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Nearly every crime has a digital component. As such, police leaders are under increased pressure to dedicate resources to combatting cyber-enabled crime. The purpose of Starting a CyberCrime Unit: Key Considerations for Police Chiefs is to offer law enforcement executives key considerations for establishing a cybercrime unit, including scope, recruitment/staffing, interagency partnerships, training, and funding. Additional resources can be found at the Law Enforcement Cyber Center Web site at iacpcybercenter.org Download a copy of the PDF document.

To help law enforcement personnel meet their continuing education goals, the FirstForward Marketplace offers 700 training opportunities, including all courses vetted by the IADLEST National Certification Program. Officers and departments can find both online and in-person training, including more than 150 free courses. In addition to these training opportunities, FirstForward offers a no cost system to file and store training records with paperless documentation which makes it easy to confirm that continuing education requirements are kept up-to-date. Officers can keep…

The demands of a community policing effort are different from one level of an organization to the next. A new publication, Community Policing: A Patrol Officer’s Perspective, and its companion volume, A First-Line Supervisor’s Perspective, illustrate how individual officers and supervisors can implement community policing practices in their agencies. It contains examples of officer-led problem-solving and relationship-building, along with guidelines for understanding community policing concepts and practices. These documents were developed by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community…

Newly available on Amazon books, “Harlem Raiders” is a hard-hitting, crime-fighting saga about a diverse narcotics team working in Harlem’s 32nd Precinct during the notorious 1970s and 80s. Based on a true story, NYPD Sergeant Peter Pranzo leads his narc team (nicknamed the “Harlem Raiders”) in one of New York City’s most notorious neighborhoods, ultimately achieving over 8000 gun and narcotics arrests during a seven-year period. Working closely with a local female community leader, Pranzo and his team form an…

Better knowledge of the use and effects of Conducted Energy Devices (CEDs) and developments in constitutional law have prompted law enforcement in the past decade to revisit policies on the widely used “less-lethal weapon” which stuns and usually immobilizes subjects to make it easier for law enforcement officers to subdue them. Since CEDs were introduced as a law enforcement tool, the NIJ has sponsored research related to implementation, officer training and potential effects. NIJ-sponsored research on CED effects has repeatedly…

The recent ransomware attacks targeting systems across the country are the latest in a string of attacks affecting state and local government partners. The growing number of such attacks highlights the critical importance of making cyber preparedness a priority and taking the necessary steps to secure our networks against adversaries. Prevention is the most effective defense against ransomware. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), the National Governors Association (NGA), and the…

The National Institute of Justice has released a new video which highlights the work of practitioners from across the criminal justice system. The video and its companion document, “National Best Practices for Implementing and Sustaining a Cold Case Investigation Unit,” (PDF) provide information on the importance of cold case units and the impact they can have within the criminal justice system. To view the video, go to nij.ojp.gov/media/video/23381

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services recently published a new report, “Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Programs: Eleven Case Studies,” designed primarily to address officer psychological health and well-being. This document focuses on innovative, but replicable, programs in law enforcement agencies of various sizes around the country. The publication reports on 11 case studies of programs in ten departments and one call-in crisis line. Each chapter describes the agencies’ programs and their origins, focusing on elements which can be implemented elsewhere…

The Law Enforcement Cyber Center (LECC) is designed to assist police chiefs, sheriffs, commanders, patrol officers, digital forensic investigators, detectives, and prosecutors who are investigating and preventing crimes which involve technology. The LECC addresses three principal functional areas: cybercrime investigations; digital forensics; and information systems security. The LECC is a collaborative project of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National White Collar Crime Center, and the Police Executive Research Forum. It is made possible by funding from the Bureau…

NRA’s Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award was established in 1993 and recognizes an exceptional act or service by a law enforcement officer and is administered by the NRA Law Enforcement Division. Nominations are accepted from anyone having knowledge of the nominee’s actions. This includes, but is not limited to, the nominee’s agency head, other law enforcement officials, elected officials, fellow officers, community leaders, interested citizens, and NRA members. For eligibility information, award categories, and complete information, click here…