LAW ENFORCEMENT

At Help Desk, we tackle your most pressing personal technology questions, starting with an Apple Watch for falls and downing invading drones.

Officers with the Orlando Police Department gathered virtually for National Day of Prayer on Thursday.

A non-profit filled with educators is looking to get results by giving out grades to police departments to help build relations with communities of color.

Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement is implemented in more than 175 police and sheriff departments across the country.

A lieutenant with the Lake County Sheriff's Office is on a mission to humanize law enforcement officers.

Facing pressure to reduce skyrocketing Chicago violence, Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Friday said her administration will focus this summer on 15 police beats that she said account for a major chunk of the city’s street crime. Police will work in these areas but the city also will team up with community groups, libraries, and other providers to mentor young people as part of Lightfoot’s summer strategy, mirroring her administration’s previous approach to Chicago violence. The beats are largely concentrated on the South and West Sides, ranging from Austin, North Lawndale and West Humboldt Park to South Chicago, Roseland and Auburn Gresham.

The Osceola County Sheriff's Office released an internal affairs report on Friday which details the conduct of eight deputies that ultimately led to one of them being fired while the seven others were suspended.

State Attorney Monique Worrell has now created an Officer Involved Critical Incident Policy.

From the streets in Central Florida last summer to the House Floor in Tallahassee this spring, calls for police reform in Florida are leading to some change at the state level.

As calls for defunding the police reignite amid another deadly police shooting in Minnesota, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood taking money and resources away is not the answer.

Siding with a union that represents law-enforcement officers, a state appeals court on Tuesday unanimously decided that a constitutional amendment expanding victims’ rights can shield the identities of police officers who were threatened in use-of-force incidents.

ORLANDO, Fla. – School employees and law enforcement officers over 50 years old will soon be able to get the coronavirus vaccine in Florida, according to Gov. “We want that to be open not just to seniors, but to sworn law enforcement and classroom teachers,” he said. FLAGLER COUNTY“Flagler Schools applauds the use of federal vaccine sites to serve our teachers and staff,” a district spokesperson said. SUMTER COUNTY“It is wonderful to hear that classroom teachers will be able to get the vaccine,” a Sumter County School District spokesperson said. VOLUSIA COUNTY“Volusia County Schools supports efforts to get classroom teachers of all ages, who want the vaccine, to be vaccinated as quickly as possible,” a district spokesperson said.

Local law enforcement cleared the mall to resume business, though some retailers decided to close for the remainder of the day, and have certified that there is no present or immediate danger to the public, the statement said.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The use of drones by Florida law enforcement and government agencies could be expanded under a bill approved by a Senate committee on Tuesday. State law prohibits law enforcement from using drones to gather information, with limited exceptions. The bill unanimously approved by the Criminal Justice Committee would expand those exceptions to allow use of the devices for gathering evidence at a crime scene or traffic crash or to assist with traffic control. Law enforcement wouldn't be able to use drones to issue traffic citations. The bill would also allow state and local agencies to use drones to assess damage after floods, wildfires and natural disasters.

According to an internal FBI bulletin, nationwide protests at state capitols and courthouses are being planned from Jan. 16 until Jan. 20. Montiero said when law enforcement receives a warning like this one, it’s important for agencies to act quickly. So, the FBI has issued their information, you have the FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) that gathers their own and then the sheriff’s offices,” he said. “Of course, they share information and then they begin to put action to prevent anything from happening.”A likely part of the security plans would be to put officers in places where they can be seen. “You’re going to get an obvious response (and) there’s going to be visual deterrents” Montiero said.

(Scroll down to see how your local sheriff’s policy on shooting into a motor vehicle.) Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, Response to Resistance / De-escalation Techniques – See page 9. Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, Response to Resistance and Aggression – See page 9. Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, Response to Resistance – See page 5. Volusia County Sheriff’s Office – See page 10.

Despite protests nationwide, law enforcement officers in the U.S. have killed one black person per week so far this year, according to data from the Washington Post. How are law enforcement agencies in Central Florida responding to the calls for reform? News 6 went behind the scenes of law enforcement training for answers. There is no requirementFrom Jan. 1, 2015 until June 1, 2020, the Post documented 5,360 Americans were shot and killed by a law enforcement officer. The class is filled with law enforcement officers from across Central Florida.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The Orange County Sheriff's Office Citizens Advisory Committee met virtually on Thursday evening to address concerns with use of force and training. At the beginning of the meeting with the nine-member board, Sheriff John Mina told the committee that he was open to recommendations in order to improve the agency. During the meeting, members asked questions to members of the Sheriff’s Office who oversea discipline and training. The agency told the committee that it conducts use of force training on a yearly basis, despite the Florida only requiring it be conducted once every four years. The sheriff's office told the group that choke holds are prohibited, unless lethal force is necessary.

In July of 2012, a Lake County deputy shot and killed 26-year-old Andrew Scott in his home after deputies knocked on the wrong door while looking for a suspect in Scott’s apartment complex.

Key law enforcement officials are working around the clock and around San Francisco's Levi's Stadium to make sure Sunday's big game is safe. Michelle Miller spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson about Super Bowl security.

American law enforcement officials have been warned of a possible ISIS terror plot against the U.S. military and law enforcement facilities. Jeff Pegues reports on the developments.

FBI warns U.S. law enforcement to be vigilant Following the two hostage crises in France, the FBI is warning American law enforcement to be alert. U.S. officials are studying the attack in France, as it has every terrorist strike since 9/11. Jeff Pegues reports.