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Research has begun to explore to what extent I-502, the initiative authorising the retail distribution of recreational marijuana in Washington State, influenced a range of public safety outcomes. However, despite a growing body of research exploring potential impacts on crime, absent from this research has been a more nuanced analysis of officer workload. Specifically, an analysis into calls for service received and initiated by police. To document to what extent I-502 is associated with changes in the type of calls police agencies respond to, this research uses an interrupted time series, to analyse data provided from two border-straddling cities (Pullman, WA, and Moscow, ID). Findings indicate that recreational sales of marijuana is associated with noteworthy changes in police resourcing in the legalised state setting and the magnitude of those changes vary based on call type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of multimedia and increasing archival of this footage by public safety agencies presents as a watershed moment in converting this footage into actionable data that can inform and improve public safety practice. However, despite the considerable volume of archival footage, there remains a profound lack of research leveraging this data. While data access will always remain an issue to researchers, this article argues that a lack of tools and methodologies for working with this data remains a barrier. As such, this article introduces a technique blending the best practices of systematic social observation and event modeling for deconstructing body-worn cameras, or other recorded observational data. Incorporating an empirical example detailing the application of the technique, this article summarizes the value of this integrated technique, while providing guidance on different analytical approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The legalization of recreational cannabis in Washington state (I-502) and Colorado (A-64) created a natural experiment with ancillary unknowns. Of these unknowns, one of the more heavily debated is that of the potential effects on public health and safety. Specific to public safety, advocates of legalization expected improvements in police effectiveness through the reduction in police time and attention to cannabis offenses, thus allowing them to reallocate resources to more serious offenses. Using 2010 to 2015 Uniform Crime Reports data, the research undertakes interrupted time-series analysis on the offenses known to be cleared by arrest to create monthly counts of violent and property crime clearance rate as well as disaggregated counts by crime type. Findings suggest no negative effects of legalization on crime clearance rates. Moreover, evidence suggests some crime clearance rates have improved. Our findings suggest legalization has resulted in improvements in some clearance rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors examine the frequency of civil commitment petitions and rates of congruence within those initial requests. Using data provided by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Division of Behavioral Health, the authors analyzed 32,749 petitions for civil commitment, between 2010 and 2016, as submitted by police officers, inpatient physicians, hospital administrators, and others. Results demonstrate a persistent decrease in the level of congruence with police officers displaying the lowest level of concurrence. Factors contributing to these lower rates are discussed with emphasis given to future research and broader policy consideration and discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides background, insight and an assessment of the challenges and benefits of using college student interns to monitor public safety cameras. Based on one element of a strong partnership between the Pullman (WA) Police Department and Washington State University, this descriptive study focuses on the formation of a student internship program to monitor public safety cameras in a high-disorder area to enhance crime prevention, police response capacity, and public safety. This effort has been underway for over2 years, and illustrates the positive outcomes for public safety that can result from effective practitioner/academic collaborations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]