Latest Law Enforcement Headlines

All the headlines from our Law Enforcement Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Police: 7th St. Louis Church Property Torched in 2 Weeks

Oct 23 2015 // An arsonist set fire to the rectory doors of a 172-year-old Catholic church early on Oct. 22, marking the seventh attempt to burn a place of worship in the St. Louis area in two weeks, police said.Authorities said an...

St. Louis Police Increase Patrols in Wake of Church Fires

Oct 22 2015 // St. Louis, Mo., police are stepping up patrols and trying to develop profiles of possible suspects in a spate of fires that have damaged six churches in largely black neighborhoods during the past two weeks, the...

For Vermont Police, Checking for Pot-Impaired Drivers Is Work in Progress

Oct 21 2015 // It’s common knowledge that driving with blood alcohol content higher than .08 violates the law. But with marijuana, things are a lot more hazy.As Vermont and other states consider following the lead of Colorado and...

Wisconsin Gun Shop Ordered to Pay Millions to Injured Police Officers

Oct 15 2015 // A jury has ordered a gun shop to pay nearly $6 million in a lawsuit filed by two Milwaukee, Wis., police officers who were seriously wounded when shot by a gun purchased at the store.Jurors ruled that Badger Guns was...

Kentucky Considering Roadside Drug Tests for Drivers

Oct 5 2015 // The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety is working with local county officials to evaluate a roadside drug test that could help police address the growing number of drivers who are high behind the wheel.The agency and...

Michigan Bill Enabling Drivers to Show Police Insurance on Phone OK’d

Oct 2 2015 // Drivers pulled over by the police in Michigan will be able to show proof of their auto insurance on a phone or another mobile device instead of having to provide a hard copy under legislation going to Gov. Rick Snyder for...

Kentucky Considering Roadside Drug Tests for Drivers

Sep 25 2015 // The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety is working with local county officials to evaluate a roadside drug test that could help police address the growing number of drivers who are high behind the wheel.The agency and...

Report: Law Enforcement Claims Cost South Carolina $17M in 2014

Sep 23 2015 // South Carolina taxpayers are spending millions of dollars a year addressing alleged misdeeds by law officers or detention officials including excessive force and civil rights violations. The Greenville News reports the...

Florida Police Arrest 37 Teens After Vehicle Burglary Spree

Sep 21 2015 // Polices in Pensacola Florida recently arrested 37 teenagers for vehicle burglaries.Assistant police chief Tommi Lyter told the Pensacola News-Journal there were no overarching affiliations among the teens even though there...

Violating Swedish Nuclear Drone Ban Will Land You in Jail, Void Insurance Cover

Sep 18 2015 // If you’re planning a drone fly-by at any of Sweden’s reactors, think again.The Nordic region’s biggest producer of atomic energy will from Oct. 15 add nuclear plants to a list of sites including airports...

Kentucky Student Charged After Drone Crashes into Stadium

Sep 14 2015 // University of Kentucky campus police have charged law student Peyton Wilson with second degree wanton endangerment for operating a drone that crashed into a section of Commonwealth Stadium before the Wildcats’...

Tennessee Supreme Court to Decide Police Power During Traffic Stops

Sep 11 2015 // The Tennessee Supreme Court is hearing two cases that could have justices deciding how many times drivers have to cross a painted line on the road before officers can pull them over.The two driving under the influence...

Freddie Gray’s Family Reaches $6.4M Settlement With City of Baltimore

Sep 9 2015 // The family of Freddie Gray, who died after being critically injured in police custody, reached a tentative $6.4 million wrongful death settlement with the city of Baltimore, resolving civil claims about a week after the...

Officials Eye Sky Security After Drone Crashes Into Empty Seats at U.S. Open

Sep 8 2015 // A drone crash during a U.S. Open match has tennis officials thinking about whether they can do more to safeguard the sprawling National Tennis Center from such hazards, a spokesman said.“Obviously, it’s...

Florida High Court to Decide on $3.3 Million Award to Man Mistaken for Bank Robber

Sep 3 2015 // Rodolfo Valladares wore the wrong hat to the wrong Miami bank while trying to cash a $100 check in a case of mistaken identity that’s led to a court battle over $3.3 million.A bank teller mistook Valladares for a...

Driver’s ‘Selfie’ Attempt Causes Crash, Maine Police Say

Sep 1 2015 // Maine State Police have issued a distracted driving summons to a man who they say crashed into a tree while taking a “selfie” with his passengers, injuring several of them. State police say Jordan Toner was...

Taser Not Liable in Death of Teenager, Court Rules

Aug 24 2015 // Taser International Inc. is not liable for the death of a 16-year-old Michigan boy soon after he was struck in the chest by two taser darts shot by a police officer, resulting in cardiac arrest, a federal appeals court...

Appeals Court: Indiana Police Department Can Be Held Liable

Aug 17 2015 // A federal appeals court has ruled the Evansville Police Department in Indiana committed too many mistakes” to be shielded from liability in a lawsuit filed over a SWAT raid on her home in 2012. The 7th U.S. Circuit...

Mass. Faces Legal, Logistical Obstacles in Introducing Police Body Cameras

Aug 11 2015 // In light of recent events nationwide involving police and the use of force, everyone seems to have fallen in love with the idea of fitting police with body-worn cameras to record activity.But in all likelihood, it will be...

Family of Woman Who Died in Texas Jail Sues Trooper, DPS

Aug 6 2015 // The family of a black woman found dead in a Texas jail three days after a confrontation with a white state trooper filed a wrongful-death lawsuit on Aug. 4 against the officer and other officials, saying it was a last...