skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Post-presidential debate poll shows a shift in WI; Teamsters won't endorse in presidential race after releasing internal polling showing most members support Trump; IL energy jobs growth is strong but lacks female workers; Pregnant, Black Coloradans twice as likely to die than the overall population.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Teamsters choose not to endorse a presidential candidate, county officials in Texas fight back against state moves to limit voter registration efforts, and the FBI investigate suspicious packages sent to elections offices in at least 17 states.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Beyond Potter Verdict, MN Police Reform Efforts Forge Ahead

play audio
Play

Wednesday, December 29, 2021   

This month's guilty verdict in the Kim Potter trial has brought renewed attention to police accountability, but a Minnesota group says fatal encounters with law enforcement still happen too often, and it wants to help departments with their response teams.

Potter, a former Brooklyn Center officer, was convicted in the shooting death of Daunte Wright. It followed this spring's conviction of former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin.

Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality, said those verdicts are important for the families, but the need for reform is far from over. Her group's current focus is to help departments embrace alternative responses to calls.

"What we need to do is narrow the bandwidth of policing to those things that police are supposed to be dealing with," she said, "which is, you know, crime."

She said it's been frustrating trying to get certain reform measures adopted by the Legislature, but her group cited a victory this year. A new law requires 911 dispatchers to route mental-health calls to crisis teams. Gross said it won't be easy for every jurisdiction to implement the changes, and advocacy groups have pledged to help them overcome logistical barriers.

Beyond the law change, Gross said, there are broader efforts to help some cities build a more robust response network of specialists. At the same time, she said, she feels it's important to not strip communities of law-enforcement capability.

"We do need police when a crime has occurred," she said, "and people have access to the court system by way of a police investigation."

As for the Potter verdict, Gross said it proves video footage adds another dimension in analyzing deadly encounters with police. She suggested that it allows juries and the public to better question police accounts of whether an individual posed a threat, especially in situations where racial profiling is a possibility.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Health Literacy Month, and a Denver-based group is working to help health professionals break a persistent pattern of discrimination …

Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …


Alabama releases roughly 220,279 men and 78,247 women from its prisons and jails each year. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In North Carolina, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual cost of dental care has reached a crisis point, impacting both …

So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021