News

NIJ-funded researchers created a toolkit to help reduce the likelihood of mass shootings and other public attacks, and reduce the casualties of completed attacks.    After studying 600 mass attack events and plots, interviewing dozens of experts and reviewing hundreds of references, the team identified the Mass Attacks Defense Chain, a series of defenses which work together to reduce the probability of mass attacks and their impacts. In this toolkit, researchers describe the most important tips they found to help…

On April 27, 2022, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Law Enforcement Knowledge Lab, a free training, technical assistance and resource hub for law enforcement designed to promote constitutional policing, improve public safety, and build trust in communities across the country. Agencies will be able to turn to the Knowledge Lab for free, voluntary resources, including research summaries, profiles of best practices, training curricula, and a roster of constitutional policing experts to support their needs. The…

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) funded the development of a cloud-based capability which enables first responders to review and analyze indoor floor plans in real-time when responding to incidents. Mappedin Response was developed in collaboration with Mappedin Inc. of Waterloo, Ontario, and is available to first responders and local governments as a licensed cloud-based service.       “It has been a major challenge for first responders to quickly determine the layouts of structures, hindering them from…

Published by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), this report discusses the causes and consequences of school violence and how to improve strategies for protecting against school violence and its detrimental effects. The report offers one of the most comprehensive reviews of school violence research to date, helping identify several important implications for strategies to reduce school violence and suggestions for future research. It will also shed light on which factors are strongly or weakly associated with school violence which…

A newly released report details research focused on measuring key fire-related properties to better understand not only the properties of the material, but also the difficulty and cost in measuring those properties. This research effectively created a more accurate methodology for predicting how things burn to aid in arson investigations. In the report, “Determination of Material Property Input Data for Fire Modeling,” researcher Brian Lattimer noted that the results, “will not only provide a more standardized approach for material property…

Published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the 2022 Annual Threat Assessment report focuses on the worldwide threats to US national security for the upcoming year and specifically provides the Intelligence Community’s baseline assessments of the most pressing threats to US national interests, while emphasizing the United States’ key adversaries and competitors. The report details the objectives, activities and capabilities of four adversarial nations: China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Additionally, it examines conflicts and instability taking…

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, has published online trainings titled “Responding to First Amendment-Protected Events – The Role of State and Local Law Enforcement Officers.”  This Web site provides training videos to assist law enforcement personnel in understanding their roles and responsibilities as they prepare for, and respond to, First Amendment-protected events; protecting the privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties of persons and groups participating in these events; and reinforcing fundamental…

Published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), this annual report for 2021 outlines information related to the 847,376 complaints of suspected cybercrime, with reported losses at $6.9 billion, which were received throughout 2021. According to IC3 data, phishing scams, nonpayment/nondelivery scams, and personal data breaches were the top three reported crimes in 2021, and victims lost the most money to business E-mail compromise scams, investment fraud, and romance and confidence schemes. People in the…

Published by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), this is the ninth edition of the Global Terrorism Index. Trends suggest that, out of the 163 countries included in this study, approximately two-thirds reported no deaths or attacks from terrorism between 2020–2021. The majority of terrorist activity has been concentrated in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa – a major shift from the conflict in Syria. Terrorism-related incidents in the West have continued a downward pattern since 2018 with a decrease…

Published by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the “Summary of Resources for State, Local, Tribal, Territorial, and Campus Law Enforcement Partners” highlights many of the resources available to law enforcement partners, including training and grant opportunities, to increase nationwide resilience to evolving threats. This includes key tips and information related to human trafficking, forced labor, cybersecurity, information and intelligence sharing, preparedness and prevention, school safety, and critical infrastructure protection. A copy of the guide can be viewed and/or…