CLAUDIA LAUER

The entrance to the Columbus Division of Police Headquarters is shown on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio. A Columbus police officer summoned to a home by a father concerned his 11-year-old daughter was being solicited by an adult man repeatedly asserted that the girl could face charges for sending explicit images of herself. (AP Photo/Patrick Orsagos)
Police suggested charging a child for her explicit photos. Experts say the practice is common
An Ohio father who learned that his 11-year-old daughter had been manipulated into sending explicit photos to an adult turned to the police for help.
 
New report recommends limiting police pursuits to violent crimes after rise in fatalities
A national policing policy think tank is advocating that policing agencies prohibit pursuits unless a suspect committed a violent crime or there’s imminent danger to the community.
 
In this image from video provided by CBS NEWS Philadelphia, law enforcement officers pose for a group photo with Danilo Cavalcante after his capture in rural Pennsylvania on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. The murderer who brazenly escaped from a Pennsylvania jail was captured in the woods by a team of tactical officers, bringing an end to an intensive search that terrified residents as the fugitive broke into homes for food, changed his appearance and stole a van and rifle during two weeks on the run. (CBS NEWS Philadelphia KYW-TV via AP)
After catching escaped murderer, officers took a photo with him. Experts say that was inappropriate
A group of two dozen officers posed for a photo with escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante, minutes after his capture. The photo has drawn criticism from policing reform advocates and some members of the public, who say it was inappropriate.
 
A law enforcement officer checks his weapon as the search for escaped convict Danilo Cavalcante continues in Glenmoore, Pa., Monday, Sept. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Police defend strategy in hunt for escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante after he evaded searchers
Authorities in Pennsylvania who have been trying to capture an escaped murderer for nearly two weeks say they’re shifting to a longer-term strategy and defended their efforts to this point. Robert Clark, the supervisor of the U.S.
 
FILE - Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw speaks with members of the media during a news conference in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. Outlaw will step down this month to take a leadership position with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the mayor said Tuesday, Sept. 5. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw resigns after turbulent three years at the helm
Philadelphia’s mayor says the city’s police commissioner, Danielle Outlaw, will step down this month to take a leadership position with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
 
FILE - This image from bodycam video released by the Blendon Township Police on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, shows an officer pointing his gun at Ta'Kiya Young moments before shooting her through the windshield outside a grocery store in Blendon Township, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus, on Aug. 24. The pregnant Black mother was pronounced dead shortly after the shooting. Her unborn daughter did not survive. The image was pixelated by the source. (Blendon Township Police via AP, File)
Fatal police shooting of pregnant Ohio woman raises concerns over firing at moving vehicles
Body camera video of the fatal police shooting of Ta’Kiya Young, a 21-year old pregnant mother in Ohio, has raised questions about the strength of police department use-of-force restrictions and how an allegation of shoplifting led to a bullet being fired through her windshield.
 
FILE - The hall of historic Waiola Church in Lahaina and nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission are engulfed in flames along Wainee Street, Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Matthew Thayer/The Maui News via AP, File)
In deadly Maui fires, many had no warning and no way out. Those who dodged a barricade survived
As flames tore through a West Maui neighborhood, fleeing residents headed for the only paved road out of town in a dash for safety. Many were turned back toward the rapidly spreading fire by a barricade blocking access to Highway 30.
 
President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden leaves after a court appearance, Wednesday, July 26, 2023, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Hunter Biden’s plea deal on hold after federal judge raises concerns over the terms of the agreement
The plea deal in Hunter Biden’s criminal case unraveled during a court hearing Wednesday after a federal judge raised concerns about the terms of the agreement that has infuriated Republicans who believe the president’s son is getting preferential treatment.
 
A hallway shrine to Dararius Evans, who was killed in January of 2020, is seen in the home of his mother Pamela White in Ponchatoula, La., Thursday, May 4, 2023. White and her family turned to Louisiana’s victim compensation board for help paying for the unexpected funeral. She was met with administrative hurdles, a denial that blamed her son for his own death, a lengthy appeal — all while paying up front through a personal loan that gathered interest as she waited. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Takeaways from AP’s report on financial hurdles in state crime victim compensation programs
Thousands of crime victims each year are confronted with the difficult financial reality of state compensation programs that are billed as safety nets to offset costs like funerals, medical care, relocation and other needs.
 
FILE - A police 911 call center is pictured on May 3, 2019, in Dallas. Emergency call center workers say their centers are understaffed, struggling to hire new staff and plagued by worker burnout, according to a national survey released Tuesday, July 25, 2023. (Rose Baca/The Dallas Morning News via AP, File)
911 workers say centers are understaffed, struggling to hire and plagued by burnout
Emergency call center workers say their centers are understaffed, struggling to fill vacancies and plagued by worker burnout.
 
Pamela White poses in her home in Ponchatoula, La., with a photo of her son Dararius Evans, who was killed in January of 2020, Thursday, May 4, 2023. White and her family turned to Louisiana’s victim compensation board for help paying for the unexpected funeral. She was met with administrative hurdles, a denial that blamed her son for his own death, a lengthy appeal — all while paying up front through a personal loan that gathered interest as she waited. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Safety net with holes? Programs to help crime victims can leave them fronting bills
Thousands of crime victims each year are confronted with the difficult financial reality of state compensation programs that are billed as safety nets to offset costs like funerals, medical care, relocation and other needs.
 
This photo released by the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, shows the cache of weapons and ammunition that authorities recovered from the car of a man who opened fire on Fargo, N.D., police officers on Friday, July 14. One officer, Jake Wallin, was killed and two others were injured before a fourth officer shot and killed 37-year-old Mohamad Barakat. (North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation via AP)
The Fargo shooter used a binary trigger. Here’s what to know about the device that’s worrying police
The man who fired on police officers in North Dakota earlier this month chose to use a gun that was modified with a binary trigger. The device allowed the gun to fire so rapidly that it sounded like an automatic weapon.
 
