Parents in Vancouver, Canada, are frustrated because city rules block them from teaching their kids how to swim during public swim times. They say lifeguards prevented them from giving their children "unsanctioned swimming lessons" and must leave instruction to city programs, even though spots in those lessons are very limited. Parents argue this policy makes it harder for children to learn basic water safety skills, especially since many families can't get into official classes. They also point out that nearby communities, like North Vancouver, allow parents to work with their kids during public swims, making Vancouver's restriction seem unfair and inconsistent.
Democratic Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and his advisors used the encrypted messaging app Signal to communicate about the city's migrant crisis. The app was set to automatically delete messages, a practice that open records experts and officials criticize as a deliberate effort to evade transparency and potentially a violation of Colorado's open records law. Denver attorney Steven Zansberg, an expert in open records law, called the administration's actions "unlawful." The mayor's office moved discussions of migrants to Signal in response to record requests from a conservative legal group and potential interference from the Trump administration. But this took place after the city's information security officer advised that encrypted messaging apps were "for personal use only" and not for "city work."
After the fifth shoplifting incident, Rob Davies put up a sign in the window of his vintage clothing store in Wales, calling the thieves "scumbags." After receiving a complaint from a member of the public, police visited the store and told Davies to take the sign down because it could cause offense. Speaking to The Times, Davies expressed frustration with the police's handling of the situation, saying he no longer reports thefts because they do not take them seriously.
The California Assembly Transportation Committee voted to advance Assembly Bill 435, which would require all children under age 10 and shorter kids under 13 to sit on a booster seat. Teens up to 16 years old would also be banned from the front seat altogether unless they meet the height requirements. Currently, children at least 8 years old or 4 feet, 9 inches tall do not have to use a booster.
Illustration: Peter Bagge
A Canadian man was sentenced to life in prison in Dubai for possession of cannabis and CBD products. Kevin O'Rourke was traveling to South Africa through Dubai International Airport when he was stopped and searched. Authorities found 118 grams of cannabis and CBD, which O'Rourke's wife says he uses to treat the chronic pain from Addison's disease, a rare and life-threatening condition. His life sentence was overturned in February, and he was allowed to return home after eight months in detention.
Over 61 years, David O'Connor had driver's licenses in four states, including a commercial license for work as a truck driver. But when he went to get a REAL ID, Tennessee Driver Services Center officials not only refused to issue one but also revoked his driver's license, citing a state law prohibiting licenses for noncitizens. O'Connor, a Navy veteran, has been a citizen since birth, but he was born in Canada, where his parents temporarily lived at the time. When Tennessee officials saw his birth certificate, they assumed he was Canadian and refused to believe otherwise.
Italian aviation officials blocked a British Airways flight from leaving Milan for London after a surprise inspection found some seat cushions were too wide and thick. Cushions on exit rows are supposed to be smaller to create more room in case of an evacuation. To fix the problem, the air crew called out serial numbers for the correct seats and had passengers check their cushions to see if any matched those numbers. They were able to locate enough cushions to swap out for the exit rows, and the flight departed after a delay of an hour.
From October through December 2024, South Fulton, Georgia, Mayor Khalid Kamau made $26,000 in unauthorized purchases on his city-issued credit card. That spending included more than $5,000 in plane tickets, including a 20-day trip to Ghana. Kamau defended the trip, saying it was part of his economic development plan for the city.
Illustration: Peter BaggeIllustration: Peter Bagge
A federal judge awarded $1.5 million to a family whose children were wrongly detained at the border in March 2019. The family lives in Mexico, but the children, who are U.S. citizens, attend school in the United States. When the children attempted to cross the border as they regularly do, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents detained them and interrogated one—a then-9-year-old girl—because they believed the picture on her passport was not of her. The judge ruled that CBP violated its own policy both by having a single agent interrogate her and by not recording it. In all, agents held the girl for 34 hours and only let the children go when their mother began giving interviews to the media.
