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This series of publications from the International Association of Chiefs of Police offers guidelines for law enforcement officers responding to situations involving individuals reasonably believed to be persons in crisis. The series addresses how officers can best make judgments regarding the mental state and intent of individuals and offers model policies for the use of special skills, techniques and abilities to effectively and appropriately resolve situations while minimizing violence. Various formats of the series can be downloaded at https://tinyurl.com/y9zcwqwa.  

Recently, the Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) released the Fentanyl Safety Recommendations for First Responders’ companion training video, Fentanyl: The Real Deal. The video was produced by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to help first responders protect themselves when the presence of fentanyl is suspected or encountered on the job. The video is available at https://tinyurl.com/y8epbq7w. Fentanyl: The Real Deal provides recommendations to law enforcement on how to navigate safely around the increased prevalence of fentanyl…

The Bureau of Justice Statistics recently announced that the portion of U.S. residents age 16 or older who had experienced contact with the police in the preceding 12 months declined from 26 percent in 2011 to 21 percent in 2015. The number of residents who had experienced contact with police dropped by more than nine million people, from 62.9 million to 53.5 million during the period. From 2011 to 2015, the number of persons who had contact which was police…

(Plant City, FL) The Tactical Games, a series of competitive events for tactical athletes pushing physical and mental strength, is holding a regional event in Autryville, NC on October 13-14. This event will be held at The Range Complex at 2850 TigerSwan Dr. in Autryville, NC. It will consist of two days of extreme competition among top level physical competitors with unique tactical skill sets. This event will be the next installment of combat as a spectator sport. Based on…

The National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA) announced the latest update to its Tactical Response and Operation Standard (TROS) for Law Enforcement. This document establishes a basic set of standards for law enforcement agencies and serves as an efficient core set of concepts and principles which improve standardization within the profession of tactical law enforcement services. The NTOA’s mission is to enhance the performance and professional status of law enforcement personnel by providing a credible and proven training resource, as well…

When first responders are on a mission, being able to quickly and easily track the location of their fellow responders can be challenging, especially in situations where the team is spread out. Many responders are only able to coordinate their locations by radioing each other or the command post and providing a very detailed message on their exact location. This can be time-consuming and can change every second if they are in an emergency situation or on a call. Recognizing…

On June 12, 2018, the United States Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center released “Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model: An Operational Guide for Preventing Targeted School Violence.” The guide provides schools and communities with a framework to identify students of concern; assess their risks for engaging in violence; and identify intervention strategies to mitigate those risks. The Secret Service also recommends that, among other actions, schools should establish a multidisciplinary threat assessment team which meets regularly and establishes…

In December 2017, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) released Rescue, Response, and Resilience: A Critical Incident Review of the Orlando Public Safety Response to the Attack on the Pulse Nightclub. This report is an independent critical incident review of the Orlando, Florida, Police Department’s response to identify best practices and lessons learned to improve the department’s planning, training, policies, procedures, and practices regarding critical events of this nature and magnitude. The review and resulting report provides important lessons for…

Incidents of mass violence and terrorism – bombings, mass riots and shootings, hijackings, bioterrorism attacks, and other human-caused disasters – present unique challenges to the communities in which they occur. These incidents require a coordinated, cross-sector approach among federal, state, local, and tribal governments; private entities; and nonprofit organizations to drive an effective response. The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) has developed the “Helping Victims of Mass Violence & Terrorism: Planning, Response, Recovery, and Resources Toolkit” to help communities…

On June 7, 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the U.S. Department of Justice’s first grants under the Student, Teachers and Officers Preventing School Violence Act of 2018 (STOP School Violence Act of 2018) at the 24th Annual Joint Conference of the Montana Association of Chiefs of Police and the 88th Annual Montana Police Protective Association. The STOP School Violence Act of 2018 appropriated funds for both the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)…