Police

Many police department web sites post press releases or arrest/incident reports that can be used as the basis for newswriting exercises. 

Los Angeles: http://www.lapdonline.org/press_releases/press_releases.htm

Detroit: http://www.ci.detroit.mi.us/police/home2.htm

Santa Monica: http://santamonicapd.org/Press_Info/press_release.htm

Duluth: www.police.ci.duluth.mn.us/PoliceSite/PressRel.asp

Davis, Ca.: http://www.city.davis.ca.us/police/press/

Madison, Wi: http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/police/press/prreport.cfm

Beaverton, Ore.: www.ci.beaverton.or.us/departments/police/community/police_pressreleases.html

Escondido: http://www.ci.escondido.ca.us/police/press/

University of Missouri-Columbia Police Department: http://www.mupolice.com/pr

The Smoking Gun - www.thesmokinggun.com - and Court TV - www.courttv.com - both carry arrest reports from high-profile cases, many involving celebrities.

Web sites operated by the Bureau of Justice Statistics - www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ - and the FBI - www.fbi.gov - both have a wealth of statistical data on crime in the United States. Users can access press releases or raw numbers broken down into a variety of categories that can be the basis for news stories.