Lino Monteleone of Montreal received a $186 Canadian ($133 U.S.) parking ticket after a bus stop sign was installed overnight in front of his house, replacing a legal spot where his daughter's car was parked. On April 1, 2025, Monteleone's doorbell camera showed city workers setting up the sign just before 8 a.m. A parking agent issued a ticket just minutes later at 8:05 a.m. Montreal's public transport agency said the sign was added due to nearby construction and that it doesn't notify residents about new bus stops because there are 10,000 in the city.
An Islamic Shariah court in Indonesia's Aceh province sentenced two men to public caning for engaging in what was deemed "sexual acts." The two men, 20 and 21 years old, were arrested after being seen kissing and hugging in a public park. Prosecutors sought sentences of 85 cane strokes, but since each defendant was polite and cooperative, the judges only assigned them 80 strokes each.
Authorities in Nova Scotia fined Jeff Evely fined $28,872.50 ($20,826.27 U.S.) for violating a province-wide ban on entering the woods. Evely, a retired veteran, deliberately broke the rule to challenge the ban in court, arguing that the government was overstepping its authority and that the ban was unnecessary. This is not the first time Evely has tried to challenge such a ban: Courts dismissed a previous attempt because he had not been charged. His legal team believes that since he was fined, he now has the standing to legally challenge the ban. The Nova Scotia government enacted the ban to help prevent wildfires, and officials say it was recommended by experts.
Pro-life activist Isabel Vaughan-Spruce is under police investigation for a third time after silently praying outside an abortion clinic in Birmingham, England. The police investigation comes despite two previous arrests for the same thing that resulted in a settlement in her favor and a formal apology from the police. British law bans activities intended to influence or cause distress within a "buffer zone" around abortion clinics. Vaughan-Spruce, who is being supported by the legal group Alliance Defending Freedom International, argues that silently praying is not a criminal offense and that everyone has a right to freedom of thought. The police have asked prosecutors to decide if there is enough evidence to charge her.
A European Union proposal called "Chat Control" is gaining support from a majority of member states. The plan would require messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Signal to scan all user-generated content, even if it is end-to-end encrypted. Proponents argue this is necessary to combat the spread of child sexual abuse material, but critics claim it would lead to mass surveillance and destroy digital privacy. The plan involves client-side scanning, which would inspect content on a user's device before it is encrypted. This would also necessitate mandatory age verification, effectively ending anonymity on these platforms.
Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Sheriff Steven Tompkins has been indicted for allegedly extorting a Boston cannabis company. According to a federal indictment, Tompkins pressured an employee to sell him $50,000 worth of company stock before its initial public offering—citing, as justification, his help with the company's "Boston licensing efforts" and that they "would continue to need Tompkins's help for license renewals." When the value of his investment later dropped, Tompkins allegedly demanded a refund of the full $50,000; prosecutors say he was reimbursed at company expense, disguised as a loan repayment. Tompkins, who has been sheriff since 2013, faces as many as 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine if convicted.
The United Kingdom is establishing an elite National Internet Intelligence Investigations team to monitor social media for posts against migrants and early signs of civil unrest, operating from the National Police Coordination Centre in Westminster with officers from across England and Wales. Critics claim the initiative infringes on free speech and prioritizes surveillance over policing. "Labour have stopped pretending to fix Britain and started trying to mute it," said Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp.
Michael Hayes, a Lakeland, Florida, police detective, was arrested for falsely reporting a crime, a first-degree misdemeanor. Hayes claimed three juveniles threw an object and shattered the rear window of his agency-issued unmarked Chevrolet SUV while he was driving. But deputies later found a picture of his car, with the window damaged, taken 24 hours before the reported incident. Hayes, a 12-year veteran assigned to the Property Crimes Unit, then admitted his child likely broke the window with a baseball. He was released on a $1,000 bond and placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
The United Kingdom's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned two Zara advertisements featuring models deemed "unhealthily thin," citing the promotion of harmful beauty standards. The ads, which appeared on Zara's app and website, showed a model with a "gaunt" appearance due to shadows and a tight hair bun, and another with a pose emphasizing "protruding" collarbones, leading the ASA to rule them "irresponsible." Zara removed the ads but said both models had medical certificates confirming their good health, and no direct consumer complaints were received. The decision follows similar bans on Next ads earlier in 2025 for featuring overly thin models, raising questions among some Brits about why ads with overweight models face no similar restrictions.
