Legal ease & Safety first

Durham City Council meetings

The next regular City Council Meeting will be held on Monday, August 6, 7pm, at City Hall. A City Council Work Sessions will be held on Thursday, August 9 at 1pm, and another regular City Council Meeting will be held on Monday, August 20, 7pm.

Click here to see the agenda for the August 6 City Council Meeting, and you can click here to see the agenda for the August 9 Work Session.

Criminal Justice Reform Panel

A Criminal Justice Reform Panel will hold a forum, Want Justice? Vote!, on Thursday, August 16, 6:30–8pm, at 302 W Main St. Panelists will include Jasmine McGhee, Alex Williams, Andrea “Muffin” Hudson, and Satana DeBerry. The moderator will be Lori Jones-Tyson, and the forum is cosponsored by Black Women Vote, Vote Woke, and Higher Heights. Visit the Facebook event page for more info.

Help protect the kids

Many of us are still reeling from the aftermath of the Parkland, Florida school shooting. And many of us want to do something, but don’t know where to go or how to help. If you’re interested in demanding common-sense gun legislation, watch my interview with Jessica Hulick from Moms Demand Action.

Alert: New phone scam

Some bad guys out there are posing as Durham Police Department officers and scamming local residents. They are calling people and demanding payments for warrants or unpaid fines. What should send up a red flag is the fact that these “officers” are directing people to send the payments to an account. That’s not how the system works, but not everyone knows this. A phone number starting with the familiar “560” fools people, but the criminals are simply using spoofing software to make you think you’re getting a call from the police (or other City of Durham personnel). If you receive a phone call like this, just hang up. No one from the City should ever be calling residents asking for personal information or demanding payments. But if you have information that could lead to an arrest, please contact the Durham Police Department’s Fraud Unit at 919-560-4440.

Durham Police 4th-quarter report

The Durham Police Department released its 2017 Fourth-Quarter Report. Read it below:

Mobile Justice smartphone app

There’s a new smartphone app called Mobile Justice NC that you can use to monitor and record police actions. We have the right to film the police, but always have your safety in mind when doing so. If an officer says that you’re in the way and tells you to get back, that might not the time to stand your ground and to tell him or her that you’re acting within your rights. Learn how to use the zoom-in feature so you can step out of the way and continue filming.

If you’re an activist or member of the media, download this free app and get familiar with Mobile Justice NC’s four features now (as opposed to during the heat of a protest or police action):

Record—Once you start recording, the audio/video files are automatically emailed to ACLU North Carolina—this makes it impossible to delete what you have filmed from your phone.
Witness—You have the option of alerting nearby Mobile Justice NC app users so that situations can be captured from more than one point of view.
Report—You can add details like descriptions, badge numbers, etc, and this data will be transmitted directly to ACLU North Carolina.
Know Your Rights—Get an overview of your rights as a resident of North Carolina when stopped by law enforcement officers.

Click here to watch a short but in-depth explainer on how the app works:
(O clique aquí para más information sobre el app Justícia Móvil en español.)

Durham Police Department Citizen’s Complaint Form

You can make a formal complaint online by filling out the blanks of this form and sending it in. Click here for instructions and to fill out the Durham Police Department Citizen’s Complaint Form.

Durham Police Department Commendation Form

You can also single out an officer who went out of his or her way to be helpful/come to your aid. Click here for instructions and to fill out the Durham Police Department Commendation Form.

ACLU interview

Mike Meno, communications director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s North Carolina office, was a recent guest on TV Skywriter. Learn more about the ACLU work at www.acluofnc.org.

City of Durham Police Satisfaction Survey

The City of Durham released its Police Satisfaction Survey in August of last year. Read it below:

NC Lawyer Referral Service

The North Carolina Bar Association can help you find an attorney to represent you. Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) attorneys can’t charge more than $50 for initial consultation meetings of up to 30 minutes. None are able to take clients on a pro bono (free) basis. Visit ncfindalawyer.org or call 800-662-7660 (or 919-677-8574 if you’re out of state).

NC SAVAN

Crime victims and survivors often feel like they’re sitting on pins and needles while waiting to hear about upcoming trials and to get news on the status of perpetrators. NC SAVAN (North Carolina Statewide Automated Victim Assistance and Notification) is set up to keep them informed. A 24-hour, toll-free telephone number, 877-627-2826, is available for learning about an offender’s status and about victim-assistance resources. You can also call that number to register for the automated victim notification service. Once you’re registered, you can choose whether to get updates via automated telephone messages or emails; you can also download an app for your smart phone. Notifications can be delivered in English or Spanish, or you can have them translated into one of more than 100 available languages.

Click here to register for NC SAVAN or to search for offender information.

Durham Police Department info

Click here to read the Durham Police Department’s daily bulletin.
Click here to file a nonemergency police report for incidents like larceny, vandalism, and fraud/forgery, but not for stolen vehicles or other items, arson, domestic violence, or shoplifting. See the article for an extensive list and instructions on what steps to take and what to expect after you file your report.