Category
Law Enforcement
Florida law enforcement officials praised for arrest diversion programs
Florida law enforcement officials were praised Tuesday for implementing programs that offer civil citations instead of arrests for minor and non-violent offenses. Florida’s Direct Action & Research Training Center, or DART, is trying to push...
Tampa Council caves to Castor, police oversight board largely unchanged
Tampa’s City Council Thursday voted to change course on the makeup of its Citizen Review Board. Councilmembers acquiesced a request from Mayor Jane Castor to give her more sway over the police oversight board. LISTEN:...
Hundreds of activists gathered at Tampa’s Cyrus Greene Park Saturday for a Black Lives Matter march protesting continued police killings of Black Americans. But the crowd was a long way off from the nearly...
At vigil for George Floyd guilty verdict is far cry from justice
One day after Derek Chauvin was found guilty of George Floyd’s murder, mourners gathered in Tampa to honor Floyd’s memory. But the solemn moment was undercut by the feeling that the guilty verdict was a...
LISTEN: Less than 24 hours after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd, two more Black Americans have been killed by police. Ma’Khia Bryant, 16 Police in Columbus Ohio...
As specter of HB1 looms, St. Pete protestors return to streets demanding justice for Daunte Wright
With the specter of Florida’s HB1 “anti-riot” bill looming, protestors in St. Pete returned to the streets Friday to demand justice for Daunte Wright, the 20-year-old Black man killed by police in a Minneapolis Suburb,...
Police chief says Tampa officer killed by wrong-way driver sacrificed self to save others
Police in Tampa say an officer was killed after colliding with a wrong-way driver on Interstate 275 early Tuesday. Authorities believe the collision was purposeful. LISTEN: According to police, the last moment of Officer Jesse...
Death threats and rule changes cause some to fear for the First Amendment in New Port Richey
Racial strife has brought national attention to the Tampa Bay suburb of New Port Richey and now activists fear their voices are being silenced. Proposed rule changes to city meetings and a rash of death...
The decision to have an independent lawyer and limited subpoena power for Tampa’s citizen-led police review board could come down to a ballot initiative for city residents. Tampa’s City Council workshopped a massive overhaul to...
Black Lives Matter Activist attacked by ‘community patriot’ at New Port Richey council meeting
A New Port Richey City Council meeting turned violent Tuesday when a Black Lives Matter activist was attacked outside of City Hall. One arrest was made after tensions between activists and a group called “community...
Members of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus cite the Black Lives Matter movement as inspiration for a set of bills aimed at what it calls ‘fair and just policing.’ The bills come as some in...
Florida lawmakers call for reform after DOJ report finds ‘systemic’ sexual abuse in women’s prison
Florida lawmakers are calling for sweeping reforms after a Department of Justice investigation alleged a culture of “systemic” sexual abuse and cover-ups at a women’s prison in Ocala. State legislators last week held a Zoom...