Kela Stanford, a contract worker for the Alabama Department of Human Resources, was charged with a felony after 3-year-old Ke'Torrius Starkes Jr. died in her hot car. Stanford had taken Starkes on a supervised visit with his father, but she did not return him to day care. Instead, she ran personal errands, including to a restaurant and a tobacco shop, before leaving him in the car outside her home, on a day when temperatures reached the high 90s. He remained there for five hours, until the day care center called her to ask where he was, by which point Starkes was dead.
New British cars may soon be equipped with breathalyzers and data recorders under Labour government plans to align with European Union vehicle safety regulations, sparking controversy among privacy rights advocates and Brexit supporters who accuse the government of covertly re-aligning with the E.U. The Department for Transport has committed to an "explicit presumption of alignment," aiming to reduce manufacturing costs by avoiding separate U.K. and E.U. standards, but critics argue this move undermines Brexit by using statutory instruments to incrementally align with E.U. rules without debate.
In England, former Thames Valley Police Constable Ben Lane was found to haveinappropriately touched a male colleague's leg while both were on duty in September 2024. Lane claimed he was just demonstrating a sexual assault he was investigating, which a misconduct panel found "highly implausible." The incident, which occurred at a police station in Berkshire, left the colleague, referred to as Officer A, in "surprise and shock." The panel, led by Assistant Chief Constable Dennis Murray, concluded the act constituted a "sexual assault on police premises" that "could be classed as criminal in nature." Lane, who has resigned from Thames Valley Police, did not attend the hearing but said he used minimal pressure during the touch. He will be added to the College of Policing's barred list, preventing him from working in policing again.
Kyle, Texas, resident Mary Ann Flores-Cale was escorted out of a City Council meeting while addressing concerns about a proposed revision to the city Code of Ethics during the public comment period. Mayor Travis Mitchell interrupted her and ordered her removal, citing council rules prohibiting "personal attacks" after her remarks included allegations of misconduct and an affair involving city officials, which he deemed outside the permitted scope. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has now challenged the council's rules as unconstitutional. Mitchell defended his actions, saying the intervention was due to Flores-Cale's refusal to yield, not the content of her speech.
Shotgun owners in the United Kingdom face delays of a year or more for new firearm licenses due to a backlog in police processing. Applicants, including farmers and gamekeepers who rely on shotguns for their livelihoods, are frustrated by the slow pace, with some police forces struggling to handle the volume of applications. More than 1,000 gun owners have had to place their weapons in storage as they await approval.
Police in England arrested Samuel Rowe outside his Manchester home and gave him a warning for possession of an offensive weapon after he was spotted with gardening tools. Rowe had returned home from his allotment—a small piece of property leased from the local government for gardening—with a basket of vegetables and some tools, including a trowel and a sickle, when a member of the public reported him for having a knife in public. Armed police later handcuffed Rowe and took him into custody. He explained the tools were for gardening, and that he carried them because the storage sheds at the allotment could easily be broken into. Rowe was questioned without legal representation and accepted the warning to secure his release; he is now pursuing legal action, arguing the police overreacted and failed to listen to his explanation.
Authorities are deploying new "ultra" two-way speed cameras across the United Kingdom, capable of peering inside vehicles to detect offenses beyond speeding, such as using cellphones or not wearing seat belts. These advanced cameras use video and a virtual grid to monitor traffic in both directions and enforce multiple violations, like running red lights, without the need for road markings or visible flashes. Supporters say the cameras will improve traffic safety, but critics say they will grow the U.K.'s surveillance state.
