Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 4026 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: FEBRUARY 2017 Protect yourself and kids The media’s more interested in celebrity Twitter beefs; the fact we’re at risk from bad water just doesn’t seem to matter. I t’s not like cops don’t have a lot to worry about already. But in addition to being the people we trust to run towards danger while others flee, cops are also human beings as well as moms and dads. And while this doesn’t necessarily fall under the umbrella of law enforce- ment, it’s certainly related to the idea of public safety. It turns out that the drink- ing water in Flint, Michigan is actually not all that bad. Of course it’s toxic and exposure to it can mean a host of nightmarish health issues including cancer and brain damage. The water in Flint is “not that bad” because it turns out there are about 3,000 areas with lead poisoning rates far higher than in the Michigan city, according to a recent investigation by Reuters. Most of these poisoned water supplies aren’t even on the radar and there are no plans to do anything about the situation. All told, Reuters found nearly 3,000 areas with re- cently recorded lead poi- soning rates at least double those in Flint. More than 1,100 of these communities had a rate of elevated blood tests at least four times higher. The point is that this is deadly serious stuff and local, state and federal gov- ernment officials just don’t appear to be interested in fixing this mess. So if you have any sus- picions at all in terms of whether your tap water might be a deadly threat to the lives of your kids or yourself, don’t wait to take action. The best way to go is to have your water tested by a state certified laboratory. You can find one in your area by calling the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791 or visiting www.epa.gov/safewater/ labs. V iolent crime patterns in East Baton Rouge Parish have changed significantly since the Ba- ton Rouge Area Violence Elimination (BRAVE) was implemented in 2012. BRAVE, initially funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, is based on the Group Violence Inter- vention (GVI) model that was developed through the National Network of Safe Communities (NNSC) at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The approach is primarily aimed at disrupting gang and group violence through community mobilization, social service intervention and hard core prosecution if all else fails. Since implemented, ho- micides have decreased in East Baton Rouge Parish by 46 percent compared to the pre-BRAVE years. Despite the fact that the overall homicide rate increased slightly in 2015. The July 5th shooting of an African American man, Alton Sterling, by two white police officers led to civic unrest and political upheaval. Ten days later, three police officers were murdered by a protester from Missouri. As the parish tried to recu- perate from these tragedies, a massive flood hit Baton Rouge and the surrounding parishes on August 11th, leaving over 100,000 people homeless. Prior to July, violent crime was already trending down- ward compared to 2015. As 2016 has progressed, in spite of the difficulties, violent crime has continued to decrease. Aside from the attack on the Baton Rouge law enforce- ment officers, no murders occurred during the protests in July. None of the 13 flood- related deaths (5 were in East Baton Rouge) have been linked to violent crime or gang activity. Future investigations will lead to conclusions as to why more violent crime did not occur. Possible explanations in- clude the prompt response of law enforcement officials to credible threats to public safety or the sense of cama- raderie that brought people together during the flood. The National Network for Safe Communities supports cities implementing proven strategic interventions to re- duce violence and improve public safety, minimize ar- rest and incarceration, and strengthen relationships between law enforcement and the communities it serves. To learn more, visit nnscommunities.org. Here’s a program that cut homicides in Baton Rouge by 50%