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A majority of state residents polled by Arizona State University are in favor of establishing an independent agency to investigate law-enforcement shootings.

The survey, conducted last fall by the Morrison Institute for Public Policy, a nonpartisan research unit at ASU, found that 57% of the roughly 1,400 Arizonans surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that an independent statewide agency should be created to investigate shootings by police officers.

The online master’s degree program in criminology and criminal justice at Arizona State University continues for an eighth consecutive year as one of the nation’s top 10 such courses of study, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings announced. The online Master of Arts degree program earned a No. 7 ranking for 2022.

ASU’s No. 7 ranking is higher than those of the University of Cincinnati, the University of Nebraska-Omaha, the University of Central Florida and the University of Oklahoma.

From the global response to terrorism and the subversive weaponization of narratives, to the evolution of crisis management and guardians of civil liberties — 9/11 forced us to think differently; to rise to new challenges; and to confront the vulnerabilities of our democracy.

Twenty years after the attacks and in observance of the anniversary, ASU News reached out to faculty experts across Arizona State University to share their observations, research and reflections on 9/11’s cultural and global impact on our world — and on their work.

Twenty years ago, the country saw images of police officers heroically running into buildings that would soon come crashing down.

But over the past few years, people have seen uglier images of police officers abusing their power.

The terrorist attacks of 9/11 changed policing in America, according to William Terrill, professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University.

And now, he said, policing seems to be pivoting again.

Like everything else, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused upheaval in the criminal justice system, with disruptions in trials and outbreaks among incarcerated people.

A new research paper by an Arizona State University professor uses a new computer simulation software to quantify one of the pandemic’s effects: a greater likelihood that people who are detained before trial will plead guilty in order get out of jail and avoid exposure to COVID-19 — even if they are innocent.

The ASU Foundation has been awarded a $250,000 grant by the American Arbitration Association – International Centre for Dispute Resolution (AAA-ICDR) Foundation to explore the development of a statewide system for conducting Sentinel Event Reviews (SER) of police use of force, particularly among vulnerable populations. The award will also fund several actual SERs to demonstrate the concept.

Jeff McClelland was a dedicated and accomplished executive at the time of his death in 2006. A new scholarship his family has established in his name honors his great respect for higher education and demonstrates their commitment to the criminal justice profession.

Each year the Jeffrey D. McClelland Scholarship will support a graduate student working in the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions-based Center for Correctional Solutions at Arizona State University.

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