autopsies, pre-sentencing reports, and police internal affairs records.
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Digging up information on the police beat
- 1. DIGGING UP INFORMATIONON THE COPS/COURTS BEAT FBI Uniform Crime Reports: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/ucr Campus Crime: http://ope.ed.gov/security/ Department of Corrections inmate databases: http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/offender_information.htm Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator: http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/LocateInmate.jsp Criminal Record Checks: https://records.txdps.state.tx.us/DpsWebsite/index.aspx National Sex Offender Registry: http://www.nsopw.gov/Core/Portal.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education http://www.tcleose.state.tx.us/ (Close Up) Criminal Searches: http://www.criminalsearches.com/ U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/ PACER: http://pacer.psc.uscourts/gov/ RECAP: https://www.recapthelaw.org/
- 2. DOCUMENTS AND DATA Salary/Overtime Checkstats on recruiting class 911 tapes and response data Ambulance/paramedic and Fire response times Search warrants Autopsy reports Pre-Sentencing Investigations Probable Cause Affidavits (from first appearances) Police Internal Affairs, Use of Force statistics, Complaints Request a current list of sworn officers, with whatever identifying information you can get (including DOB). Check to see how many officers have convictions, including misdemeanors. DWI? Domestic violence? STORY IDEAS Crime Stats Clearance Rates Response Times Conviction Rates Are domestic violence cases increasing in your community? Has the state Attorney General filed any consumer protection lawsuits against companies in your county or region?