News

Street-level crime is down significantly in Schenectady, NY, as officers implement the groundbreaking software tool, Patrolfinder, to improve patrol coverage. The Schenectady Police Department (SPD) and software firm Transfinder Corporation unveiled these results during their presentation at the Division of Criminal Justice Services Public Safety Symposium in September. During SPD’s presentation, Chief Eric Clifford and several officers noted that the patented solution, Patrolfinder, is already transforming how officers serve the community. The presentation, led by Chief Clifford and Transfinder CEO…

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund releases the 2025 midyear fatalities report depicting firearms fatalities as the leading cause of law enforcement deaths so far this year.  The number of law enforcement professionals nationwide who died in the line of duty in the first half of 2025 decreased 53% compared to the same time period last year, according to preliminary data provided by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF). The NLEOMF data shows that 42 federal, state, county, municipal,…

Pocket reference guides provide law enforcement officials with up-to-date state election law information to help protect against violence, threats and intimidation. The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections (CSSE) announced the release of its updated 2025 law enforcement quick reference guides in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. These pocket-sized resources are a collection of each state’s election security laws, providing officers and government officials with a convenient resource which helps them to protect election operations, voters and…

The BJS recently released State and Local Law Enforcement Training Academies’ Training Topics and Instructors, 2022 – Statistical Tables. This report describes the number and types of basic training curricula of state and local law enforcement training academies in the United States in 2022. Findings in the report are based primarily on the 2022 Census of Law Enforcement Training Academies (CLETA), the fifth iteration of the data collection.  Conducted periodically since 2002, CLETA collects information from training academies which are…

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has delivered the Detect Presence of Life (DepLife™) technology to industry partner MaXentric Technologies LLC. MaXentric will make this first responder solution available to law enforcement agencies across the United States. DepLife enables agents and officers to easily and safely identify whether any individuals are inside a room when direct line-of-sight is not an option. S&T funded the radar-based DepLife capability and developed it in collaboration with Fort Lee,…

The US Drug Enforcement Administration recently released the 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA), the DEA’s comprehensive review of the threats posed to the United States by deadly illicit drugs and the violent domestic and international drug trafficking organizations responsible for producing and trafficking the drugs poisoning our communities. In addition to highlighting current trends and emerging threats, this year’s NDTA includes overviews of the cartels and criminal organizations which were designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated…

In collaboration with the FBI, the FPS, the Major County Sheriffs of America, and numerous state and local law enforcement partners, the Office for State and Local Law Enforcement (OSLLE) has developed a series of swatting awareness videos specifically for law enforcement. Swatting is a dangerous and malicious act in which individuals place false emergency calls to police or emergency services, falsely reporting an active, severe crisis at a specific location. These incidents are increasingly straining emergency services and helplines,…

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) today announced the launch of a new podcast series, titled “Law Enforcement Think Tanks: Shaping the Future of Policing.” The series is hosted by Thomas Canavan, Executive Director of the National Law Enforcement Museum. Through interviews with scholars, practitioners and policy leaders, the podcast explores how law enforcement think tanks and academic centers contribute to shaping modern policing strategy and public safety policy. Featured guests include representatives from The Curve, the Miller Center on Policing…

The “Anonymized Threat Response Guidance: A Toolkit for K-12 Schools” can help K-12 schools and law enforcement and community partners create tailored approaches to addressing anonymous threats of violence, including those received on social media. The toolkit outlines steps which school leaders can take to assess and respond to anonymous threats and to better prepare for, and prevent, future threats. It also highlights how K-12 schools can work with law enforcement and community partners in addressing these threats.   The accompanying…

In 2021, New Jersey implemented new use-of-force policies, including mandatory training in de-escalation and peer intervention. But, how have these initiatives impacted officers and their day-to-day policing practices? The National Policing Institute conducted a multi-year evaluation, surveying over 31,000 officers who completed Integrating Communications, Assessment and Tactics (ICAT) and Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) training to assess the impact. This research offers a rare look into how officers perceive these training efforts and what it means for public safety….