News

In 2018, North Carolina, like other states, found itself in the position of responding to school shootings with statewide actions. As a result, the Governor’s Crime Commission established the Special Committee on School Shootings (SCSS) to develop recommendations to strengthen school safety. The SCSS recently released a report which includes 33 recommendations to enhance school safety and prevent school shootings, 22 of which are categorized under five broad themes: training, physical security, threat intelligence and assessment, school and law enforcement…

LEO Near Miss is a reporting system for law enforcement officers initiated by the Police Foundation in 2013. A near miss, or close call, is any incident which could have resulted in a law enforcement officer’s serious injury or death. The LEO Near Miss Reporting System and Database is a platform which enables sworn law enforcement officers from across the country to share the details of incidents in which an officer was almost seriously injured or killed, providing valuable takeaways…

The U.S. Department of Justice has released updated guidelines to help states and regional offices recover abducted children through America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response (AMBER) Alerts. This guide provides a “what works” approach, based on the input of those who lead and oversee AMBER Alerts, as part of larger missing persons and child protection programs at the state and regional levels. Copies of this guide are available at: https://www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/252759.pdf

The U.S. Department of Justice has released two reports which focus on the mental health and safety of the nation’s federal, state, local, and tribal police officers. The first report, Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act: Report to Congress, includes 22 recommendations to Congress ranging from supporting programs to embed mental health professionals in law enforcement agencies to supporting the development of model policies and implementation guidance, enabling law enforcement agencies to make substantial efforts to reduce suicide. The…

Law enforcement has increasingly become the primary point of contact for individuals living with mental illness and the presence of these individuals in jail populations has grown to crisis proportions. A new report, developed by the Major County Sheriffs of America, identifies innovative practices which have proven successful in reducing the arrest and incarceration of individuals living with mental illness in jurisdictions across the country. Copies of this report can be downloaded at: https://tinyurl.com/yx8oghrl

The Justice Technology Information Center recently released two new reports related to the ways in which law enforcement agencies use UAS to fulfill their missions. The Testing of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Law Enforcement Use in Indoor Tactical Missions summarizes testing done by three law enforcement agencies on using small unmanned aircraft systems for indoor tactical missions. Information on the effects and potential limitations imposed by maneuvering in tight, confined spaces and in environments where GPS, video and command/control…

The Justice Technology Information Center (JTIC), a National Institute of Justice program, has recently added a new model program to its school safety Web site (https://tinyurl.com/y3s967vd) which highlights the school safety educational program implemented by the City of Falls Church, Virginia. “The First 12 Minutes” is a multifaceted program which provides training to administrators, teachers and school staff, all within a three hour window, at no charge to the participating schools. This program includes active shooter response and Stop the Bleed®…

With support from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) conducted a multiyear project to assess homicide investigation practices in five cities: Baltimore, Cleveland, Houston, Miami, and Pittsburgh. A recent report, Promising Strategies for Strengthening Homicide Investigations, summarizes the lessons learned from those studies and serves as a roadmap to effective homicide investigations, based on policies, practices and strategies which police departments have found successful. A copy of the report can be found at https://tinyurl.com/yym8bjem

The National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) provides a nationwide support system for law enforcement and regulatory agencies tasked with the prevention, investigation and prosecution of economic and high-tech crime. With assistance from the Indiana State Police, NW3C has developed a Seizure of Virtual and Crypto Currencies Model Policy. The model policy, which outlines the recommended steps to seize cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, was reviewed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s Computer Crime and Digital Evidence Committee and the…

In August 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) convened a meeting of 40 rank-and-file officers as part of a roundtable discussion regarding their roles in implementing their agencies’ community policing policies and operations. The officers came from departments across the country and explored a wide range of issues from the viewpoint of those who work on the ground. The meeting provided insights and recommendations for ways in which officers, law enforcement leaders and…