How AI could help us solve crime: The Wake Up for Monday, Sept. 18, 2023

Subscribe to the Wake Up, cleveland.com’s free morning newsletter, delivered to your inbox weekdays at 5:30 a.m.

Artificial intelligence is everywhere.

AI can recognize your face on your iPhone. It can write an essay (albeit probably not a very good one). It can use algorithms to serve social media content it thinks will resonate.

And it can mine massive amounts of data for research in healthcare or criminal justice. It can discover patterns imperceptible to the human eye.

A Cleveland State University professor used AI to comb through thousands of police reports, over decades, to analyze what police officers wrote about rape.

She thought the most objective descriptions would garner leads to successful prosecutions. Her findings are fascinating and they have huge implications.

— Laura

Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers: 8:15 p.m., Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh. TV: WEWS Channel 5, ESPN. Radio: WKRK FM/92.3, WNCX FM/98.5, WKNR AM/850.

Guardians vs. Texas Rangers: José Ramírez celebrates birthday with style as Guardians sweep Rangers in 9-2 rout

Northeast Ohio weather forecast: Lots of sunshine this week

AI investigation: A Cleveland State University criminologist is demonstrating how machine learning can help solve a notoriously low-tech crime: rape. John Tucker reports that Professor Rachel Lovell used a computer to analyze thousands of incident reports written by Cleveland police officers over two decades in response to sexual assault and measure officer bias in each report. The more subjective reports triggered success.

School bus seatbelts: When Avon Lake City Schools replaced two retiring school buses with new buses equipped with seat belts, it became obvious quickly that the seat belts created new logistical and safety challenges. Hannah Drown reports that as officials debate mandating safety features, including seat belts, on school buses throughout the country, experts in Northeast Ohio are looking at pilot programs to see what worked.

Art seizure: Just two weeks after the Manhattan District Attorney’s office ordered the seizure of an ancient Roman bronze sculpture at the Cleveland Museum of Art, the same office ordered the seizure of a drawing by the Austrian Expressionist Egon Schiele from the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College. Steven Litt reports the Schiele drawing is one of three ordered seized as part of an investigation into works allegedly stolen from a Holocaust victim by the Nazis during World War II.

Today in Ohio: An Ohio Senate report says water and soil at and near the East Palestine train derailment site needs to be tested over the long term, at least for 20 years. We’re talking about the pollution at the train site on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.

Fracking form letters: As a state board barrels toward a decision today on opening two state parks and two protected wildlife areas for fracking, its public comments are flush with nearly 150 letters under the names of people who say they did not authorize or send them. The comments trace back to at least two different entities that wage advocacy and lobbying campaigns for the natural gas industry, an investigation from Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer has found. Jake Zuckerman reports how you can check if your name is on a letter.

Bob Young: Authorities filed new charges Friday against Ohio House Rep. Bob Young that stem from allegations that he violated a protection order in July. Young, 42, a Republican from North Canton, was also accused of menacing by stalking, according to Barberton Municipal Court records.

H2Ohio: A state program that encourages farmers to better manage the use of fertilizers on their fields is being expanded across Ohio, reports Peter Krouse. Until now, only farmers in select counties in Northwest Ohio have been eligible to receive financial incentives from the state in order to better manage their nutrient applications.

Early voting: U.S. Sen. JD Vance and a collection of national and Ohio Republican leaders hope to get more Republicans to vote early. On Friday, they announced a “Bank Your Vote” effort that will encourage their base to vote early “and deliver Republican victories up and down the ballot next November,” reports Andrew Tobias.

Beachwood Middle School

The Beachwood School District in Cuyahoga County was one of the school districts that received a perfect rating on the school district 2022-23 report card.

School report cards: A third of the school districts receiving top-level five-star scores in Ohio’s revamped school report card system are in Greater Cleveland, including a dozen districts in Cuyahoga County. Zachary Smith reports that overall, 25 of the 75 public districts statewide receiving five stars in the report cards released Thursday are from Cuyahoga and the surrounding counties – signifying that according to state guidelines each “significantly exceeds state standards.”

Hornblowers: The barge that once housed the Hornblower’s floating restaurant in downtown Cleveland docked at its new home Friday at Wildwood Marina in Cleveland Metroparks’ Euclid Creek Reservation. Courtney Astolfi has photos.

Hispanic Heritage Month: Do you know Hispanic people who are making a mark in areas such as business, art, music, politics, advocacy, activism or education? To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month — which runs now through Oct. 15 — cleveland.com is highlighting emerging Hispanic leaders in a series of profiles. Julie Washington details how to nominate someone for honors.

Hospitality study: One in 10 jobs in Cuyahoga County – 67,276 in 2022 – is in the leisure and hospitality industry, which includes restaurants, bars, hotels, museums, sports venues, music venues and other attractions. But that’s down from 2019, Susan Glaser reports, according to a Baldwin Wallace University study. The industry contributes $11 billion annually to the county economy, including more than $1 billion in federal, state and local taxes.

