March 2023

Implementing Peer Support Services in Small and Rural Law Enforcement Agencies

Published by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), this publication discusses peer support as an important part of an officer wellness strategy. Employees may feel more comfortable initially seeking support from a peer who understands the context and has experienced the same stressors. This guide provides a road map for small and rural law enforcement agencies implementing or enhancing peer support services. It highlights promising practices and provides brief case studies of peer support programs in three small…


How to Help Your Law Enforcement Loved One

Published by the National Suicide Awareness for Law Enforcement Officers Program (SAFLEO), this brief discusses the reluctance of some law enforcement officers to seek mental health treatment. The people closest to them often hold a special kind of influence when trying to convince their loved ones to seek help. This SAFLEO issue brief provides ways for family members, friends and others to support their law enforcement loved ones and shares practical strategies for helping officers in need.  The brief can…


Documenting and Advancing Promising Practices in Law Enforcement Victim Support – Agency Self-assessment Tool for Law Enforcement Victim Support

Published by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), this publication discusses the importance of victim centered, trauma informed approaches to crime. These approaches enhance victim and community safety while helping law enforcement solve and prevent crime. The Agency Self-Assessment Tool for Law Enforcement Victim Support is designed to assist law enforcement agencies in reviewing practices related to victim response – specifically the integration of victim centered, trauma informed practices into the overall operating philosophy and culture of the…


BUSTED! Real Stories of Genuine Absurdity Marcha/April 2023

James L. McClinton, PH.D. It’s shocking – criminals will break the law even while in court… A Georgia man and a fellow codefendant are facing new allegations that they conducted a hand-to-hand drug deal inside the courtroom while jury selection was taking place. Courtroom surveillance footage shows the alleged drug deal, with one man sliding something into the other man’s hands. A deputy spotted the transaction and confiscated what was later determined to be a Percocet pill. Deputies reportedly found…


…AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH March/April 2023

Ramesh Nyberg These Kids Today… “Children: They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. They no longer rise when elders enter the room, they contradict their parents and tyrannize their teachers. Children are now tyrants.”       So true, isn’t it? Today’s youth bewilders, frustrates and, sometimes, angers us to no end. Now, would you care to guess who wrote that quote at the beginning of this column? If you’re trying to…