June 2022

What Are Predictors of School Violence? What Are Its Consequences?

Published by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), this report discusses the causes and consequences of school violence and how to improve strategies for protecting against school violence and its detrimental effects. The report offers one of the most comprehensive reviews of school violence research to date, helping identify several important implications for strategies to reduce school violence and suggestions for future research. It will also shed light on which factors are strongly or weakly associated with school violence which…


New Research Better Predicts How Things Burn

A newly released report details research focused on measuring key fire-related properties to better understand not only the properties of the material, but also the difficulty and cost in measuring those properties. This research effectively created a more accurate methodology for predicting how things burn to aid in arson investigations. In the report, “Determination of Material Property Input Data for Fire Modeling,” researcher Brian Lattimer noted that the results, “will not only provide a more standardized approach for material property…


New Report on Threat Assessment

Published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the 2022 Annual Threat Assessment report focuses on the worldwide threats to US national security for the upcoming year and specifically provides the Intelligence Community’s baseline assessments of the most pressing threats to US national interests, while emphasizing the United States’ key adversaries and competitors. The report details the objectives, activities and capabilities of four adversarial nations: China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Additionally, it examines conflicts and instability taking…


Online First Amendment-protected Event Training for Law Enforcement Personnel

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, has published online trainings titled “Responding to First Amendment-Protected Events – The Role of State and Local Law Enforcement Officers.”  This Web site provides training videos to assist law enforcement personnel in understanding their roles and responsibilities as they prepare for, and respond to, First Amendment-protected events; protecting the privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties of persons and groups participating in these events; and reinforcing fundamental…


Low Powered Variable Optics for Patrol

Paul Reyman Photo courtesy of Richard King Photography Patrol rifles have been an armament for much of American law enforcement for a relatively short period of time. However, lawmen in the Western areas of our country frequently carried rifles as the distances frequently encountered demanded it. Back in the day, most urban or suburban law enforcement agencies issued a shotgun, typically loaded with buckshot and/or slugs. Within its tactical niche, the 12-gauge shotgun is hard to beat. Buckshot, although short-range,…


How to Recognize the Signs of Abnormal Breathing

Ray Casillas, EMT-Paramedic, and John G. Peters, Jr., CLS, Ph.D. ©2022. A.R.R.  “It’s not fair, I’m telling you, it’s not fair!” “Officer, calm down! Calm down!” said the Internal Affairs investigator in a loud voice. “How can I calm down when the department didn’t train me about what to look for and you guys are now trying to hold me and my backup officers responsible for his death,” replied the officer. Historically, many defensive tactics and/or restraint instructors have taught…


FBI’s Internet Crime Report 2021

Published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), this annual report for 2021 outlines information related to the 847,376 complaints of suspected cybercrime, with reported losses at $6.9 billion, which were received throughout 2021. According to IC3 data, phishing scams, nonpayment/nondelivery scams, and personal data breaches were the top three reported crimes in 2021, and victims lost the most money to business E-mail compromise scams, investment fraud, and romance and confidence schemes. People in the…


THE WHEELS OF JUSTICE May/June 2022

SERGEANT JAMES POST THE ACOPALYPSE Coming soon to a multiplex near you: “The Acopalypse.” Opening scene: Tom Cruise, in a somewhat grungy police uniform, walks down a debris littered city street, past burnt-out businesses, numerous abandoned tents and shopping carts, until he spots what he’s looking for – an abandoned several years old police cruiser. It sits between two burnt-out units, although graffiti covered and sitting on four cinder blocks, this one is relatively intact. Officer Cruise opens a door…


Global Terrorism Index 2022 Report

Published by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), this is the ninth edition of the Global Terrorism Index. Trends suggest that, out of the 163 countries included in this study, approximately two-thirds reported no deaths or attacks from terrorism between 2020–2021. The majority of terrorist activity has been concentrated in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa – a major shift from the conflict in Syria. Terrorism-related incidents in the West have continued a downward pattern since 2018 with a decrease…