Unemployment: Ohio’s hot streak on unemployment cooled down slightly in August, with the unemployment rate increasing from 3.3% in July to 3.4%, reports Sean McDonnell. Ohio has been breaking records since April, when the state’s unemployment rate fell to 3.7% for the first time since at least 1976.

Bidet vs. toilet paper: If you’re game for a little bit of potty talk, a bidet might save you $45 or more each year, Sean McDonnell writes in his Saving You Money column. How much toilet paper do you save when you use a bidet? Many articles claim a 75% reduction. McDonnell doesn’t know where this estimate comes from, but in his experience, it’s at least in the ballpark.

Jazzy Cakez: Jasma Love has been busy preparing for the opening of Jazzy Cakez, a new bakery in the former La Crust space at 1020 Kenilworth Ave. in Tremont. The small bakery’s focus is cupcakes, cookies, brownies and chocolate-covered pretzels, reports Paris Wolfe.

Doinks Burgers: Doinks Burger Joint in the Waterloo Arts District of Clevelend’s Collinwood neighborhood might serve your favorite burger, reports Alex Darus. Doinks opened in August 2023, but owners Bonn Rassavong and Peter Brown, who owns Six Shooter Coffee, have been serving the Collinwood neighborhood their signature sandwich since 2020.

Jail death: An inmate died Tuesday after he became sick at the Cuyahoga County Jail, officials said. Olivia Mitchell reports county officials did not provide specific details surrounding the medical needs of Elving Lopez, 53, of Cleveland, who was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center.

Rocky River principal: Rocky River authorities have asked Cuyahoga County prosecutors to review the case of a school principal who parents say shared alcohol and smoked cigars with students, a new police report says. Rocky River police have investigated whether Heath Horton, the top administrator at Kensington Intermediate School, should be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to a 66-page police document obtained by cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer on Saturday.

Fentanyl sentence: A federal judge on Friday added four more years to the prison sentence of a convicted Cleveland drug dealer who sold a fatal dose of fentanyl to a Medina woman, reports Adam Ferrise. Johnathan Bella, 29, will spend 12 years and nine months in prison if he serves his full prison term on two cases. Bella’s drugs killed Claire Provagna on Feb. 11, 2020.

P!NK: Summer Carnival 2023 at Citi Field

Brandi Carlile, here opening for P!NK’s Summer Carnival at Citi Field in Queens, New York, last month. Carlile and her band performed a powerful and dynamic two-hour show at Blossom Music Center on Saturday.Al Mannarino | For NJ Advance Me

Brandi Carlile: Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile brought her latest tour to town and, in a two-hour show, rocked, encouraged, commiserated and charmed the crowd at Blossom Music Center on Saturday night, Malcom X Abram reports.

Tina Fey & Amy Pohler: If you saw the “Barbie” movie, Beyonce, Taylor Swift or “SIX the Musical” this summer, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in Cleveland should be on your calendar. Molly Walsh writes that it’s no surprise that the Fey/Poehler show is just as witty and ridiculous as some of their most famous impressions, characters and sketches they wrote.

Paladar: After 16 years in Woodmere, Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar is closing, Alex Darus reports. Owned by the same company, Bomba Taco + Bar in Fairlawn and Rocky River also are closing.

House of the Week: In the market for a private, resort-style retreat? The magnificent estate at 8525 Mentor Road in Chardon Township ticks all the boxes, reports Joey Morona. Built in 2002, the colonial-style home has over 11,600 square feet of living space with five bedrooms, nine bathrooms, an indoor recreation area, finished basement, three-car attached garage plus another three-car detached garage. The price is $2,250,000.

Don’t forget, you can always find the latest Cleveland news by visiting cleveland.com. If you value the hard work of Cleveland journalists, consider becoming a cleveland.com subscriber.

— Curated by Laura Johnston with contributions by Cliff Pinckard

Man, woman die in separate crashes in Akron, police say Read more

Wanted man rams SUV into Brook Park police cruiser, lets vehicle roll into Rocky River Read more

Middleburg Heights to offer residents $2,500 grants to fix sanitary sewer issues Read more

Middleburg Heights buys key redevelopment acreage in Southland Read more

Brook Park poised for Brookview school property sale, new housing Read more

University Heights takes owner of Waterstone Medical Building to court over exterior violations Read more

Shaker football game day threats now ‘a police matter’ with active investigation into source Read more

County grant enables Berea to bolster tree canopy Read more

Logo-favicon

Sign up to receive the latest local, national & international Criminal Justice News in your inbox, everyday.

We don’t spam! Read our [link]privacy policy[/link] for more info.

Sign up today to receive the latest local, national & international Criminal Justice News in your inbox, everyday.

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.