As the Associated Press reports, countries around the world are calling for an investigation of whether Russia has committed war crimes during its invasion of Ukraine. In a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda, Vice President Kamala Harris expressed the US Government’s support for the investigation, saying that Russia had committed “atrocities” during the invasion by bombing civilian areas, including an attack on a maternity hospital in Ukraine. Keep reading for more news.
Early Warning System Webinar. Last month Jeff blogged about new legislation requiring that all North Carolina law enforcement agencies implement an early warning system. He explained that while many larger agencies already have a system in place, some agencies do not and will need to implement a system to comply with the new law. The North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police and the School of Government Judicial College are partnering together to present a webinar about practical ideas for implementing an early warning system. The webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, March 23, from 10:00am to 11:00am. Stay tuned to the blog for more information about registering for the event.
New Law School. The Greensboro News & Record reports that High Point university plans to open a new law school by 2024 as part of an effort to expand its offerings of graduate-level degrees. University president Nido Qubein announced the initiative on Wednesday, saying that the university already has secured $100 million in donations that will be used for the law school, a library, and a dental school facility.
Fundraiser. Last month the News Roundup noted that Marion Police Officer Breanna Toney was injured in a motor vehicle crash while driving her patrol car to work in January. Fox Carolina reported this week that members of the community are coming together for a BBQ fundraiser to support Officer Toney and her family as she recovers from the multiple surgeries she required after the crash. More than 300 tickets already have been sold and the event organizer, Ken Day, said that he had ordered an additional 250 tickets to meet overwhelming demand. The fundraiser will be held next Friday at the McDowell County Farm Bureau Insurance parking lot.
Intervention Training. A few weeks ago Jeff blogged about the new statutory duty for North Carolina law enforcement officers to intervene in situations where they reasonably believe that a colleague is using unlawful force. Jeff noted in his post that there are cultural barriers to intervention, such as hierarchical structures, that exist in law enforcement agencies and other organizations where peer intervention sometimes is necessary, and he also discussed intervention techniques.
The New York Times recently ran a story examining intervention training programs that are being conducted in agencies across the country. Among other things, the article discusses ways that some trainings address the difficulty of bucking the chain of command or correcting a colleague in a constructive rather than adversarial manner.
Mecklenburg Jail. Staffing issues at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center have been the subject of several recent local news stories. WBTV reported this week that the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office has submitted a correction plan to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services that outlines how the office plans to address safety issues that DHHS identified in an inspection of the facility several months ago. The WBTV report details the Sheriff’s Office correction plan and also has a link to the plan itself.