City leaders announced this month that noncriminal and nonviolent calls will be handled by social workers, not uniformed officers. The proposed program is a response to the demands for police reform from Black Lives Matter protesters. “Our citizens are asking for change,” St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway told the media during the July 9 announcement.
- PUB DATE: 7/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Tampa Bay Times

One of the scariest parts of the coronavirus pandemic is the idea that anyone could get infected at any time. With the virus circulating as widely as it is, anyone could be unlucky. But while we are all at risk of COVID-19 infection, we are not all at equal risk. You’re clearly more likely to get sick if you live in an area currently experiencing a surge in cases, like Florida, Arizona and Texas.
- PUB DATE: 7/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: TIME

Traditionally, chaplains’ roles have been ceremonial; they are called upon for banquets, funerals, blessings, and weddings. They are well-meaning and primarily volunteer people of faith, having a heart and hand in assisting first responders and their local agencies. But the days of the ceremonial chaplain are over if we genuinely want operational effectiveness.
- PUB DATE: 7/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: IN Homeland Security

When Asheville Fireman Mark Jameson returned to the fire station after responding to a particularly difficult call, the only thing that lifted his spirits was seeing Denali wagging her tail with excitement upon his return. “We had a call that was DOA, dead on arrival,” Jameson said. “It was an older woman, lived by herself, no one had seen her for a while, and she passed.
- PUB DATE: 7/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Smoky Mountain News

A destructive, roving band of people broke into several Seattle businesses Wednesday night and set fire to merchandise in some of the stores, police said. The group of about 150 people first gathered at Cal Anderson Park at about 9 p.m., then roamed about the Capitol Hill neighborhood, doing massive amounts of property damage, looting, shooting fireworks, and committing arson, according to police reports.
- PUB DATE: 7/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000