San Francisco's Board of Supervisors is set to vote on an ordinance proposed by Board President Rafael Mandelman that would ban natural gas in residential and commercial buildings undergoing major renovations, requiring all-electric systems for permitting, a move supporters say will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve public health. The policy, building on a 2020 ban for new buildings, targets projects altering over two-thirds of a building's walls or ceilings or renovating load-bearing elements supporting over 30 percent of floors, affecting an estimated 785,000 square feet of residential and 250,000 square feet of commercial renovations each year. Critics say the law would deter building upgrades and renovations.
A Detroit police officer was arrested at the city's 6th precinct, accused of stealing approximately $600 from a woman's purse during a March 7 traffic stop. According to the Detroit Police Department, the theft was captured on the officer's own body camera. The incident occurred after three officers stopped a vehicle suspected of a narcotics transaction, found drugs, and arrested the driver and passenger, who were later released. The female passenger filed a complaint with the Office of the Chief Investigator and reported the missing money, which was not logged in any police inventory or evidence records. Detroit Police Commander Michael McGinnis said the bodycam footage provided clear evidence of a "criminal act." While the officer has not been named and was suspended with pay, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office is reviewing a warrant for potential charges.
Belgium's Permanent Commission for Linguistic Control upheld a complaint against train conductor Ilyass Alba for using the French word bonjour alongside the Dutch goeiedag in a bilingual greeting on a train in Dutch-speaking Flanders, violating the country's stringent language laws. The incident occurred in 2024 as the train approached Vilvoorde, near Brussels, when a passenger objected to Alba's use of French. In response, the commission ruled that conductors should only use Dutch in Flanders unless a passenger initiates French conversation, but they should use both Dutch and French in bilingual Brussels. Alba received no formal sanction from his employer and has garnered public support; he is now selling mugs with the phrase "Goeiedag, Bonjour," while calling for more flexibility in Belgium's 1966 language regulations.
A federal judge ruled Salvatore and Jane Mattiaccio, owners of Level and Square Construction in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, can proceed with their lawsuit against former Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor William Scharfenberg claiming malicious prosecution and defamation. Scharfenberg, who has since retired, operated a competing construction business, Beacon Homes of NJ, which the Mattiacios say he ran from the prosecutor's office without getting required approvals for outside employment. They say he also misused his prosecutorial authority to target them in criminal investigations and prosecutions. U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner dismissed most claims in the lawsuit, citing prosecutorial immunity, but claims against Beacon Homes and four people affiliated with the prosecutor's office remain.
Thanet District Council in England is reviving plans to fine individuals up to £100 ($134) for swearing in public spaces, following an attempt last year that was abandoned due to a threatened legal challenge. The proposed Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) would cover towns like Margate, Ramsgate, and Broadstairs. It aims to curb certain antisocial "activities," including "the use of foul or abusive language within the hearing or sight of any other person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress thereby," with the council citing rising tensions and police struggles to maintain order. Councilor Heather Keen argues the measure "is not aimed at preventing free speech or swearing, but foul language that is such to cause fear, distress or alarm," but critics have expressed concern over potential free speech violations.
Australia will implement mandatory age verification for logged-in users of search engines starting Dec. 27, 2025, under a new online safety code that charges non-compliant providers with breaching industry standards, potentially facing fines of nearly $50 million ($32.75 million U.S.) per violation. The rules, developed with input from the Australia's tech industry, require age assurance technologies to filter out pornography, violence, and material promoting eating disorders for users under 18. Critics argue the measures could compromise privacy and that users can simply log out or use a VPN.
Irvington Township, New Jersey, misspent $632,000 in opioid settlement funds on two "Opioid Awareness" concerts in 2023 and 2024, according to an Office of the State Comptroller report, with $368,500 improperly awarded to businesses owned by the family of a township employee who was tasked with securing musical talent. The township held the events without consulting health experts or residents. It claimed Narcan was distributed at the events, but the report found no settlement funds were used to purchase Narcan, and the township provided no evidence of substantive opioid education. At the same time, officials spent money on luxury trailers and cotton candy machines, and more than $205,000 just on promotion. The comptroller criticized the lack of competitive bidding for contracts and noted the township's attempt to block the report's release through a defamation lawsuit, which was dismissed by the state Supreme Court.
