A program at University of Arizona focused on investigating wrongful convictions is getting federal funding to ramp up its work.
The University of Arizona Innocence Project leaders say their work is needed because in Arizoa, many criminal defendants are not entitled to a public defender after initial post-conviction proceedings – often before evidence around someone’s innocence comes to light.
The Department of Justice is awarding a $1.5 million grant to the program to expand the use of DNA testing. Program heads say this cutting-edge but costly technology will allow them to look more deeply into cases and address a growing backlog of cases more quickly.
They say advancements in DNA testing have resulted in a rise in exonerations nationwide, but only three of those cases have been in Arizona.
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The American Civil Liberties Union is dropping its bid to block enforcement of a new law that lets state and local police arrest some border crossers. -
In consecutive weekdays, four metro Phoenix police departments have announced internal investigations into misuse of controversial license plate readers, also known as LPRs. -
Investigations over Flock cameras in Arizona police departments are stacking up, and more cities and counties are pausing or changing their contracts. Sheriff Ross Teeple of Pinal County is one of them. -
Attorney General Kris Mayes is warning residents about cryptocurrency ATM scams that have been targeting residents around the state. The scam works by a person transferring money to the scammers through crypto ATMs found outside gas stations and grocery stores. -
Police departments in the East and West Valley this week have unveiled internal investigations into officer misuse of AI surveillance technology used to track license plates.
