Police Reform

Known as familial DNA searching, the technique allows law enforcement agencies to search the state’s DNA databank for close biological relatives of people who have left traces of genetic material at a crime scene.

Nearly all of New York’s Republican State Senators signed a letter to State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa to cancel standardized testing in schools in June.

They said Nassau police disproportionately polices nonwhite people, is not transparent about it’s data, is non-compliant with language access laws and does not have enough non-white police officers.

It was created following two cases in Bridgeport last year in which police did not quickly notify the families of 23-year-old Lauren Smith-Field and 53-year-old Brenda Lee Rawls, both of whom are Black.

Connecticut state lawmakers advanced a bill that requires police to report deaths and other incidents in a timely manner.

Families of two Black women, Lauren Smith-Fields and Brenda Lee Rawls, who died on the same day — in unrelated incidents — said police never notified them of the deaths.

The team, which is named “Compass” was formed with support from the Connecticut Mental Health Center, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker.

The families of Lauren Smith-Fields and Brenda Lee Rawls, two Black women who died Dec. 12 in unrelated incidents, said Bridgeport police never notified them of the women's deaths.

The online dashboard about Suffolk County Police, including traffic stop statistics categorized by race, a map of hate crimes, police officer demographics, and crime data.

Protesters marched in Bridgeport on Saturday to demand police and government reforms following the deaths of two Black women in December.