Godson Vondee, a police officer in Prince William County, Virginia, has been charged with stalking and five counts of using a computer to obtain identifying information. He is accused of using the department's criminal database to access personal information about a woman he later stalked. Officials say the investigation, launched in June, revealed Vondee accessed the database once in 2023 and four times in 2024—each time while on duty and without a criminal justice reason—and visited the victim's residence multiple times over 15 months. Vondee, a six-year veteran of the department, was placed on administrative leave and is being held without bond, with a court date set for August 19.
Residents of San Francisco's Dolores Heights neighborhood have long parked in their driveways with part of their cars poking out into the sidewalk with no issues. But complaints, and citations, began to surge about six months ago, often reported via the city's 311 system. Some residents, as well as the creator of an app designed to help report code violations, suspect a single complainant may be storing images and using them to make repeated complaints. Residents say the sidewalks still have room for multiple people or wheelchairs to pass, and they argue the enforcement feels like a crackdown amid perceptions of a city-led push against car use. Officials maintain they respond to all complaints to ensure sidewalk safety.
Tobias Otieno, a former auditor with the Office of the New York State Comptroller, was arraigned on charges of second degree grand larceny as a public corruption crime. Between June 2022 and September 2024, Otieno was assigned to audit the town of Wallkill's finances. During this time, officials say Otieno used his access to the town's bank accounts and financial documents to transfer $405,843.25 to business accounts he personally owned. The theft was uncovered by the Orange County White Collar Crimes Taskforce, a division of the district attorney's office, and the Orange County Sheriff's Office, with help from forensic auditors with the state comptroller's office, Otieno's employer. Otieno, who was terminated from his position, pleaded not guilty.
A federal judge sentenced Mario Stewart, a retired police sergeant in Mount Vernon, New York, to six months in prison and six months of home confinement for repeatedly tasing a restrained 20-year-old man who was experiencing a health crisis. Prosecutors say that while the man's hands were cuffed behind his back and his legs were in a restraint bag, Stewart tased him at least seven times in two minutes. The incident took place in 2019, but Stewart remained on the job until he retired in 2023. U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas emphasized the need to "send a clear message" to law enforcement about adhering to rules, saying Mount Vernon residents should not fear victimization by officers. Stewart pleaded guilty in January to depriving an individual of his civil rights, violating the department's Taser policy that prohibits punitive or coercive use on secured prisoners other than as a last resort.
Officials in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate announced they will ban members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party from holding public office. The order would bar any applicants who are members of extremist groups or have been members within the past five years. Germany's domestic intelligence agency has classified AfD as a right-wing extremist group. Currently, AfD is Germany's second-largest political party, receiving about 21 percent of the vote in the February 2025 elections.
Egyptian authorities arrested belly dancer Sohila Tarek Hassan Haggag at Cairo International Airport, charging her with "corrupting public morals" over dance videos posted on social media, where she has over 2 million followers. The arrest is part of a broader crackdown under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's government, which has jailed at least five other belly dancers in recent years for similar morality-related charges. Haggag, a naturalized Italian citizen who returned to Egypt after divorcing an Italian, faces allegations of wearing "indecent clothing" and using "seductive techniques." The Italian embassy in Cairo has gotten involved in the case.
Washburn County officials shut down a 15-year-old's bait stand on his family's farm in Spooner, Wisconsin, deeming the shed a zoning violation, according to a cease-and-desist letter that threatened daily fines for non-compliance. Max McKinney, who sold worms, sodas, candy, and T-shirts from the stand, expressed frustration and sadness, saying he was working hard and following entrepreneurial spirit. The letter, signed by the county's zoning land use specialist, went out after only McKinney's second weekend in operation, and it ordered the stand's closure and removal within 14 days.