This booking photo provided by Philadelphia Police Department shows Kimbrady Carriker. Carriker was arraigned Wednesday, July 5, 2023 on five counts of murder as well as charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault and weapons counts of possession without a license and carrying firearms in public, prosecutors said. (Philadelphia Police Department via AP)
Philadelphia shooter fired through 1st victim’s door, claimed to be law enforcement, police say
A day before killing four people in a mass shooting in Philadelphia last week, authorities say the gunman went to his first victim’s door wearing a dark mask, shot through it and yelled that he was law enforcement before entering the home and continuing to shoot.
 
An intersection near the scene of a fatal shooting spree is seen, Thursday, July 6, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia community tries to heal from trauma as shooter’s mental health comes into focus
Prosecutors and others say in the weeks before Kimbrady Carriker opened fire at random with an AR-15 in Philadelphia killing five people, the few people close to him saw him grow increasingly agitated and erratic.
 
People pray during a vigil at Salt and Light church for the victims of Monday's fatal shooting spree, Wednesday, July 5, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Father of the bride and teen who tried to save friend among 5 killed in Philadelphia shooting
A father who was preparing to walk his eldest daughter down the aisle. An aspiring actor who appeared as an extra in the “Creed” movie franchise. A teenager who tried to help a wounded friend.
 
This booking photo provided by Philadelphia Police Department shows Kimbrady Carriker. Carriker was arraigned Wednesday, July 5, 2023 on five counts of murder as well as charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault and weapons counts of possession without a license and carrying firearms in public, prosecutors said. (Philadelphia Police Department via AP)
Philadelphia suspect left a will and was acting agitated days before shootings, prosecutors say
The man accused in the fatal shooting spree in Philadelphia that left five people dead and four others wounded left a will at his house, and according to roommates had acted agitated and wore a tactical vest around his house in the days before the shooting, prosecutors said Wednesday.
 
Police patrol as youths gather on Concorde square during a protest in Paris, France, Friday, June 30, 2023. French President Emmanuel Macron urged parents Friday to keep teenagers at home and proposed restrictions on social media to quell rioting spreading across France over the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old driver. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)
Shooting in France shows US is not alone in struggles with racism, police brutality
The events in France following the death of a 17-year-old shot by police in a Paris suburb are drawing parallels to the racial reckoning in the U.S. that began in 2020 with the killing of George Floyd.
 
SEPTA union says quarantine leave policy not enough
The Transport Workers Union that represents nearly 5,000 employees of Philadelphia’s regional mass transit authority wants the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority to remove a cap on paid leave if workers are exposed to coronavirus.
 
Philadelphia files court challenge of ban on local gun laws
Philadelphia city leaders are again filing a court challenge to the state’s prohibition on municipal gun regulations, this time joined by families of gun violence victims in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
 
Lawsuit: Pennsylvania county jail punishes mentally ill
Five inmates have sue Allegheny County, jail and mental health officials alleging the Pennsylvania facility offers inadequate treatment and medication for inmates with mental health disabilities and often punishes them with extended solitary confinement or excessive force instead of offering treatme
 
Pennsylvania officials eye areas where COVID-19 cases rising
Pennsylvania health officials are taking a deep dive into areas where COVID-19 cases are ticking up and threatening to undo months of progress against the disease. The state’s health secretary, Dr.
 
Philly police head decries tear gas usage against protesters
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, along with Mayor Jim Kenney, apologized to the public Thursday for giving statements that were “substantially inaccurate” in the days after tear gas was used against protesters who were trapped on Interstate 676.
 
Cities see protests rage on as Wolf vows changes to policing
Large protests over police treatment of black people continue to sprout up in Pennsylvania cities, and the governor says he’s implementing changes to improve police policies. Marches and demonstrations occurred Thursday in Pittsburgh and Bethlehem.
 
Union: Hundreds of Philadelphia airport layoffs amid virus
A labor union says hundreds of contract workers at Philadelphia International Airport are getting laid off as flight cancellations soar because of the spreading coronavirus.
 
Mother sues hospital over drug test that led to abuse probe
A mother is suing a Pittsburgh hospital that she says collected and tested her urine for drugs without her consent while she was in labor and reported a false positive result that led to a child abuse investigation.
 
Aging, thin pipe likely cause of Philadelphia refinery fire
Federal investigators say an aging, failed elbow pipe appears to be the cause of a June fire and subsequent explosions that injured five workers and destroyed part of the processing unit at the largest oil refinery on the East Coast. The U.S.
 
Sprinkler valve was off in nursing home fire that killed 4
Federal officials investigating a 2017 fire at a Pennsylvania senior nursing home and rehab center say its main sprinkler valve had been turned off prior to a fire that left four residents dead. The final investigative report from the U.S.
 
New attorneys general to continue investigating clergy abuse
Newly inaugurated state attorneys general say they will continue investigations of clergy abuse in the Roman Catholic church as thousands of victims reach out to hotlines and online reporting systems.
 
Pennsylvania man who disarmed gunman sues 4 state troopers
A Pennsylvania man is suing four state troopers claiming they falsified charging documents saying he pointed a gun at an officer, despite surveillance video showing he disarmed a would-be gunman.
 
Synagogue shooting victims: ‘Gentle, caring, compassionate’
The victims of the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history were doctors and dentists, accountants and academics, retirees and senior citizens who didn’t let age get in their way. Two were brothers, another two a married couple. One was 97.
 
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