April 2024

Critical Incident Review: Active Shooter at Robb Elementary School

On Thursday, January 18, 2024, the Department of Justice, through the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), released a report on its critical incident review of the law enforcement response to the tragic school shooting at Robb Elementary School. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced the review shortly after the tragedy on May 24, 2022, in which 19 children and two teachers died at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The report provides a thorough description of the critical…


Considerations for Specialized Units: A Guide for State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies to Ensure Appropriateness, Effectiveness, and Accountability

Throughout 2023, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and the National Policing Institute (NPI) convened a series of meetings to discuss specialized units in state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies and create guidance for those agencies’ leadership to consider when forming, managing and disbanding such units. This report includes sections on identifying the need for a specialized unit; selecting the unit’s membership and leadership; managing the unit; establishing its policies, procedures, and end date; holding the unit…


2024 Law Enforcement Resource Guide

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the 2024 Law Enforcement Resource Guide for state, local, tribal, territorial, and campus law enforcement partners. This resource guide, updated annually, highlights the most up-to-date training and resources DHS provides to support law enforcement. Download a copy of the resource guide (PDF)


Legal Update March/April 2024

Larry E. Holtz, Esq. Concealed Carry for Retired Law Enforcement Officers In Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association vs. Attorney General New Jersey (No. 22-2209; 2-14-2024), retired law enforcement officers from various agencies brought an action claiming that a federal statute, the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA), 18 U.S.C. § 925C, gives them a federal right to carry concealed firearms anywhere in the United States, including their home state of New Jersey. The Third Circuit agreed, holding that “thefederal statute…


Busted! Real Stories of Genuine Absurdity March/April 2024

James L. McClinton, Ph.D. Gone in 60 seconds… A trio of armed and masked criminals in Commerce City, Colorado, recently robbed a check-cashing service. Unfortunately, the armed robbery went awry when the three pathetic perpetrators emerged from the scene of the crime with cash in hand, only to discover that someone had stolen their getaway car while they were inside robbing the business. Interestingly, police suspect their getaway car “may have already been stolen” from someone else. No one was…