Turkey's Information and Communication Technologies Authority blocked access to Grok, social media platform X's AI chatbot, as a result of insulting content directed at Turkish public figures, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The order followed a court ruling in Ankara prompted by public complaints about Grok's responses, which allegedly included derogatory remarks when asked about the president. The block restricts Turkish users from accessing Grok through either browsers or apps.
In England, artist Victoria Culf is suing Watford Borough Council after a council worker falsely claimed Culf was being investigated by police for a hate crime due to her Christian views, which led to her being banned from her own art exhibition at Watford Museum. During a conversation while setting up her exhibit, Culf expressed her belief, based on her Christian faith and experience with children, that transitioning is harmful. This prompted the council worker to report her for "harassment." Despite police confirming no investigation was happening and describing Culf's comments as protected speech, the council worker fabricated a police incident number and misled superiors, causing Culf to be excluded from the museum. Culf's lawsuit accuses the council of breach of contract, discrimination, and harassment.
A police officer in Windsor, Connecticut, faces charges of reckless endangerment and unlawful discharge of a firearm after he mistakenly fired his gun at a suspect when he intended to deploy his Taser.* During a chase, Officer Brandon Thomas told a fleeing suspect to stop, or he would tase him. He then drew his firearm and fired a single shot, which did not hit the suspect. Thomas could be heard on body camera footage saying "oh shit, I didn't mean to do that." A report by the Connecticut Office of the Inspector General concluded, "The discharge was not accidental; it was an error. Officer Thomas bears responsibility for that error."
*CORRECTION: This article originally misstated the underlying details of the shooting. Thomas' bullet did not strike the suspect, who was unarmed and fleeing.
The district attorney's office in Cobb County, Georgia, admitted a critical error led to the wrongful arrest of 83-year-old Alice Cordell in Bartow County, where she spent six hours in a holding cell for a crime she didn't commit. Cordell's family told a local TV station they are now working to remove her mugshot from crime watch pages on social media. District Attorney Connie Allen says the name on the drug trafficking indictment should have been Alica Cordell. Allen said the mistake happened under her predecessor and, she says she is revising processes to prevent future mistakes and seeking to have Cordell's name removed from the case.
The Orange County District Attorney's office in California has charged former Westminster police officer Nicole Brown with 15 felony counts of workers' compensation and insurance fraud for faking an injury to collect over $600,000 in disability benefits. Brown claimed in 2022 that a head injury from an arrest left her unable to work due to symptoms like headaches and sensitivity to light and noise. But investigators found that in April 2023, she attended the Stagecoach Music Festival—a loud, crowded country music festival—and participated in other physically demanding activities like skiing, running 5K races, and visiting Disneyland. Brown, who faces up to 22 years in prison, insists the injury was real and plans to fight the charges.
In Turkey, four staff members of the satirical magazine LeMan were arrested on charges of inciting "public hatred and enmity" after publishing a cartoon that authorities claim depicted Muhammad, the founder of Islam. The cartoon, which LeMan insists was misinterpreted and meant to highlight the suffering of a Muslim man killed in Israeli attacks, showed two figures shaking hands in the sky while missiles flew below, symbolizing peace amidst conflict. Turkish officials condemned the cartoon, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said "those who insult the Prophet and other messengers will be held accountable before the law."
Former Warren, Michigan, police officer James Burke faces two felony counts of homicide-manslaughter with a motor vehicle after he drove a police SUV at nearly 115 mph, crashing into a Dodge Durango and killing Cedric Hayden Jr. and DeJuan Pettis in September 2024. The high-speed collision occurred in a 40 mph zone. Burke was responding to a "be on the lookout" alert but was not using his emergency lights or sirens. Macomb County Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Bosek testified that Burke's vehicle reached 114.9 mph five seconds before impact and 93.8 mph at the moment of collision.
