Martin Kaste

The police shootings in Baton Rouge, La., and suburban St. Paul, Minn., this week have some important parallels and some equally important differences. NPR explores what these shootings tell us about police training and the risks for blacks who carry guns.

A day after police shot and killed Anton Sterling, local authorities turned the criminal probe over to federal officials. That most likely wouldn't have happened before the age of Black Lives Matter.

Did police in Orlando wait too long to rescue the hostages barricaded with the shooter inside the Pulse nightclub? Some members of the public are angry about the three hours it took for the final assault on the shooter, saying the delay cost lives. A tactical expert and the police chief respond.

Future Shock by Alvin Toffler was a huge sensation when it was published in 1970. The book perfectly captured the angst of that time and prepared society for more changes to come.

American cities pay out hundreds of millions a year to settle police misconduct complaints and lawsuits. An advocacy group in Minneapolis wants to require cops to pay for their own insurance.

Overdose deaths have been driven lately by a synthetic opioid called Fentanyl, which is cheaper than heroin and more potent. Officials are expanding the alert to include a newer opioid called W-18.

Audio recordings from the Orlando Fire Department show how tense and dramatic the scene was outside of the Pulse nightclub, where a gunman opened fire inside, killing 49, on June 12.

A Justice Department study indicates the effect — a breakdown in trust between minority communities and police — may play a role in the rising murder rate in many urban areas.

New Mexico passed a sweeping overhaul of civil asset forfeiture. Legislators say some cities' budgets are so dependent on seized assets that they disregarding the law.

Early last year, the Obama administration pledged to reform the civil asset forfeiture system, by which police can seize and keep suspicious assets without having to convict anyone of a crime. Critics of that system say the reforms haven't changed much.

The state of Louisiana is close to extending hate crime protection to police officers and other emergency responders. The so-called "Blue Lives Matter" bill is a response to a growing sentiment among many in law enforcement that they are under attack.

The White House is pushing the initiative as a way to overhaul police practices by tracking them. But police departments can choose whether to participate, and even which kinds of data to release.

A project to encourage police to be open about the use of force stems from a lack of information following the 2014 Ferguson protests. Some departments keep good data and some keep none.

After a speech about encryption and privacy, James Comey said he puts tape over his laptop's camera. Privacy activists seized on that as hypocritical, given the FBI's stance on "unhackable" devices.

What happens when law enforcement is frustrated by encryption that's run by private citizens? In one Tor volunteer's case, they showed up with a warrant and asked for computer passwords.

There are limits to what the government can do, but it turns out that insurers look for ways to push police departments they cover to reduce risk.

The Justice Department says it no longer requires Apple's help to retrieve data on a phone linked to the San Bernadino attacks. The government moved to drop the court order demanding Apple assist.

Why are police radio communications in the U.S. open for the public to hear? Some say this creates a weakness when confronting terrorist attacks, but others say it's important for police transparency.

Elected prosecutors are now losing their jobs for failing to throw the book at police in shootings. Voters booted out of office the county district attorney who didn't file charges against the Cleveland officer who shot Tamir Rice. The same fate met the state's attorney in Chicago, who brought charges only after a video of an officer-involved shooting was made public by court order. Some criminologists say it also reflects a deeper shift by the public, one that is moving away from the harsh prosecutorial stances of the past.

Recent presidential campaign events are raising questions about the role of police at political rallies. NPR explores whether police are there to keep the peace or to do the bidding of campaigns.