News

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has issued an updated standard for ballistic-resistant body armor – NIJ Standard 0101.07 – tailored to the needs of law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies. Key updates include improved test methods for armor designed for women; more rigorous testing of soft armor panels; revised testing of hard armor plates, including curved plates; and references to ten standardized test methods, laboratory practices and terminology guides. Law enforcement agencies should expect to see body armor…

Published by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), this report addresses one of the most critical issues in policing today: the role of police officers in responding to calls for service involving people in mental or behavioral health crisis. This has been a serious challenge for policing for decades, ever since mental health institutions were closed. People were discharged without adequate provision of help to live in the community and many of them landed on the streets. This report, which…

The “Overcoming Language Barriers in Policing and Building an Effective Language Access Program” includes resources and tools developed by the US Department of Justice’s Law Enforcement Language Access Initiative (LELAI) which can assist local and state law enforcement agencies in their efforts to provide meaningful language access to individuals with limited English proficiency within their jurisdiction. An initiative led by the Civil Rights Division’s Federal Coordination and Compliance Section in partnership with US Attorneys’ offices, the resources review the legal obligation to provide language…

Published by the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) and the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST), this report describes the results of the Academy Innovations project, a COPS Office supported initiative aimed at studying ways to improve the methodology for delivering basic police training content. Recruits’ ability to learn and retain material presented during and after basic police academy training is a genuine concern for academy directors,…

Funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), this toolkit serves as an online educational toolkit with strategies, guidance and links to resources on preventing and responding to mass attacks. Mass public attacks, whether personally or ideologically motivated, cause much concern and fear. Nonetheless, you can often take actions to prevent, defend against and respond to them. A recent NIJ funded research project analyzed over 600 mass attack plots, hundreds of articles and resources, and dozens of expert interviews to…

Published by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), this article spotlights the Preventing Violence Against Law Enforcement and Ensuring Officer Resilience and Survivability (VALOR) Safer Together training program, an initiative aimed at building positive partnerships between police officers and the communities they serve to reduce crime and ensure safety and wellness for all. Community safety doesn’t start with a traffic stop – it begins with building trust. That’s just one of the lessons Lieutenant James Jefferson III of the Louisiana…

Published by the Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), in collaboration with the Police Executive Research Forum, this publication aims to help law enforcement agencies manage the risks of conducting and not conducting vehicular pursuits. The guide uses findings from NHTSA research and other credible institutions on crashes and collisions involving police pursuits, as well as focusing group discussions and review of 48 agencies’ policies to provide safety information and model…

Published by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics, this report provides summary statistics to inform the nation about current aspects of crime and safety in schools. The report includes the most recent available data at the time of its development, compiled from a number of statistical data sources supported by the federal government. To read the full report, go to https://tinyurl.com/fyp8che4

Earlier this year, at a convening hosted by the Office for Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance and funded by the US Attorney General, more than 35 participants met in Washington, DC, to review the current state of law enforcement recruitment and retention and explore ways these activities can be modernized to meet the needs of today’s agencies, communities and workforce. The group pinpointed practices which may be contributing to hiring and retention difficulties in…

With women only comprising 12 percent of officers in the field, and just three percent of leadership roles, law enforcement agencies are struggling to meet recruitment goals in terms of diversity and community representation.  Research shows women officers engage more frequently in de-escalation; are effective in responding to crimes involving violence against women; and foster the cooperation and trust required to implement community policing.  To address the need for more women in policing, NIJ funded researchers explored if women-focused recruiting strategies could improve engagement, perceptions and motivation to apply to law enforcement jobs. A copy of the findings can…