An Alabama grand jury has indicted Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith on six misdemeanor charges, and Chief Deputy Ralph Williams on one, for knowingly hiring six people—four school resource officers, a jailer, and a deputy—who lacked Alabama Peace Officers' Standards and Training Commission certification, as required by law. One of those hires was Deputy Andrew Neves-McDonald, whose police certification in Arizona was suspended for misconduct. Smith claims the charges are politically motivated.
In England, two Metropolitan Police have been fired after strip-searching a 15-year-old girl at her school, without her parent's permission or knowledge. A disciplinary panel found trainee detective Kristina Linge and constable Rafal Szmydynski guilty of gross misconduct. Teachers said the girl smelled strongly of cannabis, but when they searched her, they found no drugs. So, they called the police. When cops arrived, they took the girl into a room and strip-searched her. They also found no drugs.
A judge has sentenced former Antioch, California, police officer Morteza Amiri to seven years in prison for violating a bicyclist's civil rights by ordering his K-9 to bite the man unnecessarily, falsifying a police report about the incident, and wire fraud. In the attack, Amiri approached a man for not having a light on his bicycle, punched him, knocked him to the ground, and then commanded the dog to bite him, causing severe injuries. According to federal prosecutors, Amiri routinely sicced his K-9 on suspects unnecessarily and "kept a running bite count that he celebrated with other officers." In this particular instance, he shared photos of the victim's wounds in text messages and joked that "gory pics are for personal stuff." In a separate trial, a jury found Amiri guilty of paying someone to complete a college degree for him so he could get a pay raise.
Citing extreme heat and humidity, the city of Toronto recently closed several swimming pools temporarily. Temperatures reached the mid-30s Celsius (about 95 Fahrenheit) and humidity index values were in the low- to mid-40s (as high as 113 degrees Fahrenheit). Long lines formed at pools as people sought relief from the heat and humidity.
Dammeon Player, a former police officer in Warren, Michigan, was sentenced to 45 days in jail and two years of probation after pleading guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and misconduct in office for tasing someone outside his jurisdiction. In July 2023, a truck driver blocked traffic as he tried to back into a loading dock. Officers said he was non-compliant and pulled him out of the truck, when Player tased him twice. Player also faces felony charges for a similar incident in 2020—when, while serving with the Highland Park police, he tased a man accused of refusing to leave a Burger King. The suspect was walking away at the time, and when tased, he fell and hit his head on a brick wall, briefly losing consciousness. Highland Park did not share details of the event with the Warren police before they hired him.
Former Santa Cruz County, Arizona, Treasurer Elizabeth Gutfahr was sentenced to 10 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to embezzling over $38 million in public funds over 10 years, in what her own attorney called "one of the dumbest, ill-conceived, short-sighted, and most audacious crimes in Arizona state history." Her scheme involved moving taxpayer money into her private accounts with little effort to hide it, yet it went unnoticed until recently, when her bank noticed irregular activities in 2024 and alerted law enforcement. To recover some of the stolen funds, Santa Cruz County is selling off assets like real estate, livestock, and luxury cars Gutfahr purchased, recovering nearly $3 million so far.
The police department in Prichard, Alabama, has placed Officer Tvon Campbell and another officer whose name was not released on administrative leave after video went viral showing Campbell hitting a man with a baseball bat. The officers were responding to a domestic violence call when Devoris Malone fled, holding his wife in the car against her will. When a Taser failed to subdue the suspect, Campbell used a bat, even continuing to strike Malone while he was on the ground. The Prichard Police Department, working with the Mobile County District Attorney, is reviewing body camera footage to assess the officers' actions. Malone has been charged with first degree kidnapping. Mayor Jimmie Gardner emphasized that baseball bats are not authorized by the department.
England's National Health Service will begin a 10-year program to sequence every newborn's DNA using umbilical-cord blood. Supporters say the program will identify risks for hundreds of genetic diseases—far beyond the nine conditions currently screened via the heel-prick test—which Health Secretary Wes Streeting says will shift healthcare from reacting to illness, to predicting and preventing it early. But critics say there aren't sufficient safeguards for privacy.
