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The purpose of this study is to describe the creation, implementation, activities and rationale for the Area Technology Centers (ATCs), an innovation adopted by the Chicago Police Department’s (CPD’s) Bureau of Detectives (BoD) in 2019 for the purpose of supporting investigations of crimes of serious violence by deploying specialized teams of officers to gather and process video and digital evidence.

This case study utilizes historical information and descriptive data generated by a record-keeping system adopted by the ATCs.

The ATCs were developed as a collaboration between the CPD and the University of Chicago Crime Lab (a research center). The start-up was funded by a gift from the Griffin Foundation. Detectives have made extensive use of the services provided by the ATCs from the beginning, with the result that homicide and shooting investigations now have access to more video and digital evidence that has been processed by state-of-the-art equipment. The CPD has assumed budget responsibility for the ATCs, which is an indication of their success. The ATC teams have been assembled by voluntary transfers by sworn officers, together with an embedded analyst from the University of Chicago.

The ATC model could be adopted by other large police departments. The study finds that ATCs can be effectively staffed by redeploying and training existing staff and that their operation does not require a budget increase.

By arguably making police investigations of shooting cases more efficient, the ATCs have the potential to increase the clearance rate and thereby prevent future gun violence.

The ATCs are a novel response to the challenges of securing and making good use of video and digital evidence in police investigations.

The purpose of this paper is to identify pre‐loan factors that ultimately impact post‐loan risk ratings of small business in southern Arkansas.

Ordinary least squares linear regression analysis is conducted on small business data to determine which factors contribute to higher post‐loan credit risk ratings.

Businesses with records of loan repayment and personal financial assets at stake are more likely to be assigned better credit risk ratings. Additional analysis indicates that businesses with no past due collections or judgments, having good trade references, a profitable business, and not operating in a volatile industry are much more likely to result in loans ultimately receiving good post‐loan performance marks and lower risk ratings.

This paper has a small sample of firms in a historically economically depressed region. While the relevant factors seem intuitive they may not apply to other regions and/or larger businesses.

Results of this paper may be interesting to loan officers of banks and other lenders, particularly in this region given the current financial crisis.

This paper is the first to analyze actual data from small businesses in southern Arkansas. The results may help the organizations attempting to aid economic development in this region.

The purpose of this article is to provide a critical analysis of court decisions on what amounts to a dispute that may be referred to adjudication under the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996.

Legal research methods were followed. The first stage entailed a review of relevant literature. Reports of court decisions were then studied to identify cases involving litigation on what amounts to a dispute. A total of 26 cases, going back to 1965, were identified. Each case was then analysed to extract the applicable legal principles, particular attention being paid to clarity and consistency with not only other cases but also the policy underlying the relevant legislation.

Until only recently, first instance judges adopted the one or the other of two opposing approaches to the question, thereby causing considerable litigation. The Court of Appeal has twice approved a flexible approach based on the principle that a dispute arises only after a party has been given reasonable opportunity to consider the other party's claim and has rejected it expressly or by implication.

The novelty and global spread of adjudication lends the article considerable originality and value. Its main value is in the guidance it provides as to the principles that the court is likely to apply in answering the question whether a dispute capable of being referred to arbitration or adjudication exists. It is hoped that knowledge of these principles will reduce litigation on this issue.

The paper seeks to examine how the existence of a “dispute” for the purpose of construction adjudication has been determined and to consider whether direct application of the often cited Halki Shipping Corporation v. Sopex Oils Ltd could lead to a breach of natural justice.

The paper analyses construction adjudication enforcement judgments since 2000 and considers the different approaches taken by the various judges. Cases are considered chronologically and are grouped into distinct phases to demonstrate the development of the law in this area.

There is no definitive meaning of “dispute” and the existence of a dispute in construction adjudication is a subjective issue requiring a practical common‐sense approach relying on the facts, the law and policy considerations. If a strict application of Halki is used in such cases, a breach of natural justice may arise whereas a common‐sense application of the Halki test, taking cognisance of time‐related issues and the original intent of construction adjudication, offers scope to establish a universal policy.

The paper provides a historical summary which should encourage parties to adjudication to recognise that many of the court challenges which arise could be prevented, or could be more easily resolved if a reasonable, common sense approach was adopted.

The paper provides a comprehensive review of construction adjudication case law relating to the existence of a “dispute” and indicates how the law has developed in this area.

Since the shootings at Kent State University (KSU) in 1970, students and activists have held commemorative ceremonies to mark that event. The university ignored that past and decided to build a gym annex covering part of the land on which the National Guard had maneuvered in 1970. Led by the May 4th Coalition, activists sought to persuade the university to change the building's location. The student concern was the preservation of what they viewed as “sacred” ground which would be buried underneath the annex. At the 1977 annual commemoration speakers raised the annex issue and the newly formed May 4th Coalition ultimately occupied the site of the planned building with a tent city. That occupation was forcefully removed, and the university did build the facility where planned. The physical and spatial aspects of the commemoration of the Kent State shootings did, over time, lead the university to take on the responsibility to memorialize that conflict. This paper focuses on two interrelated issues: (1) the efforts of the May 4th Coalition and residents of Tent City to block or move the gym annex and (2) the refusal of KSU for years to recognize the broad significance of the events of May 1970 and their attempt to ignore or bury it.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a commentary on Griffin et al.’s paper, “Positive family connections: Co-producing a virtual group programme for family carers of children with learning disabilities or who are autistic”.

This is a commentary on co-production, drawing on Griffin et al.’s paper and the values base of the field.

Co-production is a valuable approach which seeks to empower and include key people in research. As suggested by Griffin et al., disseminating learning about co-production is an important additional principle of co-production, which demonstrates a values-based commitment to co-production.

This commentary is aimed at professionals and researchers working in the field of learning disabilities who are keen to learn about and do co-production.

Research and anecdotal clinical work indicate that complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) in families that have children and adults who have a learning disability and/or are autistic may be prevalent. This paper aims to provide a preliminary formulation of complex trauma in families.

This report is based on a review of clinical psychotherapeutic work with six families. The themes are derived from the assessment period through examining the assessment reports and clinical supervision notes for thematic patterns.

This report suggests that the prevalence of CPTSD in families of people who have a learning disability and/or are autistic needs to be researched across the family lifecycle and that there are specific factors that mediate complex trauma symptomatology.

CPTSD symptomatology in these families is inadequately conceptualised and this is one of the first papers suggesting this as a potentially helpful framework to consider the experiences of families.

Numerous contributors to the BJLPS have commented about the importance of a conceptualisation of leadership at a range of organisational levels. For our interview in this issue Graham Towl was in conversation with Alan Griffin, Children's Services Manager at the Chilston Service at Barnardos in Tunbridge Wells. The Chilston project enjoys a national reputation as a centre for good practice in working with some challenging and vulnerable children. The high‐quality resources of the project are drawn upon from throughout the South East (and sometimes beyond). Such effective local leadership is probably one of the more demanding but hidden roles in public services.Alan Griffin has a background working in both the health sector and Social Services. Working for Barnardos has been his first job in the third sector. He is a qualified social worker and therapist.